A/N: Forgot to say something last chapter. I'm not really fond of writing the accents, so as you might have noticed, I'm not including Fleur's accent, or anyone else's. I'll just write their dialogue normally. I think we're all well accustomed to their voices to know how they sound. But sorry if it bothers some of you.

Also, whenever you see dialogue like this "My willy hurts" , it means the character(s) is speaking in another language, in most cases, that'll be french.

Enjoy.

Just an Acquaintance

If she had to be honest, she couldn't find a single reason for why she would ever return to this god-forsaken island. It was cold, it was wet, it was grey, it was so gloomy that she was surprised British people were capable of laughing. It was absolutely miserably, she'd say.

Perhaps, she was being too harsh. Britain had many wonderful things, but honestly, she simply believed they weren't enough to change her perspective on the isles.

Maybe it was the French in her. They hated each other, after all.

Growing up in southern France, she was used to the beauty of the sun, the warmth, the welcoming people, the joy of the beaches. Britain was all the contrary, people were very detached, sometimes outright mean. Though, she could also argue that people outside of France, British mostly, often say that French are 'haughty'. She couldn't really argue against that either, maybe it was simply a matter of perspectives.

'The worst wizards of all time, are British…' She thought, snorting as another thought hit her, right after the previous one, 'The greatest ones as well, though…'

Her ramblings were interrupted however, when for the thousand time, someone beside her coughed loudly to gain her attention.

Sighing, with a slight roll of her eyes, Fleur dropped the magazine she was pretending to read, and turned to face her roommate, "What is it, Marie?"

It wasn't that the Delacour witch didn't liked Marie, she was in fact her best friend, one of the few that genuinely looked at her as nothing more than Fleur. But, the Beauxbatons' Champion knew exactly what her friend wanted to ask.

Marie had a mischievous glint in her eye, looking straight at Fleur while the brunette French laid on the bed on her stomach, she was kicking her feet on the air as she asked, no shortage of amusement hidden in her voice, "Soooo… About THAT jacket?…" She trailed off, her eyebrows jumping towards the black jacket neatly folded at the end of Fleur's bed.

Smirking, Fleur simply grabbed her magazine again and as she pretended to read, replied with a dismissive shrug, "It is a very nice and warm jacket."

Her friend though, wouldn't satisfy with such a simple answer, thus - her smile kept in place - commented, "Mhm… I can imagine… his smell… his warmth… must keep you comfortable all day, huh?"

Fleur's eyebrow twitched, and was about to say something back to her best friend, when their door was suddenly opened by one of the older students, the girl smiling at the two before she looked at Fleur and said, "Fleur, Madame Maxime wishes to speak with you."

Groaning aloud, Fleur took a moment to inhale before she threw the magazine aside and reluctantly stood up from her bed, stretching as she asked, "Do you know what she wants with me?"

The older girl simply smiled slightly as she shook her head, replying, "No Fleur, she just asked me to fetch you."

Fleur simply looked at Marie, who shrugged her shoulders. The French blonde then began walking towards the door, when her eyes caught the sparkle in Marie's eyes as she looked at Harry's jacket, forcing Fleur to quickly turn back and take the jacket off her bed, donning it after.

Marie pouted, stating childishly, "Mm no fair!"

Snorting at her friend's antics, Fleur simply nodded at the older girl and walked out of her room, sighing before she started making way towards the Headmaster of her school.

She honestly didn't have an idea of what the tall lady wanted. The most obvious reason would be something that has to do with the tournament's first task, which is set to take place in two weeks.

But, unless Maxime knew what the task was, and was willing to break the rules to inform her about - something that would honestly not surprise Fleur at all, as cheating was fairly common - then, there wasn't something that the blonde witch could think of.

As she walked, she noticed some of her fellow students, all of them women, since for some reason, Maxime had decided to only take girls with her. It wasn't a welcomed decision by all, but in the end, it was too late to change it.

Her relationship with her fellow students wasn't the best. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. She'd guessed the best word to describe it, was most definitely cordial.

Her family was quite influential in France. Her father was a powerful Auror who was in great personal terms with the Minister of France. So, at the very least, she had the respect of her schoolmates, however fake it might be, but at the very least, she's earned some of it, ensuring that the mean whispers stopped.

She had a small group of genuine friends. But outside of that - and her family, of course -, everyone else were simply mere acquaintances.

She usually could only earn women's envy, and men's lust.

"Come on in." The voice of her mistress, urged the witch out of her musings, forcing Fleur to shake such thoughts out of her mind in order to focus on the now.

Opening the door, Delacour stepped inside the rather cosy looking office of Beauxbatons' Headmistress. The woman herself, sitting behind her desk as she went over some documents, only sparing her a glance once the door behind Fleur locked again.

"You wish to see me, Madame?" Fleur asked as she approached the woman's desk, standing right before the tall woman.

Sighing, Maxime laid back on her chair, her eyes travelling towards the Hogwarts' jacket her prodigious student was wearing, earning another tired sigh from the matriarch.

Fleur noticed the action, thus she winced, already knowing what the conversation was going to be about.

"Yes Fleur, I…" Maxime stopped, taking some moments to think carefully on her choice of words. Fleur might be usually reserved, but the girl could be as feisty as anyone, as previous incidents have shown her when someone said or did something that angered the Delacour heiress, "I merely wanted to speak to you about your… 'relationship'… with Mr Potter."

Crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes ever so slightly, Fleur sighed before she said, rather strongly, "I assure you, Madame, there is no such… 'relationship'… between Potter and I… we…" She stopped, not really knowing what to label her encounters with him as, "We are… mere acquaintances… nothing more, nothing less."

Maxime though, simply eyed her student, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. She raised an eyebrow at Fleur then, absentmindedly pointing at Harry's jacket, stating somewhat pointedly, "I didn't know 'acquaintances' wore each other's clothes."

For the first time in a very long time, Fleur found herself at a loss for words, having no clue what to say about that. She didn't even know why she was so adamant in wearing Harry's jacket.

Snorting with a slight smile, Maxime gently waved off her hand, whispering as she stared at her Champion, "Listen Fleur, I did not call you so that I could advice you to stop this… whatever it is you have with Mr Potter… In fact, I actually think it would do you both good to be friends…" Seeing the surprise in the blonde's face, Maxime elaborated, "I know you have a very hard time with men, and Mr Potter seems to be the only one not affected by your natural attraction at all… You both share many things in common, so being friends, might be a good deal for both of you."

While Fleur was still confused by her teacher's words, she did not spoke at all. Instead, she listened as the elder woman continued.

"I just wanted to ask you, and please, be completely honest with me…" Maxime waited for Fleur to nod, continuing once she did, "Will it be a distraction for you?"

Fleur shook her head, stating with utmost honesty, "I assure you, Madame, I am well aware that Harry is my competition, and will think of him as such, when I must."

Maxime stared at her for some moments, as if trying to find any sign of deceit in her words.

But then, a small smile on the Headmistress' face, seemed to signal her satisfaction with her answer, stating, "Good, that was all, you may go back to your studies now."

Sighing with a short nod, Fleur turned around and walked out of the Headmistress' office, resting her back on the door once she closed it behind, whispering to herself sarcastically with a small smirk, "Wonder if Harry is having as much of a good time as I am."

Harry was NOT having a good time, at all.

Like, he was in such a foul mood, that he was starting to consider getting himself a lawyer so that he could get his arse out of this damned competition he got himself in.

Cursed be those impulses of his.

"Swear to all that is holy… If I survive this madness, I'm never questioning Hermione's words again." He claimed with no shortage of disdain.

Harry James Potter was currently with his head buried into a book he didn't even knew what the hell it was about. For the past two weeks, after being selected Hogwarts' Champion, the boy had spent almost all of his days cornered in the library, reading all kinds of books that Hermione brought to him. Hoping, for the life of him, that he could be able to pick up something that might help him with the first task.

Even if he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

"I reckon I could hire one of those lawyers that appear on the telly, maybe threaten the Ministry to expose the magical world so I can drop the hell out…" He groaned aloud, shushing when he heard the librarian coughing at him from the distance, "Bloody hell, when did I became so whinny?" He added as he brought his face up.

It was then, that he was greeted with a rather nice view of a bushy haired female standing before him, an amused smirk on her face as she held some books closely to her chest, an 'I told you so' written all over her expression.

"Damn, when did Hermione became so pretty?" He guessed it was his teenage years, but Hermione did grow up to be quite pretty, in his honest opinion.

"Have you figured out a way to get a lawyer?…" She asked as she sat, smirk never leaving her face, "Or are you finally up to the task, Mr Potter?"

Sighing, Harry shook his head, staring at his friend when he replied, "Yeah, yeah, I get you…" Stopping the fooling around, Harry got back to business mode, asking as he eyed the books, "What do you got for me this time?"

"Nothing." She replied as she dropped the books on the table, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips.

"I beg your pardon?" She couldn't possibly be giving up already, could she? Harry would be lost without her help, he was sure of it.

Groaning as she massaged her temples, the girl spoke, "We can't keep you reading every singly book in the library hoping that something MIGHT help you, Harry…" Leaning back on her seat, the brunette added, "There could a thousands things that amount to absolutely nothing, we'd only be wasting time."

Tilting his head, Harry moaned before he asked, "What do you suggest then?"

Looking straight at her best friend, knowing well that he was not going to like what she was about to say, she none the less strongly suggested, "You need to get help."

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, the blackette simply stated, "Aren't you and Ron helping me out already?"

Sighing, Hermione leaned on, "I meant, a GROWN UP."

"That's cheating." He stated as a matter of fact.

She simply shrugged, saying dismissively, "I doubt you'll be the only one doing it."

Harry was very shocked, stating as much when he said, crossing his arms before his chest, "Since when did Hermione Jean Granger - alumnus extraordinaire and a vivid supporter of order - is okay with going AGAINST the rules?"

Snorting, the Granger simply stated, "Since the moment someone I hold dearly to my heart, decided to put his own life at risk in the name of glory…" She stared at the table, whispering with such an emotion that it almost overcame them both, "That's when."

Harry stared at his female friend with a soft smile. He usually forgot how he might hurt those around him, and Hermione's worry was something that it hurt him to know that he was causing.

"Aright then." He simply stated. If it gave her a little bit of tranquility, then Harry will go along with her plan.

She smiled at him softly, gratitude in her eyes as she whispered, "Thank you."

Smiling back, Harry reached out to gently squeeze her hand before he asked, "Who do you suggest then? I doubt Professor Dumbledore will help."

Frowning as she thought, her mind went over every teacher, coming short to two names, "Well, what about Professor Moody?"

Grimacing, Harry scratched his scruff as he stated, "I don't know, 'Mione… It's crossed my mind that every DADA teacher for the past three years, has either tried to, or getting me close to death…" Hermione winced at that, not able to refute it, "I sense a pattern here."

Sighing, the female said, "While I think you're being a tad silly; I will not fault your assumptions…" She hummed before she added, "If he's out of the list, that only really leaves us with Professor McGonagall."

Raising an eyebrow, the raven-haired boy uttered, "I highly doubt she'll be onboard, Hermione."

Shrugging, Hermione countered, "The only other Professor that could help you, is Snape then, are you going to him?"

Widening his eyes, Harry leaned on and said, rather quickly, "You think McGonagall is in her office right now?"

Chuckling, Hermione said, "Go and see, 'O Champion."

The last Potter simply snorted as he stood up and made his way towards Gryffindor's House Head's office, praying to Merlin that Minerva had a drop of sympathy for his plight, and be willing to help.

Hermione could only watch him walk away, with a worried frown.

"Bloody hell, I wonder if I'm getting kicked out for even suggesting this?"

The voice of one Harry Potter was heard as he walked towards McGonagall's office, scratching his chin as he looked down thoughtfully, ignoring all of those around him who either cheered on him, or scowled as he walked along.

Harry had never really felt like this before. Having always been thrust into action, he had grown accustomed – somewhat – to it, but now that he himself looked for trouble, there was a mix of feelings in his gut that frankly, made him hesitate if just a little.

It was a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

He didn't really put too much thought into this whole thing and how it could affect him and those around him, until he saw Hermione's face back there at the library.

She wasn't one to break the rules, let alone suggesting it herself. But it was such action that made him realise how truly dangerous this tournament might turn out.

"Sigh… I'm just rambling." He whispered to himself, chalking it all up to pre-game jitters.

Coming to a still, the Potter boy looked up once he found himself before McGonagall's door, taking in a deep breath before he steeled himself, and knocked.

"Come on in." A feminine voice was heard from within the room moments after.

Stepping into the office, the Head of Gryffindor looked up to see who had come to see her, eyes widening ever so slightly as she regarded her most troublesome – yet precious – student, the boy looking somewhat sheepish whilst he made his way to stand before her.

Tilting her head ever so slightly, Minerva spoke, "Mr Potter, what can I do for you?…" She offered him a tiny smile as she added, a little humorous, "I trust you haven't gotten yourself in trouble again?"

Scratching his scruff, Harry chuckled miserably, not really knowing how to even begin, "N-No, Professor… I… umm… well…"

Seeing his struggle, McGonagall softened herself a tad bit and leaned on, commenting softly, "Are you perhaps regretting participating in the tournament?"

Harry shook his head gently, replying, "No, that's not it…" Relaxing himself somewhat, he inhaled before he continued, "I just, umm, I never really thought how me being in fourth year, would affect in the tournament."

Leaning back, McGonagall nodded, saying, "You're talking about the difference in experience, I assume?"

"Yeah…" He cracked his neck before continuing, "I mean, I reckon neither Fleur or Viktor ever killed a basilisk, or have been in some sort of life-threatening situations, but…" He grimaced, "I think my issue is that I'm sort of an in-the-moment type?" He looked at his teacher.

Snorting, McGonagall nodded with closed eyes, formulating, "What you're trying to tell me, if I am correct, is that you are feeling nervous because now you have time to think on a strategy, something you've never really had to do before, correct?"

Nodding, Harry absolutely agreed to that statement.

Sighing, the female Animagus leaned back as she began saying, "While I am quite pleased that you have come to see me for help…" She shot him a genuinely regretful look as she added, "I am afraid that I am in no liberty to help you, it goes against the rules."

"I… I know…" Harry said, not really knowing what he was expecting, "I was just… well… hoping you might be able to guide me, somehow."

Looking at her student, Minerva very much wanted to help the young man as much as she could. But while Dumbledore had allowed her to help him discreetly, he had also forbidden her to meddle too much, as Harry needed to learn to rely on himself, as much as on his friends.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't drop him one or two hints.

"While I cannot help you with the tasks, Mr Potter…" Harry perked up at her voice, sounding somewhat conspiratorially, "I can advise you two things."

Harry raised an eyebrow, nodding at her to continue.

"One, you should trust your instincts, so far they haven't failed you, and just because the set up might be different, it doesn't mean they won't be useful…" She smiled slightly at him as she finished, "Sometimes, the answer lies outside the norm."

Digesting her words, Harry couldn't really understand what she meant, but made sure to keep her advice in his mind, feeling it might turn out to be quite useful in the near future.

"Ok…" He uttered, looking back at Minerva to ask, "And the other advice, Professor?"

She looked down at her book, though Harry managed to have a glimpse of an upturn on her lips as she asked, "Do you still have that cloak of yours?"

"Yeah?" Harry replied, confused.

"Well, I suggest you should go to visit your friend Hagrid tonight…" She looked at him without turning her head up, an amused glint in her eyes as she concluded cryptically, "You might find the visit… enlightening."

Harry was at a loss, his head aback for a moment before he shook it. He couldn't really understand what McGonagall meant, but he made sure to listen to her advice. She was one of the very few that Harry trusted entirely, so her advice was something he cherished.

"Thank you, Professor." Harry said as he bowed and then, turned around to leave.

Minerva simply stared at her book until she heard the door closing again, taking a tired breath while she looked towards her door, where Harry disappeared moments ago, whispering with a worried tone, "Godspeed, dear boy, Godspeed."

"So, she was no help at all, huh?" Ron commented as he munched down a piece of cake, lazily splattered over the couch as his two best friends sat next to him.

Harry had arrived to Gryffindor's common room moments ago, finding Ron and Hermione waiting for him, eager to hear what had come out from his visit to Professor McGonagall.

Sadly, as it seems, there wasn't much help going around.

Sighing, Harry cracked his neck, saying, "I don't really know, I felt like she was trying to help, but… I don't know… I was just confused, really."

Hermione stared at the fire, caressing the cover of her book as she contemplated what Harry told them, "I guess…" She spoke, earning the two boys' attention, "You will have to do as she told you."

Eyeing her, Harry listened as she continued, "It is obvious that teachers are not allowed to aid the Champions, but I do sense a hint hidden in her words."

Cracking his neck, Harry glanced at the window, noticing that it was already dark enough for everyone to be tucked in their common rooms, meaning that only the prefects and teachers were left roaming the castle.

Standing, Harry stretched, uttering, "Yeah, I was thinking that myself."

"Want me to come?" Ron asked, finishing his cake at last.

Harry nodded, looking at Hermione to ask, "Want to tag along?

Hermione though, shook her head, taking a deep breath before she stood up, explaining, "Honestly, I'm drained… Today's classes, homework and… worrying… is wearing me out quite easily."

Seeing that Harry was about to apologise to her, Hermione grabbed his hand and simply smiled, stating, "Stop Harry, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sighing, Harry nodded and then, both Ron and he watched as their female partner made her way towards her room.

"Ready, mate?" The Weasley asked by his side.

Harry simply nodded.

"You would think Professor Dumbledore has a charm to detect this cloak of yours by now, really." Ron commented as he walked alongside Harry, both hidden by the Potter's cloak. His comment stemmed from the rather easy time they had escaping, hardly an obstacle in their way at all.

Shrugging, the black-haired male supplied, "True, but I guess he simply doesn't give a toss anymore."

Ron simply nodded, continuing their trek towards their huge hairy friend.

Something however, caught their eye as they walked past the Forbidden Forest, as at the distance, they managed to make out the figure of a rather tall person, not as tall as Hagrid, but still quite tall.

Looking at each other, the duo nodded and silently tried to approach the figure, trying to figure out who the silhouette belonged to.

"Wait, isn't that…" Harry squinted his eyes, stopping some metres away from the figure that now seemed clearer, "Durmstrang's Headmaster?"

Ron nodded, eyes following a sound next to the Headmaster, whispering to Harry, "Look, there's someone else."

"M-Mr Karkaroff…" The voice belonged to a rather young male, looking around almost frantically, obviously afraid of being caught for some reason, "This is as far a-as I can take you, sir… w-we'll be found out if I take you in further… s-sir."

Igor growled, obviously not happy about the young's words. He turned to face him then, after seemingly trying to observe deep within the forest, "I paid you a fairly good amount of coin, I don't think this is my money's worth."

The young man gulped but steeled his resolve, replying with no hesitation, "Honestly sir, I rather m-much return your money, than face the w-wrath of the Ministry for w-whistling you about the First Task."

Harry's and Ron's eyes widened after that, now realising what this secret meeting was all about.

Igor simply huffed, straightening himself up as he said tersely, "Fine, at the very least, I now know that it involves searching through the forest."

Both Harry and Ron quickly stepped away from the two, not wanting to get caught by the angry Headmaster, who turned around and angrily made his way back to the castle.

The two stayed a little after, observing as the young man looked around and quickly made his way towards the Quidditch pitch, where they knew the Ministry's people had taken as Headquarters for the Tournament's organisation.

After some minutes passed and both boys knew they were alone, Harry took off the cloak, looking at Ron to comment, "So the first task is about finding something in the Forbidden Forest, then?"

Ron look at him, nodding, stating after a slight gulp, "Seems like it… Bloody hell mate, these people are serious… Do they even know about the creatures that live in that cursed forest!?"

Harry looked at said forest, whispering, "They definitely do…" He looked at his best friend, "I think that's why they're choosing this as the first task… Bagman did say something about courage."

Ron stared blankly at his friend for a moment, before he commented with a shake of his head, "Harry, you're absolutely mental."

Harry simply sighed, whispering bitterly, "Tell me about it…"

"You are not being serious, are you?" Hermione whispered; her expression filled with disbelief as she processed what her best friend just told her. The brunette had wanted to go to bed early, but Harry stopped her from doing so, stating that he had to tell her what he discovered.

She expected a difficult task for her friend, but she never believed that it would be so dangerous. It was exactly why she didn't agree with Harry's participation.

Harry sighed, looking at Ron who took it from him, "Nope, heard it straight from Durmstrang's Headmaster…" Pausing, the redheaded male continued shortly after, "He bribed a member from the Tournament's staff! Though, the bloke refused to take him further into the forest, he was afraid of getting caught."

Hermione bit her lip, now even more worried, looking at Hogwarts' Champion as she whispered, "Harry… this is going to be even more difficult than we foresaw."

Sighing while combing his hair, Harry nodded, stating, "Yeah, but it makes no difference, I'm not running away from this…" Hermione simply groaned in resignation, knowing that Harry had his mind already made up, "Do you think McGonagall knew about it? She did tell me to go to Hagrid's tonight."

Rubbing her forearm to warm herself a little, the bushy-haired girl said, pensive, "I doubt she could know you'd stumble into such situation…" Looking back at Harry's greens, she continued, "I believe she expected you to find some activity in the forest, nobody goes in there, so perhaps she hoped you'd put two and two together, and figure out that the forest had something to do with the first task."

Nodding, Harry began scratching his chin, saying to his two friends, "Well, at least we now have an idea, all that's left, is to formulate a plan of action."

Hermione assented, stating, "If you have to search for something, then we'll have to focus on spells that can help you survive in hostile conditions."

"Don't forget aggressive spells as well…" Ron added before he suddenly shuddered, stating with disdain, "Don't even want to think about those bloody creatures that live in that hellhole."

Harry nodded, saying, "Yeah, the task is a week away, so I still have time to get some spells into my head, I'll start tomorrow… might even use the privileges being a Champion gives me to skip some classes."

"Just don't even try it with Snape, he'll kill you if you even try to skip his class." Ron commented, earning a nod from a grimacing Harry.

Hermione though, was staring at Harry intently, both boys now turning to look at her funnily, not understanding her actions. That is, until she spoke, her tone that of an affirmation, rather than a question, "You are going to tell Fleur about the task, right Harry?"

Her tone was rather accusatory, in Harry's opinion, but it also hid a tad of amusement. Something that Ron, must certainly did not shared.

"You would be mental if you did!" Ron looked at Harry as he said that.

Harry though, simply shrugged, smirking ever so slightly as he looked at both.

"Same old Harry…" Hermione simply whispered, exasperated.

"Don't you want to WIN?" Ron asked, not understanding why would Harry give up such advantage.

Harry sighed, explaining, "I do want to win, but I want to do it fairly…" Seeing that the Weasley was about to retort, he continued, "Viktor surely knows by now, that means that Fleur is probably the only one that remains clueless… I want to beat them with my own talent, anything else, makes this whole experience a waste of time."

Ron simply snorted, though, there was a slight smile on his face, already accustomed to his best friend's honour.

Hermione was the one that said while massaging her temples, "Just no wasting time then, you HAVE to take this seriously, Harry… otherwise you might…"

"I will." Harry quickly stopped her train of though, putting a hand on her shoulder, giving Hermione a reassuring smile that despite herself, managed to alleviate her worry if just a little.

"Then go to bed, both of you…" She then ordered, the bossy girl the both of them loved now back at full force as she chided them, "The week to come will be winding, so no lollygagging."

Chuckling, the Golden Trio wished each other good night, and made their way to their respective beds, knowing that Hermione's statement, was all to true to ignore.

"Bloody hell…" A frustrated Harry Potter whispered as he observed the cauldron before him, disgusting bubbles bustling as the once nice-looking cherry-red liquid, turned into a sickly green, a clear statement of his monumental failure, "What is it with these damned potions and me?" He asked to no one in particular.

"It seems, Mr Potter…" Harry closed his eyes while he moaned in irritation once he heard the voice of the Potions teacher, Severus Snape, who practically snarled beside him. Thankfully though, this time, it seemed that Snape wanted to keep it private, instead of publicly ridiculing him, as he continued with a harsh whisper, "You have once again failed. Do it again."

Harry bit his cheek from within, replying, "Yes, Professor."

Just as Snape was about to walk away, a sudden knock in the door caught their attention, a third-year boy reluctantly walking in. Harry recognised him as Colin Creevey, his most ardent fanatic perhaps.

"U-Umm…" The brown-haired boy visibly cowered under the gaze of the intimidating Severus Snape, who stared at him with an irritated glance.

"Well?" Severus asked, the class falling silent as they waited for the boy to speak.

Gathering his wits, Colin looked at Harry, and finally found his voice to speak up, "S-Sir, umm, I was a-asked by Mr Bagman to fetch Harry P-Potter…" Gulping, he turned to Snape, continuing, "Something related to t-the Triwizard Tournament, s-sir."

Snape took a deep calming breath, silent for a moment, before he turned to walk away, speaking with a harsh tone, "Go Potter, expect double homework for this… setback."

Harry groaned, weakly saying, "Yes, Professor."

Eyeing his friends, Harry just nodded and walked out of the classroom, sighing deeply as he uttered, mostly to himself really, "Not sure if I should be happy for having a reason to get out of there, or if I should be angry for the double homework that awaits me."

Colin simply stayed silent, leading Harry towards his destination.

After a bit of silent walking, Colin finally took Harry towards the others, saying, now more excitedly, "Here Harry, t-they are just waiting for you!"

Nodding, Harry offered him a slight smile before he stepped into the room, looking around once inside.

He took notice that there was quite the crowd, composed by the other two Champions and their respective Headmasters, a couple of reporters, Professor McGonagall – who seemed to be there as his gaffer -, Bagman and most notably, one Garrick Ollivander.

"Hello." He offered lamely, slightly confused.

Bagman smiled cheerfully at him, approaching the boy and once close, he patted him on the back, roughly pushing him towards the vacant chair, right next to Fleur, stating, "Ah, Mr Potter! We were just waiting for you! Please, sit."

Harry looked at Fleur, who offered him a tiny smile, the boy looking at McGonagall to ask, "Professor, what is going on?"

Intruding, Bagman explained, "Ah! This is the weighing ceremony! Mr Ollivander here, kindly accepted to check over your wands, to ensure that everything is in order, of course."

Ollivander nodded at the three.

"Well, Mr Ollivander, if you please." Bagman urged.

Ollivaner nodded once again and turned his eyes towards Krum, saying, "Mr Krum."

As Viktor stood and walked towards the wandmaker, Harry leaned closer to Fleur, whispering as everyone else was occupied with Viktor's turn, "Hey, Delacour…" Fleur turned to him, those mesmerising blues solely focused on him as he continued, "Is there a chance you might be able to meet me alone later on?"

Fleur's eyebrow raised, along with a way too French smirk, whispering playfully, "Why Monsieur Potter, are you perhaps, asking me out on a date so early into our acquaintance?"

Chuckling, Harry quipped back, "You haven't charmed me that much just yet, Delacour…" He missed the glint in her eyes when she snorted and looked away, the boy carrying on, "There's just something I want to talk to you about."

Fleur, confused once again, whispered, "About?"

"The First Task." His simple answer, was enough for Fleur to widened her eyes slightly.

"I'll meet you where… we always do." She replied, slightly amused at the idea that apparently, they had a common place now.

Nodding, Harry turned his attention back to Ollivander when he said, Viktor walking back towards them, "Mrs Delacour."

Harry wasn't really paying much attention to Ollivander as he offered some comments over Fleur's wand, some which seemed not too welcomed by the French witch. Instead, Harry couldn't help but really appreciate Fleur.

It wasn't about her allure, or whatever it was called. What really caught his eye, was that fantastic elegance the woman held, an elegance that only a confident woman could carry. Frankly, to him, it was her greatest asset.

Alongside that marvellous bottom, of course.

"Mr Potter." Ollivander's voice, drew him out of dreamland.

"Right." He said while he observed Fleur walking back to her chair, there was a smug smirk on her face as she eyed him, making him think that without a doubt, she might have felt him staring, "Bloody women's intuition…" He thought while he simply ignored the French.

Presenting his wand to Garrick, the old man spoke, "Ah Harry, it seems almost yesterday that I gave you this wand…" He hummed, inspecting his own creation, as if figuring out what Harry's been up to with it, "It is perhaps one of my, if not my most wondrous creation, such a remarkable wand and in such good condition…" Flaring it a tad, the grizzly-haired male added, "So alike, yet so different to its twin wa-"

"Mr Ollivander." Minerva's harsh tone, stopped the wandmaker from commenting further.

Garrick seemed to have realised that they were not alone, thus, he coughed, stating as he returned Harry's wand, "It is in perfect condition…" He turned to Bagman, concluding, "Everything is in order, Mr Bagman."

"Excellent!…" Bagman claimed, looking at the three contenders to add, "Now that's all taken care of, we can proceed to the pictures and interviews."

Harry groaned aloud; it was sure bound to be a tedious afternoon.

She groaned as silently as she could while massaging her temples, feeling her eyes tired. Hermione Granger might love books and grasping all the information they had to offer, but that didn't mean she never got tired, or sometimes even sick at the thought of reading one more book.

There was just so much reading even someone like her could take.

Usually though, she could simply take a break, put her mind to rest and continue her studies later on. But this time was different, since now, she had to worry about the safety of her best friend, trying to find the best skills that could aid him in his task ahead.

"Rrrr…" She growled to herself, adding with an exasperated whisper, "That silly boy! I was really hoping for a quiet fourth year this time around, but noooo… Mr Potter decided, it was time he got himself in big trouble, before anyone else put him in it!"

Someone suddenly sat next to her, startling her a little. It was her other best friend, the red-headed male who was currently enjoying some candy.

He extended some to her, offering, "Want some?"

Sighing, she payed him with a small smile, grateful for the slight distraction, "Thank you." She took a chocolate, taking it to her mouth and delighting in the flavour for some blissful seconds.

Raising an eyebrow as Hermione seemed to even moan as she ate the treat, Ronald spoke, "Blimey 'Mione, you look tenser than ever…" Looking at the exaggerated amount of books beside the brunette, the boy added, "You need to take a rest before that bushy head of yours explodes with the amount of information you're tossing in there."

"You don't have to tell me what I've been trying to convince myself of doing for the past two hours, Ron." She said bitterly, though there was no malice in her tone, simply fatigue.

Snorting, the boy said back, "Then why aren't you listening to yourself? Is just for a couple of hours at the most…" He pointed at the pile of books, "Those aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

Crashing her forehead against the book she was reading a moment ago, Hermione remained quiet for a few seconds, whispering as she eyed Ron out of the corner of her eyes, "A-Aren't you… worried about Harry?"

Sighing, the boy cracked his neck, replying, "Of course I am, I was kinda looking forward to a tranquil year…" Hermione nodded at those words, prompting the boy to add, "But, I think that Harry has earned the right to taste adventure out of his own volition for once…" He smiled at her, finishing, "I guess the only thing we can do, is cheer him on."

She snorted, a small smile on her face, her eyes closing again as she whispered something else, "I just… I just don't know how to help him on this… he's… well, on his own this time."

Nodding, Ron said thoughtfully, "I get you but, you got to believe in Harry, Hermione…" Seeing that she was about to retort the notion, he quickly amended, "I know you do, but you're overthinking this, Harry's never been good at planning or going by the books, that's why he's so good at Quidditch."

Lifting her head up, the Granger girl tilted her head, asking, "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Well…" He scratched his cheek, frowning slightly while looking aside, gathering his thoughts, "Quidditch, like every other sport, is all about the moment…" Locking eyes with his female friend, he carried on, "Sure, it does require some planning, but once you step on the field, all plans usually go to hell… The best players in the world, are able to come up with incredible things on their own, Harry is definitely one of them."

Ron felt a little weirded out when Hermione stared at him blankly for some moments, before she smiled at him genuinely, stating rather surprised, "Well, well, Ronald, that's quite insightful and mature of you."

Shrugging, he smirked, stating, "One grows, I guess."

Chuckling, Hermione suddenly eeped when the Weasley pulled her out of the chair, saying with a smile, "Thus, let us head to the hall! I heard today is cake day!"

She simply chuckled but nodded, deciding it best to take a short break and enjoy some time with her other best friend.

As the couple made their way towards the hall, a suddenly hasty looking Minerva McGonagall crashed with Hermione, both women bouncing off the other.

"Oh dear, Granger, I am sorry." Minerva offered, fixing Hermione's wizened coat.

"I-It's okay, Professor, it was an accident." Hermione offered with a small smile.

Humming, Minerva eyed the both of them, "Ah!…" As if suddenly remembering her urgency, Minerva shoved a book she was carrying into Hermione's hands, stating before the bushy-haired girl could even protest, "Miss Granger, if you'd be so kind, do return this book to the library, I'm afraid I am in a bit of a hurry at the moment."

Without even waiting for an answer, the elder female rushed away, disappearing into the crowd moments after.

Looking confused, both teens staring at the corridor before Ron spoke, "What the blazes was that about?"

Hermione was equally confused, whispering, "Who knows…" Looking at the book, she continued, "But… wait… gasp!"

Hearing her gasp, Ron turned to look at Hermione, an eyebrow raised as he questioned, "What is it?"

"Ron, this book…" Hermione spoke, looking at her friend who continued being confused, "Look."

She shoved the book at him, with Ron eyeing the cover, reading it aloud, "Défense Against the Dark Arts…" He was about to comment that they already had the book, but his eyes widened as he read the last part, "Sixth year."

Hermione nodded, stunned.

"'Mione, you don't think?" Ron whispered, he might be dense, but this was too convenient for even him to not notice.

Grabbing the book again, the brunette sighed, whispering, "Who knows, but…" Biting her lip, she knew she was about to do something uncharacteristic of her, by breaking the rules, "We're not about to waste this opportunity."

Ron nodded, even if it was just for a moment, they could find a couple of spells in there that will surely aid their black-haired friend through his trials. He was at a disadvantage, so evening the odds didn't seemed too much of a foul in his mind.

Fleur wasn't really sure what this meeting of theirs would be about. Sure, he had stated that it had something to do with their first task, but still, she didn't know why would he want to discuss it with her. His own competition. Frankly, it didn't seem logical to her.

He didn't seem all that sane either, but that's beside the point.

"Off to your romantic rendezvous, Fleur?" The sudden sound of her roommate's voice, drew a sigh from the blonde French, already able to picture the teasing smirk on her friend's face, without even having to look at her.

"Frankly Marie, I'm tired of correcting you…" Throwing an annoyed glance at her amused friend, Fleur concluded, "So go on with your romantic fantasy you seem to be so fond of."

Marie giggled, but stated with amusement, "Mm… so dull, you are."

Shaking her head, Fleur decided to make her exit, "Will you cover me?" She asked.

Marie, of course, nodded fervently, saying, "You don't even have to ask."

Smiling - this time honestly - at her friend, Fleur put on Harry's jacket and stealthily made her way out of the carriage.

It was close to dusk, perhaps an hour or so for the sun to set. Fleur knew she didn't have much time before Maxime realised she was gone, so she quickened her step.

It took her a couple of minutes to reach her destination, feeling so weird at the thought that it almost seemed as if she was meeting with her secret boyfriend whom her parents didn't liked.

She banished such silly thoughts however, when she finally saw his figure, the boy in question waiting for her on the tree he seems so fond of, enjoying the cold breeze of the lake.

"Potter." She announced her presence once she was at ear-shot distance.

Harry smiled as he turned to face her, saying back, "Delacour."

There was a silence following, both staring at one another before the girl sighed and asked, crossing her arms below her bust, "So, what it is you wanted to talk about?"

Without missing a beat, the blackette said, "I know what the first task is about…" As her eyes widened, he cleared sheepishly, "Or, well, at least the gist of it."

Tilting her head, she asked, "And you're planning on telling me?…" Seeing his nod, she added, "Why?" She narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't want to be suspicious of him - somehow, she felt he was trustworthy - but still, one could not be blamed for being cautious.

Harry shrugged, looking aside to say, "Well, I'm pretty sure that Viktor knows as well…" He turned to her again, concluding with a small smile, "Seemed unfair to leave you out of the loop."

"You're either very honourable or naïve…" She smirked, inwardly surprised of his action, "Either way, you're foolish."

Harry though, had a surge of courage when he charmingly stated, "What can I say? Pretty girls tend to turn me foolish."

She couldn't help but giggle, and Harry actually marvelled at the gentle way she laughed, it seemed so unlike her.

Calming down, Fleur regarded him with a genuine thankful smile, before she said, "Well, if that's really the case, I thank you, Harry…" He got chills with the way she said his name, her accent seemed to make it fancier than it really was, "So, what is the first task about?"

Sighing, Harry replied, "Well, what I know for certain, is that it takes place in the Forbidden Forest…" Her eyebrows shot up, listening as the boy continued, "While I do not know the task itself, the only conclusion I can come up with, is a search of something hidden within the forest."

She hummed, scratching her chin while looking down, whispering, "Mhm… Seems likely…" She looked at him, "Monsieur Bagman did say something about testing our courage, what better way to do so, than thrusting us in that deadly forest of yours."

"Yeah, that forest is a dead trap, so you be careful in there, alright?" Harry said, scratching his scalp while looking aside.

Fleur titled her head while looking at him, smiling while saying, "Monsieur Potter, are you worried for me?"

Harry chuckled, shrugging as he quipped, "Pretty girls and all, my greatest weakness."

She laughed at that.

A nice silence ensued, the sun seemingly starting it's decent into the horizon, marking the beginning of the night.

"Say…" Harry's voice drew her attention from the sun, to him, her blues staring at him, urging him to continue, "Can I ask you something… umm… personal?"

She felt a little apprehensive, her personal life was something she was very protective of, and usually avoided any diving into it if she could help it. But, there was also something she wanted to ask him about, something that was also quite personal, as it had to do with his wand.

"Umm… o-ok…" She whispered, but quickly added, "But only if I get to ask you something personal as well."

He snorted, conceding, "Yeah, it seems fair."

Smirking, she said, "Alright, you first."

Harry nodded, taking a deep breath to say, "Right, well, it's about what I've heard going around…" He locked eyes with her, surprised to see her staring so intently at him, "I'm honestly not that… entuned with the magical world, but I've heard something about… you being a "Veela"?

She sighed, it didn't surprise her to hear that such rumour was going around, thought technically it was not a rumour, but still. It did relieve her though, that Harry seemed just genuinely curious about it, not judgmental, "Well, it is partially true." She declared, looking aside.

Seeing as he tilted his head, clear confusion in his eyes, she further elaborated, "I am not really a Veela, only a quarter… I'm…" She stopped, biting her lip, it hurt to say it out loud, "I'm a half-breed."

Harry winced, despite being a half-blood himself, he was honestly treated as a pure-blood, so he wasn't subjected to the same horrendous treatment those who were recognised as such, went through. But his best friend, Hermione, was insulted almost daily for her so call 'impurity', so while not personally, he could still relate to the beautiful blonde witch in some part.

She saw him shrug, stating with nonchalance, "You're still Delacour to me."

He had no idea how much she appreciated such simple statement.

"Yeah…" She smiled at him, something she was finding fairly common these past few days, "And 'Boy-Who-Lived' or not…" She said, earning a surprised visage on him once she concluded, "You're still Potter to me."

She had no idea how much he appreciated such simple statement.

There was a comfortable silence passing between the two. That is, until Fleur coughed and said, "My turn, yes?" She had that teasing smirk on her face - that to Harry's honest opinion, looked too good to be fair.

Groaning, he relented, "Fine, go on."

She stopped for a moment, thinking on the easiest way to ask him. At the end though, she decided on simply going straight to the point, "During the weighing ceremony…" He titled his head, listening as she continued, "Monsieur Ollivander said something about… your wand…" She saw the apprehension in his face, making her falter ever so slightly, "About being a… t-twin?"

She saw how Harry frowned, looking aside. Different from her reaction about being a half-breed, which made her feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, Harry seemed to be disturbed, angry, even depressed about her question.

"Y-You don't have to…" She tried to change the topic after seeing his emotions in display.

"No…" He said, too calmly for her liking, "You have the right to know."

She saw him slid down to the ground, patting the grass beside him. She followed and settled next to him, observing as he drew the wand in question.

"According to Mr Ollivander…" He began, her attention fully on him, "My wand's core, came from a phoenix, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes to be precise…" Her eyes widened at that, but remained silent, "But, it wasn't the only wand that had Fawkes' feather as a core, there was another one, a twin.…"

Life wasn't that unfair, was it? It really wasn't that cruel to link this fine young man to a monumental foul stain in history, with such a personal bond as a wand, was it? Because deep down in her mind, she already knew who the twin wand belonged to.

"Voldemort's." Was his simple statement.

Even knowing already, she couldn't help but stare at him in frozen fear. It was far too much for a simple coincidence.

He snorted, bitterly looking at his wand as he whispered, "A wand exactly like mine, killed my parents…" She stared at his wand, "Killed so many more people…" She had a dreadful foreboding in her gut as she stared at him take a moment to collect his thoughts, "It makes me wonder… for it to choose me… am I perhaps… like him?"

Honestly, she's never felt so lost in her life. It was clear to her, that this wasn't the first time Harry has asked himself that question – and probably won't be the last, either - and sadly, she didn't know him all that well to know what to say. She was completely at a loss for words.

Thus, she stared at the lake and said the only thing her heart could muster, "Honestly…" She could sense his eyes on her, "I think that… you're the only that can know…" She mustered her courage, and turned her blues to his greens, sparks of cyan flowing as they stared at one another, "I think that, nothing is set in stone… if… You can choose who you are, Harry…" She offered him the sincerest of her smiles, "Always."

The two stared at each other, not a word going by.

Harry then just smiled, a strange sense of relief flowing through him while his eyes wandered towards his wand.

The two then simply turned to enjoy the setting of the sun, if just for this moment, allowing whatever it was connecting them, to flourish brightly.

A/N: Cheers.