Act I: Chapter 4

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I stood there panting and looked at the scene in front of me. Training dummies lay destroyed around the room, an effect of my anger. The ground was charred black and smoking in some places, a result of throwing blasting curses and the weak fire spells he knew.

'How could I be so stupid?' I thought as I collapsed into the chair the room provided for me.

This whole time I never even considered how my actions could affect the future of my family. Bill and Fleur would sometime meet next year or so and then within a year after that, they would marry. Both would survive the war and then they would have three children together.

Now because of my actions that may never happen. 'Now Bill and Fleur may never find love, and their children might not exist. All because I wanted to flirt with an attractive girl to feed my ego.'

Even if nothing happened between us after the ball then maybe she denies Bill later because she feels bad about us going to the ball. Or maybe Bill never approaches her because he will inevitably find out who my date is.

I never expected it to be anything, the flirting wasn't supposed to lead to anything. Now we are set to go to the ball together in six days time. There was no way I could back out either, I already sent off my dimensions and an order of dress robes to match her dress.

It was the day after she asked me and during breakfast, my owl returned from Madame Malkin's and inside was a ruler that took my dimensions and recorded them on a piece of paper. I sent the owl back almost immediately to make sure the robes were done in time. Then later during the day in class, my mind was preoccupied with the details of the ball, more specifically, my date.

Divination was boring as always and my mind drifted to the future, then I connected the dots. I came to the room almost immediately after and trashed it.

'It's possible she's not really interested, I could just be the only option. I thought trying to calm down. I don't even remember who she took during the books.'

The worst detail of it all was that I was really looking forward to the ball.

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I learned a few lessons over the week leading up to the ball. The first was that Harry still didn't have a date and there were only two days left. The second I was an idiot who didn't think about the repercussions of his actions. The third is that Fleur is really hard to find if you didn't know where to look, I still hadn't found her to talk about the details of the ball.

The fourth was that it was getting profoundly easier to focus as the days passed. Casting was becoming so much easier and more fluid. It was like I was wading through water before the ritual and now every motion was faster, more precise.

The changes in performance of my mind is difficult to explain. Before I had to actually try to memorize something, mainly by connecting it to something I was interested in and then trying to use the information over and over to truly learn it. Now the steps in-between are unnecessary, I read the information and could apply it to what I already learned instantly.

Before, it was like there was a house that represented my mind and there was a door between the relevant information and I had to open it before the cooperated. Now there was only a huge auditorium encompassing the whole of my mind and the information flowed seamlessly.

This didn't apply to the memories of my other life, it was as if they were pushed to a corner of my mind. However, since the personality of my other life was still merged the Ron of this world, nothing really changed. It actually explained why it was so hard to think about the changes he was making to the future.

In the end it was hard for me to care. Logically I knew that the moment we merged, the future was going to change and I wouldn't be able to control all of it. The guilt of what I had done to Bill and Fleur's future was washed away with the fact that whoever or whatever brought me here was to blame for the changes.

'I was thrown into this body, this mind, to change things. I am not to blame for the far reaching consequences.' I thought.

'Plus she's the one who asked me to the ball.' I finished as I stopped my daily run.

Christmas holidays was currently going on and most of the population had left to go home for the breaks, everyone besides the champions. It was highly recommended they stay on campus to prepare for the Yule ball. I spent the last few days since accepting Fleur's proposal practicing as much magic as possible

The daily routine that I established had been changed and upgraded since the ritual. At meals I would eat a high protein and low carbs. After classes I would eat then head straight to the room where I would study new magic for two hours before I would workout, both magical and physical, for the rest of the night.

For the first two hours I would focus on finishing any assignments and the curriculum of the school years to make sure that I kept up with my studies. I was progressing extremely fast ever since the ritual, like insanely fast. Most of the time I would finish with time to spare and then I would research dueling and read on the theory of future years.

The physical workouts were purely calisthenics, dueling did require a lot of movement after all. I didn't need a lot of strength, magic could move any obstacle I needed so why do I need to be able to lift a lot. I would focus on body weight workouts while also incorporating a lot of cardio. I have been running a mile a day for the past week and already my young body was adapting quickly. Next week I would bump it up to 2 miles and then start improving the pace and times at which I ran. This would be done four times a week.

After I did the physical workouts, I practiced dueling. I spent the first few days researching dueling styles and tactics before just learning spells. All the books I found about the subject said to start learning how to chain spells together, ones that the wand movements could lead into the other. Then practice practice practice until they became second nature. There were some beginner chains that were in the books but they lacked power and would only work against people not prepared for a fight. I had already mastered those. A chain of five spells sent one after another with no pauses.

I could most likely beat everyone in my year with that chain alone. Too bad I wouldn't be dueling fourteen year olds in the future, I needed to be able to take down death eaters. People who were said to be on par with an auror.

That was what led me to finally opening a book the room provided after I finished 'A Beginners Guide to Casting For the Learned'. There was nothing on the outside to notify this book being the sequel. On the inside the format was the same as the first book and the title read 'The Road to Legendary Casting'.

I wasted no time in turning to the first page of the first chapter.

"Have you ever wondered why it is that people feel the need to point their wand at their target but never actually aim with it? If you were to test the trajectory of how spells are cast then you would find that the data would not represent where the magic actually ended up at. We are taught at a young age that intent is the most important aspect of magic, not the direction the wand is pointing.

The ones who know this typically stumble across it on their way to greatness. This is the exact way my ...partner and I discovered this neat trick. He has now become infinitely pleased with fooling the masses. We are fascinated on wandlore and one day we asked ourselves, how could people wield staves in the same manner that wands are used. There are some still preserved in museums around the world after all. How would it work? Then we asked another important question, would you have to point it?

I will stop dancing around the subject. Channeling magic through the wand is the one and only necessary part of casting. The most accomplished researchers raise their hand without the wand showing and candles around the room catch flame, the spectators are in awe of 'wandless magic'. Preposterous, simply put, it is an illusion. Wizards may only accomplish the most basic of things without a wand, lighting fifty candles in a room with conjuration is next to impossible for one without a wand. Wizards need a foci for intense magic, always have and always will. While they raise their left hand, the right wrist is in contact of the wand in their wands, and they channel their magic through their foci, whether they know it or not, and then they enact their will upon the world.

We have speculated that most who accomplish these feats never even realize it. Their minds subconsciously recognize their hand as nothing more than an impromptu wand, but the magic reaches out to what it is most familiar with, the actual wand. The subconscious tricks the mind in many other areas already, why wouldn't it when it comes to magic.

When you learn to trick your subconscious, that is when legendary casting begins."

'Fucking hell.' I thought as I grasped the concepts.

It explained so much, why a wrist holster? Why not a belt? Simply put, because it's harder to channel your magic through the middle of the body, the mind thinks it's easier to channel it through the wrist, so it is. Why did the most accomplished casters wear long sleeve robes, everyone knows that the trend started with the founding four. Holy shit.

Grindelwald was notorious for waving his left hand in conjunction with his wand hand. During the duel with Dumbledore it was said that shields were conjured and spells were fired near simultaneously, everyone thought it was pure speed but instead it was the epitome of skill. They truly were firing multiple spells at the same time, just from different parts of their body.

I continued reading and discovered that the book was even shorter than the last, that was literally the only text that was about theory, the rest of the book described practices to help you trick your subconscious.

Finally as I got to the last page there was an author with a little note at the end.

"I would recommend mastering Occlumency before even attempting this level of casting. The strain on the mind might be too much. "

-Gellert Grindelwald

I didn't sleep that night.

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Christmas day eventually arrived. I had only gotten three people presents; Harry, Hermione, and Fluer.

Harry's present was very simple. It was a ring that had the same enchantment on it as mine did, allowing him to use magic outside of Hogwarts. I was hoping to help him avoid the trial before next year.

Hermione's was a book from the Room of Requirement called Arithmancy through the ages.

Fleur's was a simple necklace. A silver chain with a small sapphire attached that was left in Hogwarts sometime in the past. The room really was a blessing to a boy from a poor family.

None of them got me any but that was ok, children weren't supposed to get each other presents, and since I didn't consider myself a child, well then it was perfectly ok. I received my customary knit sweater from my mother and that was it, which was perfectly ok with me.

I spent the whole day with the two of them relaxing and playing chess. We all went our separate ways to get dressed and meet up with our dates. I can't wait for them to see who I'm going with. My thoughts provided. I hadn't told anyone of what Fleur asked me a week ago.

Eventually I was completely dressed in brand new dress robes. They were a bit different from Harry's in the movies. The outer robe was black and didn't puff out like his did, instead it was fairly tight fitting. Underneath that I wore a white long sleeved dress shirt with a black vest that had silver accents in it. The pants, shoes, and belt were a simple black. A black and silver striped bow tie sat perfectly tied on my neck.

I was ready two hours beforehand and I decided that a slightly different look was needed for my hair. 'It is a formal even after all.' I thought trying to rack my brains for what could be done with it.

Eventually I decided and the room provided a book for making the changes. It was a simple spell that pulled the hair back tight and tied off a low bun, with the hair on the back of my head flowing down my neck. It was a very stylish man bun, if Fleur didn't like it then I would just wear it normally. With everything in order I left the room and headed downstairs, I eventually caught up to her and we decided to just meet up with the other champions and join each other there.

I was always early everywhere I went in my other life and tonight was no different. I quickly found professor McGonagall by herself waiting for the champions to arrive. There were already a small amount of people in the hall eating.

"Mr. Weasley, how can I help you?" She asked when she noticed me approaching.

"Are you waiting for the champions professor?"

"I am, they should be here shortly, you should head inside." Her response was quick.

"I agreed to meet with my date here, she said you told her to find you before we sat down." I replied carefully not saying my dates name aloud, testing to see if she'd figure it out.

She just stared at me for a moment before it clicked. "Ah well then you are welcome to wait with me."

I didn't say anything, so she made conversation. "You know you will have to open the ball with the first dance correct?"

At my nod she continued. "Yet you didn't come to the rehearsal dance. Do you know how to dance?"

I smiled remembering my past life. "I'm sure I'll manage professor."

"Well if you dance half as well as you perform in classes nowadays you'll do more than manage." She responded looking at me from the corner of her eye, no doubt wanting to know my reaction.

"What do you mean professor?" I asked curiously.

"Don't think your drastic increase in grades hasn't drawn any attention from the staff, we discuss these things frequently you know. Did you know you haven't gotten below exceeds expectations on any assignments since the beginning of November?" She said fully facing me now with a stern expression.

'She thinks I'm cheating. I could see it on her face.' "Yea, I decided to take my studies more seriously this year." I replied honestly. 'She would freak if she knew that I was practicing the sixth year transfiguration spells.'

Luckily our conversation was interrupted by Harry arriving.

"Ron? What are you doing here? You're not a champion." He asked with Pavarti on his hip.

"Just helping professor sort you all out before everything starts." I said giving McGonagall a look so that she wouldn't ruin the surprise.

After that Krum and Hermione arrived together at the same time as Cedric and Cho. The look on Harry's face at seeing how beautiful Hermione looked was hilarious. 'I told him he should have asked her.'

I lifted my head and saw an image that deserved to be memorialized on a portrait the size of the great hall.

Fleur was stunning, her silver dress was slightly different than the one she wore in the movies. The straps were slightly thicker and were on both sides of her shoulders. The length was a little shorter than depicted and it was much much tighter on her than the other. It looked painted on to her perfect body.

Her hair was done up elegantly in a bun that was just perfect. Her legs ran for miles and were perfectly toned. Her breasts sat perfectly in her dress and showed just the right amount of cleavage. Right above that rested the necklace that I gifted her this morning and it just seemed to complete the outfit.

I couldn't even tell if she was wearing makeup. 'No wonder girls are always jealous of Veela's. They are goddesses.'

I walked over to her before she could join us completely and she held out her hand in a very traditional manner, a smirk on her face told me she thought this funny. I obliged and embraced it with my own, brought it up to my lips and place a chaste kiss on it.

"You look stunning." I managed to get out.

"Thank you. You dress up well." She said with running her eyes over my form and my tight fitting outfit.

"You changed your hair." She said with a raised eyebrow. "I like it."

"Thanks. Shall we?" I asked as I offered my arm to her.

We walked arm in arm up to the rest of the champions and the look on Harry and Hermione's would forever be burned in my memory.

Professor McGonagall didn't waste any time. "Now that you are all here, you can go inside and enjoy dinner. Remember, when the band starts playing, the eight of you will dance first, and then others will join after that."

She didn't wait for us, instead she went inside and sat at one of the tables filled with professors and other important people.

All of us decided to sit at the same table so that we could join the dance at the same time. That and we were all familiar with each other.

Once we were settled and eating I decided to get to know my date a little more. "I see you got my present this morning."

"It's beautiful, and matched my dress." She answered. "I feel bad because I didn't get you anything."

"Don't. I didn't expect anything, it's the giving that counts right?"

"But still.." she responded slightly down.

I decided to change the subject to brighten her mood. "Have you figured out the clue to the second task?"

Her mood shifted to slightly down to pleased. "Yes, but I won't tell you what it is." She teased.

"I already know. Harry hasn't figured it out yet." I whispered so that he wouldn't hear us from the other side of the table.

"Why don't you tell him then?" She asked skeptically.

"I will eventually but he's got some time before the second task. I want to see if he can figure it out himself." I responded truthfully.

She gave me a look that said she didn't believe me and I was trying to trick her. So to prove it I responded. "Mermish." Then I tapped my glass of water.

Her eyes widened. "How do you know mermish?" She asked.

I laughed realizing my mistake. "I don't actually, I just know the sound it makes above water."

The night continued like that as we made small talk and got to know one another. Eventually the awkwardness left and we were making jokes. Then she returned with glasses of wine that I know must have come from a flask from somewhere.

It was after our second glass that Dumbledore got everyone's attention and the tables were cleared as the Weird sisters took to the stage. Before they began I offered my hand to a red faced Fleur. 'Too much wine.'

"May I have this dance?" I asked seriously.

She took it and I led her to the floor. I grabbed her confidently but didn't let my hands wonder as the band started. My body remembered the steps from my last life as I led her across the dance floor.

The night continued like that, I couldn't count how many times we danced. It was refreshing, dancing was something that I enjoyed and was good at in my last life. I even got to dance with Hermione and some of the older gryffindor's girls while Fleur didn't dance with anyone else. Even Harry was enjoying himself and not sulking in the corner like in the books. He couldn't dance to save his life but at least he was having fun.

After another dance with someone whose name I never caught I noticed Fleur had three older students around her vying for her attention. I felt guilty for leaving her alone and decided to rescue her.

I walked in the middle of their little circle, right up to Fleur and grabbed her hand, she followed without complaint to an abandoned table off to the side.

"Sorry for leaving you alone."

"It's ok, you are a good dancer and everyone can tell. I think they just wanted someone who didn't step on their toes." She responded making me laugh. She's actually pretty funny.

"Does that happen a lot?" I said pointing to the three boys from earlier.

"Unfortunately, it's the allure." She responded.

"Oh yea, I forgot about that." I asked as completely forgetting about her heritage as a veela.

"Can we leave? I don't feel like dealing with that anymore." She said showing some vulnerability.

"Yea, I'll walk you back." I said as I got up and threw my outer robe over my shoulder. It had come off earlier in the night.

"I was afraid you couldn't dance." She said as we walked in the direction of the Beauxbaton rooms. "I was obviously wrong." We both laughed at the end of the sentence.

Along the way she took a detour and walked in the direction of the black lake. She was wearing my robe because of the cold. "I am not tired. I don't want the night to end." She continued.

I didn't say anything for a minute, pondering if I should show her the Room of Requirement. 'What's the worst that could happen.' "Well ...follow me then."

"To go where?" She asked giving me an odd look.

"You'll love it I promise." I said. "But it's kind of a secret."

She gave me a skeptical look then. "I promise I am not going to murder you." I said jokingly.

That earned me a laugh as she answered. "Ok Ron Weasley, show me this secret."

After quite the walk we made it to the seventh floor, surprisingly we didn't run into anyone the entire time, the sounds from the great hall could still be heard. There weren't any patrols because of the ball. 'They've got to wrap up soon, it's past midnight.'

"Are you sure you aren't going to kill me?" She asked as I walked up to the blank wall.

"Yes, this is going to sound crazy but walk back and forth in front of this wall three times and think of the place that you want." I said.

She tilted her head and gave me a 'are you crazy' look. "Ok."

She did as I asked and stopped after the third time, then the door melted out of the wall just like it always did and her face morphed from disbelief into shock.

I didn't say anything instead I walked up and gestured her forward. We entered the room together and what I found was a room, from what I guessed it was her room at beauxbatons, the view from the window showed a chateau with gorgeous lawns and mountains rising around it.

She muttered something in french that I didn't catch as we stepped into the room. "What is this place?" She asked with nothing but joy in her face.

"No one knows the official name, and I think I am one of the only people alive that know of its existence. I call it the Room of Requirement, it arranges itself based on what you want." I answered.

She didn't say anything, instead she closed the distance between us and jumped into my arms giving me a hug.

"This is exactly what I needed." She murmured into my neck.

Neither of us moved to break the hug and eventually the room picked up on her intentions. 'At least I think it's hers.'

A very slow musical tone started from somewhere in the room and I started moving immediately. There were no fancy movements, just two people enjoying the others presence.

"You're homesick?" I asked.

"Yes, this is my room at beauxbatons." She answered immediately.

I didn't respond. Instead we danced until the music stopped.

"Can it change while we're in here?" She asked as we seperated.

"Try."

Soon enough the room shifted and we were in a bigger room. She seemed satisfied at the progress and then concentrated again. "This is amazing."

"Let me have control." I said once I realized that my wants weren't being responded to. She closed her eyes and concentrated and I did the same.

The room shifted around us again and my normal room with a few changes greeted us, the window overlooking the great lake had a half moon reflected off the surface. The chimney had firewood in it and warmth filled the room. It had no practice range, instead another window overlooked the Hogwarts grounds. Instead of an office desk and chair, a single table with two chairs appeared with a candle in the middle of the small table.

"Very romantic." She said in response to the scene. "But I can do better."

The two chairs and table turned into a loveseat, barely big enough for both of us to sit in. Two wine glasses sat on a table beside it. Glasses? How did she take back control of the room?

She moved to the seat before me and grabbed the glasses as she produced the flask from somewhere in her dress and poured the wine in it. She plopped down and took her feet off while patting the space next to her, implying for me to sit next to her.

I obeyed and threw my arm over the side of her head and grabbed her shoulder as she leaned onto my chest. We both sat in silence and drank about a half of a glass before I started talking.

"Why me?" I asked.

She shifted slightly and threw one of her legs over mine as the chair reclined and we got more comfortable. "You remember when you asked me if what those boys were doing happens a lot?" She said as I started massaging her scalp.

"Yes, you said it was the allure." I answered truthfully as I continued to play with her hair.

"You don't feel it do you?" She asked as she sat up and looked at me.

I tried to feel around me magically and couldn't tell any difference. "No."

"Do you mind if I try?" She asked.

"Go ahead." I responded.

Then her features shifted slightly and her eyes became more pronounced as her face elongated slightly. I still didn't feel any type of compulsion, instead I focused on memorizing her transformation. Her face gained some scales along the skin as she took it even further.

Some would say that Veela got unattractive as they showed them their other form but I couldn't deny that even seeing her like this was shocking but it didn't change my view of her. I saw angry veela at the quidditch world cup after all.

Then faster than when she first shifted, she was back to normal. "You didn't do anything?! You don't feel it at all?"

"I think I feel a little bit …but not enough to influence any thoughts about you." I answered.

Her eyebrows came together in a v as she thought about what I said. Abruptly she downed the rest of the glass of wine and set it on the table next to the chair. Then she turned, grabbed my face and planted a kiss on my lips.

I froze, obviously not expecting the kiss. Eventually I came to my senses as I returned the kiss and intensified it. The hand that was playing with her hair earlier went to her neck as instinct took over. She was talented but I eventually won the battle our tongues were engaged in.

We separated after a few more intense kisses. She continued to look down at me and I could tell her lips would be bruised in the morning from how puffy they were. She bit her lip and then set her head back down on her chest. I honestly didn't know what to think about what just happened so I went back to playing with her hair.

Neither of us spoke for a long time and eventually I felt her breathing even out as soft snores filled the air. A blanket fell across us as the room fell back into my will and I realized I doomed myself to a dead arm and an awkward moment in the morning.

'Worth it.' Was the last thought that crossed my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

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A/N: WHAAAAAAAT??

And that is the end of the Yule ball folks. What did you think about it? What does everyone think about the romance? I personally think I am terrible at writing it but I'd like to know what everyone else thinks. Pretty sure a Fleur POV will be necessary in the future to explain her side of things, does that sound like a good idea?

When I was writing this chapter I couldn't help but feel like this whole Fleur thing was writing itself. It just made sense to me. It feels a little fast but really their first interaction was a month beforehand, plenty of time for Fleur to decide to ask Ron to the ball. Plus the heart wants what the heart wants. Plus teenagers make stupid decisions all the time, hormones….

What about the magical theory from earlier in the chapter? I think it fits but I want to know what everyone else thinks.

Tell me in the reviews!!