A/N: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her associates. Please support the official release.

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

Located deep within the wilderness of the Pyrenees mountains in Southern France, the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic stood proud, as it had for seven hundred years and counting. The beautiful chateau was beset on all sides by majestic gardens and flowery lawns that had been magically created out of the surrounding mountains. In the middle of the school grounds, a magnificent fountain rose to the skies, spraying water in all directions.

All in all, it looked like something out of a fairytale or a grandiose painting, so surreal in its beauty that it was almost hard to believe it was real. Yes, this was definitely the same school Fleur Delacour had fallen in love with all those years ago, with all of its entrancing elegance. But for some reason, whenever she looked out over the splendid school grounds these days, she did not feel that same love flourish in her chest any longer.

Her time at Beauxbatons had been a great deal of things. It had been beautiful, for sure, and cheerful and bubbly and exciting, but also tough and daunting. Fleur had never really fit in anywhere. She had been naturally blessed with a good study-brain, as she liked to call it, and as such had always done extremely well in school. She had also been relatively mature for her age, and beautiful to boot (no doubt due to her part-Veela heritage), which had never failed to make the other girls jealous of her. And it was due to this jealousy that Fleur Delacour had never really had a lot of friends.

You see, other girls had never been particularly kind nor friendly towards her. Most saw her as competition and regarded her with hostility as they bemoaned the beauty she had that they would never possess. Because of this, Fleur had been forced to adopt a certain persona at a young age, a sort of smokescreen projecting the image of a tough-skinned, ice-cold woman with tons of self-confidence that didn't mind being cast out by the other girls. In reality though, it was nothing but an illusion, a false image she could hide behind, a shield to cover the real, much more vulnerable Fleur.

It had all gotten easier to endure with time, of course. The jealousy of the other girls had branded her an outsider, and Fleur was pretty sure that if her sister, Gabrielle, hadn't been there to comfort her in the times when things got rough, she would have broken down out of loneliness a long time ago. But it had all worked out in the end, somehow.

Despite the situation with the other girls though, Fleur was a natural at most school-related things. She breezed through her classes, picking up many of the subjects with ease and powering through the curriculum in short time. The library had quickly turned into one of her favorite places in the chateau, and she had spent countless hours there, toiling away at new challenges and absorbing new information like a sponge.

Yes, she had learnt so much during her time as a student at Beauxbatons, so so much, and yet… in many ways, she still felt like that same child she had been when she arrived here all those years ago. Completely green and unknowing about the world of magic and those that inhabited it. And now she was in her final year, heading towards graduation and the end of her world as she knew it. It was a daunting feeling, knowing that everything you'd grown so accustomed to was coming to an end in just a couple of months' time. And yet, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement as well. FINALLY, she would be let loose into the real world, free to forge her own path and carve out her own destiny. No more jealous girls holding her back, no more self-doubt or loneliness. She would surround herself with friends and family, and throw herself into her work. It was all going to be perfect.

The only thing that stood between her and that freedom now was the Triwizard Tournament. A final challenge to show that she was ready to tackle the real world, ready to be her own person. Needless to say, she was going to throw everything she had at this concluding trial. Winning the whole thing would not only prove her superiority over the other girls in her Year once and for all, but would also create a lot of positive buzz for her, buzz that could help her out a lot when it came to applying for jobs and such after graduation.

It's been a long and winding road to get here. But now, all that remains is this Tournament. And I'm going to ace it.

The Dining Chamber of Beauxbatons had long been at the very top of Fleur's list of favorite spots in the chateau. The room was tastefully decorated with birch furniture and gothic chandeliers, with big windows adorning the sides, letting the sunlight flow in. Floating in the air above was a choir of Wood Nymphs, serenading the students as they ate. It was a beautiful sight to see, so light and cheerful, that it never failed to brighten Fleur's mood.

Today was not a happy day, though. The Triwizard Tournament was approaching at breakneck speed, and soon enough, she would have to say goodbye to Beauxbatons and the lovely school grounds for the foreseeable future. Needless to say, she was NOT excited to spend the rest of her school year at some grotesque medieval castle in England with no charm or elegance whatsoever.

"Good morning, Fleur. You don't look very happy," Gabrielle, her fourteen-year-old sister, said in fluent French as Fleur sat down at their usual table.

"No, I suppose I don't. I guess the thought of leaving Beauxbatons is finally getting to me," Fleur responded with a sigh, stretching across the table to grab a slice of bread.

"Awww, come on Fleur, you are stronger than that! You are going to destroy this Tournament and you know it," Gabrielle smiled, shaking her head in disagreement. "I can't think of anyone more suited for the task than you."

"I do not doubt my own ability, more so the… conditions surrounding the event. I don't want to spend the majority of my last school year in some depressing stone ruin," Fleur pouted, causing her little sister to laugh.

"Hey now, no need to feel so down about it. I've heard that Hogwarts can be quite charming this time of year!"

"Charming how?"

"Charming in a way only "depressing stone ruins" can be!" Gabrielle winked, causing Fleur to scoff.

"Hah! The only thing that's "charming" about that godforsaken wreck of a castle is its Headmaster. The rest of it is just as gray and lifeless as the inside of a stone casket."

"Those are some harsh words," Gabrielle whistled, spreading some strawberry jam across a piece of toast as she spoke. "Do you really mean that, or are you just saying it because you are in a bad mood?"

"I'm not in a bad mood!" Fleur shot back, immediately realizing her mistake.

"Reeeeally?" Gabrielle droned; an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"… Okay, maybe I am a little prickly today. It's just that… I'm not ready to say goodbye to Beauxbatons yet. I don't want to leave this place behind…"

"Hey, it's okay. I get it, I really do. I love this school just as much as you do, so I understand that this must be really hard for you. But there's no use in whining and complaining about it. That's not going to change anything. It would be a much better use of your time to practice and prepare for the Tournament," Gabrielle noted wisely.

"… Argh, why do you always have to sound so mature and reasonable even though you are several years younger than me?!" Fleur sighed, rubbing her tired eyes with one hand as she spoke. "I'm supposed to be the grown-up here, not you!"

"Well, Maman always said I was the reasonable one," her sister quipped in response, a sly smile covering her face.

"She so totally does not say that!" Fleur laughed, forgetting all about her foul mood for a moment. Gabrielle always had that effect on her. It was simply impossible to be mad around her.

"Hehe… Well, at least I have the courtesy to lock the door to my room when I have boys over," Gabrielle teased, pointing her fork at Fleur.

"Hey, hey, first of all: that was not my fault. I asked him to lock the door before he threw me on the bed, and he told me he had already done so! It's not my fault he lied to me about it!" Fleur responded, feeling the need to defend her honor, which was currently under siege by Gabrielle.

"Yeah right!" her sister laughed, shaking her head. "You're just saying that because you know I can't prove that you're lying!"

"I'm not lying! I swear that's what happened! Oh, and second of all: when have you ever had boys over?" Fleur shot back, smiling devilishly. A small blush spread itself across Gabrielle's cheeks at her words.

"I've been with t-tons of boys, you just don't know about it!"

"Hah, now it's my turn to say "yeah right". You've never had a boyfriend, have you? And the one guy you actually liked, you threw away your chance with because you were too afraid to tell him how you felt!"

"Okay, now you're just being rude," Gabrielle pouted, pretending to be hurt. "I regret ever telling you about my crush on Maximillian."

"Hey now, I'm just joking, okay? I know things didn't work out between you and Maximillian, but… don't worry too much about it, okay? You're only fourteen, there's no need for you to rush into anything yet. Hell, I'm 17 and in my final year here, and I've only ever had one semi-serious relationship!"

"That's just because you have ridiculous standards," Gabrielle countered.

"… Well, yes, maybe… But what else would you have me do? Say yes to every wide-eyed boy who proclaims his love for me? God knows I get enough of those because of our Veela Allure."

The "Allure", as they normally called it, was a special type of magic only found in Veela's that allowed them to mesmerize most members of the opposite gender with little to no effort. A Veela's looks and especially dance is hypnotically seductive to almost all male beings, which causes them to perform foolhardy and impulsive actions to get closer to, and to receive admiration from the Veela. This magic also had a downside of course, and that was that it could be very hard to find a suitable romantic partner who wasn't affected by the Allure. Just like most girls, Veela also wanted their partners to like them because of who they are, and not because of their looks or the Allure.

Being Veela also meant transforming into something akin to a Harpy when angry. A Veela's face would turn into that of a cruel-beaked bird, and long, scaly wings would sprout from their back. The transformation also allowed a Veela to launch fireballs from their hands. The fire didn't hurt Veela though, because they were mostly immune to it.

Fleur and Gabrielle, being only Quarter-Veela, weren't capable of fully transforming into the bird-like creature, but they could get quite far, and throw fireballs of slightly weaker strength than Half or Full-Veela.

"Ahh, true enough. It's hard to find an attractive guy who doesn't get all glassy-eyed and desperate when you talk to him," Gabrielle remarked wistfully, letting out a small sigh before continuing to eat her breakfast.

"Tell me about it," Fleur answered, stuffing her mouth with some toast of her own.

I wonder if Hogwarts will have any handsome boys… I do need a date for the famed Yule Ball after all, and it wouldn't do to show up with some babbling idiot who's completely entranced by the Allure.

"Hey, I just thought of something positive about Hogwarts!" Gabrielle suddenly said, her eyebrows raised in excitement. "You'll get to meet the legendary Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter!"

"Hmmm… I guess that's right. I wonder what he's like," Fleur pondered out loud.

"Aww, I'm actually kind of jealous now! He's my age you know. Maybe he could be a suitable partner for me?" Gabrielle joked, causing Fleur to scoff.

"Well, whatever he is, I don't particularly care too much about him. He's too young to participate in the Tournament, and so he is of no concern to me."

"You know, you could at least pretend to be interested," Gabrielle lamented. "This IS one of the most famous wizards alive we're talking about here."

"Just because he's famous doesn't mean I automatically need to be interested in him," Fleur shot back, refusing to back down. She could get why people found him interesting, sure. He had single-handedly taken down a powerful Dark Wizard as a newborn child, after all, a feat which was not easily replicated. But since that night, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Harry Potter had seemingly grown up to become just your everyday wizard, going to school and having a normal childhood just like everyone else.

Little did Fleur know that Harry's childhood had been far from normal, but news of the goings-on at Hogwarts hardly ever reached the ears of a Beauxbatons student after all, and so she remained ignorant of his more recent achievements.

"No, I suppose that's true. Still though, unlike most people, you're actually going to get to meet him. That's got to count for something, right?" Gabrielle said before finishing the last of her meal and pushing her plate away from her.

"Maybe. I guess I will have to wait and see what he's like. But don't you have your first lesson soon?" Fleur asked, waving her fork around in circles with one hand as she spoke.

"Yup, I do. So I'll see you later, given that I survive Miss Aurèlie's Transfiguration lesson," her sister answered with a smile before standing up from the table and making her way out of the Dining Chamber. Fleur watched her go with detached interest, her mind racing with a million thoughts. The first Triwizard Tournament to be held in years, and she was going to sign herself up for it. She had so many questions, and equally as many worries. One thing was for sure though: this was not going to be anywhere close to a normal school Year.

Hogwarts Dungeons

Severus Snape was annoyed. Really annoyed. He had been toiling away at this investigation for months now, and only made minimal progress. The other teachers had given up a long time ago, content with letting the accident slide by and hope it didn't happen again. Severus couldn't do that. Something had attacked Hogwarts all those months ago. Something, or as he suspected, someone had killed Blaise Zabini, a member of his House. One of his proud Slytherins.

Such a vile act could not go unpunished. The perpetrator had to be caught. He simply had to. There was no other option. Severus was not going to give up like the others. He would continue this investigation for as long as needed, even if it took him years.

That didn't make his lack of progress any less annoying though. Whoever or whatever had attacked Hogwarts had done a damned good job of cleaning up after themselves. So far, Severus had found virtually zero evidence that could be linked to any student, and his options were growing scarcer by the day. There was precious little left for him to investigate. Precious few avenues left to be explored.

It was obvious that whatever had attacked the school had not been some kind of animal or creature from the Forbidden Forest. Such a thing would have left clues, fragments of material that could be found and traced. No, this perpetrator was something else entirely. A being that could seemingly appear and disappear at will, wreaking havoc as it pleased and leave nothing behind. How was he supposed to find such a creature? It was like trying to trace the exact location a gust of wind originated from. Mind-numbingly frustrating.

But he was not going to give up. He knew he would find something eventually, a tiny shred of evidence that could give him an idea of what or who had committed the act. The only problem was finding it. That first piece of the puzzle.

Until then, he would keep looking. Keep searching. It had to turn up eventually. And when it did, he was going to be there to snatch it up before it had the chance to disappear forever.

Whatever or whoever you are… I will find you. You can be absolutely sure of that. No matter how long it takes, I will find you. All I have to do… is wait.

Hogsmeade

Meanwhile, a couple of miles away, Harry and his friends were walking through the streets of Hogsmeade, taking in the views and the atmosphere of the quaint little village. It was by no means a big place, as remotely positioned and small as it was, but it was the only all-wizarding village in Britain, and the only place you could get a good mug of Butterbeer. It was also the only train station for miles, and as such acted as the go-to location for Hogwarts students looking for a little adventure.

The village itself was nothing special. It consisted of a dozen or so cottages and shops spread out on either side of the main road that cut straight through the middle. The most famous shops included Zonko's Joke Shop, where one could buy all manner of toys and prank products, the Honeydukes Sweets Shop and The Three Broomsticks Inn. Said inn was currently where Harry and his friends were headed, as Luna had decided she wanted a mug of Butterbeer for lunch on this relatively nice Saturday afternoon.

"You know, I've only been here a handful of times, but I gotta say, this is easily the coziest place I've ever been to. Everything is just so… calm," Harry stated casually as their little group of 4 walked down the relatively packed streets of Hogsmeade. "It's almost like it's trapped in time, never changing, never evolving. I bet it looked identical to this even back when my parents were students."

"Pretty much," Hermione agreed, nodding her head sagely. "According to tradition, Hogsmeade was founded over a thousand years ago, around the same time as Hogwarts, by the medieval wizard Hengist of Woodcroft as he was fleeing persecution by Muggles. Over time, it gradually grew into a small community, until it eventually reached its peak around 300 years ago."

"Huh, that's… vaguely interesting, I suppose. It's not surprising that you of all people would know something like that, being the knowledge-addict that you are," Harry remarked drily, earning him an eyeroll from Hermione.

"Hey, you're almost as bad as me, you know. I bet we spend equal amounts of time at the library!"

"Well, that may be true, but unlike you, I don't waste my time reading about villages and boring medieval history. I study magic, in all of its forms," Harry shot back, inwardly noting the slight twitch of Hermione's right eye as he spoke. Uh oh. He would pay for that one later. There would be minimal kissing today.

"History is not boring, it's important! Not that I'd expect you to understand that!"

"Alright, that's enough out of you two," Luna cut in, fixing the both of them with a stern, yet still slightly cloudy, look. "We didn't come here to listen to your domestic disputes, we came here to have a good time and drink some Butterbeer. So simmer down before you attract any more Nargles."

This time, it was their fourth member, Neville, who spoke up.

"Uhm… Luna? W-What do you mean by "Nargles"? I've never h-heard of such a creature."

"Oh, that's not surprising. Many people don't even believe they exist, and the few that do consider them nearly extinct. But both me and my dad believe in them. They are attracted to chaos and disputes, and are mischievous little thieves," she explained, nodding her head enthusiastically all the while.

"Riiiight," Harry mumbled, clearly not convinced that Nargles was actually a thing. Even Hermione looked a little skeptical of Luna's statement, and she was the one who was supposed to know these types of things.

"It's okay if you guys don't believe in them, plenty of people don't. But I know they exist, because they have stolen my shoes a bunch of times."

Harry and Hermione shared a look at Luna's words. They both knew she was being bullied by the other girls in Ravenclaw, the only question was what they were supposed to do with it. It wasn't like the others would stop even if they told them to.

Their little group continued on their journey to The Three Broomsticks, and within a short amount of time, they were standing in front of the door leading in to the old-fashioned building. It was by no means an impressive-looking structure, as archaic and antiquated as it was, but it still carried with it a certain charm that no other shop in Hogsmeade could claim to have.

Pushing open the front door with one hand, Harry stepped back to let the others enter before he followed them in moments after. The inside of the building felt warm and cozy against his skin, a stark contrast to the slightly chilly wind blowing outdoors.

The inn was filled to the brim with students and wizards of all ages, and their little group had to spend a good few minutes trying to find an empty table before they found one they could sit down at.

"It's surprisingly full here today," Harry noted as he looked out over the noisy sea of people in front of him. "Didn't expect there to be so many."

"It's almost a-always like this," Neville responded, nodding his head. "The Three Broomsticks is the m-most popular pub in all of Hogsmeade. It's n-never empty."

"The Butterbeer they serve here is super delicious," Luna added, sending Neville a warm smile which made the poor boy flush a deep shade of crimson.

What was that reaction? … Does Neville fancy Luna or something? Harry absentmindedly thought to himself, before being interrupted by the sound of a female witch walking over to their table.

"Welcome to The Three Broomsticks! What can I get for you four?" the witch asked, looking at the four of them with a mix of slight curiosity before her gaze finally landed on Harry's forehead.

Shit, I forgot to cover it up.

"Ahh, so I see Harry Potter has come to visit my humble establishment. Well, that certainly doesn't happen every day. I'm Madam Rosmerta, the landlady of this here fine pub, and it is my pleasure to serve you today."

The witch (who Harry now knew was Madam Rosmerta) was a curvy sort of woman, fairly attractive with her blonde hair and green eyes. Harry had never actually met her in the flesh before, but he had overheard some of the other boys talking about her, and it seemed that quite a lot of them fancied her. Harry could definitely see why.

"Well, no need for special treatment. I'm just another guest, so please treat me as such. It might surprise you to hear this, but I'm not particularly fond of my fame," Harry answered matter-of-factly, causing Madam Rosmerta to raise an eyebrow and Hermione to sigh.

"… Well, if you insist. Now, what can I get for you?"

"Oh! Four Butterbeers!" Luna chimed in before anyone else had a chance to speak, taking the liberty of ordering for all of them.

"Alright, four… Butterbeers… Will that be all?"

"Yes!"

"Okay then, give me five minutes and I'll be back with your drinks."

Turning around, Madam Rosmerta swiftly left their table without further inquiry, leaving the four of them alone again.

"Uhh… Luna? I was a-actually going to order s-something else," Neville stuttered, looking slightly confused at having his ability to choose for himself taken away from him.

"No you weren't," Luna smiled in reply, causing him to look even more confused.

"Just roll with it," Harry sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. "Luna does this kind of thing every now and again. She doesn't mean to be rude, so just let it go."

"O-Okay then."

"I've never actually had Butterbeer before," Hermione commented, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face and looking around with detached interest. "I've heard it tastes good though."

"Oh, it's the best! You're going to love it!" Luna beamed, apparently very much in love with this foreign drink neither Harry nor Hermione had ever tried.

"According to what I've heard, it tastes like slightly less-sickly butterscotch. Now I've never actually wanted to ingest butterscotch in liquid form before, but maybe this… will…" Harry let his sentence trail off as his eyes locked in on something at the opposite end of the inn.

Right there, only a couple of meters away, sat Draco Malfoy, drinking Butterbeer with some female witch from Slytherin that Harry hadn't bothered to learn the name of. He looked very content, happily chatting along with the witch, exchanging jokes and smiles. Just the sight of it made Harry angry to his core.

How dare he sit there and enjoy himself after doing something like that to Hermione?

Harry could feel the fury rising within him, the ice-cold creature that resided in his mind waking to life at the sight of his second most hated adversary. The creature growled and wheezed, drumming against his chest and consuming his thoughts, demanding to be set free.

The others around the table must have noticed that something was wrong, because they quickly followed Harry's eyes to see what had him so riled up. Once they realized it was Draco he was staring at though, they turned back to Harry with newfound confusion, not really understanding why he was so angry at the boy. Only Hermione truly grasped the situation, and let out a soft gasp as her eyes landed on the blonde haired boy.

"Harry, don't!" she said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. But it was too late. Harry was already on his way up.

"Excuse me, I've got some… business… to attend to," Harry gnarled, his legs already walking towards the Malfoy heir with adamant resolve. Harry was not going to let this opportunity slip by. Draco was going to receive his punishment today.

It didn't take long for Draco to notice the person walking towards him, and Harry couldn't help but smile in satisfaction as he noticed the sudden fear in the boy's eyes. Draco KNEW what was going to happen now.

"W-Well well. If it isn't Potter," he started, his hand already making its way towards the wand in his robe pocket. "Didn't expect to see you and your gaggle of losers here."

"Outside. Now," Harry barked in response, not bothering to entertain the boy's challenge to a verbal sparring. This was going to be a largely physical affair. Words were not enough to satiate his anger.

"And what makes you t-think I'll do as you command?" Draco tried, attempting to put up a brave front despite feeling anything but brave.

"Because I will break your fucking neck right here and now if you don't," Harry snarled, pointing his wand directly at the Malfoy heir's face. The people around them all gasped and let out sounds of surprise as they heard his words.

"Y-You wouldn't do that…"

"Fucking try me."

"Okay! Okay! Just… calm down. No need for this to get violent!"

Draco was stuttering now, clearly terrified at the thought of what Harry was going to do to him. Going after Hermione had not been smart. Damn that Weasley rat and his bloody suggestions.

Harry continued pointing his wand at Draco as the couple made their way outside of The Three Broomsticks, heading towards a nearby clearing for some much needed privacy. Once they arrived, he finally dropped his wand and put it back in his pocket. This seemed to calm down Draco, as he took a deep breath and sighed theatrically.

"See? I knew we could talk this out like real men, and not savages. Now, why did you bring me out he…"

He didn't get to say more than that, as Harry's fist collided with his face in a brutal punch at that exact moment. Draco's head snapped around at the power of the hit, and he fell to the ground in a painful heap as his world spun.

"Think you can hurt my best friend like that, huh!?" Harry screamed as he jumped on top of the now dazed Malfoy heir, reading his fist for yet another punch.

"N… Ngh…" Draco wheezed, not quite managing to open his mouth. Harry didn't bother to wait for a reply as he crashed his fist into the boy's face yet again.

"Think you can just do whatever the hell you want without there being any consequences?!"

Harry's voice was beginning to warp now, his words taking on a much darker tone than earlier as his anger and the Obscurus within him melded together into one vicious beast.

Draco was bleeding heavily now, a steady stream of red dripping from both his mouth and his nostrils. He couldn't speak or even scream as Harry continued landing blow after blow on his body, his mind disoriented and barely cognizant.

"Next time, I will rip your fucking organs out you filthy cretin, so don't you EVER try anything like that ever again!"

Standing up and wiping away some of Draco's blood from his face, Harry finished the beating with one final kick to the boy's ribs, causing him to retch before falling back down and remaining completely still.

Meanwhile, as all of this was going down, a small crowd had gathered around the two of them, watching the spectacle with a mix of morbid curiosity and horror. Nobody there had the courage to step in and break them up, as they were all feeling the effects of the rolling waves of malice and anger that were radiating from Harry.

Once Harry realized he had a crowd, however, he took one last look down at his opponent before turning around and walking away. The people parted to let him through, all of them terrified he would do something to them if they tried to stop him.

He was vaguely aware of the presence of Hermione, following after him as he headed towards the path that would take him back to Hogwarts. It wasn't before a couple of minutes later though that he finally calmed down enough to turn around and talk to her.

"What do you want?" he asked, holding out his arms in a show of outrage.

"Harry, what the fuck did you just do?!" she yelled, walking up to him and slapping him clean across the face. The hit barely registered in Harry's brain, as doped on adrenalin as he was.

"I gave that little fucker what was coming to him," Harry responded, taking a deep breath to regain some of his composure. "He'll know better than to fuck with us next time."

"Next time?! Harry, you almost killed him! A little more and there wouldn't have been a next time!"

"And so what, Hermione?! So what if he had died? I would be doing us all a fucking favor!"

"Yeah, and guess what, you'd also go to Azkaban for life! What is wrong with you?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Harry suddenly screamed, falling to his knees. "I JUST FEEL SO ANGRY ALL THE TIME. EVERY TIME I SEE HIM I WANT TO KILL HIM."

Letting out a gasp, Hermione held her hand in front of her mouth as tears started welling in her eyes. She hadn't expected him to respond like that.

"W… What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I mean exactly what I said! I don't know what's wrong with me! It's this fucking Obscurus, messing with my head and my temper…"

Harry could feel the tears threatening to spill out, but he refused to cry now. He wasn't going to break down like a weak little coward, he was stronger than that.

"The… Obscurus? But… I thought that disappeared after…" Hermione breathed, a lone tear streaking down the side of her face. It hurt Harry's heart to see her cry, but right now, there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"No, it didn't. It was always there, right under the surface. It was just… biding its time."

"But… I don't…"

Getting back on his feet, Harry slowly approached the now crying Hermione, his mind finally starting to return to its senses. He hated to see her like this, and his heart cried out for him to comfort her.

"No… not now. I don't want you… anywhere near me, right now," Hermione sniffed, shaking her head violently from side to side.

"Hermione…" he groaned, the newly formed lump in his throat growing exponentially in size.

"Go away… Just… Go away," she cried, before pushing herself past him and running off towards Hogwarts.

"… No… Come back… I didn't…"

He didn't pursue her though. He let her run off, his heart sinking in his chest with every step she took away from him.

Dear Godric, what have I done…?

A/N: Hoo boy. That got pretty intense. I wonder what's going to happen as a consequence of this...? Well, cliffhangers aside, I'd like to formally thank you guys for making your way through yet another one of my chapters. This one started out as a little more "filler"-y than normal, but I felt it was important to introduce Fleur's character, as she is going to be playing a vital role in this story going forward. I hope the ending made up for it though, as the showdown between Harry and Draco was long overdue.

I hope you guys are staying safe in these difficult times. My university has now officially told us that we are going to be staying home with digital lectures until after the summer vacation, so it looks like I'm stuck here for the time being. I gotta say though, I miss being able to properly hang out with friends, and not just talk to them through Discord and play games.

And talking of playing games, I've actually got a suggestion for you all. A couple of days ago, a brand new Minecraft Adventure Map called Witchcraft and Wizardry hit official release, and I've been playing through it with a friend. And let me tell you, this is perhaps the closest we've ever gotten to having a PROPER Harry Potter RPG. This map is so superbly put together that it easily outclasses all other adventure maps, and if you've ever played or been interested in Minecraft before, I'd highly recommend you give it a try. And yes, I am 20, and I do still occasionally play Minecraft. Blow me.

But that about does it for me. I've recently gotten my hands on a VR headset, so I'm off to play some more Half Life: Alyx. Remember to stay safe out there folks, and I will see you guys in the next chapter!

-Twisted