The Secret Society Chapter 28: The Headmaster's Goal

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AN: I will increase the update speed on this to 2 a week. Thank you for your patience this month. Been an exciting time for me as a writer :) Also, I will be renumbering the chapters to make them match ff.net and royal road. The current numbering doesn't match what I have in my word processor so it's confusing the hell out of me.

Harry wasn’t sure why Dumbledore was spending an exaggeratedly long time staring between him and the house, but he quickly grew tired of it.

“Is there anything you want to tell me, Headmaster?”

Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes widening in surprise, and softly murmured, "I must confess, I never anticipated such a question being directed at me."

“How curious! Professor, how in the world did you become the secret keeper of the Black Manor?”

"Oh, you know how life unfolds, Cassandra. It was a sequence of rather unforeseen events," Dumbledore chuckled, before turning to Harry and asking, "Do you sense a certain attraction towards it?"

“Am I supposed to?” Harry returned with a raised eyebrow, mind racing with possibilities, but nothing really stood out.

"I suppose we shall discover the truth once we step inside," Dumbledore said as he led them up the steps and unlocked the door, revealing a rather poorly lit entrance.

Harry thought it was trying to be a poor imitation of luxury compared to what he had seen at the Ashwood Manor. He stopped after stepping inside to see Dumbledore giving him strange looks again.

“Headmaster, I would prefer it if you explained what was going on instead of staring at me.”

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore assured him. "In Hogwarts, there are two individuals who can inherit this manor upon the passing of its current owner. One, of course, is you, and the other is Draco Malfoy. I've been pondering why the protective enchantments don't seem to acknowledge your presence."

“… And why am I eligible to inherit?”

“It would have to do with a brave wizard named Sirius Black. In fact, I believe it would be best if he could provide the explanation himself. Would you mind if I went to fetch him? This would give you an opportunity to have a private conversation with Cassandra," Dumbledore suggested.

Harry glanced at the woman to see her listening to their conversation intently, not even bothering to hide that she was snooping. He gave Dumbledore a slow nod after thinking for a second.

"Marvelous! Please feel free to utilize the living room for your conversation," Dumbledore replied, preparing to ascend the stairs. However, he paused for a moment and added, "Oh, and do try to be discreet as you make your way through the hallway. We wouldn't want to disturb the sleeping painting."

Harry watched till the Headmaster disappeared past the top step and turned to the woman that supposedly had all the answers.

“Shall we?”

“Of course,” Cassandra’s eyes gleamed, “It’s not every day that I meet someone that attracted one of them.”

Harry frowned as he followed her into the living room, noting that there was a portrait with a sheet covering it. That must be what the Headmaster was talking about.

They sat across from each other, each having very different expressions. Harry was highly uncomfortable with what he was about to learn, especially with the way Cassandra seemed to be salivating.

“Why is the Professor certain you haven’t met a normal Veela? Or at least, normal in the modern view.”

“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to tell me?”

Cassandra hummed as she crossed her arms, “This Veela, do you have a clue about why she has shown an interest in you? And describe how she acts around you.”

Harry had asked himself that question far too many times, and each time came to the same answer. He had no idea.

It was like one moment they were casually talking, and before Harry knew it, Fleur turned into some type of obsessive stalker that couldn’t get enough of him. He even thought about his reaction if Fleur wasn’t as attractive as she was. He could confidently say that instead of following her wishes like a dog, someone would have gotten grievously injured.

The issue was that it was purely hypothetical since Fleur Delacour lit up all of Harry’s senses and made him a bit of a drooling idiot in her presence. However, it didn’t feel like it was the allure affecting him, which only confused him even more.

He had tried to use his occlumency while thinking of Fleur, but it seemed to have no change in the desire he felt for her, which by itself was illogical. It wasn’t the first time Harry was attracted to a girl, but occlumency had significantly helped with them.

“Ah, as I suspected. You truly have no clue of what is going on.”

Harry narrowed his eyes at Cassandra’s smiling expression. “And you do.”

“No,” Cassandra denied happily, “I’m just as much in the dark as you. After all, ‘True’ Veela’s desires are not the same. That would be like assuming every wizard in existence only prefers offensive spells.”

“True Veela?” Harry was focused on that.

“Please pardon the terrible naming, but that is what they are,” Cassandra interjected.

“What would make her a True Veela?” Harry ignored her, “Her father is a normal wizard… I think.”

“Of course he is. There is no such thing as a male Veela,” Cassandra waved her hand with a roll of her eyes, “If the union between a wizard and a witch that has Veela heritage results in children, the sons will be normal wizards, while the daughters will have Veela traits themselves.”

Harry remembered reading the few books on Veela mentioning how their dependents are half-Veela or less. That didn’t match Cassandra's statement about every daughter being a true Veela.

“Now, don’t misunderstand me,” Cassandra seemed to know where his thoughts were going, “I don’t mean to say that those books passed around by the purebloods are completely false, but they are heavily written in a way that makes every Veela descendent seem more like a creature than a witch. The Veela heritage rings true in some daughters more than others. The one after you is one of the few that could be called True Veela.”

“… I see,” Harry said slowly, though he didn’t think he did, “And what makes these… true Veela so different?”

“They are the ones that could truly be classified as a creature without much argument. After all, their base desires could be considered inhuman. The few that are documented simply made no logical sense. While these True Veela could be drawn to a wizard by something innocuous as a natural scent he gave off, there are the rare examples that are almost… demonic in nature.”

Harry thought it was a high accomplishment that he didn’t show how shaken he was. It suddenly made more sense why it seemed like a switch had been flipped in Fleur after he took Alex down. Perhaps that was the trigger within her? Harry ‘fighting’ for her had done the trick?

Then again, that didn’t make much sense either. If that was the case, Alex should have attracted Fleur since he had been chasing her while forcefully dissuading anyone interested in her. And look at where that got him. Torn into pieces by the very woman he was chasing.

That raised a concern that had been building within Harry since he learned how vicious Fleur could be.

“Am I in danger?”

“That would depend,” Cassandra shrugged, making Harry tense, “From the True Veela herself? No, I would say not. That would be anathema to her very being. However, if Professor Dumbledore felt the need to bring you to me, I would assume that she isn’t pacifistic in nature.”

Harry nodded silently, thinking that was an understatement. However, he was focused on Cassandra’s previous statements. Fleur might become one of his greatest supporters if her words could be trusted. Someone that he could trust implicitly with no reservations. He liked the thought of that.

But that glee was smothered by the comment about the Headmaster. It certainly seemed like he knew what Fleur had done, so why did it seem like he didn’t care. It seemed to Harry that Dumbledore was willing to bend the limits of what was acceptable but drew the line when lives were at stake. That seemed to not be the case since Alex had died brutally.

Once again, Dumbledore confused Harry like no other.

“Mr. Potter?”

Harry blinked, forgetting that he was in the middle of a conversation. “Sorry, I had something on my mind. Yes, you would be right with that guess. She is… surprisingly violent, though I don’t suspect that at all when around me.”

“And have you coupled?”

“No,” Harry denied, though he could feel his cheeks flushing despite how clinical the question was. He couldn’t help but think of the act with Fleur.

“Then you still have a modicum of a chance to escape her clutches if you desire to. From the wizards that have been candid about their emotions during the time a True Veela chased them, they all had one thing in common. They could never stop thinking about them, no matter what they tried. After coupling, the wizard was just as invested as the True Veela herself.”

Harry’s mind revolted at the thought, screaming at him that this was the equivalent of slavery with a layer of pretty paint over it. “So all of this, what I’m feeling, is all forced on me? Something is compelling me to think about her?”

“Nothing so audacious,” Cassandra laughed, “Sure, you might feel more lust than you would a normal witch, but the feelings come from within. The difference is that you cannot hide these feelings from yourself. If you felt nothing toward this Veela despite her beauty, or if her violent personality repulsed you, you would feel nothing for her.”

Harry’s slumped into the couch, the feeling of revulsion chased away when his almost hopeful belief of manipulation was crushed. What did that say about him? To know that he was even more attracted to Fleur because of the savagery she was capable of?

“I see you have informed Mr. Potter of the dangers he is currently facing?”

Harry looked up to see Dumbledore standing at the entrance. He corrected him, “Headmaster, I was told I would be in no danger.”

Dumbledore frowned and gave a questioning look to Cassandra, who tilted her head before tapping her forehead lightly with her palm.

“Silly me!” Cassandra chuckled awkwardly, “I forgot to mention that while a wizard has never been harmed by a true Veela that pursued them, the survival rate is frighteningly low.”

“Sorry?” Harry asked with a blank tone.

“There have been multiple instances where a wizard has been murdered during an attempt of vengeance with the true Veela as the target, a consequence of the impulsive violence of the less pacifistic ones. Or, if that isn’t a concern, most wizards seem to have passed due to excessive… relations. It seems that potions are a staple in the diet of a wizard with a true Veela as a partner.”

Harry stared at Cassandra before looking at Dumbledore, silently asking if something so ridiculous was real. They made Fleur seem like some sort of violent succubus… which he supposed wasn’t too far off from what she acted like. With that realization in mind, Harry started to take those words seriously.

“Cassandra, do you mind giving Mr. Potter and I some privacy? I do believe I caught sight of a delectable spread in the kitchen. We’ll join you soon.”

Harry noticed the look that passed between them as he played with the ring. He supposed this was where Dumbledore would offer to ‘help.’

“I trust you see why I went to such lengths to have you speak with Cassandra?”

“Yes, but what she told me does not sound like a negative, Headmaster. Other than the supposed potion addiction that shortened lifespans, which I’m sure I can avoid, I don’t see why I should be concerned.”

“I would be more than happy to agree with your statements, but I must tell you that Ms. Delacour seems to be leagues beyond the True Veelas Cassandra spoke of. While I don’t fear that she will mean harm to you, I fear for your autonomy. I sense that you give that great importance, so think about your behavior around Ms. Delacour, or simply when you think of her.”

Harry shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to agree with Dumbledore but more than aware that his mental capabilities seemed to dim significantly with Fleur in mind.

"Let us strike a bargain, Mr. Potter."

Harry’s heart felt like it was suddenly about to beat out of his chest. He stared at Dumbledore’s outstretched hand in shock.

"In a few moments, a wizard by the name of Sirius Black shall engage in conversation with you. Provided that you attentively heed his words and grant me use of this manor for my purposes, I pledge to impart upon you the mind arts without constraint, all while respecting your privacy."

Harry kept staring at Dumbledore’s hand, feeling faint at what this meant. The old man likely knew everything about him and what he did at Hogwarts.

"May I further emphasize that your present proficiency in Occlumency falls woefully short of aiding you in dealing with Ms. Delacour?"

Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who seemed more than content to wait patiently for the obvious decision, which was an agreement. If Dumbledore was content to keep certain things unsaid, he wasn’t in a rush to speak of them either.

“Very well, Headmaster,” Harry took Dumbledore’s hand, feeling strange at being on the opposite side of the deal. Instead of being the dealmaker, he was the one accepting the deal.

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