Lightning Strikes Twice Ch. 52 (Harry Potter) (Patreon)

A/N: Poor Harry, riding high on life until he's just plain confused.

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“… I will reserve judgment.”

Fleur flinches at first, not really hearing the words and still expecting condemnation. When her mother’s actual words finally process, Fleur’s head shoots up, her eyes wide.

“Mama?”

Apolline Delacour doesn’t look happy, but she repeats herself all the same.

“I will reserve judgment, my daughter. Until I’ve met with him personally and gotten his measure myself. Perhaps… perhaps he will be able to convince me to entrust my eldest child to him, just as he seems to have convinced you to give over your heart.”

Fleur blushes hard at that, biting her lower lip.

“I already told you that he has made no true overtures, mother. He’s had every opportunity to take me and hasn’t. How can you say he has claim to my heart?”

Rather than respond with words, Apolline just gives her daughter a look… one that Fleur ultimately shies away from, her face growing hotter and redder by the second.

“Arrange a meeting for me, Fleur. If you wish for my blessing in this foolhardy endeavor, it is the least you can do to convince me. I would meet with this wizard face to face, one on one… and I will see just what sort of man he truly is.”

Seeing no other choice, Fleur finally nods.

“I’ll make it happen, mama…”

Though part of her wonders if this is really a good idea. Her mother seems to dead set on seeing Harry as the enemy. Fleur isn’t sure what he could possibly do or say that would convince the Delacour Matriarch to give them her blessing. Still… it was better than immediate condemnation and disownment, right? Had to be…

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One might think that Harry had gone overboard at the Second Task when he’d healed Cedric in front of all of those witnesses. Dragonfire was no laughing matter, and injuries caused by it were even worse. Episkey was not the sort of spell that should have been capable of healing such wounds, and yet… well, Poppy had said it herself in front of the entire crowd. Cedric was completely healed.

On the surface, those who thought themselves in the know would likely think Harry had been foolhardy and reckless, that he’d allowed emotion to rule him and acted entirely on instinct and impulse. This simply wasn’t the truth. Everything Harry had done had been calculated.

For starters, he knows the other Champions were all too busy with their own starting efforts to see it, but the truth was, Harry hadn’t been playing around since the start of the task. He’d actually apparated himself right off of the dock and deep underwater, right to the center of the Merman Village.

Normally, apparating underwater was a terrible idea. But Harry wasn’t normal. He’d appeared next to the hostages ages before any of the others had made it, but he’d stuck around and waited just in case. And good that he had too. Fleur might not have had any difficulties this time around thanks to his little ‘pick me up’ before the task even started, but Cedric wasn’t so lucky.

He never should have gone in the water, and even if Harry accepted that Cedric Diggory was definitely the kind of guy who would try to continue anyways… he never should have been allowed to.

Fortunately, Harry had put surreptitious monitoring charms on all of his competition before the Second Task began. When his monitoring charm alerted him to Cedric being in life-threatening danger, Harry hadn’t hesitated to grab both Hermione and Cho and jet out of the Merman Village. A simple pulse of his magic had sent the fish people scattering in all directions out of fear.

From there, he’d retrieved Cedric, stabilized him, and returned to the surface. He’d even beat Krum to the surface in the process, not that he’d necessarily been aiming for that. And not that it had ultimately mattered when it came time for judging. Karkaroff had it out for him of course and was eager to use the excuse of Harry’s ‘defiance towards authority’ to score him low.

But honestly, that didn’t matter at this point. The scoring of the Second Task was meaningless. Who went first in the Third Task was also meaningless, because Harry knew he would make it to the center of the maze to touch the disguised portkey before anyone else could anyways.

 No, what truly mattered was how he looked in the eyes of the Wizarding World. The first time around, Harry hadn’t really enjoyed the level of fame he was saddled with from the moment he stepped foot into the Magical World. However, this time around, he recognized that being a celebrity was something he couldn’t avoid, and he was either going to be loved or hated.

Given the things he needed to accomplish, better to be loved. The Wizarding World might be full of nitwits and morons, but they were useful nitwits and morons by and large. And the ones that weren’t… the ones that would try to stand in his way… well, they could be culled.

Of course, there were always those who would try to shackle him. As a result, Harry wasn’t particularly surprised to be called to the Headmaster’s Office shortly after the Second Task was complete and he’d made his statement for all to see. It didn’t matter in the end, because Rita already had her marching orders. There would be a special nighttime edition of the Daily Prophet this evening, and the story would run again in the morning to boot.

As such, as he stands in the Headmaster’s Office, watching Dumbledore pace back and forth behind his desk, Harry feels a certain sense of… satisfaction. And this time around, he doesn’t bother hiding it either.

“Harry, my boy… that was a very brave thing you did out there. A very brave thing. But I have to wonder if you thought your actions entirely through.”

Of course, he wasn’t going completely mask off with Dumbledore just yet. That would be actually foolhardy, compared to his earlier actions which only seemed foolhardy to the aged wizard.

“It was the right thing to do, sir. I don’t regret saving or healing Cedric. Like I said at the Lake, he should never have been allowed to go underwater in the first place.”

Albus Dumbledore’s shoulders slump a little at that even as he turns to give Harry a grandfatherly smile.

“You’re right, of course. On all accounts. If it were up to me, I would have removed Mister Diggory from the competition after the First Task. Unfortunately, for all my power, I am still just a single man. But you… what you did today was spectacular, Harry. I have to wonder where it came from. Have you felt something come over you in these past few months? Has this competition brought something to the forefront that you perhaps don’t quite understand?”

Fishing. The Headmaster is fishing, and rather blatantly at that, for information on ‘the power he knows not’. At some point in time, Dumbledore had decided that Harry’s secret power, which Voldemort didn’t know, would be love. Privately, Harry had always felt like the power Voldemort didn’t know… was his own.

It was the Horcrux in Harry’s scar that had allowed Harry to survive a killing curse from Voldemort and come back from the dead. It was that shard of Voldemort’s soul, dying in his stead, that had allowed Harry to challenge the Dark Lord one final time and defeat him once and for all.

That, Harry suspected, was the power the Dark Lord didn’t know about. That was his undoing. Of course, this time around, Harry would consider the time travel to be the power Voldemort didn’t know about. Or perhaps the binding ritual that had allowed Harry to already take the power of four witches and two wizards for his own.

Still, he doesn’t say any of that to Dumbledore. And he knows the Headmaster is getting nothing from his mind either. His Occlumency Shields are so strong and bright at this point that they likely don’t even appear as Occlumency Shields. He caught Dumbledore wince for a second earlier, and he suspects the Headmaster had to pull back his Legimens probe after taking a white hot blast of searing light to the mind.

Regardless, Harry pretends to consider Dumbledore’s question for a long moment before finally nodding his head.

“There is… something, sir. I do feel more powerful. I feel stronger. When I cast that Episkey on Cedric earlier, I didn’t even hesitate. I just… knew it would work, somehow. And it did.”

Dumbledore smiles, but while the smile is nice and wizened and grandfatherly, it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Indeed it did, my boy. Indeed it did.”

There’s the risk that Dumbledore will believe Harry is being influenced by his scar, perhaps. If the Headmaster is far enough along in his research to realize that Harry is a Horcrux, then that was a possible explanation for this sudden change. However, Harry doubts that Dumbledore will ultimately come to that conclusion. Mostly because he knows he’s already radiating more power than Voldemort had ever displayed in his past life.

Of course, that’s not going to stop the old coot from making the comparison anyways to try and scare Harry into compliance.

“Still… you must be careful, Harry. I’ve seen power like yours before, I’m afraid. And not always used for good. I trust you, my boy, and so far you have done nothing wrong. But be mindful of your strength, for it comes with obligation.”

Subtle, Dumbledore. Really subtle. Still, Harry makes a show of being taken in by the Headmaster’s ‘oh-so-wise’ words, nodding along slowly and thoughtfully.

“I understand, Headmaster.”

“I knew you would, Harry! Please come to me immediately if you feel anything else of a similar nature. And… a hundred points to Gryffindor as well. I’d say at least that much is in order for the amazing act of bravery you performed today, along with the wonderful display of magical healing.”

Harry makes a show of being suitable impressed by the generosity as well, smiling wide and giving Dumbledore a sharp nod.

“I will sir. Thank you, sir.”

With that, he leaves the Headmaster’s Office behind. Obviously, he was now on Dumbledore’s radar in an even bigger way than he was before, but Harry… didn’t really care. Albus Dumbledore wasn’t to be underestimated of course, but this wasn’t that. Harry wasn’t underestimating Dumbledore; he was estimating just fine. He had the older wizard’s measure and knew exactly how to keep Albus off of his back and in line.

With a smile on his face and a pep in his step, Harry begins making his way back towards Gryffindor Tower, plans already swirling through his head. However, before he can get back into the tower itself, he’s stopped outside by an… unexpected visitor. Fleur Delacour shuffles nervously as she waits for him, only to perk up when he finally comes into sight.

Huh, was she already eager for another dose? That was… surprising.

“H-Harry!”

Raising an eyebrow, Harry lets his grin cool down a bit, transitioning into a smirk.

“Fleur. Congratulations on taking the lead today. You earned it.”

Stopped for a second by his praise, the part veela flushes and crosses her arms over her chest.

“… We both know that is not true, Harry. You deserve to be in the lead, not me. But that is not why I’m here.”

“Oh? I’m all ears.”

“I… my mother wishes to meet with you. I’m here to extend an invitation to see her in her quarters at your earliest convenience.”

That… wasn’t what Harry had been expecting. His eyes narrow a bit at that. Apolline Delacour wished to meet with him? Whatever for? Hm, probably something to do with her daughter, actually. He didn’t know how much Fleur had told her mother about them, but even if she’d said nothing, it was possible Apolline had… suspicions.

Still, did HE want to meet with HER? That was the real question here. He could just blow Fleur and her mother off, he supposed.

…

Ah, who was he kidding? Of course he’d meet with a woman as fine as Apolline Delacour. Flashing Fleur a smile, Harry gestures back down the hall.

“Well, no time like the present, right? Lead the way, Fleur.”

The supernaturally beautiful blonde perks up at that, though she also seems nervous still, even as she hurriedly escorts Harry to the part of Hogwarts dedicated to housing guests. Harry’s curiosity remains piqued all the way until they arrive outside of a door where Fleur stops and hesitates for a moment before turning to him.

“Harry… whatever my mother says or does in there, please don’t let her bait you. You must be on your best behavior, alright? She will test you, but I am confident you can pass any trial she puts before you!”

… What? Harry blinks owlishly, but before he can ask Fleur what the fuck she’s talking about, the door in front of them suddenly swings open, revealing Apolline Delacour in all of her half veela glory. The Delacour Matriarch is possibly the most beautiful creature in the entirety of Hogwarts right now, but if she’s expecting her Veela Allure to work on him, she has another thing coming.

Was that what Fleur meant by testing him?

“Come in, Mister Potter.”

Brow furrowed, Harry nevertheless steps inside, still relatively relaxed. He’s certainly confused, but neither anxious nor worried even as Apolline closes the door behind him, shutting her daughter out of this conversation. Moving to the middle of the room, Harry turns to regard the Delacour Matriarch carefully.

“Lady Delacour. Your daughter said you wished to speak with me?”

Staring him down, Apolline is quiet for a long moment… before finally speaking.

“I seek a reason, Mister Potter.”

A reason? Harry tilts his head to the side, more curious than ever before.

“A reason for what exactly, Lady Delacour?”

Lifting her head and jutting out her chin, Apolline’s nostrils flare.

“A reason for what you have done, Mister Potter. I do not pretend to be able to challenge you. But I am not so dumb as to engage you in private without… assurances in case you decide to silence me.”

Silence her?! Why the fuck was Fleur’s mom talking like he was going to kill her and hide the body? What the fuck was going on here?!

“That said, you have gone to great lengths to ensnare my daughter in your games. And so I require a very compelling reason not to expose you outright to the rest of the world.”

… Did she know? Did she know the truth about him? Harry’s eyes narrow, but Apolline doesn’t back down. There’s a slight tremble in her hands that she quickly hides, but she doesn’t move from her spot.

“You have created a Wizard’s Coven, Mister Potter. You have uncovered ancient magic not seen since the likes of Merlin himself. If my senses do not deceive me, you have bound as much as six witches to you at this point. I know you are beyond me. But are you beyond the entire world? Kill me and the information will get out. Fail to convince me to give you my daughter, and the information will get out.”

… What the fuck was a Wizard’s Coven? Well no, from context alone Harry was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about. Still, uncovering ancient magic not seen since the likes of Merlin himself? Harry had developed the binding ritual in the future of his own intellect and power. Bella had helped, and she’d also modified the ritual to work through close male relatives, but Harry had never heard of a Wizard’s Coven before, or Merlin having similar magic to what he was enacting.

“Your choices are thus, Harry James Potter. Kill me and see knowledge of your actions released to every corner of the world. Convince me that your Wizard’s Coven is necessary and secure my silence. Or… swear an Unbreakable Vow here and now to leave my daughter out of your Coven and never touch Fleur again. In turn, I will swear an Unbreakable Vow not to reveal this information about you to anyone.”

Choices. None of those were very good choices, outside of convincing Apolline that what he was doing was necessary. That said… those weren’t his only choices. There was no world in which he was going to kill Apolline Delacour. And he certainly wasn’t going to swear an Unbreakable Vow to the woman either.

… But when it came to convincing her, he definitely had options. It was just a matter of how far he was willing to go.