Chapter 16
Fleur sashayed into the library at exactly nine o'clock that evening. Wood sat already waiting for her to come for their daily lesson. Fleur wore a secretive grin on her face as she pulled out a seat. Wood began to laugh as she sat across from him.
"Vhat?" Fleur asked amusedly.
"You, it seems every time I see you, something changes. When I first met you, you were anxious, then feisty. Yesterday you seemed lonesome to me and now you are wearing an awfully cocky grin." Wood explained himself.
"Vell isn't change good? Ve don't vant life to get dull right?" Fleur replied with a giggle.
Wood laughed, purely enjoying her mood change. Suddenly he stopped and looked around the library as if waiting for an explosion. Fleur followed his gaze and saw nothing.
"Are you missing zomeone?" Fleur asked quizzically.
"I thought you were on the contrary." Wood answered, flipping open his book.
"Me?"
"Yes, Percy is nowhere to be found." Wood responded.
"Oh him…I don't zink he'll be coming tonight." Fleur said dully.
"You might want to take that comment back." Wood observed.
Fleur's head shot up and her large sapphire eyes surveyed the opening to the library. Percy came striding in with his prefect badge shinning in the dim lamp lights. He tugged on his robes, and he held a stern look upon his long freckled face. Fleur turned back towards Wood and grimaced.
"Fleur, I must speak with you." Percy spoke firmly.
"Uh I am in the middle of something right now." Fleur tried to worm her way out of the confrontation.
"Percy, we're studying." Wood helped.
"I'm quite aware of what is going on here, and I don't want to talk to you Wood. You are the last person on this earth that I would give the time of day to now."
"Vhy, what iz going on?" Fleur asked confused.
"Nothing, we just had a little disagreement last night…" Wood trailed off.
"Zo you have been fighting vith everyone then?" Fleur asked Percy disappointedly.
"I…that is not the point right now don't try to bore me with your jejune words Wood." Percy defended himself.
"Both of you ztop! Now Percy vill you kindly leave us now so we can ztudy?" Fleur broke the argument.
"Not until you tell me why we had that episode this morning." Percy stated and leaned in closer to Fleur.
Just then another Weasley burst into the room carrying a rather large Transfiguration book. Ron brought the book down and set it on the librarian's desk and was about to walk right back out when he spotted the three bickering up ahead. He puffed out his full lips and marched right over. He wasn't going to let Percy wriggle his way back into Fleur's plans for the weekend.
"Percy zis really isn't the right time…" Fleur spoke calmly.
"Yeah she's right Perc, so back off!" Ron valiantly entered.
Fleur looked over at Ron and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then practically slapped her hand into her forehead. The crowd was quickly getting bigger around them.
"Zank you Ron." Fleur spoke softly.
"Not a problem I will be here when you need anything." Ron said very satisfied with himself.
Ron raised his head a bit higher and smirked. The freckles on his cheeks disappeared with the scarlet that now filled over his pale skin. Fleur had to smile at his innocence and sweet chivalry. Percy on the other hand seemed morally offended.
"Ron keep your nose out of things that you know nothing about." Percy shot at him.
"So just because I'm younger, I don't understand certain feelings?"
"No, you don't."
Ron grated his teeth and turned towards Percy. He raised his fist slightly, but took a deep breath and decided it wouldn't have been a wise choice. Fleur stood up and pulled Percy aside.
"Percy you need to ztop acting like a child. If you can do zat, we might talk about zpending more time together in the future." Fleur said seriously.
"If that is the only way then I will take it, only for you Fleur."
"Don't try and flatter me, just go off to your room." Fleur spoke with a laugh and physically turned Percy and gave him a gentle push towards the exit.
Fleur sighed and walked back over to the table where Ron and Wood sat agreeing about all the bad qualities in Percy. Fleur rolled her eyes and sat down again. Ron and Wood both greeted her with obnoxiously big grins.
"Alright, now Ron are you going to let us ztudy?" Fleur asked kindly.
"Of course, just didn't want Percy to be a bugger to you all." Ron smiled and got up.
"Goodnight Ron, I'll zee you tomorrow?" Fleur asked.
"Yes!" Ron exclaimed with a laugh, and sauntered his way out.
Fleur smiled and looked down while tapping her manicured finger nails against the desk. She began to flip through the pages of her book when suddenly she felt Wood's eyes staring at her. She raised her eyebrows and glanced up at him.
"You handled that situation well." Wood observed.
"I try." Fleur answered shrugging with a smile.
"You're not really going to agree to go back out with Percy are you?" Wood asked slowly.
"To tell you the truth I don't know, maybe if I zee he can change."
"Oh." Wood said flatly and began to read his book again.
"Vhy?" Fleur asked with renewed curiosity.
"Oh nothing, hey let's blow off this stuff and practice Quidditch." Wood quickly changed the subject.
Fleur tossed the idea around in her mind. She knew she shouldn't let him get away with not studying his charms work, but she wanted to go out in the cool night air.
"Well okay, let'z goes before I change my mind." Fleur finally answered.
Wood smiled and threw his stuff in his bag and grabbed Fleur's hand, yanking her out of the library, trailing her things behind her. He decided he wasn't going to take a change running into Fred or George up in The Common Room so he led them straight to the field.
"I thought you vere going to take my arm out." Fleur laughed out.
"Sorry, didn't want to see anyone else right now." Wood explained.
"I know what you mean…uh Oliver can I ask you something?"
"Sure, shoot." Wood answered and set their things against the broom closet.
"What vere you going to ask me this morning before Katie came?"
Wood slowly brought his head up to reach her eyes. He ruffled his hair nervously and got a goofy grin.
"Oh it was nothing, just wondering if you thought Percy was really the right guy for you." Wood tried to pass this information off nonchalantly.
"Do you have zomeone better in mind?" Fleur asked quietly.
"No, nah…maybe…." Wood replied.
Fleur suddenly dropped her grin and looked sad again. She was beginning to feel that all this time she was spending with Wood was wrong. The owl that came out of nowhere and sent a letter to Fleur's hands didn't help either. Fleur immediately recognized the return address…Madam Maxime wanted answers.
