"That goes without saying." He gently scratched Gabrielle's back, in a way that he knew she very much liked, "She's like my little treasure." He smiled fondly while glancing at her peaceful expression as she leaned her cheek on his chest.
"And I'm not?" Fleur asked pitifully, "You only care about the youngest daughter…" She seemed to be about to cry.
"Can you stop with the daddy jokes?" Harry asked annoyedly, "I'm not her father. I'm your boyfriend for crying out loud. I'm her brother-in-law."
"That's not what she feels~," Fleur said teasingly, "Whenever she's with you, she can be herself. You listen to all of her complaints, take care of anyone who dares to try and bully her, and do everything that our papa would do if he were still with us."
"I treat you with the same love and more…" Harry trailed off with a darkening expression as Fleur's smile widened and she leaned toward him as her lips brushed against his ear, making him feel a shiver run down his spine.
She whispered, "That's why I call you my daddy too~" Her whisper made a certain part of his anatomy react very quickly and he had to use his Occlumency to keep it down, lest Gabrielle get disturbed, 'I'd rather not have that talk with her…' Harry thought before giving Fleur an exasperated look.
She looked at him with a sultry expression with hints of smugness, "You're so cute when you get flustered…" She gushed before kissing his cheek.
"Potter. Delacour. To my office." Madame Maxime's voice distracted the duo from their banter as they both stiffly turned to the headmistress. They saw the other students getting up from their spots as if not even having heard Madame Maxime.
"Yes. Madame." They said in unison as the students emptied out the hall, leaving only Harry, Fleur, and Gabrielle, who was sleeping on Harry's lap.
Madame Maxime got up and started walking to the door beside the teacher's table as Fleur also stood up. Harry had to take a few seconds to pull Gabrielle's arms around his neck and fix her posture before standing up. He let out a light groan before shifting her a little such that she was held by his right arm, leaving his other arm free.
"Need some help?" Fleur asked while approaching them with a smile full of ill will.
Harry narrowed his eyes before saying, "Don't." He turned Gabrielle away from Fleur, "Let her sleep, she's tired. You were with me the whole time, but she had to suppress her allure for the entire feast."
"How partial…" Fleur pouted before following Madame Maxime along with Harry.
…
"You're turning this school into your back garden as the years pass, you know that Potter?" Madame Maxime asked with an admonishing tone.
"Sorry, headmistress…" Harry's casual tone didn't match his apologetic words, "I'll try to keep these girls from causing too much trouble." He threw all the blame on Fleur and Gabrielle.
"Hey!" Fleur protested with a punch on Harry's arm. But he didn't really react to her assault and kept looking forward. When Fleur's head turned forward, she realized why.
An 11-and-a-half-foot-tall half-giantess was glaring at the both of them. Even though they were familiar with their headmistress to talk casually with her, the sight was an intimidating one, to say the least.
"I want you two on your best behavior during your year at Hogwarts." She said emphatically almost as if speaking through gritted teeth, "And take care of little Gabi. The only reason that she's being allowed to come is because of Mrs. Delacour's personal request. I know how difficult it would be for her to live normally without the presence of someone whom she trusts around her."
"Of course, I will, headmistress." Harry fondly caressed Gabrielle's head, "I've taken care of Fleur all these years. A smaller version of her who is much more obedient to me is much easier."
"I know exactly how you've taken care of Fleur all these years, Potter." She said casually before taking a seat in her chair, "I have tens of complaining letters from your so-called victims. Not to mention the letters that I've received from the guardians of the students that you forced to drop out from school."
"And I was never punished for any of that because…" Harry trailed off expectantly, wanting Madame Maxime to finish for him.
"Because you stopped them from committing a crime of heinous proportions. I know." She rolled her eyes, "You can stop tooting your own horn."
"Just saying, headmistress. I consider having cleansed your school from filth." Harry said with evident glee in his tone.
Madame Maxime sighed, "I applaud you for dealing with this piece of work, Fleur."
Those words, instead of making Fleur feel proud, made her blush instead. She knew that she was far more troublesome than what Harry let others know. To the school, she was a beautiful and gentle Veela that everyone adored. While to Harry, she was a feral beast who never stopped teasing him and kept causing trouble, "I manage…" She squeaked out while looking away, "He cares about me a lot…" She said with a small voice.
She knew that almost half of those letters that blamed Harry were supposed to be blaming her instead. But he messed around with the perceptions of those students so they thought it was all him. She was a dangerous woman, but Harry made sure that no one truly knew about those things. Almost everyone thought that she was a gentle Veela who got ensnared by the wolf that was Harry Potter.
"Anyway," Madame Maxime rubbed her forehead before saying, "You need to know some things about Hogwarts' current state. Especially for Fleur and Gabi's sake." Both her serious tone and the contents of her words made Harry and Fleur frown.
"What is it, headmistress?" Harry asked.
"It might seem that everything is joyful and golly on the outside, but the undercurrents running through the student body of Hogwarts are deep." She said, "I'm sure you have quite a bit of information from your mother, Potter. But I wanted to tell you about my side too."
Harry nodded, "I appreciate your concern, headmistress. Please, tell us." He said.
"I'm sure you're aware that a significant chunk of the senior student population is now populated by death eaters. Even the younger students aren't exempt from their so-called 'teachings'." She said, "You have to be extra careful, Fleur. And you need to take care of Gabi at all times. Although, I'm sure Harry has everything covered." She showed a light smile, shedding light on her true thoughts about Harry's actions instead of her previous fake disapproval, "I've seen how reliable he can be."
"Is there a chance of You-Know-Who appearing, headmistress?" Harry asked, "I want to know what I should expect."
"The chance isn't null." She said, "That's all I can say with certainty. After the previous attack, Hogwarts has grown much more fortified, with the castle's defenses having been fully activated by Headmaster 'Dumbly-dorr'. Hogwarts is currently the only safe haven for muggle witches and wizards. Which is ironic…" She scoffed with a laugh.
"Because a lot of the purebloods in the school are currently death eaters…" Harry finished, "But there have to be some protections, no?" He asked.
***
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