Heart and Soull

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That evening, they ate dinner at an expensive restaurant in Paris. Not ever having an experience to compare with, Harry was amazed at the excellence of the cuisine, while simultaneously being concerned that he would make some serious faux pas and embarrass himself. His new family quickly allayed his fears and made him feel welcome, while Sirius teased him out of his reticent mood; soon he was laughing along with the family and having a wonderful time.

The next day was spent taking in some of the sights of France. Jean-Sebastian explained to Harry that although they could not stay long, he could hardly be here without seeing some of the major sights. So, Harry was able to go to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, see some of the more famous locations on the Champs Elysees, the Arc du Triomphe, as well as a few other locations he had always heard of, but never visited. In all, it was an eye-opening experience for Harry and served to draw him closer to his new family.

They were also days for Harry to get to know his newly betrothed. Both had felt they had gotten a good start during their conversation from the previous night, but they also realized it would take some effort for them each to get to know the other. The first part of that bonding process was for them both to understand the other in contrast to their preconceptions and their commonly held misconceptions.

For Fleur's part, she wanted to know more about him—she had heard his stories of his adventures and had heard all the so-called "official" information about Harry Potter, but he was to be her husband, and it was simply not enough. She was resigned to the match, but still she had reservations, as she had so honestly disclosed to him on his first evening in France, and the best way to remove those reservations was for the two of them to become better acquainted and knowledgeable about each other.

This had entailed taking as much time as their event-filled days before their departure would allow, and although it upset Gabrielle to a certain extent, they had spent much of the following evening shut up in a room together and walking about the park in which the chateau stood. Gabrielle was soon put to rights by her mother, who reprimanded her gently and reminded her that Harry was Fleur's betrothed and that they needed to get to know one another without the interference from others—Harry would spend time with her, but she must not be so possessive of him. Gabrielle had sulked a little when told this, but her better nature took over, and she was soon able to interact with Harry more like a typical nine-year-old rather than with the clingy hero worship which had characterized her actions before. Not that the hero worship still did not show up from time to time…

The conversations between Harry and Fleur generally revolved around how Harry felt about the situations in which he had found himself. Fleur had already heard about the events themselves, so she had the information; however, she felt that knowing about Harry's feelings would help her to get to know him better. In addition, she asked him about his childhood at the Dursley residence and induced him to talk about his friends at Hogwarts, his impressions of the education there, and anything else he could be persuaded to speak of.

However, it was not only a one-way passing of information—Harry was just as curious about his betrothed as she was him. He was unable to get her to discuss much of her experiences at Beauxbatons—she told him she was not ready, and it really did not matter anyway—but when it came to her times with her family and her abilities as a witch and a Veela, she was much more forthcoming.

There were two events which particularly illuminated her character to Harry, causing him to gain no small measure of respect for his newly betrothed.

The morning after Harry's arrival at Chateau Delacour, he had knocked on Fleur's bedroom door, intending to escort her down to breakfast. They chatted amiably on the way down, entering the dining room to see that they were the last arrivals. Harry, seeing the breakfast foods spread out on the table and suddenly feeling the hunger for the morning repast, motioned for her to precede him to the table, only to find that she had already moved from his side.

He watched as she strode purposefully to the table and stopped by Sirius' chair, her hands on her hips as she glared down at the former Marauder.

"Sirius Black!"

Sirius started and stared up in surprise, even while Jean-Sebastian chortled at the scene playing out in front of their eyes.

"I do not know what you have done, my friend, but my daughter glaring at you in that manner is not a good sign!"

"I would not make such comments, Father, dear," Fleur retorted with an incongruously sweet smile. "I have some words for you as well."

With Fleur focused on another, Sirius had managed to rein in his surprise, and he peered back up at her, a charming smile now plastered upon his face. "And what can I do for you, my lady?"

"You can start by explaining why you did not tell Harry about the marriage contract before he had to walk in to that trial."

Whatever Sirius had been expecting, this was clearly not it. "Well… I… I mean, we… thought that it would be better to keep it a secret," he stammered. "Dumbledore felt that we should keep it to ourselves until the trial."

Fleur raised an elegant eyebrow. "And Dumbledore rules over house Black?" was her rhetorical—not to mention slightly sarcastic—question.

Upon seeing Sirius had nothing to say in response, she continued, "Besides, I know how you British revere the Headmaster, but truthfully, I am not convinced he has Harry's best interests at heart."

Sirius began to sputter in response, but he was ruthlessly drowned out by the irate young woman. "I do not think he is evil, Sirius, but he did leave Harry in a very poor environment for years when he surely could have found alternate arrangements."

A sigh and a weary hand over his eyes was Sirius' response. "I cannot help but agree with you. I argued that myself with him, but he was convinced Lily's blood protection was the best means of defense for Harry."

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