{Edited} The Chaotic Traveler - Chapter 19 (Patreon)

AN: Edited chapters do not count toward monthly quota's

Chapter 19: Get A Room

"Come on, you little shit." Jin growled, eyes locked on his target. "Just a little more."

Silvery-blue spectral flames, cold to the touch, poured out of Jin’s hands like open faucets, funneling into a glass cube.

The hearth crackled behind him in tune with the dancing flames, its warm orange glow mixing with the spell's blue in a primal rhythm.

"That's it." Sweat dripped from Jin's brow as he stared transfixed, glowing amber eyes narrowed in concentration through the glass, focused on the plain ring lying on an iron slab within. "It's almost there."

The flames vanished within, breaking down into a mist of silvery-blue.

Mana Scan let him see deeper within, as the immaterial dark red tint inside the ring sparked with black-tinted electricity against the encroaching mist surrounding it from all sides, an eerie screech echoing with each spark of energy.

The red tint was a curse, while the black sparks it emitted represented a specific emotion that fueled said Curse, like a nervous system responding to input.

Mist poured into the ring, once more shifting to spectral flames that attempted to burn a pulsing red tumor, the embodiment of the Curse clinging to it.

The tumor had roots, digging deep into an enchantment set into the ring and feeding off the ring's magic like a parasite, actively fighting back against Jin's attempts to cleanse it.

Blue fire burned at the roots, only for more to sprout and keep the tumor dug in.

Jin’s face scrunched up further with every passing moment as the feeling of threading a needle from several feet away wore down his patience.

Worse, the more he poked the Curse, the lower the enchantment's durability fell, and the ring shook as it began fracturing.

“Just die already.” Jin growled violently at the pulsing tumor. “Fuck, I’m losing it.”

The ring cracked, red and black sparks leaking out more and more violently until the box automatically sealed itself, cutting off Jin's Mana and forcing him to watch yet another cursed object implode in on itself with an angry wail.

“God damn it!”

Jin’s palms were repelled, his skin stinging from the backlash.

He slammed a fist on the desk, glaring at the sealed box with taut muscles, fighting the urge to shatter it against a wall.

Gradually, his wild gaze cooled as he reined himself in and breathed, drenched in sweat from how hard he had been concentrating.

He leaned back in his chair with a huff. “Another failure.”

“Shall I mark it down, Sir?” Off to the side, Gol stood watching with a clipboard in hand while levitating a hand towel over to his master.

“Yeah.” Jin accepted the towel with a grateful nod. “I don’t think this method is viable.”

"You don't say." Gol commented, side-eyeing a pile of shrapnel in a bin. "Number twelve was a remarkable improvement, Sir." 

Jin’s brow twitched. “Your sarcasm has improved, Gol.”

“My apologies, Sir.” Gol bowed his head.

Jin waved it away. "No, keep doing it; it's amusing."

“Very well, Sir.” Gol smiled proudly.

A chuckle bubbled up as Jin shook his head and reached for his pipe. “It’s a good thing we got this box.”

“A well-reasoned purchase for the suicidal, Sir.” Gol dryly responded in agreement.

Jin simply hummed, his pipe lit as he breathed in the calming smoke and observed the glass box.

[Curse Breaker’s Box]

An enchanted item advertised as unbreakable, letting budding Curse Breakers gain experience without killing themselves.

Casters could place a cursed item inside and cast spells as they pleased, but as soon as the Mana within the box reached a critical point, it would automatically shut itself.

Curses or Charms, it made no difference, as the box sensed for Mana before activating.

It was an ingenious item and invaluable to the Curse Breaker community.

'Not that it's perfect.' Jin thought to himself as he tapped a rune set on the side of the box. 'It's only meant to be a training tool for basic to intermediate curses and likely won't contain stronger ones.'

The label on the box had clearly warned of this when he bought it

Despite enabling more scholars onto the path of Curse Breaking, the box still claimed plenty of Curse Breaker apprentices' lives because they pushed the limits.

'Which also explains why it was so damn expensive.'

The box cost Jin around seventeen Galleons.

‘Took almost all the liquid funds I scrounged up from the RoR, but it was so worth it.’

Jin didn't know how anyone outside the elite could afford the box, and the shopkeeper promptly told him a master enchanter would usually buy them for apprentices to practice with in groups.

‘The rich get richer. Some things never change, but I'm not complaining.'

Reaching for the box, Jin unlocked it and emptied the destroyed ring's contents into his growing pile.

Curse Breaking was an incredibly taxing profession to pursue, not only due to the high risk of injury or death but also because of the cost.

One might think to curse objects themselves to save on cost, but it was far from that simple.

Cursing an object was already an intermediate difficulty level in Dark Arts and scaled up from there.

'I have to keep reminding myself that not everyone has my perks, letting me focus all my talents into one narrow lane.’

Jin got lucky there, as Curse Breaking wasn’t a perk he chose.

Curse Breakers had to work through a wide variety of counter-curses to slowly break down a curse without activating it, retaining the original enchantment of the cursed item; otherwise, there was little profit to be made.

'It's not unlike a time-delayed bomb. It lies dormant until someone uses the cursed item, waking it up and letting it take effect. A Curse Breaker has to poke at it and clip the roots before it turns on, but if it activates, they are on a timer until it drains the item it's cursing or until they die from whatever effect the Curse has.'

An easier said than done process.

First, you had to avoid any negative effect of the Curse, such as compulsions, aversions, or other mental aspects. Subtle curses were deadly.

Then the Curse Breaker had to hope they could identify the Curse in question, as each one typically had a custom-designed method to counter it.

‘Much like Charms, there are a limited number of base Curses out there, yet they have countless variations. It’s the same line of work as Spell Deconstruction and Alteration.’

Weeks spent working on spell matrixes taught Jin to work in reverse; unlike a typical Curse Breaker who would study Curses and Counter-Curses, Jin simply treated it like a spell matrix and deconstructed it.

The real challenge was finding a tool that let Jin use his knowledge. He needed a bridge to connect his will to a Curse and begin deconstructing it.

That was where his hard work on the Patronus Charm and Bluebell Flame Charm came together.

‘Sugar, spice, and everything nice.’ Jin chuckled and studied a developing spell formula in his journal. ‘Bluebell flames to only burn what the caster willed for the core, [Soul] to let the flames touch the immaterial form of a Curse as the first layer, and parts of the Eradication Charm to delete magical constructs as the second layer. It was a solid combination, but still not right.’

Jin frowned at the spell matrix he had been altering using pieces of other spells.

‘My Cleansing Flame Charm is still missing something.’ Looking through the spell matrix, he crossed off parts and circled others, trying to tweak it for efficiency. 'Trial and error is all I can do for now.'

With a slightly concerning, steady stock of Cursed objects he collected from the RoR, Jin had over a hundred practice targets.

There wasn't exactly a market for them, and some would likely get him arrested if found, but with his Warehouse, Jin never had to worry.

He wasn't looking to go into the Curse Breaking industry, and there wasn't a tomb he was aiming to crack. Jin was simply aiming to alter the Patronus Charm to change it from summoning a guardian to creating a flame capable of purifying Curses without damaging the underlying enchantment.

The results, however, were slow going.

'I’m lacking in personal memory.’ Jin tapped the area on the spell matrix for fueling the Patronus Charm. ‘For all that I can use Occlumency, I simply don’t have anything nearly positive enough in my personal experiences to fuel it.’

There was consideration of using negative emotions, but Jin decided to wait on that idea until he knew more.

'Still, I'm getting closer to my goal with each attempt.' Jin hungrily eyed the spell matrix. 'Once I figure this out, I can move on to the big prize. And that's not even mentioning what other applications I can use this Charm for once I find the perfect combination.'

His eyes shone with inner excitement, but they soon dimmed as he noticed it was past midnight.

“Where does all the time go?” Jin sighed and rolled his shoulders.

"In the pile of scraps, Sir." Gol helpfully responded with his customary dry wit. "Do you wish for refreshments to keep you awake and ruin your health once more, Sir?"

"I..." Jin paused.

His usual answer would be a resounding yes, having long since gotten used to the all-nighters his hobbies required.

Yet with the memory of a particular deal he made the day prior, allowing a certain sapphire-eyed guest to come by the stables, Jin felt a desire to make sure his horses weren't turned against him again.

Certainly, it was for that reason that he changed his mind.

Jin abruptly closed his notebook. "I think I'll get some sleep tonight, Gol."

His dutiful House Elf did a double take, halfway to snapping his fingers to fetch another pot of coffee. “Very well, Sir.”

0000

At the same time as Jin was closing up for the night, in a room inside the Beauxbatons carriage, Fleur was frowning down at an annoyingly familiar letter.

{We regret to inform you that your application has been rejected.}

That wasn't the entirety of the overly flowery letter, but it could be boiled down to that single line.

Scrunching her brow in distaste, she sent the letter up in a burst of flame, which she quickly made vanish.

'Even though I knew that was a long shot, it still would have been nice to have one acceptance before I take the dive.'

Leaning back in her desk chair, Fleur held a hand to the bridge of her nose and tried to fight off a migraine.

‘I’m just about fed up with all this nonsense. The tournament really is my last shot.’

She had hoped it wasn't, not wanting to be a showpiece to the masses and more than happy to let one of the snobby little girls from her school step up and become entertainment for her as they made fools of themselves, but needs must.

'Wizarding xenophobia is the same no matter where I look. Just because I'm a Veela, they won't accept me in positions of status no matter how high my grades become.'

Fleur’s goal was to become an Enchantress or Curse Breaker.

Enchantress sat higher on that list for its social status, but Curse Breaking was more a means to an end for her desire for adventure and excitement, being a profession that took one to forgotten ruins and ancient tombs far beyond the boring comforts of safety she had grown up in.

'Two paths, yet neither feels right.' She bit her fingernail. 'Why can’t I have the best of both?’

The issue with the enchanting path was that masters were few and far between, and the ones she could find all had guilds full of stuck-up pricks who, while not nearly as focused on pure-blooded status as parts of the British were, were still quick to put down non-human bloodlines.

It wasn't as bad in places like MACUSA, but the sheer list of regulations America put on species like Veela was no better than signing a slave contract.

No Veela in their right mind would step into that country.

'Our heritage is not a curse!' Fleur shouted in her mind for the umpteenth time, recalling the horrid talks she had with a MACUSA recruiter from that bureaucratic nightmare of a nation.

There weren't many Veela conclaves in the world; fewer than ten, all told, and the majority kept to their conclaves for protection and opportunity.

While Veela were more accepted publicly than, say, a Werewolf or Vampire, they were still treated as lesser, with many unscrupulous individuals wanting to take advantage of them.

That wasn't to say Veela were weak and defenseless, far from it. No one wanted masters of fire and pheromone-based mind magic to come down on them with a vengeance.

And Veela could be vengeful.

But it didn't stop the discrimination, and as a result, no enchanting guild would accept Fleur.

However, if she could tag the title of champion of a Triwizard Tournament to her name, they'd line up to invite her. It was a title not held for over two hundred years, and having such an apprentice would be the greatest PR stunt a guild could ask for.

It wasn't that she wanted the attention; Fleur would rather be as far from it as possible.

No, she wanted to learn.

She wanted to gain the magical skill, strength, and financial security necessary to be free from social constraints.

She wanted to be free to live as she pleased, explore as she pleased, and love as she pleased; the last one somehow seeming harder than the rest.

A snort worked through her nose at that thought. 'For what is a Veela if not passionate?'

Fleur was fairly certain that spouses, or rather mates, of Veela were the biggest customer base behind the endurance potions on the market. 

'Not that it seems like I'll ever know that feeling.'

She had turned eighteen in July, and so far, her childhood dreams of finding a partner had been disappointingly empty with zero prospects.

'Well, maybe not zero.'

Fleur’s mind turned to the day she just had and the odd man she spent it with.

‘Calm, funny, annoyingly stubborn, surprisingly thoughtful, magically gifted, keeps to himself, obviously has his own secrets, and is built sturdier than the Eiffel Tower.’

Fleur recalled the feel of his rough hands along her calves, the thrum of his thick Mana beneath his skin, and that wild, animalistic look in his eyes whenever her Allure touched his mind…

‘Oui.’

Fleur felt a shiver of delight shoot down her spine.

She bit the tip of her thumb and looked out the window, ruby red lips stretching into a smile as she enjoyed the foreign feelings fluttering within her.

'Jin's a surprisingly full package and clearly unclaimed so far, but who knows if what I saw was the real him?'

Fleur recalled his offer to declare their bet a tie and flushed.

‘No one’s ever wanted to hear me hum before besides Maman.’

Singing with her mother in the warm rays of the French countryside was among her most cherished memories.

It was a side of herself Fleur had worked hard to protect from the vipers she encountered every time she returned to school.

The same vipers who made her fear every possible instance of her own nature influencing someone, for they would surely use it to tear her down from the accomplishments she rightly earned.

To hear someone genuinely compliment and ask her to hum for them without falling into its lull…

A small giggle worked its way out of her chest.

‘Maman loves to brag about how it took a bare month to make Papa her choice, but I’m not nearly that bad. I’ll wait three months. Yes. That should be long enough to see what kind of man this Jin is.’

No one ever called a Veela slow to take what they wanted.

0000              

The following day, a sunny Tuesday, Jin was hard at work at his job as usual, which meant it was not very hard at all.

“You actually like that crap?” Jin asked incredulously.

An arrogant huff was his reply.

Jin sat on a barrel before Alfred, drinking his own glass of dark gold liquid, while three different drinking bowls with different brands of whiskey sat before the horse.

"Whatever floats your boat, man." Jin shrugged in disgust. "Some of us have a palate for finer things than Jack Daniel’s."

Alfred neighed at the insult, stomping a dinner platter-sized hoof to make his point, but Jin wasn’t having it.

"Oh, come off it. No one drinks that swill unless they want to get black-out drunk or start a fight, sometimes both."

Jin had to duck as a drinking bowl flew past where his head just was.

“Don’t get prissy because I’m speaking the truth.” Jin butted his head into Alfred’s larger one as the two growled at each other.

Only for a tinkling laugh to ring out and make the two pause.

"Well, it looks like you boys are having fun." Man and horse turned to see Fleur walking into the stables with a smirk. "Don't stop on my account."

Jin and Alfred made eye contact and snorted in unison.

"We'll finish this later." Jin made a ‘watching you’ gesture with his fingers.

Alfred huffed in agreement and returned to his other drinking bowl as Jin addressed his guest. "You know, when I said you're welcome to come whenever, I didn't expect you to show up the next day."

His voice was steady and calm, showing none of the odd hope he held for just that.

“And I didn’t expect you to be day drinking.” Fleur walked up and scrunched her nose at the heavy scent of liquor. "I had time and thought I should make sure you weren’t corrupting my beloved horses."

She stepped into his personal space, poking him in the chest playfully, her eyes twinkling with hidden joy at seeing him.

“Huh. Funny enough, I had a similar thought.” Jin matched her smirk, not making a move to step away.

"Decent minds think like mine~." Fleur sang.

"I'm pretty sure that’s not how that phrase goes." Jin pointed out.

Fleur hummed and took a step closer, feeling the heat radiate off his skin. "A silly boy told me to make my own phrases."

"Them's fighting words, woman." Jin leaned in, the scent of soft floral notes filling his nose.

"How about another race?" Fleur cocked a challenging eyebrow. “Unless you’re too drunk to rise to the occasion.”

"Ha! You'll find, princess." Jin downed the rest of his drink and stood tall, practically towering over the blond bird. "That I never fail to rise."

“We’ll see about that.” Fleur tilted her head up to keep eye contact and mockingly slid a dainty hand along Jin’s jawline to pat his cheek. "Don't come whining to me if you lose because you couldn’t keep up."

Her fingers tingled with her Allure, playfully pecking at his mind, not truly intruding but more like tapping on the front door.

And Jin's inner animal rose to answer.

“I don’t whine.” His words came out in a semi-growl, yet his eyes remained clear and focused. 

“Let’s see if I can change that.” Fleur breathily replied, her spine tingling at his tone.

The two were immediately lost in their own world, utterly oblivious to Alfred rolling his eyes from the side.

A bet was starting between the Abraxan.

000

The day after that, Fleur returned to a similar sight of Jin drinking with Alfred, relaxing against a post, but instead of berating or teasing them, she marched up, swiped Jin’s glass, and downed his drink before plopping down on a crate with an angry huff.

Jin only raised a brow while puffing at his pipe. “Having a bad day there, princess?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Fleur crossed her arms and looked away.

“Alright.” Jin shrugged and started leaning back.

“Why are teenage girls so annoying?!” Fleur exploded.

“I guess we’re talking about it.” Jin sighed and sat up.

He silently poured two glasses while Alfred called the other Abraxan over to watch.

000

On Thursday, Fleur snorted water out of her nose as she watched Alfred mule-kick Jin into a wooden wall.

The magical beast was unhappy with the food it was given.

"That was uncalled for, you bastard!"

Jin shouted, snapping the wood trapping him and unintentionally giving Fleur a nice show as it tore his shirt apart.

Alfred whined loudly in reply, pointing a hoof at his bowl.

“I’m not buying more of that crap!” Jin kicked the empty crate of Jack Daniel’s. “It’s bad for you! This shit probably has corn syrup in it!”

Alfred didn't take that answer lying down as the two butted heads, growling in tune, until a gentle hum reached their ears and instantly washed away their irritation.

Fleur smirked as she continued humming, enjoying how easily she could settle them while still keeping them both cognitively intact.

It would be no fun if her audience were drooling zombies, after all.

The look in Jin’s glowing amber eyes, obviously magical in some way, as he gazed at her only encouraged Fleur further.

For it wasn't lust or greed in his gaze, but an appreciation that set her cheeks alight with heat.

000

But it was the Friday of the week they began hanging out that Fleur walked into the stables and was left stumped at not seeing Jin nearby.

“Maybe he’s getting supplies?”

She looked around, unconsciously frowning, and walked over to where Alfred was lying in his stall.

"Have you seen Jin today?"

The horse huffed and shook his head in the negative.

"I see…"

Fleur looked around and suddenly felt the emptiness of the place without him there.

"Well, it's not like I only came here for him." She huffed imperiously. “I came to see you too, Alfred.”

Or at least, that’s what she told herself.

Fleur grabbed a brush to distract herself, but within an hour, she was feeling quite down at the silence.

‘When is he going to get here?’

She kicked a pile of hay in annoyance.

“Row.”

"Eek!" The sound startled Fleur out of her thoughts, and she most definitely didn't squeak and throw her brush against a wall, no matter how Alfred neighed with laughter. "You shush!"

She turned and met the blue eyes of Jin's Kneazle kitten perching atop a stall post.

“Oh, Shadow. Don’t scare me like that.” Fleur held a hand to her chest.

Shadow's only response was to lick her paw, clearly enjoying the chaos she caused.

"You're just as bad as that silly man." Fleur huffed and walked over to scratch the fluffy creature's ears. "Where is he?"

Shadow purred under the scratches for a moment before jumping down and walking away, making Fleur sigh as she assumed Shadow just came for attention.

“So much for that.” 

“Reow.”

Fleur blinked and turned to see Shadow at the door, pointing a paw at her.

“You… want me to follow?” Fleur asked.

“Reo.” Shadow chirped.

The response made Fleur pause to remember that Jin's cat was a Kneazle; even if she looked like a small house cat because of her age, Kneazles were magical and intelligent.

"Alright then." Fleur shrugged and let her curiosity lead the way.

Following behind the feline, Fleur walked away from the school in a new direction she hadn't explored yet.

She passed a quaint hut and continued to what looked like a fenced-in garden; if gardens had pumpkins larger than her body, sprawling in a maze of green and orange.

Shadow jumped onto a fence and curled up in a sunbeam.

“He’s in there?” Fleur asked to be sure.

"Row." A confirming chirp was her answer, and Fleur stepped inside.

‘Who needs pumpkins this big?’

Her mind boggled at the sight as she came around a corner, pausing at Jin kneeling by a patch of dirt, his iconic pipe hanging from his lips, blue smoke rising in small puffs.

“Jin!” Her eyes lit up.

"Fleur?" Jin turned in surprise, barely catching his pipe before it fell. "What are you doing out here?"

"That's my question." Fleur walked up with a hand on her hip, a wronged look on her face. "Why weren't you at the stables?"

"Oh. I don't have to be there every day." Jin eyed the woman as he blew out some smoke before returning to his work. "Hagrid needed me to check on his pumpkin patch today; these things grow stupidly fast."

“Hagrid, the half-giant man?” Fleur recalled seeing him, having paid attention to the only other half-giant she knew of besides her headmistress. “Why does he need this many pumpkins? And why so big?”

“That’s what she said.” Jin smirked at Fleur’s twitch. “The big guy suffers from intrusive thoughts.”

Fleur tilted her head. “Don’t you mean common sense?”

“I said what I meant.” Jin responded shamelessly.

Fleur snorted with amusement and crouched down beside him. "What are you doing?"

"Clipping at the roots." Jin pushed aside the dirt to show a wild patch. "These things grow too fast, and their roots get tangled up."

Fleur hummed curiously. "Why not use dividers?"

“I did. They grew through them.” Jin deadpanned.

“How long have they been growing?” Fleur raised a brow.

“Three weeks.” He sighed tiredly.

Fleur choked. “P-Pardon?”

“Yeup.” Jin chuckled at her expression. “Hagrid knows how to grow pumpkins like no one else.”

“And he did this without magic?” Fleur was honestly amazed as she looked around.

"At this point, I stopped questioning what Hagrid can and can't do." Jin pulled on his pipe, looking thoughtful. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was secretly an archwizard who could spank Dumbledore and make the old man call out Daddy."

“And now that image is in my brain.” Fleur cringed and pointed at a section of roots. “You missed a spot.”

“Thanks.”

“You missed another.”

“Oh.”

“Also, over there.”

Jin’s hand paused as he slowly turned to give the smirking blond a deadpan look. “I’m working, woman. Go bother someone else.”

“I’m helping.” Fleur seemed proud of that.

Jin was tempted to flick her. “If you want to help, do it yourself.”

“Hmph.” Fleur drew her wand and transfigured a pile of dirt into a pair of scissors.

Jin whistled at the impressively smooth action. “You know you could just cast a Severing Charm, right?”

“There are better minor cutting Charms for gardening.” Fleur shrugged. “Why aren’t you using them?”

“I can’t cast magic.” He lifted his palms up helplessly. “No wand.”

“Uhu.” She shot him a disbelieving look. “And I’m sure you keep up with me in our races with years of Abraxan riding experience.”

“Says the one who cheats with her sparkles.” Jin rolled his eyes.

“I don’t sparkle!” Fleur grumbled.

Jin grinned. “And I don’t cast magic.”

“…” Fleur stared at him dryly, then gave in to the urge and flicked some dirt at his leg. “You’re a bad liar.”

“I’m a great liar.” He flicked some dirt back, smudging her clean blue school robe.

“I’ve been reading people for years.” She threw a handful at his shirt. “Your left eyebrow dips every time you lie.”

Jin responded by maturely pushing a pile of dirt over her foot. "How the hell would you know that? I don't even know that."

Fleur looked affronted at the dirt filling her shoe, then smirked and flicked her wand. "Some of us have skills that others don't."

A wave of dirt rose, burying him up to his knees.

Jin’s brow twitched at the same feeling of dirt inside his shoes. “You’re playing with fire, woman.”

“I’m a Veela, Jin.” Fleur’s smug smile ticked him off. “We gave that phrase meaning.”

Jin narrowed his eyes and looked around for a moment.

"Screw this."

His hands pressed against the dirt, and a pulse was Fleur's only warning before a dirt wave attempted to swallow her up to her neck, only pushed back by a Shield Charm at the last moment.

“You did that wandless!” She gaped in shock before a dirtball hit her square in the forehead.

“And I did that magicless!” Jin proclaimed like the king of the playground.

Dirt slowly fell from Fleur’s face as cold sapphire regarded Jin from a few feet away. "You did not. Just get. Dirt. In my hair."

“Don’t play with fire~.” Jin teasingly sang.

“I’ll show you fire.” Fleur’s body burst into flames.

“Hey now.” Jin felt a drop of sweat roll down his forehead.

Standing there as the willowy blond's eyes glowed like sparkling torches, a wave of heat making her hair float with a mind of its own, Jin had only a moment to say one final thing before the Hundred-Years’ War began anew.

"You're looking pretty hot there, Sparkles.”

“…”

Fleur’s Mana paused for a fraction of a second before the pumpkin patch came alive.

Literally.

000

On Saturday, Fleur made her first public appearance next to Jin as he was tormenting his two initiates on the path of GAINS.

“I said run!” Jin cracked the earth with a stomp, a clever use of a Charm no one would notice, as he chased two panting messes of teens running for their lives around the Black Lake, magically enhanced menace nipping at their heels.

“We are running!” Harry yelled back with a passion, his eyes scrunched up to avoid the sting of his sweat.

“Please let us stop!” Ron semi-begged, not sure what part of his body hurt more.

"Stop?!" Jin's eyes glowed entirely red as steam blew out of his nose like a bull. "You want to get buff with those attitudes?! Pain is your ally! Feel the burn and let it fuel you! Run like your life is on the line!"

He made the sound of the cracking earth echo in their ears.

“My life is on the line!” Harry ran for all he was worth, idly wondering why Voldemort didn’t just become a gym teacher if he wanted to be a Dark Lord so badly.

“I don’t think I can physically go on!” Ron held his side in pain, only for Jin to grab the back of the ginger’s head, lift him off the ground, shove a Wiggenweld potion in his mouth, force the liquid down his throat, and physically throw the teen forward to land back on his feet.

“There you go.” Jin tossed the vial. “Now stop whining and run!” 

"Having fun, boys~?"

Jin started at the familiar voice and turned to find Fleur running up beside him in workout clothes.

“Fleur?” Jin blinked in surprise.

“Bonjour, Jin. Nice day for a run, no?” The blond winked, knowing perfectly well that it was freezing outside and that she had told Jin how much she hated the cold.

Still, she was quite satisfied with the sacrifice, given his current reaction.

"Are you wearing Muggle clothing?" Jin's eyes were practically heat-seeking lasers as he locked onto Fleur's form in a tight tracksuit.

"Oui. One of my cousins introduced me to this 'spandex' style.” Fleur raised her arms and stretched. “It is far more comfortable to move in when exercising than a robe."

Jin raised a thumbs up, his eyes never letting up for a second. “Your cousin is very wise.”

Fleur side-eyed him. “You’re staring at my ass, Jin.”

“You’re not telling me to stop.” Jin shamelessly replied.

"Hmph." Fleur stuck her tongue out and sped up, bypassing the sweating duo Jin had stayed behind to keep motivated with his loving affection.

Two boys who, sadly, had far too much sweat in their eyes to enjoy the view, leaving the show to Jin alone, entranced by a heart-shaped derriere in spandex.

He unconsciously grabbed the back of each boy's head in a meaty hand and whispered. "If I lap you two, you're going another round."

Then he hopped over their heads and sped up to catch up with the blond, ignoring the whimper behind him.

“Ron.” Harry panted.

“Yeah, mate?” Ron tried not to throw up on a rock.

“Think this was a mistake?” Harry asked.

"I don't know." Ron covered his mouth with a hand. "But I don't want to risk running away again."

The memories of Jin literally finding them in the castle and dragging them away, kicking and screaming, all while Professor McGonagall gave her blessing, left the two boys wanting to travel back in time to choke out their previous selves who asked for help.

000

“You do this every Sunday?” Fleur couldn’t help but question as she watched the young Ms. Lovegood braid Jin’s hair with a Fwooper standing on his head, idly pecking at the man as it and Luna communicated through a maddening tune.

As it was, Fleur could barely offset the maddening effect by humming her own tune, letting her Allure act like a buffering sound wave for her mind.

“For the most part.” Jin shrugged and deflected the bird’s beak with a flick before Luna flicked him back.

“Don’t bully Jeffery.” The young blond berated him.

"Do you think you're safe from my flicks, Luna?" Jin held up his flicking finger.

“Bleh!” Luna stuck her tongue out maturely and hid behind his large back. “You’re not allowed to move until I’m done.”

"Not that I want to interrupt." Fleur cut in, smiling at how easily Jin relented to the Fae-like girl a third his size. "But why are you giving Jin a French Braid?"

"What Sparkles said." Jin blew out some smoke and braced as a wave of targeted Allure smashed into his mind. "Oh, sparkly."

"Shush you." Fleur tutted, her hand over Jin’s face, his seated head only stomach-high for her, and Jin willingly got lost in the trance to enjoy himself.

"He's right, it is quite sparkly." The petite blond stared off at something Fleur couldn't see, much to her annoyance.

“You can see Mana?” Fleur asked.

“Hm… maybe.” Luna shrugged and went back to braiding. “Your Allure is pretty.”

The compliment took the Veela aback for a moment before her face softened.

Fleur reached over to give the girl a side hug. "Thank you, Luna. That is very kind of you to say."

“Mn.” Luna leaned into the affection with a smile. “Do you want to help braid?”

Fleur eyed up the man she was leaning against, his face pressed into her side like an unmoving wall while he tuned them out, and shrugged. "Sure, but why a French Braid?"

Luna handed over a lock of hair, and Jin soon found four hands pulling on his hair, breaking his pleasant smoke-and-Allure combo vibe.

"Oi." He cracked one eye open when they pulled too hard. "Don't kill my buzz."

Fleur snorted and idly shot him with another wave of Allure, ignoring the pleasant fluttering in her stomach at how he showed no signs of aversion to her physical contact as she waited for Luna's answer. 

“Because he’s a Viking.” The younger girl declared.

“He is?” Fleur asked curiously. “Because he’s big?”

“Mhm.” Luna hummed her strange Fwooper tune. “He just needs his axe.”

“His axe?” Fleur poked the back of Jin’s head. “You have an axe?”

“I’m not against this idea.” Jin spoke up. "But I only have a wood-cutting axe right now."

“He’ll be a great magic Viking.” Luna confirmed to herself before getting lost in her own world. “With a nice horny hat.”

Fleur gave Jin a questioning look, and he just shrugged and blew out more smoke. "Horny sounds about right.”

The French blond’s lips twitched in amusement at the non-answer. 

She looked up at the green Fwooper perched on his head.

The Fwooper rotated its neck and stared back.

“Prek.”

It helpfully supplied.

"Jeffery says 'same’." Luna chirped.

“You understand the bird?” Fleur sounded concerned.

Jin tapped her leg and idly commented. “Don’t ask. Easier.”

Fleur really wanted to ask.

0000

And just like that, time flowed on.

Monday, they were back at the stables, racing around the valley.

Tuesday, Fleur joined Jin as he had to run and stop Hagrid from killing a class of fifth-year students before the big guy could release his fire-breathing giant crabs.

On Wednesday, they laughed on a blanket during an impromptu picnic, with Fleur using Jin as a heated backrest while she basked in the rare clear sunlight.

On Thursday, Fleur helped harvest the pumpkins by animating them into runway models, the giant walking monstrosities becoming a challenge as the two had to think of ways to one-up each other for a more impressive display.

Friday, Fleur joined Jin in tormenting the golden duo, keeping Jin’s eyes busy on her spandex-clad body while making sure to stare down any other female students staring too long at her sweaty Jin.

A particular short Hufflepuff hung around too long, and Fleur may or may not have chatted with her while Jin was busy trying to make the duo lift large rocks.

Saturday, Jin took Fleur to a Puffskein nest, where he learned that Fleur had grown up with a Puffskein plushie and absolutely loved the adorable little fluffballs.

The sounds she made that day had Jin swearing at flame-point to keep the secret between them, even as he was crossing his fingers in plain sight of her affronted eyes.

Sunday, Fleur discovered and confiscated Jin’s supply of ‘fan’ mail from the older seventh-years, burning it in a pyre outside the stables, foot tapping, all while Jin was pinned down by Alfred, his pleas falling on deaf ears.

Professor McGonagall happened to be passing by and witnessed the sight, only to silently summon a bottle of whiskey and move on as if it weren’t her problem.

For the two weeks since the day they met at the stables, whenever they weren't doing their own things, the duo spent every day together.

They talked, laughed, and found an ally in the other; one they didn't have to try to hide things from and could be open with.

For Fleur, it was freeing in a way she hadn't known she was missing; being able to escape her own prison of peers and being embraced by Jin's presence to let her hair down.

He was a mystery she loved prodding at and a softie under his tough exterior that she couldn’t help but tease.

She had laughed more in two weeks with him than in a year in her own school. And the constant fluttering feeling he caused her to feel had her on cloud nine.

Fleur grew drunk on his stable presence, his rich Mana singing to her like a siren's call as she craved physical contact with him.

To feel the pleasant shiver of her Allure dancing across his Mana-rich skin.

But it wasn’t only what he physically offered; Fleur studied his body language, slowly learning what he liked and disliked.

She learned his tells, dug into his tastes for food and music, and sought his opinions on various topics, from politics to magical subjects, building a profile in her mind of who Jin really was to see if he could connect with her mentally. 

What she found was that Jin was remarkably empty in many ways, yet full of life and passion in others.

Fleur couldn't say she agreed with everything, but she liked most of what she heard.

Jin spoke little of his past, mentioning only things from the time he came to Hogwarts, but Fleur didn't mind. She was curious, but a part of her felt that it simply wasn't important. What mattered was who Jin was in the moment and who he could become in the future.

Likewise, for Jin, it was eye-opening how much he missed human companionship.

It wasn't just the months since he entered the world, but the sped-up time in his mind, that made it feel like he had spent over a year with no one he could freely talk to but himself, his cat, or his House Elves.

Jin didn’t even realize what he was missing until he had it.

His failure to fuel the Patronus Charm made far more sense as he spent time with Fleur, noticing how incredibly joyous memories with her could become.

His time with Hagrid and the students was pleasant, but there Jin had to watch what he said, knowing the big guy was deathly loyal to Dumbledore.

Although Jin never confirmed Fleur’s guesses about his actual abilities, it felt nice for him to act as he wanted around someone without hiding what he could do.

And the more he got to know Fleur, the more he liked being around her. She wasn't just a beautiful young woman with a body that could make an angel weep with envy; her intellect was sharp as a blade.

It took quite a few instances of discussing magic before Jin realized she could actually keep up with his theoretical understanding, a genius for enchanting in her own right, all without any of his perks.

Yet it wasn't just magical talk; it was stressful rants as he learned about the challenges she faced at school from her peers, and the pitfalls she had to navigate to get where she was.

He offered his thoughts when needed, but otherwise simply stayed silent, a steady presence that comforted her when she felt like snapping.

Jin came to admire her. Her will, ambition, stubbornness, and talent attracted him to her even more.

Even her playful Allure attacks weren’t truly a bother to him. He took the gift for what it was and kept working on the weaker areas of his mental defenses that her playful pokes pointed out, growing and healing his mind with each passing day to become a nightmare for future mental assaults.

Jin learned how to read her moods, what topics to distract her with to break her out of a funk, and what buttons to push to get her worked up, and before he knew it, he found himself craving the tune of her humming that relaxed his inner beast better than his pipe ever could.

Their friendship blossomed, their feelings deepened, and the two grew ever closer, both feeling an attraction that drew them together with an unstoppable magnetic pull.

Yet neither was willing to push things too soon, enjoying the dance as they felt each other out.

And then Halloween rolled around, and with it, the Triwizard Champion Selection.

Chapter End.

AN: Hope you enjoyed! I could have drawn out the romance, but let's be honest, none of us want that, Jin and Fleur sure don't, and I'd rather get into things and make tooth rot and comedy happen.

Let me know what you think.