10

Chapter X: The Slacker and the Diva

(Harry P.O.V)

Harry tossed and turned in his sleep, his head felt as if it was ringing as he found himself on the field of the burning World Cup. "Daphne!" Harry shouted, "Corner! Nev! Sirius! Where is everyone!?" Harry swallowed hard pulling out his wand as he weaved through the smoke towards where he had remembered the tent to be. As his eyes spun rapidly around the chaos, they locked with the Dark Mark still burning in the sky, What's happened? He thought to himself desperately.

"It's your fault," He heard a small voice call out, and as he turned, he saw a little girl, no older than seven looking up at him, "It's your fault they're dead. Why did you tell them to fight? Why didn't you just let them run away? You killed my mom and dad."

"Why did they listen to you?" Harry heard another voice call out to him, this time a young boy, "Why did they listen to you and leave me all alone? Why did you tell them to die?"

"I didn't," Harry spoke desperately, "I didn't want anyone to die, I didn't."

"Mommy!" A kid wailed in pain as Harry ran towards the young boy, "Mommy please wake up! Please! Don't leave me alone!" Harry swallowed hard as he looked down at the woman a hole blown through her torso as blood gushed out heavily, he reached down gently for the boy, his mind desperate to try and bring him to safety, but as his hand approached it was met quickly with a slap, "It's all your fault! I hate you! Why did you force them to fight? Why couldn't you just leave us alone?"

"Please, you need to get to safety!" Harry spoke through a strained voice, "Please, I'm sorry, but you need to go, you need to-," But before Harry could even finish, a blinding flash of green light took the boy, and Harry watched as the child fell dead to the floor before he found himself sitting upright in his bed, dripping from a cold sweat.

His hand trembled as he gripped his wrist tightly, desperately trying to keep his act together as a silent tear streamed down his right cheek. "Damn it," He cursed beneath his breath, "Not again. Deep breaths Harry, you need to calm down, deep breaths. I can't let this keep happening."

*Flashback*

Harry had woken with a jump, his heart still pounding heavily in his chest. He'd slept soundly through the night with Daphne distracting his mind previously, but with her back at the Davis' House, Harry had found himself sleeping alone. Though, sleep wasn't exactly coming easily to him. "Twenty-Seven people," Harry muttered to himself his hands trembling, "I led twenty-seven people to their deaths."

He shook his head as he rapidly wiped the tears from his eyes, before lifting himself out of bed knowing that more sleep would be pointless. He wandered through the darkened halls of the House of Black before finding himself in the kitchen. Carefully, he poured himself a glass of milk, before returning to the still-burning fire, heavily monitored by Kreacher. Due to the temperature outside, the fire was more for show than anything else, still, Harry sat on the ground near the orange flames, his eyes watching the fire dance in the pit.

Subconsciously, Harry had hoped that seeing fire would stop the chills he felt in his body, but his trembling wouldn't stop as his mind forced him to remember the children he had left parentless. "Why can't I just have the power to do this on my own?" Harry whispered hopelessly to himself, "Why do I have to get others involved?"

Footsteps creaked from the floor above, and while part of Harry was tempted to hide, the other half knew that it would only raise more questions, and so he remained, silently watching the flames until with a raspy voice he heard Remus call out, "Thought I heard someone rummaging around in the Kitchen, a bit late for a snack though, don't you think, Harry?"

"Sorry Moony," Harry spoke, "I couldn't sleep. Didn't mean to wake you."

"Not to worry," Remus had said with a warm look, "I have trouble sleeping myself." There was a quiet pause before he continued, "What's bothering you, Harry? Both Neville and Michael have talked to Ted about the attack, you're the only one who hasn't said a word. You know that before he found his footing in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, he did some training as a mind-healer, he may be able to help if something's bothering you."

"I don't need help," Harry snarled a bit louder than he had intended, "Sorry, it's just, everyone's been asking me if I'm okay, I just wish people would leave me alone."

"That's never going to happen," Remus spoke softly, "It's what a family does, they pester, they annoy, they care for one another, there's a whole lot of pros and cons, but a family will never just leave you alone. I won't pressure you to talk, I understand stubbornness better than most, but at least tell me why you don't want to let us know what's on your mind?"

"Because it doesn't matter Moony, I'm fine," Harry spoke, "I have to be fine. No matter what happens, I can't let anything get to me because if I do then the wizarding world loses its symbol for the light. Since I'm not strong enough to fight off the Death Eaters and Voldemort all by myself, I have to at least be strong enough to make sure I don't crack. I can't fall apart, I can't allow that to happen."

Another pregnant pause filled the air before Remus slowly knelt down beside Harry, leaning against the coffee table, staring into the flames just as he had before, "You know, for a while I had wondered exactly what it was you inherited from your mother, besides your eyes of course. And I think I've finally uncovered it tonight. You have your mother's drive."

"Her drive?" Harry asked in a bit of confusion.

"Sirius teased James calling it her stubbornness, James was the one who had coined it, her drive," Remus had said with a smile, "Unlike James who was a natural prodigy and of Pureblood, things didn't come as easily to your mother. She had talent, of course, her abilities in Charms and Potions were second to none in our year, but your mother had to work ten times harder than everybody else at everything."

"Despite my good grades," Remus spoke with a smile, "I had actually felt guilty when I had found out both she and I were made prefects during our fifth year. Her hard work had made me feel undeserving of the title, I can only imagine how your father felt about becoming Head Boy. Though that is beside the point."

Harry watched as Remus smiled in his memories, "Before the two were dating, your father always made me promise I'd make him sound good to Lily whenever we went on Patrol, but in reality, it was mostly Lily who led the conversations. One time I had asked her why she worked so hard, and it was her answer that you nearly mimicked. She had told me that the Wizarding World looked down on her, simply because of who she was, and she wouldn't quit until she forced the world to acknowledge that muggle-borns could be great wizards in their own right. If she had made it through the war, I have no doubt she would have turned the Ministry on its head. Still, it's that drive and stubbornness, the fire in a person's chest, that's what you've inherited from your mom."

Harry looked up at the werewolf with a soft smile as he reached out for his shoulder, "But remember this Harry, for all her drive and conviction, she still allowed other people into her life. I know that what happened at the World Cup was a lot to handle, and I know the Prophecy doesn't make it any better, but even the strongest people can't do everything alone. You have people who love you Harry, and all of us are here when you're ready to let it out."

Harry sat in silence, the feeling of his Uncle's hand on his shoulder soothing him slightly as unwilling tears dripped from his eyes. Remus' hand moved from his shoulder and quickly Harry dried his eyes, turning to the former professor once more and nodding, "Thank you Moony, for telling me more about her. I hear so much about my dad from Sirius, but I sometimes feel like I barely know anything about my mom." Remus nodded with a warm smile before Harry cleared his throat, "I'm still not ready to talk yet, but I do feel a bit better. I'm going to try to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, goodnight Moony."

"Goodnight Harry, make sure you pack a bit of Floo Powder with you in case you ever need a moment to chat," Remus returned kindly before Harry had returned to his bed once more.

*End of Flashback*

The conversation with Remus had helped calm his mind for a time, but the re-emergence of his nightmares had filled him with dread. Even his Occlumency couldn't do much to protect from his own thoughts. He had momentarily considered reaching out to Dumbledore, but with the Order using lethal force during the World Cup attack, Harry wasn't exactly thrilled about meeting with the Headmaster any sooner than he absolutely needed to.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry left his bed, his heart still racing in his chest as he descended towards the common room. He took calming breaths as he paced around the common room, desperate to stop his active mind before with a tired sigh he sat beside the roaring fire. The flickering of the flames brought some ease to his heart, and recalling how his conversation with Remus had helped before, he decided that he would try it again. Harry lifted his wand, and beneath his breath he whispered, "Accio Floo Powder," within seconds, the small tightly-knotted bag had zoomed from his bedside table into his hand and Harry quickly got to work, untying the knot before throwing a pinch of Floo-Powder into the fire and whispering, "Twelve Grimmauld Place."

Harry had done it before, but honestly, every time he'd done so, he felt absolutely insane. However, seeing the orange flames turn a brilliant green Harry plunged his head into the fire and found himself looking at the neatly organized sitting room of the Black Ancestral Home. Harry looked around a moment before he began to feel like an idiot, it must have been at least one in the morning, and part of him cursed his stupidity, Why would anyone be up this late without warning?

Yet, much to his surprise, Harry heard a shuffle in the distance, and slowly he whispered out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Slowly, a man arrived looking dead on his feet. His fair hair looked a mess, and while Harry had seen the big-bellied man before, he'd never seen the normally relaxed Ted looking so exhausted. However, even in his exhausted state, Ted's eyes widened with warmth as he approached the floo with a smile, "Ah, Harry, is that you? A bit late to be making calls wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, sorry about that Uncle Ted, I couldn't really sleep all that well tonight," Harry spoke feeling guilty for calling as the bags under the man's eyes made it clear his Uncle hadn't gotten much rest recently either.

"I see, it appears we are in the same boat then, Harry," He said with a soft chuckle, "Is something the matter? Roommate snoring too loud, in the mood for a late-night snack, what's wrong kiddo?"

"Nothing, just bad dreams is all," Harry spoke tiredly, "I was actually hoping to get in touch with either Sirius or Remus, but I guess they're sleeping. Recently, I've just been having a bad feeling is all, the Durmstrang Headmaster, Karkaroff, I saw that he had the Dark Mark on his arm. I was wondering if they could give me any information on him, but I don't want you to wake them, I'll just try again later."

"The Dark Mark, you say," Ted said as he rubbed his chin, "That is concerning, I don't really remember much about his trial, I wasn't in attendance of it, but I heard that he gave up quite a number of names." Ted then snapped his fingers, "Tell you what Harry, Dora is about to start her week patrol of Azkaban tomorrow, God bless her, and I'm sure she's going to be bored out of her mind. I'll talk to her about looking into the Karkaroff file. If Madam Bones lets her investigate, I'm sure she'll have some information for you by weeks end."

"That would be great Uncle Ted. Thanks for the help" Harry said, a bit relieved that not all was lost, however, another silent question formed in his mind, "If you don't mind me asking, what's got you up this late anyway?"

"Unfortunately, it's not just me," Ted said, "Almost everyone at the Ministry is pulling extra-long shifts. My departments being overloaded preparing for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Honestly, the ministry must be insane having us figure out not just how to safely transfer over a dragon, but they want us to wrangle an Acromantula, Chimera, and a Horned Serpent as well, it's absolutely mad. I have no idea why they would need these beasts for a competition in which students compete, but we all have jobs to do I suppose."

"Aren't those all Class 5 beasts?" Harry asked, "Why would a school competition require such dangerous animals?"

"No clue, but I suppose it's not as bad as what Dora's going through," Ted said, "The ministry's been working the DMLE to the bone trying to get to the bottom of the World Cup attack. They've managed to identify a lot of the bodies, but none of them were known death eaters. Madam Bones has required sweeping background checks on all Ministry Employees, but as you can imagine Lucius isn't too big of a fan of the idea."

"Yeah," Harry snarled, "I can imagine."

"Speaking of the World Cup attack," Ted spoke in a warm and mellow tone, "How are you holding up, my boy?"

"I'm fine Uncle Ted," Harry said sharply before pulling himself back, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just tired is all."

"There's nothing weak about expressing fears to those you love Harry," Ted said softly, "I won't force you to talk, but none of us will think less of you for talking when you're ready. It seemed to help young Neville and Michael quite a bit."

"I know, and thanks Unc," Harry said before he forced himself to yawn, "Thank you for helping me look into the Karkaroff situation as well. But it's getting late and I have class in the morning, so I'm going to get some rest."

"Of course Harry," Ted said warmly, "But know that we are here whenever you need us."

"I know," Harry said with a nod, "Thank you."

Harry pulled his head from the flames and watched as the emerald green flames shifted back to their original orange. He rested his head against the stone fireplace wall taking a deep breath before letting out a tired groan. I'm okay, Harry thought to himself, I'm just fine.

(Michael P.O.V)

Michael couldn't help but notice the exhaustion in his friend's eyes, it was the same look he'd seen when Harry had first confronted him about whether he wanted to continue on with the Order or not. It was clear to Michael that stress was eating his friend alive, and the worst part about it was that he had no idea why. Unlike himself of Neville, Harry didn't talk, well, he did, but never about what was important, never about the World Cup attack.

Michael remembered it like it was yesterday, the exhaustion in his voice, the burning of tears in his eyes, the sickness he felt as he launched a reductor curse at a man that tried to kill him while he escorted children to the safety of the hill. He couldn't imagine what he might have felt like had Andromeda and Ted not been there to help talk him through it, part of the night, the screams especially still haunted him, but unlike Harry, he'd released the main knot of the pain from his chest.

Promising to talk with his friend about it later, knowing a public setting would only serve to irritate Harry, he turned to the half-goblin Charms Master as with a squeaky voice, his Head of House spoke, "Alright then, alright, let's quiet down," Flitwick had said as loud as he could muster, "I'm sure you are aware that like most teachers on the first day back, review was set to be the focal point of today's lecture. However, it is my opinion that reviewing material doesn't spark as much enthusiasm as seeing something new. So, while we will be reviewing in the future, today I would like to focus on a new charm, the Summoning Charm."

Michael rolled his eyes slightly as he turned to face Harry bored out of his wind, "Observe," Flitwick spoke with enthusiasm, "Accio, Water Goblet!" Instantly, the goblet of water that rested upon the charms professor's desk zipped to his hand as if it were magnetized to his wand. The crowd watched in awe and Michael had heard students whispering about how cool it would be to send things to them with ease.

"This spell is known as the Summoning Charm and serves as the opposite of the banishing charm. It is one of the most useful spells and serves many purposes from Household-"

However, Flitwick was stopped mid-sentence as the door swung open, and instantly, Michael groaned seeing how many of the males around him turned and nearly stopped breathing, "Great," Michael muttered, "The Diva's here isn't she."

"If you're talking about the French Girl," Harry started, "Then yeah, she and Hermione just got here. Why don't you like her though, you two haven't even talked."

"Bad vibe, I guess," Michael said with a shrug, "Anyway if we're just going to be going over the summoning charm, wake me up when the class ends."

Michael had no sooner placed his head towards the table when he heard Flitwick say, "Ah yes, Professor Dumbledore did say you might be late. Go ahead and take the empty seats behind Mr. Potter and Mr. Corner, we've just begun our discussion of the summoning charm."

Michael groaned into his desk as he felt the two girls sit behind them and with a french accent he heard the french girl speak, "Bonjour."

"Uh, hi," Harry spoke with a small smile, "I'm Harry-"

"I doubt you need an introduction anywhere, Harry Potter" Claire said with a smile, "My name is Claire, Claire Belmont, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Harry said before Michael felt an elbow dig into him, jabbing his ribs.

"Fine," Michael said with a groan, "Name's Michael, it's nice to meet you and all that." He hadn't even given her time to respond, but seeing the confused look in her eyes had made him feel uncomfortable and quickly, he rested his head back on the table.

However, much to his unending disappointment, he heard Flitwick call out to him, "Mr. Corner!" Michael took a deep breath looking up at his Head of House as he thought to himself, Can't a guy just get some sleep, before he continued, "If you are so intent on napping, perhaps it's because you already know the spell."

Michael heard the group of students chuckling especially Terry Boot who gave him a snide look. Normally, he wouldn't have cared about being laughed at or shunned, before meeting Harry that was essentially his normal, but nothing gave him more pleasure than whipping the smug grin of Boot's face, and with a wave of his wand, the water goblet previously in Flitwick's hand zoomed over to his desk and landed with a soft metallic ring.

The look had certainly been removed from Boot's face, but as he looked around, he saw that a new expression had taken over the room, one of pure disbelief. He felt Harry tap his arm and as he met his friend's eyes, Harry whispered, "Uh, Corner, you forgot to say the spell."

"Son of a bitch," He whispered beneath his breath causing Harry to snicker, however, the utter silence in the room was broken by Flitwick approaching.

"Merlin's Beard," Flitwick spoke, "Mr. Corner, I had no idea that you were already capable of wordless magic, that's normally a sixth-year skill. Perhaps I should talk to Dumbledore about seeing you placed at a more appropriate level."

"No, no," Michael replied quickly, "Please don't do that. It was just a fluke is all, I got lucky."

Michael turned to Harry looking desperate for something, and with a sigh, Harry lifted his wand and wordlessly banished the cup across the room leaving Flitwick more amazed, "Both you and Mr. Corner are capable of wordless magic?"

"Not really," Harry said with an easy tone, though Michael knew it was a lie as while he was more proficient at it than Harry of Neville, all three of them could do it to a certain extent, especially with non-combat spells, "It's just something we practiced a bit this summer, we're still very hit or miss, I don't think we'd do well in a sixth-year class. Plus, we'd like to stay with our year if that's a possibility."

"Of course," Flitwick said still looking quite impressed, "Though if you two ever decide you'd like to test out, I would be more than willing to accommodate."

"Thank you, but we're quite happy where we are," Harry said, "After all, it's important that we learn the basics and all."

Flitwick nodded, satisfied with Harry's explanation, but it hadn't been a minute since the professor had left until Michael felt Hermione tap him on the shoulder and whisper, "How long have you been able to do that?"

"If you want someone to teach you, go ask Longbottom," Michael said with a yawn, "He can do it too, at least a little, and I'm sure you and him having some alone time wouldn't hurt either of you."

"I don't have a crush on Neville," Hermione said blushing heavily, and Michael still shivered slightly beneath the French Girl's gaze.

"Right," Michael said with a nod before turning around a placing his head back on the desk in boredom.

"I hate you so much right now," Hermione hissed beneath her breath.

"I know, I know," Michael muttered, "But shouldn't you be taking notes, I just want to sleep."

"Just let it go, Hermione," Harry said with a chuckle, "Michael's not used to sitting through lectures yet, he's a bit cranky right now."

"Shove it, Potter," Michael said before he slowly closed his eyes only to be awoken by the sounds of feet shuffling out of the crowded classroom. Harry shook him gently before Michael waved him off, "I'm up, I'm up. Don't wait up for me, I've got transfiguration and I think you're supposed to be meeting with Blondie in potions next, right?"

Harry chuckled, "Alright, I'll talk to you later, we've got to meet up with Fred and George soon anyway."

"That'll be a nice change of pace," Michael said with a nod, "After dinner, we should get Neville and meet up at the lair, we need to plan out our next big prank," Harry nodded and Michael smiled knowing that at least around only himself and Neville he'd have a better chance of figuring out what was up with his friend, and quickly, Harry left towards the dungeon.

Michael rose, cracking his back as he rolled his eyes heavily seeing the swarm of boys trying to start up a conversation with the French Model, and he quickly sent Hermione a sympathetic look before leaving the classroom as well. However, much to his surprise, Claire rushed to follow after him leaving him both irritated or confused, "Michael isn't it?" Claire shouted, and from behind the girl, he saw a swarm of angry looking eyes including those of Terry's which caused him to smirk.

"That's me, can I help you?"

"What is your relationship with Harry Potter?" Claire asked.

"We're best friends, he's practically my brother. Why? If it's because you have a crush on him, I've gotta warn you to keep moving, he's got a girlfriend already," Michael spoke.

"Nothing of the sort," Claire spoke, "I'm interested in why a person as famous and talented as Harry would want to spend his time consorting with a low-class wizard like you?"

"You're awful judgemental, you know that? Especially with you making calls about who Harry should or shouldn't be friends with without even knowing the guy first," Michael responded boredly.

"Harry Potter's a big name in the wizarding community," Claire said haughtily, "From one wizarding celebrity to another, I know that hanging around with someone as lazy as you is only going to affect him poorly."

"Lazy huh," Michael said with a snicker, "That's rich coming from someone who's never had to work a day in her life and gets everything handed to her by flashing a pretty smile."

"You don't know anything about my life, you-" Claire started.

"And yet you somehow know everything about mine," Michael retorted.

"I don't need to know anything about you to see that you're holding him back," Claire started, "You Slacker-Clown."

"Thanks for your opinion Miss Diva, I'll be sure to keep in mind," Michael replied.

Claire gave a loud huff before turning her nose up at him and marching past. Hermione gave Michael an apologetic look before chasing after her and Michael had never felt as sorry for Hermione as he did then. Still, as the initial anger fled from his mind, he couldn't help but shake his head and wonder, What set her off like that? Why'd she follow me in the first place?

Michael sighed, releasing what remained of his outburst from his chest as he quickly turned away from the startled crowd of onlookers before placing his hands in his pockets and walking off towards the transfiguration classroom, his mind still rattling from the previous conversation. He quickly slipped down the staircase, before weaving through the halls, not wanting to be late to McGonagall's class, knowing that next to Snape she was the most strict teacher at Hogwarts.

Yet his plans were foiled as to his surprise he had found himself face to face with none other than Daphne Greengrass, "Um, hey Blondie," Michael started looking down at the Slytherin Ice Queen, "Can I help you?"

"Follow me," She said in a firm tone as she grabbed his wrists dragging him to a less populated corridor.

"Look, if this is about my bunkmate comment, can I at least draw my wand before you attack me, because it hardly seems-"

"Shut up and get in the broom closet."

"Alright Blondie, you're pretty and all, but there's no way I'm betraying Harry's trust by-"

Michael watched as Daphne's face heated up in embarrassment before she growled, "No you idiot, not for that, I need to talk to you in private, now get in."

Michael didn't have much of a chance to reply as Daphne quickly pushed him into the closet before entering behind him. He watched as Daphne lifted her wand, locking the door and placing a variety of silencing charms and runes around the door, clearly making sure they wouldn't be interrupted. He looked down at the blonde in confusion before slowly he spoke, "Alright, so um, what's going on?"

"Something's wrong with Harry," Daphne said in exhaustion, "He's hiding something and I know whatever it is, it's tearing him apart inside. I need you to tell me what's wrong so I can help him."

"You noticed too, huh," Michael said as he leaned back against the closet wall, "I guess it helps to know that I'm not imagining things. He seems a bit more on edge than normal right? Even considering all the circumstances, it looks like he's walking on eggshells all the time."

"So you don't know either then," Daphne said with a tired sigh, "Last night, Harry and I discovered that the Durmstrang Headmaster is marked. Harry worked himself up into a frenzy and was talking like he had to do something on his own. When I tried to talk him out of it, he tried to make it a joke, but he called me Daphne, something he never does except for when he's serious. His smile seemed forced and he mentioned that he had the same type of conversation with you as well."

"Yeah," Michael nodded, "It was two days after you guys had left the house. He looked like shit when he walked in and he asked me if I was only fighting because he's my friend. I don't know, something just wasn't right about him, he looked so full of doubt, something I've never seen in Harry before. Come to think of it," Michael continued, "He never really talked to anyone about the attack either, Neville and I had a pretty long conversation with Ted and Andromeda. I'm sure Astoria had her mind checked at Saint Mungos, but Harry, he didn't speak to anyone. He seemed fine at first, but maybe it's finally starting to take a toll on him."

"Okay thanks," Daphne said as she reached for the door, "I'm going to go talk to him about it right-"

"Don't do that," Michael spoke, and he froze momentarily as Daphne glared at him, "Hear me out, okay Blondie? If we're right that Harry's holding back talking about something, it's because it's something that either bothers or scares him. He's trying to keep up this strong persona because he's a Gryffindor and feels this constant need to be proud and strong. Of all the people he wants to be strong for, you're probably number one on that list. You pushing him is only going to make him repress whatever it is that's bothering him further."

Daphne bit her lip in annoyance, "So what are we supposed to do?"

"I'll take care of it," Michael said with a smile, "He'll open up around me. I just need to give him some more time." He looked into Daphne's eyes and for a moment, Michael was almost shocked in the amount of concern in the former Ice Queen's eyes when it came to his best friend. He could see how useless she felt in her eyes and with the same calming voice he continued, "He cares about you, he's too stubborn to admit it aloud but I'd even say there's even a good chance he's in love with you and doesn't know it yet. He's being an idiot, but he's doing it because he cares. Just be there for him, okay? Don't let whatever it is that's happening with him get to you. I'm sure he'll tell you when he's ready."

"I know," Daphne said with a whisper, "I think I might be falling in love with an idiot."

"What was it that Blaise said on the train," Michael said with a chuckle, "You sure know how to pick 'em." He saw a hint of a smile appear on Daphne's face before Michael whispered, "So how do you want to do this, do I leave first or you?"

"Dobby," She called out and instantly the elf appeared in the already crowded closet, "Can you take me to the dungeons, I'm going to be late for class."

"Of course Dobby can, Miss Greeny," And with a pop she apparated.

"Well," Michael thought to himself as she shook his head, "That's one way to do- aw damn it, she didn't dispel the runes, now I'm definitely going to be late."

(Claire P.O.V)

"Of all the stupid, arrogant, lazy, idiots in the world," Claire growled as blue fire appeared wordlessly in her hand as she sat casting fireballs across the abandoned Black Lake, "Why did it have to be him? Of all the people who it could have been to resist my allure, the first one to do so for no good reason was him! That lazy, idiotic boy."

Claire growled in anger as she threw down her blue fire into the lake causing a pillar of blue flames to emerge from the Black Lake's waters. How dare he call me lazy, Claire thought, her mind festering at the boy's words, Why of all the people was it him, it's just not fair. Harry Potter was right there and instead the one to resist my allure is that blue-haired deviant. Every spell takes me so long to master and that boy can already do wordless magic, it's absolutely infuriating!

"Your mastery over your fire has improved quite a bit, hasn't it Claire," A familiar voice spoke from behind her, "Though I won't recommend doing it out here where it could be so easily viewed. Just because we aren't prosecuted like other half-breeds doesn't mean we should give people more of a reason to fear us."

"Fleur!" Claire spoke in shock, "How did you-"

"I have quiet footsteps," The elder french witch spoke with a smile, "You seem to be in a bad mood though. Did you have a bad first day? That Hermione girl seemed nice enough, if not a little prudish."

"She's fine," Claire spoke, "She's actually quite nice and intelligent, with a very cute crush on this Hufflepuff boy."

"There are certainly quite a few attractive Hufflepuff boys, I will say that," Fleur spoke with a nod, "But I'm going to assume that if it wasn't the girl, then you met a rather unpleasant boy. Did he drool over you? Drop to his knees and recite poetry? Did he try to grope you," She said taking a serious tone, "Because if he did I'll tell Madame Maxime and-"

"He did nothing," Claire spoke in frustration, "My allure didn't affect him at all."

"Was he gay, or in a relationship?" Fleur asked intrigued by her statement.

"No, to both. According to Hermione, he was chasing after this girl last year but it didn't work out."

"Then it sounds like he could be a potential match," Fleur spoke, "Why does that make you angry, it's most Veela's dream to find that person, and for you to have found yours so young, it's almost beyond belief-"

"He's the most frustrating person I've ever met!" Claire shouted in anger, "I know that whole match system is nothing but a fairy tale, but it infuriates me that off all the boys I've met all over the world, this lazy slacker who sleeps his way through class and is still able to wordlessly perform magic is the one who resists my allure." She clenched her fist, "He walks around like he has no clue how hard it can be to learn magic, how hard some people have to work to master even the most basic spell. I can't stand people like him."

Angry tears started to fill her eyes, "I can't stand that the only real magical power I have comes from my Veela heritage, if I didn't have it I'd be no better than a squib! And even with my Veela powers, I still struggle with controlling them properly."

"Shh, Claire," Fleur said taking her hand and resting it in her lap, "It's okay, it's okay. I promised you that I would teach you to control your Veela magic non? I'll make sure you're ready for your transformation, I'll make sure you'll be able to remain in control."

"I only have one year left until my transformation happens," Claire spoke, "And I just barely learned to control my allure and my fire just happens randomly or when I'm upset. What if I lose my mind during the transformation and I never come back? I don't want to end up like my mom, I don't want to become a beast."

"I won't allow that to happen, you are my sister, Claire, just like Gabrielle," Fleur spoke firmly, "I won't allow anything like that to happen. When the time comes for your full transformation, I will make sure you're ready. Madame Maxime's already worked out a place for us to practice in the Forbidden Forest with the large man, Hagrid, I believe his name is. You're going to be okay Claire, I promise. And as for this boy, maybe the tale of the Veela's true mate is nothing but a fairy tale, but who knows, perhaps this boy might surprise you."

"Unlikely," Claire spoke with a shake of her head before sitting upright, "But thank you Fleur, that helped calm me down."

"Of course, Claire," Fleur said with a smile, "But it is getting late, I believe it is time we retire for the night. We must be up bright and early for classes tomorrow, after all, we cannot allow these Hogwarts students to believe themselves superior to us Beauxbatons students."

Claire nodded as Fleur helped her to her feet, before together, the two girls returned to the cottage, and as Claire dressed into her silk sleepwear, she collapsed onto her bed, exhausted from the day's adventure.