Chapter 1335 - Ch: 20

Chapter 20 - Water Can be Hazardous

The trio returned to the Leaky Cauldron at half one in the afternoon on the first of January, each with a miniature chest slung over their shoulder like a backpack. There were a number of other students there too, all saying good-bye to their parents. All three teens, even Ginny, hugged Dan and Emma good-bye. Professor Flitwick directed them to the fireplace. After Flooing, they found themselves in Professor McGonagall's office again.

On their way back to Gryffindor tower, they spotted the Weasley twins leaning against a wall and were surprised to see one waving them over. "Follow us," he said without elaboration when they were close enough to hear.

Harry shrugged at the quizzical looks from the girls and followed the twins. A moment later, they were in an unused classroom. "What's up?" he asked.

The two male Weasleys looked at each other. "You said you'd do it," said Twin One, who was standing to their right.

"No, you said you'd do it."

"No I didn't." Twin One glared at his brother. "I'll match you for it then."

Each brother held up his left palm and then beat his right fist into it. On the third beat, each right fist held out the index finger. "Wand. Again," they said together as they started the three count. The second time, both kept a fist. "Rock. Again." On their third try, the right twin went back to "wand" while the twin on the left slapped a flat right hand down on his left palm.

"Ha!" the twin on the right cried. "My wand cuts your parchment. You have to tell them."

The left twin sighed, "Fine." He looked at the trio, but mostly at Ginny, who was amused by their antics. "You need to know that we wrote to Dad on the day after Boxing Day about what happened after the Yule Ball. He was…" Twin Two looked at Twin One.

"Less than pleased?" Twin One offered.

"I would have suggested 'pissed off', but take your pick," Twin Two said to his sister with a shrug. "Anyway, it was bad enough that he came up here the next day and had a talk with us and Ron. We've never seen Dad so angry, not even at us…"

"And that's saying something," Twin One interjected.

Ginny giggled, while her bond-mates looked at her sceptically because of her reaction.

"But we witnessed the conversation. The short version is that Dad told Ron to never do anything like that ever again. But if he did, Ron would never finish school here at Hogwarts, he'd be dragged home, even if it was the day before NEWT exams."

"Oh my, that's … extreme," Hermione said wide-eyed and with alarm.

Harry silently agreed with her and with Hermione's next question.

"Did he get Ron to say why he … said what he did?"

Twin One chose to answer. "It was essentially jealousy. Apparently he had started to develop feelings for you, Hermione, and he had wanted to take you to the Ball, but felt that Harry 'got everything'," he said while making air quotes. "Dad told him that who Hermione liked and who she spent time with was her choice. The last thing he said was that a real Weasley would make things right, but he also didn't give Ron any deadline for that."

"We thought you should know," the other twin said.

"Thanks, Fred," Ginny said, hugging the one on the right. "Thanks, George," she said while hugging the other.

"Yeah, thanks, guys," Harry told them. "We'll watch and see what he does, but I don't think things will be like they were before. This is the second time he's insulted Hermione in a major way and I don't really want to give him an opportunity for a third."

Hermione nodded her agreement.

"We understand," the twins said as they left.

The trio looked at each other.

«It does help to understand why, but I'm still unhappy with him,» Hermione said.

«I'll ignore him until he apologizes,» Harry said, sad that his friendship with Ginny's brother had deteriorated again. «I'm not sure what I'll do after that.»

«Me too,» Ginny agreed, «even if he is my brother. His attack was uncalled for, no matter what his reason.»

«Thanks,» Hermione said happily and drew the other two to her, for a three-way hug.

That evening at Dinner, the trio noticed Ron giving them furtive looks, but he said nothing. All three of them ignored the boy, including Harry when he went to bed that evening.

The night before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, the trio were sitting at a table doing their homework. As usual, they sat alone. Harry looked around; it looked like a very typical evening in the common room. Most people were studying. A few were playing games. Ron, who had taken a full week to apologize and was now relegated to the status of merely a friend like Seamus, was playing chess with a seventh year. Harry now spent more time with Neville than any other male friend, and he enjoyed the friendship of his once shy dorm-mate.

He wondered when someone would come to try to take Ginny or Hermione away. The obvious time was this evening just before curfew or tomorrow morning at breakfast time. However, it might be hard to find someone tomorrow morning, so he expected to see someone from the Tournament this evening, probably Dumbledore. Therefore both girls were staying very close to him this evening.

At ten, right on time for curfew, the portrait opened. Professor McGonagall walked in and looked around. Everyone instantly looked her way, as she rarely made an appearance in the common room. A few first years were sitting on the floor near the fire and she looked at them with mild disapproval. "First and second years should be in bed by now," she said sternly as she eyed them. The small group hastily got up and ran up the stairs, as did a few others.

"The rest of you should be going to bed within the next few minutes. It is very important to get enough sleep, so you can do well in your classes." She surveyed the remaining group, getting a few nods.

"But Professor, we don't have class in the morning," one of the Weasley twins piped up.

"You should not get into bad habits," she countered with one of her famous stern looks. The twins wisely did not continue the argument.

Nearly half of the students started picking up their things to go up to their dorm room, where they could continue their reading in private.

McGonagall looked over to the table on the side. "Miss Weasley, if you would kindly come with me?"

Ginny looked at Harry, who nodded ever so slightly, and turned back to face McGonagall. "Professor, is this about the second task?"

The professor was visibly startled, although she was obviously trying to hide it. "I wasn't specifically informed of that, but I do need you to come with me to my office for a discussion."

Digging into her robes, Ginny pulled out a letter and held it out. "I'm sorry, Professor, but I'm not allowed to be in the Tournament except as a spectator. Here's a letter from my father if you need it."

McGonagall stood there for a moment before slowly walking over to their table and taking the letter.

Harry tried to keep a neutral expression as he watched the drama unfold. He knew he probably should not be so amused at watching this, but he found it fun to counter their plans.

When she finished the note, Professor McGonagall looked at the youngest Weasley for a moment. "I was not told this meeting was for the Tournament, but it's not hard for me to figure out that it is so. You will not be hurt. Will you not come anyway?"

Ginny took a deep breath and steeled herself. With great courage, she said, "No, Professor. I'm sorry, it's not that I don't believe you, but I believe you were given false information."

McGonagall looked surprised again. "How so?"

Surprisingly to the trio, McGonagall did not sound upset.

"Because unplanned events have happened, namely Harry's entry into the Tournament and Harry's dragon getting loose," Ginny said, using Hermione's argument. "Those events should have never happened, and yet they did. Also, the first task was very dangerous and I do not want be a part of this in any way, just like Harry did not want to be in the Tournament. Lastly, if I were included in this task, it would distract Harry, and I do not wish to do that either."

"I see," McGonagall drawled, considering what she was told. "Very well. We can not make you do this." She turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger…"

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I will not participate either, and for the very same reasons. I also have a note from my parents, if you'd like to see it," Hermione said evenly as she reached into her robes and pulled out a letter.

McGonagall took it and read it, paling slightly as she finished.

It was hard, but Harry kept his smirk to himself. He was sure the professor's reaction was prompted by his parents' statement that, if Hermione was a part of the Tournament in any way other than as a spectator, they would take this to the newspapers and make sure that everyone knew Hogwarts did not respect parental requests for their child's safety.

"If you don't mind, I'll hold on to these letters for the moment," McGonagall said as she refolded them.

"Of course not, Professor," Hermione said graciously. "Those are copies and we have the originals if you need more."

McGonagall looked over their heads for a few seconds before nodding her head. "Very well. I need to return to the meeting in my office; however, I would request that you, Miss Weasley, and you, Miss Granger, remain here for the next twenty minutes. You may head on to bed, Mr Potter."

The girls agreed to the request, but Harry said, "Thank you, Professor, but I think I'll wait here until this is concluded."

Professor McGonagall nodded as if she understood his real reasons and left.

"What was that about?" Ron asked his sister from where he sat at a nearby table.

"I was being asked to be a part of the second task, but I didn't want to," she answered and watched him expectantly.

"But, why? That would be brilliant!" Ron looked like he had won the Tournament right there, such a dreamy look came over him.

The trio looked at each other, and all three had to put a hand over their mouth to stop from sniggering out loud.

Ginny swallowed her mirth and replied, "Well, if you think it would be brilliant, feel free to volunteer when they return."

"Why would they come back?" Ron looked puzzled.

"Because they need to pick someone, and McGonagall said for them to wait," Harry explained. "Also there was no reason to tell them to stay here if no one is coming back."

"Oh, right," Ron said sheepishly at having his oversight pointed out to him. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't let them leave before I return." He took his chess set and raced upstairs.

They looked at each other and Hermione said, "I'm sorry, Ginny, but at times, he's such a, a…"

"Daft prat?" Ginny offered with a mischievous grin. Harry chuckled, as did Hermione.

"Actually I was thinking 'clueless idiot'," he answered.

"I suppose either would do," Hermione said, with a matching grin.

They returned to their studies. Ron returned a moment later with a Quidditch book and sat down to read, but he could not sit still as he anticipated his opportunity.

About fifteen minutes after she left, Professor McGonagall returned, this time with Professor Dumbledore.

The Headmaster did not smile when he saw Harry. "Miss Weasley, I understand that you will not join us for a conversation. I would ask that you come, as a courtesy to me."

To her credit, Ginny looked calm and in control, which were not her inner feelings. She was actually quite nervous, but she approached this like a conversation with her mother. "I was about to head to bed when Professor McGonagall came in, but asked me to wait. I assume that was to go and get you, since she could not tell me what the meeting was about." When he did not answer, she asked, "What is the meeting about - sir?"

"I'm afraid that I am not at liberty to say at the moment," Dumbledore looked at her with a serious expression.

"I see." She looked at Harry, who smiled slightly, and she almost thought he pursed his lips at her as if blowing a kiss, but she knew she must be imagining that as this was not the time or place for that activity. Perhaps it was time to have another conversation with Hermione about her thoughts of Harry.

When she said nothing else, Dumbledore asked, "Will you come with me, Miss Weasley, as a favour to me?"

Ginny bravely held her position. "I'm sorry, Professor, but the Head of House Weasley says that I may not participate in the Tournament other than as a spectator. Professor McGonagall has the letter."

"Miss Weasley, I was delayed in coming here because I stopped to contact your father. He said that he wrote the letter at your request. Therefore, you may participate if you desire. I can also promise you that every precaution possible will be taken to ensure your safety during this task. Please come with me for the good reputation of the school," Dumbledore entreated.

"And I asked him because Harry asked me not to participate, which I agree with," Ginny argued. "I'm sorry, Professor, but this has nothing to do with my school work and would only make things more difficult for Harry by causing him to worry. Any other problems this may cause are not my responsibility."

Dumbledore did not look happy. After a moment, he turned to Hermione.

Before anything could be said, Hermione told him, "I'm sorry, Professor, but I will not participate either, and for the same reasons. You have the letter from my parents, who are still not happy that Harry is involved in this Tournament."

"I must have one of you for the Tournament," Dumbledore said with a hint of exasperation.

"I'll go!"

Dumbledore turned and was slightly surprised to see Ron Weasley standing there, looking very eager. "Mr Weasley? You would take your sister's place in the Tournament and help Mr Potter?"

"Of course, I think it would be brilliant," Ron answered excitedly.

The Headmaster thought about it for a few seconds before he turned back. "Miss Weasley, do you think there would be any objection to your brother participating?"

Ginny smiled. "No sir, it's not a problem. Dad has five other boys."

"Ginny!" her brother protested.

Laughs from the other direction caught her attention. Ginny looked around to see Fred and George laughing so hard they were having to hold each other up.

"Very well, then, Mr Weasley, if you would come with us." Dumbledore glanced at Harry and saw the fourth champion smiling as if he did not have a worry. Dumbledore wondered what was going on with those three, and promised himself to start paying closer attention to them. The prophecy from the end of last year returned to his mind, reinforcing his new plan.

Ron walked out of the common room after Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"What was that about, Harry?"

Harry turned and saw Neville, who deserved an answer as his close friend. He also noticed that the entire room was paying attention to his answer. "For the second task, the clue in the golden egg said that they had planned on taking my closest friend for me to rescue. I figured out the clue and we decided that Ginny would be picked since she went to the Yule Ball with me. We also determined that if she did not go, they would most likely ask Hermione in her place. Since none of us want to be in the Tournament, we took steps to prevent that."

Neville started grinning, as did most of the others. There was something fun about pranking the teachers. "I know you two aren't getting along well at the moment, but you will rescue him though, right?"

Harry chuckled. "Well, the stupid rules require me to at least try, but this way, I know that my best friends and family are safe." Everyone laughed at the thought of Harry getting one up on the Headmaster. "I will try to rescue him because he's Ginny's brother." Almost all of those left chuckled as they picked up their things and headed up to their dorm rooms.

Harry hugged both girls and watched them go up the stairs, before he headed up to his dorm room.

The girls went to Ginny's room first, where she grabbed night clothes and clothes for tomorrow. Then they went to Hermione's room. After Lavender and Parvati were in for the night, Hermione locked the door, put up an alarm ward she had researched just for this, and she put a chair in front of the door. Feeling somewhat safe from someone coming during the night to take one of them away, Hermione and Ginny got ready for bed and crawled into Hermione's bed.

"I've never had a sleep-over before," Hermione said.

"Me neither," Ginny said with a giggle.

They each slept surprisingly well for having to share a bed.

Harry awoke a little early and quickly got dressed. That included wearing his swimming trunks underneath as well as strapping a knife he had bought onto his waist. His polished wand was already in a wand holster on his left forearm. That should be all he needed, at least as far as what he could personally take to the task.

He hurriedly went downstairs and sat in the chair that faced the girls' stairs, a place he sat on many mornings. He was anxious to see if their planning had been useful or not. He could "feel" that both were still upstairs, but he was going to be deeply pissed off if someone had tried to take one of the girls during the night.

Not too much later, Ginny came bounding down the stairs; Hermione was not far behind her. Harry hugged each of them, very happy to see them. "Any attempts?" he asked nervously.

"I asked my dorm mates and they weren't aware of anyone trying to find me," Ginny told him.

"None that we're aware of," Hermione answered. "I suppose we might have been slightly paranoid."

He was relieved at the answers. "Better safe than sorry, and I'm hopeful they stick with Ron." He saw the "Chaser Girls" (as he called them) coming down the stairs, so he called them over. "Hey, I need you to do me a big favour this morning."

"What?" Angelina asked. Alicia and Kate looked curious as well.

"I don't think anything will happen since they already have Ron, but I'd like you three to keep an eye on Hermione and Ginny. I don't want anyone to try to take one of them and switch for Ron before today's task starts. Will you help me, please?" Harry begged them and did his best sad-puppy face.

Katie cracked first. "Of course, Harry. Anything for a fellow teammate." The other two girls agreed quickly thereafter.

"Thanks!" he told them enthusiastically. "That's a load off my mind. You could probably get Fred and George to help, too." Hermione and Ginny thanked each of the three girls for helping out before they all headed to the Great Hall.

At the breakfast table, Harry felt his stomach start to rebel, just like before a big Quidditch game. He compromised between his mind and nerves with some tea and sipped on that.

Ginny noticed and grabbed some toast, smearing it heavily with Harry's favourite jam. "Here, you have to eat something or you'll not be able to keep up."

"That's right, Harry, you must have some energy." Hermione scooped some scrambled eggs onto a plate and put it in front of him. "I'd tell you to eat some bacon for the protein, but eggs will be easier on your stomach."

Harry wanted to argue, but he could not fault their caring for him. So he took the toast and picked up his fork. Once he had started, he surprised himself by eating all the eggs and the toast Ginny had given him, plus one more piece of toast and jam.

"Thank you for not fighting us, Harry," Ginny told him with a smile and kissed his cheek near his ear. She took the opportunity to whisper: «There's a lot more of that waiting for when you finish the task.» He could not stop the blush.

From the other side, he felt a second kiss on the cheek and another whisper: «I can guess what Ginny told you and the same applies from me.» Harry's blush did not let up.

He tried to return to normal by looking around the room. Unfortunately, he saw Professor McGonagall get up and walk over to Cedric. She said something to him and then turned and started coming his way, with Cedric rising and following her.

"It's time, Mr Potter. If you'll follow me, please?" McGonagall said and then slowly started walking away.

Ginny threw her arms around Harry in a tight hug. "Please be careful, Harry."

When she let go, Hermione also gave him a hug. "Be careful, Harry. Remember, it's better to be safe and fail the task than to try to finish and get yourself hurt or killed."

"I promise I'll be careful," he told them both. «Do you have my things?» he quietly asked. When Hermione nodded, he smiled at her and left. He and Cedric walked in silence to a large tent near the lake.

Inside the tent, Harry saw that both Viktor and Fleur were already there. Looking around, he saw four lounge chairs, along with a table and various drinks. It looked like Madam Pomfrey had already been here, as some of her medical supplies were on a table, in case they were needed later. Not knowing what to do while he waited, he walked over to the nearest lounge chair and reclined in it. Closing his eyes, he relaxed and thought about his bond-mates, letting an easy grin come over him as he thought about their promised rewards.

"'Ow can you just lay there as if you 'aven't a care in the world?" an accented female voice yelled from nearby.

Harry opened his eyes and saw Fleur glaring balefully at him. "Because I deciphered the clue and took steps to ensure I was ready. Didn't you?" he asked calmly, refusing to let her rile him up.

"Of course I know what the egg said, but they 'ave my sister!" she snapped back.

"Ah," Harry said with as much sympathy as he could. "I'm sorry they surprised you."

"I noticed that your date to the Yule Ball was at breakfast. How did you manage that, Harry?" Cedric asked him. Krum looked very interested in the answer as well.

Harry noticed that Cedric was trying not to look at Fleur and found that interesting. "I figured out they were going to take a person as a hostage to rescue and took steps to protect the two people that are my closest friends so they would not be used in the task." Harry shrugged, not sure what else to say.

"But the clue… they said 'something' and 'it'. 'Ow did you know it was a person and not a thing?" Fleur asked, still quite upset.

He started to feel a little mental pressure that was easily ignored, and assumed that was the Veela allure that Cedric was trying to avoid. "Because I own almost nothing of value they could take," Harry said simply. "I have my wand, but they can't take that from me as I need it for the task. I have one family heirloom, but very few people know about it. Almost everything else that I have of any value only has vague sentimental value or can easily be replaced. Therefore, it must be a person."

The two boys were nodding in acceptance of that logic. Fleur did not argue, but she still looked upset.

"Who did they take for you, Cedric?" Harry asked.

"I haven't been able to find Cho this morning, so I suspect they took her," the Hufflepuff said, as he took a seat on the end of one of the lounge chairs.

"What about for you, Krum?" Harry asked, wondering if the Quidditch star would even talk to him. He had not done more than grunt during the first task.

After a moment, Krum slowly said, "My date vas also gone."

"Greengrass?" Harry asked and Krum nodded. Harry decided that English was not easy for Krum, hence why he talked so little; or at least Harry wanted to believe that to be charitable.

Krum grabbed a glass of water and then sat on the end of a lounge chair like Cedric. Fleur continued to pace the room like a caged animal, while Cedric stared at the ground.

At a quarter to ten, the judges entered the tent and greeted the champions in a chipper mood. Even Harry, the most relaxed, did not return the happy greetings.

"Well, let's get started then," Bagman said, ignoring the unease of the champions. "Did anyone not work out the clue?" He looked around and none of the champions said anything. "Very well then. As you know, a person close to you is now in the village of the Merpeople. You will have one hour to rescue them and bring them back to the dock from where you leave. The only charm you're allowed to cast before I start you is a warming charm on yourself. If you choose to do that, you must say the spell out loud. Please follow me."

As they walked out, Harry quietly said to Cedric, "I wonder what idiot thought it would be fun to jump into freezing water in February?"

Cedric could not help but smile. "Thanks, Harry." He paused for a moment. "While I've heard stories about some of your adventures, I'm surprised you're not in Hufflepuff. You display a number of those tendencies."

Harry shrugged. "The Sorting Hat said I could do well in any house." They walked on to the dock that had not been there the day before. There was also a small tower with a big clock on it. It had many ticks on it and every fifth tick was numbered, showing from zero up to fifty-five. At the moment, the single hand pointed at zero.

Once on the dock, Harry found himself shivering in the cold wind blowing directly off the lake. He cast a warming charm on himself, making it audible as requested. He noticed how the dock was constructed and smiled to himself, happy that they had helped him without knowing it.

Bagman took a moment to tell the audience in the stands about what he had told the champions in the tent. There was a little more detail, but nothing useful for the champions. "Champions, get ready!" he shouted with a Sonorus to help his voice carry.

All the champions divested themselves of their robes and most of their clothes. Harry was in his swim trunks and a T-shirt, as was Cedric. Krum was in trunks only. He noticed that Fleur was in a silver one-piece swimsuit that was skin-tight and showed a nice figure - not that he really cared as he had two mates who would show him more than that in a few years.

"Begin!" Bagman shouted and shot a Cannon-blast charm into the air.

Off to the side, he noticed Krum dive straight in, blurring as he hit the water. Cedric and Fleur cast a Bubblehead Charm and dove in.

Harry started casting Summoning charms, tearing up the planks that made up the dock's walking surface. His plan called for a little construction time up front to save a lot more time later.

"While the other three have already entered the water, it looks like Potter is trying to build something to help out," Bagman announced as Harry worked.

A brief inspection revealed that the planks were six inches wide by two thick, and six feet long. Harry laid eight of them side by side to make a platform four feet wide by six feet. He then laid two more boards across them, one at each end, and attached them with a Sticking charm to each of the other boards they touched. Imagining very carefully, he conjured two long blocks of polystyrene for buoyancy and stuck those on as well. Finally, he then conjured ten feet of rope before turning and casting a Summoning charm towards Hagrid's hut.

While he mentally sustained the Summoning charm, he tied the rope to the front two corners of the platform, or raft, and put a small loop in the rope in the middle. That allowed him to guide it more easily.

Turning back towards Hagrid's place, he did not have to wait long before a bag showed up, which he was able to catch with ease. Opening the bag, he pulled out his broom and a pair of diving fins, the latter being Hermione's contribution to his original idea. The last thing required was to shrink the raft. Holding the small raft and fins in one hand, he mounted his Firebolt and flew towards the centre of the lake.

"Ingenious! He's made a raft to…" he heard Bagman say as he flew off at top speed, many times faster than anyone could swim.

Less than a minute later, he was slightly to the left of the centre of the lake. If Ginny's information had been correct, the village should be below him. If it was off, it should not be by too much.

Harry un-shrunk the raft and let it drop the last few feet so it floated on the water. Landing on it, he set his broom down as he could not use it underwater. Sitting on the edge of the raft, he attached the fins to his feet, cast a Bubblehead Charm on himself, and jumped into the lake. The fins helped him swim so much faster that he could use only them to propel himself, leaving his arms free. He lit his wand to see better and dove.

He could hold the Bubblehead charm for a little over fifteen minutes, but that should not be needed as he heard the Merpeople singing and they sounded reasonably close. He headed in that direction and a few minutes later he found four floating figures tied to the bottom, along with a half dozen Merpeople nearby, each with a spear or trident. Harry assumed they were guards to make sure the students were not injured.

As he swam towards Ron, he suddenly noticed that the smallest figure was not just floating like the others. It was struggling as if trying to get loose. Harry shot a Cutting charm at the rope holding Ron and then transfigured Ron's clothes into expanded polystyrene to give him buoyancy. Ron started to float upwards slowly and Harry left him to it for the moment.

Swimming over to the struggling figure, Harry saw it was a little girl with long silvery-blonde hair. She had to be the little sister Fleur had been so worried about. He also saw that while Ron and the other two had looked asleep - he presumed they must be in a Stasis spell of some sort - the little girl was awake and trying to untie the rope from her ankle. When she saw Harry, she reached out to him with bulging cheeks and a wild, panicked look on her face.

It did not take a genius to figure out that she had woken up early and was now in the process of drowning. He swam over hurriedly and placed a Bubblehead charm on her too. It fit snugly around her head. Touching his wand to the Bubblehead charm, he conjured some air, expanding the Bubblehead. She stopped trying to reach out to him and took a few large gulps of air with a look of great relief - the look of panic slowly easing. Looking at him, she pointed to the rope on her ankle.

Harry saw the Merpeople starting to swim his way and realized they would think he was trying to save two people. He had no way to tell them that he had to rescue her because his air charm probably would not last more than about five minutes. He had tried it in practice, in case something should go wrong, and his second charm had been short-lived and variable in duration. It also tended to shorten the life of his first Bubblehead too.

To slow the guardians down, Harry cast a Blasting curse in their direction and across their path, but carefully aimed not to hit them. The Merpeople immediately stopped, although they were screeching at him and shaking their weapons. Ignoring them, Harry cast a Cutting charm at the rope holding the girl. She tried to cling to him, so he moved her around to his back, with her arms around his neck, before he started swimming up for all he was worth.

About halfway up, they came to Ron who was still floating up slowly. Harry let him continue to ascend on his own, as he knew he would be busy for a few minutes. A glance back down showed the Merpeople had not followed, and he was relieved.

As they broke the surface of the water, he cancelled the Bubblehead charms on himself and the girl. Amazingly, they were only about twenty feet from his raft, so he swam to it.

"Get on the raft," he told her, hoping she understood English. As if coming out of a fog, he suddenly remembered he knew enough French to talk to her, as long as she did not speak too fast. «Get on the boat.» He kicked his fins hard as he grabbed her waist and lifted. She grabbed the wood and rope and pulled herself up. As soon as she was seated, she began talking very fast in French.

"Vous avez sauvé ma vie!" she rattled off several times, excitedly.

She had spoken so quickly and his attention was not fully on her as he was searching for Ron, he was not sure exactly what she had said.

«Err, yes,» he said distractedly «Please stay there, I need to help my friend.» For a second, he thought he felt something vaguely familiar, but his concern to finish this task made him ignore everything else for the moment.

Harry summoned Ron, which made the redhead come the rest of the way up very quickly and then float on his back. With a grin at the strange sight, Harry transfigured Ron's clothes back to their normal state. Harry levitated his dorm-mate onto the raft just as he started to wake up.

"Uh, where am I?" Ron asked groggily.

"You're in the lake, Ron. Be careful you don't knock everyone overboard. Now, help me up." Harry swam around to the short end at the back, so the length and weight of the raft along with two passengers would counter-balance him better.

Ron shook his head to clear the rest of his grogginess and noticed the girl. "Who's she?"

"Fleur's sister; she was drowning. Come on, Ron, the clock is still going," Harry urged him.

"Uh, yeah, right." He slowly turned and grabbed Harry's hand. The girl handed Ron the rope to hold with the other hand and Harry climbed up.

With three people on the raft, Harry was glad he had used the blocks of polystyrene. "Good. Now hand me the broom." Ron found it and handed it over. Harry put it under him and floated up a few feet. Now he considered what he needed to do. When he had planned this, there was only him and one other person. Deciding she was small enough, he slowly flew over to the girl, hovering two feet above the raft. «Can you climb on behind me?» He scooted up and pointed behind him.

"What did you say, Harry?" Ron asked in a very puzzled voice.

The girl nodded excitedly. "Oui!" Carefully, she stood and threw her leg over the broom. Reaching around Harry, she grabbed his waist.

One of her hands touched his hand and he felt the tingle and blissful pleasure. It was something he had felt twice before in his life and knew exactly what it meant. "Shit! I am so dead!" he hissed quietly, not sure if that came out in English or Parseltongue.

On the shore, a brunette and a redhead felt a subtle movement of their magic within them for a moment, as if there was a slight pull and push on their magic. They had never felt anything like that before, but by looking through their Omnioculars from the Quidditch World Cup and seeing the three people on the raft, it was not hard to guess what had happened.

"I'm going to kill her," the redhead said softly, as she watched Harry help the little girl onto his broom. "

The brunette softly growled in frustration, but did not correct the girl next to her, as she had similar thoughts. "Along with whoever put her down there."

Harry's problem of how to get everyone back was still plaguing him. He could not use a hand to hold the girl. As much as he hated to do it, he quickly raised his shirt a few inches and put her hand on his bare stomach. She let go of his hand for the greater contact on his body, allowing him to use that hand to guide the broom. Reaching out with his other hand, down and back, he called out, "Ron, hand me the rope and then use both hands to hold on to the front of the raft. Balance yourself in the centre."

Ron followed instructions and Harry started to tow the raft back, flying a few feet over the water. It was a lot slower than when he flew out to the centre of the lake, but it was still faster than swimming. Originally, Harry had planned to put Ron on the back of his broom. In their practice room, Harry had tried that with Ginny and the broom had held them both up. Now, he had to hold on and not go too fast, lest he let go of the rope or tear his arm out of its socket. The raft was still lightened, but the drag on the water could not be helped. Unless…

Harry stopped flying and pointed his wand at the raft.

"What are you doing?" Ron yelled.

With a swish and a flick, the raft rose up in the air.

"Harry!" Ron's voice cracked and jumped up an octave.

Holding the levitation charm, Harry started flying again, making much better speed now. It was still slow by Firebolt speeds, but he was happier. He ignored the incomprehensible sounds coming from Ron, considering this payback for Ron's actions at the Yule Ball.

A couple minutes later, he heard Bagman yell, "And here's our first champion back in … nineteen minutes! Harry Potter will stay in first place!" Everyone was screaming and yelling, but Harry ignored it all and landed the raft and Ron on the dock which had been restored in his brief absence. Flitwick must have replaced the missing boards, he thought. He then landed on the dock himself and went to dismount. To his embarrassment, the girl was holding onto him so tightly, he could not and she refused to move.

Looking up, he saw the five judges and a woman that looked like Fleur's older sister running towards them. The fit-looking woman with the silvery-blonde hair won the race.

"Gabrielle!"

Now Harry knew the girl's name.

The woman's fierce hug enveloped both of them because Gabrielle would not let go of him. Without letting go, she started talking in rapid French, which Harry only caught partially. When she paused, the younger girl responded, talking just as fast.

"Harry," Dumbledore called out as he approached, huffing from his running. "Please explain why you have Miss Delacour's person." The other judges ringed them to hear.

"She was drowning so I had to save her," he simply said.

The woman said something quietly in French and the girl answered just as quietly. When the girl finished speaking, the woman's eyes narrowed and Harry would have sworn he saw heat waves coming off her hands, which were cupped at her side.

"I was promised she'd be safe! Who put the spell on my daughter?" she asked menacingly, directing her glare mostly towards the French Headmistress, who looked somewhat intimidated despite her size.

Her daughter? That woman who looked like Fleur's older sister is her mother? Harry worked through that while silence descended on the small crowd around them.

"It was not I," the large Headmistress said hastily. "Dumblydore was in charge of the spells." Everyone faced the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"Mrs Delacour, I can assure you that nothing should have gone wrong…"

"Do you call waking up underwater and almost drowning nothing? You are an arrogant fool! You did not take account of her heritage, did you?" She glared at the old man who briefly glanced at the little girl. "No, I can see you did not … vous bâtard Anglais!" Her native French took over in her anger.

Headmistress Maxime gasped while everyone else looked like they were wondering if the woman had really said what they thought she had said. Harry understood perfectly and it was all he could do not to goggle.

It was then that Harry noticed Hermione and Ginny approaching. He closed his eyes as he mumbled, "I'm so dead. I'm so dead."

Apparently Mrs Delacour heard him, because she looked at him and then turned and saw his two girls. A concerned look came over her and she bent down so she could whisper to Harry: "Do you understand what has happened between you and my daughter?"

Harry could only nod, fear stopping his tongue.

"And these two other girls are also bonded to you?"

He nodded again, very surprised she had figured it out so quickly.

"Then you must hold on and pretend until we can all talk. Pretend saving my daughter makes her look like a new little sister. After this, we will go somewhere private, the five of us." Mrs Delacour whispered quickly in French to her daughter and Harry felt Gabrielle nod her head against his back.

When he looked back up, all the adults were looking at him strangely. Further problems were delayed when Madam Pomfrey came bustling over. "You can talk later, I need to check them out and give them potions for the cold." She grabbed Ron first and pointed him towards the tent.

Harry persuaded Gabrielle to loosen her hold on him and dismounted the broom. Putting his hand on her bare neck, he guided her towards the tent. He also noticed that Mrs Delacour was now whispering to Hermione and Ginny. They did not look happy, but they were not throwing hexes, which Harry decided was a positive.

Madam Pomfrey dried them all off with a spell, wrapped blankets around them, and then gave them a Pepper-Up potion. The three who had been in lake were feeling quite warm now.

When the school nurse went back out of the tent, Hermione and Ginny came in. Harry grabbed Gabrielle's hand as he looked over at Ron, glad his friend was eating a snack and not paying attention.

«I'm sorry, it was an accident,» he said to his girls, speaking very quietly in French to make sure Ron did not overhear. «She was drowning and I had to save her.»

Ginny started to say something, and based on her look, it was not going to be good. Hermione put a hand on her arm and stopped her. «Harry,» she said just as quietly, «logically, we understand, but we're still upset.»

He glanced at Ron again, who was finishing eating. «We'll talk as soon as we can.»

"Do you speak English?" Hermione asked the girl, speaking quite slowly.

"Non. Je comprends l'anglais simple," she replied.

Hermione nodded. "Since she only understands simple English, let's see if our French is good enough." She addressed the little girl. «We have taken French lessons for almost two years, so we can talk this way as long as you do not talk too fast.»

The girl looked a little less afraid before she nodded.

"You can talk to her?"

They looked up at Ron, unaware that he had walked over.

"Yes, we've been learning French, Ron," Hermione said.

"Why?"

"Because it can be useful, like now," she explained, as if it should be obvious.

"And because it makes it easier to talk to new friends," Harry told him, sticking to Mrs Delacour's story.

"Oh, right." Ron accepted the story and acted like he did not care if he had any French friends or not. "Well, I'm going back out there." Ron pulled the blanket he was wearing around him tightly, wearing it like a badge of honour, and walked out of the tent.

Gabrielle pointed at the boy. «Who is he?»

«He is my brother,» Ginny said, not angrily, but still not her usual happy self. «No one knows about us, not even him.»

Gabrielle thought on that for a moment and then nodded.

«This is Gabrielle,» Harry said to his girls. Holding out his hand to each in turn, he said, «She is Hermione and she is Ginny.»

Before more could be said, they all heard crying coming from outside the tent. Looking up, they saw Fleur was the one sobbing as she entered. Her mother was there and pointed at Gabrielle, who was sitting next to Harry and holding his hand beneath the blankets around them.

"Gabrielle!" Fleur ran over and wrapped her sister in a hug. It was a little awkward because Gabrielle insisted on not letting go of Harry's hand. «You are safe, my little one.»

«Yes, Harry is my saviour.»

Fleur let go of Gabrielle and hugged Harry, pinning his arms at his side. When she let go, she gave him a kiss on each cheek. "Thank you!"

Harry blushed. He also saw Hermione and Ginny start to get angry. "Don't worry, I'm sure your sister will be fine." He shook his head to his two older girls and they did not advance on the French champion, but they did not look happy either.

"Fleur!" her mother called sharply. "Come, let the nurse look at you and then I shall explain what happened."

While Fleur went through the same treatment at the nurse's hands, her mother asked, "What happened in the lake?"

Fleur said tearfully. "The Grindylows, they attacked me fiercely and prevented me from reaching Gabrielle." She looked at Harry. "Why did he rescue her?"

Her mother explained with a forced calm. "Headmaster Dumbledore miscast the spell on her and she woke under water and started to drown. Harry was able to rescue her because he reached the hostages so quickly." Only Mrs Delacour holding the girl back prevented her from coming over and hugging Harry again.

Madam Pomfrey was called and she hurried back out of the tent.

Mrs Delacour looked at Fleur. "My daughter, I must leave for a few minutes. Please stay here and watch over your sister, but please do not go over there."

"Mother?"

"I will explain very soon. For the moment, let Gabrielle sit by Harry and do not approach him yourself. Always keep Gabrielle between the two of you." She fixed Fleur with a stern look and the girl promised, even though Fleur looked like she thought the request was strange. "I will return shortly."

Mrs Delacour left quickly and Madam Pomfrey came in a few minutes later with Cedric and Cho Chang. Her routine with those two was very brief before the nurse went running back out of the tent.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Krum. He made it there before I did, but he got hurt so I beat him back. He's going to need help when he gets out of the water," Cedric explained. "You surprised us again, Harry. How long did it take you?"

"Err, I think Bagman said nineteen minutes."

"He did," Hermione confirmed.

"Amazing. How did you do it?" Cedric asked. Cho and Fleur looked very interested in the answer.

"Well, I built a raft and shrunk it. Then I summoned my broom and some scuba fins to swim faster. I flew it all to the middle of the lake. From there, I did a Bubblehead Charm for about ten minutes." He shrugged. "I got lucky and was almost right over the village. Coming back was just the reverse except I had passengers."

Cho and Fleur looked impressed. Cedric laughed loudly. "Spectacular, Harry, truly spectacular. I bet they make it so you can't use your broom in the third task."

"We'll see," Harry said with a grin.

"Make way!" they heard. Pomfrey returned at a brisk walk, levitating Viktor Krum behind her. Everyone watched her deposit the boy on a bed and start working on his bleeding feet.

"What happened?" Harry blurted out.

"Mermen," Krum grunted before he hissed as Pomfrey worked on him.

Dumbledore came in, leading a bedraggled-looking Daphne Greengrass.

Pomfrey looked up to see who was there. "Headmaster, dry her off and hand her a blanket and a Pepper-Up potion."

With a smile and a twinkle, Dumbledore casually followed the orders and made Daphne comfortable.

It took nearly twenty minutes, but Krum eventually got off the bed. He could walk again, but it was done gingerly. "Finish this ceremony as quickly as possible and then lay down for the rest of the day, Mr Krum. You need to stay off your feet for them to heal completely," Pomfrey admonished him.

Krum nodded. "I understand."

Dumbledore led them all back out towards the stands. Half the students were running around, but as the group from the tent came, the students quickly got back into the stands to hear the outcome.

Harry walked, keeping Gabrielle next to him. They continued wearing the blankets to hide their hands. Fleur walked on the other side of her sister. Hermione and Ginny followed, although they had to stop at the edge of the platform which held the judges, the champions, and the hostages.

Dumbledore put a Sonorus on himself. "Thank you for waiting patiently. The champions are healed, the judges have debated, and we can now reveal their scores.

"First to return was Harry Potter of Hogwarts. He rescued Mr Ronald Weasley and returned at the nineteen-minute mark. Additionally, he encountered Miss Fleur Delacour's hostage and found the Stasis spell to have malfunctioned, and therefore she was drowning."

Many gasped at that.

"The chief of the Merpeople confirmed that to me and that they did not know what to do. Fortunately, Mr Potter rescued her. For that, we award him an extra ten points, giving him sixty points for this task, and one hundred and five points total."

Everyone applauded.

"In second place for this task was Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts. He rescued Miss Cho Chang in fifty-nine minutes. He scored forty-seven points for this task and has eighty-two points total."

He received a lot of applause.

"Third to complete this task was Viktor Krum of Durmstrang. He rescued Miss Daphne Greengrass. Unfortunately for him, he did a self-transfiguration into a shark and the Merpeople attacked him to defend those who were underwater."

There were many gasps and mumblings.

"Fortunately, the wound was in his tail fin, which translated to his feet. He briefly changed back to his human self to show the Merpeople he was a champion, cut Miss Greengrass loose, and then changed back into a shark to tow her back. Since he arrived five minutes after the one-hour deadline, he only received thirty points, and has seventy points total."

Krum still received applause.

"In fourth place was Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons. She was to rescue her sister, Gabrielle Delacour. Unfortunately, she ran into a large school of Grindylows and they prevented her from completing her task. For her effort, she received twenty points and has fifty-two points overall."

The applause was very polite. Harry could hear Fleur expressing her surprise that she had received any points at all.

"The final task of the Triwizard Tournament will be on the twenty-fourth of June. The champions' starting order will be determined by their total points, with one minute between each champion starting. The overall winner will be the one to reach the finish-line first, so starting later will make it harder to win, but it is still possible for anyone to win the Tournament.

"We are finished here for the day. Lunch should be ready soon, so please head into the Great Hall. Classes will resume after lunch. Quietus." Dumbledore looked very pleased.

Harry was glad this task was done and he wished the whole Tournament was over. He saw Mrs Delacour off to the side, by Hermione and Ginny, waving for Harry and Gabrielle to join them. He guided Gabrielle that way with Fleur following.

Mrs Delacour led them towards the Beauxbatons carriage. Fleur went in first to lead the way. Gabrielle went next and pulled Harry in after her. The two girls followed with the mother coming last.

Fleur led them into a small room with a twin-sized bed, desk, dresser, and two chairs. It was just like that used by Lucie, their French tutor. One of the chairs held a slightly over-weight man with dark hair and a pointed goatee. They crowded into the room.

Mrs Delacour took charge. "Harry, sit on the bed near the pillow; Gabrielle in his lap. Hermione, you sit next to Harry and Ginny, you're next to Hermione. Fleur, take the desk chair." She locked the door and put privacy spells on every wall before conjuring a chair in front of the door and sitting down.

"Apolline?" The man looked at her in confusion.

"Everyone, this is my husband, Jean-Aimé Delacour. You may call me Apolline, or I suppose 'mother' will work as well."

"Apolline? What is the meaning of this?" her husband asked again, a little more concerned this time.

She held up her hand. "Please be patient." She held out her hand towards Hermione. "This is Hermione…"

"Hermione Granger," the girl said.

"Ginny Weasley," the redhead said.

"And I'm Harry Potter." He looked at the man and the woman, wondering how hard this was going to be. At least they both appeared to speak fluent English, unlike Fleur's accented and sometimes improper English.

"Harry, do you understand your power?" the mother asked.

Part of him wanted to run and hide so he did not have to face the little girl's parents, but that wasn't going to happen. He was in a small room with Gabrielle's mother in front of the door while Gabrielle sat on his lap holding his hand on her stomach. As that last part went through his brain, he practically jumped and tried to remove his hand, but the little girl was stronger than she looked and he had no place to move his arm sitting against the wall. "Gabrielle, let go. You can't do that."

Apolline looked sternly at her youngest. "Gabrielle? What are you doing?"

The girl answered, «I am only making sure we keep contact.»

"And where are you keeping contact?" her mother asked firmly, unable to see under the blanket.

Gabrielle looked down and did not answer.

"She'd holding my hand against her stomach, and that's not right," Harry said, pleading for help and for it not to be held against him.

The father sat up in his chair, looking angrily at Harry.

"Jean-Aimé, wait! You need to understand what's going on first." Her stern look softened slightly as she turn back to the children. "Harry, as long as you don't move your hand, it's fine. Gabrielle, you will not move his hand. Promise." Mrs Delacour glared at the little girl. Gabrielle finally relented and nodded. "One problem at a time. Again, Harry, do you understand your power?"

"You mean about what happened?"

"I mean about how you can bond girls to you. Jean-Aimé!" Apolline reached out and grabbed her husband's arm. "Wait for the information. He cannot control it."

Harry looked at her with interest. "You understand what's going on?" Hermione looked even more interested.

The mother of his newest bond-mate sighed. "There is…what most think is an old Veela legend, but it is true. There are men born with a special power - a rare power - about once a century … maybe more often, but some never find this power in themselves as they are never in the right circumstances. It is said that if such a man saves an unbonded and unmarried woman who is in mortal peril, he will - or rather his magic will - bond her to himself. There has been speculation that the power may appear in women as well, but it has never been confirmed."

"He has that power? He has bonded our little Gabrielle?" Jean-Aimé asked angrily.

"Yes, he has, but it is a fair trade," she told her husband grimly with an intent look.

"What? Have you lost your mind?"

"Would you rather Gabrielle be dead?" she asked pointedly, staring at him until he started to squirm in his chair. "I would rather this not have happened either, but I acknowledge that an alive-yet-bonded Gabrielle is better than a dead daughter." She looked at Harry. "I don't believe that I've said it yet, but thank you for saving my daughter, Harry."

"Uh, you're welcome, Mrs Delacour, uh, Mother." He dropped his head down on Gabrielle's shoulder. He was in such a horrible position. How did he get himself into situations like this, he asked himself rhetorically.

"Why should 'e call you 'muzzer'?" Fleur asked.

Apolline shook her head. "This is what I get for not keeping you at home all the time and teaching you everything myself," she said to herself, but everyone heard her. "Fleur, when he bonded her, it is for life and like marriage. They are not legally married, but they are magically married. Legal marriage will certainly come one day."

Gabrielle made a happy sigh and wiggled back against Harry, as if trying to find more contact with him.

"Hermione, you will have to watch her. She will try to take on more than she is ready for; it is in her nature. I also suggest you create a schedule for when each type of activity can happen by age and then firmly stick to it," Apolline suggested.

"We already have such a list for most activities," Hermione spoke up. "I will complete it and write out the list, as well as make Gabrielle aware of it."

While Harry was not aware of a "list of activities", he was not surprised Hermione had one. It was actually bit mind-boggling.

"Thank you. I would like to review it with you later, as that will help me to sleep a little better." Appoline sighed deeply and looked for a moment as if she was going to be overwhelmed, before her expression turned to one of determination.

"Hermione, was it?" Jean-Aimé asked. The brunette nodded. "Why are you and … Ginny here?"

"Because I bonded with Harry first, about three years ago."

"And I bonded with Harry about two years ago," the redhead answered.

"You have seen that much danger already at your age?" he asked Harry, his astonishment momentarily overcoming his anger.

"Yes, sir. Something seems to happen each year, although last year was the easiest of them all so far," Harry answered. "I only had to deal with Dementors a couple of times." The man leaned back in his chair to contemplate the idea of a boy that young seeing that much danger and living through it all.

"Can you briefly tell us your stories?" Apolline asked. She looked at Hermione.

"I'm a Muggle-born. In my first year, I was by myself and a mountain troll found me. Harry saved my life. We've been best friends ever since. My parents found out that Harry's relatives didn't really care for Harry, so they adopted him. We haven't told them about the bond yet because we didn't know what it was."

"I see, and thank you. Ginny?"

"My first year here I was given a diary which turned out to be possessed, but I didn't know that at the time," Ginny said, looking down. "It was trying to make me get Harry killed, but I fought it so he wouldn't get involved. Harry found out what happened and came and saved me from both the diary and a forty-foot basilisk."

"By Zeus and all the gods," Jean-Aimé softly swore.

"We bonded and became best friends, the three of us," Ginny finished rather weakly. "My parents also don't know about the bond."

Apolline shook her head. "We do not have time today, but one day I would like to hear those stories in detail."

"It's so simple," Fleur said very quietly to herself, but her mother heard her.

"Fleur, no! I forbid it!" Apolline stared at her oldest daughter, who stared back in shock at the outburst. "Can you not see how difficult this is for them to add a third, and you would try to make it worse by adding a fourth?"

"But the allure does not affect him…"

"Because he is bonded…" Apolline stopped and looked at the bed. All three young witches were bristling and Ginny had her hand on the end of her wand, which was half pulled out. "Look at them, Fleur. Look very closely. See what they think of your idea? They will defend him, hexing first before asking questions, even your sister."

"But…"

"No! There is a reason it is against the law in all magical countries to try to separate a magically-bonded couple. You must not interfere with the bond. If they can show any way that your actions would hurt them, and this is trivially easy to do, the law is against you; and that does not take into account how much they would be against you if you tried to force yourself into the bond," her mother explained. "Swear now that you will not seek this."

Fleur looked to her father.

"I do not like oaths, but your mother is right. You must not interfere in any way. Swear your promise," he commanded her.

Accepting defeat, Fleur slowly pulled out her wand and swore to not try to join Harry's bond. She sat in her chair looking sadly at the floor.

"Another crisis diverted," Apolline said, shaking her head. "At least you are not that much older, Harry."

"I'm not sure I like being bonded to an eight- or nine-year-old; it's just not right," Harry said. "I'm sorry, Gabrielle."

«I am eleven!» the girl shouted at him as she twisted to glare at her new bond-mate.

Harry looked in confusion at Gabrielle's mother who slowly started to laugh. Looking at her father, he saw the man chuckling. Even Fleur had a small smile. He looked at Hermione and Ginny, but both of them looked as confused as he was.

"She can't be eleven," he replied, fully understanding what Gabrielle had said.

"I am sorry, Harry, but that was very funny to us, and you could not have anticipated your mistake unless you know a great deal about Veela. Jean-Aimé, your wallet please?"

"What? Oh, yes, I understand." He started digging in a pocket.

"What do you know about Veela?" Apolline looked at the three Hogwarts students as she waited on her husband. Two of them looked at the third, who in turn looked a little exasperated at always being the one expected to have the answers.

"Fine," Hermione said with some asperity. "I looked it up after the World Cup, if you must know… Veela are arguably the nearest non-exact-Human race. Some believe they are the missing link between birds and humans on the evolutionary tree - which would be bizarre - but whether that's true or not, they do have an avian aspect and can transform into that form when sufficiently motivated. When in that form, they can also produce fireballs wandlessly and are said to be fierce fighters. The Veela allure to catch a mate is also well known. While they can be found all over the world, most Veela live in continental Europe."

Apolline took her husband's wallet and started looking through it. "Your textbook was mostly correct, although it left several important facts out. Veela will tell you that we are not the missing link between man and birds." She pulled a picture out. "Fleur is a seventh-year student and is currently seventeen. Would you say she looks seventeen?"

Harry looked at the older sister, who looked at him and held her head up proudly. "Yes, seventeen, or maybe even eighteen or nineteen." Fleur smiled at him.

Her mother held the picture out for all to see. "Harry, how old is Fleur here?"

He studied the picture. "She looks a little younger, so I'd guess that was taken last year when she was sixteen."

Apolline grinned. "No, Harry. That was taken as she was starting her fourth year. She was only fourteen then." The Hogwarts three were shocked. "I will be turning forty later this year, and yet some tell me I look like Fleur's older sister."

Harry blushed. "I thought you were when I first saw you."

She chuckled. "My point is that Veela do not age like full humans do. As you probably know, Witches and Wizards age a little slower and live a little longer than Muggles do; Veela are like that except … more so. Part of it is our natural vanity and our magic sees to it that we look beautiful for as long as possible. Even ugly Veela, and there are a few, can look beautiful thanks to the Veela allure. That makes us highly desired as mates, even to the point that many try to enslave us. Therefore, magic makes us look very young and innocent for as long as possible because most people do not harm children."

"So, she really is eleven?"

Gabrielle gave him a look that clearly communicated that she was upset with him for not believing her.

"She is and her birthday was in October," her mother said with a smile.

"So, we're a little more than … three years apart," Harry said slowly, as he worked out the time.

"That seems like a lot now, but in five years time when you're nineteen and she's sixteen and looks your age, you probably won't care. In ten years, you won't notice the age difference at all."

"So she'll age very quickly at some point?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Appoline answered. "It starts this year, and I'm surprised I haven't seen evidence of it yet. I suspect this bonding may help start it going. By this time next year, she'll look her age of twelve. From there, she'll appear to age two years for every year she lives until she's fifteen. Once she's fifteen or sixteen and looks eighteen, she'll hold that look for many years, appearing to age very slowly.

"If we were full-blooded Veela, Gabrielle would be hidden away for those three years for her protection so non-Veela couldn't get to her, to try to steal her away and force a bond on her. Headmistress Maxime has kept a very close eye on Fleur and all visitors to the school for security. Even so, we still almost didn't let Fleur go away to school. With this bond in place, there is very little risk to Gabrielle attending school."

"Do you know everything the bond can do or allows?" Hermione asked, trying to learn more.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. From what I've read, not much has been written about it. Most bonded tend to keep those details to themselves. However, I will research it when I next go home." Apolline looked at her husband. "We have some difficult decisions to make."

"Yeah, what do we do next?" Harry asked. "We've tried to keep this secret, but even I can see that will be hard with four of us now involved."

Apolline nodded. "It will be even more difficult because Gabrielle will need to stay close to you for the bond to strengthen. All bonds need that, and if it does not strengthen sufficiently, there will be difficulties later."

"Actually," Harry was happy to point out, "the need to touch will end after about twenty-four hours, so we just need to keep out of sight for that long. After that, we can act fairly normal."

Hermione looked horrified. "Oh no! We're about to miss our classes for the afternoon!"

Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend. "Hermione, we're in the middle of a life-changing event and you're worried about a few classes? I would think missing lunch would be at least as important if not more so."

Harry chuckled at his two bond-mates' different outlook on life and got two disparaging looks.

"Normally, you should be in class, but in this case, Ginny is correct. This is far more important, although we will need lunch, too. We're also going to have to decide what to do about the rest of this year. That may force us to tell that idiot Dumbledore and Headmistress Maxime." Apolline got three sour looks at that statement. "And, by what you've said, we probably need to tell your parents as well."

"We, uh…" Harry paused and looked at the two girls, who looked back at him. "We haven't told anyone else, but we were planning on telling our families this summer."

"Maybe now, or very soon would be better, Harry," Hermione said. "Besides being unsure if they would pull us out of this school, we didn't want to tell because we couldn't explain it, and now we can. I don't feel as good about withholding the information from them now that we know what this is."

Harry considered it for a moment. "I agree, we need to tell them. Also, we're ready to leave the school anyway."

Apolline looked at her husband, who looked back with a shrug, indicating it was up to her. "Things are getting very complicated and plans need to be made, plans that will involve your parents. I can make arrangements for that this evening or tomorrow."

All three Hogwarts students looked less than happy but nodded.

"Maybe tomorrow would be better," Hermione hesitantly suggested. "It will be Saturday and my parents will not be at work then."

Apolline chuckled at the lack of enthusiasm. "We can put it off that long. What is the best way to contact them?"

The trio looked at each other. "Uh," Harry took the lead. "Perhaps it would be best to get hold of my godfather. He can get the others to his house. He really should be present as well."

"Good idea, Harry. Taking my mother to another house would restrain her - slightly," Ginny said with a slight wince.

"I guess I need to write a note and it can be delivered to Sirius." Harry looked over and Hermione and Ginny agreed.

"Very good. The next difficult question is how to keep all of you together, as Gabrielle is not a student of either school. She'll need to be in close proximity to all three of you, but to you in particular, Harry. Headmistress Maxime does not have the room for all of you to stay here. Do you think Dumbledore will allow Gabrielle to stay in the castle? Specifically, in your common area and with the girls at night for most nights?"

"I don't know," Harry said after a moment.

"We would have to explain about the bond for him to agree. Professor McGonagall should be there too, since she is our head of house," Hermione suggested.

"I don't like having to explain the bond to them," Harry said, "but I fear you're right."

"We'll need to get them to promise not to tell anyone until we register our bond," Ginny said. There was agreement on that.

"I'm sorry, Jean-Aimé, but I will need to spend some time here for the next month or two to help Gabrielle. She will need to learn to speak at least minimal English as fast as possible, and I can help the three of you learn French more thoroughly." Apolline paused and tilted her head in thought. "I'll also need to work with all of you on learning about the bond. There may be more about it that you don't know. In many ways, you are the experts, but perhaps I can help guide you generally."

"What about next year?" Hermione asked. "We had planned to try to transfer to Beauxbatons, but we don't know if that's possible because Madame Maxime said we may not know enough French."

Jean-Aimé answered that question. "Apolline, as much as I don't like it, you may need to stay here for the rest of this year. That would allow you to teach them the French they need and Gabrielle English." He looked back at Hogwarts students. "If Headmistress Maxime will not accept you as transfer students into Beauxbatons, it is also possible for you to go to neither school and have private tutors. This is a decision for later, though. Or…" He trailed off and a smile slowly came over him.

"I recognize that look, husband. What are you thinking?" Apolline raised an eyebrow at him.

A trouble-making grin changed into a deep chuckle. He looked at the boy. "Harry, is it correct to say you'd prefer not to tell your Headmaster or any of the professors of this bond?"

"Yes," Harry said slowly, not sure how that would be possible.

"And the only thing keeping you at Hogwarts is this wretched Tournament, for which you were entered without a school name, and that you lack sufficient skill in French to transfer now?" the man queried.

"Yes, sir."

"Then the answer is quite simple," Jean-Aimé said, his trouble-making grin returning. "You shall transfer to 'the school of your Tournament' for the rest of the year and return here only for the third task as you are magically required to do so."

"But our classes…" Hermione said in horror.

Jean-Aimé waved the argument away. "Shall take place at our home with private tutors. There, you can use French full-time and be immersed in the culture. That will finish what you've started and you will be prepared for Beauxbatons next autumn. It will also remove you from the danger here and prevent people from asking about you and your bond because they will not see you daily."

"Could it really be that simple?" Harry asked Ginny. The redhead shrugged.

Hermione bit her bottom lip slightly as her brow furrowed. After thinking furiously for a moment, she smiled. "That's not against the rules of the Tournament." She shook her head. "I'm surprised I didn't think of something like this before. There are really only two problems and one of them is fairly easy to solve."

"Me," Ginny said.

"Yes," Hermione replied. She looked at the Delacours. "The Weasleys will probably not want to let Ginny change schools, but they have acknowledged a Life Debt to the House of Potter. Harry can call that Debt in and then Ginny will be his responsibility and he can take her to France with us."

Jean-Aimé looked slightly alarmed at that information.

Harry understood and did his best to give a reassuring smile. "As I told Hermione's father, I have no reason to do such a thing with you as long as you treat your daughter with love and do not try to keep us apart. The Weasleys would, or at least Mrs Weasley would, so I was required to be more formal with them. You're suggesting we come live with you, not keep us apart, and I can tell you love your family."

The father looked relieved. "Thank you, Harry. We do love both of our daughters greatly." He looked back to Hermione. "And the more difficult problem?"

"Our parents," she said, pointing to Harry and herself. "They probably will be glad for us to get away from this school, but living in France will be problematic. They'll be happy that we can prepare for going to Beauxbatons next year, but they will miss us and want to see us."

Jean-Aimé chuckled. "That is rather easily solved with a permanent Portkey that goes between their home and our home. With that, they can come see you every weekend if they so desire." He looked at his wife.

"Of course," Apolline agreed. "They would be most welcome to visit anytime. We have plenty of room."

"I have certain - connections," the man said with a knowing smile, "and can make the necessary arrangements."

Harry looked pleased. "Then all that would leave is how to keep the knowledge of the bonds secret. I really don't want that to become public knowledge."

"Yes, I can understand," Apolline said. "If it happened, many young witches - and perhaps some not so young - would try to contrive a situation to produce a bond with you." She purposefully did not look at her oldest daughter, who hung her head anyway.

"Hermione and I prevented a bonding last year," Ginny told them, "but we may not be around him all the time to help. There needs to be a way to keep this secret hidden."

Hermione gasped. "Could it really be that easy?"

"What?" Harry asked for all of them.

The brunette looked torn for a moment. "I need to research my idea. I could be wrong and I don't want to get your hopes up. For now, don't tell anyone about your power or about Gabrielle."

"Fine, I know you don't like to explain until you're sure," Harry said with resignation, knowing he would get no information out of her until she had done her research. "But how do we explain my absence while I'm here with Gabrielle?"

"A complication from the task and that I insisted you stay with my daughter until she calmed down from her frightening experience," Apolline said authoritatively. The mother looked at her older daughter. "Please find something for Harry to write with so he can write his note to his godfather requesting a meeting of the families. I will find the Headmistress and arrange for lunch here. Jean-Aimé, please head into Hogsmeade and make arrangements for a room for the weekend. We should have the basics worked out by then." She stood and Vanished her chair while Fleur pulled out writing things from the desk.

"Yes, dear, that is an excellent idea." Jean-Aimé Delacour stood and left.

"Fleur, please go and have lunch and then head to class. You will also not mention any of this to anyone outside of family," her mother said firmly.

"Of course, Mother." Fleur turned to her sister and ran her hand lightly over the younger girl's head. "I am 'appy for you, ma chérie." With that, she left as well.

"Harry, please write a letter to your godfather to arrange a time with the Weasleys and the Grangers about an important family matter late tomorrow morning. I would state it something like that, so as not to alarm them that someone is injured," Apolline suggest. "I'll find a Beauxbatons house-elf to deliver it and wait for an answer."

She turned to her younger daughter. «Gabrielle, I know we have mainly focused on your understanding English, but we now need to have you speaking it, too. From now on, you are not to use French unless there is no other way to tell me something, or unless you need to speak a few words to help Harry and the other mates learn French. Do you understand?»

"Yes…Mother," Gabrielle replied slowly, although her mouth looked like it had tasted something bad. With a smile, Appoline left, and the four were alone for the first time.

"All right, Gabrielle, I'm going to need to get up," Harry told the little girl on his lap. She frowned but let him up.

While Harry was trying to get to the desk, Hermione said, "Harry, you know this means the Headmaster failed to keep his promise. You had to rescue someone and you are not ending the year like you started."

Harry grinned. "True, although I wonder how much he will argue this doesn't count, or even if it does, how he'll fight to keep me here anyway."

"It's hard to say," Hermione replied. Ginny did not have a better answer.

As soon as he was sitting at the desk, Gabrielle stood behind him and touched his bare neck. Harry started writing the letter.

«Gabrielle? Please turn around and face us,» Hermione said firmly, but not unkindly. «You can hold onto Harry, but we need to have a talk. Please tell me if I say something you don't understand. All right?»

"Yes."

"Hermione?" Harry said with a warning in his voice.

"Harry, write your letter. This is something that has to be said. Listen if you need to, but don't interfere," Hermione said firmly.

"I suppose you have a point. It's better to deal with this now rather than later." He turned back around.

«Gabrielle, you need to understand we,» she indicated Ginny and herself, «understand what happened and that it's not your fault. Dumbledore did the spell wrong and Harry had to save you or you would have died.»

«But we're still very unhappy anyway,» Ginny told her and got a nod. «I'm sorry you're starting this way, but it was that way for me, too. Hermione was upset when she found out I had bonded to Harry, but we worked through that and became friends.»

«We'll become friends too, but we need some time to get used to you joining us. Understand?» Hermione asked.

"Yes," Gabrielle said sadly.

«It's not all bad,» Hermione told her. «One of the things you'll learn is that the bond gives us all a measure of instant trust. Of course, trust does not mean that you'll instantly love us both or that we won't have arguments.»

Gabrielle raised her free hand. «I am not sure what you mean.»

«Hmm, how about… you'll learn that we will trust each other quickly. We'll learn to depend on each other very soon. There will not be feelings of 'like' and 'love' overnight. The feelings will come, but not in one day. We may sometimes yell at each other, but we will be friends again.»

Gabrielle nodded. "Yes."

«If you think about Harry very hard, you'll know where he is and how he's doing, like if he's feeling well or is hurt.»

"Yes."

«What else is there, Ginny? I know I'm forgetting something.»

«We're also able to borrow a little magic from Harry, and he can borrow or use a little from us. That will let you learn and do more powerful magic before you would normally be able to because your magical core has not finished growing,» Ginny explained.

"Yes!" Gabrielle's eye lit up in excitement.

«Great, another person who wants to steal my magic,» Harry complained good-naturedly. All three girls laughed, as he had intended.

«Oh, and another thing… like you noticed when Fleur came near Harry, you'll feel very… protective toward him. That can be with other girls, although if you know they aren't trying to do something to him, you won't feel so protective. But if you know they are after him or trying to be like a girlfriend with him, or if someone tries to hurt Harry, you'll need to take care not to start fighting without thinking about what is happening.»

"No!" Gabrielle threw her arms around Harry's neck from the back.

He smiled and patted her arms and her head. «It's all right, I understand because I'll feel very protective of you, too.»

Gabrielle gave a happy sigh and put her head next to Harry's for a moment. When she stood back up again, Harry turned and handed the letter to Hermione. «What do both of you think?»

Hermione and Ginny read the letter. «I think you should suggest a time at the end, but otherwise, I think it's about as good as it's going to get.»

«I agree,» Ginny said. «This is going to be hard, but we've known that for a long time. Of course, even if we would have told them at the beginning, it would have been hard. At least now we have Apolline to help explain.»

Harry suggested a time and signed the letter before he put it in an envelope that Fleur had left for him.

Apolline came back a few minutes later. "I'm pleased that there is not blood everywhere."

"Maman!" Gabrielle yelled, upset.

Her mother laughed. "Ma chérie, I was only teasing, but come everyone. There is an empty classroom for an hour that we can use to eat in, and the Headmistress is allowing us to stay here this evening without asking too many questions. Harry, do you have your letter completed?"

He handed it over before they left the room. A moment later, they were in a small classroom that would have only held about ten students, but it was big enough for them at the moment. A house-elf was setting out dishes of food. When the elf was done, Apolline handed the letter to the house-elf and talked to it in French before he popped out.

«That was a Beauxbatons elf?» Hermione asked.

«Yes. There are two here to assist. I suspect he will take the letter to one of the Hogwarts elves to help him find your Sirius Black. Please eat; my husband will join us when he returns shortly.» Apolline started to serve herself and the students followed her example.

The students filled Apolline and Gabrielle in on facts about them and what their families were like. Harry did not mention the Dursleys. He would discuss that with Gabrielle later, when they were alone.

Jean-Aimé returned when they were half done.

The Headmistress found them as they were finishing lunch. "Is everything all right?" She was looking mostly at Harry, although she also glanced at Hermione and Ginny too.

"Yes, Headmistress Maxime," Apolline answered. "We're still dealing with the emotional impact of the task and we thank you for your willingness to help. I will explain more later and we thank you for your patience."

The Headmistress looked at them thoughtfully. "Lucie will not be needed as a tutor any longer, will she?"

Harry was surprised at that and wondered just how much the Headmistress suspected. It was obvious the woman knew something unusual had happened. "Probably not, but I'll tell her if you don't mind."

"Of course, Mr Potter. I'm sure we'll talk later."

As the Headmistress left, Harry understood her comment was not just a nicety, but she wanted to know what was going on. He was not surprised by her request and felt she deserved to know, if it was possible.

When they finished lunch, Hermione and Ginny promised to be back in a couple of hours before heading off to class. Apolline and Jean-Aimé left to take care of preparations for the change.

Harry and Gabrielle headed back to Fleur's room and took a nap, where Gabrielle gave him a cute winning smile before snuggling into him. Harry just shook his head, already understanding how she was going to wrap him around her little finger. With chagrin, he thought she would almost certainly succeed.

((A/N: All the French was courtesy of Babelfish. Yep, I changed one point of the story from JKR's version, in letting Gabrielle "wake up" while underwater. Harry rescued her in the book, and I felt that was justification for the change so he would rescue her in this story. The premise of the story is that Harry will bond every girl he rescued in the books, and I think the rescue of Gabrielle in the books was close enough to count. Even though she probably wouldn't have died in the book, I put her in a fatal situation here to make it obvious. :-)

You've seen some problems with having the bond in the past. Now that a third is added, you'll see that being bonded has more negatives - logistically if nothing else. For those who are wondering why I let Gabrielle be added, I had to do so to be true to the premise of my story.))