Aaric gave a nod to Fleur, and they immediately began their rapid descent towards the planet Fleur had chosen.
Fleur looked on in sheer wonder and instinctively held Aaric more firmly as she watched the planet growing bigger every single second directly in front of her eyes.
She closed her eyes and leaned against Aaric's shoulder just as they entered the planet's atmosphere.
Aaric smiled softly and brought them to a gentle halt high in the sky, with a vast, glittering ocean stretching out beneath them. The planet's surface was predominantly covered by a crystalline blue ocean, interrupted only by a massive, narrow stretch of land cutting across the center like a ring covering the planet's ocean.
Fleur opened her eyes after a few moments and looked down at the crystal blue depths beneath them. She gave a soft sigh of admiration and awe. She felt Aaric gently squeeze her hand, finding reassurance in her safety as they stood firmly upon the ethereal clouds.
"Give me just a moment, I wish to try somezing," she whispered to Aaric softly, and received an affirming nod from him.
Fleur then raised her hand slowly and channeled Lady Taweret's blessing, her eyes momentarily turning a deep, striking blue-green. The immense ocean below her instantly stirred, and she gained an inherent knowledge of the creatures that lived inside the vast water. She focused her intent on one specific creature and willed it to the surface.
The massive crystal-blue water beneath them stirred violently and parted as an enormous, majestic whale surfaced upon the waves, exhaling a dense, powerful cloud of water vapour from its large nostrils.
Fleur looked at Aaric, gave him a radiant smile, and gestured enthusiastically toward the magnificent whale.
Aaric nodded and landed them gently on the whale, positioning them safely at its head. Fleur took out her wand and let go of Aaric's arm to carefully tap the surface of the whale's body. A vibrant emerald-green glow enveloped the whale's massive form briefly before the immense creature smoothly started traversing the vast ocean in the precise direction she willed.
"Zere are not any intelligent beings 'ere yet, are zere?" Fleur muttered thoughtfully.
"Hm. We wanted intelligent life to evolve naturally on its own..." Aaric answered, then sat comfortably on the whale as they moved together through the open ocean.
Fleur nodded and sat gracefully beside Aaric as well, quickly taking his hand into hers a few moments later.
"Lady Taweret's blessing?" Aaric asked, and received an affirmative nod from her.
Fleur's eyes gained a brighter blue hue again as she waved her hand. Soon, other sea creatures, including shimmering fishes and playful dolphins, started leaping from the water around them.
"I 'ave been practicing," Fleur whispered with a proud smile, placing her head gently upon Aaric's shoulder.
Aaric was neither dense nor an idiot, so by this point he had definitively picked up on the not so subtle emotional clues Fleur was giving. Aaric turned his head to glance at Fleur and saw a happy smile constantly tugging at her beautiful face as she found comfort in his presence.
'I'll let things play out for a little bit longer,' he thought to himself.
Aaric knew Luna and Daphne must have known the nature of her feelings way before he ever could. He knew his own feelings about her as well; he was just patiently waiting for the right moment when she would openly express her feelings. And with that Luna and Daphne would let their own feelings about the developing situation be honestly known as well.
Aaric raised his hand and hugged her soft waist gently as she leaned into him more, snuggling up warmly against him. They moved smoothly through the ocean, with the gorgeous scenery of lush, vibrant lands to one side of them and the endless blue ocean, teeming with life, to their other side.
"Can you give me a way so I can come 'ere whenever I wish to visit?" Fleur asked Aaric in a quiet whisper.
"Just fully use your blessing and form a permanent connection with the ocean," Aaric suggested gently, taking her free hand in his. He then turned her hand and moved her palm towards the ocean surface, his hand resting supportively behind hers.
"Concentrate fully on ze blessing and try to access ze divinity you possess now," Aaric instructed her clearly.
Fleur took a soft, measured breath and tried to access the deeper divine energy Aaric was suggesting. By this point, she had only been using her inherent magic enhanced by the blessing to perform the things she had just demonstrated.
Aaric noticed her struggling momentarily and gently channeled a small measure of his divinity directly through her for a single moment. The pool of innate divine energy within Fleur immediately stirred, and Fleur caught the sudden, potent sensation.
"I zink I got it," Fleur muttered, her eyes still closed tightly as she focused intensely on the stirring pool of power. Information about advanced spells, ancient rituals, and fundamental divine energy flooded her mind as she tried to channel the energy herself.
A moment later, a brilliant, radiant golden hue suddenly mixed with her blue magic as the vast ocean stirred powerfully beneath them, and intricate, glowing runes formed distinctly upon the water's shimmering surface.
"Good, you now have a direct connection to this planet," Aaric told Fleur with a genuinely proud smile after she opened her eyes.
Fleur giggled in sheer joy and wrapped both her arms tightly around Aaric as she whispered her heartfelt thanks to him.
"Wait, zis is Daphne's personal planet, won't she mind my connection?" Fleur muttered worriedly to herself. "Well, I'll ask 'er for permission when we meet," she concluded to herself after a brief moment.
"I don't think she'll mind at all," Aaric told her with a soft chuckle.
"Still, I should ask," Fleur shook her head, receiving a casual shrug from Aaric.
"Shall we?" Aaric asked, indicating that they should leave back for Hogwarts.
"Yes, give me just a moment," Fleur nodded and separated from Aaric before getting up. She then raised her hand and concentrated as a single, glowing golden drop formed directly in front of her palm and fell gently onto the whale before merging seamlessly with it.
"A little zanks for our new friend," Fleur said with a sweet smile, getting a confirming nod from Aaric as he got up as well.
Aaric was about to conjure a portal back to Hogwarts for them but was stopped by Fleur.
"Let me try," Fleur requested, raising her hands expectantly for him to accept them.
Aaric nodded again and took her hands as she started concentrating intently for a moment, keeping her eyes closed.
The instant Fleur opened her eyes, they found themselves transported smoothly back to Hogwarts, standing right beside the calm black lake.
Fleur smiled triumphantly and immediately hugged Aaric, giving him a spontaneous kiss on the cheek.
"Zank you for today, Aaric," Fleur thanked him with a soft, sincere smile.
"Hm, take care," Aaric hummed, gently poked her nose, before a portal appeared behind him, and he stepped inside, giving her a quick wave.
Fleur waved back as he instantly disappeared. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her and let out a happy squeal, thinking of the truly magical time she had just experienced.
"Oh," She muttered as she suddenly remembered something, and crouched down in front of the black lake before she took a handful of water from the surface. The handful of water glowed with a warm, soft luminescence before it took the precise shape of a vibrant, ephemeral butterfly that flew a single graceful circle around her, and then vanished.
Fleur waited patiently for a minute as she happily hummed to herself. It took barely a minute for a portal to form directly in front of her, and Daphne exited the portal.
"When did you learn that?" Daphne asked with an excited smile as she exited her portal. The magical butterfly Fleur had just created was now resting lightly on her shoulder.
"Oh! I will tell you absolutely all zat, and I 'ave to ask somezing very important of you as well," Fleur said, immediately giving Daphne a warm hug as a greeting.
A few moments later,
"I 'ope you don't mind. I found ze planet to be completely beautiful. I will reverse ze connection immediately if you tell me to," Fleur explained her day to Daphne and sincerely asked for her permission regarding the planet she had just formed a divine connection with.
"No, I don't mind at all. I actually appreciate that you will be sharing and taking care of the planet," Daphne said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Fleur nodded her thanks and looked up at the sky to get an accurate idea of the time.
"I should go get Gabrielle. It's time for 'er English lessons," Fleur muttered and stood up.
"Join me?" Fleur asked Daphne, getting a quick nod and a bright smile from her as they walked and chatted together.
A/n: Give me your thought on the chapter and reviews on the fic.
And.. you got any power stones? Well, hand em over then.