*Flashback continued*
It was a snowy day in Hogsmeade, as Harry and Hermione walked down the main street holding hands. Hermione was wrapped up in a heavy sweater, tights, a long scarf and a beanie. She snuggled into Harry's side as they walked, earning envious glares from the various students.
"Where do you want to go today?" Harry asked.
"Um, would you be mad if I said the bookstore?"
Harry laughed. "Of course not."
The two diverted from the main street, down one of the alleys into Hermione's favourite bookshop. It was a musty old shop filled floor to ceiling with books. Which is why Hermione loved it. Harry suspected if she could buy out the store and take it back to the castle with her, she would.
Hermione gave Harry a peck on the cheek and rushed off into the stacks to shop. Harry gave a kind smile to the owner, a tiny woman whose eyes lit up whenever Hermione entered the store. She loved the young woman's enthusiasm for literature and happily sold her as many books as she could carry.
As Harry wandered through the stacks he felt someone lurking in the shadows. His eyes roamed but he didn't spot anyone at first. He tensed suddenly when he felt a hand on his bicep but relaxed when he realised it was the French Champion. "Hello, Miss Delacour."
"Bonjour, Mister Potter. I didn't think you were a fan of books."
"I'm here with my girlfriend," Harry explained.
"Ah, and she ran off and left you defenceless against a beautiful Veela?" Fleur asked with a wicked smile as her allure flared out around them.
Harry could feel something pulling at his magic. His sexual urges stirred inside him as he stared at the unnaturally beautiful woman in front of him. Harry shook his head, dispelling the fog that was clouding his brain. "Um, n-no, not defenceless. I think I'm safe around you."
Fleur raised a surprised eyebrow, there were very few humans who could shake off a Veela's allure. It was clear he could feel it, and there was a physical reaction to both her presence and her allure. And yet Harry was able to shake it off, rather than becoming a drooling neanderthal.
This handsome Englishman stirred something inside Fleur that she'd never felt before. She longed for a partner she could call an equal, and in Harry she might have found it. She wanted to get to know him more, see if this man was worth investing her time in. "Mister Potter…"
"You can call me, Harry, Miss Delacour," Harry replied.
"Then I insist you call me Fleur," She said with a smile when he nodded. "'Arry, would you like to have lunch with me?"
"We would love to," Hermione said as she appeared behind Harry.
"Oh, hello, you must be 'Arry's girlfriend," Fleur said, her eyes Hermione appreciatively. She was a very pretty girl; she'd known that since seeing her at the Yule Ball. But she hadn't been able to admit it until now. Initially she'd only been here for Harry, but maybe he wasn't the only one Fleur found interesting.
"My name is Hermione Granger. It's a pleasure to meet you," Hermione said, sticking out her hand for Fleur to shake. Hermione regarded the beautiful girl in front of her with interest and suspicion. She wasn't sure of Fleur's intentions yet; and if she wanted Harry, Fleur was in for a fight.
"Charmed," Fleur replied.
"Uh, well, Hermione and I are on a date. Maybe another time," Harry explained.
"It's ok, Harry. There's room for one more at our table," Hermione said with a smile.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked.
"It's fine, Harry, I promise," Hermione assured him.
"Ok," Harry replied as Hermione and Fleur paid for their books and the three walked out of and continued on to the Three Broomsticks.
After Rosmerta directed the three to a table and they ordered their food, Fleur turned to Harry with a question. "'Arry, have you figured out the egg yet?"
"I've figured out that if I leave it open for too long, I get a whopper headache…" Harry replied jokingly.
Hermione rolled her eyes and Fleur chuckled. "May I offer you a suggestion?"
"Sure," Harry replied.
"Take a bath with it, put it under the water and listen. You'll find the answer there."
Harry nodded. "Thank you."
"If you want, you can borrow the bath in the carriage. Of course, I'll have to be there to supervise," Fleur offered with a salacious grin. "Hermione is invited too."
"Um, that's kind of you. But I think I'll just use the bath in the dorm. I hope that's ok."
"Of course. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Fleur said.
"No, you didn't, I promise," Harry said with a smile.
As Rosmerta arrived with their food, none of the three realised there was a ladybug hanging from the banisters above them. Rita watched and listened, filing everything away to report to Dumbledore later.
*End Flashback*
Albus Dumbledore quietly unlocked the door to the Wizengamot administration office and stepped inside. It was well after midnight and only a skeleton crew was on duty. Dumbledore could have easily requested these records in his capacity as Chief Warlock. But if he did, Andromeda would know he was sniffing around. He didn't want that information getting back to whomever she was representing.
Stopping in front of the filing cabinet for Wizengamot members N through Z he yanked it open and began searching. He quickly found what he was looking for. Between Safiq and Travers was a file for Tonks. Yanking it out of the cabinet Dumbledore dropped it on top and pulled it open. After scanning the top page, he made a copy and stuffed it in his robes.
After replacing the original he turned to leave but paused mid-step. "Hello, Alastor. Fancy seeing you here, this time of night."
"Hello, Albus. If you have business with the administration staff, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until morning," Mad-Eye said as his magical eye scanned the room for other intruders.
"I had a simple inquiry, nothing to bother them with," Dumbledore assured him.
"Simple or no, there is a procedure to these things. As the new Minister for Magic, I'm very conscious of those procedures being followed."
"Quite right, quite right. Goodnight, Alastor."
As Dumbledore walked past Moody, said man grabbed him by the arm. Dumbledore was almost surprised at how strong his friend still was. "Albus…"
Dumbledore scowled and handed over the copied file. "Thank you, Albus."
Moody let Dumbledore leave before dumping the copied file into a bin and lighting it on fire. He sighed and shook his head. The memories Andi showed him convinced Moody that Dumbledore was an utter bastard. But this confirmed it better than anything Andi could have shown him. Albus was scurrying around in the dark trying to find out who was plotting against him. That was something he expected of Fudge, Malfoy or Voldemort. Not a man he'd known for over fifty years.
The next morning Dumbledore summoned Pomfrey and Snape to his office. After ordering tea for the three of them Dumbledore relayed the bad news. "Sirius never arrived at the treatment facility in Geneva. I suspect he has sought out young Harry and they are now working against us."
"What happened, Albus. The draught I brewed for you should not have worn off until Black was safely out of the country," Snape complained bitterly.
"I hadn't counted on Senior Medi-Witch Tonks being quite so thorough. My connections at St Mungo's told me she checked in on the John Doe before he was transferred out of the hospital. Once the Senior Medi-Witch was involved they couldn't overrule her without exposing their connection to me."
"And why did it take this long for you to find out?" Snape demanded.
"They were embarrassed that they failed me. They're young, admitting failure is difficult when you're young."
'And when you're old too,' Pomfrey thought but kept the opinion to herself.
"Do you think Potter, Granger, and Delacour have recovered their memories with Black's assistance?" Snape asked.
"Doubtful, but I suppose anything is possible. I will floo Arthur again today and impress upon him the urgent need to go collect Miss Granger from her parents' house."
"And Delacour?" Pomfrey asked.
"Bill is keeping an eye on her. She will soon be moving into the Burrow in preparation for the wedding. I don't see a need to panic."
"You seem remarkably calm, Albus. Your plan is becoming unravelled," Snape pointed out.
Dumbledore smiled. "Not at all, young Harry and Miss Granger will be back at Hogwarts in September. Regardless of what they might be planning, once they're under my roof, I will simply obliviate them again. Sirius can only do so much. Perhaps you could suggest to the Dark Lord that the best way to eliminate the problem of Alastor, is to remove his support structure. Starting with Sirius Black."
Snape sneered at Dumbledore. "That is an excellent idea."
"I think this is the first time I've ever been to Diagon Alley when I wasn't here for school supplies," Hermione said as she and Tonks walked through said shopping district.
"I guess there's not much reason to visit when you're a muggleborn witch outside of stuff for school when you're your age," Tonks agreed. "With so many muggleborns coming through every year, you'd think they'd want to make it more appealing," Tonks opined.
"Hm, I think we both know why they don't…" Hermione grumbled as they arrived at Fleur's apartment building.
"Yeah…" Tonks said bitterly.
The two climbed the stairs to the third level and knocked on the door. After a few moments the ridiculously beautiful blonde answered. "Hello, Tonks, Hermione. How can I help you?"
"May we come in?" Tonks asked.
"Of course," Fleur agreed. The three entered the beautifully appointed apartment and sat down around Fleur's coffee table. "Hermione, should you be walking around? Molly said you were badly hurt in the battle at the ministry."
"That's a long story, unfortunately we don't have time to explain it right now. I'm doing ok, thank you," Hermione said looking at Tonks.
"Fleur, the new Minister for Magic is worried about you being so exposed by living in Diagon Alley. He's asked us to come and move you into a safe house we've set up."
"Are you sure that's necessary? I'm going to stay with Bill for a few days in anticipation of the wedding. I'm sure I'll be safe at the Burrow."
Tonks shook her head. "We discussed that, and the Burrow is too vulnerable. The safe house is equipped with the best war wards Gringotts can provide."
"Shouldn't we wait for Bill?" Fleur asked.
"Bill is… working on something for Dumbledore. We hope he'll be able to join us later. Right now, we're focused on you."
Fleur eyed them suspiciously. "Tonks, when did we meet for the first time?"
"Sirius's house, we flirted madly for ten minutes before Bill arrived. You ran off to talk to him, leaving me very disappointed."
Fleur blushed and smiled. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Tonks said dismissively.
"We should leave soon," Hermione said.
"Yes," Tonks agreed.
Fleur glanced worriedly between the two. "Tonks, what's really going on?"
Tonks gave Fleur a reassuring smile. "I can't tell you here, but we really are trying to keep you safe. I promise, once we get where we're going everything will be explained."
"Is part of that explanation why you don't want Bill to come with us?"
"Yes."
Fleur thought for a moment before nodding. "Ok," she said before leaving the room and putting together a bag filled with clothes and her most precious mementos.
"Ready?" Tonks asked when Fleur re-emerged.
"Yes," Fleur confirmed.
The three joined hands and Tonks side-apparated from the apartment, back to Grimmauld Place. Once they landed and Fleur got over the shock of seeing Sirius alive, she was led into the sitting room.
"Sorry about the cloak and dagger, Fleur. We needed to get you here behind the wards before explaining everything. The short version is that Dumbledore obliviated most of your memories of fourth year. At the behest of Molly Weasley. He did the same thing to Harry and Hermione." Sirius explained.
"Why?"
"Good question. We know the Weasleys' motivation, or at least we think we know. As for Dumbledore, we haven't the foggiest," Sirius replied, drawing his wand. "I think it's best we continue this conversation after we restore your memories. Is that ok with you?"
"Oui," Fleur replied.
Hermione sat beside Fleur and smiled. "I'll be here when you wake up."
"Ok," Fleur said before Sirius hit her with the spell, and she slumped over unconscious. Tonks lifted Fleur's legs, so she was lying on her back on the couch. Hermione rested Fleur's head in her lap and stroked her head.
"I love you, Fleur."
*Flashback*
Fleur sat in her room with a half-finished plate of food beside her. Gabrielle slept with her head on Fleur's lap and a broad grin on her face. Fleur could understand why, despite the trauma of being trapped in a freezing lake since the previous night. She'd been rescued by her hero. Her dragon riding saviour had swum to the bottom of Black Lake and fought mermen to rescue her, Hermione and Harry's Yule Ball date, Parvati.
It was moot when it was revealed that the girls were never in danger in the first place. But that didn't matter to Gabrielle, the hero of her books had come to life. And honestly it didn't matter to Fleur either. He'd saved her life after she was attacked by Grindylows. Fleur was sure she would have drowned without Harry's intervention.
Fleur's feelings for Harry had been growing as they hung out together. Spending time with him and Hermione had made her appreciate them as people. They treated her as an equal, they never scorned her for being a Veela. She wasn't an object of desire to them. She was Fleur.
Glancing out into the night, Fleur decided she would show her appreciation. But she wouldn't steal him from Hermione. Both because she wasn't that kind of girl, and she cared about Hermione and respected her. The beautiful and brilliant English girl stirred something she'd never felt for another girl.
"Good morning, 'Arry, Hermione," Fleur said as she met them at the bottom of the stairs a few days later.
"O-oh, m-morning," Harry said nervously, glancing around the hall.
Fleur was initially confused but then laughed. "Gabrielle has gone home, 'Arry. You're safe."
Harry tried not to look too relieved as he nodded. "I'm glad she's go… I mean I'm glad she made it home safe."
Fleur giggled. "It's ok, 'Arry. I understand completely. My sister is a darling girl, but she can be a bit much."
"Mm, hm…" Harry replied not trusting himself to say anything else.
As the three walked into breakfast, Fleur reached out and grabbed both of them by the hands. She pulled them away from the door, to the great hall. "Madam Maxime has given me permission to bring two of my Hogwarts friends to the carriage tonight. Would you two like to visit with me? As I've said before we have a pool, I'd very much like to show it to you."
Harry glanced at Hermione who nodded. "Sure."
"Magnifique," Fleur replied as the ladybug kept watching.
"And finally, this is the pool," Fleur said as she opened a door.
"H-how did you get all of this inside this carriage??" Harry exclaimed in amazement.
Hermione chuckled. "Do you really want us to answer that question?"
Harry paused. "Uh, no, that's ok."
"That's what I thought," Hermione replied with a grin.
"I'll go get changed," Harry said, retreating into the changing room.
Fleur smiled at Hermione. "You're lucky, he's wonderful."
"Don't say that too soon. Harry is wonderful, most of the time. But he's got a stupidly noble streak that infuriates me sometimes," Hermione complained, unable to hide the fond smile on her face.
"Oui, I heard all about it from Cho Chang. Along with how handsome she thinks he is," Fleur replied teasingly.
Hermione huffed a laugh. "Her and half the school. I guess that's why I felt so lucky when Harry asked me to be his girlfriend. There are so many beautiful girls Harry could be dating, yet he's dating me. You're so lucky Fleur, guys are crawling over each other to date you. I have to live in constant fear that another much prettier girl is going to steal him."
Fleur frowned. "Do you really think that little of 'Arry? Or of yourself?"
"I know I'm not the prettiest girl at Hogwarts, Fleur. Not compared to Daphne Greengrass, or Susan Bones, or Lavender. Those are the girls who the boys all talk about. No one is talking about me. I'm Harry Potter's bushy haired best friend. No one looks twice at me. The only reason anyone knows who I am, is because I'm Harry's friend and I'm the annoying know-it-all at school."
"Hermione, you're a beautiful girl. 'Arry thinks so, and so do I. You're severely undervaluing yourself."
"I don't think I am…" Hermione whispered as Harry emerged from the changing room.
Harry paused, glancing between the two girls. "Is, uh, everything ok?"
"Oui, Arry, everything is fine," Fleur assured him as she pulled Hermione into the changing room after her.
Harry sat at the edge of the pool, splashing in the water with his feet as he waited for them to change. Eventually he heard the door open, and he looked up. Fleur was dressed in a white two-piece bikini while Hermione wore a school bathing suit. Harry cleared his throat and slipped into the water, to hide how much he appreciated the way they looked.
Fleur giggled. "Do you like what you see, Arry?"
"Yes," Harry squeaked out before clearing his throat and speaking again. "Yes, you both look amazing."
"Merci, 'Arry. Come, Hermione, the water is just the right temperature," Fleur said, dragging Hermione over to the pool.
Hermione stopped short and instead sat on the edge, dipping feet in the water. "It's lovely."
Fleur sighed sadly at her friend as Harry pushed off the edge and began swimming laps. Fleur dipped into the water, and waded over to stand in front of Hermione. She lifted her hand and caressed Hermione's cheek. Hermione mewled and leaned into Fleur's soft and tender touch. "Fleur…"
"Oui? Do you want me to stop?"
"No… But Harry…"
"'Arry doesn't mind, on the contrary I think he'd rather enjoy it. Did you see the way he had to hide his erection, by diving into the water? I think he thinks you're very attractive."
"He was excited about seeing you in a bikini…" Hermione mumbled.
"Maybe, but I saw him staring hard at you. I certainly was. Let me prove it to you," Fleur said as she leaned in and captured Hermione's lips.
As Harry finished his laps he emerged from the water, to the magnificent sight of Hermione and Fleur kissing. Harry immediately pressed himself against the side of the pool to hide his renewed erection. "Wow."
Fleur broke the kiss and grinned at Harry. "Did you like that, 'Arry?"
"Yes, a lot," Harry confirmed.
Fleur ran her thumb across Hermione's lips. "Did you like that, Hermione?"
"Yes," Hermione admitted feebly.
"May I kiss, 'Arry, the same way I kissed you?" Fleur asked as she leaned into Hermione's ear.
"Yes," Hermione said quietly.
"'Arry, Hermione said it's ok for me to kiss you. Would you like that?"
Harry's breathing became laboured and his face flush as he nodded. "Yes."
Fleur grabbed Harry by the hand pulling him towards her, and in front of Hermione. Their lips met and Fleur slipped her tongue inside his mouth. She held him there for a few seconds before breaking the kiss and turning his head towards Hermione. "Now her."
Harry pulled Hermione's head down to kiss her. The two swapped spit as Fleur watched and let her hands explore their bodies. "'Arry, you are very excited."
Harry moaned into his kiss with Hermione as Fleur took his hand and pressed it against her breast and did the same with Hermione's hand. Once Harry and Hermione broke their kiss, Hermione kissed Fleur again. The three continued exchanging kisses until it was almost time for Harry and Hermione to return to the castle.
"So, does this change things between us?" Harry asked as the three sat on Fleur's bed having changed back into their normal clothes. The two girls had commented on the scars on his back, and it had led to a serious discussion about his relatives. But now they have passed that and onto serious but somewhat lighter topics.
"Only if you want it to," Fleur said.
"I don't think we can pretend otherwise," Hermione said.
"What do you want, Fleur?"
"I…" Fleur stopped; she hadn't expected this question. Her intent was simply to have some fun making out with a pair she found attractive. She'd done it before, except in those cases they went all the way. This time Fleur has to restrain herself. Harry and Hermione weren't ready for that step yet and she wouldn't push them to go faster than they were comfortable with.
Harry and Hermione though, they made her feel different. They cared about her, they were her friends. She enjoyed being around them. It was rare to find someone as smart as Hermione who could challenge her intellectually. Harry was kind and loyal, whenever you were around him he made you feel special. Fleur didn't want any of that to disappear.
"I don't want this to end tonight. I want to keep being with both of you for as long as possible."
"Even after the end of the school year?" Hermione asked.
"If such a thing is possible," Fleur replied.
"I'd like to find out," Harry agreed.
"Then it's decided?" Hermione asked with a smile.
"Oui."
"Yes."
"Does this mean we're in a relationship, the three of us?" Harry asked.
"Yes, Harry, it does," Hermione replied with a smile.
A few days before the final task, Harry, Hermione, and Fleur were walking along the shore of Black Lake holding hands. They'd kept their expanded relationship mostly to themselves to avoid gossip and any chance of the news reaching Witches Weekly or The Daily Prophet. They'd had plenty to report about this year already.
"'Arry, what are your plans for the holidays?" Fleur asked.
Harry sighed and looked up into the clear June sky for a few moments. "Dumbledore will probably make me go back to my relatives."
"I hate those people," Hermione muttered.
"Oui, as do I," Fleur added.
"Me three, but I don't have much choice. Dumbledore isn't going to let me live somewhere else," Harry pointed out.
"Do you have to stay there all summer?" Fleur asked.
"Uh, well, no actually, I've stayed with the Weasley's before. And I even spent most of the summer before third year in Diagon Alley. Why?"
"I want to invite both of you to come stay with me in France, at my parents' house. You met my mother after the second task, and I've written to them about us since then. My parents have no problem with both of you visiting for as long as you'd like."
Harry smiled and glanced at Hermione. "What do you think?"
Hermione returned Harry's smile. "I love it."
"There's something else," Fleur said hesitantly.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" Harry asked.
"No, not exactly. I asked Madame Maxime about how you go about changing schools. I had a passing thought that maybe, next year, you'd attend Beauxbatons. I'm sorry, I know that's selfish…" Fleur said beginning to ramble but stopped when she realised the two had stopped looking at her and instead were looking at each other.
"Is that possible?" Harry asked.
"I… I don't know, but I think it's worth examining. I can think of some worthwhile things to do for the next three years while attending school in the French Alps."
Harry chuckled. "It can't be any colder than Scotland in the winter."
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk working on the endless pile of papers that came with running a school. Hearing a low buzz entering the room, Dumbledore glanced up from his paperwork. "I did not expect to see you tonight, Miss Skeeter."
Rita Skeeter transformed from a beetle back into a human, and sat down opposite Dumbledore. "I wasn't planning to come, but I thought you should know…" Rita proceeded to relay the conversation she'd overheard between Harry, Fleur and Hermione.
"I see… Thank you, Miss Skeeter. I will deal with it."