Smile Like You Mean It

Kinda short chapter, but its the first insight into the relationship between Harry and Aera and where it will go...


Chapter 4 - I'm Glad You're Here



Aera woke up. Hermione was smiling down at her and the sun was shining fiercely through the window. It was obviously well into the morning and Aera sat up hurriedly. Hermione backed away, Ginny was shuffling through her wardrobe.

"Mrs Weasley said not to wake you. You haven't had a lie-in since you got here. You must have needed the sleep, you slept like a log!"

Aera swallowed hard and smiled at the bushy-haired girl. "Yeah, pretty weird dreams though. Must have been very deeply asleep."

This appeared to satisfy the girl, who joined Ginny in rummaging through trunks and clothes. Aera felt slightly confused. The daydream had turned into a real dream, but she couldn't figure out where the line had blurred. Had she even been asleep? The lack of fatigue behind her eyes assured her of that. But then, had it just been the charm affecting her slumber. She had a feeling she should consult one of the Weasley twins about it, but the memories of the images flared up in her mind and she caught her breath. No, she wouldn't be telling either of them about that.

The morning, or what was left of it, passed quickly, with people rushing all through the house. The boys had been pried from their mattresses with great reluctance and Mrs Weasley was watching them with sharp eyes as they folded clothes into their trunks. Aera wasn't left with much time to ponder over her night-time adventures, busying about the place trying to find all her stuff. It went against all logic that she'd only been there a week and had already managed to misplace numerous items of small-clothes and her hairbrush.

By lunchtime, most of their stuff was packed neatly away and Mrs Weasley was bustling about in a satisfied manner. The meal consisted of soup and home-baked bread, still warm. As they sat around the table together, Fleur gave Aera a serpentine smile.

"Well, Aera. I am most sorry we cannot spend more time togezer. But I'm sure you will fit in at 'Ogwarts. After all, I did spend some time zere and the children were very much your type. Youthful and impulsive."

"Children?" Ginny said coldly, pausing as she reached for the butter to eye Fleur with obvious dislike. "From what I remember, Harry was younger than you and still managed to kick your ass during the tournament."

"Ginny!" Mrs Weasley shook an admonitory finger at her daughter, but there was no real zeal to it.

"Oh, forgive me, Molly. I didn't mean to imply zat they were... children. My Eenglish fails me, at times, I had no words."

"Funny," said Aera, "You always seemed to do just fine during English lessons at Beauxbatons. Besides, I think Bill's been teaching you all the necessary words, right? Ones like 'plus dur' and 'plus vite'?" (Harder, Faster)

Fleur went white with anger, her jaw clenching. Her nails dug into her palms and she snarled at Aera. Mrs Weasley shot worried glances between the two of them, confused and unsure of what would happen next. The rest of them had varying levels of amusement on their faces. Including Bill, surprisingly. He must have understood what she had said to some degree but seemed to have a better sense of humour than his fiancé. Aera gave Fleur a sweet little smile as she lifted her glass of orange to her lips.

"Well, je suis un petit ami, tu est une petite fille." snapped Fleur, rising from her seat. "I must excuse myself. I would like to say farewell to my little friend in private." (Well, I am the girlfriend, you are a little girl)

Aera nodded and got up as well. She followed the tall blonde out of the kitchen and into the little garden. As the door swung closed behind them and shut off the sounds of resumed conversation, Fleur rounded on her.

"'Ow dare you! You are a silly little girl, you know nothing about men yet you dare talk to me like zat! You are lucky I do this for Dumblydore. If I had my way I would embarrass you in front of all your little friends!"

"Well then, its a good thing you value Dumbledore's respect than, isn't it?" Aera said quietly, "And don't get all high and mighty with me, Phlegm, your childish quips and wisecracks demean you. Besides, you know what's going on, do you think I'm here happily? Watch your mouth in front of them or I'll do it for you."

A flash of fear skittered across the pretty face, but she hid it well. A toothy smile was followed by a sneering tone. "You think you're so wonderful, but I could crush you. You are ugly, Aera. Ugly and plain, and no one wants you."

Aera felt the glamour wash over her. The girl in front of her was suddenly achingly beautiful, full of an inner light that made her pale skin glow and her hair shine with gold. The perfect lips curled into an enticing smile that made her feel small and insignificant. "You are nothing."

"And you're a fake. What man would want the true you? I might be plain but at least I'm not trying to pretend that I'm beautiful. Underneath that hair and flawlessness you're still just a woman, magic is only skin-deep you fool. Don't preach to me about how plain I am, look inside yourself and find that piece of you that really loves Bill and wants you to stop lying to him with this bullshit facade."

Aera spun on her heel and walked out the garden gate, letting the glamour slip away from her mind. It was a distant branch of magic that people rarely delved too deeply into, but Fleur's family had seen the power behind it. It was easy to twist someone to your will if you were pleasing to the eye. It was easy to be accepted if you were beautiful.

The afternoon she spent in the fields around the house. She knew Dumbledore would frown at her going anywhere unaccompanied, but she didn't care. She needed some time to gather her thoughts and rid herself of the poison Fleur's words had left in her mind. There was a little lake down a small hill and she sat by it, flicking pebbles into the shallows.

Little fish swam closer, sensing the disturbance and thinking it food. It was quite peaceful down here, away from the bubbling household.

Tomorrow she would head off with the others to this new school, try to fit in with her peers. Perhaps she was plain, like Fleur said. She knew she was nowhere near the blonde's exquisite attractiveness, but it would be nice to believe that didn't matter. It would be nice to believe that Hogwarts would be easy.

"Mind if I join you?"

She felt the presence of her brother behind her. "Not really."

He sat down beside her, staring out across the lake. They didn't look at each other. She could feel the depths of his thoughts as his mind worked hard to understand something. After a long while he spoke.

"I want to ask you why you're really here. Your story, while believable, was unsatisfying. I know there's more to it that just better career prospects, but I also know you won't tell me." Harry leaned back on his elbows, sighing. "Strangely enough, while curiosity compels me to ask, I don't feel threatened by your secrets. That's weird for me. In my life, if someone is keeping something from me, it's usually because they're trying to either manipulate or hurt me."

Aera curled her arms around her knees, pulling them up to her chest. What could you say to something like that? Perhaps he really was just fishing for answers and was trying to lull her into a sense of false comfort. She didn't think she could deny his suspicions, however. Anything she said to counter his thoughts could very well reinforce them.

"The girls are confused. They like you but are uncomfortable with you being here." Aera's eyebrows rose. His honesty was surprising. "There's always been the four of us, close as anything. With you arriving, it's like they feel threatened. Two girls, two boys. It's even that way. Then you're here and they want to know what's going on. You're going to have a tough time fooling them. Hermione in particular. She's inquisitive by nature, and good at her snooping. She'll dig something up that will put you on the spot and make you answer one way or another, make you reveal something you want to keep hidden."

Aera turned slowly. "Why? If you're so curious about the truth too, why are you trying to put me on my guard, ready me for unwanted questions? It makes no sense."

That grin startled her with its sincerity. "Because I think you're just like me, Aera." She froze, knowing his eyes were on her, unsure as to whether he had guessed some part of her tale. "You're not trying to fool people, you don't like deception. You lie out of necessity, not out of ulterior motives. Don't ask me how I know this, I haven't a clue. But you and I are made out of the same stuff. We're fighters, and we don't take anything lying down."

Aera stared at the lake water, not seeing it. She was aware of Harry turning his face up to the sky, a look of thoughtfulness on his face. "I'm told I get my fighting spirit from my parents. I never knew them, but I know they didn't back down. They stood up to him till they had nothing left to give. I intend on doing the same. And I won't let anyone take the brunt. This is between him and me, and he won't get to me through my friends."

He appeared to be speaking more to himself, unaware that she understood the fullness of the prophecy and knew what he was talking about.

"I know, Harry. You'll make a great hero someday. But your friends don't want you to shoulder this alone."

"They don't get to have a choice in it!" Harry said, expelling his breath violently and running an agitated hand through his hair. "I won't let him use them. They need to understand that it's only about me now, if they try to help, they'll just get hurt. I... I can't watch someone else die just because they're between him and me..." he trailed off, digging his hands into the pebbles and squeezing them.

She could see a nightmare stark in his bright green eyes as they stared unseeing at the sky and she could well imagine what it was. Ginny and Hermione with death-glazed eyes, Ron screaming as he suffered the Cruciatus. He drew a shuddering breath, unable to pull himself away from the dark thoughts. She had never come so close to telling him the truth, telling him he was no longer alone in this battle. But she couldn't. The words rose up inside her, to be stopped at her lips. She dropped her eyes back down to his hand.

"You love them very much, Harry. That's your strength, your power over him. But the real strength is that you're surrounded by love too. That gives you a huge asset."

"I'm not," he whispered, "My mother's spell, strengthened by her love, is gone. It left me when he took my blood to resurrect himself."

"I'm not talking about your parents, though what they gave you was an immense gift. I'm talking about Ginny, Hermione, the rest of the Weasleys, even Dumbledore. You're never alone. Whether they're with you when you face him or a hundred miles away doesn't matter. They would lay down their lives for you as quick as you would for them. You won't lose them, and they won't let you lose yourself."

"I... I don't think I'm strong enough to keep them safe." his voice was a bare whisper, softened by the breeze.

"He feeds off fear, Harry. Don't let him use that on you. Accept that dangerous times face all of us and trust those you love to make the right decisions for themselves. Your biggest choice may be choosing whether you can take your chance of finishing him off if it means putting a friend in danger of being hurt. Respect the fact that they're going to fight with you, for you, whether you like it or not."

Silence descended between them, hugging the words closer to each of their minds. After a while, Harry shifted and let the handful of pebbles tumble back to the ground.

"Why do I feel I can trust you, Aera? How is it that no more than a week after meeting you I can tell you everything and still believe you're not going to whisper a word of it?"

Because I'm your sister! "Because... you needed someone to trust. I wasn't sent here to get a better education, I was sent to lend a little support."

Harry smiled grimly, then nodded. "Dumbledore explained so many things to me over the years, but he was never able to show me what you have." His green eyes met hers and she saw the gratitude written there. "I'm glad you're here, Aera."

She nodded and they stood together, helping each other up. Time had passed quickly and dinner-time was looming. As they walked back up the hill Harry's hand reached out to grab hers and squeeze it tightly. She felt a rush of affection and commiseration for her twin, sensing guilt and fear carefully hidden deep inside him. By the time they reached the house he had let go and resumed his air of boyish youthfulness. They entered the house without a word.