It's the 6th of September, and here is the first chapter.
I hope you like it!

———

Hogwarts castle was ugly, cold, untidy and easily a thousand years out of date decorating wise.
That was Fleur Delacour's opinion anyway.

She almost wished she'd stayed in France; the idea of spending an entire nine months in this dusty and disheveled place made her feel ill.
Then again, the Triwizard tournament was a lure few of age could resist, and the appeal to have achieved something that no one could blame on her looks, was irresistible. She glared back at one of the paintings which was certainly not looking at her face, before strengthening her resolve and following her headmistress into the apparently 'great' hall.

She would grant them that the enchanted ceiling was very impressive, not missing the flicker of envy on her school mistresses' face at the sight, but it was entirely wasted on the horrid grey stone room. And were the students wearing black tents? She thought they were just coats when they arrived but apparently the shapeless cloth was supposed to be a uniform. How unfashionable. Then again, this was a British school, her standards had already been low.

She locked eyes with a grubby looking ginger boy, and watched disdainfully as he drooled onto his empty plate. She rarely knew a gaze that wasn't lustful or jealous. And though she noted a few disinterested people among the crowd, it seemed like she was in for another year of objectification, prejudice, and harassment.
Still she danced with her school mates. Allowing herself to enjoy the music and forget the ever present eyes for once. This was an opportunity she'd tolerate five hundred stupid teenage boys to get. And since these were prudish English boys, she could hope most wouldn't have the balls to do more than admire from afar.

Her fellow Beauxbatons students gravitated to the table where the Hogwarts students had blue ties. She'd heard the school had a house system sorted based on values. She felt it was odd to set people in houses based on what they valued at eleven, but it wasn't worth over analysing. She could guess from the number of books on the table despite the foreign guests, that this was the nerd house. Perhaps they'd have more tact than the ones with red ties.

Due to getting lost in thought she'd not paid much attention to her choice of seat, just away from her peers and any males whose expressions she didn't trust. As a result she found herself settled opposite a very strange looking woman.
A complete tousled untameable mess of blonde hair, the kind her classmates would get nightmares about having, which appeared to be tied back with...string? The face underneath was pretty though, oval with sharp cheek bones and soft lips set in a knowing Mona Lisa smile. No make up or spell work involved, which was unusual, but a pleasant change despite the small scattering of spots on her temples and cheeks no teen can avoid.

Fleur called the girl weird for three reasons.
The first was the radish earrings she was wearing - literal fist sized radishes on chains from her ears. The second was an unflattering rainbow striped cardigan she wore under her robes, poorly knitted with a cat that looked like it had just escaped a war zone on the front.
The third reason was more instinctual. Her eyes, the deepest most vibrant indigo. When they met her own, a shiver ran down her spine. Veela instincts manifested in many ways, but one was the ability to sense how powerful other people were. Not specifically magically powerful, any kind of gravity a person held could be sensed. And this girl was giving an off the chart reading. Fleur had met the Magical Minister of France and this girl held more power than him, or the puppeteers nearby that held his strings.

The woman seemed indifferent to gazes regularly sent her way from boys and girls on her table. But she was watching Fleur with an intense stare that made her hair on the back of her neck rise.
"W-w-what...." she stammered, terrified of what dark wisdom, or judgement this woman would impart. She wished she'd found somewhere else to sit. Suddenly Hogwarts itself didn't seem worth this stress.
The mysterious woman smiled.
"You have a lovely hat." She informed her in a lilting absentminded voice.

Fleur gasped for breath, not having realised she'd stopped breathing. She mustered a nod, wondering how on Earth she'd be able to eat a meal opposite this terrifying and slightly insane person.
"You seem to be a little overwhelmed by the nazbugs," said the stranger calmly, "they like me a lot and it can feel strange for magically sensitive people. I'll move down the table so you can eat in peace. I hope to talk to you again, Fleur Delacour, perhaps on water next time."

The young woman rose gracefully from her seat and headed further from the staff tables, joining a similar looking girl who could only be a younger sister. The younger girl was cuddling a bizarre looking plant with yellow and red spotted flowers, and after seeing the elder sister greet the plant, Fleur gave up trying to make any sense of the duo and turned to a more sane occupation of observing the room.

While they'd been appraising each other, Durmstang had performed their martial dances and settled with the green house. She wondered why they'd picked that lot, half of which seemed to be watching Victor Krum like he was their favourite prey.
Fleur missed her headspace where judging the castle decorating had been the only thing on her mind.

After eating she made the mistake of looking back over at the sisters.
The terrifying young woman was using her napkin to clean a section of her plate thoroughly before she placed a pair of brightly coloured odd socks on the china. She continued to smile softly as her plate and sock offering vanished, then started humming a tune to herself, rising from the table and leaving the great hall with her sister skipping behind clutching the plant.
Fleur wanted to cry.

"They are quite eccentric aren't they?"

Fleur looked over to her left to see a pretty Asian girl smiling apologetically at her.
Seeing her intent to remain silent, the girl continued awkwardly, "I can't imagine your impression of us, when she's the first student you talk to."
Too hopeful of some explanation to consider her pride, Fleur looked at her pleadingly. "Who is she?"
The girl, perhaps a year younger or so, shrugged her shoulders guiltily like the woman was her responsibility somehow. "Her name is Delphi Lovegood, though more than that not many people know, quite a secretive one. She's a sixth year here and one of the top students in her year."
"Delphi? That does not sound English?" Prompted Fleur, wishing the student had more information.
The girl nodded, "the Lovegoods are Irish, though the name is Greek I think. My name's Cho by the way, Cho Chang."
She smiled uncertainly, clearly expecting Fleur to brush her off, as Fleur probably would have done if she wasn't still in a confused state. She took the girl's offered hand and shook it awkwardly. "Fleur Delacour."

"You're very beautiful." Said Cho almost consolingly, clearly trying to get the conversation back to an easier topic.
She nodded dismissively, it seemed hollow, "I'm part Veela, you seem to manage to be pretty without that though."
She flushed shyly. An innocent beauty. These English boys really were pathetic if she'd remained this pure. Enviable in its own way though.
"Are you staying on the Beauxbaton carriage? I can show you back after we eat if you're tired? Or maybe you'd like a tour of the school?"
The girl clearly was hoping they could be friends, though her questioning tone implied she didn't expect Fleur to accept. Fleur however, found the idea appealing. If there were more Delphi Lovegoods at this crazy school, a sane guide would be helpful. A female friend would be nice too, she did not have many.
"I would like a tour. Maybe you could explain these 'houses' too?"
Cho smiled brightly, "sure!"

———

Delphi stretched out the muscles in her back and smiled. It had been a while since she'd completely thrown someone for a loop. Something she did deliberately, unlike her sister who simply had a natural talent for it.
Fleur's mind had been too settled and stubborn like a walled fortress, which was no good for growth and change. Delphi had brought down those walls and hopefully Cho Chang or some other level headed Claw could sneak in before they rebuilt, and help the part Veela leave her cynicism and misery behind.

Mind you, that logic was the excuse. Messing with people was incredibly fun and her family's reputation was a perfect cloak to hide her trouble making behind.
One single conversation with Severus Snape in her first year had been enough that the man had barely spoken to her since and actively avoided her. Whimsical chaos and calculated logic clashing was much like the concept of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Three sentences and she'd had him completely confused and two more had probably caused the hangover he'd had to cure the morning after.
That had been nothing to the look on his face when Luna was sorted.

She smiled in remembrance of the fear in his eyes as she strode out of the great hall with her sister and Samson the greater spotted stumpfel weed. 'He' had chosen to grow outside Luna's window the week before she'd left and her sister had refused, quite sensibly, to leave him behind.
"When are you going Phi?"
Delphi hummed, "metaphorically, musically, laterally or literally, Lu?"
"Metaphorically." Clarified Luna with a smile.
She thought about it, "The wood between worlds to live a thousand lives before Morpheus comes. You?"
Her sister stroked Samson who purred. "To hover between Earth and sky and embrace infinite darkness for a time. Enjoy the Library."
"Sleep well." Delphi shared a smile with her sister before they parted ways.

Hogwarts Library had to be the best room in the whole castle. Well, that opinion was why she was in Ravenclaw. She'd been a hat stall, but it hadn't been due to debate over her house, just the hat talking with her about the founders' favourite foods. Turns out Salazar Slytherin, 'greatest of the Hogwarts four', would do almost anything for good blueberry muffins. And by anything, the hat meant anything.

Delphi entered the library with an awkward nod to Madam Pince. The librarian hated her, because the books only purred when she stroked their spines. She knew the librarian was constantly trying ever since she'd entered as a first year, and, in caressing the spines of some books as she passed, caused the entire shelf to yowl in pleasure and shake off its dust.

She glided between the musty shelves, books upon books of all shapes, colours, personalities and quidditch team preferences. Her shoulders relaxed as she moved deeper, letting the scents of old parchment and leather fill her nose and brushing her finger tips along the spines holding ancient wisdom within.
This was home. This was sanctuary.
It had been since the moment she'd entered in first year.

Settling at a desk that seemed to be waiting for her, Delphi laid out the books she had collected along the way, a miscellaneous group on everything from dragons to port keys, but she knew as did every good Slytherin, that knowledge is power. And she needed to know as much as she could.

She sat alone, as she always did.
She was not disliked, far from it, and it wasn't for a lack of desire that she had no friends.
But Delphi prided herself on being a fundamentally honest person.
You should tell friends the truth.
If you can't tell them the truth, but despise lying, the only option left is to simply not have friends.
She may talk to Elaine Rosier in Potions class, joke with Roger Atwood and Clark Greeves in Transfiguration, but in the corridors she walked alone.
But that was okay, because it had to be. She'd never been granted the choice to have it otherwise.
After all, she was a true seer.

"Ummm, Delphi?"
Delphi blinked, dragging herself way from nihilistic thoughts and looked up and the awkwardly shuffling fifth year Hufflepuff stood before her.
"Yes Daisy?"
"My name's...Dylan..." the Hufflepuff corrected, looking unnerved, "but anyway, the Headmaster wishes to see you."
Delphi smiled innocently at the tanned student, "Daisy suits you far better, Miss. Thank you for the message, I'll head up right away."
She reluctantly left her books, and kept a small smirk to herself as she walked away.

Her thoughts however were less cheerful as she left the library.
Dumbledore was a complicated man. A good man, more or less. But the more and less of it depended very much on what type of chess piece you were to him. Delphi wasn't a chess piece, she was a play by play description of the opponent's strategy, just out of reach. Dumbledore would do anything to obtain her answers.
She checked over her occlumency barriers and took steady breaths, preparing for the battle of wits to come.
For she could never tell.