A Familiar Bond: Chapter 20

The arena was abuzz with frantic whispers and excited discussions concerning the first task as it ended once Krum managed to get the golden egg from the lair of the Ukrainian Ironbelly.

The dragon had kept a very calm demeanor throughout the task and in the end, an ingenuity from Krum had managed to get him the egg. Once he realized he could not get the massive dragon to budge from its spot around the egg, Krum decided to focus more on how he could get the egg to move. Since summoning was out of the question due to the enchantments placed around it, he had to resort to one skill he was arguably the best at.

The crowd was treated to the star seeker’s flying skills as he maneuvered around the massive dragon and after trying for quite a while, he finally succeeded. Even though it took him more time than his two competitors, the crowd was in no mood to complain considering they were treated to a spectacle they usually got to see only during the best of professional Quidditch matches.

Albus Dumbledore sat with the other four judges in the stands, all visibly enthralled by the display of magic and ingenuity the three champions had displayed for the entire wizarding world to see. He was particularly impressed by Harry’s display in the task. The boy was far beyond his age in both magical skill and power, and the ease with which he had accomplished his objective in the first task spoke volumes about his ability as a wizard.

Dumbledore was not delusional enough to believe that Harry was already capable enough to defeat Tom when he made his eventual return, but considering the pace at which he was improving, there was certainly potential within him.

“They were all impressive in their own right,” he started.

“Don’t act all humble, Albus. What Potter did was more advanced and impressive than the other two,” the curt voice of Bartemius Crouch earned a foul look from Igor Karkaroff. Madame Maxime simply nodded even though she did not like it.

“To use protective enchantments with such expertise and zen displaying such advanced transfiguration is certainly deserving of ze highest points,” the tall woman added, earning a nod from both Crouch and Bagman.

Karkaroff clenched his teeth but said nothing. His champion had finished the task in the last place so he was already trailing by ten points. By finishing first, Potter was already the favorite.

“We all have two points each,” Bagman began. “Let’s begin with Mr. Potter.”

There was a chorus of twos from the former beater, Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, and Barty Crouch.

“One,” Karkaroff said with gritted teeth.

“Miss Delacour next,” Bagman intoned with a sideways glance toward Karkaroff whose face remained sour.

“I believe she was brilliant with her enchantment as well. Truly a magnificent display. I believe she deserves a two as well, Ludo,” Dumbledore said calmly. Bagman nodded and followed suit, accompanied by Madame Maxime.

Barty Crouch frowned.

“Awarding her two points would be akin to equating her performance with Potter, which, I believe, would be unfair. A one-and-a-half would have been fair. Alas, we cannot award part points so it is a two from me as well.”

“One,” Karkaroff repeated.

“Thirty-nine points for Miss Delacour then. Finally, Mr. Krum.”

“Considering the display of flying skills and what he was facing, I believe Mr. Krum overcame his adverse surroundings. I have no qualms about awarding him two points either.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Karkaroff was quick to interject, earning an eyeroll from both Bagman and Madame Maxime.

Five minutes later, the champions were summoned back into the arena for the announcement. They stood amidst the cheering crowd and stared up at the judges’ section of the stands where Dumbledore stood with the heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang beside him. Bagman stood beside Madame Maxime while Barty Crouch and Igor Karkaroff stood side-by-side, their postures rigid and their faces contorted into glares.

Harry took one look at them and chuckled. There was no love lost between the two and it was apparent for all to see.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to announce the current standings in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament!” Ludo Bagman announced to a chorus of cheering from the crowd. The man grinned widely, basking in the applause. “In third place, we have Mr. Viktor Krum from Durmstrang with twenty-eight points. In second place, we find Miss Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons with a respectable thirty-nine points. Finally, in first place is Hogwarts’ own Harry Potter with a remarkable forty-nine points! Let’s applaud these exceptional witch and wizards for their outstanding display in the first task!”

XXXXX

“I’ll meet you at the carriage at five,” Harry smiled. Fleur nodded and leaned up to peck him softly.

He left the tent with his golden egg tucked under his arm, smiling when Valerie and Daphne approached him together with Astoria and Tracey.

“You were brilliant,” Valerie said as she kissed him.

“Without a doubt the best out there,” Daphne grinned, kissing him once Valerie pulled away.

Harry wrapped an arm around each and looked at Astoria and Tracey who stared back, unknowing of how to react. They had never interacted before, after all.

“That was truly something, Potter. Congrats on securing first place,” Astoria greeted him politely, earning a smile from him.

“Yeah. We had no idea you were so ahead of the rest of us. Congratulations,” Tracey smiled.

“Thank you, you two,” he nodded graciously. However, before they could say anything, he felt the two young women tugging on his arms.

“You must be tired after that task,” Valerie remarked, caressing his upper arm gently.

“A bath should relax you,” Daphne continued, caressing his other arm.

Harry glanced amusedly from the blonde to the brunette while the other two girls sweatdropped.

“We’ll talk to you later then,” Astoria said before she quickly grabbed Tracey’s hand and rushed off.

“Come, dear husband,” Daphne whispered in that promising voice of hers that never failed to work on him.

“You are due for a very well-earned reward,” Valerie mimicked her sister-wife’s actions.

Harry was all too happy to oblige and he adjusted the egg under his arm, letting them drag him toward the castle where he knew he would be having a very relaxing time indeed.

XXXXX

Daphne cried out in pleasure as her lover emptied his load inside her, keeping her trapped between the wall of the massive hot bath and his body. She immediately felt her lips seized by a pair of familiar ones and she eagerly met her sister-wife’s tongue with hers.

She could’ve never imagined that she would ever have a sister wife or that she would share her man with someone else, but after becoming familiar with this new dynamic that her life was, she discovered she would not have it any other way. She loved Harry, but after living the other woman’s memories as well, she loved Val as well. The same was true for Valerie who eagerly made out with Daphne. Shared memories meant she had seen Daphne’s life as well and it brought her all the more closer to the younger blonde.

While the two young women kissed, Harry helped himself to the copious amounts of skin he had for both his lips and his hands to feast on. He caressed their delectable assets, tweaking their sensitive skin with his fingers and squeezing them while his lips trailed sinfully over their alluring bodies. Both young women welcomed his touch and all his ministrations, eagerly submitting themselves to his loving caresses. Both had been brought to multiple climaxes in the past hour but they had coaxed even more out of him. Yet, all wanted more from each other. It was never enough.

“We’ve got to leave soon,” Daphne, the voice of reason as usual, spoke up with a sharp gasp as she felt Harry’s teeth nibbling on her nipple. “Mmmhh Harry… ohh love…”

“Just enjoy this for a few more minutes, dear,” Valerie whispered against the blonde’s lips, smiling sensuously through half-lidded eyes. Daphne merely acquiesced as her lover entered her once again, making her moan aloud.

It was half an hour later when the threesome emerged from the hot bath. Helping each other dry and dress up, they walked out of the Room of Requirement, arm in arm.

“How’re you feeling?” Daphne asked softly as they walked down the stairs. They had long since decided there was no need to keep their relationships private considering Harry and Valerie were already together in the eyes of the public even though they were magically man and wives. Daphne had further assured them that she had more than enough power to take care of herself in Slytherin, not that any would dare to challenge her after the display she had put in front of them with Malfoy, and once they met her mother, their betrothal would be official.

Harry knew Daphne’s assurance to have even more weight now that she had access to all the knowledge he and Valerie had amassed over the years. All three had had a lot to teach each other via their memories and their spell repertoire had broadened massively. Even though each had an area of expertise that they were the best at, the knowledge at their disposal was going to be immensely helpful.

He pondered upon Daphne’s question. Truth be told, he was slightly anxious despite all the confidence he was feeling. They all knew that Fleur wanted to be with them, and she had told them that the veela wanted Harry and no one else. Those two facts were enough for him to believe that the ritual would be easier than either of them had expected. Yet, there were always chances for something to go awry. The veela was an unpredictable entity who might act up, possibly detecting the presence of two other women in his mind. She might outright reject him for influencing her in such an insidious manner. There were several unknown variables in question here and all filled him with slight apprehension.

Yet, his belief in himself and the pure feelings he had felt surrounded with whenever he was with Fleur made him confident enough to believe that things would turn out perfectly fine.

“At ease,” he replied.

“Good. We all need to keep calm. And Harry, if her father or her mother act out, don’t copy them as well. We need to portray a relaxed front and convince them. Remember, they’re to be family,” Daphne intoned softly.

“Our polite pureblood heiress is hard at work again,” Valerie teased.

“It’s the lady of a pureblood house speaking right now, my dear,” Daphne replied with a smirk.

“Yeah, yeah, Lady Daphne of House Black. The mighty one indeed.”

“You know, I’ll be happy to take on the Potter one. You can be the Lady Black,” Daphne intoned again.

This had been a topic of discussion among them for a few days now. Since Valerie had married Harry before he became the heir to the House of Black, she had automatically been called the lady of House Potter. However, nothing official had taken place yet and the two women had discussed the matter between themselves before they approached Harry.

“You know I have no issues either way,” Harry responded, smiling. A few students stared at them as they walked downstairs, whispering amongst themselves. The threesome paid them no heed and kept descending.

“Tell you what,” Valerie mused. “Why don’t we wait until our third wife joins in as well. Then all three of us can discuss this matter and choose whichever house we’d like to be the ladies of.”

“Sounds good to me,” Daphne nodded.

They walked out of the castle together and started to make their way toward the Beauxbatons carriage where they would be joining Fleur.

XXXXX

“You seem eager, dear,” Antoine Delacour remarked from his seat near the fireplace as he stared at his eldest. For her part, Fleur was pacing near the door, often glancing out of the window. Her mother simply chuckled as she sat with her youngest who was happily munching on her favorite parfait.

“He must be something for you to be so be so excited,” Apolline intoned, smiling.

“He is,” she replied.

“Ha! Can’t be better than ‘Arry Potter!” Gabrielle butted in quickly. “When can I meet him, Fleur? You promised you’ll try!”

Fleur kept her expressions in check and looked over at her sister who was staring back at her with wide, puppy-dog eyes, the same shade as hers and her mother’s, unblinking.

“You might’ve these two wrapped around your fingers with that look but it won’t work on me, you little missy,” she rolled her eyes. Gabrielle pouted at her sister.

Fleur chuckled and looked outside the window. Her eyes widened slightly as she spotted Harry walking toward the carriage with Valerie and Daphne right beside him.

‘Direct as always,’ she thought to herself, sighing fondly.

“I’ll be back soon,” she announced quickly and before her parents could speak, she was out of her room with the door slamming shut behind her.

“She’s our Fleur, right?” Antoine asked in a not-too-joking voice.

“That’s love, dear,” Apolline replied. “I can’t explain how relieved I am that she’s found someone she’s accepted so wholeheartedly.”

Antoine nodded distractedly. His thoughts ran amok in his mind. It was apparent that Fleur was besotted with this young man and the veela had wholeheartedly accepted him. He believed that this young man was worthy enough of his daughter if she had chosen him, but the father inside him wanted to ensure everything was perfect. However, he hoped it would work out. The last thing he wanted was to upset his daughter.

The sound of the doorknob twisting alerted them and they looked over.

Antoine’s eyes widened in shock as he saw who entered with his daughter. He barely registered his wife’s little gasp as she stood up, joining him.

“Well, can’t say I saw this coming,” Antoine Delacour muttered softly so that only his wife could hear. Apolline Delacour could only nod as she stared at none other than Harry Potter and how her daughter was clutching his arm, her expression one of absolute bliss.

“It’s ‘Arry Potter!”

The sudden shout tore them out of their thoughts. Apolline and Antoine stared, shocked, as their youngest daughter tore off toward the young man who was surprised for only a moment as he gained his composure quickly and smiled at the young veela who had begun rambling in French that was impossible for him to keep up with.

“Gabby, let him breathe,” Fleur chastised her sister lightly, cupping her cheek. That seemed to shake Apolline completely out of her stupor and she strode forward, taking her youngest’s arm and gently pulling her away from the young man.

“I’m sorry for her, Mr. Potter. She’s a bit too cheerful sometimes.”

Harry chuckled.

“It’s fine, Mrs. Delacour,” he replied. Apolline smiled.

Antoine cleared his throat, looking at his eldest expectantly.

“Papa, Maman, ‘Arry Potter, Valerie Swann, and Daphne Greengrass. ‘Arry, Valerie, Daphne, my Papa, Antoine Delacour, and my Maman, Apolline Delacour. And the little miss you met just now is my little sister Gabrielle,” Fleur introduced everyone.

Daphne and Valerie curtseyed as befitting their station, earning a polite nod from Antoine who shook Harry’s hand firmly. Harry smiled at the man before greeting Apolline with a featherlight kiss to the back of her hand, spotting Antoine greeting Valerie and Daphne similarly out of the corner of his eye. Smiling at the woman, he looked down at Gabrielle who beamed up at him. He chuckled, patting the young girl on the head.

“Please have a seat, everyone,” Apolline smiled, walking over to take a seat beside her husband with Gabrielle. Fleur sat by herself in an armchair in the middle while Harry sat opposite the other couple with Daphne and Valerie on either side of him. Antoine and Apolline both looked at the two women curiously but did not probe.

“Allow me to first congratulate you on a splendid performance in the first task, Mr. Potter. Your display would’ve been astounding for someone twice your age, let alone yourself,” Antoine praised.

“Truly. I have seen very few with the ability to cast those protective enchantments with such swiftness and maintain them against something as magically potent as dragonfire,” Apolline continued.

“Thank you,” Harry replied graciously.

“It is surprising though,” Antoine continued. “To have someone your age with such prodigious magical abilities. I’m not exaggerating when I say that you are the best wizard of your age I have ever seen. In the future, if you ever find your mind wandering, do know that Magical France will wholeheartedly welcome someone with your prowess.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Harry chuckled. Antoine and Apolline did not miss how the two young women on either side of him and their daughter all smiled proudly. They were surprised, to say the least.

This was supposed to be a meeting to discuss an alliance between the houses of Potter and Delacour, which meant anything they talked about needed to be strictly private. For the young man in front of them to arrive with two other women who seemed to carry themselves with the poise of perfect pureblood heiresses filled them with confusion. They glanced toward their daughter who should for all intents and purposes feel offended but they found to their immense surprise nothing but a content smile on her face.

The couple exchanged a look with each other, a silent conversation occurring between them. As expected, both were perplexed as to who these young women where and why Harry Potter had brought them to this meeting. Even more perplexing was why their daughter seemed perfectly at ease with it all.

“I believe we should begin the discussions which we have truly arranged this meeting for, Mr. Delacour,” Harry took charge of the proceedings and as Antoine looked over, he saw nothing but an individual who was fully confident in himself and his abilities. Recalling how he had conducted himself since this tournament started, beginning with that press conference to his performance in the first task, he had to admit that Harry Potter was a formidable wizard with all the ability to back up the fame and accolades he had garnered from the wizarding society.

Schooling his features into a more neutral one, Antoine nodded and looked over at his wife who stood up with her youngest and took her outside the room. She returned momentarily, shutting the door behind her.

With a flick of his wand, the privacy wards around the room activated and he settled in place, regarding the young man sitting right opposite him.

“My daughter wrote to us about a proposal, Mr. Potter. She was very explicit in what she wants. I would like to hear it from your side, if you please.”

Harry nodded.

“Certainly. Fleur and I talked for the first time during the opening ceremony of the tournament and you can say we immediately felt a connection between us. As time passed, we felt this connection strengthening. It didn’t take long for us to realize we had developed feelings for each other and that was when we confessed to each other. Fleur expressed how the veela inside her had become interested in me during our first meeting and how both she and the veela inside her had already accepted me.”

“That quickly?” Apolline asked in a disbelieving tone. Her eyes bored into her daughter’s, searching for any hint of a doubt or insincerity but she could find nothing. “The veela has wholeheartedly accepted him?”

Fleur nodded with a bright smile on her beautiful face and Antoine could not have doubted her even if he tried. It seemed his daughter had indeed found the perfect partner for both herself and the veela.

“I can see that you are entirely unaffected by my allure as well,” Apolline remarked.

“Perhaps I am naturally resistant,” Harry replied.

“Or you have perfect control over your emotions that are powerful enough to prevent you from devolving into a drooling simpleton,” she observed keenly. “You are in love, Harry Potter. A veela’s eyes never miss when it comes to powerful emotions.”

Harry simply smiled at the woman as the three women beamed at him. Antoine did not miss this little detail and neither did Apolline. It did not take long for an inkling of doubt to creep up in their minds and for the first time, they felt they were getting some clue as to why these women might have come with him.

Given the way their daughter looked perfectly content with everything, they believed they had the complete picture of the situation at hand.

“Mr. Potter,” Antoine said in a curt voice. “I would like you to be completely honest with us here.”

Harry was not an idiot. He was aware that they were curious about Daph and Val and knew perfectly well how he needed to conduct himself here. With a glance toward Fleur who gave him a supportive nod, Harry took a deep breath and stared Antoine Delacour right in the eyes.

“I have three lordships. Daphne and Valerie are to be two of the three wives I am required to take in order to keep the family lines separate, and I am proposing for Fleur to be the lady of the third house,” Harry said succinctly.

Antoine closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t even register how big a deal it was to have three lordships. His first and only instinct was to lash out at this person for daring to treat his daughter in such an abhorrent manner but his wife’s calming allure washed over him. He relented, allowing his wife to steer this conversation, knowing the intricacy of the nature of a veela was her area of expertise.

“Fleur,” Apolline said firmly. “You have consented to this, I presume?”

“Oui, Maman,” Fleur replied, her tone filled with absolute resolve.

Antoine gazed at his daughter who nodded when she caught his eye.

“What about the veela, Fleur?” Apolline continued. “You know how things are with us. How can you say that you have consented to this when the veela is not in agreement?”

Fleur sat with perfect poise and stared at her mother.

“You are right, Maman,” she began. “Even though the veela has accepted Harry as her mate, she is not content with the prospect of sharing him. In fact, even now I feel her rage simmering beneath the surface when I see Daph and Val with him. I can feel her selfishness of wanting him for herself.”

Apolline nodded, agreeing with her daughter’s sentiment. It was perfectly in line with how she knew it should be. No veela liked to share her mate and there had been cases when the veela had forced herself to the surface, several times resulting in the deaths of everyone involved. The last thing she wanted was for the situation to devolve so much.

“But you have to understand that the veela has recognized Harry as her one true mate,” Fleur continued, prompting her mother to grimace slightly.

“You don’t need to explain that to me,” Apolline sighed. At her husband’s concerned look, she sighed. “Dear… this is so unfortunate… you know what happens when the veela fixates on someone and recognizes this person as her one true mate.”

Antoine pursed his lips and nodded. There was no possibility for his daughter to find true love and happiness with someone other than Harry Potter. She would forever long for him if she could not be his and he could not be hers. However, his daughter had admitted mere moments ago that the veela was discontent with their arrangement, so he was at a loss for what could be done. His daughter could not be with this young man since that would keep the veela enraged, and she could not be happy without him either.

“I don’t like this one bit,” he stated plainly.

“Mr. Delacour, I might have a solution to this little problem,” Harry spoke calmly. Both Antoine and Apolline gazed at him evenly, their eyes devoid of any emotion other than one of curiosity.

Harry began speaking. He told them how he had performed the familiar ritual on Valerie who had been a cat at the time, unaware of the fact that she was one. He explained how they had seen each other’s memories before discovering that it was akin to a bonding ritual that usually took place during weddings. The couple’s eyes widened as they listened to Harry describing how they were married in the eyes of magic and how it was even recognized by the ancient family magics as evident when their union was reflected on a family tapestry.

Soon, Valerie and Daphne joined in the explanation, and the Delacours listened to it all from their perspective. They explained how they both were in perfect harmony in this shared matrimony and how they were involved with each other as well – something that earned them dubious looks. They remained unfazed though, patiently explaining the changes that had occurred among all of them after they had performed the ritual and how it seemed to ensure there were no grievances amongst the three.

By the time they were done with their explanations, Antoine’s mind was reeling at the complexity of it all while Apolline sat with a thoughtful look on her face. Her mind was working at a furious pace, trying to spot any hidden lies or holes in their explanations but for the life of her, she could not find anything.

Once she was certain that they were indeed telling the truth, she began pondering on how it could affect Fleur, the veela inside her, and how much possibility there was for what Harry Potter was proposing to succeed. Truth be told, she believed there was a fifty percent chance of it succeeding, and she expressed as much to them.

Harry sighed.

“I’ve not known your daughter for too long, but I’ve come to care for her. I like her, and I believe she feels the same. Both Daph and Val have also accepted her already, and if I have your permission, I would like to try this. I know you have your concerns and I understand, but I request you to put your faith in us. We will find a way to make this work.”

Antoine and Apolline stared at the resolute expression on the young man’s face. He still looked confident in his ability to make this work. They took a glance at their daughter who stared back with a confident expression on her face.

“Are you really sure, Fleur?” Apolline asked gently.

“Oui, Maman. I have faith in ‘Arry and myself. We’ll convince the veela and make it work. I know we will,” she replied firmly.

Antoine sighed. He was in a truly rock and hard place. His daughter was choosing to take a leap of faith, being entirely confident of her success. He could understand why she would be eager to take this path. The other path would doom her to a loveless and unhappy life, and if there was even the slightest chance that she could succeed, she wanted to take it. It was the same thought process that was making him lean toward allowing them to go ahead with this prospect.

He had wanted to see two things in the young man his daughter was going to introduce them to – his ability as a wizard and his worth compared to his daughter. There was no doubt in his mind that Harry Potter satisfied both those requirements of his. He had seen his conduct over the past month or so and his performance in the first task spoke volumes of his ability as a wizard.

However, the father in him was firmly against the notion of letting her daughter be a part of a harem, because that was what it was.

Antoine had always held a slight disdain toward traditional pureblood culture and one of the reasons was its tolerance for polygamy. He believed a man and a woman belonged to each other and no one else, and what his daughter was willing to be a part of went firmly against that principle of his.

However, his daughter was a grown woman and as such, she had the right to make her decisions. He could only advise her and whatever decision she took, he would stand behind her in support. That had been his mantra since the beginning and he was not going to turn his back on it now.

Sighing, Antoine Delacour exchanged a look with his wife who gave him an understanding smile. He nodded.

“Alright,” he said, fixing the young man with a firm stare. “You have our permission to proceed with this ritual. Considering what you all have explained about it to us, there seems to be a possibility. I truly hope you two succeed.”

“I’ll make sure we do,” Harry replied with determination shining through in his eyes. Antoine kept his eyes on the young man for a few more seconds before he gave him a final nod.

“A word of warning though,” Apolline interjected, making everyone look at her. She kept her eyes fixated on her daughter before looking over toward Harry. “This is going to be unpredictable. When you performed this ritual the last two times, you only exchanged your memories. You did not encounter a third entity. However, what you need to keep in mind is that you will be dealing with the veela inside her, perhaps even face opposition from her. Veela are sensual creatures and they have no qualms when it comes to being with other women, but to make this work the way you want, you will have to convince her to acknowledge your other wives as her mate as well, which will not be easy. It might become taxing and it is possible that things might turn violent.”

“What are you proposing, Maman?” Fleur asked softly.

Apolline glanced at her daughter and sighed.

“The entity inside you is the daughter of the entity that resides inside me, Fleur. As such, I would like for you two to perform the ritual in my presence. Should something go awry, perhaps I might be able to calm things down.”

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded.

“I assume you’ll be using your allure?”

Apolline nodded.

“In that case, you’ll need to use it while we would be doing the ritual. Once it begins, time stops outside our respective minds. You can say it all happens in an instant. If you don’t, then the ritual would be over before you’d be able to do anything.”

“I understand,” Apolline replied.

“You shouldn’t do the ritual here in this room,” Daphne interjected. “If there are any violent bursts of magic, the carriage might be destroyed.”

“Even if it doesn’t, it would surely attract attention from everyone,” Valerie nodded. “The last thing we want is for this to become known to any outsiders.”

“We could use the room then,” Fleur shrugged.

“What room?” Antoine asked sharply.

Apolline rolled her eyes as she glanced at her husband before looking on expectantly.

“There’s this secret room in the castle where we usually meet. I don’t think anyone knows about it so it’s a perfect place if you want privacy,” Harry replied. He pointedly stared away from Antoine, knowing the man’s steely eyes were fixated on him.

“The room would be able to withstand any magical release. We’ve tried all sorts of spells inside and nothing’s ever happened,” Valerie intoned with a small smile. She rolled her eyes when Fleur winked at her and mouthed the words ‘magical release’. The veela had a dirty mind, but that was what she liked a lot about the woman. She exchanged a mirthful look with Daphne who rolled her eyes, having caught what Fleur had mouthed as well. They both could barely wait until they got her in their bed. The wait had been a long one.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Antoine and Apolline had not missed their daughter’s antics or how the others had reacted. Antoine’s lips pursed even more while Apolline silently chuckled to herself. She exchanged another look with Harry who nodded firmly.

Well, he certainly looked confident. She could only hope his confidence came clutch. It was apparent to her that her daughter was very happy with the arrangement, and she prayed to whichever deity existed for the ritual to succeed. After all, it was the only way to ensure her daughter found love and happiness in her life.

To be continued…