A Simple Change of Mind - Chapter 16

If you asked others for their opinion, they would tell you Fleur Delacour was everything a French citizen should be: well-mannered, proud, polite, a little arrogant, and especially beautiful.

And Fleur herself accepted that she was all of that.

But she personally believed she deserved to be proud and a little arrogant after what she had achieved in her school career.

She was the top student at her school, and her academic marks broke many past records at Beauxbaton.

Not only that, she was also the duelling champion of not only her school, but she was also in the top 3 of the whole French under the age of 21.

And yet, people only see her as a gorgeous Veela, whose beauty was the only thing she had. Girls have always been jealous of her looks, and men lust after her for that.

It hurts her to see that no one noticed that she was more than just a pretty face.

But after facing this for years, she had become very used to this discrimination against her, and she had stopped reacting to it.

She knew it wouldn’t matter whatever she accomplished; people would only look at her as the creature of lust she was born as.

And it was that reason why she had started ignoring others and only focusing on herself, which made her seem like a cold person to others in her school.

Unfortunately, this also led her to have a very small company of people around her in school, and because of that, she had only one or two friends.

Although for Fleur, this was fine because those two girls were the real best friends she needed and someone who was never jealous of her for who she was.

But even after spending her school life mostly alone with only her two friends at her corner, Fleur still desired to prove herself to her whole school and everyone else.

She wanted them to give her the respect she deserved for her talent and hard-earned skills. She was better than others for a reason, and she wanted them to accept that without hating her.

And after years, finally, that chance came to her in her final year.

When she found out about the Tri Wizard tournament from her father in the summer, Fleur knew this was the opportunity she was waiting for.

The tournament where she had the chance to represent her school, proving she was the best among them, and then winning it would show everyone who Fleur Delacour was.

Since her father had told her this secret information, she had thrown herself into getting better and better every day of the whole summer.

And it all showed when, first, she beat every schoolmate of hers and got selected for the duelling and quiz competition.

And now by getting selected as the Beauxbaton’s champion in the Tri Wizard tournament.

The tears of her fellow Beauxbaton's girl didn’t bother her for a moment. Because all that did was show how fake they were and how jealous they were of her.

But for Fleur, all it did was make her hard work of getting selected more worth it. Seeing the people who had always doubted her and discriminated against her for her blood now cry and hate her for being better than them.

Looking to her right Fleur looked at the Durmstrang champion while she stood leaning on the pillar of the room the champions were told to go to.

Viktor Krum

Just like everyone else in the wizarding world, Fleur knew who he was. After all, he was one of the best quidditch players in the world, despite how young he was.

But for her, his quidditch skills didn’t matter; as a fierce competitor, Fleur only cared about how powerful he was and how much of a challenge he would be for her.

In the summer, she researched and found out the names of the students of both Durmstrang and Hogwarts who would have the most chances of becoming the champions of their respective schools.

And having a father in a high position in ministry certainly helped her find information about her potential competition.

During her research, if there was a name that was very assured of being chosen, it was Viktor Krum.

And if what she found out were true, then he was her biggest thorn in the path to Tri-Wizard glory.

No matter who the Hogwarts champion would be (her opinion on this will change so fast in a few weeks, she doesn’t even know)

Not only was Viktor Krum a quidditch prodigy, she had found out he was also the duelling champion of his school, just like she was.

And just by staring at the hard-looking, focused face of his, Fleur knew he would be a strong and formidable challenger.

And going by the facts, he was already the seeker of his country, and having played in the final, he would have no fear of performing in front of a large crowd under tense pressure.

But Fleur believed in herself enough to be confident that she could defeat him no matter what.

The sound of footsteps pulled her out of her scrutinising inspection of the Durmstrang champion, and she realised that the Hogwarts champion was coming.

Pushing herself from the pillar on which she was standing, she straightened her robes, and with narrowed eyes, she waited for her second and most probably least-threatening rival to show themselves.

But when the Hogwarts champion finally walked into the room, her eyes bulged out, seeing who it was.

Of all the potential names she had read in the summer of Hogwarts students, she would have expected it to be the boy who had taken all her attention away since yesterday.

Harry fucking Potter.

If Viktor Krum was well known, then Harry Potter was someone who was known to even a newborn baby.

Even in her country, France, everyone knew who he was, and Fleur herself had thought about how he would be in real life.

But when she saw him for the first time, he was nothing like she expected.

Yesterday, she didn’t see him clearly when he was kissing his Bulgarian girlfriend when they arrived here, but when she met him face-to-face at the dinner, she was left stunned.

It was not his very handsome face or the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen; no, it was his complete immunity to her allure that had made him the only thing she had been thinking about since yesterday.

When first she hoped off her school carriage, as she had expected every boy in the Hogwarts attention went straight through her. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but she had been in the situation too many times, so she was able to ignore their gawking.

But what she didn’t missed was that one boy wasn't even looking at her while everyone else was.

Fleur had been surprised, and deep down—even though she didn’t want to admit it—her pride was also hurt.

After all, even though she didn’t like people drooling at her for being a Veela, she was still very beautiful, and she had always taken pride in that.

But for the first time, seeing a male not even look at her, let alone stare lustily, shocked her and dealt a blow to her pride.

More than that, she was curious about who this boy was.

And the opportunity to get to know him was presented to her right after that moment when the dinner was going on.

She would have never gone to him yesterday if not for her favourite dish she wanted to eat, but she was more grateful that happened.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have found out this early that the only boy she had ever met who was immune to her allure was none other than Harry Potter.

When she had leaned forward to take the dish, she noticed how his eyes weren’t glazing like other males do around her, and he even talked with her normally, if not charmingly.

Which had an effect on her like no one had ever before and more than she wanted to admit it.

She would have thought he wasn’t interested in female gender given how unaffected he was, but the two girls she saw him with made her reject that thought right away.

The Veela could clearly tell he was intimately familiar with those girls, and if that wasn’t enough, she also noticed the other three girls being very loving with him this morning.

Which made her realise Harry Potter was a young man who had more than one lover, and it shocked her how happy those girls were to share him.

Also, she would never admit the jealousy she felt seeing those girls touching him and laughing with him.

And now, seeing the thick charm he was laying on her, Fleur was ready to show him she wasn’t like the girls with him who were easy to make his.

After all, no boy had yet to charm Fleur Delacour, and Harry Potter would be no different.

“It’s nice to meet you. I am Harry Potter.”

The deep masculine voice of the boy she was thinking about jutted her out of her thoughts, and Fleur turned to see him shaking hands with Krum.

“Viktor Krum,” the Bulgarian said in his rough voice, “so you’re the Hogwarts champion.”

“I am” Harry nodded with a smile and then titled his side, “Are you surprised that a boy three years younger than you is your fellow competitor?”

“Not after what I heard from Maria." Krum replied, shaking his head, “I should have expected that it would be you.”

“I am glad then." Harry inclined his head. “I am excited to compete against you; it will be something amazing.”

Fleur's breath hitched when she saw him turn towards her and make his way to her.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mademoiselle Delacour,” the black-haired handsome boy said in fluent French with that same charming smile he gave her last night.

Fleur almost missed him speaking her tongue because of that smile that once again made her blush.

Shaking her head, she tried to vanquish the warmth she was feeling, as Fleur Delacour never blushed at a boy, let alone one who was three years younger than her.

“You speak my language?” she asked him curiously.

“I do.” Harry nodded.

“Are you sure the goblet didn’t make a mistake selecting you?” Fleur asked playfully, “Surely there are others in your school older than a little boy like you who are better than you? If not, then I may have overestimated the talents of Hogwarts students.”

She ignored how stupid it was to call him a little boy when he was taller than her. And Fleur herself was very tall for a girl.

Harry raised his eyebrow. “Why? Are you afraid that you are going to get defeated by this little boy?” He challenged her with a smirk on his face.

Fleur narrowed her eyes at the challenging tone, but before she could reply, they heard the hurried footsteps and whispers of their headmasters.

Harry picked up the platinum blonde goddess's hands, and after softly kissing her hand, he winked at her, stepped back, and stood in between both rival champions.

Leaving a flustered, blushing Fleur, who chided herself for reacting like this against the man she just decided she wouldn’t.

The whispers became clearer, and the headmaster of the European Three Magical Schools entered the room with Professor McGonagall, Barty Crouch, and Bagman following them.

Dumbledore looked at the three champions with a wide smile. “Viktor Krum from Durmstrang, Fleur Delacour from Beauxbaton, and Harry Potter from Hogwarts,” he said while spreading his arms. “Look at each other because the other two will be your competitors in the fight for her try wizard glory.”

Viktor Fleur and Harry all three looked at each other with the spirit of fighting and the hunger of trumping their opponent to become the Tri-Wizard champion.

“I would like to emphasise how big of a moment this is for you three,” Dumbledore continued as he stared into the eyes of each champion. “You three have been chosen as the most eligible champions and the best ones to compete and represent your school.”

“It’s not your glory and fame on the line; it’s your school too. With your win, you’re not only winning this tournament for you but also doing it to prove that your school is the best in the world.”

“The Tri Wizard is not something that happens very frequently; in fact, it has been a century since the last tournament was held. And now you have the chance to become the first champion of the century and write your name in the history books.”

“Are you three ready for what you are about to face and fight fairly to win the Tri Wizard Cup for yourself and your school?” Dumbledore asked the three champions, staring intently at them.

"Yes.”

"Da.”

"Oui”

The three confident answers were all Dumbledore needed as a smile spread on his serious face, seeing the determination on the faces of the three young champions.

“Good” Dumbledore nodded proudly and then pointed his hand at Crouch. “Now, before I ask you some more important questions, Mr. Crouch will first tell you about the first task.”

Crouch stepped forward and began in his stern voice, “Congratulations to all three of you for getting selected as the Tri Wizard Champion.”

"Now, as you might already know, you are going to face three tasks spread over the next 8 months to win this tournament. But first, before that, you will have the wand weighing ceremony on the 17th of November, and one week after that, on the 24th of the same month, will be your first task. “

“As for the clue for the first task, all I have got to tell you is that the first task always requires bravery and quick thinking to pass it and make it to the second task. And do make sure to remember that cheating is not allowed on this tournament, and if you are found cheating, you will be disqualified from further tasks.”

“That will be all from me, and with that, I wish you the best of luck in preparing for your first task.” Crouch finished what he had to say and stepped back into the shadow.

Harry looked at Crouch, and he realised he might be the most boring and apathetic person he had ever met.

Like how Dumbledore just came, said passionate words, and ignited a fire in all three champions, and then this Hitler-looking man came and poured water into that fire with his dull words.

If Harry hadn't already hated the man, he would have really started to despise him.

Thankfully, once that man with the shit moustache stepped back, Dumbledore came back in with his contagious good mood.

“Thank you for your information about the tasks for our champions, Mr. Crouch,” the headmaster said to the strict man, who nodded his head.

"Now.” Dumbledore clapped his hand and turned back to the champions. “I have three things left to say to you.”

"First,” the old wizard began, “as a champion, you are exempt from attending your education classes. You are free to miss any and every class if you want to prepare for your tasks.”

Harry turned around at the same time his rivals did, and they looked at each other with a small smile, hearing that good news.

"Second,” Dumbledore continued, “you are allowed to enter every section of the library, including the restriction zone. And you are allowed to borrow as many books as you want for your reading under the promise that you return them.”

The three champions nodded their heads, accepting the condition, as they all began fantasising about the vast number of books they now had from the famous library of Hogwarts to help them prepare.

And Harry was more excited as he finally got an open invitation to a restricted section of the library where he had only gone a couple of times through illegal means.

So as exciting as going like that was, he was relieved that he didn’t have to use those ways now. He was also excited to see what Hermione Padma and Daphne reaction would be when they knew about this.

“Now the last and most important one,” Dumbledore said, his voice bringing him out of his happy thoughts.

“Each of you is allowed a mentor for the whole turnaround who will help you prepare for your three tasks. But remember,” Dumbledore emphasised while pointing his finger, “only one mentor is allowed, and if you try to ask for help from others, you will be disqualified.”

The three champions realised the seriousness in his voice and nodded their heads in acceptance.

"So, who is the mentor you have chosen for yourself?" Dumbledore asked, and it was Krum who went first.

Going by the glare Igor was throwing at his student, he had no other option than “my headmaster, Igor Karkaroff.”

Harry rolled his eyes as the ugly death eater smiled in pride, as if he hadn’t just forced his champion to say that.

After that, Fleur answered next, and she had no hesitation: “Madame Maxime.”

The big headmistress of Beauxbaton puffed out her chest in pride, knocking the lamps closer to her head, which was almost reaching the ceiling.

Then Dumbledore's eyes finally landed on Harry, whose answer was also ready.

Looking into his headmaster's eyes, he smirked and said, “You, Professor.”

For him, it was really a no-brainer. Dumbledore was already giving him private lessons, and now, as a legal mentor for him, the headmaster would have no problem teaching Harry in front of others and not in secret.

And seeing the proud, delighted smile on Dumbledore and the soured one on Igor and Maxime, Harry knew he had made the right decision.

“So then it's decided that the three headmasters of each school will be their champion's mentors as chosen by them,” Dumbledore said loudly in the room.

“And there was one other piece of information I needed to give you three,” the bearded wizard said to the champions. “This was something I just informed the other students before coming here.”

“Before the first task, there will be the first three matches of the three other competitions in this tournament.” Dumbledore then listed the matches: “In the first week of November, there will be the quiz competition match between Hogwarts and Durmstrang.”

Viktor nodded confidently for his school team to win this match, while Harry smirked, already thinking about the way the Hogwarts team was going to dominate this.

“And after that, in the second week, there will be the duelling fight between Hogwarts and the Beauxbaton.”

Harry could already feel the burning gaze of someone, and turning his head, he found Fleur's narrowed eyes at him filled with challenge and a fire in them that made him feel excited.

Deciding to infuriate his opponent and get in her head, all Harry did in reply was give her a tiny smirk and then ignore her fully.

This time, Fleur's face was red with anger and the insult of being ignored. She will teach this little boy who was belittling her.

“And in the last week, one week before the first task, there will be the quidditch match between Beauxbaton and Durmstrang.”

Viktor's ears perked up, and so did Harry's, who now realised how advantageous this was for him. He had the chance to gauge how good Viktor Krum really was before their match, which he was really anticipating.

“Do you three get what I told you?” Dumbledore asked, and they nodded their heads. “Good, then this little meeting is now over, and I wish all three of you luck for the hardships that will follow you throughout this tournament.”

The three champions thanked the headmaster of Hogwarts for his words, and then the champions were carried out of the room by their respective headmaster and headmistress.

As Harry was making his way out, he was stopped by Fleur, who commented something in her tongue.

“I hope you make yourselves ready to lose every task and competition, Monsieur Potter.”

Harry turned and looked at the smirking face of his French rival. Even with that arrogant smirk, she looked so angelic.

“It’s strange; I was about to say the same thing." Harry replied with a thoughtful face, "Now, after hearing that from you, I am actually upset.”

“Why is that?” Fleur frowned.

“I am upset that I am going to make that pretty face turn sad after I defeat you in our duelling fight and then in the first task.” This time it was Harry who was smirking.

Fleur inner Veela growled at his tone, but before she could reply, Madame Maxime stopped her.

“Let’s go, Fleur; it’s getting late,” the big headmistress of Beauxbaton said, pulling her fuming champion with her.

Harry titled his head with a smile as he saw Fleur walk away reluctantly, and his smile widened when he saw her glare at him over his shoulder.

Chuckling, he shook his head and turned to go on his way to the room of requirement, where he knew his girls were waiting for him.

It was time to celebrate his selection for the champions with the girls he loved.

-

“What is the main ingredient used in the death sleep potion?”

Trink

“Hogwarts”

“Moonbeam”

“Correct”

“What is the charm that could help repel Lethifold?”

Trink

“Hogwarts”

“Patronus charm”

“Correct”

The yawning sound of someone broke Harry out of the focus he had on the ongoing quiz match between Hogwarts and Durmstrang.

Turning his head slightly, he smiled at the bored face of Susan, who had her head leaning on his shoulder while she tried to stay awake in support of their friends.

Truthfully, Harry couldn’t blame her for being bored instead of cheering on her friends, as this match was, in simple words, a complete domination.

Just like he has predicted it.

The students Durmstrang’s might be very good at duelling and had the best seeker in the world. But they were not that good in the quiz department at all.

From the time Harry and Susan sat down in the stands around the stage in the great hall for this tournament, this match was already finished.

Not only did Hogwarts have a bookworm like Hermione, a very intelligent witch in Padma, and the cunning and knowledgeable Daphne, but they also had four more highly intelligent students in the team.

Which included Audrey Rosier, the head girl from Slytherin, who was defeated by Harry in the duelling try-outs. And he was proud to see her representing the school like she deserved.

She was also the captain of the quiz team.

And the remaining three on the team were Olivia Watson, a seventh-year Hufflepuff; Joshua Stanley, a seventh-year Gryffindor; and Jonathan Burke, a sixth-year Ravenclaw.

In short, the Hogwarts quiz team was practically unstoppable, and the only one who could stop them from winning was themselves.

And until now, they had proven they were ready to win this competition.

A single game between the two schools had four different rounds.

The first three rounds involved two vs. two matches, in which the captain of each team had to divide their other six members into three teams of two.

And after that, each of these three teams will face a single team from another school.

A single round would have 20 questions, and the score for the first three rounds was calculated together before the final round.

The three duo teams of Hogwarts were Hermione and Padma, Daphne and Olivia, and Joshua and Jonathan.

And all three teams easily won their rounds, and the score before the final round was 45-15 in Hogwarts favour.

Finally, the final round was going on, in which all seven team members were involved, and a rapid-fire 50 questions were asked that were to be answered in 5 minutes.

And, unsurprisingly, the Hogwarts team was dominating again.

Which was the reason why Susan was feeling so sleepy since all they had to do for the last half hour was clap and be bored as they watched their friends win their matchups easily.

Fortunately for Susan, who was stretching her arms and forcing Harry’s eyes into her huge jugs, the final round finally ended as well.

“The first match of the quiz competition of this year's Tri Wizard Tournament is over,” said Professor McGonagall, who had the responsibility of hosting this event.

“And after the four rounds, the final score is 78-32 in favour of Hogwarts, giving them the win,” Professor McGonagall said loudly with a clearly hidden, proud smile as the hall burst in cheer.

Susan finally broke out of her laziness as she joined in the cheering while bouncing and yelling their friends’ names.

Harry all the while chuckled and shook his head, but he still clapped proudly for his amazing girlfriends, who were beaming under her praise.

Susan jumped down the stands, and Harry followed her as he saw her hug Hermione and Padma, who came running towards her.

While they were hugging, the remaining friend of theirs came straight to Harry with an expected expression on her face.

Harry raised his eyebrow at Daphne, who was staring at him, standing in front of him while waiting for him to do something she wanted.

Realising what she wanted, Harry chuckled, and leaning down, he gave her the kiss his ice princess desired.

Daphne smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. She deepened the kiss, enjoying the warmth of her love.

A loud cough broke the snogging pair, and Harry pulled back and saw Hermione and Padma standing with their lips in an expecting pout just like Daphne’s was.

Harry rolled his eyes playfully, and while one of his hands was still holding Daphne's waist, he pulled the other girls one by one with his free hand and gave them a kiss as well.

Wiping the pout from their faces and leaving them in a daze.

“Happy now?” Harry smirked and got three happy nods from the winning girls.

“So now that your kissing session is over," Susan said loudly while playfully glaring at her friends and then smiling widely. “I am actually so proud of you three; you were amazing.”

“She is right; you totally annihilate them." Harry praised girls as well, who basked in his praise.

“Thank you, Harry!”

"Yes, you did.” Maria came into the conversation after meeting their friends, who were downtrodden after the loss.

“Even though I should be grudging you for defeating my friends, I am still happy to see you win and amazed at how good you are,” the Bulgarian girl said while congratulating and hugging each girl.

“I don’t know; I don’t think we weren’t that amazing." Hermione said with a frown, “I still think I missed some question that would have helped us get more points.”

When the Gryffindor looked around at the total silence, she found her friends staring at her with disbelieving and exasperated faces.

"Hermione, please don’t rub salt in the wounds." Maria said dryly, “You won by more than double our points; that is humiliating enough.”

Hermione's face turned red in embarrassment as she scratched her inflamed cheeks. “Um, yeah, sorry about that,” she mumbled her apology shyly while her friends laughed at their overly ambitious friend.

They were all used to this part of Hermione, who was never satisfied with her work, and it always left them irritated, but they wouldn’t have it another way.

"Well, are you three now ready for your fight against the Beauxbaton next week?” Maria asked Harry Susan and Daphne.

"Well, I am on reserve, so all I have to do is be ready to replace someone if they get injured." Daphne answered and then pointed at Harry and Susan. “On the other hand, they are definitely ready for the fight, going by the training they have been doing in the past week.”

“We are sure that we will extend the unbeaten streak of Hogwarts,” Susan proclaimed with full confidence.

“Your confidence is good, but do not underestimate those French’s. From what I know, they have some good duellers,” Maria warned them, and then her eyes went to the far end, where the Beauxbatons students were “especially Fleur Delacour, who is the duelling champion of her school, and she came 3rd in the under-21 France duelling championship last year.”

“You mean the girl who has been staring at Harry since they came here?” Padma said, eyeing the platinum-haired girl who was still trying to discreetly look at them.

“I think she wants Harry,” Susan quipped.

"Oh, that much is very obvious,” Daphne smirked, “but it seems she is trying very hard to fight our Harry’s charms and does not want to accept what she wants.”

“How much longer do you think she will hold on?” Hermione wandered.

"Well, we will see next week how much fight she has in her and how much longer she can hold on before finally giving in.” Harry concluded their little bantering conversation with a sly smile and a wink to the French girl, who averted her eyes, but not before he saw a red hue on her cheeks.

The girls looked at each other and smiled as if they all knew one thing.

It wouldn’t be long before they welcomed the gorgeous Veela into their group.

-

The day Harry was impatiently waiting for was here.

It was time for the Hogwarts vs. Beauxbaton duelling match.

Standing on the back of the line of Hogwarts during team Harry cracked his neck, warming up his body for the fights that were about to happen.

The two competing teams were standing in the tunnel of the big arena that was made magically for the duelling championship.

It was built in the forest outside of the school, and the arena was as large as a quidditch stadium.

The stands were filled with the students of all three participating schools and invited guests from all over the world who were here to watch the historic tournament.

The first duelling fight was about to happen, and the teams were in the tunnel before entering the arena, ready to fight.

On the left side were the Beauxbaton team wearing the blue battle robes representing their school colours.

And on the other side was the Hogwarts team, wearing the all-black battle robe with red trimming on it.

Harry stretched his arms and smiled in satisfaction at the flexibility allowed in the tight battle robes.

Hogwarts was not leaving any chance of victory, which was why they had made such expensive but supremely quality battle robes for their fighters.

Harry liked how comfortable it was to move in these robes, which would give them full mobility while they were fighting. Also, the hide was strong enough to even absorb a minor curse, making it harder for it to get pierced.

And he also loved how tight it was all over as he stared at the voluptuous figures of Susan and Daphne enclosed in these battle robes that were hugging each curve of theirs perfectly.

Shaking his head, he dispelled those thoughts for the moment and brought his focus back to the impending fight.

He had time to enjoy their figures in these robes later, after their victory.

“Are both of you ready?” Daphne asked who was watching Susan and Harry be in their focused state before the fight.

“We are,” Harry said confidently, with Susan nodding her head with him and an excited smile on her face.

"Good.” Daphne's lips curled into a bloody, thirsty smile. “It’s time to show the world what we are made of.”

Susan and Harry returned her smile, and they gave each other one last hug before the fight.

After breaking their hug, Harry looked up at the other side of the tunnel, and as he had expected, he saw the challenging, stoic stare of the cerulean blue eyes of his biggest opponent on the French team.

The two champions of Hogwarts and Beauxbaton started at each other without flinching. Both of them were unwilling to accept the small defeat before the big fight.

The voice of the announcer broke their staring contest, and both rivals gave a respectful nod to each other before they brought their focus straight ahead as both teams began entering the arena.

It was finally time to see who would prevail between the two champions of their schools.

Would it be the French prodigy Fleur Delacour, who was three years older than her opponent...

...Or would it be the boy who had always proved everyone wrong and prevailed over his more powerful opponents in life, Harry Potter.

P/S: The main action of the story will start in the next chapter, as a very exciting fight is ahead of us.

The next update will be a new chapter of Hero Summoning tomorrow.