237 Chapter 237: Courtly Retroflection
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10 August 1994, Quidditch Trillenium Stadium, England
Fleur followed her father to her tent, feeling confused, and lost, but also anxious. She had no idea how her father was going to react after she'd told him about their conversation.
By the time they arrived at their tent, thousands of scenarios played themselves in Fleur's head. She did not doubt that she had messed up whatever her father had planned, especially since they left immediately after she arrived at the Black tent.
She feared her father, and rightfully so. Oh, he wasn't a violent man by any means, but he knew where to press to hurt the most. When she was younger, when Fleur had tried to sneak into the forbidden part of the library, her punishment was to get her to act as his secretary during the summer, while her mother and sister went on vacation at her grandmother's. At the face of it, it didn't look like she was being punished, but that came at the cost of her duelling career. One of her professors who happened to be a former duelling champion, had agreed to mentor her during the summer.
She was so excited, but her father didn't want her to pursue a career in the subject, yet he oddly had not directly opposed her. She was so tired during her work as a secretary that she barely had any time to work on her duelling and was too tired during their sessions. The professor gave up on her after a few weeks, recommending that she give up since she didn't take the profession seriously. Apparently, word had spread about her lack of enthusiasm in duelling, and no one wanted to mentor her anymore.
She also hadn't seen her sister for almost two years straight, and that had hurt more than it should have.
Her father wasn't a cruel man, just a pragmatic one. He had a vision, and that was with Fleur being either a politician or married to one, influencing him for her father's own ends. Oh, he loved her and everything, he just loved his career more. He wanted a legacy, to be remembered in the annals of history.
Just as she expected, her father motioned her to follow him to his office and the moment he entered, the smile he had on his face vanished, "What happened with the Potter boy?"
Fleur almost shivered at the tone and responded with a neutral voice, "Nothing, really. I didn't know that he was the one you told me about. We just talked about our schools and magic."
For some reason, her father looked disappointed, "And what was he like?"
"Smart. Very smart. Cheeky too. He knew how to work a conversation. He also speaks fluent French. I would have thought he was French if it wasn't for him speaking in English at the start. He also wasn't really affected by the allure."
Not that she actively used it, since the bracelet was activated so that she wouldn't be accidentally swarmed. But even then, he didn't seem interested in her looks. At least compared to the bracelet as well.
She was hesitant when she continued, "He's also very knowledgeable when it comes to magic, especially for someone his age."
Her father gave her an expectant look, "Anything else?"
"Papa, I spoke to him for a few minutes, at most."
Her father sighed and sat down on his office chair, "I suppose it was a long shot anyway."
"What were you hoping to achieve anyway?"
"I was hoping you would be friends."
Fleur gave him an incredulous look, "Friends?"
"You thought I wanted you to seduce him? That would have been a nice outcome, to be honest, and I would have lorded it over Arcturus for years, but the man never would have let the boy near us if he had fallen for the first pretty face he saw. No, it was a longshot anyway, and one that Arcturus would have probably retaliated with anyway."
"Why are you so obsessed with the boy?"
Sebastian Delacour burst into laughter, "I forgot that you don't really care for British politics. Tell me, what do you know about what's happening here in Britain?"
"Well, Dumbledore was outed from all of his political positions and removed from Hogwarts. He disappeared afterwards…"
"Yes, and before all of this, he held a lot of animosity towards young Mr. Potter. So much so that Arcturus told me he was planning to help him change schools. Apparently, Beauxbatons would have been an option but with Dumbledore no longer the headmaster, he didn't need to anymore."
Fleur looked pensive, "He did mention that he was thinking about transferring to Beauxbatons."
"Not that the British would have let him anyway. You see, the special thing about Harry Potter is not his lineage, which isn't really all that impressive in Britain. It's not him being a ward of House Black and probably Arcturus' unofficial heir… No, the fact is that as far as anyone is concerned, Harry Potter is a magical genius, a true prodigy, in both power and skill."
Fleur looked back at his words and nodded, "He did seem unusually knowledgeable when it came to enchanting, far more than most of the students in my year."
That alone had shocked her. Fleur was, without a doubt, the best student in her year, especially when it came to enchanting. It came easy to her to layer charm over charm, anchored by runes. Most people couldn't make any heads or tails of it, the entire field of magic was an elective that wasn't available to everyone; the professor hand-picked the students and it was an honour to be selected.
To see a boy three years her junior critique her work was beyond shameful. She hadn't even known anything about the field of magic back then.
Her father snorted, "My dear, the boy was able to build an entire fortune, one on par with that of rich families in Europe, in just a year. I have a few friends in Gringotts, and growth on that scale was just unprecedented. He's gaining a lot of attention, especially with his role in Dumbledore's fall."
The Veela tilted her head, confused, "Dumbledore's fall. Wasn't he deemed an unsuitable headmaster because of the many scandals in Hogwarts and the Grindelwald impersonator?"
"Yes, but if you look back, it all started with Dumbledore trying to gain control over the Potter boy. The trial was the start of people doubting his words. He revealed what happened to Dumbledore's sister to the public, and the former headmaster didn't deny it. I always knew the man didn't have clean hands, but I admit that this surprised me. That's not even mentioning the local school tournament."
Her father's words sparked a memory, "He's the boy from the tournament?"
Fleur suppressed the urge to giggle at the thought. She had bought a few Omnioculars with recorded images of the tasks. She had aimed to get a basic understanding of her competition in the European tournament, but she remembers a young boy with black hair winning the first task finals without even casting a spell, and the few duels that he won with just a couple of spells.
She had thought it to be amusing, a testament to the lowering standards of Hogwarts, not that the boy was special…
She couldn't get anything from the third task; apparently, all recording devices were seized by the British DMLE.
Sebastian Delacour, on the other hand, wasn't amused, "Yes, very few people understood just how skilled the boy had to be to win so much while embarrassing Dumbledore as much as he could. I've heard more than enough guild members aiming to invite him to their numbers. So far, the boy's age and Arcturus Black's status as his guardian have protected him, but if that had been a common muggleborn, the Potter boy would have disappeared during the summer, never to be seen again, or blackmailed or even brainwashed by some group."
Fleur couldn't help but ask, "Is he going to participate in the European tournament?"
Her father shrugged, "The whole tournament is becoming more trouble than it's worth. Everyone wants the prestige of hosting it, because of the economic growth that will follow it. Unfortunately, the British Minister was able to keep it by the skin of his teeth. I have no idea how he pulled it off, with the whole mess with Dumbledore, and the mass breakout less than a year before. It probably cost them a lot of gold and a lot of concessions from the ICW. Nevertheless, Fudge is on thin ice, with ICW waiting for a single mess-up to move the whole tournament to another nation."
"Could it come to France?"
Her father simply shrugged at her hopeful expression, "I have no idea. I think that each nation would have to bring a proposal to the ICW. It will be expensive though; the preparations will have to be made on very short notice."
"So, it's still possible?"
"Yes, it is. Britain will have to screw up first…"
Fleur didn't care and only imagined the possibilities of the European tournament being held in Beauxbatons. It was just as exciting as it was slightly disappointing. Sure, it would have been comfortable for her, being near a place that she considered to be a second home, where she had learned of the world outside her father's sphere of influence. Wizards from all over the globe, experts in their fields, would come to France and she would speak with them, pick their minds, and hopefully make a great impression.
Unfortunately, that would have been it. She loved Beauxbatons. She loved her professors and the school's library, but it was also the place where she had been the loneliest. She hadn't expected just how much being a Veela affected her social life. Having male friends was just unrealistic, and girls were told by their parents to avoid her. She had focused on her coursework and learning new magic, but they were distractions at best, even if they were productive ones.
As much as it made her uncomfortable, as much as she knew it was an unrealistic dream, Fleur hoped to meet someone who would stop her from feeling so lonely. An international event that would have the most magical students her age was a prime opportunity to meet someone like this, someone who wouldn't judge her for her nature, someone who would share her passion, and make an effort to talk to engage her about it.
And for some reason, meeting them in Beauxbatons, in a place where she had been judged by her peers and found lacking, in a place where she was quietly shunned, in a place where she was lonely, just made it feel wrong like her hopes were bound to end in nothing but disappointment.
Even with the rampant bigotry in Britain, she was looking forward to being there, away from her father's influence, away from Beauxbatons, a place that she loved and hated in equal measure.
Her musing was interrupted by her father's knowing grin, "So, excited about this, are you? I'm glad you're preparing for the European tournament. The connections you will make there will help our position in the international scene immensely."
Fleur put a fake smile on her face, "Of course, Papa."
"Speaking of preparations, I think it's time for you to focus on combat magic. Don't pretend to not know what I'm talking about. I know you plan to join the tournament. And believe me, it will be dangerous, despite the many defensive measures. You need to be ready."
The Veela answered without even thinking first, "I thought you said that you didn't want me to learn duelling, Papa."
As she mentally berated herself for reminding him of that fact, her father nodded, "Yes, and I still agree with my decision. Duelling is a sport for fools and showmen. I don't want you to learn how to duel. I want you to learn how to fight, and how to truly defend yourself against attackers and beasts. As much as competing in the tournament is a good thing, I don't want you to hurt."
Fleur jumped and hugged her father, something she rarely ever did, "Thank you, Papa!"
"Don't thank me yet. I didn't want you to experience this, but you're the one insisting on entering the tournament. I can't stop you from competing; you're an adult witch, and you've made up your mind, but I can make sure you don't get yourself killed in front of every notable figure on the continent. After the Quidditch World Cup, I will have an instructor ready in France and you will have lessons every day until you go back to school. And trust me, you won't be enjoying your time."
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AN:
I know that this feels a bit like a filler, but some of the stuff said here will be important in this arc. As usual, let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions.
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If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
