QLFC ROUND TWO
Write a story that takes place in Beauxbatons
Prompts: 5- (word) noble, 14- (word) contagious, 15- (quote) 'Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Hate me because I'm beautiful, smart and rich.' — Calvin Keegan
Word count: 1,854
Huge thank you for Xanda and Erica for betaing.
Between the noise that is coming from the girls around me, I manage to hear the sounds of the Abraxans that are waiting by the school entrance. Leaning closer to the window of my dorm so my head is partly touching the glass, I look outside, seeing the white creatures and the enormous carriage that they are tied to. The carriage is wooden, painted in powder blue, decorated with silver and gold details.
The sunshine blinds me and my gaze quickly turns away from the window and into my room, where the girls I've been living with since year one are finishing to pack their belongings. Except me. I'm still in my pajamas, preferring to stay in my comfortable clothes for as long as I can before classes start.
"Bye, Chloe." A few girls wave at me as they leave, dressed in the school's full uniform of a dress, a jacket, and a hat.
After giving them a quick wave, I push a lock of my dark hair behind my ear. I can feel a drop of jealousy in me; many of my friends are leaving for Hogwarts, where the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place soon. I, however, am in no position to leave Beauxbatons for the time period of the competition.
The thought of the tournament makes me think of my best friend, Fleur Delacour, who is standing in front of a long mirror, fixing her blonde hair and her uniform. Now that there are less people in the room, it's not as noisy, and I decide to use the opportunity to talk to her.
"Excited?" I ask.
Smiling, Fleur turns to face me, her hands stop smoothing her skirt and fall to her sides. "I am," she says. "But it won't be the same without you."
The honesty in her voice brings a smile to my lips. "I know," I say in confidence and shrug. "But you'll have so many other things to focus on."
"Still, I'll miss having you around," the quarter Veela says with a small pout.
Quickly, I stand up and walk around the bed to where Fleur is. My arms wrap around her and I pull her into a tight hug, while stretching on my tiptoes; I have always been the shorter one between us.
We stay quiet for a few moments and the realization that my best friend is leaving for longer than half a year saddens me. However, I pull back with a smile and she returns it.
"Do you think I'll make it into the tournament?" Fleur asks me in a quiet voice.
Her blue eyes shine with expectation. I can't lie to her when she's looking at me like this.
My smile softens as I say, "I'm not sure how the Goblet of Fire works. Yet, I'm sure that if you're chosen, you'll be remarkable."
What I tell her is true; knowing Fleur from a young age has made me see how ambitious, strong, and brave she is. If that's not enough, she has a very strong effect on people. Her feelings, happiness especially, always seem truly contagious in my eyes. Or maybe it's because people enjoy things that seem perfect and assume that she is, too.
Serious again, I take a step back and put my hands on her shoulders. ''Are you sure that you want to try and compete?'' I ask.
The reason I'm asking isn't because I don't believe in her. I do. It's because the Triwizard Tournament, from what I've heard, isn't the safest, and the thought of something happening to Fleur frightens me. Scolding myself, I shake away the horrible thought.
''Oui,'' the blonde says tiredly. It is definitely not the first time she has been asked this question, and I know it better than anyone else. ''I can do this. People think there isn't anything more to me than beauty.''
My grip on her shoulders tightens and I nod. ''I remember how we talked about it,'' I tell her. ''They think it of me as well. Only you want to risk your life to prove them wrong, while I just tell them not to be jealous of me because I'm beautiful, but because I'm beautiful and smart.''
Her eyes roll, which I take no offence in.
''Then, you should also remember that the main reason I want to participate in the tournament is myself. And as much as I love you, I think I really need to go now.''
Even though I drop my hands, Fleur pulls me into another hug, a quicker one.
When she pulls away, she's smiling away and a laugh erupts from her as she says, ''If when I come back you haven't improved your grades like you intended to, and I find out that you stayed here for nothing…''
She doesn't continue the sentence, but we both laugh.
Things happen quickly after that; Fleur hurries out of the room and soon, even the sound of her quick footsteps is gone. I'm left alone, looking around the empty room. All the beds are made, suitcases are standing next to each one, aside from mine, waiting to be taken to Hogwarts by Beauxbatons' house elves.
With nothing left to do—and about twenty minutes left before class—I get back to my seat by the window. Leaning close to the glass, I watch girls hurry towards the carriage. It's easy to spot Madame Maxine, the headmistress, standing by the entrance, watching her students. I follow her gaze, hoping to spot Fleur to get one last look at her, but from my point of view it's hard to tell one girl from the other. With a sigh, I lean back and decide to wait for the carriage to leave, already missing my friends.
Where I am standing at the school's entrance, I can easily look up to the dark night sky. Wind is blowing outside, causing the plants in the school's garden to sway and dance at the wind's whim. I focus on the sound of it rather than on the talking of the other girls who are standing behind me, waiting.
There has been a lot of talking among everyone who stayed in Beauxbatons ever since the news about the Triwizard Tournament reached us. It has been a shock to hear that one of the participants of the tournament died, even though the circumstances aren't known, at least to me. His name was Cedric Diggory, and while I didn't know him personally, it's sad to know that a person whom Fleur described in her letters as noble and kind is gone. That's why I prefer not to listen to people at my school talking about this tragedy; they, especially the students, spread many rumors that do Cedric a lot of injustice. In the past few days, I raised my voice at several girls who did that, but at the moment, the only thing I care about is Fleur's arrival.
Pulling my jacket tighter around myself, I glance at the sky, impatience rising inside of me. The third and last task of the Tournament was only a day ago, and Fleur hasn't contacted me since, which makes me worry, even though I am in no position to complain. The teachers said that Fleur was fine and healthy, and as much as I want to believe them, I won't until I see her myself.
Suddenly, the wind becomes stronger, and my short hair flies around my head, blocking my sight. The sound of the Abraxans' hoofs hitting the ground follows, saving me the trouble of trying to keep my hair out of my face to see what is happening. Instantly, I realize the school's carriage has arrived, and when the noise and the wind stop, I spot it in front of me.
Only a few seconds pass before the doors open up and people step outside. The flow of girls seems endless, but I manage to hide my impatience and even smile back at a few people. It begins to feel like I am standing here for too long, and I wonder if maybe Fleur passed by me without either of us noticing. That's when I spot her walking quietly among the crowd, her head hanging low and eyes set somewhere on the floor.
''Excusez moi,'' I say to a few girls as I pass in front of them to get to my best friend.
The blonde only seems to notice me when I put my hand on her arm. Her swollen eyes flicker to meet mine and my expression softens at the sight. She purses her lips and that's all it takes for me to realize that I should get her away from all these girls. I lace my fingers with hers and lead the way to our dorm, ignoring anyone who attempts to stop us.
It feels like the way to our room became longer while I was waiting at the school entrance, and I continue to turn and look at Fleur, who stays quiet. Unfortunately, when we enter a few of our roommates are already there. I think of taking Fleur somewhere else so we'll be able to talk; however, she lets go of my hand and walks in.
The girls talk among themselves, and she joins the conversation, sending them a fake smile every now and then. Even though I eventually walk inside, too, and sit down on my bed, my attention remains fully on the blonde.
Doing nothing eventually gets boring, so I grab a book from my bedside table and open where my bookmark is resting between the pages. I focus on the book as much as I can, yet every now and then my thoughts return to the girl in the bed next to mine.
The other girls fall asleep quickly, tired from their journey from Hogwarts, and the Tournament itself—aside from the Yule Ball—is barely mentioned. I manage to stay awake for about an hour longer than my roommates, but when my eyes begin to close on their own, I decide to give in to sleep.
About to fall asleep, I suddenly feel the edge of my bed deepen. Slowly, I open my eyes and see Fleur moving to lie next to me, quiet whimpers coming from her. The sight makes me alert. I move to the side, allowing her to lie down, and wrap her in a tight embrace.
No words are exchanged between us; she cries quietly, while I stroke her hair, hoping to somehow calm her down. There is no need for us to talk to know what brought her to this state and even though I don't know everything about what happened in the third task, no details are going to be revealed tonight. It doesn't feel like what I'm doing is helpful, but it feels like the only thing I can offer Fleur, aside from sympathy. It breaks my heart to see her like this and I hope that in time she'll feel better.
For now, I'll hold her as she cries, wishing I could do more to ease her pain.