Herbology Brief Lesson: The Venomous Tentacula is a particularly dangerous plant, which can be found worldwide. It can easily be identified by the numerous spiky, long vines that come out of its mouth. Herbologists are currently at a debate about whether or not these vines have heads on their own as well. The plant is usually green-colored and they feed with Chizfurples and doxies. The Venomous Tentacula uses its long vines to capture its target and then injects a highly venomous substance into their prey, hence the name Venomous Tentacula. From time to time, a specific kind of this plant can also shoot spiky fireballs as well, as an alternative means of attack; however, the plant's vines can easily be severed with a Diffindo. It's also worth noting that that seeds of this plant, which give off a rattling noise at all times, are classified as Class C non-tradable substance. And, while there are several known human deaths caused by this plant, Derwent Shimpling is known for being the only person to ever eat an entire Venomous Tentacula and survive.
Task Chosen: Write a story centered on the figurative meaning of the word 'venomous' (spiteful, malignant, and malicious).
Prompt Used: (Pairing) Bill Weasley/Fleur Delacour
Toxic
1)
"Your family hates me, Bill," Fleur states blandly, successful in her attempt to keep how she really feels out of her voice.
"They don't, Fleur. You're just imagining things," Bill answers. He wonders where this is coming from, as it seems his family has been nothing but welcoming to his fiancée.
"I'm not imagining things," Fleur responds and Bill can hear a hint of frustration and anger in her voice and even if he would have missed it, there was no way to ignore her elongating fingernails.
Fleur rarely lets her inner-Veela show.
"Your family, your father being the only exception, hates me, especially your mother. Matter of fact, I'm sure she's the reason why they hate me."
This statement causes Bill to really pay attention. His mother was not a typical pureblood, welcoming everyone, blood-status be damned.
"I can prove it to you, too. The next time we go to your home, you will be me and I will be you. I promise that they will show their true colors."
'A happy wife is a happy life,' is the adage he hears his father saying in his mind after he had informed his father of his plans of proposing to the French witch.
"Okay, we will go through with your plan, however, you have to wait at least a month, since it takes that long to prepare Polyjuice."
"That has already been taken care of."
2)
Bill can't believe that he's actually going through with Fleur's plan of drinking Polyjuice and spending a day at the Burrow as her.
But as they arrive at the Burrow, Bill remembers the suppressed anger and hurt in Fleur's voice as she tells the man she loves how his family doesn't like her. He doesn't want it to be true and there's a small part of him that is hoping that Fleur is overreacting, that it's just wedding jitters that making her feel unwelcomed in his childhood home.
He inhales and then exhales deeply before knocking on the door.
"Bill," Ginny exclaims, hugging Fleur, thinking she's her older brother. "You didn't have to knock."
"I – I mean, Bill always knocks before entering," Bill answers.
"No one was speaking to you, Phlegm," Ginny says nastily and Bill, in disguise as Fleur, flinches at his youngest sibling's tone.
"Shouldn't you apologize to Fleur," Bill says.
"Why should I? I have never had to before."
"Well, you do now. Apologize, now."
"I'm sorry," Ginny mumbles, not sounding contrite at all.
"I accept your apology," Bill says.
"Everyone's out back," Ginny tosses over her shoulder before stomping up the stairs. Bill looks at his fiancée and before he can apologize for his sister's behavior, or admit that maybe Fleur is right, they both jump a little when they hear a bedroom door slam.
"Fleur why didn't you–"
"Shall we go in the backyard and see if they need our help with anything," Fleur interrupts. Without waiting for an answer, Fleur heads to the backyard, Bill following behind her quickly.
3)
He had never felt so uncomfortable in his own home before. Of course, he has never come to the Burrow disguised as someone else either, but if anyone would have asked him previous to this particular day was his family rude to guests, he would have answered no.
'I would be wrong,' he quips silently as he finds himself quite isolated from the rest of the Weasley clan.
Part of the reason is that his siblings play Quidditch while his mother cooks Sunday dinner. Although he hears one of the twins ask Hermione if she wants to join them first as a player, then as a score-keeper, no one makes the same offer to Fleur.
He watches Fleur enjoying the game, watches her challenge Harry to perform several flying stunts, the next always more outrageous than the last.
It's in that moment he realizes that he has never seen Fleur fly, let alone play Quidditch and guilt overtakes Bill as he realizes as her fiancé, he should have known this about her.
4)
After drinking some pumpkin juice (the dose of Polyjuice was still lingering on his tongue), Bill still disguised as Fleur joins Molly Weasley in the kitchen.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Mrs. Weasley? I would love to learn how to cook some of Bill's favorite dishes."
"I don't know why you bother."
"Excuse me," Bill half asks, half states.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Miss Delacour. A pretty, pampered, princess of a witch doesn't know the first thing about being a homemaker, let alone cooking. All you know is how to summon a house elf to do your bidding. I will not be sharing any recipes, not even Bill's favorites, with you."
Bill looks at his mother and wonders when did she become so toxic towards his fiancée.
"Mrs. Weasley, what have I ever done to offend you?"
"You accepted William's proposal of marriage. When I imagined my sons and daughters getting married, never did I think they would marry a foreign half-bred tart!"
A gasp from the kitchen door gets both of their attention and when they turn around, Molly quickly begins to stammer out excuses.
Bill leaves his mother's side and stands by his fiancée. As he does, the Polyjuice begins to wear off, causing Molly Weasley to pale. She summons a chair to sit in before she falls due to her knees becoming weak.
5)
"What's the meaning of this," Molly shrills and Bill winces at the sharp tone.
"Fleur convinced me to take Polyjuice in order to see for myself how my loving family treats my wife to be. It was a real eye-opener, believe me."
"What lies it has been telling you? That I'm not fawning over her? That this house isn't up to its standard?"
"Fleur is not an 'it,' she's a person and my fiancée, the woman I have chosen to spend the rest of my life with."
"She's French!"
"And we're English, yet that doesn't change the fact that we're all witches and wizards in here, an identity you have attempted to strip away from Fleur because her grandmother's a full-blooded Veela."
"Mum, what's going on?"
"Your brother and his fiancée decided to switch places today by using Polyjuice, Ginny."
"You mean -," Ginny stutters and she pales a little, emphasizing the freckles across her nose and cheeks.
"Exactly. The person you called 'Phlegm' was not Fleur, it was me."
"I'm sorry," Ginny apologizes and this time Bill can hear the sincerity in her voice.
"You weren't although you said it earlier. The only reason why this apology rings true is because you're apologizing to your brother, not the woman whose name you intentionally mangled out of spite."
Ginny doesn't answer and for the second time, stomps up the stairs and slams her bedroom door.
"Mother, you will apologize to Fleur, right now."
"No Bill, there's no need. She's made her position about me perfectly clear and I don't want her apologizing to me at your instruction. Let's just go home."
Bill looks at Fleur and he sees that tiredness has settled on her like a heavy cloak. He holds her close and Apparates away.