Written for the International Wizarding School Championship
School: Ilvermorny
Year: 1
Theme: Lumos
Prompt: Fleur Delacour [Character]
Word Count: 1505
I own nothing you recognize.
Fleur had always been lonely. Whether it was missing her sister while she was at school, sitting among classmates that felt only jealousy, or fending off advances of those who only saw her outside, she had always been alone. The world only saw what was on the outside. It had always made her feel very alone, even with Gabrielle.
Before Beauxbatons, she had been home schooled by her mother and had never seen how the world reacted to her. When she first went to school, she couldn't figure out why so many people seemed to like her and she still felt so alone.
She realized why as she got older.
Year after year they only saw her superficial self, as they felt no need to look deeper. To them, she was beautiful and that was all she was. And after a while, she believed that. Throughout her school years, she played to their misconceptions, not seeing a reason to try if they weren't willing to see it.
Then her seventh year had come. They announced the Triwizard Tournament and she wanted to compete. To prove them wrong. So they would see how strong she was. She jumped into training with a passion and was picked to go to England. Little did she know how that would change her life.
Arriving in England, she had continued normally, for no one here could see past her outside either. And she was still lonely. The goblet spit out her name, proving her to be the most worthy of all her idiotic classmates. Then the little boy had cheated to get into the Tournament, stealing what would have been her moment to prove them wrong. And all she was told is that she would need to beat him! She thought it would be easy, and was very much mistaken.
The first task had her trying to defeat a dragon. While she appreciated that this task was partially about being unprepared, she wanted to win. So when Madame Maxime told her what the task entailed, she couldn't turn down the assistance. She did turn out in last place for that task after all.
For the Yule Ball, many different people asked her, but as always, they asked because of her beauty, not for Fleur herself. To actually go to the ball with her, she selected Rodger Davies, a boy about her age who was too intimidated by her to try anything.
The second task had her worried for the second she figured out the clue. Gabrielle was the thing that she'd miss! And what kind of danger would she be in? Even knowing this, she was still caught by those creatures and forced to forfeit. The "little boy" had saved her little sister tough, and had earned her respect for that.
The third task had ended rather quickly, as she was stunned by persons unknown. She had lost. But that was overshadowed by a far greater event that afternoon. She had met a boy. Not just any boy, but one who had a real conversation with her, not overcome by her charms.
That had intrigued Fleur, as few people she had ever met seemed to see the real her. And they had talked about so many things! His name was Bill. Bill Weasley. He worked as a curse-breaker with Gringotts, and had worked in Egypt since he graduated. It made her so happy, finally having a real conversation with someone. It really was too bad he worked in Egypt, she had wanted to talk to him more.
She learned later that night that the British "dark lord" had risen. It was one of his followers that stunned her in the maze. It was big news. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to care, still thinking about Bill. He had found her before he left, to tell her that he enjoyed talking to her, and to ask if perhaps he could write to her. Of course, she said yes.
They up kept correspondence over course of the year, learning things about each other and talking about just about everything. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel so alone.
In the spring, he told her that he had moved back to England and was now working at the Gringotts bank there. Feeling a bit like a stalker, she had applied for a job at the British branch of Gringotts, to work on her English. And to see Bill too.
She had been accepted and moved to England in the fall. She saw Bill on her first day, and he promised to take her out to lunch, so they could catch up, face-to-face. It had been wonderful, talking to him. She had gotten worried that he would be overcome by her allure this time, that the first time that they had met had been a fluke and the letters ever since had stopped him from becoming like the others. But as she soon found ut, this was not the case! He was still the same Bill that she had been writing to for months. Still as attentive, funny and intelligent. And still capable of seeing the real her. Fleur had never been more happy in her life.
They returned to work, promising that they'd do this again often. And they had. Bill and Fleur spent their lunch break together everyday, sometimes going out, sometimes just sitting together and eating packed lunches. But no matter where they ate, they always talked a lot. It never seemed that they'd run out of things to say. They talked of their families, and hobbies and their lives. He was always willing to listen her lamenting her attractiveness and how people reacted to it. He asked her to be his girlfriend around that time.
By the next summer, they had spent a year together. Getting to know each other and spending time together. Growing to love each other.
Bill had proposed to her that summer. "Of course," she had said, "Nothing would make me happier!" He really had no idea how true that was.
Soon after he took her to meet his parents. She had already met all his siblings at least once before. His father took to her immediately, while his mother did not. Fleur could tell why. She hated when people thought her to be one-dimensional, especially now, when she had finally found someone who could see all her dimensions. It was rather infuriating, feeling like she was back at square one again. But she still tried to make Molly Weasley like her. After all, she would be Fleur's mother-in-law soon enough.
She got to know Arthur Weasley more as the year passed, but Molly still did not like her.
That changed when that wicked werewolf attacked her Bill. He had not been turned, but was still scared badly. And then his mother insinuated that she would not want to marry him now! She didn't care what her looked like, she cared that he was alive! She couldn't lose him. Her offence to the woman's comment seemed to make Bill's mother finally warm to her. Of all the things! Still, Molly didn't only see one side of her now.
And now here she was, three months and at least one battle later. Wearing a white dress and a heirloom tiara from Bill's aunt. Ready to walk down the aisle with her father, to finally marry her Bill. It had been pure chance that they had met, or maybe pure fate. She couldn't be sure which. But even so, she had found the one person who had always seen her for herself and not just a beautiful, one-sided person.
She took her father's arm as the music began to play. The two of the walked sedately towards the end of the marquee. Towards Bill. They reached the end of the long purple carpet, where her father hugged her and let her walk up to Bill herself. She smiled when she reached him. He had brought light into her cold, dark world.
She took his hand as they faced the man officiating. He bent down slightly to whisper in her ear. "You look beautiful."
She looked up at him. "You know, I hear that a lot." he looked sheepish. "But it's only felt genuine from you." He hugged her tighter.
The ceremony flashed by in a blur, every so often Bill would lean down and whisper something in her ear. They reached the part where they kiss and Bill turned so he was facing her. He looked beautiful, his scars barely showing. For that moment it seemed that no one else was there. That it was just the two of them alone.
Not long later, they were somewhat alone. They sat off to the side of the tent, watching the guests dancing. But they weren't really alone. Not the kind of alone the Fleur knew well. No, they were alone with each other. And that made it very different. She would never be alone. Not anymore.