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I'm considering getting up to make myself some hot chocolate when there's a knock on the door, and Andrew lets himself into the flat. I look up as he walks into the room and immediately sit up, wondering what the hell he's doing here.
"Hi," he says tentatively, and I wonder what he's doing here. "I thought I would come by and apologize for today."
"Apologize?" I ask, wondering if I'm getting a post break up apology for him acting like a jerk in the elevator.
"Yes, I mean, I didn't really… Whatever, shall we go?"
"Go?" I ask, wondering what he's on about.
"To look at the flat in Snorkack? Oh, and my mother's given us a housewarming gift. It was delivered to work this afternoon," he says holding up a box and pulling out a glass teapot with Celestina Warback's face painted on the side. "It sings when the water starts to boil! Quite amazing, right?"
"You broke up with me!" I say, appalled to realize he thinks we're still together after the incident this afternoon.
"No, I didn't, I mean, that was just talk in the elevator to appear professional. I didn't really break up with you, Honey," he says with a veela charmed grin.
"Oh, so we're still together?"
"Yes, Honey," he says with a smile, walking to the couch and handing me the teapot before he kisses me on the top of my head. "Now, are you ready to go?" he gets up to go to the fireplace and floo to the flat.
"Andrew… I can't do this," I say, startling myself.
"It's quite easy, just say 312 Snorkack Appartment 13."
"No, I can't move in with you."
"What? Has something happened?" and it just goes to show how oblivious he is that he thinks nothing is wrong.
"I've been having doubts about us for a while, and recently they've been confirmed. I mean, you broke up with me this morning in an elevator by telling another person! If we carry on, I'll be a hypocrite."
"I just told you I wasn't really breaking up with you!"
"But I want to break up with you," I get out through my tight throat. My eyes are firmly fixed on the carpet.
"You're joking!" he says, having the nerve to laugh. His ego is astounding.
"I'm not joking!" I say agrilly. He is starting to look sad, and I wonder how I thought this would go when I realized if he hadn't already broken up with me than I would have to dump him. That he would say 'Hmmm… yes, good idea'?
"But this is ridiculous! No one breaks up with me!" He's now pacing the room like an agitate sphinx. His head snaps up, and he looks at me. "It was that muggle plane journey! You've been off ever since that trip to France!"
"No I haven't!"
"Yes, you have! You've been edgy and tense! I think you suffered some sort of trauma! We'll get you counseling!"
"I don't need counseling!" I protest. "But maybe you're righ! Maybe the plane ride did affect me. Maybe it put things in perspective. We aren't right for each other!"
"But things were great!"
"No… they weren't!"
"Is there someone else?" he demands, looking angry.
"NO!" I say. "I…"
"This isn't you! No one breaks up with me! I'll take you to St. Mungo's!" he takes my hand, and I throw the teapot I'm still holding as hard as I can toward the wall. Stunned, he watches it bounce onto the floorboards.
"It was supposed to break," I say picking it up and looking at it closely. There's only a hairline fracture in it. "It was supposed to signify that we were broken."
"I could reparo it!" he says, pulling out his wand.
"No," I say. "It's charm resistant."
"Spellotape it!" he says. "We could still use it-"
"No," I repeat. "It wouldn't be the same. It would never be right. It wouldn't… work!"
"I see," he says after a long pause. "Well… I'll be off then… have a nice life… enjoy loneliness! I hope you realize I was the best you'd ever have, and I can do better!" I can tell he's going to be quite bitter over this. "I'm keeping the Celestina Warback tickets!" He storms out the door, tossing his key on the table and summoning the hideous teapot and hugging it to his chest as he leaves. He actually is quite upset.
Good riddance. I never wanted to go anyways! I watch the door slam behind him and only feel the slightest remorse that his feelings were hurt. After all, what did he expect after today? I am certainly over him!
Thursday is miserable. No one can believe that Andrew and I have broken things off, and everyone knows because apparently Andrew missed his true calling. Clearly he was meant to run the gossip mill at the Ministry. Everyone knows. Although, no one seems to know about the incident where he dumped me in the elevator but then said just kidding at my apartment only hours later. All anyone knows is that in an apparent "fit of insanity" I threw over Andrew- the handsomest, lovingest, most wonderfullest boyfriend to walk the earth. Merlin's gift to women himself!
I swear, the looks I get at lunch from half the female population are almost painful. I'm guessing they hate me not only for throwing over the handsome, wonderful Andrew, but also for being single. Because, I will admit that the only thing most witches hate more than a veela who is dating the most eligible bachelor around is a single veela.
The only thing that makes Thursday at all enjoyable is Audrey's joy at finding the love of her life, thanks to moi! She recounts her date with Percy, and I'm fairly sure that her feet still aren't on the ground a day later. Apparently, he took her to a fabulous restaurant that requires a reservation weeks in advance, although she seems to forget that he originally planned the date with another woman. Then, in a total shock to me, both as a French woman and someone who vaguely knows Percy Weasley, he took her dancing. This was apparently somewhat impromptu, and not something he had specifically planned- before he took her back to his place where they had tea and a dessert that he apparently cooked himself. She claims that he was incredibly romantic, they had loads in common, in particularly when it came to interests such as books, and there was an instant connection. I was able to infer that he is an amazing kisser, and that they are already planning a second date this weekend. This was all a shock to me because according to Penny, Percy couldn't and wouldn't dance, didn't have a romantic bone in his body, and could barely feed himself let alone make a pie. She never told me much about the kissing thing, but if Percy's lips are as lovely as Audrey says, I can't imagine anyone breaking up with the man, let alone for a muggle. I try not to let Audrey know, but I'm insanely jealous and regretful that I handed off what will likely be my only opportunity for a date with such a handsome, intelligent, red-haired gentleman. I swear, Audrey is already naming all seven of their children! Clearly I lost my chance with Percy once and for all. Audrey is so sweet and smart and wonderful, I'm sure he's just as lovestruck. He better be!
Friday morning, I decide to walk to work, hoping that it will help make today better than yesterday. On the way in, I fantasize about getting a promotion as soon as I walk into work. Fabian will pull me right into his office and tell me that the idea I came up with at the meeting on Wednesday was pure genius and they've decided to let me head the entire operation. I'm going to be in charge of all dealings with the banks and the undercover work involved in communicating to the bank placed agents. I'll get to travel. I'll get a huge raise. And I'll get a nice new shiny desk with a nameplate that reads Fleur Delacour International Executive. And for good measure they'll make Ferris my assistant.
My fantasy morning is much better than my actual morning. Apparently someone got into our office last night, or this morning. My chair was jinxed to collapse as soon as I sat down, and I spill burning tea all over myself. Ferris had the gall to laugh! Then, my ink, which was lovely purple ink that Gabi gave me for my graduation explodes in my face. I'm willing to bet someone arranged that too. I end up spending half the morning in the loo trying to get the stains out of my clothes and fix my appearance. Plus, I've been asked for several archived files that I had to go all the way down to the bottom floor to get from the dusty archives. The lift was broken, and I had to walk up and down twenty flights of stairs three times!
By two thirty, when Fabian tells me that I'm needed in Mr. Weasley's new office, I'm more than a little apprehensive. Finding it unguarded by a secretary, I knock on the door, and am called right in. William is sitting behind a big wooden desk, looking deliciously messy. His tie is loose, his blue shirt that matches his eyes is rolled up to his sleeves and a bit wrinkled. Even a few strands of his brilliant red hair have escaped his pony tail and are framing is face in a way that just makes me want to run my hands through it. This may have just made my day being able to oogle him.
He shuffles through some papers for a minute before he looks up, his blue eyes warm, and I feel myself melt… just a bit.
"Hello," he says in that lovely Scottish accent of his.
"Bonjour," I reply. "So, Fabian said you asked for me?"
"So I heard you broke up with Andrew," he says at last.
"Apparently the scene in the elevator was merely a front. He didn't really chuck me."
"I see, and are you OK?"
"I'm fine. I decided I was rather enjoying being single and told him that I wanted to end it when he said we weren't really over. You know… the freedom and flexibility."
"Then maybe this isn't a good time to… It's too bad the whole ministry doesn't know the real story," he says, and I see understanding in his eyes. He knows what people have been saying about me. A small part of me is upset that he feels any pity for me, but another part, the larger part is happy to know that at least one person is on my side.
"Yes, the whole We Hate Fleur Delacour Club could disband," I say hoping that joking about it will ease some of the hurt.
"I know you must be hurting right now," he says carefully. "But… I was wondering." He pauses for what seems like forever. My voice is lost and I feel my veela nerves setting in, my nails need redone. "Would you like to have dinner sometime?"
OH MY MERLIN! WILLIAM WEASLEY my bad boy redhead dream man JUST ASKED ME OUT! I almost can't move my mouth.
"Oui! I mean yes!" my answer is a little overeager. "Yes, that would be lovely."
"Great!" He grins and I can't help but think how handsome he is as I grin back. He pauses, fiddling with a quill. "The only thing is, this might be a little complicated right now. And with the office situation, and all the gossip… I would hate for this to…."
"It might be an idea to keep this to ourselves," I agree. "We should be discreet." I practically grew up with an implicit understanding of just how discreet work relationships needed to be. Yet another thing that was so wonderful about banking.
"So, shall we say… how about tomorrow night? Would that suit you?"
"Tomorrow night would be perfect," I say with a huge smile that I'm sure is just oozing veela charm. I can't help it. However, William seems surprisingly unaffected as he grins back at me.
"I'll come and pick you up if you could just owl me your address. I'll be over say? Eight?"
"Eight it is!" I reply giddy with happiness. As I practically skip back from William's office, I get a few questioning looks. I don't say anything and head back to my desk, trying as hard as I can to bottle up the veela inside of me. However, excitement is bubbling away inside of me, and a huge smile keeps breaking through.
OH MY MERLIN! I'm going to dinner with William Weasley! I just…. AHHH!
Review before Enjoying the next chapter, please! Thanks! Ellie.