This one-shot was written for:
1. Quidditch League Competition
Team: Holyhead Harpies
Position: Chaser 2
Round: 6 - Genres
Genre: Muggle!Au
Wordcount: 2445
2. Muggleize It Competition - Fleur/Bill - Medium
Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series, all rights go to J.K. Rowling.
What do you see when you look at me?
The pity on the bartender's face was clear as he tossed the drink to him. He looked away, but closed his eyes and frowned as he noticed an older woman with disgust written on her creased face.
He ran his hand through his long, thick red hair which was as conspicuous as a sign with the caption 'Look at me!' It didn't help his mood or situation; everybody was looking at him with strong emotions on their faces.
Pity and disgust were just two of the usual reactions; there was also fear, sometimes a tiny bit of respect, sadness and even a bit of sympathetic smile. What was common in all the people was the staring. Wherever he went everyone was looking at him like they haven't seen a young man before or at least he had ten arms and a beak. He wasn't some circus show, nor was he an alien, he was just someone who was at the wrong place at the wrong time and he would never have a normal life once again because of that tiny mistake.
He looked at the drink in front of him and frowned. The colour of the alcohol was rich, the scent was strong. Without even drinking it, he felt as the drink made his brain fuzzy and hazy. He let out a humourless chuckle and everyone turned in his direction once again. He wasn't in the mood to look at the occupants of the bar, but he was sure that at least forty eyes were on him.
He looked up curiously as he heard the door open and a slender silhouette appeared in the half-light. Clearly it was a young woman, but he couldn't see more of her as she had a hood on, she was soaking wet, he guessed that there was a big storm out there. She didn't look like the type to go to a bar like the one where he was, he guessed she only stopped by because of the horrible weather out there.
He noticed that he was the only who really took time to study the young woman and as she came closer and closer to the bar counter he noticed more and more details of the woman. She had the type of shape every woman would kill for even in the dark blue raincoat she was wearing it was clear. She had long legs and she was slim, but curvy and the right places. When she took the hood of she turned towards him. Her skin was pale, but her cheeks were rosy. She had long silvery blonde hair and dark blue eyes which were usually icy, but as their eyes met hers became somewhat warmer and her expression became softer.
He recognized her in no time and he swore under his breath, because he needed so much time to figure out who she was. A small smile appeared on the edge of her delicate lips. She recognized him as well, he realized. She started walking towards him and in no time she was sitting right next to him.
"A lemon drgrop... drop marteenee pleaz." She turned towards the bar tender and ignored the man sitting right beside her. The bar tender looked at her for a moment but then nodded.
"You've spent too much time in France your accent is much stronger again," he casually said and she turned towards him as she's just noticed that he was there. She tried to hide her smile, but she failed.
"I'm French, Bill, you tend to forget it," she stated and he chuckled.
"You've spent years here," he pointed out. She simply shrugged and nodded towards the bar tender when he put down the drink in front of her.
"I will pay for that," Bill said to the man and the woman noted his kindness with a smile. "How long have you been back? Why are you here? When do you go back?" he asked eagerly to hear more about the girl who meant so much for him once.
"Dzat iz a good question, I've got a job een a bank, I'm staying for a w'ile," she stated in her French accent which was something Bill always loved.
"God, I haven't seen you for ages," he said and she laughed at his eagerness. It was true, while she was born in France, when she was young she stayed in Britain for a few years, that was how the two of them met, but then she moved back and he wasn't sure he would see her once again. A few years ago she spent a week in England and he met her there once, but that was all. He noted, that she didn't ask anything about his face, about those nasty scars which ruined his handsome face. He guessed she has already heard about it, but he hasn't met anyone yet, who didn't stare at the first time when they saw it.
She was always different with her ridiculously beautiful appearance, arrogant expression she always had when she was around people she didn't trust and sharp tongue. She was head-strong, intelligent, determined and loyal under the appearance of a rich, pretty and stupid blonde.
"So, w'at 'appened weet' you? Euh, I want to meet your famous geerlfreend," she stated with a mocking smile and he turned away from her glance.
"Things have changed, Fleur. I don't have a girlfriend anymore," he said, his tone was strong and somewhat angry. She realized that he wasn't furious with her, but with the girl that probably broke his heart. She drank a bit from her yellowish drink and fixed her impossibly blue eyes on him.
"I 'ave meessed you, Bill," she said so softly he hardly heard her but he nodded. Without thinking he brushed his hand against her rosy cheek. She closed her eyes, but she didn't pull away.
"I'm happy to see you again, Fleur," he said in the same tone and she shivered under his touch. He leaned back and turned away for a moment. When he looked in her direction once again she noticed that his lovely blue eyes seemed somewhat darker and his expression was strange. "I... I don't understand you, Fleur. We haven't met each other in what... four years? Or was it only three and a half? You came here and sit down next to me like nothing has happened, like when we were only small children. What do you see when you look at me, Fleur? What do you see?" he asked suddenly and the young blonde woman looked at him in confusion. She had absolutely no idea what he wanted to hear.
"Euh, I see Bill Weasley, dze boy I've known for years," she replied and he started laughing humourlessly. His blue eyes were on her and they were full of twisted kind of amusement.
"That woman," he pointed to the wrinkled woman who was still staring at him," sees me as a monster. That man," now he turned to the other direction," thinks I'm a criminal. What do you see, Fleur Delacour?" he asked somewhat passionately. He waited for a frightened look, but he only got a blank, expressionless face from Fleur.
"I see a desperate man," she stated simply and started playing with the decoration of her drink. Bill furiously sighed and grabbed her shoulders. She didn't push him away; she just fixed her big blue eyes on him curiously.
"You see a monster, Fleur. You come here, sit down next to me, you don't flinch when you notice my scars, you behave like nothings has happened since we have last met. I tell you that I'm not together with the girl I told you that I want to marry one day and all you do is nod. What is wrong with you? You are emotionless. Even strangers I've never met, whom I will never see again have they thoughts about me. Some looks at me with pity, others with disgust and you? Nothing, nothing, Fleur," Bill said and Fleur never looked away. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but then she closed her mouth.
"You don't want to know, that's it? You aren't interested in me? You are so disgusted by me that you pretend that nothing has happened?" His voice broke and she shook her head desperately. She opened her mouth once again, but his voice cut her off.
"I will tell you everything, Fleur. I've met Jessica during my high school, but she was younger and we didn't have many classes together. Years later I've met her again during work, she became my trainee. She was very pretty, long blonde hair, not like yours, not silvery, but golden and big baby blue eyes. She wasn't very talented, nor was she witty, determined and strong; she was the girly girl type, the emotional and sentimental, in many ways nothing like you and your Ice Queen ways. I thought I will marry her one day, besides Ginny thinking that Jess wasn't strong enough, my whole family loved her. It all happened on a normal Monday morning; Jess was throwing a fit, because I forgot to buy milk the day before and her coffee wasn't 'delicious enough' without it. If she wasn't fighting with me I would have reached the earlier underground. However, I didn't and a radical crazy terrorist or whatever he was blew himself up while I was there. I survived, not like many, but I will have to live with these scars as a reminder. Jessica, the woman I wanted to live my rest of my life on the other hand couldn't accept that I wasn't as handsome anymore. She broke up with me," he told her and she remained silent, but her eyes never left his.
"Bill," she started, but he shook his head with a grimace on his face.
"Don't, I understand it," he said and he tossed some money on the bar counter, paying Fleur's drink as well. He got up, but a small hand grabbed her arm. He looked down on the blonde girl who pressed her lips together and who was looking at him with an expression which would frighten most people, but Bill knew Fleur, so he wasn't scared of her.
"I didn't ask anytheeng, becauz I didn't want to 'urt your feeleengs. I'm interested een your well-beeng," she said and he looked at her in surprise. "I don't care about dze scars, nobody w'o knows you would. You aren't a monster, Bill," she said and she got up quickly as well, but she didn't let his arm go.
"Fleur," he started, but she put her finger in front of his mouth.
"Dzat, Jessica? She doesn't know w'at she t'rew away," she simply said. Her eyes were on fire at least they seemed to be to Bill and once again, she was the strong, determined woman he always knew. She radiated the power, he only felt in three women in his life before: his mother, his sister and in Hermione, Ron's girlfriend. She was the type of girl no one should mess with, he was sure of that.
"God, I've missed you, Fleur," he said simply and her expression has changed in less than a second. She relaxed and her eyes lit up, her lips were in a tender smile.
"Well, I'm 'ere now," she told him casually and let his arm. However, in no time his arm was around her waist while he was playing with a lock of her silvery hair with his other hand.
"What did she throw away?" he asked simply and Fleur frowned before she realized what he was talking about.
"Well, the keendest, most passionate and loveeng boy, she could 'ave found," she told him and he smiled.
"Most passionate?" he asked with high eyebrows and she blushed slightly, but she didn't look away. "Did you know that I was here?" he asked curiously and she nodded.
"I couldn't reach you, so 'hen I asked Ron, 'e said the most leekly is that you were 'ere," she said and he nodded.
"So, you wanted to see me," he stated and he felt warm and fuzzy. She wasn't disgusted by him, she wasn't scared off by his appearance, and she wanted to spend time with him because she wasn't anything like Jessica.
"W'o wouldn't?" she asked simply and he made a mistake, he looked in her icy blue eyes and got lost in them. He didn't care that others were around, that they were in a public bar or that he hasn't met with Fleur for years. He just wanted to have the girl, who thought so highly of him as close to him as possible, he didn't want to let her ago.
He wasn't sure if it was actually Fleur or him who closed the remaining space between them, but their lips met and it wasn't like any first kiss he ever had. This wasn't just a peck, nor was it slow; it was passionate and full of emotion, especially desperation.
When he let her go everyone was looking at them, most shooting him nasty looks, but for the first time since that stupid bomb he didn't care. He only saw those impossibly blue eyes which belonged to the girl who was his childhood best friend.
"I love England," she said cheekily and he grinned.
"What would you say to some English lessons? I'm a great tutor," he suggested and she laughed whole-heartedly which was something really rare for the woman who always pretended to be the Ice Queen.
"Iz it free?" she asked with mock-curiousness and he smiled suggestively.
"Well, no, not for free... but you won't need money to pay, there is an easier way," he stated and she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows shot him a cold look, but then she smiled.
"You weell need to buy me anot'er drink for dzat, Bill Weasley," she stated and he grinned.
"It has a price you know. A kiss equals a drink," he simply stated and she rolled her eyes, but she seemed amused.
"In your dreams, Weasley," she stated, but he captured her lips before she could protest (not that she would).
"I'm dreaming at the moment," he stated when he broke the kiss off. He looked at the beautiful French girl and he was sure that he was going to wake up in a few hours alone in his bed realizing that none of it was true, but he didn't care, until then Fleur Delacour was right next to him.