She was exceptionally graceful, and she had a very good eye. Any spell she didn't need to dodge, she didn't move for, and for those that needed moving, she just barely got out of the way. It was almost like a dance for her, while Krum was moving like a soldier. He advanced, threw spells, held ground and defended his "territory" on the arena, and advanced some more. Once he thought he had Fleur pinned to one end of the platform, threw a strong bludgeoner to knock her off like he did with Cedric. Fleur, however, wasn't nearly as tired as Cedric had been, and deflected the spell. She then put up a most unusual counterattack.
Harry felt the allure hit him, even from the side of the Quidditch pitch. He could tell many of the males in the front rows of the stadium, and all the male judges, were under its effects. Cedric managed to control himself this time, being further away, and Harry blocked it out easily. Krum, however, being mere steps away from Fleur, suddenly stopped what he was doing. He seemed to be prepared for this possibility, though, and he recovered. The short delay was all Fleur needed. Casting an enormous fireball (which Harry guessed was another illusion), she disillusioned herself while Krum was distracted. He held his shield up, prepared for any more spells to come from the narrow end of the arena, and realized quickly he was pointing his shield at nothing. He turned just in time to block a spell from the invisible Fleur, but that revealed her position. He retaliated with a set of conjured glass spears, which Fleur dodged or blocked. Those that missed shattered on the ground, leaving sharp glass all around Fleur. Dropping her disillusionment again, she banished as much of the glass as she could back at Krum, and followed up by covering herself with smoke.
Three Fleurs emerged from the smoke, side-by-side and moving in parallel. Krum conjured a metal whip and swung wide, aiming to sweep through all three of them. It was blocked before it touched a single one of them. He switched to a stronger version of the water-conjuring spell, Aguamenti Gagatsi. The water shot out of his wand like a fire hose, and he swept the jet back and forth at the three of them. They all attempted to dodge, but the water passed straight through the one in the center. He continued the spell, hammering the shields of the two remaining Fleurs, but they suddenly bolted towards him. Having a harder time trying to hit both of them as they got closer, he took a chance and launched a strong reductor towards the one on the left, shattering the ground under her feet. She was completely unaffected by the blasted rocks, so Krum quickly threw a shield up against the one on his right. Fleur appeared to be in the middle of casting a spell when a flash of light came from a mere two meters from Krum's left, stunning him before he noticed. The final Fleur disappeared as the real Fleur reappeared from under another disillusionment.
To say Krum was disappointed was a severe understatement. He seemed to be furious at Fleur, only barely restraining himself to get through the end-of-duel formalities and off the platform. At least he won't be completely focused on me now, thought Harry. Or maybe that'll just make him even angrier when he duels me...
"Harry, don't stress out about it," Hermione advised him. She handed him another glass of pumpkin juice. They chose not to leave the stadium this time, just resting on an unused corner of the Quidditch pitch and having a light snack during the second intermission.
"Easy for you to say. You don't have a crazy Bulgarian who's about to kill you."
"He's not trying to kill you! He might still be a bit upset. Just watch out for his stronger spells..."
"Just watch out? Did you see him break the wing-bones of a sixty-foot bird last month? I am so dead in one hour. Hermione, I'm leaving all my worldly possessions to you after this."
"Don't joke about this, Harry." Hermione scowled at him.
"I'm only half-joking. Well, even if I don't die, I'd like to write a proper will and name you as the primary beneficiary."
"And even on the infinitesimally small chance that you might accidentally suffer a life-threatening injury that the nearby mediwitches can't stabilize or portkey you to St. Mungo's in time, you'll just... go back to our little secret," she said, wary of eavesdroppers. They had cast a few privacy wards to keep any reporters from trying to interview them during their break, but you could never be too sure. "And if you do... I'll meet you there," she finished in a whisper.
"I'll always come back to you, that's for certain." Harry smiled as they sat together under their private, secluded, warmed patch of grass in the middle of the stadium. When they heard the call for the next round of duels and for the spectators to return to their seats, they dropped the privacy wards and parted ways.
Back in the tent, Krum was looking remarkably calm for someone who was just beaten, and who badly wanted to beat his next opponent. The calm before the storm? thought Harry. Cedric was looking thoughtful, like he was going through a plan. Fleur had her stoic facade on again. Harry spent most of his time sitting, wondering how he was going to take on Krum. I can't overpower him. My disillusionment isn't nearly as good as Fleur's. Might as well give it a shot, though, Harry thought.
The whistle for the final round of duels was blown. Fleur and Cedric left the tent, and finally, Harry could watch another full duel. Fleur once again took her odd, dance-like stance against Cedric, while this time Cedric looked like he was ready to bolt forward. As soon as the duel began, he shot off a stream of water, covering the platform as he advanced forward. Fleur, on the other hand, threw some slicing curses at the platform, creating channels for the water to drain. She let most of the spells fly roughly in Cedric's direction, forcing him to dodge a few of them. Fleur still hadn't moved from her spot near the narrow end of the platform, and Cedric was close to the center, surrounded by the water he had conjured. Fleur quickly threw a freezing charm at the water, and a few spells aimed low. Cedric jumped to avoid the spells, but in mid-air, the water froze. As he landed, he nearly slipped, allowing Fleur enough time to throw some additional water of her own, making it even more slippery for Cedric. As he fell, he began to cast dozens of low-powered jinxes, even throwing in some stinging and tickling charms in there.
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