Entry for "Ancient Runes" at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)"

Task: Write about someone's eyes being opened to the truth. Min 300 words.

The window creaked as Fleur shoved it open and looked out onto the lawn two floors below her. As she was sure that nobody was in sight, she took a deep breath and climbed onto the window ledge, turned and let her bare feet grope blindly for the wooden structure that supported the ivy that was growing up the stone walls of the Burrow.

As soon as she had found good support for her foot she started to climb downwards, trying not to entangle herself into her long wedding gown.

This situation was just ridiculous and unbelievable, even to her, but she just did not see any other way out of the promise she had given Bill one year ago as to flee from her own wedding before the ceremony had begun.

Over the last months, as the preperations for the wedding had gotten into their final phase and her mother and Molly had been fussing around too much for her liking, doubts had started to built up in her mind and she had started to question their engagement and, in the end, even if she loved Bill enough to marry him.

Today, she had finally found the answer, and she knew that she had to go. It was more than clear to her that fleeing silently while just leaving behind a letter that told Bill that she was sorry was not the nicest thing to do, but she could just not help herself. There was no way she could tell this Bill in person...

She was on level with the first floor as the wood under her left foot suddenly gave in and broke. Fleur bit her lip to keep herself from screaming out in shock as she desperately tried to hold on to the ivy or the wooden structure, but now the whole structure seemed to be unable to hold her weight and seconds later, she fell, too shocked to make a sound.

Even more surprised was she as she suddenly felt arms catching her instead of her hitting the floor and her eyes were wide as she looked up at her saviour, who happened to be Charlie Weasley.

"Whoa, I must be dreaming," Charlie grinned, obviously more than amused about this situation. "Fleur, is this some odd french wedding ritual that the bride has to climb out of a window before she can go down the aisle?"

"Non...," Fleur stuttered and stared at him, her heart racing in her chest and this was not because she had just fell down one floor and had just been lucky that Charlie had been there to catch her.

"So... what the hell were you doing?! You could have broken your neck!"

Would Charlie stop her if she told him the reason why she climbed down from the second level of a house in her wedding gown? After all, he was Bill's brother and his best-man, he would surely stick to his brother... Or would he?

"Charlie... I... promise me that you won't stop me, please... I... I cannot marry Bill... I cannot do this, I don't feel like I love him enough..."

Charlie just looked at her, surprised, flabbergasted... but still she thought that she had catched a hint of relief in his brown eyes, as if he was happy that she had decided not to marry his brother...

The young man cleared his throat and asked:"But... but what did cause you to change your mind?"

Fleur closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath before she looked at him and answered softly:"You."

"Oh."

There was a long moment of silence between them in which he tried to digest the information he had just received, then he suddenly started to walk towards the low stone wall that enclosed the Weasley plot, carrying Fleur with him as if he was the groom who wanted to carry his wife over the threshold.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" Fleur laughed and he grinned at her, happiness showing on his face as he answered:"We are going to flee together, my love."