** I'm tired of people sending me messages saying this story is cliched or that I've copied other stories just by reading this bloody chapter. I began writing this story in 2012 and I've seen plenty of other stories just take cues from this afterwards, even plagiarizing in some cases which is common in fanfiction.

It does not take a genius to read the publication date of a story and realize that the stories they think I've copied the writing from in order to publish this first chapter on the 20th of May 2012 were all in fact written after my story had already been published.

Sorry to break it to you but I'm not a fucking time traveler.**

Disclaimer: The whole HP verse belongs to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing except for the plot...and OC's. This applies to any and all my future chapters.

Edit- Alright, I gave in. I have decided to get off my lazy bum and start editing/fixing mistakes on ALL of my earlier chapters starting with this one. I have fixed/updated most of the defining moments of this chapter so it should be bearable now. It will take time, a lot of time...seeing as I've written over 300k words (gosh I really was jobless back then lol) but I will eventually get all my chapters up to the level they are now today.

That's not to say all grammar mistakes will be eliminated. My english is only about as perfect as someone who learnt it by watching movies, reading, etc (this is my second language) so yea...pretty sure the grammar perfectionists will find something wrong somewhere. Besides, I'm only fixing the glaring errors I myself can pick up.

CHAPTER 1

"Harry, Ron wake up! It's time to go," Hermione's voice echoed through the room. Harry opened one eye and groaned softly before pushing himself off the bed. A loud snore announced that Ron was still fast asleep.

"Honestly Ron! Get up!" Hermione raised her voice and walked over to sharply prod the red haired boy's leg.

"Wha? Whozair?" Ron mumbled sleepily.

Harry chuckled softly before he grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, putting them on. He couldn't help the excitement that was flooding through him as he thought about the Quidditch World Cup for which he and the rest of the Weasley family, have Mrs Weasley, were going to go to today.

He grinned as he remembered the Dursleys' faces when the Weasleys had come to get him from his Aunt and Uncle's house. Fighting down the laughter he felt growing inside when he remembered the incident with the ton tongue toffee and Dudley, he got up and strode past Hermione who was still poking Ron trying to get him to wake up and walked into the washroom just outside their room.

He could hear voices grumbling throughout the house, along with the Ghoul in the attic that continued to moan occasionally. After washing away the sleep from his eyes, he walked out to find Ron with his eyes half closed, standing outside the washroom waiting for him to come out.

Hermione had already gone back downstairs, he realized, as he located the long sleeved shirt along with the black jeans that were laid out for him, pulling them on. Since they were going to be travelling to the stadium they were going to have to wear muggle clothing ,seeing as they would draw stares from muggles if they walked down the streets wearing robes.

After dressing he made a half-hearted attempt to calm his untidy hair with a comb, which had grown longer over the summer and now hung just above his shoulders. Mrs Weasley had immediately tried to cut it as soon as she had seen him but the rest of the boys and Hermione, with Bill being the most vocal, had protested against it, saying that it was an improvement.

On his way downstairs he bumped into Fred and George on the way down. The Twins, for once, were not sporting their usual grins, instead their eyes remaining half closed. He walked into the kitchen where Mrs Weasley was busy at the stove ,along Hermione and Ginny, while Mr Weasley was sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet.

"Well Harry? Do I look like a muggle?" he asked. He was wearing a brightly colored sweater along with a pair of grey trousers.

"Just like one," he grinned back.

"Oh, good Morning Harry!" Mrs Weasley said, turning around to look at him, "just a minute dear and I will have your breakfast ready soon."

"Thanks Mrs Weasley."

Ginny caught his eye and turned away, blushing furiously.

Ron, Fred and George had been openly teasing her in front of him ever since he saved her life from Tom Riddle in their second year. Apparently her crush on him has not died out at all over the last year.

Sighing softly he ignored her as he took his seat. He just couldn't bring himself to like her. Just like Hermione, he regarded her as a sister.

Most of the boys in his year seemed to think she was pretty though...of that he had to agree. But there were just so many things about her that stopped him from seeing her as anything more. For starters he didn't like how she was a bit...tomboyish. She was shy around him sure but he'd seen the way she acts around others. His view on women had changed drastically since he was 11.

Mrs Weasley set a plate in front of him interrupting his train of thought and tipped three eggs onto his plate, along with some buttered toast. He began to eat just as Ron, Fred and George shuffled into the room, stifling yawns.

"Where are Bill, Charlie and Percy?" Fred asked looking around the room.

"Well they're apparating aren't they? So they can have a bit of a lie in," Mrs Weasley said turning back to the stove. The twins groaned loudly.

"Why can't we apparate too?" George whined.

"Because you aren't of age yet," Mrs Weasley said without turning around. Grumbling darkly they sat down and began to eat. After they were done Mrs Weasley flicked her wand making the dirty plates rise off the table and into the sink where they began cleaning themselves.

"We should be off then, the portkey is scheduled to activate in another…" Mr Weasley said, pausing to check his watch, "twenty-five minutes. We don't want to be late."

"Alright dears, have fun. And don't get into any trouble!" Mrs Weasleys said, adding the last part while staring pointedly at the twins. Both of them morphed their faces into identical, innocent expressions that of course fooled no one.

"Aw Mum, you know us…" both of them said at the same time, making everyone chuckle softly.

"I do, that's why I want you, Arthur, to keep watch over them in particular", Mrs Weasley said after she kissed Mr Weasley on the cheek, "take care then."

Mr Weasley and Fred picked up their rucksacks with the tents and pots and pans inside, protesting against Harry's offers to carry them. The group walked out to the chilly morning. It was still four in the morning and it was still dark out. As they walked on Harry sped up to walk with Mr Weasley.

"Mr Weasley? What's a portkey?"

"Hmm...how do I explain this?" He paused before continuing, his face brightening like someone had switched on a light. "It's a device that can transport groups of wizards and witches. Since there are plenty of us coming from all around the World for this and there are a lot of under aged Witches and Wizards arriving, not everyone can apparate in. Portkeys can be used to travel to any place in the World."

"What does it look like?" he asked curiously.

"Why, it can be anything of course. A boot, a garbage can, anything that a muggle will not go around picking up and playing with."

"Where is it?"

"It's right up there, over the hill," Mr Weasley said, panting slightly as they started climbing the hill.

Harry could just make out the two tall figures at the top of the hill that stood watching them. As they got closer, Harry recognized one of them as the Hufflepuff seeker he played against during the match the Dementors crashed in their third year, Cedric Diggory. Seeing him Cedric grinned and held out his hand and pulled Harry onto the top of the hill.

"Ah, Arthur. Just in time I see," the man standing beside them said. Mr Weasley shook hands with him and introduced everyone.

"Children, this is Amos Diggory. And I assume you all know Cedric?" Harry caught sight of Ron, Fred and George glaring at Cedric. They hadn't forgiven him for winning the match against Gryffindor in the third year. Hermione and Ginny on the other hand blushed slightly. It was common knowledge that Cedric was one of the most popular 7th years of Hogwarts with his good looks.

"All of the redheads are my sons, that's Ron," Mr Weasley said indicating Ron who grimaced a little. "That's Fred…no wait, that's Fred, that's George. That's Ginny and Hermione Granger. And of course you know that's Harry Potter," Mr Weasley finished indicating Harry. Amos smiled and shook Harry's hand and glanced at his scar.

"A pleasure to finally meet you Mr Potter, my boy has told me a lot about you, especially about the last Quidditch match." Harry shifted uncomfortably and noticed that Fred and George were looking murderous. Mr Weasley also noticed this and led Mr Diggory a little way away while Cedric beckoned Harry away from the group.

"Hey Harry, look…I'm sorry about my father, he gets this way sometimes."

"It's alright"

"Well...just wanted to make sure." Cedric offered him a quick smile before gazing at him curiously for a second. "I swear I don't remember you looking so different before."

"Yeah...just thought I could use some change." He mumbled self consciously.

"Looks good." Cedric said with a wink. "Looking to meet some people while we're there?" He asked slyly making him blush.

He was saved the trouble of answering as Mr Weasley beckoned them over next to an old boot.

"What are we doing gathering around a dirty old boot?" Ron asked as they gathered around it. Mr Weasley and Amos looking at their watches closely.

"It's the portkey, ickle Ronniekins," one of the twins cracked, to which Ron responded by kicking him in the leg.

"Boys, behave yourselves…now when I say so, grasp the boot." Mr Weasley said. After a few minutes Mr Weasley said "Now!" and everyone grasped the boot.

He suddenly felt a jerk as the floor gave way from beneath him and he felt like a hook somewhere behind his navel was pulling him. Almost as immediately as this sensation started, it stopped and everyone fell over except for Mr Weasley, Cedric and Amos. Cedric pulled him up to which he muttered his thanks and carefully adjusted his glasses. It would take some time to get used to that method of travel.

"Welcome boys, to the Quidditch World Cup!" Mr Weasley exclaimed and Harry felt his eyes widen as he looked around at the sea of brightly colored tents, which covered nearly every inch of the vast fields in front of them. They walked through towards the campsite from where the Cedric and his father separated from them as they were in another part of the field. After saying their goodbyes they walked towards the muggle in charge of their area, a round faced man with a smile on his face. The man eyed them curiously as they approached.

"'Mornin'," the man said brightly.

"Good morning," Mr Weasley smiled.

"And your name will be sir?"

"Weasley." The man looked at the book in front of him. "Aha, found you…here you go," he said, handing Mr Weasley a map and pointing at a spot. "This is where you are now, that spot will be where you're space is."

"Thank you," Mr Weasley replied and pulled Harry to the side. "Harry, can you help me pay for this?" He asked pulling out a bundle of muggle money. Harry counted the bills and gave them to the man who looked at them curiously.

"You foreign?" he asked.

"Ahh, yes," Mr Weasley said uncertainly while the boys and Hermione and Ginny smirked.

"So many like you here, this is almost unnatural," the man said in a matter-of-fact tone. "There are some funnily dressed chaps walking around. There was even one that tried to pay me with huge gold coins." As soon as he said it a man materialized behind him and muttered Obliviate, pointing his wand at him. The man's eyes immediately went blank.

"Here's your change. And there is a tap marked on the map where you can get water," he said in a monotone voice.

"Thank you," Mr Weasley said, pocketing the money. They walked away from the man who was staring blankly into space while the Wizard that had appeared accompanied them.

"Alright there Arthur? I've been running around this entire area putting memory charms on muggles. Our lot are paying no attention to the warnings we put up and are using magic openly in broad daylight." Just as he said it a brilliant purple flame erupted a short distance away. Cursing loudly the Wizard took off in its direction leaving a bewildered Mr Weasley behind.

"All the same, we can't get by without magic, at least not easily," he said shaking his head while they walked through the mess of tents. Harry noticed that many of the Witches and Wizards were now waking up and coming outside to get breakfast ready. Some of them were awkwardly trying to light fires with a box of matches with disbelieving looks on their faces ,as if sure this was not going to work, while others were pulling out their wands and muttering under their breaths, casting magical fires with shifty looks.

Harry gaped in wonder when he chanced a glimpse inside one of the tents. Instead of the confined space he expected, there was a large living room, complete with stairs, leading upwards. A little further on they saw a tent that had two floors and even a little further on they found a miniature house like structure. Mr Weasley smiled. "We can't resist showing off when we get together…ah here it is!" He said indicating a vacant spot with a sign saying 'Weazley'. "Alright, let's set up this tent," he said brightly while the others groaned.

He pulled out a large bundle of canvas from his bag, along with pegs and ropes. It took them awhile but after many failed attempts them finally managed to erect two rather small looking tents.

"Home sweet home," He grinned, opening the tent flap and beckoning them in. They walked into a large, spacious room that had two adjoining rooms with bunk beds attached to the wall. In front of them was a large table complete with chairs. "This belongs to a Ministry friend of mine. The poor bloke couldn't make it so he lent them to me."

"It's brilliant!" Harry exclaimed. They decided to wait a little for Bill, Charlie and Percy before having lunch. They spent the time looking at the passing people. It was slowly becoming a flurry of activity as Witches and Wizards walked around, laughing and talking. Mr Weasley kept up a running commentary of everyone for Harry and Hermione's benefit. Soon they caught sight of three red haired figures striding towards them.

"Alright boys, let's start getting some firewood and water ready. It'll be too busy to walk around later so we should get what we can now," Mr Weasley said just as the older three walked in. Everyone nodded their assent and soon Harry, Ron and Hermione were given the task of getting water from the tap that was marked over at the next field, while the rest were sent around to get firewood and supplies .After a quick tour of the girl's bunk which was significantly smaller than the boys' bunk, they set off towards the other field.

Along the way they met familiar faces from school. "Hey Harry! Ron! How are you mate?" A voice called and they turned around to find a grinning Seamus Finnigan. "Oh and Hermione too!" They walked into a bright green tent and met with a stern woman with a kind face who Seamus introduced as his mother. When Harry was introduced her eyes performed the familiar flick up to his scar. After the pleasantries were done with (including reassuring them that they were going to be supporting Ireland in the match against Bulgaria) they walked out and resumed their journey.

"Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot," Ron grumbled.

Harry caught sight of a multitude of red tents pointed at them with a picture of a scowling man on a Firebolt wearing blood-red robes on the front of almost every single one.

"Who's that?" Hermione asked curiously as they walked by the poster after poster.

"That?! That is Victor Krum!" Ron said dramatically. He looked at both of them, obviously expecting a reaction.

When none came he sighed loudly. "The best seeker in the world! You just need to watch him and you'll see it. He does stuff on a broom that is nothing short of amazing!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and catching Harry's eye she grinned. They had been wondering who it was that the twins had been teasing Ron about. They had been saying that Ron had a crush on a boy and had a picture of him stashed under his pillow. It seemed like they had found the one.

"Oh Ron, he's only a Quidditch player," Hermione said exasperatedly.

Ron's eyes widened. "Only a Quidditch player? Just wait…" He went on and on. She looked at Harry, causing him to chuckle and shrug. It was difficult to argue with Ron when it came to Quidditch.

They walked on and along the way they met up with more of their friends from school, including Neville Longbottom, a boy in the same year as them who Harry liked despite his occasional clumsiness. He told them, his round face shining in excitement, that his grandmother had finally consented to bringing him to see the World Cup, although they would only stay the one night, even if the match progressed on for longer than that.

It was a known fact that some of the matches of the World Cup lasted days, weeks, even months. He secretly hoped it would stretch on for some time, it was fun being in the middle of the excitement. They reached the tap and got in the long line of people waiting for their turn to get water. They each picked up some of the empty buckets that were laid out near them, ready to fill them with water and take them back to camp. Hermione dissolved into a fit of giggles when a Wizard came in front of them wearing a muggle women's dress and yelling at the top of his voice that it was proper muggle attire, a Ministry official running behind him holding a pair of trousers and a shirt. Once they got the water they slowly started making their way back. At the side they noticed a large group of girls that were talking amongst themselves in what Harry recognized as French.

"Those girls over there? They look like they're our age but they don't go to Hogwarts do they?" Harry asked curiously. Hermione looked at him in surprise.

"Of course they don't go to Hogwarts Harry! There are more schools all over the world that teach magic to children." Harry felt stupid now that he realised that he had thought that Hogwarts was the only school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, especially when there were Witches and Wizards all over the world.

"Yeah, I heard Bill had a pen pal from another school, can't remember much about it though," Ron said thoughtfully. They walked on until they found themselves back inside their tent.

"What took you so long?" George asked.

"Met a few people," Ron answered, sitting down. "What's for lunch?"

"Don't know, Dad's having too much fun with the matches," Fred said, smirking slightly and jerking his thumb back at his father who sure enough, was having the time of his life with the matches. He would light one and promptly drop it in surprise. Hermione went to help him out and soon they had a fire going, some of the food that Bill and Charlie had bought cooking. After lunch they were comfortably full, but no one could settle down with the building excitement.

Fred, George, Bill, Charlie and Ginny started a game of Exploding snap while Percy talked to Mr Weasley about his work back at the Ministry. Hermione decided to start reading a book she had brought with her.

Finally, after fidgeting around in his seat and unable to take anymore, Harry got up and announced he was going to take back the buckets and get more water. Ron jumped up to accompany him and they went back outside. After replacing the buckets of water they walked around the different campsites and met with a lot more of their friends.

He felt slightly uncomfortable as he felt their gazes, particularly that of the women falling on him as he walked. It seemed he had taken on a lot more trouble than he realized when he decided to change his appearance. He could literally feel Ron shaking in jealousy when a pretty red haired girl waved at him , saying something in French and blowing him a kiss, causing his cheeks to warm considerably. Gathering up what was left of his courage he waved back before fleeing in Ron's wake, highly aware of the piercing gazes on him.

Fortunately for him as Ron had taken to giving him the silent treatment, Lee Jordan came up from behind them and greeted them. After nodding at him he quickly took his leave.

"Ron, I'm going to the other campsite." He muttered quickly. Ron nodded before turning back to Lee leaving Harry to walk on.

With a sigh he brought his hand to his head, thoughts of Ron and his jealousy disappearing from his mind as he absentmindedly traced his scar with his finger. The unbearable pain and the vision he had seen a few weeks ago was still quite raw considering how he kept experiencing them in his nightmares again and again. It didn't really worry him a lot...after everything he'd seen and experienced throughout his life up to now...both in Hogwarts and before, he was no stranger to nightmares. But it still irked him from time to time. He thought about the letter he had written to Sirius and wished that wherever he was, he was at least comfortable.

He was deep in thought when he walked straight into a person who, like him, had not been fully aware of where they were going.

The person pushed him in surprise with a small yelp and he, trying vainly not to fall to the ground reached out, grabbing onto the person's hand trying to steady himself but fell backwards anyway, taking the person with him.

After an initial groan of pain he slowly became more accustomed to his senses.

The first thing he noticed, was a pleasant flowery scent that was threatening to make him light headed. The person lying on him had gone perfectly still for some reason.

It was then he noticed that he was still holding onto the hand he'd grabbed onto. And it was then he realized this person was in fact a she. A hand this dainty could not belong to a man.

Mentally berating himself as to how he kept putting himself in these awkward situations he opened his eyes and looked right into the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen in his life. They were narrowed as she was glaring at him which he noticed quite immediately, but he couldn't help but allow himself to get lost in them. Two perfect sapphire orbs shining brightly, clear as the morning sky. He stared at the perfect, angular face, long, silvery white hair splayed out behind her. Her pale skin seemed to emit a pearly white glow of its own.

His heart quickened when his eyes focused on her pink lips, which were parted slightly, her hot breath tickling his face. He got a sudden, unbidden urge to press his lips against hers but realizing what he just thought, clenched his fist painfully digging his nails into his hands. He would not make a fool of himself in front of a goddess like this.

After what seemed like a while of them simply looking at each other closely he finally found his voice.

"Um…c..could you get up? Please?" He stammered nervously causing her eyes to widen in surprise before she slowly got up. For a brief moment he saw astonishment written across her beautiful features when he'd asked. Then all of the sudden, her face cracked into the most beautiful smile he he'd ever seen as she held out her hand to him. He took it, aware of the stares the two were attracting from the people around them. Before he could say anything else she starting walking, pulling him by his hand as she guided them through the masses. After getting to a less crowded area she turned to look at him and he took the chance to look at her properly.

Her figure was the definition of beauty. For one mad moment he thought she couldn't be human. There was no way someone as perfect as her could be considered normal or standard. He had seen muggle models but she put each and every one of them to shame. She asked him something in French and as she spoke, Harry noticed her voice was melodious, almost as if there were chimes within her vocal chords.

"I'm sorry, I'm not fluent in French," he said apologetically, cursing himself inwardly for never learning it. She easily switched to a heavily accented version of English.

"I just wanted to apologize for ze way I walked into you."

He smiled at this. "It's alright, I wasn't watching where I was going either."

She laughed making his heart skip a few beats. Dammit how can she have such an effect on me?

"Well zen we are both at fault non? My name iz Fleur Delacour. Who iz it zat I 'ave ze pleasure of meeting with?"

He almost gave her a different name, but changed his mind at the last moment, for some reason he had wanted to see what would happen if she didn't know who he really was. But then he realized it would be a stupid move seeing as she only had to look closer at his scar if she had any doubts about who he was.

"Harry, Harry Potter." Her eyes widened and performed the all too familiar movement towards his head. He twitched irritably at the motion, something that was not missed by Fleur, it seemed.

"Iz something ze matter 'Arry?" He immediately loved the way she'd butchered his name. It was so...alluring.

"No, I mean...uh..." Her smile seemed to grow at the way he was stammering.

"What is eet?" Oh god this woman was doing this on purpose. That accent was making him light headed. He forced himself to look at her and was surprised when he saw curiosity reflected in her eyes. She seemed to be genuinely concerned.

"The scar..." He muttered finally, averting his eyes. "Gets a little irritating when-"

"Eet's ze first zing people notice about you?" She finished for him, a twinkle in her eyes. His face just have shown his shock because she giggled. "Don't worry...I know what you're dealing wiz. Alzough you're cute enough wizout eet as well if you're wondering."

Judging by the way she burst into peals of laughter and the way his ears were heating up his face must have just taken resemblance to a tomato. Thankfully though she seemed to take pity in him. "You are staying as long as ze match goes I presume?"

"Yeah." He answered before hesitantly asking; "Maybe I'll see you there?"

Her face fell a little at his question. "I'd love to...but I'm in ze top box with ze British Minister of Magic...my fazzer was invited by 'im so..."

"I'm there too!" He exclaimed. " My best friend's dad got tickets for us at the top box!"

"Excellent! I will 'ave you wiz me zen. And...I'm sorry 'Arry, I almost forgot zat I 'ave an errand I need to run so..."

"Oh...yeah, it's alright, I'll see you later then."

"Save me a seat!"

"Will do" Harry replied smiling widely.

He couldn't explain it but he couldn't wait to see her again. He wanted to find out more about her. He couldn't understand it, he had seen plenty of beautiful girls before at Hogwarts, even talked to them but he had never felt such a burning need to talk to them, to know them. Yes she was far more gorgeous than any of them but there was something...different about her. For some reason he knew that she really understood how he felt about his scar.

With a jolt he realized, she hadn't known who he was! Back there, when they'd fallen, she could have easily just gotten up off him, apologized and left! Instead she brought him here, away from prying eyes and made introductions.

That wasn't something that happened normally right? If you bump into another stranger?

Gracing him with a final heart stopping smile she walked away, a slight sway to her hips which he found himself staring at. She looked over her shoulder after a few steps, a rather mischievous expression on her face before waving at him. It was with great mental effort that he managed to get himself to wave back.

"Harry! Who in the world was that?" A loud voice sounded behind him. He turned to find a red faced Ron that was glaring at him.

"I just bumped into her," he said lamely, noticing that Ron was looking at Fleur's retreating figure with a dazed look in his eyes. He shook his head and kept glaring at him, muttering something incomprehensible, and started walking back to their camp while he gave out a long, drawn out sigh before following.

He had noticed that Ron had a little jealousy problem from, especially while at Hogwarts. He remained silent for the whole time until they finally reached their tent. Everyone was chatting, in high spirits about who would be most likely to win the cup.

"It's got to be Ireland, they have the best chasers in the world and their seeker isn't bad either," Charlie said while he ate a chocolate frog. The twins faces cracked into identical, evil grins.

"Care to make a bet then oh wise, elder one?" both of them said simultaneously. Everyone chortled before Bill spoke up.

"I want in on this, what's the bet?" he asked ignoring his father, Percy and Hermione's disapproving looks.

The twins spoke with each other and quickly pooled their money on to the table. "We bet that Ireland wins…" Fred started to which Charlie immediately started protesting, "hold your horses let me finish. We bet that Ireland wins but Krum gets the snitch," he finished winking at Ron whose ears had gone red again.

Bill and Charlie laughed but accepted the bet. Mr Weasley looked torn between deciding whether to stop it or turn a blind eye. Deciding on the latter he got up, stretching. "Alright, we should be making our way to the stands then. There are a few things I want to buy from the vendors before the match."

Everyone cheered and stepped outside to loud singing and laughter. Hermione sidled up next to him holding Ginny's hand and jerked her head towards Ron. "What's the matter with him?"

Harry sighed. "I met someone and he got this way." He didn't want to say anything more in case she wasn't really at the top box, in which case he'd just make a fool of himself. Hermione nodded before they walked on and soon they came up to a number of carts all laden with merchandise consisting of posters, figures and other strange looking instruments. There was even a Quidditch supplies store where a Firebolt was on display and he gazed at it proudly with a rush of affection for his godfather who had sent it to him last year. Everyone dispersed and he walked up to the cart with the strange instruments. They actually looked a little like binoculars. The shopkeeper smiled at him when he walked up.

"What are these?" he asked.

"These sir, are omnoculars. They allow you to zoom in and out, focus on different parts of the game at once. It even has a play-by-play function."

"How much?"

"10 galleons each, but I can reduce it to 7," the man replied, his eyes twinkling.

"3 pairs," he said firmly and handed over his money, taking the omnoculars. He went to find Ron and Hermione and found that they were huddled around a cart with bright green and red rosettes along with programs and moving figures of the players. Ron had already bought a moving figure of Krum who was scowling up at him from his hand while Hermione had some programs in her arms.

"Here, early Christmas presents," he said brightly, giving each of them a pair.

"Thanks Harry!" Hermione squealed while Ron grinned broadly. "Yeah, thanks mate"

Fred and George came up behind them. Neither had anything as they had bet all of their money along with Bill and Charlie. Mr Weasley and Percy however were wearing bright green rosettes.

"Alright then, off we go," Mr Weasley said, his voice laced with excitement. They walked on with a large group of people who were shouting in loud voices; Harry kept fingering his wand for comfort, feeling gazes on him as he walked. He hated having people stare at him because of the fact that he was the boy who lived. Nobody stopped to look past that except his friends. They found a Ministry official outside the large stadium, inspecting tickets. He spotted Mr Weasley and beckoned him over, tearing their tickets and handing them the stubs.

"Top box Arthur, as high up as you can go," he said. They climbed up the wooden staircase and he was amazed at the sheer size of it. It was easily the length of a few football fields and each and every corner of it was packed with people. The sounds of singing and screaming were almost deafening. As soon as they reached the top they found it was stretched out and Harry immediately recognized Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, along with another exotic looking wizard. Percy bowed low when he saw the Minister causing his glasses to slip off and crack. With a death glare at Harry, who the Minister greeted like a nephew, he sat down at the far right corner along with the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione, who were trying hard not to laugh.

"Harry my boy, this is the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, Mr Ivane…Iven…oh, something." He saw that the Bulgarian Minister was staring at him openly. As soon as his eyes found his scar he started jabbering excitedly in a foreign language.

"Well, at least that's effective" Fudge said grinning before he sat down.

Just then a group of people came from behind them and he felt his heart skip a couple of beats when he recognized the silver haired witch. Her eyes met his and he moved towards her, away from Fudge to let the man who he presumed was Fleur's father greet the Minister.

"'Arry! Viens, zere iz a person I'd like you to meet," she said, smiling her beautiful smile at him which made him feel strangely light headed and pulled a miniature version of herself in front of her from where she was hiding. "Zis iz my sister, Gabrielle. She 'az been dying to meet you for a long time now."

He grinned at the little girl, who blushed furiously when he offered her his hand which she took slowly. "Hi," he said softly making her giggle and run to a rather tall, breathtakingly beautiful woman with the same hair and eyes as Fleur. The woman's eyes fell on him and smiled graciously, shaking his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you mister 'Arry Potter, I am Apolline Delacour," she said in a soft voice, her eyes shifting for a fraction of a second to his scar.

"You too Mrs Delacour," he said nervously when the tall, brown haired man walked up to him ,smiling slightly and grasping his hand. He introduced himself as Dominique Delacour. He turned around to find his seat next to Hermione and shifted uncomfortably when he found all of the Weasleys staring open-mouthed at Fleur and her mother. It was then that he realized that even Fudge and the Bulgarian Minister were looking at them with slightly dazed looks on their faces.

Ignoring the Weasleys looks of jealousy, particularly from Ron, Harry sat down next to Hermione, who hurriedly leaned into him.

"Harry, that's a veela," she whispered urgently at him while Fred and George whistled quietly and gave him a thumbs up, causing him to blush. Fleur came up and sat right next to him with her sister sitting on her left.

"I zink you and your friends go to 'Ogwarts?" she asked.

"Yeah, which school do you go to?" he asked her curiously.

"Beauxbatons….eet's in France," she added seeing his blank expression. They talked on happily while waiting for the people to fill into the seats.

He was amazed at how easily he could talk to her, even though he had met her only a few hours ago. He was a little disappointed when he found she was 2 years older than him but immediately pushed it out of his mind. Soon a blonde haired wizard walked in wearing brightly colored robes and sat behind a speaker's podium.

"Are you ready Minister?" he asked.

"Ready when you are Ludo," Fudge said comfortably.

Immediately the blonde wizard spoke into his wand, and his voice sounded as if it were coming out of a microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome! To the 422nd Quidditch World Cup!" His words were met with an explosion of cheering and Harry could see about a dozen omnoculars flashing in their direction. "Join me in welcoming the Irish team! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Connolly! Quigley! Ryan! Annnnnd Lynch!" He yelled as seven green blurs shot out from the ground into the sky. Green fireworks erupted around them, giving a spectacular show. Harry heard Gabrielle squeal in delight as a flashing Leprechaun formed and started dancing.

Harry used his omnioculars and trained them onto Lynch who he found was a short, leniently built man with a moustache. He zoomed in further to see the golden lettering 'Firebolt' written on his broom.

Bagman began to announce the opposing side. "Now, let's give a big hand and welcome the Bulgarian team! Ivanova! Dimitrov! Levski! Volkov! Vulchanov! Zograf! Annnnnd Krum!" The screams got louder at the mention of Krum as seven red blurs shot out. Harry hurriedly trained his omnoculars on Krum to find him exactly the way he was in the miniature figure of himself that Ron had. Suddenly the crowd started yelling and whistling when a large group of silver haired cheerleaders walked onto the field wearing scarlet outfits. Music suddenly began and they started dancing, making the crowd go wild. Harry noticed that Fleur stiffened at the sight of them, just like her mother who was watching with an expression of distaste. He was suddenly aware that the Weasleys were all standing along with everyone else in the top box, craning to get a better look at them.

"Honestly!" Hermione said as she tried to pull down Ron, who was goggling at them through his omnioculars. Only Harry, Hermione, Fleur and her family along with Mr. Weasley were seated and Harry saw Fleur and her mother looking at him in surprise. He gave Fleur a questioning look and she shook her head before turning back towards the pitch.

Soon they stopped dancing to the angry roars of the crowd and Bagman sat back down.

"The referee for this match is Hassan Mostafa," he told the crowd, and Harry saw a short, bald man walk onto the field with his arm around a huge crate. He set it down on the floor and looked around before mounting his broom.

"Let the match begin!" Bagman screamed to the roar of the crowd and Mostafa kicked open the crate and immediately the two bludgers pelted out while the red Quaffle rose vertically. Harry also caught sight of a golden speck in the distance before it disappeared. The game was the fastest he had ever seen and the Irish chasers were far superior to the Bulgarian ones. They handled the Quaffle between them so fast that Bagman only had enough time to say their names.

The game progressed on until the score was 130-10 with Ireland in the lead. As the Irish chasers increased their score, suddenly Krum went into a spectacular dive followed closely by Lynch, but pulled up at the last second, causing Lynch to crash as he pulled away with the golden snitch in his hand. The stadium went quiet until a roar slowly grew and the Irish supporters were yelling themselves hoarse as the scoreboard displayed 170-160. The twins cheered loudly and Harry heard the loud groans coming from Bill and Charlie. Fleur laughed and cheered along with everyone and soon the two teams were standing in front of them while Fudge presented the gleaming silver cup to the captain of the Irish team.

"Everyone give it up for the winners of the World Cup; Ireland!" Bagman yelled to the deafening roars that were sounding throughout the stadium.

After the round of excitement (and a big hand to the Bulgarian team, Krum in particular) the crowd started filing out.

Outside Fleur pulled him aside, away from the others. "I will zee you tomorrow before we go back, I 'ope?".

"I'll find you." He answered with a smile before flushing a deep red when she pecked his cheek. "Bye Gabrielle," he added a tad quickly, forcing his eyes away from the elder of the two sisters, looking at the little girl who was now snuggled up in her father's arms. She waved shyly before hiding her face making them chuckle.

After saying his goodbyes to the French family Harry went to join the Weasleys, who were waiting for him a short distance away.

"Great catch Harry," Fred said in admiration while the rest of them looked towards Fleur's retreating figure wistfully. Ron was avoiding his eye while Mr Weasley was smiling at him with a twinkle in his eye.

"She's just a friend." He mumbled, looking anywhere but at them. The tree at the furthest corner suddenly became extremely interesting.

"You got it bad..." Mr. Weasley chuckled, "And unless I'm extremely mistaken, so does she." The rest of the Weaselys roared with laughter as his blush deepened two fold. There was no way that could ever happen. "Veela...I both envy and pity you Harry. You're in so much trouble."

He carefully looked away, noticing that Ron looked to be in a foul mood once again. They turned away and started walking in the direction of their tent while the twins gloated about the money they had won, much to Bill and Charlie's displeasure. Back at the tent they had a cup of hot chocolate and soon started talking about the impressive plays used by the Irish chasers.

Ginny fell asleep on the table after a few more hours of endless Quidditch talk and Mr Weasley announced that it was time they all went to bed. Harry climbed onto his bed, ignoring Ron, who still hadn't said a word to him, and stared at the blank canvas above him. He felt himself go red again as he remembered the beautiful sapphire pair of eyes that had rested on him, and slowly drifted off to sleep , his dreams were centered on a certain silver haired witch.

All too suddenly he was shaken awake by a worried Mr Weasley.

"Harry! Wake up. Something's gone wrong."

He heard screams and maniacal laughter in the background and suddenly a fire erupted just outside their tent, accompanied by a loud bang. It took only a few seconds before everything sunk in. It also helped that someone from outside screamed even louder and a green flash illuminated the tent.

Sleepiness forgotten he immediately pulled on his glasses and picked up his wand, running outside with Mr Weasley to where everyone was assembled. Farther away he could see a group of people wearing masks and dark robes , marching in their direction laughing and blasting aside tents, firing curses at people.

"Fred! George! Take Ginny and run into the forest. Stay there until everything is sorted out. Harry, Ron, Hermione, go with them as well. We will come to get you," Mr Weasley cried, pulling out his wand and running to a group of Ministry wizards who were angrily shouting and pulling out their wands. Bill, Charlie and Percy took off after him and Fred, George and Ginny broke into a run towards the trees. Hermione gripped Harry's and Ron's hands and pulled them after Fred and George as they were violently jostled by the panicking people around them, all who were intent on getting away from the campsite and the screaming hordes of masked figures.

Hermione screamed something incomprehensible. Harry felt her grip on his hand loosen as he lost sight of them in the crowd. Gritting his teeth he allowed himself to be pushed along with the crowd away from the campsite and looked around. He could find no trace of the Weasleys and Hermione. He held out his wand and trudged on, following the crowd running into the forest.

"Lumos" he muttered, lighting his wand as he walked on, hoping to find the others. Loud screams suddenly tore through the air and Harry heard a muffled yell coming from his side. He immediately ran in the direction of the screams to find 5 cloaked figures huddled around two people. They were laughing, one of them holding a wand tauntingly over them.

His voice grew into a snarl when he realized the two people on the ground were none other than Fleur and her sister. Fleur was holding onto Gabrielle, who was openly crying. Her blouse was ripped and one of the men was trying to completely rip it off.

"Stupefy!" he yelled, forgetting about everything else as he pointed his wand at the man next to Fleur who immediately toppled over. The other four started firing curses at him which he dodged before pointing his wand and yelling "Expelliarmus" causing one of them to be thrown backwards. They hit the tree with a sickening crunch as the other's wand flew out of his hand.

Suddenly Fleur screamed when he felt something hit his head, his legs gave out from under him as he staggered, his vision swimming as he reeled back. One of the brutes holding a rod dripping with blood. He brought his hand gingerly to the back of his head, meeting a slight wetness that hadn't been there before.

The remaining men were laughing as he fell to his knees. His eyes couldn't focus on anything as he desperately tried to see where Fleur and Gabrielle were. He glanced back at the man who walked up to him, still holding the rod as he took a fistful of his hair.

"That's what you get for trying to save damsels in distress." The man said with a smirk, forcing his head up so that their eyes. "This is not a fairy tale boy."

"I guess you're not the band of ugly orcs then?" he rasped.

"Oh...the brat still has some fight left in him?" The man next to Fleur walked up to him and he looked up to see a disturbing smirk on the man's face. "Been awhile since I've done this. Crucio."

Pain. Agonizing pain tore through him. He couldn't stop the strangled yell that escaped his lips as the man slowly moved his wand steadily upwards making him feel like his chest was being ripped apart.

Just when he was beginning to wonder when he was going to die the pain stopped. The man holding the rod dropped like a wooden doll and he could just make out Fleur, who had somehow acquired her wand, turning it on the man who was looking around wildly with panic as she blasted him away in a flash of white, her face contorted in fury.

The last thing he saw were two blurred shapes hovering over him as he couldn't hold on any longer and slipped into the darkness that covered him.

Harry opened his eyes slowly and a blinding headache immediately took over eliciting a sharp cry from him. Almost as soon as it had come though he felt a cool hand over his forehead, his head ache fading away into nothingness.

It took some time before he could get his eyes to work properly though. But once they'd adjusted they focused on a pair of blue eyes which elicited a rather dorky smile from him.

The person to whom they belonged to immediately threw her arms around him and pulled him into an embrace. He felt a tickle when she place her lips on his ear.

"Merci," she whispered.

He heard more footsteps and he realized he was lying on a bed in a rather large tent. His eyes caught sight of Hermione, who ran at him and pulled him into a hug as soon as Fleur let go. Mr Weasley came up behind her and Harry could see his face was pale.

"How are you feeling?" Mr Weasley asked tentatively. Harry grimaced.

"Like someone beat my head with a bludger." The Weasleys faces cracked into smiles and Harry felt some of the tension vanish. Dominique walked into the room closely followed by his wife, a grateful look on his face.

"Thank you Mr. Potter." He said gravelly. "You have no idea just how indebted to you we are."

Not knowing how to reply to that he smiled uncomfortably at him, something which the man seemed to notice because he reached forward and gently ruffled his hair. "They're all sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban for their crimes of attempted rape and for the use of the Cruciatus curse on a fellow human being." Hermione and the Weasleys gasped, apparently they hadn't known Harry was subjected to the Cruciatus curse.

"Are you sure you're alright Harry?" Bill asked in a low voice.

"Only a little sore, otherwise I'm fine." He suddenly jerked involuntarily as a spasm of pain tore through him which wasn't gone unnoticed by anyone.

"It's the after effects of the cursed scar it left behind...I'm sorry but I cannot remove it." Dominique said looking at him worriedly to which he merely shrugged. Scars were something he was quite used to by now. What was one more?

"Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked softly. "If you're up to it we need to leave. The portkey is scheduled to go in half an hour...the Ministry are sealing off this entire area." Mr. Weasley said gently.

Before he could say anything Dominique stepped in; "If you'd don't mind monsieur, we could take care of him here?" he asked, looking at Mr. Weasley. "Its the least we could do...and I can assure you that our very best are here for protection."

Harry couldn't help but notice how hopeful Fleur looked when her father said this.

"Well...I don't know." Mr. Weasley muttered, "The thing is that my wife's back home since she refused to come and is now probably worried sick about us. Him in particular. I really don't know if I'll be able to convince her he's alright, given how far and wide news can travel."

With a pang he realized the truth behind Mr. Weasley's words. He really shouldn't worry Mrs. Weasley anymore and besides, he didn't really want to impose on Fleur's family no matter how much he wanted to spend more time with her.

Besides, he wasn't going to accomplish anything by doing so.

"No, Mr. Weasley's right Mr. Delacour and I don't want to cause trouble..."

"Its no trouble at all Harry." He said with a smile while his wife nodded. "But I understand...do you think you can get up?"

Harry nodded and groaned a little when he pushed himself up, feeling a wave of nausea come over him. He felt someone move quickly to his side, holding him steady, an arm looping through his. He sat up unsteadily and took a moment to steady himself, realizing that it was Fleur beside him.

"Wait...the Ministry's closing off this place? Why? What happened last night?" he asked, trying to make sense of the jumbled memories in his head. He couldn't remember anything clearly.

"We'll fill you in later Harry, but right now we need to go," Mr Weasley said with a worried look at Dominique, who nodded at him.

He nodded and stood up, swaying slightly as Fleur helped him steady himself with a tender expression on her face. She let him go though when Apolline pulled him into her warm embrace which surprised him momentarily.

It felt strange really...maybe it was just the fact that his head was not in the right place, but he couldn't ever remember getting the sort of feeling he was getting now being hugged by this woman.

"We are forever in debt to you 'Arry," she said in a muffled voice, kissing his brow before releasing him back to Fleur.

It was then that he realized with a sharp pang of disappointment that he probably wouldn't see Fleur again. He turned to her just before he stepped outside, unsure of what to say to her.

What could he say to her? Trust his luck to find someone he actually wanted to get to know only for it to be someone not only older than him, but lives in a completely different country.

"Fleur..." He was silenced when she pulled him into a hug before kissing his cheek, lingering for a moment and making his face warm up. He noticed Dominique and Apolline were smiling slightly when she pulled away from him, her face slightly pink.

"I will write to you 'Arry," she said quietly. "We will be seeing each uzzer again soon."

He opened his mouth in confusion but she shook her head putting a finger to his lips. He nodded and after getting a hug from Gabrielle and a final wave at the Delacours he joined the Weasleys and Hermione. Mr Weasley immediately put an arm around him and helped him walk.

They met with a Ministry official who immediately let them through a large line when he recognized Harry. They were immediately given a portkey and after the brief uncomfortable sensation that followed they found themselves right in front of the Burrow with Mrs Weasley standing outside.

He immediately felt his head spin when their feet slammed onto the ground but Bill and Charlie helped him stand while Mrs Weasley started fussing over him, checking him for any injuries. It was only after some time that they managed to convince her that he was fine.

While they were making their way back to the house he noticed a paper lying on the ground with a large picture of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth with the headline The Dark Mark as seen on the night of the Quidditch World Cup.

"What happened yesterday?" he asked looking at Ron and Hermione.

"Later Harry, we'll fill you in once you've had your rest," Hermione said while Ron nodded in agreement.

Harry tried to protest he was herded into Ron's room and before long he was put in bed.

It did not take long before he felt his eyes shut slowly and soon his dreams were once again focused back on a silver haired witch.

AN: I started writing this about a day ago after I had finished almost all the HarryxFleur stories I could find and due to the frustration of seeing every single one of the ones that I liked being abandoned I went on ahead and wrote my own. This will be a Harry/Fleur pairing only, no one else will join them.

Also, this should be treated as an AU story. I will be sticking to canon events for the 4th year since the Triwizard tournament is one of the only highlights of the whole series.

I was a rather naive idiot with little experience in writing, love, life etc. Not saying I'm any better now, but I am a bit more...bearable. Therefore..the story gets bearable later.

Anyway, this story is primarily one long piece of fluff. If that is not what you're looking for, ask yourself why you clicked on a story with the tags 'Romance' and 'Hurt/comfort' before leaving.

IMPORTANT ; THIS STORY IS COMPLETELY AU. Stuff that happened in canon, forget it. Harry's past is different. Only constants are the major events in the first three books. I'm not playing to the 'rules' in the original HP verse.

That's it then, hope to see you in my future chapters. Got freshly baked cookies waiting for you there.