"Naturellement," she said. "I could not 'elp but notice ze changes in 'er after ze. . . regrettable évènement of yesterday."
Gabby leaned up to his ear and whispered, "regrettable event," translating the French words she knew he didn't understand.
"I believe zat your 'eroic rescue of my daughter may 'ave. . . attracted 'er to you. Also ze fact zat I can feel your 'pull' tells me zat somezing 'as 'appened between ze two of you."
Surprisingly, Harry still heard no malice in her voice, only a calm assuredness. He glanced at the girl next to him and saw her give the briefest of nods. He took a steadying breath and used the had she was still holding to urge her a bit toward her mother.
"She's here," he said simply.
Mrs. Delacour's eyes darted down to the nude form of her daughter and widened a bit. Then Gabby released his hand and she and her mother embraced.
After a moment, she held her daughter out at arms length and studied her.
"Comment vas-tu, ma chérie?" she asked.
"I'm fine, mother," Gabrielle said patiently. "But I am not yours any longer." She looked over her shoulder at Harry. "I'm his," she finished.
"Bien sûr," her mother said understandingly. "Tu lui appartins peut être, mai tu sera ma chérie toujours."
"Maman, English," she chided. "My Master doesn't understand French."
Mrs. Delacour seemed to tense a bit at the word "Master" but she nodded and smiled at her daughter before turning her gaze to him.
"Of course," she said. "My apologies. My English is not good. It is easier to speak to my daughter in French but it was rude of me."
Uncomfortable, Harry found that he could only nod in understanding.
"So," she said after studying Harry before turning back to her daughter. "Master? It is not ze normal bond zen?"
"No," Gabby admitted quietly. "Are you ashamed of me?"
"Of course not," she said soothingly, gathering her daughter back into a hug and looking at Harry appraisingly again. "I zink I saw ze kind of man your 'Master' is during ze task: ze kind of man 'oo would risk 'imself to ensure ze safety of ozzers. Ze bond will only make 'im want to protect you more. Just tell me one zing Gabrielle," she said turning back to her daughter.
Gabby looked up from the hug expectantly.
"Are you 'appy?" her mother asked.
The radiant smile would have been all the answer her mother needed, but she responded anyway.
"More than I could have thought possible," she proclaimed happily. She looked over at Harry positively flushed with affection. "I feel complete. It's like I found a part of myself I didn't know I was missing. You must know how it feels," she said to her mother.
"Not yet," she said wistfully. "But per'aps one day I will. Zough, I doubt I would choose ze bond you 'ave. I am pleased zat you are 'appy, 'owever." She released Gabby and approached Harry.
"I trust I am leaving 'er in good 'ands?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am," he said.
"You can provide for 'er?" she asked.
He nodded. "I will do everything in my power to make sure she stays safe and happy, Mrs. Delacour," he said.
She gave him a hug. "Monsieur Potter--" she began then continued in a gentler tone. "'Arry, we are as close to family as it is possible to be. Please call me Apolline. You may even call me as Gabrielle does if you wish." She released Harry from her embrace, gave her daughter another hug and kissed her on the cheek. "Je t'aime," she said.
"Je t'aime aussi, maman," Gabby replied. "Toujours."
"Ze two of you must come to France zis summer," she said to them. "I would like to get to know ze man 'oo is now my new son."
"I think I'd like that, A--Apolline," he said, stumbling on her first name a bit. "And I'm sure that Gabby would."
"'Gabby'?" Gabrielle's mother seemed surprised. "I zought you did not like 'Gabby'."
"Only when anyone but my Master calls me that," she said defiantly. She smiled at Harry as though to say that she really did like him to call her Gabby.
After Apolline left, Harry and Gabby raced up to the third floor and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The bell rang when they were on their way so Professor Moody docked Gryffindor 5 points when Harry walked in late.
The double period passed uneventfully with Gabrielle standing dutifully next to Harry. For the most part she let him work, but occasionally did little things like lick his ear or caress his cheek with her fingertips when she thought she could get away with it.
Harry, during idle moments when Professor Moody was helping someone else, tried his hand at controlling the "pull". He thought he might have made Lisa Turpin feel it enough to look up at him but, as he was trying to aim it at Padma Patil who was sitting next to her, he couldn't be sure that it wasn't just a coincidence.
After class, Moody held Harry back. When Ron and Hermione made noises about waiting for him, Moody shooed them off to dinner.
"Potter's a big boy," he growled. "I think he can find his own way down to the Gryffindor table, don't you?" He pulled out his hip flask and took a drink. Ron and Hermione grudgingly left saying that they'd see him when he got down there..
Moody it transpired, wanted to talk about the tournament. He asked Harry about some of the things that happened under the lake, wanted to know how he fared with the Merpeople and practically demanded to know what he was thinking of rescuing the "little French girl".
Harry wanted to rush to Gabrielle's defense, but as he was being drilled by the scarred professor, he'd watched in fascination as that magical eye of his alternated between staring at Harry and spinning randomly in all directions, likely looking for possible threats.
He shuddered to think what would happen if he called enough attention to her that, at least from Moody's point of view, the naked little girl suddenly appeared right before him.
Harry answered his questions to the best of his abilities and the professor dismissed him. Harry could feel that electric blue eye on him all the way out the door.
They had descended a floor and gone down several hallways before Gabby commented that she could feel how tense he was. He explained to her in a quiet voice that the former Auror would likely react poorly if he ever suddenly noticed her.
"The last thing in the world I want," Harry said, "is to see you hurt."
Her mouth curled in a sultry grin.
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