Edges of Steel, Edges of Hearts
Meanwhile, in another corridor near the garden, Harry walked alongside Draco as they discussed the improvements made to the new generation of golems. Harry explained enthusiastically how he had finally managed to identify the core of the golden golem army they had fought against.
They both stopped their conversation when they noticed a young blonde girl half-hidden behind one of the walls, silently watching Luciel, who had just finished speaking with Wanda. She was already walking away with calm steps, while Luciel returned to his training—though this time he seemed more relaxed, as if he had just cast off a burden.
"The villain turned into a stalker," Harry muttered, fixing his eyes on Fleur, the girl spying on her cousin.
She spun around instantly at the sound of his voice, a look of annoyance on her face.
"At her own cousin. Mmm… in England some pureblood families might approve, but in France I doubt it," Draco added with irony. Normally he avoided speaking with Fleur after the last time, when he had almost ended up enchanted by her Veela allure, which had left him in a foul mood. But this time he was prepared, determined to resist any charm.
"What I do has nothing to do with you. Go on your way," Fleur replied coldly.
"That's true," Harry said simply, but then he turned and started walking toward the garden, straight toward Luciel.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" Fleur exclaimed, grabbing the hem of his robe.
"Well, you're spying on the president of my club. And, by the way, he's quite popular. He must already have plenty of problems with stalkers… imagine adding one more, and from his own family no less. Maybe I should warn him, so he'll be more careful when dealing with you," Harry said with a mocking smile.
"That's not it!" Fleur protested, already irritated, knowing that if she didn't explain herself, they wouldn't leave her alone.
"I wonder if Veela blood is enough to correct its descendants," Draco mused casually, though the mocking edge in his voice was clear.
Fleur sighed, regretting once again provoking these two demons.
"I'm worried about him, all right?" she finally admitted, exhausted. "I don't want him to go back to how he was in the past."
Harry and Draco stopped their teasing and looked at her more attentively.
"In truth, he doesn't love swords as much as he says," Fleur confessed sadly, watching her cousin train.
The boys stared at him, doubtful; it didn't seem that way.
"He grew up in my house since he was five years old. His mother died because of sword decorations. He never loved them. Every time he saw one, he would cry. We had to remove all the decorations, but even so, he always carried a book with him, one my aunt used to read to him: tales of knights. Everything changed one night, after a nightmare. I heard noises in his room and when I went out, I saw him outside in the rain, holding a sword I didn't even know where he had gotten from. He swung it in the air, drenched. My grandmother said maybe the enchantment had failed somehow, but that we shouldn't intervene. From then on, I saw him out there every night, training, as if trying to cut something invisible. Until he met Katerina he seemed to relax a little… but I know he never truly loved swords. At least not completely."
Fleur lowered her gaze, her expression full of concern.
"And whenever something bad happens, he trains until his arms give out. It's a punishment for himself. When I asked him about it, he couldn't even explain why. But now… he seems different."
Harry looked at him silently, as if he suddenly understood something, and murmured:
"I see…"
Then he looked back at Fleur. "You get along well with your cousin."
"We grew up like siblings," she answered with a nostalgic smile. "He was always there to save me. He became the knight of his stories. Even when that professor attacked me, it was Luciel who knocked him out. Since I was little, I had problems… and he was always there with his sword to protect me."
Her expression lit up at the memory.
"Katerina is also our childhood friend. It was hilarious to see their faces when they found out our families had arranged a betrothal between them," she added with a laugh. Without realizing it, part of her Veela charm slipped out, filling the air with warmth.
The silver ornament in Draco's pocket glowed red, shielding him. Even so, he couldn't help but be struck by the beauty of her smile. He shook his head, refusing to show weakness, and caught Harry's mocking look, as if to say "weakling."
"By the way, what were the stories in the book Luciel always carried?" Harry asked curiously.
"It was about a wizard who wielded a sword. His name was Godric Gryffindor. They say he never lost a duel in his life, that he helped people, and that his sword could cut through magic itself. Though he was a wizard, he was more of a swordsman… but also a very powerful mage," Fleur explained.
Harry's eyes widened in surprise at hearing the name of one of Hogwarts' founders. Draco noticed it too.
Before either of them could say anything, a voice came from behind Fleur.
"What are you doing?" asked Luciel, wiping sweat with a towel as he looked at them in puzzlement. He knew Draco always avoided his cousin, that Harry only threw mocking words at her, and that Fleur was embarrassed to be around them. Seeing them talking together was, at the very least, unusual.
Fleur's eyes widened in surprise, realizing she had shared part of her cousin's past without his permission, and that it wasn't exactly a simple memory.
"President, we think your cousin has some strange tendencies that should probably be controlled," Harry said quickly, shooting Fleur a mocking glance.
"What?" Luciel asked, confused.
Fleur glared at him furiously.
"Villainous stalker… am I missing something?" Harry asked Draco.
"Manipulator, perhaps," Draco answered calmly.
"Ah, right, because of her charm. She could end up with an army of brainless male zombies doing whatever she wants, ruling the world with ease. Maybe I should warn the other girls, in case she tries it on them too," Harry added with a smirk.
"They're really such idiots," Fleur snapped furiously before stomping her foot and storming off. However, she stopped for a second, looked back at Luciel, and said:
"Remember Katerina's birthday, or she won't speak to you for weeks."
With an annoyed huff directed at the two "brats," she walked away.
Luciel gave a confused look, glancing at Harry and Draco. Normally, they were fairly friendly, but when it came to Fleur, they seemed to hold a grudge.
"Hey, you could be a little kinder to her. Even if she acts a bit egocentric or proud, it's mostly out of protection. She's not a bad person, and she's actually pretty sweet if you get to know her," Luciel said, watching them with a faint pleading expression.
After all, he remembered that day at the Flamel house—Fleur's pride had pushed her to tease them, and that was what had sparked this lingering resentment.
"I wouldn't mind… but after all, she still hasn't apologized," Draco replied, making it clear that was the only reason he still held on to the grudge. Then he turned and walked away.
Harry, on the other hand, merely shrugged, showing that he too shared that childish resentment. Both of them were rather petty in that way, but it was also obvious Fleur got much more leeway than anyone else. Another person wouldn't be so lucky—receiving only a few mocking words and sarcastic jabs as "revenge."
Luciel watched them leave and shook his head. Even so, he liked them. All four of them, really. Then he turned and spotted Professor Dominic Grey walking alongside Fleur. He greeted her with a courteous smile, and Fleur responded politely before continuing on her way.
Dominic watched her leave for a moment, then noticed Luciel's steady gaze. He smiled and gave a slight nod. Luciel returned the gesture, though his face was serious, until the professor calmly went on his way.
…
In the dining hall:
"There's something that still bothers me," Harry said suddenly as he joined Hermione and Daphne, who were waiting for them, seated and reviewing some alchemy diagrams related to the golden golems he had studied.
Hermione and Daphne lifted their heads, and Draco also looked at him with curiosity.
"Who's your fiancée?" Harry asked Draco directly.
Both girls widened their eyes with interest. They had forgotten about that matter, or perhaps Draco had simply never brought it up again.
"There's no need for you to know," Draco answered seriously, visibly annoyed, before sitting down in one of the chairs.
"Come on, now I really want to know too," Daphne said with a cheeky smile. "Or we could just ask Aunt Narcissa."
"I thought arranged engagements were a thing of the past. It's not like we're still in the Middle Ages," Hermione remarked, glancing back down at the diagrams.
"Plenty of wealthy muggles still do it. It's not that strange, especially among pureblood families obsessed with keeping their lineage intact," Harry said calmly. After all, he was talking about the Malfoys. Maybe things were different now with Narcissa in charge, but in Lucius's time, blood purity had been the highest priority.
"I won't say," Draco muttered in frustration, knowing all too well how relentless his friends could be.
"What a shame," Daphne sighed with bored disappointment, regretting the lost chance for some entertainment.
"Although I think it's easy to guess," Harry added with a teasing tone, earning a murderous glare from Draco.
Before he could reply, a female voice came from behind them.
"Draco, can we talk for a moment?"
It was Pansy Parkinson, one of the Slytherins who had come with them to Beauxbatons. A classmate and childhood friend of Draco… until he and his mother had been branded "blood traitors" by the other pureblood families. She had been no exception. As a child, she had rejected him mercilessly, leaving him completely alone until Draco eventually became friends with Harry.
The three turned their heads toward Draco, watching his reaction. He frowned coldly at the sight of her.
"What do you want?" he asked in a serious voice, his expression icy.
"I… it's something serious, and we need a bit of privacy," Pansy said, glancing around. When her gaze landed on Hermione, she couldn't help but twist her face in open disdain. She also shot hateful looks at Daphne and Harry.
Of course, the four of them noticed, though it didn't affect them in the slightest.
Draco stood up. "I'll be right back," he told his friends, walking toward where Pansy waited. When she tried to move closer, he quickened his pace, forcing her to follow from behind.
"Well, that was easier to figure out than I expected. And here I was, ready to start another detective war," Harry said with an amused smile.
"Draco said that engagement was going to be broken, right? Maybe that's why she wants to talk to him," Hermione suggested.
"The Malfoy family, now considered neutral and even traitorous by some, still holds a fair amount of power. The Parkinsons are probably desperate, realizing their engagement is in jeopardy," Daphne explained calmly.
"But they rejected Draco. What were they expecting?" Hermione said, a touch of anger in her voice.
"If it's a magical contract, they were probably expecting Draco to bow his head and accept it. That way they could marry him off and keep the agreement. But Narcissa is not Lucius. She'd rather tear down her own family than let her son carry that weight. Besides… no contract could survive with my mother involved," Harry said evenly, though with a hint of mockery.
Then he frowned. In the corner of the hall, he spotted that strange house-elf again, staring at him intently. As soon as the elf realized Harry had seen him, he grew nervous… and vanished instantly.
That was when Harry noticed something else. Katerina was seated not far away. She too had been looking in the same direction as Harry—but her expression carried a faint trace of guilt and sadness as she stared at the spot where the elf had just been.
"How troublesome," Harry muttered with a slight smirk.