How to get the girl?

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."

-Plato

Warning: contains torture.

"Hiya again, Drakey" I said merrily as I shoved a bound and gagged malfoy into an abandoned classroom down in the dungeon. It was a pretty small class room. I wove an intrinsic network of privacy charms over the door.

You would not believe how easy it was for me to 'kidnap' the moron.

The little coward was so afraid of me that he didn't even leave the common hall during weekends. He just shut himself in his room. All it took was my cloak and a stunning spell.

He made frantic movements to escape from the bonds.

"Draco, dear. I really really don't want to break your bones. But if you insist on it…" I trailed off.

He stopped struggling and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Now, I am going to ask you a favor. And you'll do that for me" I commanded softly.

He nodded frantically.

"Good boy" I untied the gag from his mouth.

"Pl-Please-" He started begging but I placed a finger on his lips to silence him.

"Tsk, tsk.. I don't believe I gave you permission to speak, Drake" I smiled sadistically and he paled.

"I'm sorry" he apologized quickly.

I wasn't going to torture the idiot. No, the torturing part was over. But he doesn't know that. The fear of the pain has greater effect than pain itself.

"Tell daddy Lucy to come to Hog's head for a meeting tomorrow. Don't mention my name. I don't care what lies you have to feed him, he must be there. Savvy?"

He nodded his head fearfully.

"You really aren't what zey zink you are, 'Arry" A sweet voice mused.

There was only one person in the castle with that accent who could bypass my wards.

"Bonjour, Fleur" I greeted her without turning around.

Malfoy looked relieved at the appearance of Fleur.

"Bounjour, 'Arry. You really have, what is ze zing, oui, scared ze pants off 'im, 'aven't you?" She whispered as she peered at Malfoy over my shoulders. Her hair tickled my ears.

"Fleur, I am in the middle of threatening his life"

Malfoy looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Oh, Carry on" She said amusedly.

"You aren't going to give me a lecture me on humanity?"

"Zat would make me a 'ypocrite, 'Arry" She chided.

'oh'

Whereas a normal person would be scared, I was fascinated.

'Ooooh, she can do torture too'

All hope had left malfoy's eyes by now.

'Stupify'

I may have over powered the spell, but hey, this guy wanted to be my arch enemy.

"So Flow- I mean, Fleur, to what do I owe you the pleasure of your sweet presence?" I asked in an overly humble tone.

"Cute, 'Arry. But I 'ave seen ze bad boy technique many times before," She shook her head amusedly.

"You have had people coming on to you just after they finished torturing someone?" I asked incredulously.

"You were scaring 'im, not torturing." She pointed out.

"You didn't answer my question"

"Oui, one conchon asked me out right after he killed someone in front of me" she shrugged as if it was nothing, but her eyes told another story.

'Weak willed fools'

"And what did you do?"

"I kicked 'im where eet hurts ze most" She replied in a haughty manner.

I involuntarily took a step back and she noticed it. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"So, I need to try harder if I am to woo you" I mused.

"You really shouldn't, 'Arry" Fleur said softly.

"That's exactly why I want to" I said quickly.

"Because I am unattainable?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

'Ooh, that's a trap. Don't answer it'

"No, I want you, because I have to. "

"Zat is not a clear answer" She arched an eyebrow.

'Holy smokes, that's beuuuuuutiful'

'Rile her up more!'

"I know, you'll understand when I sweep you off your feet" I flashed a boyish grin. Her lips twitched.

"You really should stay away, 'Arry" She said, this time there was no mistaking the concern in her voice.

"I was never one for the rules, Fleur"

"Somehow I get ze feeling zat you know what you are in for, 'Arry. So eizzer you are incredibly stupid or don't care about ze consequences at all"

"Why can't I be both?" I asked smugly. I was being infuriating on purpose. For all her training, she fell for the oldest trick in the book. Her eyes were sparkling with fury, lips twitching, cheeks reddening. It was mesmerizing.

"You, I'll argh….. 'ow is eet zat you are able to make me zis angry so easily?" She asked furiously.

"I'll tell you if you kiss me now" I smiled smugly.

She stamped her foot in anger.

"I'll see you later, 'Arry Potter" She huffed as she left. Her waist length silvery hair fanned out in the air as she walked away.

A tornado, I realized.

Fleur Delacour resembled a tornado in many aspects.

She is fierce, rough, powerful and unpredictable. She barged in on my life without any warning and swept me off my feet. I never even stood a chance.

Yet inside all that turbulence, lays a calm quiet Fleur.

Just like the eye of a tornado, very few have seen the real Fleur. I saw it, and that was the end of me.

I wanted her.

The concept of reverse psychology is very simple. You tell someone they can't do something, and they'll do it, just to prove you wrong.

Men call it playing hard to get.

What do women call it?

How can I know? Ask them.

I have no idea what she want me to do.

Does she want me to pursue her?

Or did she warn me to stay away from her because she actually is afraid for me?

Even if she did want me to pursue her, is it because she wants to or because Apoline had forced her to do so?

Or is she the master mind?

I know the best thing for me is to stay away from her, yet I can't.

Is this how Cedric feels? Is this what feels to be an adrenaline junkie? Is this what seeking danger out feels like?

Of course, my treacherous brain had to sing 'as long as you love me' over and over again as I tried to see the reason, the logic.

If your name is Harry-effing-bleeding-Potter, you are fate's favorite bitch.

"Good night, Drakey poo"

I left the room leaving an unconscious Draco behind.

"So?" the twins asked as soon as I entered the room.

"So what?"

"You are alive" Fred pointed out..

Fred looked confused so as to why I was still alive.

"So?"

"You met her down in the dungeons" George added.

They had the map, I had asked them to watch out for potential spies within the castle. They must have seen my meeting with her on the map.

"So?"

"She slipped you a paper yesterday" George said, eying towards Cedric.

"You are alive" Fred said, again.

"She didn't kill you" George poked me, making sure that I was not dead.

"So?"

"Why didn't you run away from her?"

"Oh, ho." Fred exclaimed.

"What is it, Freddie?" George asked curiously.

"Ickle Harry likes Fleur"

"Duh, He kissed her" George smacked Fred's head.

"No, he really, really, like like her" he was almost bursting with giddiness.

"So?" I asked again.

"She's a Delacour" They all shouted simultaneously.

"So?"

"Will you stop it?" The twins yelled, annoyed.

"Stop what?" I asked innocently.

"This " They gestured all of me.

"You want me to stop being me" I deadpanned.

"Yes" George replied, annoyed. Apparently they didn't like when somebody do this to them.

"Why?" I asked innocently.

"Oh, leave him, you fools. He probably has it all planned out" Cedric said bemusedly.

'Why can't I have a bit of fun?'

"Just be careful, Harry" He added seriously.

This was why I like Ced. He doesn't like the Delacours, but he will stand beside me. He knows I can take care of myself.

"I will. " I said solemnly as I stood up.

"Minions"

"Yes, Milord?" Fred replied, hopefully.

"Exactly how many of Erumpent horns would one need to prepare a bomb with twelve meter radius?"

"Hypothetically, Milord?"

"Obviously"

"Three. Though if one were to create something like that, they would need at least three weeks to do so, we are speaking, of course, hypothetically."

"Then I have a suspicion that you two are going to have a busy three weeks" I mused.

"Your all seeing eyes are never wrong, milord" they chimed.

"Now, rise and wreak havoc in my absence. Let the castle be swallowed by chaos. I shall need some time to do some, er, royal things. You shall keep the peasants distracted."

I let out an evil laugh.

It was a Hogsmeade weekend, so it was the perfect opportunity to sneak off. A notice me not charm and disillusionment charm was all that it took for us to get away from the horde of fan girls.

I saw a Lucius Malfoy entering the Hog's head, wearing look of absolute disgust on his face.

"Follow me" I whispered to a disillusioned Cedric. He tapped my shoulder to acknowledge me.

"Lucius Malfoy"

"Potter, what are you doing here?"

"That I shall answer in private." I used an ice cold tone.

"And why should I oblige you?"

He thinks that I am a naive kid.

"Do I have to threaten you in front of all of Hogsmeade?" I asked softly.

"What makes you think that you can get away with anything?"

Honestly, I thought papa Lucy had better skill set than his son. Terrible poker face I have ever seen.

"Former death eater attacking Boy-Who-Lived? Come on, Lucy. Save the banter for the private meeting. Follow me."

I walked in front of him to make him think that I was an amateur. I could almost see his sneer, scoffing at my naivety. I opened the door and gestured him to enter.

The room was disgusting. His immaculate robes clashed horribly with the dusty and dirty room. It smelt as if something had died, and judging by the black stain on the floor something probably had.

"You must be wondering why I summoned you here today" I said softly.

"Summoned me?" He sneered.

"Of course, who did you expected to meet? Voldemort?"

"Don't say his name" Malfoy hissed angrily but at that precise moment Cedric shimmered back into view with his wand tip pressed firmly against Malfoy's left temple.

"What? Did you think I was foolish enough to meet a death eater alone?" I let out a dry chuckle.

"I was imperiused" He replied almost reflexively. Cedric snorted.

"Cut the crap, Lucy. Let's talk business"

I conjured an elegant chair out of thin air and sat on in imperiously. Cedric shuffled so that he was right behind Malfoy and had his wand pressed on Malfoy's base of skull.

"What would Dumbledore do when he learns that his golden boy threatened a noble pureblood lord?" Lucius asked, trying to find my weak points. His eyes were cold and calculating.

"I wouldn't know. But you needn't worry about that. You should be worried for your family, Lucius"

There it was. My ace card .His face betrayed him for a second. A flash of anger and terror. When I had legilmenced Draco I found out that Malfoys rivaled Weasley's in terms of family loyalty. Papa Lucy's fatal flaw was his love towards his family.

"You haven't grown enough to threaten me, boy" He spat, his face contorting.

"Oh, you misunderstood me, Lucius. I am not the one the one threatening your family. Your so called dark lord will be the one to finish them."

"What kind of blasphemy is this, Potter?"

Time to tie the noose.

"Tell me, what do you know of the diary you gave to the Weasley girl?"

He let out a hollow laugh.

"Oh, you think you can blackmail me. Is that what is about? Revenge for the blood traitors?"

It was my turn I laugh. And I saw that he was unnerved by my lack of concerns for the Weasley clan. Cedric looked like he wanted to say something, but I gave him a sharp look to let him know that we were going to finish this my way.

"You are underestimating me, Lucy. That diary was a way to ensure Voldemorts immortality. And when he returns I am pretty sure that he won't be pleased to know of its fate. You see, I destroyed it," I paused to watch his rapidly paling face.

"Of course, he won't kill you. He needs you for your resources. But can the same be said for dear Narcissa or Draco? You know that his wrath can only be quenched by blood of a Malfoy. And now you know about the existence of his anchors to life too. Many lives were torn apart to create and hide his anchors. I wonder what he will do when he realizes that you know of their existence and purpose." I mused. Malfoy's emotions were running so high that he was projecting his desperation past his occlumency shields. My legilimency scan easily slipped pass through that crack. I slowly nudged his mind to replay the times a family was tortured in front of him.

I saw Voldemort standing in an elegent room, surrounded by masked death eaters.

"Watch, Alastor. Watch as I kill your daughter, your wife, your son and his wife. Watch as they die. Watch, for this is a message, a lesson for those who oppose the revolution. This is what happens to those who dare defy me. "

A muffled voice came from behind me. I turned around to see the source.

It was Alastor Moody.

I was seeing Voldemort torturing Moody. I watched the scene through Malfoy's eyes, feeling what he felt.

The maniacal laughter of Bellatrix Lestrange broke the silence that followed Voldemort's words.

She skipped towards Moody's daughter and produced a silver knife from her left pocket. Voldemorts smiled bemusedly as he watched Bellatrix cut a vein on Moody's daughter' neck. The girl looked only eighteen. Her eyes were filled with fear, her lips quivering. She was naked, as was her entire family. A horde of Death eaters were eyeing her lecherously. I felt Lucius's lust. Moody was missing a leg. His left eye was bleeding profusely. His right eye was watered up.

I saw him struggling to escape from the bonds, trying to save his daughter.

Voldemort laughed as he watched moody's fruitless attempt. A cold, cruel and lifeless sound.

"This is your punishment Alastor. You shall spend the rest of your life in the dungeons, reliving this day. Cursing the moment you chose to oppose me."

He waved some death eaters over.

Alastor let out a howl as he saw his son and wife being used in front of his eyes. Malfoy had his death eater mask on as he approached Moody's daughter in law.

Like blood thirsty hyenas they ripped apart the family in front of Moody's eyes.

I suppressed my anger. This bastard had done numerous crimes, yet he walked free.

'Not yet, his time will come soon'

I nudged his brain to substitute the image of Moody's wife with Narcissa's face. I showed him Draco's face whenever he looked at Moody's son.

"Save me, Father" Draco was crying when a werewolf ripped his left arm off.

"Help me, Lucius" Narcissa cried as a masked death eater started disrobing.

Malfoy shuddered. Obviously the fucking asshole wasn't able to deal with that.

'Oh, the special tortures I have planned for you' My inner demon was snarling.

"He'll forgive me" He sounded hopeful. He hadn't noticed my passive nudge with legilimency.

"What have you done for him, Lucius? You hid behind the lies you created. You never searched for him but chose to livve in luxury, claimimg thatt you were imperioused by him. I doubt he'll forgive you. Moreover do you think he'll let you live once he realizes that you hold the key to his demise? Even if he does forgive you, what about your family? Will he be lenient? What do you think, Cedric?"

"Oh, personally I am hoping for blood and death. Let the bastard get what he deserves"

Cedric shrugged as he lowered his wand, his voice dripping with contempt.

"What do you want? I doubt you came here to offer your help" Malfoy tried to sneer, but failed to deliver. His eyes revealed his vulnerable state.

"Now we are talking, let's get down to business, Shall we?" I rubbed my hands together excitedly.

'You have no idea what you just signed up for Lucius'

"So, how's the life of a champion? " Hagrid asked cheerfully.

He was making breakfast for me. For the life of me I can't figure out why I agreed to eat something made by him. The stain on the pot looked oddly like dried unicorn blood.

"It's interesting" I shrugged. "Say, what happened with you and Maxime? I never got the chance to ask"

He snorted.

"Nothin', she wanted sommone with big bones fer her, not a half giant" He said bitterly as he slammed the kettle on the table.

Okay, that was not a good topic.

"So, what's happening with your class? I heard Hermione saying that you got some new species" I said with fake enthusiasm. As much as I love Hagrid, I can't say the love extends towards his pets. Fluffy, Norbert, Aragog. I think it's reasonable for me to say that one way or another his pets always lands me in trouble.

"Yeah. Yeh'll love them. Blast ended skrewts. Come here, Harry" He motioned me to come over. He was holding a big wooden box containing the most disgusting things I have ever seen. The 'skrewts' looked like a cross between crab and a scorpion. Every now and then they would emit some spark and propel some inches forward. They were only six inches in length.

For now.

"Yeah, real beauties"

"Told yeh" He said happily. He somehow missed my sarcastic tone and the incredulous look on my face.

"Say, do they have any weaknesses, Hagrid?" I asked, tentatively.

"Can't stand the cold, poor things. Three of 'em died last night 'cause I forgot to put 'em near the fireplace, bless 'em" He sniffed. "Why?"

Oh, I don't know. Because I may need it to save my life when these blasted things try to kill me?

"Just curious" I simply said.

"Ha, Break fast's ready. Would yeh look at that? Yummy" He said merrily as he placed a plate full of something in front of me. It was semi fluid and dark grey in color.

It looked like prison food, except that I am pretty sure that in prison food has better quality.

'I should have eaten from the kitchen'

I picked up a spoon and scooped up some 'gravy' . I shook the spoon to know what I was dealing with.

"Yummy" I grunted as I watched the thick glue like thing defying gravity and still holding on to the spoon.

Hagrid beamed.

I'm back... I know, this is not an update... But I edited the previous chapters, merged some. New chapters will be uploaded soooon.

P.S. I need a beta. so, if anyone's interested please PM me