Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are owned by JK Rowling and a bunch of other companies or whatever.

Chapter 4

Harry felt his feet were made of lead as he slowly walked toward Dumbledore's office. Every step was an effort. His mind was flooded with thoughts of Fleur and of Gabrielle. "Why did they do it?" He kept asking himself, "WHY!" Deep in his thoughts he didn't hear the sound of footsteps coming up from behind him.

"Harry!" "Harry!"

It wasn't until a hand was placed on his shoulder that Harry snapped out of his thoughts and saw his two best friends staring at him.

"Harry, how are you? We were so worried," Hermione asked. "And what is going on? There are all kinds of rumors going around."

"Yeah mate," Ron said. "They are saying you tried to kill that Veela's sister."

Harry shook his head, very tired again all of a sudden. It never failed. Anytime something happened in the castle, everyone presumed it was bad and blamed him for it. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. "What do you two think?"

"Well we know you would never do anything like that on purpose," Hermione said. "That's why we want to know."

"You know I wouldn't think…" Ron started then he looked away.

Harry looked at Ron incredulously, "Ron, you were all about me lying and cheating just a few months ago so don't tell me I would know anything about how you think."

"I.. I didn't mean it," Ron replied as his ears turned pink. "Look, I don't believe any of it really."

"So what did happen, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I need to go see Dumbledore," Harry said and turned to continue his trek. The look on Hermione face made him stop. He motioned for them to follow. "Walk with me and we'll talk."

As Hermione and Ron fell in step at Harry's side he asked. "What did you see out at the lake?"

"Well, Viktor had already rescued me and we were on the platform waiting for you and Fleur to show up," Hermione asked. "Oh, before I forget, Neville wants to know if that was Gillyweed you used."

Harry stopped and looked at Hermione, "Neville knew about Gillyweed?"

"He said he read about it in a book this year," Hermione answered.

"Oh, the answer was in my dorm all this time and..." He stopped. He just couldn't get angry. "Yeah it was gillyweed," He went on to explain how Dobby had found him in the library and gave it to him. "Not sure if it was such a good thing now."

"But it worked!" Ron said. "After all the commotion died down and they got you and those two girls off to the hospital, Dumbledore had this weird meeting with the merpeople and then announced you and the Beauxbatons champion were the first to the hostages but you both stayed to make sure the others were safe. You both ended up with 45 points. That makes you tied for the lead mate."

Harry didn't feel like cheering. He just turned and continued to Dumbledore's office. He didn't see the look of concern his friends shared.

"I was really worried when the time limit was up and you still hadn't come back Harry," Hermione started again. "Then when Ron came up the surface without you, I... I was terrified," And at that she took Harry's hand. "And Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us see you in the Hospital wing. I've tried several times."

"Mental she's been. Really. Every couple hours she's been up there to ask about you," Ron added. "She even skived History of Magic, can you believe it?"

"You skived?" Harry asked his bushy-haired friend.

Hermione looked embarrassed but nodded.

Harry felt her fingers collect around his and found himself thinking how soft her hand felt. For a brief moment he gazed at her and he remembered how she looked the night of the Yule Ball. Then he thought of the two ladies lying in a hospital bed who he would spend the rest of his life with.

"Yeah mate, what happened there?" Ron asked. "I came to in the middle of the lake freezing my arse off."

"Ron, language," Hermione snapped.

"I'll say arse if I want to say arse Hermione," Ron retorted.

"Will you two stop?" Harry asked quietly. He didn't have the energy to listen to them argue. "Fleur was having trouble and, I well I went back to help her."

"Helping the beautiful Veela Harry?" Ron said with a wink, "Well I don't mind you leaving me then."

"It wasn't like that Ron. Fleur's magic was greatly diminished in the water," Harry started. "Dumbledore explained it to me. Since her Veela powers are from fire, well let's just say under the water she couldn't draw upon it. So she had trouble defending herself when she got attacked by Grindylow and I went to help."

They had come to a set of steps and they walked slowly up them. They passed several people along the way and most of them were giving him a wide berth.

"You saved her?" Hermione asked. "But what happened to her sister?"

Harry explained what Dumbledore told him about Veela and the transformation, about how it had happened right at that time and how Gabrielle had awoken below the water.

"So you saved both of their lives?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied gloomily.

"So what's the problem? And why have you been unconscious for three days?" Ron asked.

"There are other issues," Harry said. "And it led to me being unconscious."

Harry felt Hermione's hand tighten on his. "Harry what happened? What aren't you telling us?"

"They're in love with me," He murmured very quietly.

"What Harry?"

Harry stopped and looked at his friends again. He was thinking. "Dumbledore didn't say I couldn't talk about it, but do I really want to discuss it yet."

"I said they are in love with me," Harry repeated and his whole faced turned red.

Ron looked shocked and then with a huge grin he slapped Harry on the back. "Way to go man, you have two Veela girls after you. You'll definitely be the talk of the school now. But hey be careful around them though, you know about those Veela girls."

Hermione was looking at Harry very closely and could sense he was not considering it something to celebrate. "There is still something else isn't there Harry, what else is there?"

Harry had rounded on Ron, feeling his anger rise at his friend. "They are NOT Veela girls, Ron. Their names are Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour," He spat back at Ron. "And if you so much as think of them as anything but that, I swear I'll, I'll…"

Ron took a step back raising his hands at the outburst from his friend. "I, I didn't mean anything."

Harry turned to Hermione, "There's something else." He released her hand as he turned and continued down the corridor. Hermione and Ron looked at each other again and hurried after him.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione asked again. "What aren't you telling us?"

Once more Harry stopped and looked at his friends. He did want to talk to someone but he knew he couldn't tell Ron. Ron would tell Fred and George and it would be around the school within an hour. "Ron, can I talk to Hermione for a few minutes?" Harry asked.

Ron got a hurt look on his face, "I didn't mean anything about, about calling them Veela girls. Just, you know, be careful."

"It's not that Ron," Harry started; he cast his mind around looking for something that Ron would definitely hate, "I want to ask her about assignments I missed."

Ron, oblivious to the obvious change of subjects, "Sure, uh, I'll go down to the kitchens and see if I can get a snack."

"Ron," Harry said "Please don't mention anything about Fleur and Gabrielle until Dumbledore says it's okay."

"Yeah, sure Harry," Ron said and he walked away toward the staircase that led down to the kitchen.

Hermione watched Ron disappear down the steps and then turned to look at Harry, "Now what did you want to talk to me about? I am sure it has nothing to do with homework."

"I just need to talk to someone without it getting all over the school," Harry started, "and I need advice."

"Of course Harry," Hermione smiled at him. "What's the real problem?"

"Well I sort of did tell you the problem," Harry said. "Both girls are sort of in love with me."

"And you want to know how to what?" Hermione asked. "I'm not the person you need to talk to about relationships Harry. I haven't had a boyfriend," The last said with a blush rising in her cheeks.

"It's more complicated than that Hermione," Harry said. He looked at the wall over Hermione's shoulder "They, well they both did this bond thing to me...something called a bondmate."

Hermione's hand shot to her mouth, "Oh Harry."

"You know what that is?" Harry asked.

"Well you have been unconscious for several days," Hermione said, "and the Delacours haven't been seen either. So wondering if it could have been something to do with Veelas, I've been reading about them."

Harry smiled "Of course you would do that," He thought.

"So that's why you've been unconscious because you were bonding?" Hermione asked.

"No. Dumbledore said the bond initiation coming from two people against my weakened magical core caused that. Fleur and Gabrielle are being kept unconscious until I am ready."

"So you're going to do the bond?" Hermione asked. "It sounded really interesting," Hermione turned away and Harry could see she was blushing.

"Well I don't have a choice do I?" Harry asked.

"But it is your choice though Harry, the book was clear that once initiated the person receiving it has the right to accept it or reject it."

"Did your book say what happens if the bond is rejected?" Harry asked.

"No, not really."

"Here's how Dumbledore explained it to me," Harry started. "The bond is formed by all the love the Veela has to offer. If I reject the bond, the bond disappears with the love that tried to form it, which Dumbledore says would lead to insanity or worse for the Delacours."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh Harry."

"Look I really need to get to Dumbledore's office. Padfoot is waiting for me," Harry said. "Hermione, please don't tell anyone. I think at the moment I would prefer the school thinking I tried to kill Gabrielle."

"Okay Harry," Hermione responded as she reached around him and gave him a hug. She tried to give a smile as she stepped back, but it fell short of her eyes. As Harry turned to continue his trek to the Headmaster's office she had a final thing to say, "It could have been worse you know."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well it could have been Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode," Hermione replied, again offering a smile.

Harry couldn't help but smile back at her. "Thanks Hermione, at least you're keeping it in perspective for me."

A short time later Harry was knocking on the door to Professor Dumbledore's office. Harry heard the elderly wizard call softly, "Enter Harry," Once he was inside, Harry saw a large black dog lying on a rug under the window. The dog's ears perked up instantly. The dog stood up while at the same time Harry noticed Professor Dumbledore's wand wave. Several clicks came from the door behind him.

"Sirius, you may show yourself, the office cannot be entered," And at those words the black dog transformed into a man.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled and ran over to his Godfather.

"Harry!" Sirius replied with the same enthusiasm. "I am so glad to see you back awake. Madame Pomfrey was beginning to wonder why a dog kept coming to the Hospital wing to see you."

"As much as I wish you weren't here," Harry said thinking of Sirius's safety, "I am really glad you are."

"I bet you are Pup," Sirius said, and when Harry looked at him curiously, "Come on Harry, if you're going to be the godson of a dog, at least let me call you pup."

Harry grinned at his godfather, and then seeing he looked a little ragged. "Taking care of yourself aren't you Sirius?"

"Of course I have. It's been a little rough recently. I had to snag a few rats here and there," Sirius said and at the disgusted look on Harry's face he continued. "It's really not that bad. Remember I get the taste buds of a dog and eating a rat doesn't taste disgusting once you get past the mental part that it's a rat."

"Uh...if you say so," Harry replied hoping if he ever got around to trying to be an animagus his form wasn't a dog.

"Besides I can always pretend it's Pettigrew can't I?" Sirius said. "Lately though, thanks to this latest adventure of yours, I've been getting Hogwart's food. Not only is our very generous friend here," Sirius nodded toward Dumbledore, "getting me food from the kitchens, but I'm allowed to wander the Great Hall during dinner time. I've gotten very good at snagging the biscuits they throw to me."

Harry laughed at the thought of the most wanted wizard in all of Great Britain's magical world wandering around snagging biscuits in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

"So Pup," Sirius said, "sounds like you have a problem."

Harry's mood soured almost immediately. "Yeah it seems that way."

"Well if it helps any, I had a long conversation with their father."

"You WHAT?" Harry almost shouted. "You showed yourself?"

"Relax," Sirius smiled. "Albus did some serious glamour charms. I didn't even recognize myself when I looked in a mirror. But anyway, I told Mr. Delacour I was an old friend of your father's, which of course I am. He is a nice man, Harry. He doesn't blame you for anything. He was in the stands when you came out of the water and saw what happened. He also talked to his daughters before they were given the sleeping draft. He knows it was purely their choice."

"At least there's that," Harry muttered.

"I will tell you, that as he was discussing his daughters, Fleur in particular, it sounded a lot like you."

"What, what do you mean?" Harry asked in surprise.

"She is very much like you," Sirius repeated.

"But, but she is so beautiful and everybody wants to be with her," Harry said.

"But why do they want to be with her Harry?"

"Because she's gorgeous," Harry said.

"Any other reason?" Sirius said and at Harry's inability to reply "Exactly Harry, just like you have people fawning after you because of that scar on your head."

Harry's thought went back to Malfoy on the train coming to Hogwarts, Colin Creevey following him around with a camera and Professor Lockhart trying to use Harry's fame. "But why would Fleur want to have anything to do with me? I mean, that night, the one when my name came out of the goblet, she said I was a little boy."

"Did she Harry?" Sirius said. "She might have at first, but did you know she wrote to her sister almost weekly and a lot of the letters were about you?"

"She did? Why?" Harry asked. "What did she say?"

"Well you can ask her when you get a chance Harry, but she had noticed you as more than 'a little boy' " Sirius said. "Now you told Dumbledore how you helped Fleur, but I want to ask you why did you help her?"

"Because she needed help," Harry exclaimed. "I couldn't leave her fighting Grindlows. She couldn't get free."

"So? That's one less competitor to worry about," Sirius said offhandedly.

"Sirius, I couldn't!" Harry exclaimed testily.

"I know Harry, just making a point," Sirius continued. "Now, when she was free of the Grindylow, why not swim on ahead and leave her? Fleur told her father how you protected her."

"What if more Grindylow had shown up or something else?" Harry answered. "I…I mean she needed me to protect her."

"Protect the very beautiful silver haired Veela?" Sirius asked. "Or a woman who wanted to save her sister."

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"Harry, I do believe you told me that you fell under the Veela spell at the World Cup?" Dumbledore interjected.

"Yeah," Harry grimaced remembering the experience.

"Did you feel like that when you were saving Fleur or swimming to protect her?" Dumbledore continued to ask.

"No of course not. But you said her powers wouldn't work underwater anyway."

"Exactly Harry, you were not entranced by her allure, but you were protecting her anyway," Sirius said.

"But anyone would have done that," Harry blurted out.

"You don't give yourself enough credit pup," Sirius said. "But you were the one who helped her, who guarded her, who risked his life to save her, not the blonde-haired beauty but Fleur Delacour, a scared and lonely young lady desperately fighting under the lake. Now from what Gabrielle had told their mother," Sirius raised his hand when Harry was going to ask a question, "No, you'll have to ask her about it, but based on those comments, Fleur had already developed feelings for you. Maybe not romantic love, but definitely feelings. Now mix that with someone who looked past her beauty and helped her, no, who risked his life to save her for no reason and you see how those feelings might have deepened. Now finally, with all of those emotions rolling around in her body and her Veela powers coming back into full strength once she was out of the water and well she did what she did."

Harry shook his head as he tried to imagine what Sirius described. He couldn't believe that the aloof and beautiful Fleur Delacour liked him, much less developed feeling for him, but if he were able to look past that, he could see what she'd possible seen but, "How could she have feeling for me?" Harry thought. Then he thought of the other Delacour. "What about Gabrielle?" He asked. "She's never even met me. How could she love me in the least?"

Sirius looked over at Dumbledore who took up the conversation, "Do you remember what I said about the Veela transformation; about when it happens and why?"

"Yeah," Harry replied. He still didn't quite understand what he'd said but didn't think now was the time to ask about it.

"Well she wasn't supposed to transform for at least six more months," Dumbledore sighed, "I am guessing here, but I think the way the deep water affected Fleur's magic also affected the Veela transformation process so it happened a lot sooner than it should have. Now according to her father she has been infatuated with Harry Potter since a very early age. She begged her father to come with him to this event just to meet you."

"She came all the way from Beauxbatons to meet me sir?"

"Yes Harry, now follow me with this," Dumbledore said, "The girl has a serious infatuation with you, and her sister writes to her and tells her all of these wonderful things about you. Now she's on the platform and you'd saved her life, the uh, hormones that normally would have been suppressed are flooding her systems, her Veela powers are newly awakened, the man who she had singularly focused on for such a long time just saved her life and her sister is claiming him for herself. She lashed out the only way she could by claiming you as well."

"So she doesn't really love me?" Harry asked, a bit of sadness in his voice at the thought.

"Oh, she definitely loves you at some level Harry," Dumbledore said, "Remember what I said earlier, the bond cannot be created from nothing. So at some time she did feel true love for you, it might have been an instant before she initiated the bond, but there is most definitely love."

"Oh," was all Harry could say. He just couldn't believe they could love him. There was just no reason for it.

"Look pup," Sirius said "What's bothering you the most?"

"Outside of two women who I barely know forcing me to commit myself to them for life?" Harry said "What about the one I'm meant to fall in love with?"

"What if these are ladies are the ones you are supposed to fall in love with Harry?" Sirius asked, "Fate can be a cruel bitch or can be the most wonderful thing in the world. Maybe this is fate's way of speeding up a process of happiness for you to make up for all the sorrow that you have endured. As I said, the older of the two has suffered very much like you when it comes to relationships. But she is beautiful, smart, and she has fallen in love with you."

At the words, 'beautiful and smart' an image of a bushy haired witch floated into Harry's mind. "Yeah, I guess," Harry replied. "So you would do it Sirius?"

"Harry, what I would do or wouldn't do is not the question is it?" Sirius said, "You look like James but I know you have your mother's heart. I already know you've made up your mind. Lily wouldn't have been able to live with herself by choosing any other way and neither could you."

Harry let out a sigh and he nodded his agreement. He turned to Dumbledore, "When can we wake Fleur and Gabrielle? I guess I need to learn all I can about my... my," He spent a second before continuing, "girlfriends."

"It's dinner time Harry," Professor Dumbledore said, "Would you prefer to eat first or later?"

At the mention of the word dinner, Harry's stomach realized it had been three days since something that been sent its way and emitted a loud grumble.

"Ah, yes it seems your stomach would like something to eat. Would you prefer to eat in the Great Hall or something back in the Hospital wing?"

"Sir, when Fleur and Gabrielle awake won't they be hungry as well?" Harry asked. "Would it be possible to set up a place where the three of us could eat together?"

"Of course Harry, that's an excellent idea," Professor Dumbledore said "I'll attend to it myself."

"And sir?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Could you make sure there are dishes that Fleur and Gabrielle like, maybe ask their parents what their favorite foods are?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "I think you just proved that Fleur and Gabrielle found someone special," Then turn to Sirius, "I think it is time for Padfoot to go in search of biscuits."

Sirius grinned at Harry "Sure you don't want your dog with you at your dinner party?"

Harry blushed deeply, "Uh, that might not be a good idea," Then he was struck with a horrible thought. "Professor, you said that they would be able to read my thoughts. What about Sirius? They will know all about him."

Professor Dumbledore raised his hand, "Remember that they will also be able to read your thoughts of his innocence as well Harry. Since you will not be able to lie to them, they will know it is the truth. There will be two more people you can talk to and confide in."

"I won't be able to lie to them? Sir, am I going to lose myself in this bond?" Harry asked as he swallowed hard at this thought.

"Lose yourself Harry?" Professor Dumbledore replied. "Oh, no I think you might be misunderstanding what is going to happen. You and the ladies Delacour are going to share love, a very deep and permanent love. That doesn't mean you will never argue or disagree, it doesn't mean you can't live your own life and have your own interest. The only reason you won't be able to lie to them is because of the mental link. When you come to accept it, and hopefully find love for those two ladies, I think you will find they have blessed you with a gift few men ever enjoy."

"Yes sir, if you say so."

"Harry, go back to the Hospital wing, and I'll go take care of your dinner. Padfoot!" Sirius morphed back into a dog, ran around Harry a couple of times causing the raven haired young man to grin and then he followed Dumbledore out of the office bounding down the steps wagging his tail.

Harry smiled at the antics of his godfather. His thoughts drifted to the young ladies asleep in the hospital wing. "Well Hermione was right," He thought as he walked out the door, "It could be much worse."