French Intrigue

Part XIII: French Intrigue

Four days passed, and Harry had a lot of fun during each one. Apolline was often busy with something in her study, and Jacques worked in the French Ministry.

That meant Harry spent a lot of time with Gabrielle and Fleur. A lot of that time was spent on the private, enchanted beach that was part of the Delacours' property.

Harry was currently sitting on that beach, wearing black swim trunks. Gabrielle stood ankle-deep in the ocean, her lithe, flawless body clad in a very skimpy green string bikini. Nobody ever accused a Delacour of being afraid to show off some skin.

"Enjoying ze view?" Fleur asked with a smirk, walking up to Harry holding two glass bottles of butterbeer.

"I didn't know they have butterbeer in France!" Harry enthused, taking the one she offered him.

"They do not, really. Maman got it special ordered for you." Fleur confessed.

"Wow. Really?" Harry asked.

"Oui." she winked. Fleur was wearing a dark red bikini, and though it was technically more material than her little sister's, Fleur's far more bountiful assets strained it to look quite a bit more scandalous.

Harry tore his eyes off Fleur's large, bouncy bosom, and glanced at Gabrielle, who was still out in the ocean.

"So, you never mentioned to me anything about you being bullied at Beauxbatons." Harry brought up. Fleur glanced sideways at him.

"Bullying implies that they 'ad some aggression towards me. I simply am an outcast. They do not trust ze nature of Veelas, and so they shun me." Fleur said a little sadly.

"What nature don't they trust?" Harry asked. Fleur gave a small, bitter laugh.

"You do not know ze truth of what it means to be Veela. You hear Veela and think beautiful woman. But Veela are magical creatures, not simply beautiful. There are certain aspects that normal witches and wizards do not like." Fleur began hesitantly.

"You mean like the lobbing fireballs thing?" Harry wondered.

"In part. But there is more to it than just that. Many witches feel threatened by our presence, and they do their best to keep their male friends and loved ones away from us. We are treated like we have a plague as jealous women clear paths around us." Fleur explained.

"But… no way that works, right?" Harry asked.

"It does." Fleur said unhappily, "Would you rather all the women in the school except ze handful of Veela shun you?"

Harry thought about it. If the existence of a Veela in Beauxbatons caused them to be promptly shunned by the majority of the populace, then maybe it was better that Gabrielle went to Hogwarts, but something still wasn't sitting right.

"Are you sure that that's the only reason?" Harry asked.

"It is ze main reason." Fleur said with some finality to her tone. Harry looked at her again.

"Is that what happened to you? You were shunned?" Harry asked. Fleur was silent for a while, but then she spoke in a quiet voice.

"Not until I turned 13. Until then, I was as normal as any other witch, if a little prettier than usual. But when I reached maturity… everything changed. Suddenly, every wizard in ze school wanted me, regardless of their age. Every witch in school hated me instantly. And I… I was desperate for a mate." Fleur said quietly.

"A mate? Veela mate at thirteen?" Harry asked.

Fleur's cheeks flushed.

"Not in ze permanent sense. But a Veela girl desperately needs to lose her virginity once she matures, or it starts to drive her mad." Fleur explained.

"What?!" Harry exploded, "How is that even fair?"

"Biologically? It is not. But ze mission of ze Veela is to reproduce. Veela are not fertile until their sixteenth birthday, and the three years between maturity and fertility. Those three years are about finding a mate, and the initial mating process is to dispose of the sentimentality of a witch's 'first time.'" Fleur said in a quiet voice.

"Hang on… I didn't know any of this about you guys." Harry said, stunned.

"Oui. And that is why Gabrielle is going to Hogwarts, because almost nobody knows any of this. And you will not tell them, right?" Fleur asked.

"No, of course not. But… what about once Gabby turns thirteen?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"That is why maman asked you to protect Gabrielle during her maturing time." Fleur said.

Harry let out a breath.

"Does she know?" Harry asked.

"She knows the basics, but I may have neglected to mention just how much distance my maturing put between me and my fellow students." Fleur admitted.

"Right." Harry said, looking at Gabrielle out in the surf.

"You won't tell her any of ze personal details?" Fleur checked.

"No, I'll keep all your secrets." Harry promised.

Fleur smiled, and rose to her feet, holding out a hand.

"Come. Let us join my sister in ze ocean." Fleur said.

Harry smiled and took Fleur's hand, letting the older girl pull him to his feet.

———

That night, Harry came down into the dining room for dinner. Apolline stood at the counter, wand in hand as she directed several plates and pots around, making up five plates of food.

Jacques Delacour, a short, slightly balding man with black hair. Despite his current state, he had a unique sort of handsomeness to him. It had faded a little with age, but he had probably been extremely impressive back in the day.

"Harry!" Apolline greeted him warmly, "How was the beach?"

"Oh, it was great." Harry said, thinking of the Delacour sisters in their bikinis.

Gabrielle came into the kitchen then, in Muggle jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. Despite the summer heat, the estate was enchanted to be perfectly temperate, if not a little brisk. While inside, it barely felt like summer. Her silver blond hair was pulled up in a messy way, though Harry suspected the messiness was carefully styled.

She smiled at him, her deep blue eyes lighting up.

"Dinner looks good." Harry complimented Apolline, who gave him a fond smile. Harry noticed that like always, she seemed very hesitant to be near him, a light flush developing on her cheeks.

"Thank you, dear." Apolline said.

Harry took a seat at the table, and Apolline sat down opposite him, while Gabrielle wasted no time in snatching the seat on his right.

Harry looked at the gorgeous younger girl, and she gave him another bright smile, one Harry returned this time.

"Looks delicious." Fleur said, entering the kitchen as graceful as always. She wore a sky blue tank top and black leggings, both of which clung to her every curve.

Harry's eyes couldn't help but follow her as she moved to sit down on Harry's other side.

"So, how have you been enjoying France, Harry?" Jacques asked, taking his fork and beginning to eat. Harry did the same as he spoke.

"It's great. The beach is nice, and I love the ocean." Harry said.

"Yes, ze view is excellent, is it not?" Fleur asked innocently. Gabrielle gave a little huff as Harry turned to Fleur and nodded.

Harry noticed abruptly that Fleur had a light flush almost identical to Apolline's. Her chest and cheeks were both a light pink.

Gabrielle did not have this flush. How very strange.

Dinner was a nice affair, and the food was delicious. Harry enjoyed talking with the Delacours, and while he liked Jacques least of all, the Delacour patriarch had an interesting job at the French Ministry.

After the meal, Jacques and Apolline withdrew upstairs and left Harry alone with the two sisters.

"'Arry, have you been to ze Sparkling Cave yet?" Fleur asked.

"No." Harry shook his head, "What's the Sparkling Cave?"

"It is a cave on ze property. Moonlight turns it into ze most beautiful spot on the beach." Fleur explained in her sexy French accent.

"I'd love to see it." Harry said.

"We should go, then." Fleur said, "There is a bit of a swim to get there though, so we need to change first."

"I'm coming, too." Gabrielle said stubbornly.

Fleur gave a shrug.

"Fine. Do what you want." Fleur said.

The three split up to go to their rooms, and then met up in the living room.

Gabrielle and Fleur both wore their bikinis from earlier, Gabrielle's skimpy green and Fleur's sultry crimson.

"Come on." Fleur said, and she led the two younger kids across the beach to the water.

She turned to Harry.

"The water is very dark at night, so I want you to stick close to me. I'll guide you down into ze cave." Fleur said.

"Down?" Harry repeated.

"Yes. The cave is down a small shaft along the sea floor." Gabrielle explained, reaching up to properly tie her hair back. Fleur didn't bother tying up her waist-length silver blond hair at all.

"Lumos." she spoke, and her wandtip ignited.

Harry lifted his own wand and mimicked her, and his wandtip also flared.

Gabrielle, who didn't yet have a wand, and wouldn't until she went shopping for her first year school supplies, simply stood there.

"Let's go." Fleur said, and waded into the water. Harry followed, and the splashing beside him and a little bit behind indicated Gabrielle's presence.

Fleur waded until she was breast-deep, and then she gave Harry one last instruction.

"Hold your breath." she said, and then dived forwards into the water.

Harry and Gabrielle exchanged looks.

"C'mon, then." Harry said, and dived forwards.

His head sank beneath the waves, and he squinted into the dark water, trying to see using the light of his wand. A hand touched his arm, and Harry looked to see Gabrielle holding his arm. She guided him along the sea floor, until they reached a dark hole, about the circumference of a manhole cover.

Harry went first, diving down into it. A little bit ahead, he could see the dim glow of Fleur's wand. Gabrielle kept a grip on his ankle as the two of them dived down the hole.

Harry's lungs were starting to burst, and he needed air desperately. He didn't know the Bubble-Head Charm well enough to cast it reliably, and speaking the charm would cost him precious air, and if the charm didn't work, he'd be fucked.

Just when Harry felt like he might have to risk it, the tunnel opened up into a small room, which he was at the bottom of. He stroked to the top and emerged into a little cavern, and Fleur was sitting on a rock, the water on her body giving her a sort of water nymph-like effect.

The moonlight shone down through a tiny crevice, but it reflected like a disco ball through the water, and it provided a mesmerizing effect.

Gabrielle emerged from the water, gasping for air.

"There you are." Harry said, helping the younger girl to her feet. She smiled at him.

"Isn't this cave beautiful?" Fleur asked. Harry had to admit that it definitely was.

But, he reflected, so were his two companions, who only looked hotter soaking wet.

All in all, pretty great nighttime excursion.