Fleur was seething in anger as she walked back to their little room. Bill followed her inside, moments later. This made her even more furious. She did not want to see him, let alone speak to him.

"Fleur," he began, running his hands through his hair in frustration, but she cut him off.

"No! I don't want to listen to any explanations!" Her voice was growing louder with each word.

"Please, Fleur," Bill said, gesturing towards their sleeping daughter. Fleur sighed loudly but lowered her voice.

"Why must we come here every Christmas, when you know this happens each time?" she asked, her anger still evident.

Bill looked away sadly. "I...It's a family tradition," he said, helplessly. She rolled her eyes at his feeble attempt at an explanation.

"Your mother does not consider me family," she reminded. There was bitterness in her voice. She had tried, for years, to be the kind of daughter-in-law who would win Molly Weasley over. Ot had been over a decade, but things had still not changed. To the Weasley matriarch, she was still the outsider.

"That's not true..." Bill offered, but there was no conviction in his voice. Fleur gave him a sad, bitter smile and shook her head.

In a way, she had gotten used to the little remarks and backhanded insults, over the years. But the events of the night had hurt her deeply. She had not expected Bill to be the one fighting against her.

"How could you say all those things tonight?" she asked, choking on her tears.

Bill could not meet her eyes and looked away. "She is my mother, Fleur. I just wanted to stand by her..."

"By standing against me?" Fleur retorted indignantly. Bill looked at her pleadingly.

"No. You know that is not what I meant."

"Do I?" she asked, furious. When they were back home, in France, he made sure to tell her he loved her every day. Was it possible that all of that was a farce?

"I love you," Bill said, reading her thoughts, "but you have to understand-"

Fleur sighes, cutting him off. "Bill, I am tired of this."

He opened his mouth to apologise, but she stopped him.

"I'm sorry. I can't keep this up," she said, with finality. Bill gasped as the weight of her words hit him. She turned away from him with tears in her eyes.

"You don't mean..." he asked, unable to finish. She nodded in response. "But I love you, Fleur!" he exclaimed.

She didn't reply. There was no need for her to. He knew she loved him, but he also knew why she was doing what she was doing.

An uncomfortable silence settled into the tiny room, neither of its occupants willing to converse further. Bill soon left, deeming it wise to share a room with Charlie for the night. Fleur lay down in the small bed beside her daughter, and fell asleep, exhausted.

No one saw the tears that filled Dominique's eyes that night.

Notes:

This is meant to be a companion piece to my previous fic "Not Home" but can be read alone. Both fics are an AU where Dominique is an only child.

For Jenny! :D (via the Singing a Song Along Challenge at the Golden Snitch)

Prompt: Bill/Fleur

Also for the Through the Universe Challenge. Prompt: anger