Chapter 46 - [46]:twinkle

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A blushing Harry ducked his head, embarrassed at the praise, but a quick look at Fleur merely showed her amusement.

"Do not be uncomfortable, Harry; there is no quality which is more highly sought after by Veela than the ability to resist the allure."

Harry simply nodded, not wishing to continue the conversation any further—it was just another example of his being different from everyone else when all he wanted was just to be normal.

"So, would you it surprise you to learn that I have difficulty making friends?"

Though his first instinct was to gawk at her, other thoughts intruded, and the impact of what he had been told, both by Fleur and her father, brought him up short.

"I suppose the allure makes having friends difficult?" he ventured.

Fleur laughed. "A little. I'm impressed, Harry—most would not know what I am speaking of. All they see is my looks, and they automatically assume that I am the most popular girl in my school, when the opposite is true. Those who are not intimidated or outright jealous of my looks are afraid of my ability to steal their boyfriends by simply exerting myself. I have a tendency to have acquaintances rather than friends, and if any of those acquaintances begins a relationship with a boy, they tend to start avoiding me."

"And I suppose your beauty doesn't help in obtaining a boyfriend," Harry guessed. "I tend to have the same problem with my fame, although I'll admit I've never really tried to find a girlfriend."

"Exactly," Fleur said with a smile. "And I do not want a mindless, slobbering fool for a boyfriend… and believe me—I could have them by the dozen if I really wanted."

Harry snickered in response, certain she could.

"So, that is why the ability to resist the allure is such a prized commodity to Veela," she continued. "If I should ever be fortunate enough to have earned your love, I will know it is for me rather than the allure. And trust me—Veela have a tendency to… lose…"

Fleur blushed furiously and trailed off before visibly screwing up her courage and looking Harry in the eye. "What I mean to say is that Veela lose control of the allure when being… intimate… with a man—it tends to turn the man into a gibbering idiot. With your ability to resist the allure, I never need to worry about that, and it will help make our encounters much more… satisfying."

She breathed a sigh of relief and continued on in a calmer tone of voice. "And, given what I know about you, I will not have to worry about your using me for my looks. That is why, although this has been a shock and not entirely welcome, when I found out it was you, I knew that it could be much worse. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make sure our relationship works."

With those quiet words, Harry finally understood what the situation meant to her and how she viewed their future. It was humbling to know that she trusted him to the extent she did, and though he still did not feel like he knew her well, he was willing to ensure her future was everything she could ever hope it would be.

He smiled at her and reached across to give her a hug, an action with surprised her no more than it surprised himself—he normally was not one to initiate much body contact. Fleur, though, was pleased, if the beaming smile which adorned her face was anything to go by. It gave Harry a warm feeling inside to know he could be the means of making her happy.

"I understand, Fleur," he finally responded, trying to inject every bit of warmth he felt at that moment into his voice. "I think we have common goals and desires in a companion—I hope we can work it out between us."

"I am certain we can," she assured him. "We will have lots of time this year to work everything out—I am to attend Hogwarts for my last year of schooling."

Now Harry was confused. "Last year? I thought you were in seventh year during the tournament—you were seventeen, weren't you?"

"Yes, but I turned seventeen in October, so I was just within the rules. If you recall, all the Headmaster said was that contestants needed to be of age by the start of the tournament, and I was."

And Harry did see—after all, if they had been two years older, Hermione would have been eligible to enter the tournament due to the same circumstance.

"I understand," he responded with a smile. "I have a friend who was born in September, so although she's in the same year as I am, she is almost a full year older."

"That brown-haired witch that Krum rescued under the lake?"

"Yeah, that's her. Hermione is great—my best friend."

Fleur cocked her head to the side and peered at him with curiosity. "Then why was she not your hostage during the task? For that matter, if she is your best friend and you did not have a girlfriend, why did you not take her to the ball?"

"Hello? What do you see here? Male? Teenager? Clueless?"

His irreverent statement caught Fleur by surprise, and she descended into a fit of giggles while Harry grinned at her.

"I know I should have asked her, but I was too worried about being on display for all the school to see, not being able to dance, and I was afraid I would be rejected by anyone I asked."

Harry was silent for several moments, thinking about the events around the ball; knowing what he knew now about his relationship with his closest friend, he knew he had been a fool to have let the opportunity slip away. Not that it mattered now…

"I should have asked her," he repeated quietly.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing, is it not?" said Fleur, breaking him out of his introspection.

"I suppose so," he replied with a sigh before visibly shaking himself out of his thoughts. This was his betrothed, and it would not do for her to see him pining over another woman.

"So, is there anything else you wanted to know about me?"

The twinkle in her eyes was reminiscent of a certain Headmaster. "Many things, I should imagine…"

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