This chapter fits with chapter 2 of "Chocolate and Ginger".
Il faut que je t'aime
Fire
Fleur is worried.
No, she is more than worried. She is scared stiff, terrified. Why has Bill not come into work this morning? What has happened? He should be here by now. Where is he? Where is he? Something must have happened…
By early afternoon she is desperate enough to manufacture an excuse to go up to the curse-breakers' floor and ask Zoran if he knows where Bill is. She is just working up courage to go to Miss Payne for permission, when she hears Bill's voice in the foyer. She nearly sobs aloud in relief, and has to restrain herself from rushing out and flinging her arms around him. He gives her a small smile and a wink as he passes the door, but even from a distance she can see how tired and unhappy he looks. Clearly something has happened – something bad.
He is late getting to their meeting place after work, and when she sees him coming, she runs into his arms and hugs him.
"But where were you? I was so worrieed. Somesing 'as 'appened?"
Bill holds her so tightly it hurts her, and buries his face in her hair. She can feel him trembling, and when he finally speaks, his voice is shaking. "My Dad was - was hurt. He's - he's in St. Mungo's."
She looks up into his eyes, and sees how close to breaking down he is. She is used to him looking after her, but their roles are reversed now. She takes his hand and leads him along Diagon Alley to Eeylops, and up the narrow stairs to her tiny flat. She pushes him gently into the flat's one armchair, lights the fire with a flick of her wand, and makes hot chocolate. She perches on the arm of the chair and hands him a mug.
"Your fazzer?" she asks. "'E will be alright?"
He takes a gulp of his drink and nods. "Yeah. It - it looked like he might not be for a while, but – yeah, he'll be okay."
Suddenly he chokes, and puts his mug down, beginning to cry. Fleur puts her own drink down too, and wraps her arms round him, stroking his hair and murmuring nonsense to him in French. She knows he does not understand most of what she is saying, but it does not matter. He will not - or cannot – tell her what happened, but that does not matter either. They trust each other enough now that explanations are not necessary.
Eventually he stops crying. Fleur reheats the chocolate and finds marshmallows to go with it. Bill pulls her onto his lap as they drink. They sit together in the firelight for a long time. They love each other. The things they cannot share no longer matter. What they have is more important than any of them.