Chapter 9

A young veela sat on her windowsill, her mind in turbulent disarray. The torches in the courtyard around her flickered happily unaware of the turmoil this young woman was going through. To the world she presented a serene calm demeanor even though inside she had no idea who she was. Dreams of a man and a woman one with dark brown hair and the other with jet black hair plagued her nights and she knew deep down she needed to find them one day. She stood up and began walking about aimlessly.

Her mother insisted she was too young for something so serious and she should content herself with passing the time with other young veela in the area. Fleur knew deep down that her mother was wrong so she turned away all her would be suitors. She never remembered her dreams but the flashes she got were never sexual only pure innocent love would fill her. Her fist curled in anger as the last bits of last night's dreams slipped away from her.

She screamed.

The long high-pitched wails reverberated around the courtyard she found herself in. She raised her arms and fire shot from her fingertips. With the introduction of those flames her screams became full of pain. Unlike any other veela she had met her own fire burned her. Her mother claimed it would get better with time.

Time my ass!

They didn't understand that the pain wasn't only physical, Fleur was suffering mentally as well. She just wanted to be like all the other veela and find her one true mate and live happily ever after. Once there had been a time where she believed her best veela friend, Anton, could maybe just maybe be good for her. That is until he had attempted to use his newfound allure to seduce her.

She shook her head as images of him rubbing himself flitted through her mind.

It was disgusting.

Fleurs screams had drawn her mother's attention. Calmly Apolline walked over to her daughter making her way past the jets of flames as they continued to burn everything in their path. She embraced Fleur in hopes of calming whatever was wrong with her daughter. Fleur was not going to go quietly. Her screams grew louder and louder till literal blue flames shot from her mouth and partially singed her mother's robes.

Fleur screamed and sobbed and raged over something nameless that had been taken from her. All the while Apolline remained calmly holding her daughter. Her cool façade was only barely held in place, thoughts of doubt began to flit about her mind as her eldest daughter fell apart in her arms. Now with both of them sitting on the floor and Fleur finally passed out did she allow her mask to crack.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. What that tear was for she could not say, she had done many things in her life that were worth a few tears. She allowed herself this small moment of weakness, sitting here with the daughter she betrayed laying in her lap. Life was long and cruel, and she needed to protect her daughters from such things. Apolline composed herself and quickly summoned a house elf. With a loud pop a small little elf dressed in fine rags appeared.

"Chiffon, I need you to take my daughter to her room. After that I would like you to bring me a stiff drink in my study."

Chiffon curtsied and mumbled out, "Yes ma'am."

The elf wiggled her nose and Fleur began to rise out of her mother's arms. Once her daughter was safely levitating Apolline stood and shook out her voluminous robes. Chiffon turned and began to make her way towards the hall.

"One moment Chiffon."

She stopped and turned toward her Mistress eyes bright and shining. Apolline pulled a letter from one of the many concealed pockets in her robe and handed it to the elf. Chiffon perked up and grasped the letter daintily in her in strangely long hand.

"I want you to place that on Fleur's bedside table."

"Yes madam." The small elf took the letter and curtsied before turning away.

Once the elf and her precious cargo had made their way inside Apolline brought a hand to her head. The cool touch of her fingers brought some relief to the pounding inside. Her own internal demons raged inside her, a mirror to her eldest daughter's mind. Right now these demons used their voices to poison her mind.

You can't do this.

You're wrong.

They all hate you.

Apolline widened her stance and planted her feet firmly on the ground. She took a deep breath and as she pulled air deeper into her lungs all the negative emotions rose and welled up till she could barely stand it. Just as she had breathed in she too breathed out and with each second that passed she felt the negativity leave her body and enter the ground where she stood. When it was over, she stood there drained yet refreshed. Apolline knew she might have to rethink the way she handled her eldest daughter but for now everything was still ok.

They just had to hold on.

There was darkness all around, but she felt no fear, Fleur welcomed this darkness. Here in this dark place her fire never hurt her, she only ever felt loved. Every morning she tried to hang on to the last bits of feeling from these nightly glimpses of a future she could have. Yet every morning they slipped through her fingers like sand through her fingers.

She felt a small slim hand wrap around her waist, she smiled, this small being always came first. The feminine aura that came off the smaller being always comforted her. They floated together in the dark, arms wrapped around each other until a much larger being arrived, this one was purely male. His hand caressed her cheek and she nuzzled into it. Here surrounded by these two presences she felt the most peace. Fire sparked at her fingertips happily and she was reminded of this morning when another young veela had tried to hold her hand. Fleur's fire had raged against the boy and if the adults hadn't been nearby, he may have lost his life.

The larger more dominant being wrapped his whole self around them both and instead of being burned by her flames it seemed to welcome them. Fleur gasped seeing this and some unknown feeling began to grow inside of her, the force of the emotion caused tears to spring forth from her eyes. The larger being began to purr soothingly, the sounds of the purring reverberated around the inky blank space. Not to be left out the smaller being seemed to hum a beautiful melody as she held her tightly in the cocoon of the male presence around them.

Slowly Fleur began to calm down. This wasn't the place to lose herself like this. She grabbed tightly onto the smaller being and prayed she could stay here with them forever. Life with these two is something she yearned for.

She lost herself to their sounds for what seemed like hours but like everything good in her life it had to come to an end.

Light began to pierce through the comforting inky blackness. The larger being pulled his essence back into himself while keeping a hand on Fleur and the small being.

Their time was up.

The more light that flooded in the harder it was to hold onto each other. The beings flickered in and out of existence and so did she. They were being pulled apart by the waking world. She felt the tips of their fingers slip through hers and suddenly she was in her room again.

Her comfortable sheets and blankets all felt like sandpaper against her skin. She felt wrong in this world and there was nothing she could do about it. Before she could let the negative feelings in again she caught sight of a small letter on her bedside table.

Fleur slowly sat up in bed, each movement making it painfully obvious that she was in the waking world. She reached over for the letter and read who it was from. It was a happy surprise for her to see that her dear friend Hermione had written to her.

With much more energy than she had before, Fleur sat all the way up and threw her legs over the edge of the bed. Hermione's letters had always helped ease whatever it was she was feeling.

They had been friends for a few years now but had only ever met once. She couldn't remember much about their first meeting only what her mother had told her.

They had been visiting a family member in England when her mother had decided to take them to a nearby park. While there she and a group of children were injured by a rogue wizard. Hermione had been one of the other children involved.

Hermione had been the one to start the letters but soon Fleur had grown anxious for more. Even though it was only ink and parchment she felt as if each letter gave her a reason to continue. Hermione was her best friend.

They spoke about their daily lives, Fleur complained about her little sister and Hermione complained about the two boys she lived with.

Fleur quickly pulled out a piece of parchment and ink to respond to her letter. Hermione's letters were always so happy and filled with all the new things she had learned. Fleur's heart was happy for now and as she wrote out her note she wished she could visit her friend once more.