Chapter 182 : Sun Set
"So, can you tell me why you called me out?" Victor asked, stopping in front of Fleur.
"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you," Fleur replied with a small smile.
"Well, let's talk."
She looked at him for a moment, clearly amused, and shook her head. "You are so unromantic. You are like a stone — a very handsome stone, perhaps, but still a stone."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize talking to me required a certain level of romance."
"You make everyzing sound like a business discussion," Fleur laughed softly. "Come, let us find somewhere quiet and peaceful. Perhaps zen you will relax a little."
She slipped her hand around his arm and started leading him down the corridor before he could object.
"Where exactly are we going?" he asked.
"Somewhere we can talk without everyone listening. You 'ave already complained about misunderstandings, so I zink it would be better if we were alone."
Victor gave her a doubtful look but kept walking. "That actually makes sense."
"See? You can be sensible when you try."
He sighed as she kept pulling him along. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret agreeing to this."
"Perhaps," Fleur said, glancing at him with an amused look. "But you worry too much, Victor. For once, just enjoy the evening."
They eventually reached the edge of the Black Lake as the sun began to set behind the mountains, the water reflecting the fading orange light, the evening breeze moving gently across the shore.
Fleur stopped near the water and looked out across the lake before turning to him with a small smile. "Well, zis is much better. It is quiet, peaceful, and beautiful."
Victor glanced across the lake, then back at her. "I'll admit, you chose a good place."
She smiled and stepped a little closer. "I told you. Sometimes you simply need to stop thinking so much and enjoy ze moment."
"That isn't exactly easy for me," he said, looking back at the sunset.
"I know," she said, her smile warming. "That is why I brought you here."
Her attention drifted back to the lake, expression turning thoughtful. "During ze Second Task, I felt like someone was watching me from ze lake. It was strange. I could not see anyone, but I could feel someone's gaze."
Victor knew immediately who she meant.
That was definitely me.
He kept his expression neutral — there was no chance he'd admit he'd been swimming around the Black Lake in astral form.
"How could that be?" he asked, keeping his voice casual. "You were underwater. How could someone watch you without you seeing them?"
Fleur shook her head. "I do not know. But I am certain I felt it. It was as if someone was right beside me for a moment."
"Maybe it was one of the creatures."
"No." She shook her head. "I know what the creatures feel like. Zis was different."
"Different how?"
She thought for a moment. "I cannot explain it. It simply felt like someone was there, watching me, and zen suddenly they were gone."
Victor nodded slowly, doing his best to look innocent. "Perhaps the lake is simply full of surprises."
She gave him a suspicious look. "Perhaps."
"Or perhaps you were tired after swimming for so long."
"I was not imagining it," she said firmly, though a faint smile tugged at her mouth. "I know what I felt."
Victor looked back at the sunset, quietly relieved she hadn't figured it out — and decided it was probably a good idea to steer the conversation somewhere else before her curiosity dug any deeper.
"So, what are you planning to do after graduation?" he asked casually.
Fleur looked at him, a little surprised by the sudden shift. "After graduation? I do not know yet. I will go back to France for a while, of course, but after zat..." She shrugged lightly.
"I 'ave not decided. Perhaps I will find some work, perhaps travel. I am not certain what I want." She glanced toward the lake again. "What about you? What will you do after Hogwarts?"
"I honestly don't know," Victor said, smiling. "Besides, I've still got three more years before I graduate."
She studied him a moment, then gave him an amused smile. "Sometimes I forget you are younger zan me. When I look at you — especially with your height and ze way you carry yourself — you certainly do not seem like a younger student."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"It is," she replied with a soft laugh. "You simply do not act your age very often."
"That's probably because I spend too much time around older people."
"Perhaps," she said, glancing at him. "Or perhaps you simply enjoy making everyone wonder how old you really are."
He gave her a curious look. "You were wondering?"
"Of course. You are not exactly easy to figure out, Victor." She paused, then added with a playful smile, "Sometimes I forget you are only fourteen."
"Only fourteen? You make it sound like I'm a child."
She laughed softly. "I did not say child. I said younger. Zere is a difference."
"Good, because I was beginning to feel insulted."
"You are very sensitive for someone who claims to be so mature."
Victor shook his head, looking back across the lake as the last traces of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains.
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