Unveiling Destiny: Harry Potter and the Triwizard Revelation

It was kind of crazy what an abrupt change of circumstances could result from a single conversation. Here Harry was, heading to the Delacour home. The last time he was here, Harry had felt like he had a family, like he belonged somewhere, as just Harry, not as the Boy-Who-Lived. This time though, he was heading there with a feeling of dread.

Patrice had requested that he'd be the host for the next meeting, and since it wasn't difficult to get an international floo, both Cyrus and Horace were fine with it. But those men weren't the source of his feeling of impending doom. No, that was the result of him finding out both Daphne and Fleur would be here. This being the first meeting since he unintentionally got a show from Narcissa Malfoy and put an end to the life of Lucius Malfoy.

As if it wasn't going to be enough to have his advisors annoyed at what they would believe was his rash action. Why the two girls had to attend this particular meeting was beyond him. Well, that wasn't completely true. He knew Daphne had been the one to tell her father that Harry was going to attempt to kill Malfoy. And Fleur's presence must be because it is her family home, but there might also be some other reason for her attendance, though he had no idea what it could be.

Upon arriving at the home, he greeted the hosting family, shook hands and received words of welcome from Patrice, while Apolline had given him a warm hug and Gabrielle had latched onto him, not letting go until he had passed his pet dragon to her.

The adorable little girl had shrieked and run off, her hair being blown back by the speed of her departure, her hands had been reaching, trying to grasp the little dragon that had wriggled out of her hold, and was quickly making her escape.

Harry had expected he'd be ushered into a meeting with the advisors but he was not. He found himself having tea with Apolline, just Apolline.

"I'm glad you were able to come, 'arry," she began their discussion, her voice warm and welcoming, as if she was really glad the young man who had just broken her precious daughter's heart was having tea with her. He might've been worried about poison but the oaths they had sworn would have never allowed it. Nevertheless, the warm welcome was making him far more nervous than the cold one he'd been expecting to receive.

"Thanks for having me," he muttered as he tested out the tea, it was no longer steaming but it still may be too hot for his tongue. Carefully he tipped the cup and a few drops dribbled into his mouth. Hot but not too hot, he took a proper drink.

"I'll start out by letting you know that I was the one to request Patrice to find a way to get you here. I knew you'd be reluctant given recent events, but it was important, so here we are," she brought her own cup up to her mouth, her posture, the way she drank, everything really, just screamed and shouted beauty, elegance and showed how fine of a lady she was. In olden times, she would be no less than the daughter of a noble house, one men would dream to have as their wife and one that would catch even the eyes of a prince. The Delacour matriarch was a queen within her own palace here.

"I thought it odd that we were meeting here," Harry stated neutrally, not wanting to give much away until he knew what was going on here.

"I trust you will recall I am bound to keep your secrets and that I am supporting you as you prepare for what is to come," Harry's eyebrows rose of their own volition, this was sounding more and more ominous to his ears.

Harry nodded and kept his face passive, though his fingers were holding onto the cup and saucer as if allowing them to fall would end the world as he knew it.

"I trust my daughter has told you about how Veela are more sensitive to magic?"

Harry dipped his head again then lifted it in a slow, deliberate manner.

"Good, it will make this easier," she said with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Tell me, Harry, how close are you to finishing your rituals, it must be complete soon, no?"

Harry almost dropped his cup and saucer in shock, his eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing. "You can sense this as well?" he asked, recalling how Dumbledore was also aware of them.

"Yes, I've known since I met you. At first, I thought you were doing a simple set, like some of the old families still do," Harry had thought there might be some recrimination there but there was not, these were just facts to her.

"And you don't think it's a short ritual set now?" Harry questioned the assumption in her last comment, he wanted to gather more information before revealing anything.

"No," she said firmly, "your magic hasn't settled, it is in flux, changed every time we meet. Perhaps, if we were to see each other each day it would be harder to notice, but when I see you so seldomly, it is hard not to notice. As it has continued beyond seven weeks, I do not believe you are doing a set of seven on the seventh day as I first thought."

"Are you knowledgeable on the topic of rituals?" Harry put a cracker in his mouth to help hide just how interested he was in the answer.

"All Veela are, they have to be." This conversation was becoming more surprising by the second, the entire time he had been here was not even in the same country as the script he expected to follow today.

"Why would they have to be?" he asked, following up with the question that was begging to be asked.

"Veela are secretive. We are protective of ourselves, we have to be," she took a dainty bite of a biscuit and washed it down with some tea. Damn, she knew how to ratched up suspense, Harry thought.

"Before revealing more, would you tell me how many rituals you are doing?" The casual tone was there but they both knew the question was anything but.

"Forty-nine," his answer caused her to immediately still, color draining from her cheeks.

Apolline drew in a short breath and gently placed her tea and saucer down. "Non," she said with a small degree of desperation, "what drove you to attempt such madness?"

Harry smiled tightly. "I believe I forgot to bring Patrice into this. Both Horace and Cyrus are aware. It was not meant as a slight or to withhold the information…" Harry said, if they were determined to stay on good terms with him, he wouldn't be giving them any fodder that may be turned against him.

"There is no insult, after revealing what you have, I would not dare to think you're keeping any pertinent information from us, none that we must be made aware of. You are entitled to your secrets, everyone is, and we accept your judgement on whether we should be aware of something, or not." There was such a warmth to her tone that Harry couldn't help but believe she is a fantastic mother. Apolline just had a way of being warm and welcoming, even when there could be cause for discord.

"I stumbled across a ritual set designed and written in parseltongue by Salazar Slytherin. It is what I am completing." Harry scrutinized the woman closely, to see how she reacted. It wasn't the flash of surprise that he found odd, it was the fear that he didn't understand.

Ashen faced, Apolline whispered her next words, "You know the rumors of Salazar's descendants?"

"Which ones?" Harry asked quietly, he knew, but, just as before, he wished to hear what she was aware of.

His question had somewhat of an unintended consequence. Apolline spruced up, her back straightened and she returned to her regal form, the one that came so naturally to her. "Every so often, a parseltongue claims to be the heir, many of them show great promise, as far as magical talents are concerned, and though there had been few through the annals of history, some rumors have persisted, for many centuries, that Salazar cursed his own line, that the more powerful they become, the more unstable they are."

"Is this commonly known?" Horace and Cyrus hadn't brought this up directly, was this uncommon or was the oath Horace required his insurance against him going insane?

"To those who are well learned in the art of rituals, it is," Apolline answered simply, concern shining in her eyes as she watched him.

"The Sorting Hat warned me as much. That those who have tread the same path as me have all fallen." It was giving up information and, while Harry had been avoiding this, it just felt right to tell her about it.

"The Sorting Hat?" It wasn't that she was questioning the validity of what he said, her words were said as if she was trying to puzzle out what the Sorting Hat had to do with rituals.

"Can you keep a secret?" he asked, his face alight with humor at the almost rhetorical question.

She blinked once, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Of course," she said, it wouldn't be fair to say it was spoken in an affronted manner but there was a sliver of it in there, with the majority of it being veiled curiosity.

"My tutor is not alive," he stated and couldn't help but smirk as her jaw lowered and eyes widened as he'd broken her composure.

"Non. Even if you learned from the greatest wielders of magic in history, from their diaries, their memoirs, you couldn't have made the jump you have merely by reading and following their directions. You've come too far, too fast, for that."

Harry merely smiled, not saying anything for a moment. "How about you tell me what you wanted to, when you arranged this, and I'll explain more, after that is done," Harry was now coming to think that Apolline had arranged this for the purpose of imparting information, a warning, or something beneficial to him. Or, it may not be, it was always so difficult to tell.

Apolline appraised him while she took a sip of her tea, her eyes never straying from him, "I'll agree to that," she sat back and crossed her legs, resting her half finished tea and saucer on her leg, her left hand keeping it balanced.

"I'll get to the point, so you have time to talk as well then. Veela are more of a hybrid between magical creatures and witches. Our origins are shrouded in mystery, the history and likelihood of one theory over others is not, strictly speaking, relevant. There are two things I planned to inform you of, these are normally only told from one Veela to another or from a Veela to their mate." Left unsaid was that this was a break in protocol. Harry nodded his understanding that this was not meant to become public knowledge.

"Veela are knowledgeable about rituals because they have to be. There is a set of seven rituals that they must complete, upon their physical maturation, that marks the ending of their puberty. Without it, a young Veela will not balance their magic. I cannot say more, the details never leave the conclaves and all are bound from divulging them."

"I can respect that," Harry stated slowly, waiting to hear what the other part was. Daphne would have found this reveal more interesting, he simply didn't have the academic background, yet, to understand much about it.

"The second part is… difficult to explain," she began, her lips pursed together after speaking. "I believe you know the difference between a weak and powerful wizard?" she waited for Harry's confirmation before continuing. "Good, that will make this easier. The more powerful you are, the more your actions influence your magic. As magic is a part of who you are, and makes up what you are, the effects of this are incredibly pertinent to the powerful wizards, and witches, and especially for Veela."

"An integral part of being a Veela is their sexuality. It is a known fact. We have our allure, we are predispositioned to be beautiful and have sexual appeal to those we come into contact with. It is a part of us. It is not something we can ignore."

Harry didn't say anything yet. The point she was trying to make hadn't come about yet. He took a gulp of his tea and finished a biscuit while awaiting the rest of it.

"Veela are monogamous. They mate for life. If something happened to Patrice, there will never be another for me. The very idea is alien to me. I cannot even think of it," she had a look of disgust on her face, lips upturned, her nose scrunched and eyes squinting.

His first thought tumbled out of his mouth, "What does that mean for Fleur and me?" His thoughts were racing a mile a minute. Was this her way of saying Fleur was linked to him already, that she had no choice but to be with him now?!

"Allow me to skip over Fleur for now. I'd like to discuss you first. You are the far more fascinating case."

He did not like the sound of it, not a bit. There was nothing malicious in her tone or body language, however.

"Who are the three most powerful wizards of the last century?" she asked leadingly.

"Grindelwald, Dumbledore and You-Know-Who," Harry gave the obvious answer, perplexed as to where she was going with this.

"And can you tell me of any romantic entanglements they may have had?" she challenged him, an eyebrow arched and a knowing gleam in her eyes.

Harry thought about that. As long as Harry knew of Dumbledore there had never been any hints at a romantic partner of any kind. Riddle he knew even less about, and Grindelwald was only known to him though history texts, conversations with others and Flitwick's duelling pensive.

"No," he answered honestly, "I've not heard of any." Now that he thought on it more, it struck him as odd, shouldn't purebloods be vying to have offspring with them? From what he'd experienced, wouldn't they have been highly pursued?

"That is what I expected," she informed him. "Since Patrice has become aware of You-Know-Who's identity, he has researched and come up empty. Dumbledore and Grindelwald, however, a few rumors and a small set of facts lead to a conclusion, though it must be said, there is no concrete factual basis, even though I would argue it is, in fact, correct."

That sounded like Dumbledore had never been in a relationship. How peculiar.

"Albus and Gellert were friends, that is known to a select few, and it was part of the reason your grandfather never trusted the man fully. Nevertheless, neither of them ever courted and the only romantic entanglements that were ever suspected of, for either of them, were each other."

Harry choked on his tea. "Dumbledore and Grindelwald?! Together? Romantically?!"

Apolline looked highly amused, a slight up ticking of the corner of her lips, "Yes, but, the topic of sexual preferences and the potential scandal there, if it was ever published, are not where I need you to focus."

Going from spitting out tea, to not being able to keep incredulity out of his voice and now, having heard that, blinking in surprise, Harry was quickly being put through a whirlwind of reactions. "Oookay…" he said, slowly, refocusing himself on the conversation, his mind blanking on what else could be more important than those scandalous topics.

"I trust you are aware, or can guess, what you have in common with those three men?" Apolline questioned, shifting the topic towards her end goal.

"What I have in common?" Harry parroted, his eyebrows knit together in thought, "Magical power?" He asked, unsure of the answer he gave. It wasn't immediately obvious to him, as in close to being rhetorical, he had thought it would be from the way she asked the query.

"Well yes, but that does not address the point I wanted to hit. Rituals, Harry, rituals," she repeated the word again, giving emphasis by repeating. "You have all undergone rituals." Apolline made the point abundantly with a third direct point.

"Really? How do you know?" It wasn't that he didn't believe her, in fact, he thought it was quite likely, now that he considered it, but he wanted to learn more about that. Voldemort, Harry already knew where he had found his knowledge. Dumbledore and Grindelwald though… he had no idea.

"For now, it's sufficient to know that I do," she held up her free hand to stall the counterargument that was on the tip of Harry's tongue. "The important point is how increased magical potential affects you… and I have a theory… well," she paused for a second, hesitance showing in the discussion for the first time from Apolline, "an educated guess, really, as to possible consequences."

If that didn't sound ominous, he didn't know what would. She laid out that the three men Harry was most often compared to, now, all had highly unsuccessful romantic lives and she had an idea on why that was. He sat up straighter and did his utmost to pay attention.

"What is magic, Harry? Is it power? Intent? Willpower? Imagination? Where does one end and the other begins? How do you differentiate your physical body from your magic? Are they connected, are they separate?"

It wasn't hard to tell she was aware there wasn't a precise answer. Apolline's questions were thought-provoking in nature.

"There is something we teach young Veela, even before they begin puberty. It is that, for Veela, actions have meaning. There is significance to kissing a boy, to lusting after them, to the words they speak," her tone was careful, cautious, controlled.

"Veela differ from witches, magically and physically. It is not just our silver hair and ethereal beauty that mark us as different," there was a faux haughtiness to her words that might have been mistaken for arrogance had she not had a coy smile on her lips. "Let's circle back to Dumbledore, Grindelwald and Riddle."

"Dumbledore had a single romantic interest and though he was offered countless opportunities, especially after he ended a war with a duel, for marriage, courting, or a romantic entanglement of any kind. In all the years since then, he has not even been linked to a single man or woman, romantically."

"Grindelwald, after his broken… friendship with Albus, was not known to have taken a lover. He had many opportunities, from witches of all backgrounds, even from Veela, and he never acted upon any. In fact, he always had a single-mindedness, a dogged determination to see his plans to fruition."

"You're completely sure of this?" Harry asked quietly, trying to work out within his own head what this meant to him and his situation.

Apolline bobbed her head, "Riddle, at one time, tried to negotiate with a Veela enclave to gain access to our collective knowledge on rituals. After he was refused, we believe he captured more than one Veela and tortured them for information. One of them was left for dead but was recovered and nursed back to health. While the transcript of her recounting is not well known, I can tell you he was not interested in women, he didn't seek to gratify himself. He sought knowledge and power," her eyes had turned distant as she spoke of the incident.

"Here, Harry, is where I begin the guesswork, the theorizing," she put down her tea and folded her hands on her lap, still sitting up straight, the picture perfect lady of grace and elegance.

"All three of them completed rituals quite young, in their adolescence. All three are not known to have had any romantic interests after their rituals. The two who were rumored to be in a relationship, with one another, seemed to have never moved on. The other is not known to have ever been in one."

Harry could see where this was going but let her continue, it was painting a pretty obvious conclusion, once he filled in the rest of the picture.

"Emotions are tied to magic, this is well known. I wonder if the increase in magical density has a correlating effect on the emotions of the individual and their magic. That once their unbalanced magic was set, balanced, it also set their romantic interests."

Fuck. He really hoped that wasn't the conclusion she was leading to.

"That's only a few points of data and some of the important facts, like known and unknown romantic interests are just rumors ." Harry slowly said after taking a minute to process what she'd speculated.

"It's true. Riddle could have had a love interest as a teen. He could have when he left England and there was gossip that Bellatrix Lestrange was a little too devoted… it is also possible Albus has had a secret lover that he's kept quiet about, but tell me, which scenario is more likely? Think about that, Harry."

Harry rubbed his forehead. "This is something to think about. My ritual sets conclude far too soon if my love life is to be set for life… do you really think that's possible? Magic isn't just emotions. It's comprised of four elements. None of them are named emotion," he knew what he was saying was more of presenting an argument against what Apolline had presented but it wasn't something even he fully believed.

"Is love not magic? Doesn't it require willpower and intent? Doesn't it make you imagine, wonder and drive you to be creative? Isn't it something that takes effort, power, to do? I can tell you, if you don't already know, in the throes of passion you come alive, you have clear intent and will things to happen, physically, often creatively so. Even if you find a way to keep the passion between yourself and a lover dull, you'll fantasize about it, daydream about it."

There was an evil glint in her eyes. Apolline wasn't teasing Harry here, if anything, there was a subtle accusation, a subtle knowledge, that Harry and Fleur had been amorous together, to some degree. She didn't say it but that was the feeling he got. It felt like she was a mother that somehow knew what they had done.

"Which leads me to an alternative. One that would mean you have to be very careful of, Harry." Apolline's words drew Harry out of his thoughts one more.

"Veela have to be incredibly careful. A part of who they are is linked to their sexuality, to their eventual mate. We are monogamous. When we decide upon a mate, when we intend to be with someone for life, when we will ourselves to be mated, when we creatively imagine ourselves with them, and our actions empower our intent, willpower and thoughts, a Veela mates, for life." There was a sharpness to her words that made Harry recoil slightly. Her blue eyes were ice and the look she was giving him was deadly serious.

"Veela encourages the rumors of being promiscuous. The enclave is even in favor of parading Veela around as mascots to help with this. The great fear of any Veela is to be mated to someone who will not return their affections and to help avoid this, we allow, sometimes even perpetrate, spreading those rumors."

Harry's thoughts were running wild. Did this mean that Fleur and he were going to happen? That she might have already given herself to him?

"Is that why they can feel others' emotions? To help them discern if their potential mate is actually in love with them?" If they had such a downside, having some way of compensating would make sense, as a way to balance things.

"We believe so, yes," she said, giving him a speculative look, as if to ask him 'is this what you really want to ask me right now?'

Harry hoped she would just come out and tell him, instead of making him ask, but he really wanted to know and decided not to draw it out. "What does that mean exactly? Is it like some kind of… Veela-bond?"

Apolline's musical laughter lit up the room. "Non, Harry. It's not a bond. In fact it isn't compulsory at all."

Harry frowned, "I don't understand." It wasn't that he thought it was some sort of magical bond but there was so little information given, on what it was to be mated, that he didn't quite understand.

"The process isn't a yes or no procedure. Like most things, it is a gradual process with muddy results. Perhaps an example will help. Think of it like baking a cake. You know the recipe and the end result. You go into it expecting to complete your task and, when it is completed, you end up with a cake. Now, if you were to stop the process, part way through, would you still have a cake? What if it was just starting to cook? Is that still a cake? Can you just put it back in the fridge and decide to adapt it to another recipe?"

"So it's not an exact process. Fleur had expected to end up with a cake in our relationship and began the process but, obviously, it wasn't finished?" Harry tried to make use of her analogy.

"You did not consummate the relationship, so no, a cake was not baked. But you are right, the process was started, even though Fleur and all Veela are taught to not even begin preparing the ingredients, no kissing, until they are certain that is the cake they will end up with," Apolline had a frown and was clearly unhappy with her daughter's actions.

Harry decided he was going to leave that alone for the moment. If she had wanted to say something about Fleur, that she would still pursue something with him, or that she was forbidden from doing so, she could have done so at any point here. Instead, she was giving him information, for himself to use, but also for the sake of her daughter, or so Harry believed. If she wanted to shut things down fully, she could have. If she wanted him to believe she was now besotted with him, magically, or almost compelled to be with him, then she could have led him to that conclusion. That she did neither was interesting, to say the least.

"So, this was partly to say that the rituals increasing my magical density would be having a Veela-esque response. That Grindelwald and Dumbledore, err, mated, for lack of a better term? Would Riddle have commited himself to life as being asexual, or someone married to their own aspiriations and power?" The thought of Grindelwald and Dumbledore being mated was just… not worth dwelling on, Harry decided.

"I don't know. Rituals are not well understood. And Seven sets of Seven… if they are done correctly, is simply astounding. Magic and rituals on that scale just aren't well understood. The only one alive that might, and let me stress, might, be able to do that, if they are even still alive, would be Nicholas Flamel, the one I suspect was the source of Albus and Gellert's ritual knowledge," Apolline sounded highly sceptical of the idea, however.

Privately, Harry thought Riddle was the only one with the possibility of knowing, and if not him, then Daphne might be well on her way to being the one, who, in their lifetime, might be able to match Salazar, simply because she was bright and had access to a treasure trove of knowledge which had, more than likely, the information required to put together the masterwork Salazar Slytherin did, assuming the set is balanced and things end well.

"So, in summary, you asked me here to express your concern that my life might be locked-in when I complete my ritual set or that I may need to be very careful, romantically, so my magic doesn't pledge itself to someone that may never return my affection?"

Apolline gave him a kind smile. "An apt summary but, you may be overstating things. I could be entirely wrong, as you'd pointed out, this is conjecture based only on the lives of three men, two of which are deranged dark lords. Albus may just be Albus, a man married to academia and the responsibilities thrust on him. I don't know anything; I'd simply be remiss to suspect and to never have voiced my worries."

Although Harry wasn't a Veela and thus lacked the ability to feel other's emotions, he thought this was the kind of concern he might receive from a family member. If things had worked out, or did work out, with Fleur, he wondered if things would grow between them until their relationship became more of a surrogate mother than a mother-in-law.

"Well, let me resolve our deal. Parseltongue is more than just a way to communicate with serpents. I am learning directly from Salazar Slytherin. When I read something in parseltongue I gain more than just knowledge, I gain his understanding and the instinctive understanding he had. Salazar explained it was like learning to fly a broom. When you are told what to do, you have to take the knowledge in your head and teach your body how to do it instinctively. Well, when I learn magic this way, I gain not only a perfect recall of the facts, because I know them now, as well as Salazar did, but also I gain Slytherin's instinctive understanding of magic."

Harry watched as Apolline began to understand just what Harry was saying. What Salazar Slytherin had accomplished for his heirs was remarkable. The potential of such a gift was astronomical. If Harry was able to do the same thing, to pass along his magical abilities, each successive generation would be strong, his offspring would all be powerful, if they inherited the magical gift of being a parselmouth.

It was time for the kill shot. If there was a way to get the Delacour's to approve of him marrying more than just Fleur, this was it. Harry didn't care if they, or anyone, called him a selfish son of a bitch. He cared for Fleur, he loved her even, he wanted to bake his cake and eat it too! If he had to be manipulative to get it, then so be it.

He'd never been keen on more than one wife but deciding on Natalia and giving up Fleur fucking sucked. He wanted to be with Fleur, he wanted her.

And this was his best shot.

"There's just one more thing I'd like to ask, if you'll indulge me, the reason will be obvious right after, I promise," Apolline didn't give him a confirmation but gestured with her hand for him to ask. "What is a Veela's strongest magical trait?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly and it was clear she was thinking through the possible reasons for the question before answering, reluctantly, "Our affinity for fire."

Harry nodded and then went for his closer. "I don't have many rituals left but, of those that I have left to do, there seems to be an opening for a virginity ritual." Harry thought there was room for both in the set. Salazar didn't include things that were useless. Everything he had in the memoir was to be used. It was this understanding that led him to believe Salazar was hinting at him using both rituals on a woman. He hadn't broached that idea with Daphne, not that she would be the one to do the ritual with him, but whether she thought it was possible to do both at the same time. It didn't appear as if they would be an issue, preparation wise. Either way, he wasn't going to discuss the one he planned to do with Natalia with Apolline right now.

"Maybe Salazar understood what you are warning me of, or maybe not," he shrugged, "I don't know, at least not yet. But, the virginity ritual is for sharing prominent magical traits," he let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "I don't know where Fleur is at, but I wasn't stringing her along. If You-Know-Who was dead and gone, I'd marry your daughter and be done with it… but, he's not and I have to prepare for that."

"Are you trying to suggest we should agree to the match so our future heir may gain that for the Delacour family?" Her eyes were narrowed and she did not look pleased with his insinuation.

"Nooo…" Harry stared out slowly, willing himself to be as sincere as possible as he didn't want to make this woman angry, especially when she'd arranged a meeting for the sole purpose of warning him. "I appreciate what you've done here for me, and I'm reciprocating. I'm letting you know about something that nobody else is aware of," unless Daphne had read that for herself, she would not be aware of it. Harry hadn't told anyone. If Apolline wasn't bound by oath not to reveal his secrets he would never have told her either. But, as she was, he could be a little more cavalier.

"I haven't told Horace, Cyrus, Patrice, Fleur or Natalia. Only you are aware. Make use of it or don't. I'd prefer nobody else learns of it but, as you are aware, I didn't ask for one, nor did I specify you couldn't tell anyone before I let you know," Harry gave her a strained smile. If she did tell everyone in his inner circle it wouldn't really be that bad.

Apolline regarded him for a moment then reached forward and touched his knee. "I'll be discrete, worry not. If there is anything to worry about, it is your propositioning for taking a young woman's virginity to their mother."

The first thing Harry had noticed, when he had first come into the meeting, was the lack of females. He had mistakenly concluded that Fleur and Daphne would be included. The fact they weren't was dwelling in his thoughts. Daphne didn't come to another country just to sit around. She wasn't like that, this wasn't just social.

When Daphne did something, there was always a purpose behind it, a rationale. It was one of the things Harry had come to notice and appreciate about her. Her days were structured and she was task oriented, completing her objectives each day. If she was here, she was planning to achieve something.

His thoughts kept wandering between his conversation with Apolline and Daphne's presence, or lack of thereof. Was it connected? Did Apolline have further purposes beyond a single talk with Harry?

Sadly, he couldn't spend any more time on the topic. It was time to face his advisors, and he knew it wasn't going to be pleasant, easy-going, conversation.

"Would you like to tell of us your rationale behind jumping forward in our plans, to get us started, or would you prefer we begin to discuss the fall out?" Horace began the actual meeting after drinks had been served, Harry opting for nothing as he had just had tea with Apolline and could get something later if he wished to.

"I'll begin," Harry stated, knowing it was the prudent thing to do and wanting to just get it over with.

The room they were in was quite large for a study, yet it was cozy and Harry assumed a private place, designed to be used for business meetings in a comfortable setting, as to keep it less formal than an office or a study. Only four armchairs were set up in the room and they had a single circular table in between them. The four chairs made a square around it and made it easy to talk and discuss everything.

Harry, still keeping in the habit, had cast all his privacy spells, with the permission of Patrice, it was probably overkill but he refused to break the habit. He had been working so hard to control any possibility of intelligence leaks and wouldn't relax on his requirements.

"I'll start by saying I didn't believe any of you were taking it seriously. That I had the capability to pull it off, first of all, and that it was necessary to get it done quickly, and not to keep drawing it out with delays on the financial and legal side," Harry led with his strongest justification for just going in for the kill with only Daphne being informed ahead of time.

The three men looked at each other and held a silent debate as to who would respond. Cyrus was the one that did and he began his remarks from the chair to Harry's right.

"I'm certain you can appreciate our disbelief that you would be able to waltz into one of the most warded wizarding homes, avoid detection and make a miraculous escape with none being the wiser to your part. That you actually pulled it off, with the man dying in the most secure room in the home, no less, is entirely mystifying to me and I cannot fathom how it was done, not even now."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement but kept his face passive and looked to the two other men, to see who would comment next. However, it was Cyrus that continued to talk.

"We were able to launch our legal actions, and financial claims, before Lucius received his just desserts," the man was full on smirking at his little play on words. "Also, I have received a petition to meet with Narcissa Malfoy. I believe we may avoid all the legal hoopla, settling it with a private agreement, if the tone of her letter is true and she is confirmed as the Regent for House Malfoy."

Harry felt himself tighten up at the mention of Narcissa but was sure there would be no outward display for any of them to have seen. "I, uh, might have overheard a, err… conversation, between them."

"And this… conversation, is relevant to our discussion?" Horace asked leadingly, with obvious interest.

"Yes. She stated, during it, that she would seek to become Narcissa Black again. In short, she basically told him he'd overeached his position, against her counsel, and was about to get screwed without the former minister's protection." There really was no need to bring up how she was dressed or how she had messed with her husband when he was already reeling.

"And you think this was a genuine statement?" Patrice questioned neutrally.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know the woman. She was speaking within the privacy of their home to her husband. There didn't seem to be any love between them. But, as I said, I don't know her. Maybe Cyrus or Horace would have a better idea, I just thought it might be worth mentioning, especially if Cyrus might be meeting with her."

"I'll consider it, when I meet with her. She could expedite a resolution and make things far easier on ourselves, especially if she wanted to return to the Black name," he glanced at Horace, "I'll sound a few people out, maybe you could as well?"

"Of course, of course," Horace agreed jovially. "We have a number of mutual friends, I'm sure I can put out some feelers and learn how she's taking things."

"That leaves me with discussing the fallout. From my contacts, this has spooked purebloods. While the consensus opinion is that one of Malfoy's associates, who was heavily relying on his connection to Minister Fudge paid him a late night visit, it is still not sitting well. The blatant murder of a Head of House. A wealthy, and, until recently, a well connected one, does not sit well. I've heard more than one decry how ghastly it is to attack a Head of House, the lack of respect should not be tolerated and the Kiss should be administered to deter anyone else from murdering another."

Harry shuddered, that was a fate he would never accept, he was sure he'd gone a little pale just hearing about that. He bloody well hated dementors, even if his patronus was exceptional at warding them off.

"Well, it's a good thing that there are no leads. The only clues they have are the muggle fudge and the connecting of his private floo to the Leaky Cauldron, at, or near, the time of his death." Patrice chimed in. "The murder is major news here in law enforcement. I asked around."

Harry had forgotten that Patrice had been law enforcement. He forgot the name of the department, but he had been one of their best, for a short period of time, before retiring. It made him wonder what the man really thought. Was he okay with it because Lucius was a man who should have already been in prison for life, or was there a part of him that was uncomfortable with Harry's actions?

"I heard much the same. The Aurors investigating have no solid leads and aren't too put out by it. The entire department hated him for gutting their budget and using his connections to interfere with their jobs," Horace put in, adding to the conversation.

Harry had his eyes bouncing between Patrice and Horace as the conversation lulled. He knew it was one of them that would speak to his initial words next.

"I was highly displeased to learn you had gone off. Operations rarely go as planned and going in, without backup, no one ready to assist you should you have required it… it was foolish and put yourself at needless risk," Patrice cast a stern gaze at Harry as he paused. "However, the operation succeeded, you completed all your objectives and are alive and well to learn from it. I'll commend you on your improbable success while still chastising you for your impatience and lack of prudence."

Harry was kind of surprised he got off so lightly, from Patrice and Cyrus, he hadn't planned to be apologetic for it at all though, so he was glad with the words of the first two.

"Harry, my boy, I never doubted your ability to complete the job. You've not yet overestimated your abilities and have shown yourself to be truly remarkable, when it comes to feats of magic." He gave a wan smile to the youngest male in the room. "Where we are disappointed, is not in your actions but the lack of foresight. You are our hope. Without you, we are just men past their magical primes plotting and scheming with politics and money. Even together, we cannot stand against Tom without you."

That made Harry feel a bit of a gut punch. But it was also the reason he had wanted to just go ahead and get this started. He had to act and they couldn't baby him. He would be on the front lines and getting experience was important. It was why he was throwing himself into his training with McGonagall and Flitwick.

"I understand," he said, truly believing that, "and I will try to adhere to all of your advice on these matters more, in the future."

"Good." Horace said, his voice radiating warmth, "We want to see you alive and well at the end of this."

Harry looked at all of them, they all appeared to be fully behind the statement, with Patrice toasting him, by raising his glass at Harry, and Cyrus giving him a solemn nod.

"But, I also think you all lack the sense of urgency that is needed," Harry spoke out strongly, just after they had sort of reconciled and were beginning to move past the single time of him not listening, what they surely thought of rebellious adolescence and Harry as sparking things off before it was too late.

"Riddle went after the stone almost three years ago. He will not have been idle. Then, this year, he had an agent successfully infiltrate Hogwarts, as a revered retired Auror, no less, and that wouldn't have been the only part of the plan. Something else is coming," Harry looked at them all, his jaw set and eyes hard and unrelenting. He sat forward in his chair, "I know it. I can feel it."

He could see the frowns on their faces, the displeasure of Harry's words taking root. But Harry knew this would come. However, this was his faction, his team. They were here to advise him, to help and assist him. Harry knew how valuable each of them was but he wanted to make it clear, he was leading them, not them telling him what to do and him meekly following orders.

"You've said it. I'm to be the magical powerhouse. I'm going to be the one that has to ward off the likes of Dumbledore and Riddle. If all my training is just that, training, how can I ever stand tall against the likes of them, or even the tier below them?" His eyes were aglow with his determination as he stared them down, his fingers depressing into the arms of the chair.

"Look, before any of you respond, let me make something else clear," he softened his gaze and took a deep breath, relaxing his body and letting the jolt of adrenaline he had experienced ebb. "I trust you all, implicitly," while that wasn't entirely true, it was mostly the case. "Cyrus has my full confidence as the Steward of Houses Black and Potter. While you are slowly teaching me in the ways of finance, you have full reign over them."

He turned to Horace next, "You are my House Potter proxy and represent me most directly. Your advice and guidance has steered me well, you know I've listened and you can trust I will continue to do so, I'm ever relient on yours and Cyrus' connections to the movers and shakers in the business and political spheres of the wizarding world."

"Last, but not least, Patrice. I know you are just getting started here but I've already come to view the Delacour family as my own surrogate family. Gabrielle is like a cherished little sister and Apolline has been so warm and loving as well. I think you'll be my moral compass and continue to help me develop into a good man," the words he spoke were not just blowing smoke. That was how he truly felt about his advisors. They were all valuable and each had their own strengths.

"While I believe your words are heartfelt, I must note you still plan to add Ivan Pavlov to this group." It wasn't so much of a reproach as it was a challenge, a challenge that this was the correct decision as well as to push Harry, if he was going to be leading things, or being advised.

Harry knew this was always going to be a sticking point. Patrice was firmly against the man's inclusion, Cyrus was not in favor but would not stand against it, not at this time anyway, and Horace saw potential benefit and advised Harry to be extremely cautious about it, there would be negative reactions to their association.

"Well, now that Lucius has been dealt with, what is our plan going forward? You're handling the dismantling of the Malfoy finances, Cyrus, and you and Patrice are jointly working on building up my two families financial holdings and economic interests. Horace and Cyrus are working the Wizengamot and while both endeavors will yield results, neither destroys the power base and it does not remove the capable wands and support that will flock to Riddle when he returns."

While it wasn't certain it was a 'when' Riddle returned, Harry did not want to plan with an 'if' Riddle returned being there instead. Plan for the worst case scenario, that Voldemort had another way of restoring himself to a body and would be doing so, somehow, this year. If it came to that, then Harry was already aware he couldn't stand against the man without major advantages, unless his restoration was a weakened one.

"We don't know that it is a when," Patrice remarked, he was an advocate of keeping what is a fact and what is conjecture separate. "It is still mere speculation at this point. What we do know is that the former Death Eaters are still marked. They still have the jinx running, for anyone daring enough to say his pseudonym, and that they are keeping a low profile. Macnair indicated there are occasional, and spur of the moment, muggle attacks but busting them, when they don't even know when or where they are going to do it, is not likely to be successful."

Cyrus snorted and rolled his eyes, "A handful of disgruntled purebloods reminiscing about the glory days, getting drunk and the indulging old habits isn't our concern. Tip off the DMLE and let them handle it. They're trash, low brow, and little more than drunks with a wand."

"They are a part of his followers, should we not be dealing with it?" Patrice didn't let up after Cyrus' comments, "He uses thugs like them to sow fear into the populace."

"Then, what do you suggest?" Cyrus retorted, his voice gaining some heat now, "You know the DMLE won't put a tail on them, for months on end, hoping they'll slip up and be caught in the act. They won't go for that with just a tip, and, more than likely, they'll get tipped off by their fellow purebloods and it will never amount to anything." It was a cynical statement and one that nobody was going to disagree with the veracity of it.

This was the problem. They talked and talked and talked without any sort of agreement or a coherent strategy. He could almost hear the next few points reverberating in his head already.

"It's better than your suggestion of just taking them out quietly," Patrice riposted Cyrus' comment.

"Nobody is making Harry into an assassin. He's fourteen and not going to rack up a double digit body count before he turns fifteen," Horace interjected, he had never been in favor of just indiscriminately killing anyone that would lend their wand in aid of Voldemort, when he returned.

"Is there a difference between taking out the rabble and your suggestion? I doubt killing off a few more pureblood family heads will be sooo much better," Cyrus mocked Horace's previous suggestion of minimizing the killing by taking out priority targets only. The basic thought was that taking out the Head of House for all the powerful Death Eater supporters would scare everyone off.

"Non!" Patrice shot it down vehemently, "We've been over this. Racking up a body count will draw attention to our cause and will turn the public against us and cause Law Enforcement to investigate those who have the ability and motive to do such things. Harry's name would find itself on a list, just from his background. Murdered parents gives him motivation and his magical skills gives him the capability. With just motive and capability, it would be a short list."

"Besides, after the second or third hit, everyone with half a brain would know what is going on and would find ways to combat the strategy, perhaps even trying to retaliate against innocents to discourage further hits."

Harry sighed and slumped back in his chair, "We've been over this," he said tiredly, "and going over it ad nauseum isn't helping matters." This was why he was pushing for the inclusion of Ivan. The ideas all had some merit but none, alone, nor even combined, were enough to be a viable plan that could bring about their triumph.

"This is why I am approaching the Pavlovs. Hopefully, they will have an idea. I can't just run around killing people and we can't get away with paying others to do it," he sat up straight, his frustration evident. "We need a strategy that simultaneously neutralizes our enemies' bases of power and keeps the ministry off our backs and, so far, none of our ideas accomplish both goals."

Harry was aware that they all knew none of them had expertise for this sort of thing. He knew they understood why they needed assistance. If there was anyone as suited, or had even a modicum of talent for it, they would be the preference. But the only candidates they had were unsuitable.

"Let's leave it for now. Lucius is dead, nobody has a clue I was involved and our legal plans are going off without a hitch, thanks to Daphne's warning. I won't just jump into something like that without one final discussion first," that was a compromise he felt wouldn't hurt him and would appease his advisors, "and I'll see about talking with Natalia or Ivan."

"You'll go meet with the man yourself, alone?" Patrice questioned with a mixture of concern and disapproval, the inference of Harry putting himself in a vulnerable position heavily implied.

Harry rolled his eyes, he wasn't going to a dark alley to go meet the man. "Natalia is off training for a ballet role. I'll see about meeting him while his daughter practices. Then, I can talk with him, where there are others able to see us, but still maintain privacy."

"You believe he'll take Lucius' sweet dreams as your work?" Cyrus smirked, enjoying poking fun at the man's manner of death at every conceivable opportunity to do so. "I'm just worried he might sugar-coat it and want some proof before he gives you an oath, thus entrapping you."

It was hard to take the man's point seriously when he was putting in all the jokes about Lucius fudge-filled demise.

"I'm not going to just straight out admit it. Plus, I've been to their home before and had dinner with their family. Worst case, I'll have Cuddles with me," Harry loved that trump card, it was just so fabulous to have. In the event of a worst case scenario happening, simply sic dragon on problem. "Really, I'll just sound him out a bit and go from there. Until there is a marriage agreement in place, I won't be bringing him into the know for everything, I'll just be sounding him out, I promise."

It shouldn't be that bad. He had been wanting to meet up with Natalia but she had been training like crazy for the auditions. He hadn't really caught up on what she had been doing exactly but some time together would be nice. When he was just with her, it felt like he could just be Harry, not Harry Potter the celebrity, and not Harry Potter the war planner.

He had so many things on his plate and getting his mind off of things would do him a world of good. He hadn't even had a chance to analyze what Apolline said. If his love-life was going to be set within weeks, not years, like he assumed, then he'd need to solidify things.

That was the thing though, did he believe it? He really didn't have an answer there.

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts and focused back on the meeting. It was going to go on for some time now… what a joy. If that wasn't enough to look forward to, there was always the chance of an awkward encounter with Fleur.

The best thing he could really think of would be to go and find Cuddles and Gabrielle, enjoy the evening, after all this, playing with them. Such innocent fun would be a balm to his soul right about now.