Building Immunity

Author's Note: Originally published on November 6, 2021

It was the third time that day that she'd felt his eyes on her, but it was different than the stares she was used to—that dumbstruck look of love and lust that her Veela powers induced in people.

Fleur had always hated it but knew it couldn't be helped. All she could do was try to downplay that side of her around other people.

The expression on his face was different though. It was the same one he had during a game of chess with her Bill. It was a look of intense concentration, like he was trying to figure her out.

She'd noticed his tendency to be rather overprotective, perhaps that even extended to his eldest brother. Out of all of Bill's siblings, it seemed like Ron was the most like him.

It was just the two of them in the sitting room at The Burrow. Everyone else had gone up, and Bill was already asleep, still recovering from the attack and the pain potions the healer at Hogwarts had sent home with them. It wasn't often that she'd spent time with any of the Weasleys without Bill around.

Ron had always been rather awkward around her. She remembered when he asked her to the Yule Ball, but she never mentioned it, not wanting to embarrass him. She recalled what it was like to be that age. How things had changed in such a short time.

She looked up from the seating plan for the wedding, catching him in the act. His head snapped down, pretending to read a book while his ears flamed, knowing that she'd spotted him.

Fleur wanted to approach this delicately, unsure about his feelings toward her joining his family. She cleared her throat, before speaking up.

"Ron? Is there something I can help you with?"

He looked up, his cheeks blotchy in the firelight as he tried to avoid her gaze. "Oh, er… no, nothing. Just reading."

"What are you reading?"

His eyes widened, and he tried to use his arm to block the title of the book. She could make out the number twelve on the spine but couldn't see anything else.

"Nothing interesting."

She pursed her lips, before trying a more direct approach. "I know it must be strange for you, that I am marrying your brother. Especially after everything that just happened at Hogwarts. I can assure you I love him very much and I am very happy to join your family."

His face twisted in confusion. "Huh? No, I'm not worried about that at all. You've been taking care of him, and I know he loves you. Mum's come around, too."

"Then why have you been staring at me all day?"

His face went paler than usual, making his freckles stand out even more, and he visibly gulped. "Sorry, didn't mean to. I was just… no it's stupid. I'm sorry, Fleur."

She put the charts on the coffee table and leaned forward, curious. "You can tell me, it is alright."

He glanced around frantically, checking to ensure no one was around. "If any of my brothers or Ginny hear me, I'll never hear the end of it."

"Ah, yes, I've heard your siblings teasing you. They are not here, so you can talk to me."

He nodded, and took a deep breath, leaning forward as well. "Well, you see, I-I'm trying to train myself not to act so silly around you before Herm… other people get here. Bill told me your Veela cousins and some of your friends are coming to the wedding, and I wanted to be prepared."

Ah, so that was it, Fleur thought. He fancies his friend Hermione, just as Bill suspected, and doesn't want to hurt her feelings by acting foolish at the wedding. It is quite cute.

She smiled at Ron, trying to ease his anxiety. "That is thoughtful of you. Your family might tease you, but I think it's very sweet. We are having a conversation right now and you are not being affected. That is a good sign."

He half-smiled. "Things are still a bit fuzzy."

They heard a door close and the creaks of movement above them.

"I have an idea. I'm going to tell your mother and Bill that I need your help at our new home, Shell Cottage, tomorrow after breakfast. Molly insisted that Bill stay here to recover, and I did not want to argue. We can speak in private, and I can help you."

Ron immediately perked up. "Really? You-you would do that for me?"

"Of course, it would be nice to have something else to do besides wedding planning."

"If you really don't mind."

"No, it is not a bother."

They heard another door close. She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "We shall talk more tomorrow."

Fleur's distinct French accent rang out over the din of breakfast. "Are you ready to go, Ron?"

"Careful, Bill," Fred remarked. "Romeo over here might put the moves on your lady. I still can't believe he managed to snag Lavender Brown last year."

Bill shook his head, fighting back a smirk since it would slow his scars from healing. George laughed loudly, and even Ginny smiled slightly.

Fleur saw Ron's face drop, and she instantly felt for bad for him. No wonder he was so worried about his behaviour when everything he did was ridiculed.

"Stop teasing your brother." Molly commanded, causing the rest of the brood to quiet down. She grimaced anxiously, looking at the family clock. "Please come back as soon as possible."

"Do not worry, Molly, we will be fine. Ron, we can take the Floo."

The tall redhead nodded and followed Fleur to the fireplace. He grabbed the dish of powder from the mantle and offered it to her.

She fought a grin at his chivalrous attempt to be considerate. "Thank you. Remember, 'Shell Cottage'. I will see you there, oui?"

She stepped through the fire, and he stumbled through a moment later. She cast a quick charm to get rid of the ash and motioned him into the kitchen. Ron looked around in wonder at the comfortable cottage, before peeking out the window at the water below.

"Wow, this is nice."

"Thank you, Ron. It is very quiet out here and I love being near the sea. It reminds me of spending summers on the coast of France." Fleur bustled around the kitchen, preparing a pot of tea, and putting some biscuits on a plate. "We still have work to do, and more protection charms to cast, but it is starting to feel like home."

The gawky teen stood awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen. "Er, anything I can help with?"

"Non, you can sit down. I have noticed that you have been offering more help lately."

"Bloody book told me to," he mumbled under his breath, perhaps unknowing that she had exceptional hearing.

"Was that the book you were reading last night?"

Ron grimaced at being caught out and stared at the table in mortification. "Yeah… it's about… how to charm witches." He looked up as she placed the plate down in front of him and turned to retrieve their tea. "A gift from my brothers, since I mucked up things as usual."

She noticed the despondent look on his face. "You must ignore them. I think it is very good that you are reading it."

"You do?"

"Yes, maybe you made a mistake, and now you are learning. I think other people might appreciate that."

He perked up a bit. "Really? I thought my brothers gave me the book as a joke."

"I have noticed they can be very cruel. It is a little strange for me—it has always just been Gabrielle and I, and we are very close. Now I will have all of these brothers and Ginevra."

Ron couldn't help but grin ruefully. "It might help if you call her Ginny, she hates her full name."

The blonde witch nodded. "I know she doesn't like me. I have heard what she calls me."

"Like you said, with so many siblings, sometimes we can be mean to each other. She'll warm up to you eventually. She's used to being the only girl and getting her way."

"I hope so." She took a slow sip of her tea, watching him over the rim of the cup. He listlessly picked at a biscuit, avoiding her gaze. Wanting to move things along, she placed the cup down and addressed him directly. That seemed to work last night when they were talking.

"You are hoping to impress other people, oui?"

Ron coughed suddenly. "Yes."

"I think if you want to impress, you should first be able to say her name." Fleur looked at him pointedly.

He didn't say a word for a moment, but she also didn't budge. As the awkwardness stretched out, he finally gave a huff. "Bloody hell, I want to impress Hermione, alright?"

"Good, now we are getting somewhere. You said yesterday you were trying to get better at not, how shall we say, getting influenced by Veelas?"

Ron nodded. "I really don't want to get distracted at the wedding, so I thought if I stared at you long enough, I'd become immune or something. I don't know."

"You have the right idea. People who spend time around Veela get used to us, but it takes time, sometimes months. Unless you are already in… non, you are too young for that."

He sat forward eagerly. "Too young for what?"

"No, nothing."

He began to protest, but she held up a hand, silencing him. "Since we do not have time, we will have to do things quickly. I want you to watch me as I use my powers, and we will see what happens."

He looked apprehensive but took a deep breath and nodded.

She turned on her natural gifts slowly, trying to gauge his reactions. Fleur watched him for a moment before checking with him. "How are you feeling, Ron?"

He blinked. "I'm alright."

She nodded encouragingly and turned on the charm, watching as his eyes became unfocused, a slow smile growing on his face.

"Ron?"

"Huh?" He blinked again, as if coming out of a trance. His head dropped into his hands, and he sighed. "This is hopeless."

"Non, you just need more practice. We will start again."

Ron nodded, but the look on his face seemed unconvinced.

"Now focus on me."

They repeated the same cycle two more times, only for Ron to be even more discouraged than before. He threw his head back in frustration. "How the hell does Bill even talk to you without falling all over himself?"

She remembered when she'd begun working at Gringotts. There had been an immediate spark between herself and Bill, and he seemed to adjust to her extraordinarily quickly. He'd once told her it was because she'd captured his heart. Perhaps that was the answer.

"I have an idea. This time, I want you to tell me what you like about Hermione."

He swallowed hard. "I-I have to tell you why I like Hermione?"

"Yes. Concentrate on me and start talking."

She started slowly, not wanting to overwhelm him with her presence. Despite his reluctance, he had a great many things to say, his words drifting in and out of her consciousness.

"…she's just brilliant, you know? Not only when it comes to school work, but just her ideas on…"

Fleur smiled and nodded, turning up the charm while watching the expressions on his face. He got more animated as he spoke.

"…and I do love spending time with her, especially when it's just us. We fight less when we're together. I think in some ways we do enjoy arguing with each other, but it's nice to have her full attention, and…"

Fleur watched his eyes brighten, but he hadn't seemed to notice that she'd turned on her charms in full, he was so engrossed in talking about Hermione. Most men would be falling all over themselves now, trying to get her attentions or please her.

She knew in that moment that Ron was in love with Hermione, his heart was already given away to her. She had misjudged the depth of his feelings.

"…she really is beautiful, but I could never tell her that. Not only that, but her hair is just so her, it's wild and untamed, and I'd love to…"

"Ron?"

Much to her amusement, he just kept talking, ignoring her. "I learned last year what it was like to be without her, and I hated it, and I want to be better for her, that's why I'm reading the book and…"

"Ron!"

"What?"

"You did it."

"Huh?"

"You were not distracted by me, even though I was trying my best to do so. I think, because you recognize how powerful your feelings are for her, you are immune. You really care about her, don't you?"

A shy smile formed on his lips, his shoulders slumping as if a great weight was lifted. "I do, a lot. Never said that out loud before."

"I can tell. I don't think you have anything to worry about at the wedding."

Ron nodded, excited at the prospect. "Thank you for inviting her, by the way."

"Of course, she is like family, non?" Fleur couldn't help but tease him. "Maybe one day she will be."

His eyes widened comically, and he stuttered. "I-I don't know."

"Are you going to ask her to go with you?"

Ron shook his head. "After last year, I know I need to take things slow."

"Then you must ask her to dance!"

He nodded. "I'm going to do that. I don't think I can stand seeing her dance with another bloke."

He is very much like Bill.

"I think she will be happy."

"Do you think so?"

Fleur reached out and patted him on the arm. "She will be flattered you went to so much trouble to show her you have grown up."

He nodded, seemingly lost in thought. "Bill is lucky to have you."

She beamed at him. "Thank you, Ron. We should go back; your mother will worry, and I want to check on Bill."

He stood up and waved his wand, cleaning the dishes, before handing them to her. "Thanks, Fleur. For everything."

"Oh, it is fine, Ron. Maybe it is not so bad having brothers."

The corner of his lip upturned. "You'll probably regret saying that when the twins turn your hair green or something."

"I would like to see them try. I know some spells that would make them very… uncomfortable."

"Can you do it to them anyway?"

She laughed, gently shoving him toward the fireplace. "You are all the same. Let's go."

Fleur melted into Bill's embrace as they spun around the dance floor. The ceremony had been wonderful—she couldn't believe she was married! Looking up, she stared at his face and let out a euphoric giggle.

He looked down, a smile on his face. "Something funny? Are my dance moves that bad?"

"I am just so happy."

His grin grew. "As am I, my love."

She spied something over his shoulder and giggled again, delighted. "We are not the only ones."

They slowly turned so Bill could see what she had spotted. Ron and Hermione were in an embrace on the dance floor, lost in their own little world. Hermione's head was resting against his chest, and Ron had an unbelieving smile on his face, a mirror of his newlywed brother.

Fleur caught Ron's eye and winked at him, causing him to blush and look down at the bushy-haired witch in his arms. She was proud of him for taking that next step.

Fleur turned her attentions back to her now-husband. "They are destined to be together, I think."

"I recall you saying something similar about us."

"Was I wrong?"

"You were not."

She gently cupped his cheeks, making sure not to press on his scars, and pulled him down for a kiss.

"If Hermione loves Ron as much as I love you, they will both be very happy."