Champions

First Date

Fleur sighed heavily as she fidgeted with her hair in front of the mirror. Had anyone told her two weeks ago that she would be nervous about a date with a younger boy, she would have laughed at them. Who would ever expect Fleur Delacour, Queen of Cold, to go out with someone three years younger and actually care about the outcome?

Not Fleur, that much was certain.

Given the circumstances, she should have been worried about making a good impression to ensure that he would still marry her, but she could not bring herself to do so. Instead, she wanted this to be a good day simply because he was a genuinely nice boy. And that he had so few good times to recall as it was, made her all the more determined.

She was relatively certain that when her father used the euphemism "less than ideal" to describe Harry's living conditions, he actually meant "abusive." It was hard to imagine – he was too famous to have a life like that, wasn't he? – but she could not think of any other reason for the warning not to question him. Between that and his reaction to Caterine that night, she could come to no other conclusion.

And that was to say nothing of his school career.

Fleur dropped her hands and leaned against the wardrobe for a moment as she was assaulted by the memories she had seen in the Pensieve. Truly, his experiences at Hogwarts would have been horrifying for someone three times his age. The diary alone was enough to give her nightmares.

When she learned that he had defeated a basilisk, she initially pictured a relatively small creature, but the one he fought was nothing of the sort. It was likely a thousand years old from what he said, and it was nearly sixty feet long. And he was bitten by the thing!

That he survived was amazing, and not simply for the physical danger that was involved.

Prior to the incident at Chateau Delacour, he appeared to her as a very well adjusted young man, if a little overly mature for his age. He was rather dour at times, but that was understandable given the dangers he was facing in the Tournament. But now she saw another side of him – a vulnerable side – that made her wonder how he could even go on.

She could not help but come to the conclusion that, just like her, he maintained a front to prevent others from learning who he really was inside. He hid behind his amazing courage, allowing it to dominate his interactions with others. Nobody knew that he was far from whole; that he was quite broken underneath that impressive strength.

It was guesswork on her part, but it made sense, and it made her want to help him – to give him the love that he so clearly lacked in his life. And so here she stood, primping in front of a mirror, trying to make herself even more beautiful for what would hopefully be a fun day in the nearby town. She had to admit that she was curious to know what he considered fun.

Shaking off her thoughts, Fleur glanced at herself in the mirror one last time before finally deciding that she was as presentable as she was going to get. She had gone to great lengths to look her best today, and it was a lot of work, even given her heritage. This was not something she would have done for just anybody – her natural beauty usually carried her through – but she was certain that he would appreciate it.

She found a bright, warm morning awaiting her when she stepped out of the carriage, and she savored it as she walked slowly to the castle.

When she reached the Great Hall, Fleur was unsurprised to see Harry already sitting with his friends. As always, many heads turned as she moved toward the Gryffindor table to join them, but she tried to ignore the unwelcome attention as best she could. Unfortunately, she was dressed up enough that even the boys who had some self control were staring, and she suddenly wondered at the wisdom of her decision.