When she was looking at the man on the other side of the table, Fleur felt something different. He was like an old friend — she felt good in his company like they have known each other for ages — yet he was a stranger.
Before her year at Hogwarts, Fleur had a bad impression about the british wizards: dull, cold, boring, too serious.
William Weasley proved her wrong.
In the dim light of the café, he looked exactly like the men every mother warned their daughters about: mysterious, handsome, dangerous and not so… innocent. She was hypnotized by his blue eyes, and his devilicious smirk.
"How's life in France?" Bill asked, playing with one of the silver rings in his ear.
"What would you like to know?" Fleur said, taking a sip from her lemonade.
"Everything, the weather, the wizards, the landscape, your years at Beauxbatons, your childhood… stuff like that." he responded without taking his eyes off of the blonde young woman.
"Well, France is a nice and really big country. There cold regions, like the Alpes Mountains, where Beauxbatons is located and warmer regions such as Cote d'Azur. The old french wizards are kind of snobbish, they love elegance and grace and to respect the etiquette. In comparison with muggles or even younger generations, they seem trapped somewhere in the 1850-1900s." she laughed.
"Every wizarding community is trapped in time, living in the past, it's not just the French. Some of them still freak out when they see a muggle or a fridge. My dad loves muggles, he has an obsession about all their inventions. It's his hobby."
"That's nice. How about your mother?" Fleur asked, curiously.
"My mom's hobby or I'd say job is to keep us out of trouble." he chuckled. Fleur raised an eyebrow.
"We're troublemakers, me and my brothers. With me and Charlie was kind of okay, we didn't cause much trouble, maybe just a prank, sneaking out of the castle twice a month and being caught with girls in broom closets. We broke our arms playing quidditch, Charlie was the seeker and captain of team, he could've played in a professional team, but his love for dragons was bigger. Percy is the dream of every parent. He was Head Boy and Prefect, very clever, a little bookworm, nothing dangerous about him. But the twins, Fred and George, you did meet them, right? They're really powerful and their magic is brilliant, but the things they focus on is the real problem. They don't like the school related stuff and mum receives a letter from school every week about their pranks and unacceptable behaviour." His voice was soft, Fleur could feel his love through his words. This was another side of Bill Weasley.
"I really loved their company. Other girls from Beauxbatons called them immature and didn't like them so much, but they had this attitude with most of the people. Although, after the Ceremony, the girls relaxed and really had fun. They didn't have to be worried about the competition, but the twins really helped me. Without them, my sanity would have been lost. In the cold castle, their jokes and laughs made everything warmer. Their resourcefulness is really remarkable and what I really appreciated was the fact that they didn't try to impress us like other boys did. They're themselves. What about Ron and Ginevra?" Fleur said.
"When Ron was little, he was quiet. He loved to play chess with us rather than being involved in the twins' plans. But in the first year, he became best friends with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. If there is trouble in the castle, either is caused by the twins or the trio. My mom was really happy when she found out she was pregnant with Ginny, but Ginny is growing up to be more like me and Charlie than a proper young lady." He chuckled.
She remembered Ginny and how temperamental she could be. Even though she was only fourteen she was really fierce, an untamed lion. Hermione Granger was a beautiful girl and a brilliant witch, "the brightest witch of her age". Krum used to talk a lot about her.
"What about yours?" Bill asked. "I told you about my family, now is your turn."
"I have little sister, Gabrielle. She's a good girl, very graceful and smart. She dreams of becoming a healer or to work with magical creatures. She was a little terrified by what happened last year, but I hope she'll recover."
"And your parents?" Bill asked, looking straight into her eyes. He really wanted to know what pushed her to this job.
"My parents have… really high expectations.", she hesitated looking at her hands. " We have different opinions about what should I do."
Bill smirked.
"And you like to be a little rebellious, don't you? You want to see the world through your own eyes, to experience different things, but why England? You really could choose anything else."
"Why did you go to Egypt? Why did you return?" she asked, ignoring his question for a moment.
"I like to travel, to discover new worlds and when I was 17, Egypt seemed like a fairytale. I was fascinated by everything, but I don't miss the sand in my shoes. I returned here because my family needs me. If something happens, I want to be here to fight. I want to be able to protect them, not looking for mummies in pyramids. Mummies can wait."
She giggled. Bill discovered he really loved making her smile or laugh.
"You weren't exactly working with mummies, Monsieur Weasley. Fleur said, not breaking the eye contact. "But to answer your previous question, I chose England because I want to improve my English and, also, it wasn't an unknown territory for me. I know it's dangerous and it could become even more dangerous in the near future, but after Cedric's death, I want to be here, to fight. If something happens here and the wizards won't be able to stop it, the rest of Europe will follow, including France. I will still have to fight. I want to be here to protect my sister from a future battle. I saw the articles in the Daily Prophet, but 'Arry isn't a liar, I truly believe him. I think is really silly, but I felt trapped home, I just wanted to be free, so… here I am."
Bill could feel her passion, the fire running through her veins. After all the years with his brothers he knew when someone was hiding something from him.
"You wanted to be free, so you threw yourself in the lion's cage. It's not silly. It's reckless in a pretty noble way. Let's hope that the future isn't so dark."
When they left the small café, Diagon Alley wasn't really crowded. The rain stopped when Fleur returned from Samantha's flat, but it was still cold for a summer afternoon and many wizards and witches decided that it was better to spend that day inside. Fleur didn't have an umbrella, neither did Bill.
He insisted to walk her home — or to Leaky Cauldron in her case. She was planning to move in a few days. She needed to write a letter to her sister and father, because she had some things at home she really wanted, one of them being her white cat.
After that lunch, she felt closer to Bill. He was very interesting and his looks could totally fool everybody. After listening to him talking about his family and his experience in Egypt, Fleur realized he was a good guy, very loyal and he had a big heart. She still believed that he wasn't real.
"I stayed in the Infirmary for three days. My mom was worried sick about me. It was her first time receiving a letter from school."
Bill was telling her the story of his first quidditch game when he had lost his consciousness because he was hit by a Bludger and fell off his broom.
They heard a thunder and in the next second a heavy rainstorm begun, soaking both of them wet. Bill grabbed her hand, starting to run to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. Fleur blushed, noticing how natural it felt.
They stopped near the door, trying to catch their breath. The eaves of the roof were protecting them from the downpour.
"That was fun." Bill remarked.
They were really close. Her back was pressed against the wall and she could feel his warm breath hitting her forehead and his heart beating. Suddenly, she cupped his face, bringing him closer, and slammed her lips to his.
For a moment, Bill was dumbstruck. He couldn't believe it. The warmth filled his body, nearly knocking all the wind in his lungs. His hand drifted to her waist, pulling her closer. She tangled her fingers in his hair. Bill bitted her lower lip, the shy and slow kiss was becoming more passionate, lustful.
She moaned as his cold hands rested on her waist, under the sweater. That sound sent shivers through his whole body.
They stopped breathless.
Fleur started to place little kisses along his jaw and neck, pressing her cheek against his broad chest.
They remained in that silent hug for a while, neither of them wanting to interrupt the moment. Their heart beats being the only thing they could hear.
"You should go inside before…" Bill whispered in a husky voice.
"Before what?" she asked, teasing him.
"Before we catch a cold." he responded, taking his hands from her waist. "See you tomorrow, Fleur." he smirked, walking away.
After a few seconds, the sound of Bill's Disapparition filled her ears.
A/N: That's it. - my awful kiss scene- I don't know when I will update the next part because I've school and I want to finish the second chapter of my other fic, but it will be soon, promise.Also, if you have questions or you want to talk or anything else, you can contact me on tumblr. (the same username). xx :)