Forum: The Golden Snitch

Competition: Valentine's Day Date

WC: 1,010

Fleur held on tight to her husband's hand as he led her down the main road through Hogsmeade. The sun had already set, and she didn't want to trip in the dark. "Bill, are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked him, not for the first time that night.

Bill glanced over his shoulder at his wife without breaking his stride. "Of course I am!" he said. "Who knows if the village will ever do something like this again."

Fleur sighed and rubbed her swollen belly with her free hand. She was dressed in loose-fitting, midnight blue robes but she knew she was still visibly pregnant. She seemed to get larger with each pregnancy.

The couple made their way down to a grassy area, where several other witches and wizards were gathered. At the front of the grassy area was a large screen. Bill found a section of grass large enough for the two of them and he lay a blanket on the grass so that they could sit down.

"Remind me again, when does this start?" Fleur asked Bill as she checked her watch. She was relieved to be off her feet.

"Should be any moment now" said Bill, consulting his own watch. As soon as the words left his mouth, moving images began to appear on the screen.

"Now, Hermione says Muggles call this a movie" Bill whispered to Fleur as the opening credits played. "And apparently this is a really good one."

Fleur shrugged her shoulders. She was only here because she wanted to make Bill happy, and taking part in Muggle culture made him happy. Plus, she didn't much fancy spending Valentine's Day at home with just Victoire and Dominique for company. She loved her children, but she needed a date night. Even if that date involved being outside at night, in the middle of February, taking part in a celebration of Muggle culture.

There was cheering in the crowd as the title of the film appeared on screen. Fleur guessed that this was some sort of Muggle tradition, and the Muggle-borns in the audience were trying to show their fellow witches and wizards how movies were meant to be celebrated.

"Star Wars?" Fleur whispered to her husband in surprise. "Hogsmeade is showing a film about wars on Valentine's Day?"

"Shh!" whispered some of the other movie-goers seated near the couple.

"Just give it a chance" Bill whispered back to his wife. "Ron saw it with Harry and loved it."

Fleur rolled her eyes. Great. A film for men. Her husband was the second least-romantic person on the face of the planet. The first one being whoever had decided to show this film on Valentine's Day in the first place.

But as the film played on, Fleur found herself drawn in. It wasn't at all like the war she and Bill had fought in. And that made it easier for her to enjoy. Plus, she liked how the underdogs managed to get revenge on the bad guys at the end of the film. She wondered if all Muggle movies ended like that.

As the closing credits rolled, Bill turned to his wife and smiled. "What did you think?" he asked her. She could tell from his tone he was a bit nervous asking her. She supposed he was afraid she would complain about a ruined Valentine's Day if she hadn't liked it. He needn't have worried.

"I loved it!" Fleur gushed. "We should get one of these for our house. The kids would enjoy it so much!"

Bill laughed. "Hang on just a minute" he said. "You know that if we got one of these things for our home, my father would just take it apart and then use magic to put it back together. And that would get us all in trouble. Or do I have to tell you the story about the flying car again?"

Fleur shook her head. "No, no, not that story again!" she cried in mock horror.

As the rest of the crowd started to disperse, Bill stood up, then helped his wife to her feet. Folding the blanket back up, he said "But you ready did enjoy it? You aren't just saying that to please me?"

It was Fleur's turn to laugh. "Bill, when I have I ever said anything I didn't agree with just to please someone else?" she asked. "You should know me better than that by now."

Bill nodded his head. "You've got a point there" he said. Fleur was always honest when it came to her opinions. She knew it often rubbed people the wrong way, but it was just the way she was. It was as much a part of her nature as Bill's red hair was to his.

Bill took Fleur by the hand and together they walked back down the main road of Hogsmeade. They could have just Apparated back to Shell Cottage if they wanted to, but Fleur was always afraid of doing that when she was pregnant, for fear she might splinch herself in a way that would hurt the baby. So instead they would be taking a portkey.

This particular portkey lay just inside the entrance to Hogsmeade, disguised in the form of an empty box from a takeout restaurant. The couple managed to squeeze in among the others traveling to Tinworth, each getting a finger on the box right before the portkey activated.

Upon arriving in Tinworth, the group split up. Bill and Fleur headed towards their home on the outskirts of the village. As they walked, both of them found themselves star-gazing.

When they reached the porch of Shell Cottage, Bill turned to his wife and kissed her on the lips.

"What was that for?" Fleur asked her husband in surprise. Not that she didn't enjoy being kissed, but she hadn't been expecting it at that moment.

"Because you're the most beautiful woman in the galaxy" said Bill with a smile.

"Bill Weasley, you do have your moments. Not many, but you have them" said Fleur.