Chapter 11

"It sounds interesting," Fleur said, trying to keep her excitement in control. From her fleeting glances, it wasn't hard to deduce that the desire to swim wasn't the only thing that drove her. Her artificial crush was working amazingly well with her tipsy state. "Still, are you sure we can go there without getting caught."

He shrugged. "I know a thing or two about Hogwarts, as you learned in our little game," Harry said with a smirk, enjoying the way Fleur blushed, a dash of annoyance on her face, the courtesy of her competitiveness. "Of course, if you're so afraid of Umbridge that you can't take a little risk…" he trailed with a shrug, wanting to tease her more.

He didn't bother to finish his sentence, not that he needed to. "I'm not afraid of that bigoted ugly toad," Fleur answered heatedly. Harry wasn't shocked by her sudden anger. Umbridge was uniquely skilled in making enemies from the people she had just met. He didn't waste the opportunity, using her sudden distraction to slip inside her mind, solidifying her crush for him. His initial interdiction hadn't lost much of its power yet, but he preferred to act cautiously rather than losing Fleur.

"Shall we go, then," Harry said as he pulled several galleons from his pocket and left them on the table.

"Yeah, but how?" Fleur asked.

Harry pulled his invisibility cloak from his pocket and threw it on his shoulders, hiding half of his body from sight. "As I said before, I have a trick or two," he said, enjoying the surprised expression on Fleur's face. After all, invisibility cloaks weren't the most common accessory. His smirk widened as he continued. "It's going to be a tight fit, but since most of the path is through a hidden passage, we should be okay."

"An invisibility cloak, hidden passages… It seems that my bet had been truly ill-advised," Fleur said with a laugh, showing that she had managed to shrug the latest surprise easily. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a rule-breaker."

"Really?" Harry answered. It wasn't like his reputation was a rule-breaker was particularly well-hidden. "What can I say, I have more tricks in my sleeve than the articles about me might suggest." It was difficult to keep his tone in a casual self-depreciation rather than an angry rant, but the blooming smile on her face made it worthwhile. "Shall we go," he added as he raised the cloak, inviting her to step in.

There was a sudden flare of doubt on Fleur's face as he invited her under the cloak, realizing that it was going to be a close fit for two adult-sized people underneath it. But he didn't worry as he waited for her to walk towards her, because he could see the excitement mixing into her expression. A few seconds later, Fleur stood in front of him, close enough for her perfume to fill his nose. He covered her under the cloak as well. And if his fingers brushed her arm longer than what was strictly necessary… Well, it wasn't like anyone could see him…

"Let's go," Harry said, pointing at the door. Fleur turned back for a moment, a fleeting glance caressing his skin, but then an expression of determination found her face. But, with their close contact, it had the added benefit of rubbing their bodies together. Harry made an effort to keep contact to a minimum, not wanting to push her too much too early. She was already acting skittish under the sudden closeness. It was better not to scare her early.

They hadn't spoken until they reached the basement, where the entrance of the secret passage lay. Harry unlocked the entrance, and they stepped into the surprisingly wide corridor that connected Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. "So, that's how you managed to arrive quicker than me," Fleur said as she gazed at the tunnel with a bland expression. "It almost feels like cheating."

"Well, somebody is being a sore loser," Harry said with a mock gesture. "Still, if you ask for mercy prettily enough, I might be convinced to go easy on you."

"Who said I need your mercy," Fleur said, raising her nose pridefully once more. "I can take anything you can dish out."

"If you say so," Harry said with a chuckle, his mind already churning all the interesting ways he might use his winning for. Her overdeveloped sense of pride was going to make things fun. "Do you have any secret tunnels back in France," Harry asked.

"Well, it has a few secrets of its own, though much more elegant than the barbaric aesthetics of this pile of rock," she answered. "But no, we don't have secret tunnels like this."

If it was just a year ago, Harry might have taken the insults against Hogwarts personally, and reacted harsher than an amused chuckle. Though, to be fair, at that point, he had been still clinging the notion that Hogwarts was his home. A fact that events had proved otherwise each year, dwindling his fondness for the castle. Yearly attempts to his life, forced conscriptions to deadly tournaments, continuous physical and mental assault from a surprisingly high number of teachers during his five years of schooling, a student body ready to abandon him at the drop of a hat… Even he had a limit. "If you say so, Fleur," he answered. "Maybe one day I would have the opportunity to see Beauxbatons. If I'm lucky, with you as my guide."

"Maybe," Fleur added, her voice slightly wistful, confirming that the crush was working as intended. He kept the discussion on more casual topics as they covered the rest of the distance. "It's invisibility time," he called once again when they were about to step into the corridor. There was a mischievous excitement in Fleur's eyes as she walked towards him, one that promised interesting things. But exactly what, he didn't exactly know.

He got his answer a moment later. He pulled the cloak over Fleur, but this time, there was an important difference. Her body was closer to his, threatening collusion if he wasn't careful. Then, she stumbled a bit, and before he could react, their bodies collided. She said nothing, preferring to continue her walk instead, but he could see the corner of her mouth tightening in amusement. It seemed that her misstep wasn't accidental. He didn't act like he noticed, waiting for her to push for more. He was curious about the lengths she was going to do.

The answer turned out to be a lot. With her initial teasing failing to elicit a reaction, she started to push for more. It started with occasional steps that were slightly smaller, which ended up their bodies rubbing together. But the real gift was a certain pressure on his magic, ticking it in a way he never noticed. It was a comfortable, almost spicy feeling, one that made his blood quicken in his veins, not to mention making his pants tighter. It was her allure, he recognized.

But there was a reason he failed to recognize it immediately. It felt different than the other times he had felt it. A moment of focus was enough to understand the differences. Last year, she had been using it as a bludgeoning tool, humiliating any man that dared to proposition to her, turning them into simpering wrecks. But now, it was more similar to a masterpiece perfume; hard to point out directly, but perfectly effective in quickening the blood flow. Without his occlumency, he doubted that he would be able to notice it.

But, he felt more galvanized than angry at her attempted manipulation. Magical combined with physical, she was bringing her A-game to the situation, proving that he was on the right track. Still, just because he wasn't angry didn't mean he was going to let it slip without a payback. He silently changed their destination towards the seventh floor. If she wanted to play dirty, he could play dirtier.

As they closed to their destination, he focused on the mental image of the Prefects' Bathroom, wanting to create a perfect copy with a larger pool. At the entrance, he stopped for a second until he felt the room transforming to his image. He opened the door, and they stepped inside. Harry pocketed his cloak while Fleur examined the room, trying, and failing, to hide her surprise. "So, what's the verdict?" he asked.

Fleur glanced around the room, trying to look underwhelmed, but she hadn't had much success against the splendor of the room. It made sense. An ornately-designed, olympic-sized pool filled with glittering water, artistic murals covering the floor. "It's not bad," Fleur answered in a forced flatness. Harry smirked, only to receive an annoyed glare. "Okay, I'll admit," she continued, unable to prevent the twitch on her lips from becoming a full-fledged smile. "It's better than I expected, almost worthy of Beauxbatons. Happy?" Harry said nothing, just smirked. "Good, now turn your back. I need to transfigure myself a swimsuit," she said.

"The room conjures swimsuits ready to use," he said, pointing at the corner where a dressing screen melted into the wall, hiding a small alcove behind. It was one of his additions, along with a large wardrobe containing an impressive range of swimsuits, from boring one pieces to thin strings. He would have liked to fill it with only the skimpiest swimsuits, of course, but unfortunately, it would be hard to explain why a school locker stocked with items worth of an erotic calendar. So, he limited himself to just including them, leaving the choice to her.

"Wow, that's convenient," Fleur said, impressed. "I'll be back in a moment," she said. He used the opportunity to change into a swimsuit, another conjuration of the room, then he slipped into the water. For a brief moment, he thought about using the same trick he used to watch Susan change, but then decided against. He didn't want to spoil the surprise. He wanted to see what Fleur was going to come out in with his own eyes.

Fleur changing took longer than he expected, so he swam lazily across the pool's length, his mind on designing the next steps of action. Then, Fleur stepped out, and his mind suddenly stalled. Not even in his wildest hopes, he had expected her to pick the swimsuit she was wearing. It firmly belonged to the slutty range he conjured, mostly to tease her rather than any hope of seeing her in them. Not that she was unhappy with the result.

He barely bothered to hide his interest as his gaze danced over her body, which was almost completely on display. The skimpy bikini she picked was only a bit more than a collection of strings, mixed with occasional tiny triangles. Two of those small pieces rested on her breasts, hiding her nipples and their immediate surroundings from his sight, while leaving the rest uncovered for his enjoyment. The bottom piece was only marginally larger, managing to cover her nether lips, but with the promise that all it would take was a careless step for it to end. They were face to face, so he didn't have a sight of her back. But he anticipated her turning, as the set she was wearing was even more revealing from behind, with just a string to cover her backside.

Harry felt unable to say anything as she walked closer, captivated by her perfection. She must have been aware of his hungry gaze, but he didn't bother to hide. After all, there was no warm-blooded male that could stay unaffected, not when she was wrapped in a small white piece that begged to be ripped off.

"What do you think?" she asked with a giggle, standing just a step away from him, then did a full turn. It was a slow, lingering turn that allowed him to examine her perfect legs, and her almost naked ass, while her breasts danced with the movement.

Only when he found himself unable to answer her question, he realized it wasn't just her physical appearance that captivated him. The allure was rolling off her in thick waves, managing to seep through his mental shields without him noticing. He would have probably turned into a drooling idiot if it wasn't for them. "Very nice," he managed to answer, his voice cracking.

Her smirk was a perfect portrayal of selfish satisfaction. It lingered on her face for a moment before she dived into the water. He shook his head, dispelling the effect as he walked closer to the pool. He had no intention of letting her prank to go unanswered. And since she was kind enough to move strenuously while wearing a barely-holding micro swimsuit, he knew the perfect way to do so. He sent a mental order through the room, making the knot that held her top together to loosen. Combined with the impact of her dive, it was enough to make her top slip off.

She stood up in the pool, her eyes closed, water dripping off her long blond hair. It was the most ecstatically erotic scene he had ever seen in his life, made even better with her naked breasts. "That's beautiful," Harry said, not bothering to hide the hunger in his eyes he examined her erect nipples, crowned with droplets of water.

"Thanks-" Fleur started to answer, only to cut halfway when she realized the state of her top, or more accurately, the lack of it. Her blush intensified. She tried to send him a warning glare, but it was hard to look intimidating when she was even more naked than she intended thanks to her wardrobe malfunction. And her arousal, on display thanks to her erect nipples wasn't helping either. At that moment, the pressure of her allure intensified even further.

He ignored the renewed assault of her allure, easier to do when he was expecting. Instead, he watched her carefully as she fixed her top while trying to act like it wasn't a big deal. But her eyes betrayed her nervousness. That, and her fingers, making extra sure that her top was going to stay in its place.

It was a pity that the cool embrace of the water robbed her some of the buzz from the bottle she consumed. For a moment, Harry considered slipping inside her mind to reinforce her drunkenness, but then, he decided against it. He wanted to get her the hard way. She was worth it. Instead, he dived into the water, enjoying the embrace of the warm water. "How about we go around a bit," he asked, then started swimming without waiting for confirmation.

She caught up with him a few seconds later, floating next to him with impressive grace, though her allure, blasting freely from point-blank range, probably played a role in his perception as well. He had no intention of leaving that unanswered. But since he had ruled mental, or direct magical interventions, he decided to replicate his earlier trick. Another mental command to her top, and Fleur was free from the tight embrace of its knot. A couple of strokes, and her breasts were bare for his attention once more.

He stopped. "Fleur," he called casually. "Your top has slipped again."

Her blush returned with revenge. "Oh," she said, trying her best to sound casual, but failing horribly. "Thanks for the warning, Harry, you're a real sweetheart," she added as she fixed her top once more. But this time, her nipples were pushing against the fabric even more visible.

He acted casually as he swam towards the end of the pool, acting like seeing the most amazing set of breasts he had ever seen was no big deal. Amusingly, his casual acceptance made Fleur even more annoyed. Maybe it was unusual for her to have someone shrug the holy combination of her power and her almost-naked body that easily. The pressure of her allure continued to intensify with each passing second, but he was ready for it.

She caught up to him a while later. Then, her ruby lips parted and an impressive statement escaped its confines, marked with a soft gasp. "How about for a bit of fun," she said. Harry nodded encouragingly. "The first one to complete a full round wins," she continued, but he was more interested with the way she was pushing her chest, dangerously straining the capabilities of her swimsuit.

"Sure, what's the reward," Harry asked in complete confidence. He wasn't the best swimmer, but neither was Fleur, and the room gave him the edge he needed. He wasn't afraid of any bet.

"If I win, you owe me a favor instead," Fleur said, the particular way her lips curled showed that she had some interesting ideas about how to cash in that favor. He was tempted to let her win, if only to see what she was going choose as her reward, but losing his own open check wasn't as appealing.

"Sure," he answered. "And if I win, you are going to teach me something special about French," Harry added.

"Like language?" Fleur asked, losing a part of her enthusiasm.

"No," Harry said, his smirk widening. "But it's not completely unrelated as well."

Fleur blinked for a second, then a shock passed through her face, realizing what he was talking about. She looked indecisive for a moment, her breathing suddenly faster. "Why not," she murmured, trying to act casual, but Harry could see that she was intrigued by the idea. "It doesn't matter in the end, since I will be the winner."

"If you say so," Harry said. "Ready?" he asked.

"And go," Fleur added and started swimming with a cheerful laugh, happy with her cute cheat. He shook his head, amused by her childish way of stacking the game. Pity that she already lost, she just didn't know it yet. Then, he started swimming, bringing his own ways of cheating to the game. First, he made sure that there was an unnoticeable flow in the water, limited to his path, giving him the needed push to make him swim faster. Then, he waited until he was almost side by side with Fleur, and ordered her top to loosen to once more. It tangled with her arms, forcing her to miss a stroke, leaving her behind. He would have liked to stay back and watch, but he had more important things to worry about.

But, Fleur proved that she was hard to predict, when, instead of trying to put her top back on and losing precious seconds, she just pulled it off and threw it on the surface, leaving it to float lazily. Her breasts lay bare. It was lucky that he had seen them before. Otherwise, even with his other advantages, he would have lost the race.

Even with that, the margin of victory was less than a meter when he arrived at the finish line, Fleur joining to him a second later. Her face was alight with excitement, which the swimming was only partially responsible. Her arm was around her chest, but it hung there lazily, barely covering her nipples, leaving the rest for his viewing pleasure. "That was a good race," he said. "Too bad that you lost it again. It's becoming a theme." Then, he smirked, nodding towards her chest. "And it looks like it's not the only thing you lost," he added, gesturing to her top, which floated lazily in the middle of the pool.

"Yes, that was inconvenient," Fleur said, making absolutely no movement towards picking it up. "I would have won without that traitorous piece."

"That's life," Harry answered. "You win some, lose some. Do you want me to pick it up for you?"

Fleur smiled, but somehow, it was different than any other he had seen on her lips. There was a suggestion of hunger, mixed with playfulness. "Thanks for the offer, Harry, you're a real gentleman," she said, but as she said that, she was taking a step closer to him. "Still, I prefer to complete our bet first. I don't want to have another loss lingering over me."

"If you-" Harry started, only to be cut by Fleur. Normally, he would be furious if someone dared to cut him off when he was trying to say something, but she deserved an exception with the innovative way she managed to do that. He moaned in pleasure as he felt the softest lips he had ever felt pressing on his. Her body was not far behind, her nipples digging into his naked chest. He let her push him back until the hard edge of the pool was pressing against his back.

He parted his lips obediently when he felt her tongue caressing them, allowing her delicious tongue to slip inside. His tongue joined the fray, but he didn't challenge her for control, instead, allowing her to wander as she wished. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him tighter. Then, she used the leverage to rose a bit, her waist locking to his, rubbing against his erection.

He wished that he could just slip inside her, but that was a risky escalation, one that might ruin all the progress he had made. But, that didn't mean he hadn't had other discourses. The grace period of letting her do however she wished was over. He wrapped his arms around her waist, enjoying the feeling of her silky skin under his fingers. Then, without a warning, he forced her to switch places, so that it was her that was imprisoned between the edge and his body.

She pulled back in surprise. "Harry, what-" she tried to murmur, but this time, it was him that cut her midway with the presence of his lips. He didn't waste any time before slipping a tongue in her mouth, exploring its boundaries mercilessly. A moan escaped her mouth only to be killed by his lips. Her tongue joined the battle a moment later, tangling with his in an attempt to push it away. It failed, but in the process, it managed to make the situation more pleasurable for both of them.

With her body pinned to its place with his body, his hands were free to caress her body. His fingers started to dance over her sides, carefully avoiding anywhere too sensitive, not wanting to spook her. As the seconds passed, he could feel the pressure of her allure lessening, which clued him that she was trying to gather herself to prevent things from spiraling out.

He could have forced her for more, of course, but that wouldn't be just as fun. He wanted her begging for more with the full force of her passion, not sullenly allowing to do whatever he wished. Still, their kiss lingered for a long while, allowing him to map her mouth to perfection.

Their dance came to a stop almost half an hour later, when Fleur pulled back in a sudden realization. "I th-think, that's enough for the lesson," Fleur stammered when he pulled back for a breath. She was panting, partially because she was out of breath, partially because of her struggle to contain her arousal.

"If you think so," Harry said. He didn't make a move to continue the kiss, but he also didn't make any attempt to pull back, his shaft resting against her abdomen. "Do you think it was enough training?" he asked in amusement.

"Yeah," Fleur murmured, trying to lean back a bit, only to prevented by the structure of the pool. "You're a fast learner."

"Thanks, but I still feel that an advanced course might come in handy. Maybe I should use my favor for it." The sudden flare of her delicious panic tempted him to actually do so, especially since the sensation was accompanied by the impressively thick pressure from her allure. "But it's late already," he added as he took a step back, amused by the mixture of relief and disappointment on her face. "Maybe we should just call it a night?" he asked.

"It's a good idea," Fleur said with a trembling voice. It was clear that she preferred to dash to the dressing room to gather herself, but her pride forced her to maximize her impact instead. Harry stayed in the pool, examining the dance of her perfect ass as she pulled herself out of the water, droplets of water flying away with every erotic swing of her hips…