1 Date

It was dinner time, a few days after the announcement of the Yule Ball. Harry was sitting dejectedly at the table. Not only was he forced to dance at the ball, being a champion, but Hermione was also getting on his nerves, having returned from the library all bubbly, smiling widely but unwilling to tell anybody why. Ron was not helpful either, droning on his other side about the Chuddley Cannons and their latest game, in which they lost 300:0 in less than five minutes.

Harry was just looking at his food, not feeling like eating at all, when the noise suddenly quietened. He lifted his head and saw all glances directed behind him. Before he could turn his head, he felt his shoulder tapped lightly and a feminine voice asking, "Can we talk for a moment, Mr. Potter." The French accent was very evident and he thought he recognized the voice. Turning around he saw Fleur Delacour standing, waiting for his response.

"Of course, Miss Delacour. What's on your mind?"

She smiled a bit nervously, not looking as haughty as always. "Well, you know we need to take part in the Yule Ball and we need to find partners to dance with, don't you?"

Harry nodded, not sure why she was talking with him about this. They hadn't exchanged more than a few polite greetings before.

"Well, I found none of the young men who wanted to become my date to the ball interesting enough. They all seem to just want me for my looks."

Harry grinned. "You can't blame them too much. You really look magnificent."

Fleur smiled tightly. "Thank you, I suppose, but I like to think that I'm more than just a pretty face and a shapely body. I am a person, just like everybody else, and getting attention for what has never been my doing can become quite embarrassing. I believe you know what I mean."

Harry nodded. He never liked being called "The Boy Who Lived," yet that was what most saw in him. Still, that didn't really help him understand Fleur. "So, what do you want?"

"I've noticed that you don't have a date for the ball yet, and I can find no suitable date either. I thought that if we become each other's date, that would solve both our problems and save us both from unwanted suitors. What do you say?"

It was weird. Was Fleur really asking him to be her date? Yet there was no other way to interpret her words.

"Don't you fear that the Little Boy may also turn out to be a disappointment?"

Fleur looked apologetic. "I wasn't really thinking when I said that, although you really look smaller than your age. I then got to know you a bit better and I found you are really a very nice young man, one I don't mind getting to know even better."

Harry looked around. It seemed like nobody was paying any attention to their conversation. All boys seemed to be drooling with glassy eyes turned to Fleur, and so did most girls. Only Hermione seemed to pay attention, looking as alert as ever. She actually nodded slightly at him, as if suggesting he accepted the idea.

"You should know that I know nothing about dancing," he warned Fleur. "You'll have to teach me how to dance, and I'm not sure I'll be any good at it."

Fleur, who looked tense when he seemed to reject the idea, turned content as he finished talking. "I thought you'd need that. I can easily teach you, and I'm sure you'll learn to dance in practically no time. Would you like to come to the Beauxbatons carriage in about half an hour? Just tell whoever opens the door that you want to see me."

This piqued Harry's curiosity. He'd heard of nobody who had visited the carriage before. This was going to be interesting all by itself. "Fine, I'll be there in about half an hour, but you need to explain some more before I agree to the rest."

She smiled brilliantly, making Harry admire her beauty even more. "I think we're both going to enjoy this. I'll be waiting for you." She winked at him and went back to her place at the Ravenclaw table.

"Harry, this may be a wonderful chance for you!" Hermione told him.

"I thought you didn't like her too much," he said.

"Well, I may not like her much, like most girls, but her family is very influential in France. She may become a strong ally when you'll need one."

The mere idea of allies was somewhat foreign to Harry's way of thought. Although he had learned to rely somewhat on his friends, mainly on Hermione, he still did almost everything by himself. Yet he knew allies were important and he trusted Hermione's advice. She had never led him wrong. He only wondered why she seemed so accepting of Fleur's idea. Wasn't she thinking of being his date herself, being his best friend?

\/\/\/

Not sure what to expect, Harry washed his face and straightened his clothes as well as he could. He even spread a bit of manly perfume, which Fred (or was it George?) suggested. Putting forward all his Gryffindor courage, he knocked on the Beauxbatons' door.

It was opened by a house elf, wearing a miniature uniform in the same style as the students'. "Monsieur?" he asked politely. As Harry didn't seem to understand, the elf asked in English, "May I help you, sir?"

"Yes. I'm here to see Miss Fleur Delacour, as she invited me." Harry hoped this was the right answer.

"Sure. Miss Delacour is waiting for you in the Ballet Room. Please follow me."

As he walked in, Harry saw that the interior of the carriage looked a lot like a manor house, with a large entrance hall and several corridors going out. The elf led him to one of the corridors and opened a door for him, revealing Fleur standing in the middle of the room, looking pensive.

\/\/\/

Harry returned to his dorms only a few minutes before curfew, smiling contentedly. He was immediately tackled by his friends. "How was it?"

Harry's smile widened. "It was perfect. She was as strict with me as you are," he told Hermione, "and she did use a charm to reinforce her shoes, but she helped me a lot, teaching me how to present myself, the right postures at such events and even the right things to say. She then had some music playing and she taught me how to dance properly. During our last dance for the evening, I didn't step on her toes even once!"

Hermione smiled understandingly at his enthusiasm. Ron seemed bewildered. "I thought she just wanted to have her way with you," he said.

Harry frowned at him. "Ron, Fleur is a very respectable young lady, more so than most of our schoolmates. Acting properly is of utmost importance to her, and if she promised to teach me how to be her date, that's exactly what she's going to do."

"You mean, this isn't over yet?"

"Of course not. We've only started with one dance. There are other types as well, and I need to know at least some of them."

"Did she use her Allure on you?"

Harry shrugged. "How would I know? She told me that I'm probably immune to the Veela allure, as she blasted me with its full power when talking to me in the great hall. Almost everybody near me was affected, except for Hermione."

Neville, who was nearby, frowned a bit. "I've read that Veela usually seek someone who isn't affected by their allure to become their mates. Did she mention this?"

Harry looked surprised. "No. Besides, she's only a quarter-Veela, as I understand."

Harry made sure to massage his legs well before going to bed, as suggested by Hermione, fearing muscle cramps after having used some muscles he didn't usually put into practice. He slept well that night, and the only dreams he could remember had a beautiful blonde smiling at him while being held in his arms.

\/\/\/

Fleur insisted on practising at least twice a week. "The Ball will not wait for you to become a good dancer, you know," she told Harry, who didn't really object. "You need to practice until you do everything perfectly." And eventually, he did.

That night, after three hours of practice without even a single error, Fleur thought of an appropriate reward. She had another slow dance with Harry, but his time, she pushed her body as close to his as possible, practically melting into him, being quite aware of the way his body was reacting to her proximity. She then moved her hand to his hair and caught his lips in hers. Harry's surprise didn't last long. He proved to be a fast learner in this too. He parted his lips and licked hers as if asking for permission, which she happily granted.

It soon turned into a passionate snog. Fleur let her hands roam over Harry's clothed body and encouraged him to do the same with her. Harry felt as if he'd like it to last forever, but just too soon they had to part.

He was sure that Hermione, at least, noticed the goofy smile that was plastered on his face as he returned, but she didn't comment and he was unable to decipher her expression.

Kissing became the part he liked best in his practices, but groping soon replaced it. Fleur was making their groping more and more daring, as she did to her neckline. Harry didn't complain, though. Whatever Fleur was showing or letting him feel, he liked it very much.

The Yule ball was kind of an anticlimax, except for the surprise Hermione had for them all, dating Krum. Harry was already enjoying dancing with Fleur, holding her tight and moving in rhythm to the music. As Fleur had expected, Hermione also wanted to dance with Harry, and they exchanged partners for a few dances. Harry liked dancing with Hermione just as much, yet in a slightly different way. He couldn't explain the difference. Other girls were also showing interest in Harry's new talent, but Fleur let him dance with some only when she went to the ladies' room. Harry found none of his other dance partners even remotely enjoyable, despite them being some of the most attractive girls at school.

They took a break in the enchanted garden after a long session of dancing. Fleur put her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly. "I'm glad I chose you for my date. None of the others would have given me such an enjoyable evening."

"I'm glad as well," Harry agreed. "You are the best date I could have asked for the ball. Besides, you're also beautiful and attractive. I couldn't have asked for more."

"What about Hermione?" she asked.

"She's my best friend. In a way, she's like a sister to me," Harry said.

Fleur looked curiously at him. "A sister? Have you never had dreams about being with her in ways inappropriate for siblings?"

"A few times," Harry blushed. "I'm a horny teenager, you know," he then added, as if that explained it.

"Did you have such dreams about other girls?"

He seemed embarrassed. "Well, I started dreaming about you after we began the dance practices."

"Instead of dreaming about your best friend?" she queried.

"No. In addition to."

She kissed his cheek chastely. "I think we need to return to the ball, or somebody may get the wrong impression."

Much later, he escorted her to the carriage.

"Don't go yet, please," she said as they stopped in front of the carriage.

"Don't you want to go to bed? It's past midnight already."

"Stay with me, please."

Harry followed her in, not sure what else he could do.

She took a different corridor this time, one he had never visited before. She stopped and opened a door. "This is my room," she said, inviting him in.

Harry looked around. It was a small room, yet nicely furnished. The bed, close to one wall, was wider than the one in his dormitory, but not as wide as his aunt's double bed. A dresser, a vanity table and a desk with two chairs near it, complemented the room. A side door seemed to lead to a bathroom. 'Dudley would have considered this room too small,' he thought.

Fleur didn't let him stay idle. She stood in front of him and turned around. "Please undo my hooks," she said.

The back of the elegant dress she was wearing had a series of hooks that held it closed. Harry undid the hooks from top to bottom, exposing her back in the process. He was surprised to find no bra there. The last hook was over Fleur's behind. Once it was undone, the dress glided down, making Harry aware of the fact that Fleur was wearing no knickers either.

Fleur turned around as her dress fell to the floor. "Now you are way too dressed. Let me take care of that."

Harry could barely notice what she said or did. His eyes were attracted to her naked body which was completely exposed for him to look at. Not having seen another naked female before made this even more exciting. He suddenly found himself as naked as Fleur, his excitement at seeing her that way promptly evident.

Fleur seemed oblivious to his reaction though. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to her bed. Harry finally came to his senses when he reached the bed. "What are you doing?"

"It's past midnight. I'm going to bed and taking you with me," she explained, as if this was self-evident.

"Why?" He couldn't phrase a longer question.

"Because I don't want to sleep alone after such a fabulous night. I want you at my side for the night, maybe even inside, for a bit."

"Inside?"

"Inside me, like having sex, shagging, or whatever you Englishmen call this."

Harry felt like this wasn't real. Not at all. He followed Fleur and settled on her bed, hugging her just as she was hugging him. His mind was overloaded and he couldn't think at all, but his body was reacting just as if it knew exactly what to do.

It took him some time before he finally understood what had just happened. By that time, neither he nor Fleur was a virgin any longer. They had both experienced several peaks as well and were both sweaty and sticky and breathing heavily, but smiling widely and feeling very happy.

"I think it's almost morning. Maybe we should let our bodies rest a bit?" Fleur asked.

Harry just hugged her closer, kissed her lips fleetingly and closed his eyes. He fell asleep immediately. It took Fleur only a few seconds longer, in which she was wondering about the way fate was playing with them, before she succumbed to her fatigue and fell asleep, enjoying the tight hug.