The Benefits of Saving Veela- Chapter 51

Even in the steady patter of rain against the stands, the thud of the bludger smacking into Cedric’s shoulder could be heard by the crowd.

AN: Casting-

Daphne- Nicole Deliah

Ginny- Megan DeLuca

Even in the steady patter of rain against the stands, the thud of the bludger smacking into Cedric’s shoulder could be heard by the crowd. A collective, sympathetic flinch went through them at the sound. His arm hung limply at his side as he flew away from the main fray of the match. From the looks of things, there was a good chance that it was broken as well as dislocated.

Cedric tried his best to shadow Viktor the entire match. It was a reasonable strategy, especially knowing just how good the Bulgarian was, but it also had its pitfalls. Like leading you nearly headfirst into a bludger that was originally intended for one of Durmstrang’s chasers. He knew from experience that it wasn’t exactly pleasant being at the receiving end of a bludger directed by Fred or George.

“A valiant effort by Diggory, ladies and gentlemen, but a truly ingenious move by Krum. And Puchalski passes to Nordenstam and Durmstrang scores! 140-100 with Hogwarts in the lead!”  Bagman tried to sound enthusiastic, but even he couldn’t hide his sympathy for the Hufflepuff, “Oh, and that’s a timeout to the Hogwarts side!”

Madame Pomfrey was waiting on the side of the pitch for Hogwarts’ injured seeker. The damage took more than a wave of her wand to fix, and Cho mounted up, ready to take her boyfriend’s place.

Another whistle and the game continued. The rain, just a steady downpour for most of the afternoon, picked up as thunder rolled in the distance. Grumpy and wet beside him, Daphne grumbled, “Viktor Krum is supposedly the best bloody seeker in the world… can he not just find the ruddy snitch and put an end to this already.” She managed to tolerate, if not enjoy, the event without complaint up to that point, but the fresh deluge seemed to be too much.

“You know you could just head back up to the castle if you want?” Harry reminded her. Even from their close-knit group, it’s not as though she would’ve been the only one to ignore the event.

Anya and Orina both chose work rather than asking for the day off when there were other, more important events that would require their absence soon. Without much effort on her part, Sue convinced Fleur to spend some time dueling while Susan requested Padma’s assistance with their most recent Charms assignment that she’d put off a little longer than she intended. As the Ravenclaw put it, “Without the promise of you in quidditch trousers, I really can’t see a reason to tell her no.”

It meant that other than himself and Daphne, only Ginny came down to the match. The pint-sized redhead cheering twice as loud as everyone else from Tracey’s other side as George smashed a bludger into one of the Durmstrang chasers, causing a turnover.

“Tracey and I had an agreement, and I intend to see it through.” Her brunette friend stood on her other side, cheering on the senior Hogwarts team.

Though she wasn’t so engrossed that she didn’t hear their conversation, “And you also agreed there’d be no whinging…”

“I’m not whinging…” Daphne stuck up her nose like an affronted noble, which, in all fairness, wasn’t far from the truth, “I’m merely pointing out the facts of the situation.”

“What exactly did you do to convince her to come down anyway?” Harry asked. When he was playing, he knew that Daphne would be there to support him, but that was the extent of her quidditch interest.

The girls shared a look, the sort that he’d become entirely accustomed to thanks to his rather unique relationship status. Their silent conversation ended in Tracey waving her hand dismissively, “Nothing interesting, just gave her a little help when she needed it.”

“Right…” He wasn’t convinced in the slightest. The only thing he didn’t know for sure was whether the ‘help’ Daphne needed was with something she’d already done or something she was still planning to do. Knowing his Slytherin lover, neither was more likely in this situation. Probably best not to dwell on it.

It was easy enough to manage as his attention returned to the game. Ludo’s voice boomed, carrying over the rain, “A tidy pass to Johnson who gets it over to Bell. Bell fakes left and Engelstad bites. Pass back to Johnson and an easy goal through the center! That is what years of teamwork looks like when put together on the pitch!”

Harry didn’t particularly care for Ludo in his few interactions with the former professional player, but there was no denying that he had a knack for announcing, All the Hogwarts’ sides effort proved fruitless as Ludo noticed, “It appears that Krum has spotted the snitch.”

This time he wasn’t trying to sell the dummy or going for a feint. No, he pushed the broom up to its top speed in hot pursuit of the little golden ball. Cho did her damndest to follow him, but it was never really a fair match. The professional player’s fist closed around the game-ending prize as it tried to dart up over the stands, “And he’s done it! Krum has caught the snitch, making the final score 250-150 to Durmstrang! It makes them your upperclassmen quidditch champions!”

The after-match formalities were carried out quickly as both teams wanted to get themselves out of the storm sooner rather than later.

Unsurprisingly, they weren’t the only ones, “Thank Merlin!” Daphne effused, “Agreement fulfilled, I’m going back to the castle!”

Even as a diehard quidditch fan, Tracey couldn’t argue as the rain started coming down just that little bit harder. As they started filtering toward the exit, it was difficult to hear Ludo’s announcement, “And with Durmstrang’s victory it sets up one final match for the year where Krum and his cohort will face the Hogwarts lowerclassmen victors!”

Daphne bumped into his back as Harry stopped in his tracks to look back at his two teammates, “Did I just hear him right?”

Ginny and Tracey wore identical grins, as the brunette replied, “Oh, we definitely did.”

“Guess this explains why Gwenog has been keeping us in top form even though we already won.” Ginny observed.

“Yes, yes… that’s all very interesting. Keep it moving.” Daphne pushed against his back with little success. He let her struggle twice more before finally relenting with a chuckle and walking again.

They made it down from the stands and were heading out of the stadium when they heard someone call, “Ginny! Harry!”

They found Mrs. Weasley standing there with the rest of the Weasley clan, save for Percy, waving them over. They were sheltering beneath the tunnel to keep out of the rain. With a quick farewell to their Slytherin companions, they joined the gaggle of redheads. Molly pulled her daughter into a hug before doing the same to Harry, “How are you doing, dear?”

“Fantastic, Mrs. Weasley, and doing my best to keep out of trouble.” He heard Ginny snort beside him. Between the various tournaments and the horcrux hunt, the truth of that statement could be easily challenged, but at the very least he was doing his best to stay safe.

As she pulled back, Molly didn’t look convinced, but she wasn’t going to lecture him about it either, “Yes, well, you’ve had a very successful year if nothing else.”

“Too right.” Arthur offered his hand, “good to see you again, Harry.” Bill and Charlie shared the same sentiments as the twins joined them.

After they went through the same convivial greetings, Arthur got to the point of the little gathering, “We wanted to take you all to the Three Broomsticks for dinner. Already got the alright from Minerva and everything.”

“It’s for my sake,” Charlie piped up, “I need to head back to the reserve tomorrow, and I won’t be able to make it back again until Christmas at the earliest.” He nudged his youngest siblings, “Means I’m gonna miss you two flying circles around that Durmstrang lot.”

“I’ll just be happy if we can keep it close.” Ginny hedged. She glanced at her brother, and for the first time in ages, he looked genuinely frightened at the mention of the next game. Probably a bit baffled at the idea of sharing the pitch with Krum. We’ll have to get him over it before the actual match gets here.

“I don’t know. I’d wager you’re as good as any of those chasers out there today. We’ve all seen Harry fly more than most. If anyone at this school has a chance to beat Krum to the snitch, it’s him.” Bill wrapped an arm around Ron’s shoulder, clearly noticing his anxiety, “And Ron’ll keep everything out of the posts. He’s nearly as good as Wood as far as I can tell, and he’s been the best rookie in the league this year.”

His youngest brother forced a smile but didn’t look convinced. The rain had slowed considerably, dwindling down to little more than a drizzle. As they readied to go down to Hogsmeade, Harry started to bid the farewell, “Right, I’ll see you soon then…”

“And just where do you think you’re going?” Molly questioned him imperiously, “You’re just as welcome, young man. We invited Hermione along as well, but she said she had plans with Viktor.”

“I thought it was just a family affair.” He tried to explain himself.

“Exactly.” Molly agreed, as though that were obvious. It was always touching just how willingly they accepted him.

“Right, well, I’m never one to turn down a meal at the Three Broomsticks then.” They made their way from the down to Hogwarts gate, and along the path to the town.

 As they neared the Three Broomsticks, Ginny drifted back to talk with him alone, “Harry…”

“Yes…” She seemed oddly nervous.

“I think…” Her hesitation was starting to concern him, “I think you should take my dad aside and have that conversation we’ve discussed. If there’s any hope of them agreeing to the trip with Anya and Orina this summer… then mum’s gonna need to be used to the idea before we actually go.”

He was starting to wonder if it was even a good idea for him to go to the Three Broomsticks if this was going to be a regular occurrence. Running a hand through his hair, he found it hard to argue with her, though there was one point of contention, “You think I should take him aside… don’t you mean we?”

Her face went nearly as red as her hair, “Harry… that’s not exactly the sort of thing that I want to discuss with my dad, you know?”

“And you think that I do?” He spoke loudly enough to draw Charlie’s attention.

In the way only a younger sister could manage, she sassed him, “Got something to say, brother?”

“Nothing… nothing, just curious what you two are whispering about.” Bill noticed the interaction and pulled him into a conversation that left the two of them unnoticed again.

Returning to the topic at hand, Ginny whispered, “No, I don’t think that you want too.” She turned to him with her big, amber eyes shining. He would’ve guessed she managed it with a spell if it weren’t for the fact he knew she didn’t, “But I’m sure you’ll do it for me, right?”

He couldn’t help but concede, but that didn’t mean he was going to do it without getting a concession of his own, “Of course, I will,” she beamed at him, but it fell as he continued, “As long as you promise me, you’ll be there when it’s time to tell your mum.”

She took a moment to wrestle with the idea, before offering, “Or… we could discuss it with my dad together?”

“Oh, really? But I thought this wasn’t the sort of thing that you wanted to discuss with your dad?” He teased.

She nudged him in the shoulder, a pout on her lips, “Harry…”

“Hey, I’m willing to face your dad all on my lonesome, Gin, just like you asked.”

Looking between her parents, she reached a final decision as her father opened the door to the Three Broomsticks, “Alright, I promise we’ll tell my mum together.” More to herself than him, she murmured, “Because chances are she’d hunt me down the second she hears the news anyway… even if I run all the way to the other side of the world.”

Harry snorted out a laugh as they passed her dad, “Thanks, Mr. Weasley.” The pub was quite full, more than a few of the spectators at the quidditch match filling the tables but the elder Weasley’s had the good sense to think ahead and reserved a table. Given just how many of them there were, it was the only way that they’d get a table at all.

As they all headed for their seats, Harry got a quick word in with the owner, “Rosie, is there a free room I might be able to borrow for a quick chat after we’re done eating.”

“Of course, Harry,” she smiled widely at him, “even if there wasn’t, I’d kick somebody out just to make it!” A key floated their way seemingly without being called, “Third door on the left.”

“Thanks.” He grabbed it but stopped before heading over to the table, “And be sure not to let them pay for lunch, yeah?” Rosie gave him a smile as she nodded.

If anyone noticed his quick conversation, no one commented. They left him a seat between Ron and Bill, right across from Ginny.

A round of butterbeer was ordered as they fell into conversation. He learned that Charlie wouldn’t be able to get away from the reserve again for the rest of the year because several nesting mothers, of varying species, were ready to hatch their young. The reserve would see an influx of twenty hatchlings, and they simply couldn’t afford to be shorthanded in the early months of development.

“And what breeds are they?” Harry asked.

“Oh, there’s the Swedish Short-Snout, the Chinese Fireball, the Welsh Green, and the nastiest Hungarian Horntail I’ve ever met in my life.” Despite the description of the deadly creature, Charlie sounded almost fond of it, “You should come visit sometime, Harry, I’m sure Norberta would be happy to see you again.”

He heard during the summer about the Norwegian Ridgeback that Hagrid hatched years before being a ‘she’ rather than a ‘he’. In all fairness, Romania wasn’t terribly far from Bulgaria, so it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility to think they could stop off and visit Charlie when they visited the Veela Conclave, “Maybe. This’ll be the first summer where I don’t have to go back to the Dursley’s, so it should be easier to manage.”

Rosie returned then to take their order: fish and chips for Molly, Ginny, Fred and Charlie, a lamb shank for the Arthur, Harry, Charlie, and Bill, and George being the lone man to order a cottage pie.

As they waited for the food, Bill asked the twins, “So, how are things going on your product development?”

“Fairly good.” George revealed.

“We saw a recent influx of capital that allowed us to begin building up our inventory.” Fred continued, and Harry wasn’t sure that he’d ever heard either of the twins sound quite so professional before.

“Our biggest issue at the moment is the development side of things. With everything going on at Hogwarts this year, testing new ideas hasn’t been the easiest thing in the world.”

“That’s because McGonagall terrified them into behaving themselves for once.” Ginny snickered. From the way that she jumped, Harry guessed that Fred kicked her in the leg.

“It’s good that you have a plan for the future,” As frustrating as their pranks could be at times, even Molly recognized that they had a gift for that sort of magic. Though she, like nearly everyone else, didn’t know the full extent of their ambitions, “But it’s still your OWL year, so I hope you’re staying focused on your studies just in case you find yourself in need of a fallback in future.”

The twins shared a look before turning to their mum and speaking as one, “Of course.”

The food arrived then and everyone dug in. As they ate, Harry found himself falling into a conversation with Bill, “Do you have any plans of returning to Egypt?”

“Not anytime soon. With everything happening here in Britian this year, I decided it would be nice to spend a bit of time back home. I Imagine I’ll still feel that way through the end of the year, but who knows where things will take me from there.”

“He’ll be back in some dusty tomb risking his life by this time next year, I guarantee it.” Ginny smirked in her brother’s direction, “He just can’t help himself.”

“As though you’re one to talk, pipsqueak. I’ve seen the way you fly.” Harry couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t for one second deny her assertion.

 As the meal finished, Rosmerta came round to gather their dishes and Arthur made to pay. She stopped him, “All taken care of.”

Turning to his oldest son, he sighed, “Bill, it was my treat.”

He held his hands up, “Hey, don’t look at me.” Arthur’s attention immediately moved to Charlie.

“Actually, it was me, Mr. Weasley,” Harry revealed, “With all that you do for me during the summer, it’s the least that I could do to show my appreciation.”

“Harry, you really didn’t…” Molly started to say.

But Arthur cut her off, “Thank you, Harry, that’s very kind of you. I meant for it to be our treat though.”

“The company was the treat as far as I’m concerned, sir.” That was enough to placate both the Weasley parents, as the attention drifted away from them, Ron stood to go to the bathroom and Harry saw an opportunity.

Leaning over to Arthur, he asked, “If you have a minute, would it be possible for us to speak privately.” He had a feeling that conversation would take longer than a minute. Or not, he might be frustrated enough with me to just walk out the door when he hears what I have to say.

“Sure, Harry, that’d be fine.” He looked around the inn, and realized just how busy it’d gotten, “Not sure if that’s possible at the moment though.”

“Don’t worry, I thought of that. Rosie had a room available upstairs.”

“Alright then, lead the way.” They waded their way through the crowd, though it thinned as they went upstairs. As they entered the empty room, Harry closed the door behind them.

Standing there together, Arthur asked the obvious question, “So, what’d you want to discuss?”

Despite only a week earlier facing this same conversation with Amelia Bones, this felt infinitely more nerve-wracking.  It was easier facing down the basilisk than this.  Arthur wasn’t just Ginny’s father, but the father of a family that he cared for and admired. The man happily welcomed him into his house as though he were one of his own, and there was every possibility that he’d be on the business end of his wand by the end of the conversation.

With his mouth feeling drier than the Sahara, he started with the easiest bit of the conversation, “I’m sure you’ve noticed that Ginny and I have gotten closer over the years…”

“Of course.” It was hard to tell whether he was pleased about that fact or not. For all his usual joviality, Arthur face looked etched in stone.

“I thought it was only right to tell you that her and I have started seeing each other.” It was a gross understatement.

That managed to get him to crack a smile, “That’s wonderful news, though I expected to hear it from her rather than you if I’m being honest, Harry.”

“Under normal circumstances, I think she would’ve been the one to tell you… but it’s rather complicated.”

Arthur frowned, crossing his arms, “So simplify it for me.”

“You remember finding me after the attack at the World Cup? With Anya and Orina?”

“The two Bulgarian mascots, yes. Ginny mentioned them in a few of her letters. I was rather surprised to hear that they were part of the Durmstrang contingent.” That wasn’t entirely accurate, but Harry could understand the assumption.

No use beating around the bush. Trying not to rush, he explained, “Yes, the night I saved them was rather unconventional.”

“I remember hearing about the trial. Malfoy dosed one of them with a lust potion.”

“That’s right. But certain specifics weren’t discussed at the trial. You see, I was the one who helped Anya burn the potion out of her system. Orina…” He tried to put it delicately, “showed her thanks for helping her friend, and the end result was the two of them entwining their magic to mine.”

It was difficult to read his mood as he clarified, “The point you’re trying to make is that not only are you seeing my daughter, but you’re also seeing two veela.”

“That’s half the point,” He watched older man’s brow furrow, “Through a rather unique quirk of magic, that I wish I could explain to you but really can’t, at least not yet, though Dumbledore would be able to confirm I’m not lying, I promise, I’m not just ‘seeing’ Ginny.” He said that all in quite the rush, but Arthur still followed him, “My magic is entwined with hers… as well as Susan Bones, Sue Li, Daphne Greengrass, Padma Patil, and Fleur Delacour.”

Arthur’s eyes widened with each new name until it bordered on comical. He backed up until his knees met the end of the room’s bed and took a seat. Harry let out a weak chuckle, “I probably should’ve had you sit down before I told you that.”

Running a hand over his face, he glanced in Harry’s direction, “That would’ve been a good idea, yes.” He sighed, “I assume that Ginny is at the very least aware of these other young women in your life?”

“Absolutely.” Harry was just glad that it didn’t appear that Arthur was going to draw his wand on him.

“And she’s… accepting of it?”

“She could answer that question best, but yes.”

Arthur looked significantly more tired now than when he first walked through the door. That probably wasn’t helped by the inevitable realization, “I can only imagine how Molly is going to react.”

“Ginny thought the same thing, which is also why we thought it was probably best to tell you first.” Arthur nodded his head at that, “We were hoping you might be able to… soften the blow so to speak.”

He laughed but it seemed more sardonic than joyful, “I doubt there’s any avoiding my Molly’s anger when she hears the news… but so long as Ginny’s happy, I’ll do my best to help you.”

“Thank you,” Harry breathed out, grateful, “I don’t expect her to accept it with open arms, but there’s no changing it either.”

“I believe you.” Arthur stood back up, “Though you’ll understand if I want to confirm some things with Albus, too. It could go a long way to settling Molly when she finds out.”

“I know the headmaster would be happy to explain everything he can.” Harry was of half a mind to make sure the wizened wizard was there when they finally told the Weasley matriarch.

Making his way over to Harry, he placed on a hand on his shoulder, “For what it’s worth… I’m glad that it’s you. You’re family as it is anyway.”

Genuinely touched by the sentiment, Harry rasped out, “Thank you, Mr. Weasley.”

“One of these days you’ll listen when I tell you to call me Arthur.”

Harry gave a half-smile, “Well, I’ll have plenty of time to work on it.”

“I suppose you will.” He let go and moved to the door, opening it for Harry, “We should probably go rejoin the rest of the family before they start wondering where we got off to.”

They rejoined the rest of the Weasleys, and while they got a few looks, particularly from Molly and Ginny, no one thought to ask where they’d gotten off to. Their meal wound down as a few them ordered some of Rosemerta’s bread pudding before they all headed toward the apparition point to say their goodbyes.

Harry couldn’t help but notice that Ginny and her dad lingered toward the back in quiet conversation. When they arrived at the point, Molly pulled him into a hug, “Arthur and I will see you in a couple weeks, dear, even if you don’t see us.”

As he pulled away, he couldn’t hide his confusion, “The final of the dueling tournament.” She reminded him with a giggle, “You didn’t think we’d miss it, did you?”

“No, of course not. Time just seems to be flying by this year. Hard to believe it’s only a couple weeks away.”

“We’re expecting you to put on a show.” Bill clapped him on the shoulder.

“I doubt it’ll last long enough to be considered a show.” Ron snorted.

He said his goodbyes to Charlie as well before offering his hand to the eldest Weasley, “I’ll see you soon, Arthur.”

Smiling, he shook his hand harder, “You certainly will, Harry.”

As they apparated away, the five that remained made their way through Hogsmeade back toward the castle.

Harry found himself trailing behind when Ginny joined him, “So… seems like the conversation with my dad went well.”

“Better than I hoped, honestly.” He let his hand fall to her hip, “Hopefully things go at least half as well with your mum.”

“And what about my brothers?” She asked impishly.

He barked out a laugh, “Oh, I’m not worried about them in the slightest. They’re all much too afraid of you.”

“True.” She laughed right along with him before leaning into his side, “I appreciate you doing that. And I’m sure I can think of some way of showing you just how much.”

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, you just look for excuses to show your ‘appreciation’.”

“Are you complaining?” She asked, one eyebrow raised imperiously. A look that she’d most definitely inherited from her mother.  

“Nope, not in the slightest.” He replied smoothly, “But do me a favor and remind me not go alone with any of you to the Three Broomsticks. It’s starting to feel like pattern.”

“Where would the fun in that be.” She could only giggle as he pinched her side.

AN: Next new chapter will be 'Taming a Dragon'

As for this flagship story of mine. We'll be seeing an intense duel with Snape followed by some fun with his two Ravenclaws in the next chapter. I foresee this having ten to fifteen chapters left in the main story with plenty of epilogue chapters to follow.