Somewhere Safe - Chapter 46

Viviana Krum – Alyssa Bounty

Time passed in a blur between the dates, training, and the classes. Everyone was stressed as the arrival of the other schools grew closer. The coven stayed true to the date schedule but kept them simple. Lavender took him on a walk around the lake were they held hands, talked, and stole kisses.

Miranda showed him another crystal viewing room where she had some of his mothers' duels from her time in school set for them. He had hoped to share some of the interesting parts of his adventures, edited to prevent further concern, for the coven. She also took the time to explain how the crystals worked, they required at least two observers due to the power needed for the spell. Plus, they couldn't be made from memories as they had to be 'recorded' live.

Iris took him on a tour of the Hogwarts grounds via a shared broom ride. He didn't say anything when she snuggled her rear against him at every chance she could. Rose set up a picnic outside near the lake where they took turns feeding the giant squid in the lake as well as trading shiny trinkets with a few mer-people.

Luna and Luna took him to a clearing in the forest to feed a herd of creatures called Thestrals. Supposedly they could only be seen by people that had witnessed death. Harry could see them when he looked directly at one, but they faded into his periphery if he wasn't focused. He thought that it had to do with the fact that he had seen death as a baby, so the memory wasn't completely formed. The Luna from this world couldn't see them. She enjoyed watching the chunks of bloody meat disappear chunk by chunk as well as the surprisingly gentle nuzzles of thanks afterwords.

Hermione, of course, took him to the library. She showed him all of the sections that didn’t exist in the other world. Neither were comfortable enough to go to Hogsmeade without a guide. They planned on a trip with the entire coven once the other schools had arrived.

Further dates were put on hold once everyone had spent solo time with Harry. That wasn't to say they didn't spend time together. There was a dedicated study group for classwork, a smaller group of duelists that stayed together during practices, another for the Quidditch players, and Harry's bed had been expanded to fit everyone. He didn't think he'd enjoy being surrounded by people, but he had never felt so loved and it made sleep come easy.

Much too soon, it was time for the other schools to arrive. The coven gathered with the rest of the students on the front lawn to await their arrival. Harry felt a stone settle in his stomach when the familiar sight of flying carriages appeared in the distance. He knew this wasn't the Tri-Wizard Tournament, that this was an entirely different world, but it still was too close for comfort.

His throat went dry when the exact same ship from the other world emerged from the lake. He would have had a full panic attack if it weren't for the witches around him. They could sense his unease and subtly gave him some space to breath while pushing others away. He wasn't sure how they knew when to touch him and when to step back. Surrounding him, even with the best of intentions, would have made him pull into himself.

They guided him through the crowd as it dispersed and led him to the Gryffindor table. The two other schools had arranged an entrance exhibition similar to the other world. This one was less ostentatious, they formed ranks and basically marched through the Great Hall with a student carrying a flag with the respective school crests. Dumbledore exchanged one with the Hogwarts crest with the two Headmistresses.

Durmstrang had a Headmistress rather than the moody jerk from the other world. Beauxbatons still had Madam Maxime. The biggest change was seeing a female Krum. She was very shy and tried to stay out of the spotlight. Victor had been roughly handsome. Female Krum was pale, rather short, and her thin frame was still clear even with the thick robes she wore.

Hearing Ron made him remember the odd reaction his parents had when he mentioned the Weasley family. As subtly as he could, he set a couple of privacy charms around him and Rose. She noticed almost immediately considering how the people around them simply forgot they were there once the magic settled.

"What's up?" Rose asked.

She had taken the spot beside him, which had seemed to be an unspoken understanding with everyone.

"What's up with the Weasley's?" Harry asked. "They have six wizards in their family, shouldn't they be practically royalty?"

"That's a touchy subject," Rose replied with a wince.

"That's why I put up privacy charms," Harry countered.

"Ok," Rose sighed. "The population difference between witches and wizards is obvious. Well, Ron's mother had a son as their first child, and it was a boon for them. When they found out she was pregnant again there was a lot of interest. There was a good chance that their next child would be a boy too."

Harry nodded. Rose paused for a moment.

"Well," Rose said slowly. "It came out that his mother used a ritual to make sure that her children were males. Their oldest, Bill I think, is natural, but the others aren't."

"Meaning?" Harry prompted.

"Up until their youngest, Ginerva, she's in our house," Rose explained. "They are all sterile."

Harry winced. "But their oldest and their daughter aren't?"

"It only effected the males born after the ritual," Rose said. "The curse would be broken with the birth of a girl. Any sons they have from now on would be fine, but the damage has already been done."

"That's rough," Harry whispered.

"Yeah," Rose nodded.

She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"What was that for?" Harry said with a smile.

"No one is looking," Rose replied. "And I wanted to do it."

Harry dropped the spell and turned his attention back to the gathering. There was something else that was bothering him, but he couldn't place it. He scanned the assembled students from the other schools. There were more of them this time. That made sense as each school had brought three Quidditch teams, a squad of duelists, and a smattering of racers. Still, there was something missing.

Krum was a witch in this world, and he didn't know any of the other Durmstrang students by name. That meant that it had to be something with the French school. He had adjusted to the differences in the Hogwarts student body enough to feel comfortable pointing out any changes.

It clicked as he searched the French students yet again. Fleur Delacour wasn't among them. He stole a look at Hermione and motioned to the Beauxbatons section. She caught his hint. He watched as her sharp eyes studied the group before her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Where is the Veela student?" Hermione asked.

The witches in the area flinched at the word. A tension spread along the Gryffindor table.

"There was a Veela in the Beauxbatons students in the other world," Harry explained.

"Oh," Rose relaxed beside him.

"Veela weren't exactly popular in the other world, but that was something else," Harry said, letting the words hang for someone to catch the unasked question.

"They kidnap wizards," Delphi spoke in a soft, controlled tone.

Everyone in earshot knew how to identify the 'scary' side of Delphi. She locked her emotions away to focus on the problem in front of her. No one wanted to be that problem.

"People will discover the discarded husks of wizards after they are done with them," Delphi continued in her even tone. "These days, they're not allowed anywhere near magical settlements. They are able to be around other near-human folk like giants, werewolves, and living vampires for their needs. Continuing their species, feeding, and the like. It would be just short of a declaration of war for them to place a Veela anywhere near Hogwarts."

"Yikes," Harry muttered.

"That has to be an exaggeration," Hermione said. "They had a bad reputation in the other world too, but it was mostly hearsay and rumors."

"Lucky them," Iris whispered.

"Can we talk about something else, please?" Rose interjected.

"Sure," Harry spoke up, happily taking the offer. "Do you recognize any of the duelists?"

That thankfully successfully steered the conversation back to an easier topic. Delphi had toured on the International Circuit and had a few insights on the assembled duelists. Lavender also had her own input. She had studied up on her future competition for when this summer. Miranda provided some bits of information on the known techniques, coaches, and focus.

The first round of competition would begin this next week with the first bracket of dueling and Quidditch. Iris had explained how their tournament worked the other day. Each team would compete against the other in a round-robin rotation with the best of three. At the end of it, the two teams with the most wins would play in a championship game. Once all three of the competitions were completed there would be an award ceremony to celebrate not only the winners, but those who showed exceptional skill regardless of victory or loss.

Harry just hoped that he was prepared for the upcoming duels. He had learned a lot, but actual experience was something he lacked. These people had been dueling for years. They knew tricks, spells, and strategies that he didn't. He only hoped that his instincts would make of for what he lacked.

Only time would tell.

~
Note:
The next chapter will be longer. Duels, a couple of Quidditch games, and a maybe a return of some lewdness.
How did the explanation of the crystals, the Weasley family, and the lack of Fleur feel?