Ch. 144

"What do you mean? It looks perfectly fine to me!"

"Your brother is right, Mr Lestrange," said Mr Twilfit with a smile. "It needs a few extra items without which it would look ordinary. I'm sure you would have observed it on Harry's dress robes before."

"Harry! You can't be serious! Are you sure about this? Your dress robes are very fancy and expensive," he whispered, looking apprehensive.

"Trust me on this; I've done this several times before. They may be very expensive, but they last you a long time and can be recycled as you grow up. Ever since I was a child, the portraits at the castle drilled into me that I should always look impeccable and that appearance and the way I carried myself were important for someone of my standing. You're the scion of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Lestrange, a family whose name has been tainted horribly in recent years and the Yule Ball is an important event, so try to understand the seriousness of this and why we're buying this stuff. We're doing this to secure your future, Dylan, so don't look at the price tag because we can easily afford it. You already have a bad reputation because of you being born out of wedlock and being dressed sloppily will not help matters," said Harry seriously. "I can't believe you don't own a watch. That's the next item on the agenda for today."

"Not more shopping!" groaned Dylan.

"Hey, be glad that I convinced Daphne that I would handle it! If she were here, she would have insisted that you try on different materials and colours until she agreed with it. I spared you three excruciating hours by not bringing her here, but I have to admit, her fashion sense is much better than mine."

"Remind me never to go shopping with her then," he shuddered. Harry mentally snickered. He didn't want to mention to his brother that Astoria was worse.

"What about you, Harry?" asked Mr Twilfit as an assistant came forward to take Dylan's measurements.

"I'd like a tie and vest both in deep wine red; no shirt, robe or trousers. The extras are the same as usual."

"You already own a white shirt, but why no robe or trousers?" whispered Dylan curiously.

"I have something special for that," Harry smirked. "I have been itching to try it out and I finally have the occasion to do so. I -"

"Harry!" Fleur greeted him happily, deciding to finally announce her presence. "Finished shopping?"

"Hello, Fleur. I didn't see you there. Are you here to buy a dress for the ball?"

"Oh no, I got my dress before I left France," she replied. "I was just checking out the clothes here. I forgot to congratulate you after the First Task. Your approach to getting past all the obstacles was amazing."

"Thank you," said Harry, turning back to the assistant as the tape automatically measured him. "You did very well too. Are you excited for the Yule Ball?"

"Oh yes," said Fleur flirtatiously. "But I still don't have a date yet, so I was wondering… would you like to go to the ball with me, Harry?"

Dylan blinked his eyes in shock. Surely this girl must know that Harry was already taken, right?

"Fleur, I'm flattered that you would ask me," said Harry slowly. "But I already have a date. I'm taking my fiancée, Daphne Greengrass."

"Fiancée?" asked Fleur in confusion and not a little anger. She found it difficult to control her instincts. Her Veela nature demanded that she find a powerful mate and when she did, especially one who was resistant to her allure, he was already engaged to be married?

"Yes," answered Harry as he gave his Gringotts debit card to Mr Twilfit to pay for their purchases. "We have been betrothed for three years now. I love her."

"I see," said Fleur quietly.

"I apologise for having to decline your offer, Fleur, but I won't be going to the ball with anyone else," said Harry after a pause. "Daphne is the love of my life and there is no power in the world that can change that. I'm sure you'll find someone else to take to the ball who is worthy of you. Good luck!"

Dylan didn't waste any time in dragging Harry out of there. He needed to find Daphne and tell her what happened. He didn't know if Harry observed the anger in that girl's eyes, but he certainly did. Were all Veela like that or was it just her?

"Didn't she know that you were betrothed?" asked Dylan, not a little ticked off. The past year and a half of being with Harry all the time made Dylan really appreciate Daphne's presence in his life as well and so he did not like it when someone did anything to make Daphne upset like that. Dylan really looked up to her and Fleur looked like a potential problem.

"Well, going by her reaction, it was obvious that she didn't. It's her nature, Dylan, we can't blame her for that," said Harry calmly as they browsed a selection of magical wrist watches after buying one for Dylan. "She is probably attracted to me because I'm one of the very few who can resist her allure. Now that she knows that I am betrothed, she will leave me alone. Besides, it was just a simple invitation to the ball, nothing more. She politely asked me and I politely declined. There's nothing more to it."

"And what if she decided to fight Daphne to claim you from her?"

"What am I, a toy?" asked Harry incredulously. "I doubt that's going to happen. Veela may be magical creatures, but they are highly intelligent. Sure, their heritage makes them more primal, but I have seen more witches and wizards who act without control than Veela. I'm actually impressed by the control she has over her powers. She is quite talented and would not have been selected as a Triwizard Champion otherwise."

Dylan was unusually quiet as they left the shop. After five minutes when Harry didn't get a proper response, he frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing…"

....

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