Indeed Veela!Mate is worse than Soul Bonds, because at least Soul Bonds are canon.

 

This is the exact way every Harry/Fleur relationship should start out. There should be no reason that she immediately thinks he's the business. You saved Gabrielle? So what, chump, you think that gets you the pussy? I've only seen a few fics where Harry was attracted to Fleur, but she was leading him on/not really that interested, and they were excellent.

 

Nice post, Lungs.

I walked the same path once and sympathize. Yeah, that's how it's going to be, at least at first.

I think Harry/Fleur works best if you just stop forcing the matter during Hogwarts and write about them as adults--three years of age difference when they're 23 and 26 is easy to manage and the mental maturity thing has a chance to occur; when they're 14 and 17, it's just too big a gap in experience and mindset during adolescence years and leads to cringe-worthy stuff like the mountains of bad Harry/Tonks stories out there. Writing a Hogwarts-years Harry with sufficient mental maturity to make that work requires a crutch (see jbern's story, Joe's, or mine) and it never quite feels right.

I'd really rather read about Harry and Fleur as adults on more or less equal terms, say both are in failing marriages in the OBHWF and hook up. Or the Epilogue didn't happen and they get together in some other way. Or canon is tweaked: the TriWizard tournament happens in Harry's 7th year with him as the top-dog wizard in Hogwarts, she as alpha witch of Beauxbatons, and they have a healthy respect for one another.

 

Links, please?

That is an awesome idea, but did't jbern, basically did that in his The Lie I've Lived?

 

A closer parallel would be SerpentSannin's subpar Knowledge is Power, a story where Neville was the BWL and Harry was a Jerkass Sue couple of years older than in canon.

But yeah, I think it'd be a workable and believable way to pull off a Hogwarts Harry/Fleur ship without having to fight the age thing with its clichés (time-travel, Soul/Veela Bonds, etc.). There's no reason Pettigrew has to find Voldemort right away after his escape. Instead, you go from Harry's hearing the prophecy in book three to his starting to take the whole magic thing seriously. Dumbledore could decide that Harry is mature enough to know the other prophecy. He could arrange special tuition for him. Four years later, by the time Voldemort does make his return, you get a much different Harry. The confidence, focus, and maturity Harry picks up doing this makes him an equal partner in his relationship with Fleur in the manner that Lungs talked about.

 

Subpar, you say, and I can sort of understand why (11 year old earing and racial tropes come to mind), but it remains to this day the fic that I would most like to see completed, even if I can name dozens of better written fics, or more original in certain aspects.

To me, at least, Knowledge Is Power, along with Wastelands of Time and The Lie I've Lived, are the three best Harry/Fleur fics that exist, not in any specific order.

 

Except when 99 percent of boys literally can't speak to you, and girls probably hate you.

 

The Harry/Fleur relationship is just destined to fail. When he has his chance during 4th year he's a scrawny little shit in over his head with the tourney and after he's faced off with the best of the best and grown some balls Fleur's about to get married. Maybe if Bill died post-OotP/pre-HBP a 6th year onwards story is possible? BRB, killing Bill off...

 

You just dont have them get together. People always feel a need to explain away canon plot, like all those post Hogwarts fics that have to have two chapters explaining why he isn't with Ginny. It's pretty easy to just hand wave Bill/Fleur and Remus/Tonks away, especially if you don't start the fic after they've already happened.

 

Maybe Fleur has a fetish for skinny emo British kids.

 

I understand that fics try to be as canon as possible, but isn't the fact that fan fics are works of creativity that anything is possible? Isn't that why AU fics exist, to try to make a story that doesn't necessarily conform to canon but uses the foundation in which the book has graciously laid out for us.

 

Yeah, I'm like that sometimes. Stuff like that just bugs me and Fleur falls into that category. If not for marrying Bill Harry would probably never see her again. I mean, yeah, she works at Gringotts but canon-wise I can't even remember the last time he was in there, break-in aside. Even then starting a Harry / Fleur story based on Harry bumping into her in Gringotts seems just...meh.

 

It's pretty easy to make Harry bump into pretty much ANYONE in Diagon Alley. Seems like the only unified place in the wizarding world. Or you just have them meet for, you know, actual plot reasons instead of just having this side Harry/Fleur thing.

 

What the fuck are you talking about? did you read book 4? he almost fucking killed himself over some veela at the World Cup. Allure is fanon, Veela being hot enough to make you bust in your pants or jump off things is canon. I seriously don't remember their attractiveness being part of their magic, fire and avian ties are part of their magic, their hot like Dresden Fae. If you see one and you don't have good enough reasons (obsession with people trying to kill you, your godfather running from the law and being the person you love most AND in constant danger, horrible nightmares of murder which can fuck up a 14 year old for months really) then you do stupid shit because they're hot not because they're magic.

Also Harry/Gabrielle (2004 and later) OTP, he's got the maturity to land the super hot chick, he's older, and when she was a kid he fucking superman'd her to safety, plus he's the fucking Chosen One/Man Who Ganked/Whatever Stupid Fucking Shitty Name You Give Him

 

I hate it when people go Harry/Gabrielle. There is absolutely no reason, if you want to give Harry the hottest girl around, to pick Gabrielle over Fleur.

How old is Gabrielle in GOF anyway?

 

~10 or so. Maybe less.

 

8 at the youngest, which means that by 2004 she's 17.

And because Rep, I was going off Lungs' post and he pointed out that Harry needed to have that upper hand in maturity... which he will never have in any near canon world over Fleur, but totally will over Gabrielle.

 

Why? Fleur is 3 years older than him. What does that have to do with maturity?
I know a great deal of people who are either more or less mature than their age would indicate.
Fleur shows no signs of particular maturiy in GoF, only skill (in being selected), and much as I hate to repeat tropes, Harry is, or should be, much more mature than his age would indicate.

In fact, I would go as far as to say canon Harry at age 14, though certainly less experienced, is vastly more mature than Fleur at age 17.

That is assuming that him being more mature is even necessary for a relationship, which I don't think is true.

 

You're seriously arguing in favor of canon Harry's maturity at 14? I mean, remember the staggering display of immaturity at the Yule Ball. Plus, the very next year, he takes a leaping dive right off the maturity scale.

Let's face it. When you're a teenager, your age matters. 3 years is a huge difference. No matter how immature the 17-year-old is for their age, they're still on a totally different level than a 14-year-old. Unless they're emotionally/mentally stunted or something.

 

Βeing clueless about girls is not a sign of maturity or against it. Letting the (indirect) murderer of your parents live, on the other hand, is. As is facing down a gigantic snake to save a stranger instead of shitting your pants and running away.


I disagree. A 17 year old knows more things, and does other things, but by no means does it mean he is more mature, especially by as much as you seem to be implying. Teenagers vary very little in maturity, be they 12 or 18.

Maybe we have different definitions of maturity.