9 Chapter 9

Chapter 9

FLEUR DELACOUR

Fleur watched as Edward led her through the small round door of the basement. She had to lower her head to pass through and what she saw made her eyes widen. There were hundreds of house elves working in the place, which she identified as the village.

She looked down at her hand and Edward was still holding her hand. She had never seen this side of him. He had always had this calm look to him. Yet his reaction to Dupont had been somewhat new to her. It warmed her heart a bit to see him defend her this way. Even though he did not need to be this way.

"You did not have to do that, you know?" she spoke lightly, and she saw him turn towards her. Looking straight into her eyes. The purple in his eyes reflected her own blue eyes.

"He was being a bully and I know the perfect way to deal with people like him," he replied with a slight smirk. Though she did not miss the intensity of his gaze as he mentioned bullies.

"And how would you know that?" She questioned him.

"Well, let us just say that the rumors about Britain are quite accurate in some cases. The war may have ended yet the tragedies continue." And understanding dawned on her. She had heard about the war of purity that had ravaged Britain a little over a decade ago. And then she looked up at him, once more. And he had faced the remnants of that war. All on his own.

"Still, you do not need to fight my battles for me." She retorted and she saw him smirk slightly.

"What if I want to? What if I want to fight all your battles for you?" and her heart skipped a beat. An emotion not unknown to her erupted in her heart. She saw his face approaching her, his features getting clearer each second, she could feel his cool breath on her face. And she heard him whisper in her ear,

"What if I want to fight them for you for all my life," and her eyes widened. All her worries and insecurities left her body. She felt her face warm up, as his arms wrapped around her.

"Do you even have an idea about how much they may be?" she whispered, as she felt her body melt in his arms. She saw his eyes glow a bit, Magic thrummed around her.

"No matter what I face,"-he stopped, and his nose touched her nose, his eyes staring intensely at her. As he finished his words, melting her heart-"They will be worth it!"

And she did not let him speak any further, pushing off her toes. And her lips crashed onto his own. His arms tightened around her, and she felt her mind getting lost as she left all the other worries behind her. To her, it was just him and her, at that moment that mattered.

She did not know how much time had passed, but both of them only stopped when she heard a slight pop by their side. Their eyes widened and their faces separated, her body still in his embrace and she looked to the side and saw a house-elf staring at them both.

"Master Edward, did you need anything?" the elf asked Edward.

"Yes, just get me the regular stuff," Edward replied and she looked up at him. He just gave her a slight smile.

The elf vanished and soon there were several ingredients on the table next to her. She felt Edward brush her hair back slightly as he separated from her. And then he began rolling up his sleeve.

"What are you doing?" she asked him. He just smiled at her as he picked up the flour and the eggs.

"I remember a certain someone mention once that they are quite picky about what they eat," and her face heated up at that. She pinched his arm at that.

"So I am checking if I would even be able to feed my girlfriend or we are both going to die of starvation," he continued. And she tried to pinch him once more. But he just jumped back. She narrowed her eyes at him. And then she saw the flour and she smiled.

"NO! NO! Come on, it was just a joke." But before he could continue she had showered him with flour. His whole uniform and face got covered with a layer of white flour.

"Hahaha," she laughed at his conundrum, missing the slight glint in his eyes as he began to approach her.

"Two can play at that game!" And she felt hands rub her cheeks and her eyes widened. But she did not relent as both of them dirtied each other's clothes.

+++

Edward took the dish out from the oven and began putting it on a plate.

"Here try it," he said placing it in front of her. And she saw a plate full of chocolatine glistening slightly. She could tell that he had practiced making it at least a couple of times.

"How did you know that I liked chocolatine!" she asked. Very few people knew about that. And Edward did not reply, and she just narrowed her eyes at him.

"Come on, try it. And tell me how it is." And she picked up a piece and bit into it. The chocolate melted into her mouth and the outside crunch had a perfectly fluffy inside. She ate the whole piece looking at Edward with a surprised expression.

"This is really good. I did not know you could cook!" She exclaimed.

Edward smiled at her, "I couldn't," and her eyes widened at that.

"It is just that"- and now he was sitting in front of her- "I wanted to do something special for you. So, I learned. And it was Fay who told me that you liked this."

And Fleur both thanked and cursed her friend in her heart. And then she felt him hold her hands. She looked up at him and was jolted by his next words.

"Now, would you like to tell me what has been bothering you?"

And she evaded her eyes. A bit embarrassed.

"Did Fay mention anything?" she asked with a bit of heat in her tone as she pulled back her hands. But she saw him smile slightly.

"No. I may have bad eyesight, but I am not blind. You have been a bit tense for some time. So, tell me what has been bothering you." He spoke softly.

She opened her mouth to speak but she could not think up the words. They had just started their relationship. Was it right to burden him with such things this early? She was about to lie when she felt his hands wrap around her face. And then she felt his forehead touch hers. Cold, his forehead was cold, and it soothed her.

"Whatever it is you can tell me without any hesitation. Didn't I promise to stand by you for this whole life?"—and he smiled, and she felt her worries ease up as she the sincerity in his eyes.

She raised her own hands. Touching his face, she felt the cold face and the smooth skin, on the rivels of her hands. And after a while, she began to speak.

"It is just that during the summer my father was quite insistent," she spoke softly, and she felt his body stiffen slightly. His face getting slightly colder.

"Insistent about what?" he asked her to continue.

"Insistent about an engagement." As soon as she completed the sentence, she felt his hand stiffen slightly and before he could speak any further, she continued.

"I stopped him. But I had to tell a lie, "This time she pulled her hands back as she was quite embarrassed about this.

"I told him that I was already seeing someone." And she saw him stiffen and his face froze for a second.

"Who?" he asked in a small voice after a moment of silence.

She did not reply immediately and then finished with a small smile.

"A certain boy from Britain." And she saw his eyes widen at her words. Then a huge smile appeared on his lips. And he broke into a small laugh.

"Well, I do not see a problem with that." He said in between laughs. But she replied in a grave voice.

"It is just that. He wants to meet you." And his laughter stopped immediately. Now, he was staring at her. And his eyes widened at her next words.

"This Christmas."

0000

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

Albus Dumbledore was quite exhausted when he entered his office. He had to prepare for the selection of the champions in the evening. But as soon as the door closed, he stopped. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the room.

He took out his wand and cast several spells to check for any curses or foreign magics, yet the result was negative. Then his eyes narrowed at the box laying on his table. He then turned towards the pictures of various previous Headmasters. He saw one of them awake and spoke to it.

"Dippet, can you tell me who brought that box to my office?" he asked in a mild tone. The aged man in the picture turned and smiled at him and then replied.

"AH! Albus, I think your phoenix brought it some time ago?"

Albus was somewhat eased by the reply. Then he closed his eyes and called the name of his closest companion.

"Fawkes!" and in a torrent of flame, the magnificent bird appeared on its perch. The atmosphere in the office changed with the appearance of the majestic creature. The echo of darkness that had spread out throughout his office eased up.

"What have you brought me, my friend?" he asked the red-feathered bird. The bird just cawed lightly, refusing to give Albus any hint, and took flight. After circling the box, it flew out through the window.

Dumbledore just shook his head at its antics. But phoenixes were mysterious creatures. So, he approached the box slowly. He began examining it, and the box was normal, yet its contents seemed not so normal. There was something sinister about those contents. Something deeply sinister.

As he looked closer, he saw the combination lock on the box. A muggle mechanical combination lock. He flicked his wand, using the general opening charm, yet the lock did not budge. Magic was not working. Dumbledore could probably break whatever enchantments that were on it, but he decided against it.

"What secrets are you hiding," he muttered as he spotted an envelope placed under one of its corners.

Dumbledore picked it up and opened it slowly. Inside was a single piece of paper. With a single line of text printed on it with what he suspected was muggle machinery.

'Which year did Tom Riddle enroll at Hogwarts.'

And his eyes widened as he read those words. How could it be? He placed down the piece of paper and his fingers went over the mechanical lock.

1-9-3-8

And the lock clicked open. And his eyes widened as he saw the inside of the box. The sinister feeling, he had been feeling thickened. Inside the box was a glass container, but what was most interesting was the silvery shining tiara inside the container.

The Diadem of Ravenclaw. The object of so much consternation and mystery lay right in front of him. Giving off an awfully familiar ambiance of darkness and dread.

It could not be he thought. He thought.

He then noticed another piece of paper placed by its side. And with trembling fingers, he reached for it. And just like before, he noticed the printed message and his eyes widened as he read through the letter.

Brother of Ariana and Aberforth,

Your fears are right. Riddle still lives and plots for his return. Sustained by the vilest of the magics. His Soul split into several parts, and he remains immortal for as long as the pieces remain intact.

I have found tracks of some of them, and from my information, you may have obtained the means of destroying them.

And Dumbledore's heart stopped at that. The implications behind those words' eyes go wide. Whomever this person was aware of Voldemort's identity. He also confirmed one of Dumbledore's theories. Horcruxes. His heart skipped a beat at that. They were also aware of the diary and its destruction by Harry Potter. And his eyes lifted to the gleaming sword hanging on his office wall.

The sword Of Gryffindor. Goblins steel. Coated with basilisk weapon. Dumbledore shook his head and read further.

Destroy this. And wait for my next letter. I am close to locating another one of these repositories.

Be careful, he plots in the shadows and grows powerful each second.

Arsene Lupin.

And Dumbledore took his seat with shaking legs. He breathed out a heavy breath. Then he read through the letter once more. He cast several magics over it but found no clue about its origin. His eyes then went toward the gleaming tiara. The words engraved on it shone out to him.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

Under any other circumstances, Dumbledore would have loved to examine the long-lost artifact. Study the magic of the brightest of the founders yet he only felt reviled by the darkness surrounding it.

He then closed the box and placed several enchantments and charms over it placing it in a corner of the room. It was time for the selection by Triwizard Tournament. He would look into this later in the night.

Dumbledore was beginning to gain a better picture of the scenario. The person sending the letter had made a small mistake and had given Dumbledore a lead. But Dumbledore would not probe uselessly. Let them play the game for as long as they want.

He got up and left the office once more. Outside the window, his fiery companion vanished in a torrent of flames.

0000

Edward makes a move. A Horcrux has landed in Dumbledore's hand. Does Dumbledore have the right person in his mind?

Thanks to A piscivore for correcting this piece.

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