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Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count: 356
Assignment 6: Healer Studies: Task #7: Scrofungulus: Write about someone who has a contagious laugh or smile.
Beautiful
She laughed, and the people around her laughed with her. She smiled and they smiled, because how could they not try and match the beauty of her happiness with their own.
And yet, when she cried, they looked away, suddenly awkward because when she cried, the beauty that she emanated seemed to go away.
Fleur hated it.
…
"Baby?" Tonks murmured, wrapping her arms around Fleur's waist. "You okay?"
Fleur tried to wipe away the tears, because she loved Tonks and she never wanted her to see her without her beauty.
She nodded. "A bad dream, I'm fine."
Tonks gently turned her in her arm so they were face to face. "Must have been some dream, to make you cry like this."
"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to see me like this," Fleur replied softly.
Tonks frowned. "Why not?"
"I'm not beautiful like this," Fleur pointed out. "And you love me when I'm beautiful. Everyone does."
"Hey now," Tonks said, lifting gentle hands to thumb away the last remnants of the tears on Fleur's cheeks. "I love you when you're happy and sad and angry and all the other emotions, okay? But baby… you're always beautiful to me. Always."
"That's not—"
"That's definitely true, and definitely the way it is," Tonks interrupted. "Fleur, you are beautiful, the world can see that, but it's your inner beauty, your kindness and your loyalty, and your utter need to make sure everyone is okay… that's what I fell in love with. You're stunning, of course, but that's no less true because you're sad."
"Dora, I… I love you. You… you make me feel beautiful."
Tonks pressed their lips together and smiled into the kiss. "Think you can come back to bed. I can show you just how beautiful I think you are?"
And Fleur smiled back. Maybe she wasn't the only one with a contagious smile.
…
People laughed with her, and they smiled with her, because they said she was contagious in her happiness.
But Tonks… Tonks thought she was beautiful when she was sad, and that was why Fleur loved her.
And why she always would.