Harry Potter and Fleur Delacour

Chapter One

Seventeen-year-old Harry Potter got dressed in his Hogwarts robes and hurried down into the Gryffindor common room to greet his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. As usual, he spotted Hermione and Ron sitting by the fireplace, bickering. Harry rolled his eyes as he straightened his Head Boy badge, and marched over toward them. They stopped talking when they saw him.

"'Morning, Harry," Hermione chirped.

"Yeah, 'morning," Ron muttered. Harry noticed Ron rubbing his arm.

"Why are you rubbing your arm like that, Ron?" he asked.

Ron shot a look at Hermione. "Because Hermione's stupid cat scratched me again!" he spat.

"That's because you were bothering him! Crookshanks doesn't like to be bothered!" Hermione shot back, obviously furious at Ron. Harry rolled his eyes again. "Honestly, Ron...you're seventeen and you still act like a child!"

"I do not!" Ron shouted.

Harry groaned. Ron and Hermione had been acting like pains lately because there was always something to argue over. He still couldn't believe they were dating.

"Don't you think we should go down to breakfast?" Harry asked them, trying to change the subject.

Hermione frowned. "Fine," she snapped, glaring at Ron.

Ron bit his lip. "Don't give me that look!" he said. Harry sighed and started to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast, leaving them alone to sort things out. That's what he usually did when they got into arguments like these.

When Harry entered the Great Hall, it was practically filled with Hogwarts students and teachers. Harry took his usual seat over at the Gryffindor table along with all the other Gryffindor students. It took Ron and Hermione about fifteen minutes before they finally joined him.

Harry started gazing around the room. His eyes suddenly stopped when he spotted Fleur Delacour, the new Defense of the Dark Arts professor. She was sitting next to Professor Severus Snape, the Potions Master and Harry's least most favorite teacher. It looked like they were in deep conversation, and there was a rumor going around the school that Snape and Fleur were dating. For some reason, Harry couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Fleur. She was just so beautiful...

"So what do you think, Harry?" Neville Longbottom asked, interrupting his thoughts. Harry shook his head and turned to look at his friend.

"What?" he asked in a daze.

Neville sighed. "Were you even listening to me, Harry?"

Harry sighed. "No, guess not. Could you repeat it?"

Neville shrugged. "Well, I would except I forgot what I was asking you..." Neville's voice trailed off. Neville was nice but he was extremely forgetful. Ever since Harry met Neville, he was always forgetting everything, and he was a bit clumsy, too.

"Looks like we've got Dark Arts first today," Ron announced dreamily, also staring up at Fleur.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly you guys. Just because she's part-veela..." But neither Harry nor Ron was paying any attention to Hermione. Instead, they were now both staring at Fleur.

Hermione cleared her throat and snapped her fingers in front of their faces. "As I was saying..." she said, finally managing to get their eyes off of Fleur. They turned back to look at Hermione.

"What?" they both said at the same time.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Never mind," she muttered, going back to her food.

* * * * *

About a half an hour later, breakfast was over and they headed through the castle toward the Defense of the Dark Arts classroom. They were the first ones there since Harry and Ron both insisted that they shouldn't be late for Fleur's class. The Gryffindors had Defense with the Slytherins, and Harry had learned that his arch rival, Slytherin prefect, Draco Malfoy, also had a crush on Fleur. And sure enough, Malfoy (along with his best friends, Crabbe and Goyle) showed up a few seconds after they did.

Malfoy sneered at Harry when he saw that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gotten to class before him. "Next time, we'll take the short cut," he hissed to Crabbe and Goyle as they took their seats. "And no snacking along the way!"

Pretty soon, the rest of the class arrived. As the last few students took their seats, Professor Fleur Delacour walked inside, brushing her long, silver hair behind her shoulders as she walked by the desks. The boys all stared dreamily at her the way Harry and Ron had at breakfast.

"Good morning class," she said in her French accent. It gave Harry goosebumps.

"Good morning, Professor Delacour," the class said all at once.

She walked up to the front of the classroom. To Harry, she seemed to be glowing. Her eyes were sparkling, and she was staring back at him.

"Please turn to page sixty-six in your textbooks," Fleur announced. "We will begin to study difficult hoaxes to defeat some of the world's most fearsome creatures..." Harry had stopped paying attention to Fleur. He just continued to stare.

All throughout class, he had trouble paying attention. He kept dreaming about him and Fleur together...making love. When class was over, Harry started to get up and leave but Fleur stopped him.

"Harry Potter, can I speak to you for a few minutes?" she asked. After the rest of the class left, Harry walked up to Fleur's desk.

"What's up?" he asked nervously.

"What's up?" she asked in a surprised voice. "I'll tell you what's not up...your grade for this class."

Harry looked shocked. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

Fleur sighed. "Well, you seem to not be paying attention in class and you're not turning in homework."

"But that's impossible!" Harry declared angrily. "I'm Head Boy!"

Fleur sighed again. "I know you are, Harry. But I think you need some extra tutoring. I asked Professor Dumbledore about this and he thought it would be a good idea if I tutored you, Harry. And we're going to start tutoring tonight. But we can only work up in my room because I can't concentrate in the library or anywhere else, I hope you don't mind."

Harry stared at her. "Not tonight, please Professor...I've got Quidditch practice tonight. I'm team captain and Seeker and I have to be there."

"I'm sorry but it looks like you're going to have to cancel," she replied. Harry suddenly stopped to think about this for a moment. Him...up in Fleur Delacour room alone? Studying together?

He grinned. "Actually, I think I can reschedule the practice for tonight," he finally said.

Fleur's face brightened. "Oh, good," she answered. "Sorry to keep you late for your next class, Harry. Remember, my room, after dinner. Bring your study materials and the password is flabbergasted."

Harry nodded, grabbed his school books from his desk, and left the classroom. Maybe tutoring with Fleur wasn't going to be such a bad idea after...Draco Malfoy would sure be jealous!

Harry continued to grin - he couldn't wait until after dinner!