35 Chapter 35: A forbidden love?

"So, you just let her kiss you?" asked Sirius, looking incredulously at Harry from the two-way mirror.

Harry had hoped sharing what happened between him and Fleur with someone would aid him in properly processing what happened. He thought being truthful about what happened and unearthing his feelings might help him in some way. Instead, all he was getting, for the time being, was an immense sense of achievement! But, Sirius' initial reaction was not approval.

"Harry, you dog! Way to go pup. My godson French kissing a veela! You've made your godfather proud." Sirius crowed with delight.

'And there it is. I stand corrected.' Harry thought as he watched Sirius begin hopping around the Black Manor laughing like a hyena.

"So, you don't find it weird for me to…uhh…you know…" Harry stuttered searching for words.

"For you to score with a veela." Sirius finished for him before breaking out into laughter. "Oh, Harry. It's not a crime for a growing boy to get interested in a girl. Especially when that girl has the hots for you for saving her sister."

"Uh-huh." Harry mumbled distractedly.

Truth be told, he was not even sure why he was even feeling like he had done some mistake. It is not as if he was committing a crime or something. As a matter of fact, it was Fleur who took up the initiative in this relationship.

'Is this a relationship?' Harry asked himself.

"Don't be so dramatic Harry. You kissed a girl. Why are you acting like the world is about to end?" asked Sirius.

"Tell you the truth, I don't have a clue. It's probably some stupid teenage hormones." Harry groused, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Listen to me, Harry." Sirius' features suddenly became sharp in the mirror. "The age that you are in and the time you spend in Hogwarts are not going to remain in your life. This is the time for you to be carefree and act like a kid. You have too much on your shoulders. So, my advice is for you to go and enjoy the little things in your life. Play pranks, make some trouble, make friends, eat sweets, play Quidditch, date girls….just enjoy! Stop worrying so much."

"That's a piece of nice advice, Sirius. But, there is more at stake here than you know." said Harry.

"The Tournament? You have done exceptionally well so far. Even if we don't know who put your name the presence of Dumbledore and Moody should keep them away from acting directly."

Harry kept his silence at Sirius' reasoning. Looking at Sirius' concerned face Harry was tempted to share everything he knew of what the future held. He wanted to share the knowledge in his head but one thing held him back.

Fear!

Harry feared the unintended consequences his knowledge of the events to transpire would unleash. Moreover, how would he explain the source of his knowledge? It is not as if he can just share with anyone his true origins. Most people would accuse him of madness and on the off chance they believe him, he might end up under the care of Unspeakables or worse.

So, his mind was split into two and both sides were warring with each other because of the coming Third Task. The general plan he had in the making was the reason behind his skittishness. After all, he was up against the most psychotic Dark Lord Britain has ever faced and certain details of his plan were surely going to piss off Voldemort. Then there was the element of risk involved as he'd be knowingly walking into a minefield. Combined that with the latest emotional entanglements were turning out to be a headache for him.

Seeing no other option, Harry changed the subject as he was not ready to discuss the matter.

"Leaving that aside. How's Winky doing?" asked Harry.

"Oh, yes. Thanks for sending Winky by the way. She has been a lot of help. The little old blighter is not at all happy with Winky and that alone just makes my day." said Sirius.

"Sirius, don't underestimate house-elves. They have powerful magic at their disposal. Making an enemy out of them is not a good idea." Harry warned.

"Can't help it if the resident elf hates my guts because of my loony mother. It's not like I can somehow make Kreacher like me when his resolve to hate me overrides any effort I make. Anyway, having Winky here reminds me…"

Sirius was suddenly gone from the mirror for a moment. Harry could hear some snippets of conversation from the other side about Sirius having what he assumed was a shouting match with Kreacher. There were some strong words being thrown around along with a shrill scream from a woman. A minute later Sirius appeared in the mirror holding a stack of books.

"I had to fight tooth and nail to get these beauties out of the library." said Sirius.

"What are those?" asked Harry, his interest piquing at the dusty old tomes in Sirius' hands.

"You have improved in spell casting fast and you seem to have an uncanny skill with silent magic. These books should increase your repository of spells and help you develop spell-chains." said Sirius, raising an eyebrow. "You remember those, right?"

"Yeah, I remember. Spell-chains are used to keep your adversary in defence and possibly to break shields."

"Well, there is more to them than that. Study these books. I'll have Winky set them up in the Chamber." said Sirius.

"Thank you, Sirius."

"A word of caution Harry. There are some nasty spells in the books. Borderline dark magic. I won't ask you to ignore them but be cautious. Do not overuse them and be very careful if you practice them." warned Sirius.

"I promise to be vigilant Sirius." Harry promised.

"Good. Keep up your training Harry and don't worry about what others might think of you. Enjoy your time in Hogwarts. That's what James and Lily would have wanted." said Sirius before saying goodbye and the mirror went blank.

There was a sudden pop. It was Winky with a stack of books in her hand.

"Mister Black wanted Winky to give you these books, Master Harry."

"Thank you, Winky. Please keep an eye on Kreacher and ask Sirius to update the wards around Black Manor."

"Winky will do that master." the house-elf happily nodded flapping her long ears before disappearing with the customary pop.

Harry leaned back in his chair and looked at the books he received from Sirius. He made a cursory look at the book covers which made him notice that most books were written by Blacks.

'No wonder Kreacher made a fuss. These books are heirlooms of House Black.' Harry thought.

Standing up from his chair Harry paced back and forth as his mind churned with indecision. The Third Task was set to take place on June twenty-fourth. There were more than three months in between for him to make a decision.

Two choices lay before Harry. He stopped pacing and took two papers from his table and pinned them to a board. On one paper, there was a descriptive plan which started off with an anonymous tip to the Auror office. On the other, he'd take the risk and let Voldemort's plan to kidnap him to the graveyard succeed.

Of course, these two plans were just being considered and Harry was yet to fill in the details.

'Should I extend a modicum of trust to the DMLE or should I take the risk and handle this on my own? Decisions…decisions.' Harry mused, while staring at the two pieces of paper that'd determine the way forward.

Noticing the time Harry made sure to smooth out any wrinkles on his robe and adjusted the grip of his tie. There was an interview to be made and he was expected to be at the Headmaster's office. Giving one last look to his lair, Harry summoned Dobby and teleported away from the Chamber.

XXXXXXX

The Great Hall was abuzz as the Daily Prophet sported Harry's statement on the front page. Although, that was a small detail compared to the juicy piece Rita Skeeter wrote about Hermione and Krum.

FORBIDDEN LOVE OF VICTOR KRUM!

Harry sneaked a peek at the couple who was supposedly having 'forbidden love' according to Skeeter. Krum was practically fuming as some of his friends from Durmstrang were whispering into his ears. Hermione on the other hand was red as a tomato looking like her head might explode with all the blood rushing to her cheeks.

He went back to the article at hand.

'The youngest Seeker in the history of professional Quidditch leads a life of great wealth, fame and comfort. Or so we assumed!

It is only recently, that we at the Prophet, learned about the heartache and churning state of mind of Viktor Krum who is also the Champion of Durmstrang Institute for Magical Learning. For quite a while now, young Mr Krum has been the centre of attention after his spectacular performance in the Quidditch World Cup. As a young Quidditch star, he has been most assuredly the recipient of a lot of love from his fans and admirers. Yet, the roguish Bulgarian has never shown an interest in witches. This had kept his many fans and admirers of the fairer sex hopeful for the chance to become Mr Krum's lover.

Unfortunately, such hopefuls may find themselves in utter disappointment. Mr Krum has finally found love at Hogwarts!

Hermione Granger, a bright young Muggleborn witch who also happens to be best friends with Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. It is said that the first sparks of love between the unlikely couple bloomed inside the Hogwarts library. Miss Granger being the top student of her year is an avid visitor of the Hogwarts library. If rumours are to be believed Miss Granger is also the secret behind her boyfriend's better performance even though falling behind Harry Potter in points.

However, their young love is being threatened by the former Death Eater and the current Headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff. It'd seem, though exonerated by the Wizengamot, Igor Karkaroff still holds faith in his former life choices. Apparently, the Headmaster of Durmstrang is of the view that a Muggleborn dating his student is unacceptable. Perhaps, the animosity of the Durmstrang Headmaster is because of Miss Granger's close friendship with the Boy-Who-Lived.

When asked about Mr Potter's friendship with Miss Granger in a recent interview with the Daily Prophet correspondent, the hero of Wizarding Britain had this to say.

"Hermione is my best friend. She is fiercely intelligent and competitive. She has always supported me and helped me face the Tasks head-on along with Neville Longbottom and many other Gryffindors. In the house of Gryffindor, I have a second family. I'd say she is like a sister to me."

It is the hope of the well-wishers of the couple that Albus Dumbledore keeps an eye on the Headmaster of Durmstrang. It is surely not a coincidence that Igor Karkaroff refuses to give points to Harry Potter despite his stellar performance in the Tasks and now his apparent disapproval of Mr Krum's relationship. The recent events have shown us that many Death Eaters have slipped through the cracks of our justice system.

Is Igor Karkaroff one of them? We at the Prophet hope otherwise but recent events paint a bleak picture.'

Harry set the Prophet down with half relief and the other half concerned. He was relieved to note the possibility of attention splitting from Fleur. At the same time, he was concerned about undue attention being heaped on Hermione. Her status as a Muggleborn could be a cause for getting negative attention from a section of the wizarding society.

"That….shrew of a woman. Can't she write anything except hearsay?" asked Hermione, looking astonished at the article on the front page of the Prophet.

"It's not just in the Prophet. There is another one in the Witch Weekly." said Katie Bell, pushing the magazine towards Hermione's side.

"Oh, no." Hermione let out a groan as she hid her face in her hands.

The only other person who found it more offensive than Hermione was Ron. The red-head was glaring daggers at the Prophet as if it contained some blasphemy. Thankfully, Harry was sitting between Katie and Angelina this time around.

'I need to find a suitable gift for Katie.' Harry decided, as he was enjoying the relative peace and quiet he was enjoying between the two chasers.

Harry quickly finished breakfast before he made a hasty retreat to the Owlery.

"Hedwig!" he called out and his trusted snowy owl swooped down from the group of owls perching high in the tower.

He tied the letter he had in his hand to one of the legs of Hedwig.

"Give it to Andromeda."

Hedwig let out a hoot before taking to the skies. It was a letter asking Andromeda to ensure strong wards around the Black Manor. With her extensive contacts, she should be able to suggest some good professionals in the field. Better safe than sorry with Malfoy most likely looking to score a hit.

As he was about to leave the owlery he was stopped by the arrival of Fleur. The coy smile on her lips keyed him into the reason she was present here. It was certainly not for sending an owl.

"Bonjour, 'Arry."

"I've got Potions coming up in a few minutes." Harry said, but it came out weak to his own ears.

"That 'eez more than 'eenough." said Fleur as she wrapped her hands around his neck.

"I've to 'zank you properly 'Arry." Fleur breathed into his ear.

'Oh, boy. Why is the French accent so hot?' Harry thought, just before his lips were engaged in a tango with Fleur.

It took Harry quite a bit of effort to untangle himself from Fleur. Could anybody blame him? He was a hormonal teenager with a hot girl seeking out snogging sessions in the cosiest situations and places.

Harry ran as fast as his legs could carry while thoughts of Fleur dominated his mind. How could they not? He was feeling the searing kisses Fleur had showered all along his neck. He could still feel her hot breath on his ears. Even his Occlumency techniques were useless in clearing these thoughts from his mind.

Running a flight of steps down into the dungeons Harry finally reached his destination. Unfortunately, Snape was already in the class with all the students taking their seats.

"Ah, of course. I was wondering where you had gone off to Potter. Perhaps, there was an interview you needed to attend." Snape silkily prodded making the Slytherins let out a small laugh.

Harry kept his cool refusing to take the bait.

"I apologise for my tardiness Professor." said Harry.

"I'm sure Potter. I'll be reporting you to Professor McGonagall. Now, stop wasting my time and get inside the class." Snape snapped, a satisfied smile on his face while resuming the class.

Harry sat next to Neville who looked like a melting ice cream.

"I was afraid of sitting all alone here. Where were you?"

Harry was reminded of Fleur's long fingers gliding through his hair making him shiver at the pleasure of the mere memory.

"I had a letter to send." Harry muttered as he tried to concentrate on the instructions on the board.

It was easier said than done. His arms went through the motions, but his mind was on Fleur and her pouty lips.

'I need to have a word with Fleur. There must be some boundaries.' Harry resolved.