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"I've never even had a girlfriend before," he finally forced himself to admit, his voice barely above a whisper. "What am I supposed to do?"
Fleur was stunned by his simple pronouncement. He'd never had a girlfriend before? How was that even possible? He was one of the most famous wizards on the planet, and the girls were lining up around the block to get with him! He could have anyone he wanted!
No, stunned was not the word! That he hadn't taken advantage of his fame with the ladies, it was a truly startling revelation. And unbeknownst to him, it made her feel vastly more comfortable with him, and raised her opinion of him still further. Though it also broke her heart that he would never have the chance to find love out in the world.
And if he was going to be so honest with her...
"I 'ave not eizzer, 'Arry," she admitted, her voice just as thick with emotion. "Ze boys, zey do not care about anything but 'ow I look. I 'ave never wanted zat."
Harry snorted morosely. "The girls only care about the bloody scar on my forehead," he sighed, "so I guess I know how you feel."
Fleur started blankly at him, and then – she just couldn't help it – she threw her head back and laughed. She had not expected this! She knew little about him, but perhaps there was a chance! If they could find a common ground, then they might just survive it intact!
As the pieces came together, she realized that, in at least this one way, they were very much alike. Both were looked upon as objects, mere prizes to be obtained by the opposite sex, and they both hated it. And if she was reading him right, then Harry, too, had been waiting for that special person to come along and see him for who he really was!
Not seeing what she was laughing about, Harry turned back to her with a startled and hurt look, but she just shook her head at him.
"We are quite ze pair, non?" she chortled. "Both of us are stuck, and both of us 'ave nevair 'ad experience wiz anything like zis!"
Harry snorted once, and then, finally seeing the humor in it, he started to chuckle. He didn't outright laugh – she'd never heard him do so, actually – but a lot of the tension left his body, to her relief. She wanted to get to know him, but it would very difficult if he was afraid of her!
And in a flash of insight, she realized that she was going to have to completely drop her public attitude around him, or he would be hard pressed to figure her out by the time they were married.
That thought actually frightened her. For so long she had only let her family see who she was, and though she knew that someday she would have to let someone else in, she had not expected it to happen so soon. But there was nothing else she could do, for he deserved to know exactly who he was marrying, for better or worse.
"We are, aren't we?" he sighed, distracting her from her musings. "So where do we go from here? Like I said, I haven't a bloody clue how any of this works."
Fleur shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, 'Arry."
Harry grunted his understanding and lapsed into silence, staring out over the water again. To her surprise, it was not uncomfortable: she could see the gears turning in his head, and knew that he was thinking hard about their situation. Really, his presence was quite comforting.
Though that probably had something to do with the fact that she felt so safe with him; being rescued by someone will do that to you.
Finally, many minutes later, he turned back, and she was surprised to see nervousness of a different sort on his features. There was a certain vulnerability in his eyes, as though he'd decided to let her in at least a little. And this time, his small smile didn't falter.
"Fleur, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?" he asked tentatively.
Whatever she expected him to say, it wasn't that. She stared blankly at him for a moment before shaking herself out her stupor and tilting her head as she studied him. "Are you asking me on a date?" she asked with genuine curiosity.
Harry ran a hand nervously through his hair. "Yeah," he nodded. "I just figured, you know, if we're going to get married, then..." He trailed off with a shrug, and then his face fell and he turned his gaze to his hands where they were resting in his lap. "I'll understand if you don't want to, though," he added quietly.
His complete lack of confidence was remarkably endearing. Here was a young man who already knew that they would be married in a matter of weeks, and yet he was nervous about asking her on a date? He was even more unassuming that she would have guessed!
"I would love to go wiz you, 'Arry," she smiled, causing him to look hopefully back up at her. "I am sorry, I was just surprised is all. I was not expecting it."
The smile that lit his face at her response was much more natural, and transformed his entire appearance. He looked so happy! It reached all the way to his brilliant green eyes, and for the first time, she saw reflected in them exactly what she was suddenly feeling herself.
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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
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