Fleur was not sure how to act. Aside from her date, Davies (who really the did not have a very strong mind to be effected by her so much), no one was paying the least attention to her. This was a situation that the French girl had no experience with.
"Are you really going to have me as godfather?" Potter was asking Lord Black. The wizard grinned back.
"Of course! Your father had me for you, now my daughter will have you. There is no one I'd trust more with her life and happiness if something happened to Kalina and I." The man paused and then his smile changed to something a bit darker and more cynical. "Just don't get thrown into Azkaban doing something stupid."
"Never happen, Padfoot," Potter assured the older wizard. "That's your shtick. I'll come up with something much better!"
Lord Black grinned at that. "That's what I'm afraid of! Trying to outdo the great Padfoot!" Then a serious expression came to the older wizard's face. "Plus, it makes you the Black regent if something happens to us and Cassi lives."
"Cassi?"
"Cassiopeia - It's a Black tradition naming after stars or constellations. Frankly, I couldn't care less but Aunt Cassi used to protect me when I was a kid and she was fun. Actually she was also your grandmother's sister."
Fleur was a bit confused by the two wizards. Both switched from almost manic good humour to deadly earnest with a disturbing stubbornness. She now recognized the name Sirius Black. How could she not? It had even been in the French newspapers with his escape, the man-hunt and then his sudden exoneration and custody of the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. She even had to write a paper on the Potters' betrayer in her Third year History of Magic class. That he would now be married to her cousin made her head hurt.
"So what's this I hear about Moody stating a duelling club?" the man Sirius asked the Potter boy. Fleur pulled herself from her musings in curiosity.
Potter was nodding. "He announced it this afternoon in his NEWT classes. He said he was so embarrassed in the poor performance of the Hogwarts champions that he was making attendance mandatory for Fifth years and NEWT Defence students. Apparently Snape made some comments that set off Moody. Then Fitch went off on how maybe reintroducing beatings on poor students would be a good idea." Fleur was repulsed at the thought of physically punishing students.
"Nice to see Fitch hasn't changed," Sirius deadpanned.
"Cedric did not do poorly," Fleur ventured into their conversation. The two wizards turned to her with very different looks. Sirius looked mildly interested while Potter looked surprised.
"Cedric shows a great deal of promise," Fleur asserted. "With some proper training he would do well in a balanced strategy." Potter looked a bit surprised at her words while Sirius nodded.
"And Mr Davies?" Sirius asked with a nod to her escort. Fleur was slightly startled as she had forgotten the boy. She turned and he was still staring at her with an adoring smile on his face. Potter chuckled making Fleur turn on him with a glare.
"What?" Potter asked innocently. "Rogers an okay bloke but I'm going to have material to take the micky out of him for months with this." Fleur continued to glare at Harry but realized the boy was not reacting to her glare as other boys did. Instead he just continued with his stupid, cocky grin! The stupid boy was as annoying as her baby sister!
What made it worse when Fleur noticed the older wizard, Sirius, grinning at her with a very similar grin of his own.
"Harry, stop teasing Fleur," Kalina admonished. "Or I shall start in on you." The Bulgarian Veela just left her threat hanging there as she smirked at the young wizard. Kalina was known in the Veela communities for her ability to destroy men that annoyed her. So Fleur knew that it was no idle threat. Yet To Fleur's surprise, Harry just laughed before turning back to Fleur.
"Actually Mlle Delacour, I agree with your assessment. Both Roger and Cedric have the capabilities and power to be good duellers, particularly Cedric. Must come from being a Seeker." The last was said with a shared grin with Victor Krum. "Your style of fighting was the most flexible and useful in a real world situation with multiple opponents. Victor's style was similar to that taught to Aurors to quickly overwhelm and capture a single opponent. Roger and Cedric had only experienced occasional classroom simulations, not an actual duel."
"And you could do better?" Fleur asked. Unlike her earlier tones, this was one of simple curiosity.
"Against you and Victor? Probably not. I've had the same crappy Defence professors that they have had. Sirius and another family friend just started teaching me to duel after Professor Dumbledore pulled me into this. But I also talked about the duels with Professor Flitwick and he agreed with my assessment of the duels."
Fleur nodded her acceptance of Harry's comments. It was actually rather similar to the comments of Professor Davis had made in her Defence class after the duels. The French Veela also noticed the proud smile on the face of Harry's date. The Indian girl noticed the glance and smile back at Fleur.
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