Chapter 88

At that time, Appoline came to the living room as well.

"Hi Appoline, do you have any breakfast for me?" Compared to Sebastian, I've met Appoline a lot of times. And whenever I call her Ms. Delacour, she'll just ask me call her Appoline. So I gave up being formal with her.

Appoline laughed in approval at me being informal on purpose, "Of course dear, think of this place as your home. And Gabrielle, Esmée dear, you girls go to your study room. Your tutor is already waiting there."

As we sat on the dinning table, Appoline, said, "It's good that you came today. Fleur-"

"Maman!!" Fleur's features gained a bit of avian sharpness, signifying her anger.

"Alright, but why are so angry?" Appoline seemed surprised as she said, "Anyway, isn't it the same for Gabrielle and Esmée too? Doesn't Gabrielle miss Esmée if they don't see each other just one day? It's good that you also finally have a good friend after long."

'Oh man, she said it, didn't she?' Why do moms not understand that they shouldn't talk about embarrassing things in front of the child's friends?

"Mum! Just stop talking, alright?" Fleur sighed and she pleaded.

Now it was officially revealed to me that Fleur doesn't have any good friends right now. Though I had already guessed it. It does seem kinda embarrassing for a normal girl, but if she's a veela, she's doing quite well if she isn't getting harassed by boys and suffering from horrible treatment of girls. Her family is quite prestigious and was actually established by a Veela in France who was actually acknowledged at that time.

Normal magical veela with no family background going to Beauxbatons would have quite a lot of difficulties. Maybe that's why they have children with muggles. So that they are full blooded Veela and only have Veela magic, thus not having to go to Beauxbatons at all. Though it's said that pureblooded Veela disdain magical Veela.

"I just hope I could have an ordinary life. I don't have any true friends... you can go all out making fun me." Fleur said as she looked into her plate. She looked tired of all the things she has been suffering in her school and here now. Even the defeat at my hands might have contributed to this.

Appoline and Sebastian exchanged a worried glance. It seemed like was an issue they were trying and failing to solve.

"You can do anything you want, ma fille (my daughter). We'll support you in anything you want to do. We just want you to be happy," said Sebastian.

"If you want an ordinary life, we can't stop you. But from my own experience, I can tell you, that these small things won't bother you at all once you grow up and take the family head position."

Seeing Fleur defeated at the thought of the teasing she might receive from me, I also felt bad. She's suffering enough in her school. It's fun as long as it's not a sensitive subject. Right now, she's extremely sensitive to her not having friends.

What could she do with ordinary friends? They'll either get jealous or she just won't enjoy their company.

Seeing all the three Delacours on table in low spirits, and seeing Fleur, whose situation was quite similar to Dora's, I decided I had to speak to her.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with you not having friends. You are quite strong and capable on your own. Ordinary people have friends because they need them. But you have everything that you need already. You don't have any problems with your classes, you are learning combat from a world champion, you are quite talented in magic, etc. Don't ever degrade yourself to a normal person's level with all the things you already have."

This is serious. It's just a remark she said in passing, but slowly and surely, her life's decisions are being shaped during these days because of the treatment she's receiving at a school. I at least need to explain it to her.

As I looked at her right now, sitting aristocratically in her chair while having dinner made my the finest of house elves chefs, and then I pictured her in an ordinary attire, doing house chores while Mrs. Weasley cursed her Veela heritage while Ginny Weasley called her 'phlegm' as she endured it all silently. In that image, I couldn't at all see the Fleur Delacour who was arrogant and haughty and whose talent and future were exceptional. But only a Fleur who, after coming last in the Tri-wizard Tournament and disgracing her school, and having to listen to the insults of her school mates, decided to finally have an ordinary life after getting an ordinary job at Gringotts where very few humans work.

I realized that even though their situations had a few similarities Dora had been able to overcome it in the end and became an Auror. But Fleur couldn't.

"You are expected to live for more than a 100 years. The period in which you go to school is actually just 7 years of that life. The girls who are treating you horribly right now due their jealousy would one day have to bow their heads for you once you fully use your talents and do the things which you like do. If you just decided to stay ordinary, that would only mean that you are bowing down to them and becoming something that they want you to become."

Fleur looked down as she also realized this. As I've come to know her, she's not the kind of girl who would want to be influenced by those people.

"If you can endue two more years at that school, then the paths of those girls and you won't meet again. They'll be just become ordinary house wives or ministry workers while could be anything you want, even the first veela minister of magic."

Seriously man, what's with the Harry Potter series and it's bad pairings?

Sorry to Bill, but even if I don't say much now, the haughty seventh year Fleur still wouldn't give a glance to a poor bloke like Bill Weasley. She only gave up changed that much after she came last in the Tri-wizard Tournament. And I can't let her lose that bad this time since she's a family friend. And even her parents wouldn't want her suffering at the hands of that overbearing mother either. It's just that she must have been very sad in those days, and for her happiness, they decided to follow their daughter's wishes and behaved courteously with the Weasleys and didn't even show any disdain at their poorness.

I can only imagine what magical France would have been thinking. The Delacour Hieress marries a Weasley.

The Weasleys shouldn't have been that poor in the first place if Arthur had decided to work for money instead of tinkering and playing with muggle stuff. Don't know how many times the guy declined his promotion. He could have had a nice job with enough pay to at least buy his kids books and other school stuff. (Ron Weasley had to spent his whole second year with a broken wand.)

After listening to me Fleur no longer looked sad as she realized that, what said was indeed true.

"Oh Chris dear, you've said it all!" Appoline got up from her chair and hugged me and gave kissed my cheek. Upon receiving it mind remained pure since my occlumency for preventing the allure. I.... just had to send a bit more pure magic to a certain part of my body than I what I was already supplying.

Now I know where Fleur learned her habbit of kissing someone in gratitude in her emotional state comes from.

But seriously, these older women still see me as child. Andromeda, Camille, and Appoline. I have now received a kiss from all three of them.

That's also one of the reasons I wanted to be a child again in my previous life. Though the main reason was due to all the college work piled up in from of me.

"Young man, you've explained it to her so much better than what we've been trying to say. You could be an orator!" said Sebastian as he thumped my shoulder repeatedly form his seat beside me.

I just shook my head, "No... it wasn't much. Her situation is quite similar to the best friend I made at Hogwarts. She had similar circumstances like Fleur here, and during her earlier school years but she managed to overcome it all and became quite a strong and splendid witch by the time she reached her seventh year last year. She doesn't have much of a family background but she still managed to apprentice under quite an accomplished retired Auror this year, after her NEWTS."

This is one the reasons I couldn't help myself from speaking up for her situation. I've always been sour about the fact that Dora had suffered for the past few years while I could have just helped her earlier if I had been there earlier. Now I could at least help Fleur who was in a similar situation.

"Oh, is she also a Veela?" asked Appoline in surprise. If a Veela in France was hard mode, then a Veela in Britain was Hell mode. Fleur also looked curious.

"No. She's a Metamorphagus." I said, and it took a few seconds for it to click into their minds.

"Oh, poor child." said Appoline.

"No, actually, she was quite lucky that nothing bad happened to her as she was always cautious. But the false rumors about her were still spread throughout the school by jealous girls and bragging boys." Fleur's eyes focused on me as said that.

I continued, "Her image was totally ruined and her friends started distancing themselves from her... some guys turned out to be scumbags... sounds familiar?" I asked Fleur, whose eyes widened as I kept listing out the circumstances of Dora.

"Then... how did she... deal with it?" Asked Fleur, looking a bit hopeful now. Appoline and Sebastian also paid their undivided attention.

Well, I think the main reason was the room of requirements. She even sometimes joked that she'll miss the room more than she'll miss me. But there were few other factors which were different.

"One good thing that happened to her was that she was sorted into Hufflepuff house. That house's defining trait is hardworking and 'Loyal'. It has the nicest of the students of Hogwarts. So, even though most of the people believed in whatever rumors that were spreading about her, there were still some students who knew her knew her for who she was and not what the rumors said since they were 'loyal'." I spoke and they nodded as they understood what I was trying to say.

I continued, "So, I'd suggest you find the Hufflepuffs in your school. Loyal, hardworking, and with a good character."

Fleur nodded in understanding. But still looked confused.

"But... how would I find such people? And what do I do after I find them?"

Oh man, do I have to spell everything out to her? Looking at Appoline and Sebastian, no one seemed to be getting the hint.

"Find the people who are in a bad situation. Since these are good people, this fact is often exploited by those cunning students or bullies. Find the ones who are not much talented. You'll often see them trying to practicing easy spells relentlessly, or being bullied or taken advantage of."

'This should be enough, right?' She'll know what to do then. But the innocent Fleur still looked clueless.

But this time, Appoline asked me,

"Then, how is she supposed to make friends with them?" She looked curious and surprised. She must have caught on.

'What does she want to know?' I thought.

'Is she testing me?'

'Whether I'm a good guy or a bad guy?'

Well she's not Dumbledore, so I don't need to care about revealing a bit of my dark side. If she's going to test me, then I'm also going to test just how would she take it.

The amusing and awkward answer of a 12 year old didn't come out of my mouth. I looked at Fleur and answered.

"Since I've already told you how to find them, once you find them, you just have to help those kind of people here and there. Just a minor help. If someone is getting bullied, if you see something wrong being said about them which you feel should not be said, and.....and ..... things like that. If you do it right, with your looks and charisma, you'll have a bunch of devout believers of your own religion who'll loyally fight for you whenever something wrong is said about you. Then you can build up further from there, by giving orders to those followers to help out more of such people, this gathering even more followers.... —"

I kept speaking after that while the three listened speechlessly.

After I was done.

"So, follow this and you can do whatever you want."

"...." x3

Fleur was looking dumbfounded while Appoline was looking at me in blank amazement.

Sebastian closed his mouth which had been hung open by now as he asked,

"... Are you sure you don't want to go into politics?"

There it is again. People have often said that to me.

And my answer has always been clear.

Why be a king? When you could be a god?

***

A.N.: POWER STONES PLEASE! For motivation to write in these tough times.