A/N: I got the idea for this when I was rereading Gabrielle meeting Harry again when she's eleven, and noticed the implication that her Veela charms/powers had already started to emerge, implying that Fleur's did at quite a young age as well. Then I got to thinking about how, even though the affect Veela have on men is mostly played for laughs in the books, realistically speaking, the attention they'd receive wouldn't always be welcome, or even positive. And that's how this plot bunny was born.
Trigger Warnings: There is no rape or molestation in this, but there is pretty severe sexual harassment, both implied and explicit. Also, victim blaming and adult men being sexually attracted to/ behaving creepily towards minors.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Protective
Her parents were more protective of her at age nine than they were at age five.
"Mon petit Chou," her mother murmurs, stroking her hair. "The world only becomes more dangerous for girls like us when we become young women. Stay a child as long as you can." She looks at the photograph of Fleur's grand-mère they keep on the mantle. "Because the world will see you as a woman soon enough."
Madeleines
Madeleines are her favorite food. She baked them with her grand-mère every time she visited. Even well into old age, Fleur remembers her smile as she takes a bite.
Change
When she was little, she wore vibrant, lacey dresses and her mother spent what felt like hours each day, brushing her hair to perfection. Then she turns nine and two lumps the size of anthills form on her chest, and suddenly she's dressed in clothes a size too large, and she's instructed to do the bare minimum caring for her hair. When tiny Gabrielle reaches for her mother's lipstick, it's adorable. When Fleur asks to try it on, it's frightening. She doesn't understand any of it.
Self-Conscious
The first time it happens, she is ten. She is at the park, playing with the girls in her neighborhood while her parents watch from the sides, when a couple of older boys passing by start screaming at her. Most of what they say is unintelligible, but they won't leave until her father yells at them. The only times in her life she has heard her father raise his voice is when men have said things she didn't yet understand to her mother, or when people would not leave her mother alone. One girl says she's lucky, that she wishes older boys would pay attention to her like that. But Fleur doesn't feel flattered; she doesn't like being hollered at for any reason. It hurts her ears, and she suddenly goes on high alert.
Of course, this example is quite tame compared to what she will experience soon enough.
Cooking
Fleur actually enjoys cooking, and is fairly good at it too. Her mother would teach her over the summer holidays, and of course she'd bake with Grand-Mère when she visited. She likes being able to rely on herself for food, and being able to treat her loved ones with delicious treats.
Fear
Madam Maxine has to physically restrain her from diving back into the water. Fleur doesn't know what she's saying between her shrieks and sobs, only that her sister is still there, and no one's letting her save her. Even after the war, she still considers this to be the most terrifying moment of her life.
Blame
"I'm sorry," the boy holds his hands up in front of him, grinning. "You're so pretty, I couldn't help it." It's days like this when she wonders if her still being attracted to men makes her a masochist.
Reconsideration
Fleur never understood why adults liked babies so much. They were stinky, wet, noisy little attention stealers. Then Gabrielle is born.
Help
Whenever her mother isn't able to breastfeed her, Fleur insists on feeding Gabrielle with her bottle herself, refusing to let anyone help her. The grown-ups all laugh whenever she does this. She always frowns; what's so funny about her wanting to feed her sister?
First
Her first "boyfriend" was the boy who lived across the street when they were both five. They'd kiss and play pretend and it was all very innocent, but for obvious reasons, it didn't last. Her first "adult" kiss is with Gabriel from 2nd year Transfiguration. He is failing the class, and their professor recommends her as a tutor. She's only spoken to him a few times, but she likes helping people, and he seems nice enough. She is explaining the process of becoming an Animagi, when the next thing she knows his lips are on hers. Crushing them. He doesn't stop until she pushes him off.
Her eyes are wet, and her breathing is shallow. "Why?" She doesn't know if she's asking why he did it, or why she's so upset.
"You know you liked it." He says defiantly. She only tutors girls after that.
Sing
Maybe it's just another part of her Veela heritage, but she prides herself on her voice. She can sing like a phoenix, and has perfect pitch. Which is why after Molly insists on listening to Celestina Warbeck, she's surprised that she didn't say anything insulting sooner than she did.
Finiteness
Some days she wonders if maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to leave her room without having to anticipate some strange man asking her if she's seventeen yet, or some random boy yelling to her about how he's invented the cure for dragon pox, or owns a broomstick that can fly to Saturn. Then she remembers that her grandmother cannot leave the house without being stared at, whistled at, and hollered at. She sighs.
Distraction
She stops wearing clothes that hide her figure the moment she sees that man across the street eyeing not her—for once—, but barely pubescent Gabrielle, with a look she knows all too well. From then on, it's form fitting dress robes and plunging necklines and high hems and heels. Eyes narrow and whispers follow her, and men holler at her even more, but she doesn't care.
Denial
She only agrees to go with Davies to the Yule Ball in the hopes that the other boys will leave her alone. The ball is dull, but Davies' suggestion that they detour to the bushes isn't. She pretends her body isn't the only thing on his mind, even as his hands roam all over it.
Realization
She's the first to cite her performance in the second task as abysmal. But later, as she cries in her bed from the knowledge that once again she has let down her school, and lost her chance to prove she's more than just a pretty face, it occurs to her that Veela have fire based magic, and she's never been good with water. And that if the task had been set in any other environment, she could have deserved those points. She screams into her pillow.
Regret
"Do you regret that I am a girl?" She asks her father, after his former friend is no longer welcome. Because of her.
"No!" He says fiercely, grasping her shoulders. "I only regret that men like him exist."
Flower
Even though it's something she gets teased about, given that her first name literally means Flower, she loves gardening. Grand-Mère used to always let her help her tend her garden, and taught her how to identify all sorts of flowers and herbs and other plants. The summer before the Tri-Wizard Tournament, when Grand-Mère dies, she plants a primrose, a purple iris, a yellow rose, and an ornate orchid by her grave. She knows she'd understand.
Probability
"Someday, Mon ange," her father assures her. "You will fall in love with someone who loves you like I love your mother." She scoffs. What are the odds that she'll meet someone that sees the real her, who sees the strong, smart, honest girl who loves her sister more than she loves herself, who likes to bake and garden, and speaks her mind, but never intends to hurt anyone. Who sees the girl who acts cold to prevent herself from getting hurt, because she's been hurt too many times, and who won't admit that some days she gets so lonely she feels like she could drown in it. What are the odds that she'll meet someone who accepts all that, and falls in love with her, and vice versa?
C'est impossible.
Unexpected
She sees him from across the room, and even though she's never believed in love at first sight, and has all but given up on the idea of love itself, she feels like she could believe, if just for this moment. She doesn't hear a word of what her mother is saying, she even forgets the feel of her sister's hand. The rest of the world fades into nothingness, and all she knows is long, erubescent hair and fanged earrings and electric blue eyes. The most intriguing thing about him though, is how he barely spares a glance at her.
Serendipity
She didn't expect to see him again. He haunted her dreams for a few days after she saw him, but she hadn't dared believe they'd run into each other again. Let alone be working together.
"You were in the Tri-Wizard Tournament," he remarks when he first sees her, grinning. She waits for him to make a comment about how he couldn't forget such a pretty face, or brag about himself to impress her, or even ask her out then and there. Instead: "You did brilliantly, from what I hear."
"That is an exaggeration." It doesn't stop her stomach from doing somersaults though.
Accountability
She wonders why he left her alone when he first glimpsed her. Why he didn't follow or holler or leer or even stare.
"Sure, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen," he tells her. "But I have self-control."
Miracle
Even with the war going on, she's happier than she's been in a very, very long time. Every time she looks at him, she sees her dream come true.
New
When Victoire is born, she looks just like her mother, but only has half the potency of her Veela gene. Fleur cries from happiness.
A/N: Please review! ~