Champions

Ron's end

When the Potters returned to school they received a standing ovation, much to their chagrin. Every non-Slytherin student had, at one time or another, wanted to lay into Snape, and while they were disappointed that it wasn't even a Hogwarts student who'd done it, they were thrilled that someone finally had. As far as they were concerned, the git deserved far worse than he got.

Their embattled Headmaster was another story entirely. The latest series of articles took him to task both for the resurrection of the Triwizard Tournament, and for the selection of its Tasks. Across the nation, people were wondering if Dumbledore was finally going senile. It was sad, really, but it fit perfectly into their plans, and Sebastian was working overtime to get their theft case ready, among other things.

Soon the man would be dealt with, and Harry could get on with his life, such as it was.

The attention they received as a result of their actions was not comfortable, however – especially for Harry – and was made worse by an article that appeared mid-week. Someone discovered that he was responsible for bringing the case against Snape in the first place, and that led to a complete breakdown of how it came about. It was also clear that Madam Bones had been interviewed for the article, as the writer knew of the upcoming obstruction case against the Headmaster.

While Harry didn't care about that – the man would likely be fined and that was it – the attention it brought him was significant. The press speculated on the connection between that and the lack of trust between Harry and Dumbledore that had been highlighted in the trial, and everyone wanted to know more. Harry had taken to staying with Fawkes or Fleur at all times; the former could get him away in an instant, and the latter–

Well, nobody wanted to make her mad.

That was the other effect of the attack. Everyone now understood that Fleur was a deadly opponent even without a wand, and people were rather intimidated by her. Even the Beauxbatons students, once they were made aware of the situation, left her well alone for a change. Nobody wanted to be on the wrong side of Fleur Potter, and it showed.

Even the Headmaster was nervous in her presence. He watched her whenever she was in the room, and while it was with a calculating expression that Harry didn't like in the slightest, it was also easy to see that the man was wary. He suspected that Dumbledore was trying to figure out a way to separate them, as together they were a force to be reckoned with, at least to hear the papers tell it.

Nobody wanted a tool that thought for itself, after all, and she'd enabled Harry to do just that.

And making their week even less normal than usual, the Ministry had written to inform them that they'd been selected as recipients of the Order of Merlin, thanks to their actions at the trial. It should probably have been a Third Class, but their young ages bumped them up a rank, and the publicity yet another. The Ministry was offering them First Class awards.

Harry was not thrilled, especially given previous recipients of said award. Lockhart, Pettigrew, and Dumbledore? Why would he want to be associated with the likes of them? The only thing that prevented him declining was Fleur's calm explanation of why it was useful in their efforts to free him from Dumbledore: an Order of Merlin winner was seen as having credibility.

He scoffed, but still gave in, as deep down he knew she was right. Fleur herself didn't care either way about the award; they weren't her thing, but she didn't have quite the same dislike of attention that he harboured. And so they agreed to accept them, and the ceremony would take place just after the Easter holidays.

At the moment, however, such thoughts were far from Harry's mind, and he was instead considering his relationship with Fleur. Her patience was astounding as the intense attention caused his moods to swing without warning, and she somehow always knew how to bring him back down to earth. He'd done nothing for her in return, and that bothered him.