He nodded and said, "You want me to buy her one?"
"No, replied Johnson. "We were hoping you'd be willing to loan her one of yours."
He gave a snort of amusement and said, "I only have one. That's my Firebolt. And I won't loan that to her."
When he saw their shoulders slump in defeat, he said, "However, I will loan her one; but, on the proviso she never learns I'm the one who loaned it to her. For that to happen only us three will even know about it. I do not want her to believe she owes me anything. Deal?"
Both stood up straighter, but clearly relieved. As Spinnet nodded, Johnson firmly said, "Deal!"
He gave a firm nod back and said, "I'll organise for one to be passed to either of you two. Then, whichever of you receives it, will then loan it to Weasley. After the last game you will collect it back off her and return it to... Neville Longbottom. Again, deal?"
"Deal," chorused the girls.
Harry gave a nod back and strode from the room, back to the Great Hall.
He even wrote a note for Sirius, asking Sirius to go and buy him a decent broom, just not a Firebolt. And told him why. Sirius was then tasked with organising for it, in confidence, to get into the hands of either Angelina Johnson or Alicia Spinnet.
The discussion swirling around them that afternoon was not that Harry and the rest had again put in an appearance after not being seen since the end of classes on the Friday, but dealt with Fleur's choker.
Clearly, a few knew what it meant and were even now spreading the word. It was the symbol of a bonded Veela. And the Potter crest on the pendant - medallion - meant she was a Veela bonded to someone in the House of Potter. That the crest was in gold meant it was to the head of the House.
Harry hadn't learnt this, himself, until just a few days ago.
While he would normally abhor school gossip, especially when it dealt with him, this time he didn't even try to put a stop to it. Through the gossip, he hoped that those who might try to make a play for Fleur would realise, ahead of time, what a major error of judgement that would be. And he'd not have to personally deal with them.
Paying some attention to what was going on around them, Harry leaned into Fleur and softly said, "I now understand the purpose of the choker. Sorry for doubting you over that."
She just smiled back.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Other matters occurring in the castle recently related to both Ginevra Weasley and Luna Lovegood. Both still met with the mind-healer in the offices next to the offices of their respective Heads of House.
Ginny had now reached the point she had come to terms with what had happened her First Year at Hogwarts; and how she was only to blame by not going to her father, or one of the Professors, with the diary. However, it was also made clear to her she just might have been under a compulsion not to do so; and that it was too late to check.
Her other matter, her infatuation with Harrison 'Harry' Potter, was also now a resolved issue. For that one, her mother was at fault. The woman had filled her daughter's head with all these fanciful tales about Harry Potter. Tales that were definitely not true. Therefore, the Harry Potter she was infatuated with simply did not exist.
And, while Harrison Potter - the somewhat real one - had saved her from the Chamber of Secrets, that did not mean he was the same as the Harry Potter in those books and stories her mother would read or relate to her. He would have done that for whomever had been taken into the Chamber. She knew that now, too.
As such, Ginny Weasley was quickly reaching the point she would no longer need to see the mind-healer anywhere near as often as she did. Instead, at the next meeting the mind-healer would be informing her that their sessions were being cut back from the current once every two weeks, back to once every two months.
Luna Lovegood was still a bit of a work-in-progress, though. The girl flatly refused to recant her views concerning creatures only she, apparently, could see. However, the meek and submissiveness that was a major part of her personality was definitely something of the past.
The mind-healer had thought that, once Luna was cured of her submissiveness, she might have also dropped her invisible creatures. However, nothing could have been further from the truth. Instead of only, almost flippantly, mentioning her creatures, Luna was now more outspoken about them.
Another issue dealt with Malfoy. He had only just returned from his own excursion outside of the castle on 'family business'.
With little prior warning, he was given only one day's notice his mother would be attending the school to collect him and take him home for the weekend. She arrived in the Headmistress's office on the Friday afternoon an hour after last class and they flooed directly to Malfoy Manor.
As soon as he was home his mother took him straight through to his father's study, leaving him at the door as she walked off.
During the meeting with his father he learned that both the Dark Lord had returned, though in reduced form, and he was given a most special assignment to complete. He was told that, if he successfully completed it as his father expected him to, it would see him jump directly into the Dark Lord's circle of closest confidants.
The task was then explained to him. From then and for the rest of the weekend he was shown how to cast a specific charm and led through how to modify one already cast. The entire weekend was spent on that one charm.
By the time he returned to the castle on the Sunday afternoon, he thought he could cast it and modify it in his sleep.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
As March moved into the beginnings of April, the season of Spring fully upon them, the change in the physical relationship between Harry and Hermione and Harry and Fleur, did not become an uncomfortable one for her, as Daphne suspected it might.
She believed she might have come to feel like an 'outsider', being the only witch in the apartment not having slept with Harry. But, that did not prove to be the case.
If not for knowing both Hermione and Fleur had slept with Harry, the lack of change in the relationships between the four of them would have meant she'd not have suspected a thing.
However, Fleur's obvious increase in magical power, now that she knew the cause of it, was the only sign.
Harry was just as comfortable with the 'innocent' cuddling of her as he was with Hermione. Even Fleur was now a recipient of that sort of interaction and to the same amount.
There were also no knowing looks or glances between 'them' who had done it, which would have exacerbated the problem. Nor did Harry suddenly become demanding of sex from Hermione, or Fleur, which she knew other boys would have more likely done.
Once they were into the second half of April, and there was still no change other than the four becoming more comfortable around each other, Daphne came to realise that it wasn't the worry Harry would be more demanding of sex from Hermione and or Fleur, it was her worry he'd become demanding of sex from her; especially if they'd already had their first night together.
It was during the third week of April, on the Wednesday, she pulled the other girls aside for a 'girls talk' in her room. Again, Harry didn't even bat an eye over it. He just continued to work on one of his assignments.
As soon as they entered and Daphne had closed the door, Fleur smiled at her and said, "You've reached a decision."
Daphne gave a little embarrassed smile and looked to Hermione. "I have."
Hermione smiled back and asked, "When?"
"The decision?" she asked.
"No," replied Hermione. "When do you want to... do it?"
Daphne, clearly a little worried, asked, "Does Friday night sound alright to you? Now that I've..." And petered off.
"Now that you've made the decision," said Fleur. "You want to get your first night out of the way. That way, you won't worry at the decision for so long you'll change your mind again."
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