The Boy Who Ran Away From a Veela
Ignoring the embarrassing moment his friends were going through, and possibly enjoying it a little more than he should, Harry walked calmly through the castle corridors, still receiving those almost predatory looks from time to time… and the occasional random greeting.
But something far more entertaining quickly caught his attention.
He stopped and leaned slightly over the railing of the central staircase, from where he could see almost the entire entrance hall below, filled with students walking around as usual. Among them, Fleur stood out instantly, walking with a few Beauxbatons students… right before being stopped by a Hogwarts boy.
Red hair. Very familiar, considering most redheads in Hogwarts shared the same last name.
In this case, Ronald Weasley.
Ron stepped right in front of her, clearly dazed by Fleur's presence, blocking her path completely. The moment he stood face to face with her, he froze for a few seconds, while Fleur looked at him with visible confusion.
People nearby quickly noticed the situation as well, and just like that, a small crowd began to gather, as if they were about to watch a play unfold.
"Excuse me?" Fleur said, noticing that the boy wasn't moving aside and was still trembling like a newborn deer.
"I… I… I… Fleur, would you like to be my date for the ball?" Ron asked, sounding almost hypnotized. Honestly, even if Fleur wasn't actively using her charm, the poor guy probably had zero resistance to it and ended up affected anyway.
Fleur stared at him for a moment.
It wasn't that she was rejecting him for looking poor or badly dressed… even though, right now, he absolutely did. It was the sweat running down his face, his uneven breathing… the way he seemed to be practically inhaling her perfume like his life depended on it.
It was obvious her charm had affected him far more than intended.
And she was used to boys like that.
Seeing his state, and not quite knowing how to reject him without completely crushing him, she couldn't help but look at him like some kind of strange creature for a moment, her expression turning slightly complicated.
Then—
"Pfff… hahaha!"
Harry's laughter suddenly echoed across the entire hall.
Fleur's attention snapped toward him instantly.
Standing there at the edge of the staircase, openly laughing at her.
And the moment she saw him, she remembered their last encounter in the Forbidden Forest… and that irritating rejection.
Just thinking about it was enough to make her annoyed all over again.
"You know what, about your invitation… I acce—"
She turned back toward Ron to answer—
—but before she could even finish, he was already gone.
All she saw was his back disappearing into the distance, running at full speed, as if his life depended on it, not even waiting to hear her answer.
Fleur was left standing there, slightly open-mouthed, clearly not expecting that outcome.
Around them, students burst into laughter at the sight of Ron fleeing for his life.
And Harry… laughed even louder.
But not because of Ron.
Because of her.
Feeling like she had just been mocked again, Fleur stomped the ground a couple of times in frustration before shooting Harry a furious glare and walking off quickly, clearly not willing to stay there any longer.
Meanwhile, Harry looked thoroughly entertained.
But he didn't linger.
He had something else to do.
And as promised, he went to meet Cho Chang to teach her a few dance steps… along with her friends, since she seemed a bit too nervous and embarrassed to be alone with him.
They were using one of the empty classrooms, with proper permission, of course.
They had already practiced a few times before, so Harry was fairly used to it by now.
Still, as he guided her through the steps, he couldn't help but let out small amused laughs, clearly still thinking about what he had just seen.
Which, unfortunately, confused Cho a little.
She couldn't help but wonder if she was doing something wrong.
If that was why he was laughing.
And yet…
His smile was so soft, so natural… almost contagious.
That she found herself unable to look away.
So, while he was showing her the footwork again, she suddenly gathered her courage and looked straight at him.
"Harry," she said, interrupting him.
"What?" he asked, still smiling calmly, as if the whole day had been nothing but pleasant for him.
"Would you like to be my date for the ball? I know it's usually the boy who asks, but… since neither of us has a partner yet, I thought maybe we could go together," she said quickly.
Behind her, her friends exchanged surprised glances… before immediately giving her silent encouragement.
Harry was slightly surprised by the sudden question.
For a moment… he really did consider saying yes.
It wasn't like he would mind. Cho was nice, beautiful… and they had been spending time together lately.
At some point, he had even thought about asking her himself.
But when he looked into her eyes… that idea just didn't settle.
"Hmm…?" Harry seemed to think a little longer than usual, glancing away for a second before looking back at her.
"I'm sorry," he said at last, lowering his head slightly in a small, polite apology. "But there's someone I'd like to ask."
The girl was only a year older than him, and she was genuinely beautiful. Delicate features, fair skin, long black hair falling smoothly over her shoulders… the kind of beauty that stood out without even trying.
And yet…
That wasn't what really caught Harry's attention.
For some reason he couldn't quite understand.
Even for someone his age, who should have been easily distracted by that kind of thing… it simply wasn't what mattered to him right now.
"Oh… okay," Cho said, though this time she didn't respond immediately.
She blinked once… then again.
Her smile took a little longer to appear, as if she needed an extra second to sort out what she was feeling.
Even so, she forced it.
"Well… maybe if she rejects you, you could reconsider," she added, trying to sound light, though her voice wasn't quite as steady as before.
Her friends exchanged quick glances behind her, clearly noticing the subtle shift in the atmosphere.
Harry smiled at her words. "That would be impossible… I can be very persuasive sometimes," he said with a soft smile.
For a moment, the room fell quiet.
Not uncomfortable… but not as light as before either.
Right then, the bell rang, announcing the approaching evening and breaking the slightly heavy atmosphere that had formed.
"Well, looks like our lessons are over," he said calmly as he gathered his things.
"Ah, yes… thank you," Cho replied, while her friends also thanked Harry, moving closer to her as if to support her after the rejection.
There wasn't much Harry could say at that point, so he simply decided to leave.
But as he stepped out of the classroom, he noticed someone standing near the door.
The boy was pacing back and forth, muttering under his breath as if rehearsing something over and over again.
"Cho… would you like… no… that sounds wrong… Cho, I… damn it…"
Harry recognized him almost instantly.
Cedric Diggory.
When the door opened fully, Cedric looked up, slightly surprised to see him for a second.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he gave Harry a calm nod.
Harry returned it with a faint smile.
And without stopping, he kept walking.
But once again, the scene from earlier came back to his mind.
Fleur's expression.
Her irritation.
The slight shift in her voice before Ron ran off.
Harry frowned just a little for a moment, remembering the look on her face… before his lips curved again into a small smile.
"Troublesome…" he muttered to himself.
And he continued on his way with that same smile.