When September the 19th came around, Bill carefully wrapped a book in a floral patterned paper. He smiled at it before sending an owl off with it. I hope she likes this one, he thought, happy birthday. He remembered Hermione's finger curling her hair as she balanced the book in one hand.
Fleur knocked on the door and smiled at him interrupting his daydream.
"Do you want to go for lunch?" she asked him. Bill smiled at her.
"Yes! What's the cuisine for today?" Bill asked. He took her hand as they walked out the front door and Fleur apparated to the destination with Bill on tow.
Later that night, the owl returned with a small piece of folded parchment. In it was the small scribbled words thank you, and a tiny pressed blue wildflower fell into his palm. He caught the scent of ink, parchment, and flowers and felt his stomach flip. Good, she liked it.
Bill's birthday was fast approaching in November. Fleur had made plans to celebrate it in her usual flourish. Bill felt an uneasiness growing as he watched Fleur pain over details in a way she did before all the pain he put her through and thought I don't deserve this. She shouldn't be doing all of this.
"Fleur, I don't think you should do all of this." Bill said to her. She looked up from her neatly written notes.
"I'm just planning a day wiz my husband, 'oo deserve a reward for your self 'ealing." Fleur said with a smile. One that didn't quite brighten her eyes.
"Okay," Bill said uncertainly. He looked around at the room that felt like it was closing in around him and said, "I need some fresh air, I could go visit George at the shop. I haven't been in ages."
"Zat sounds great! I'll go with." Fleur said hastily. She put her quill down and straightened a piece of paper before looking up at him with the same not-actually-smiling smile.
Bill held his hand out and she took it gracefully, allowing herself to be pulled up. Bill let her go first and she disappeared in a flash of green after saying "Diagon Alley". She was pointing her wand at the soot on her heels when he appeared in the Leaky Cauldron.
Bill reached for her hand and they walked briskly to the brightly coloured Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. Bill was always amazed at how packed the joke shop was daily. He felt an instant lift in his mood when he entered the loud atmosphere filled with laughter.
He tugged at Fleur's hand as he climbed the stairs toward George's little office.
"Bill!"
Bill spun around and Ron was looking at him. He looked startled, then corrected his expression to a smile. He glanced at Fleur and then looked at Bill again. Fleur's gaze was in the opposite direction, even though they had stopped walking.
"Ron!" Bill said going toward him for a hug. "I thought I'd come for a visit, it's been forever."
"Yea, it's good to see you!" Ron said, his voice still a little dazed. Fleur had disappeared from his hand and into the crowd.
"Oh, where did Fleur go?" Bill said, turning to look for her. Ron's face had gone blotchy.
"Bill?"
Bill's heart skipped.
"Hermione?" Bill said. And there she was, peeking out from behind Ron.
"Hi." She said softly, Ron's face went a ruddier colour.
"I'm going to look for Fleur." Bill said hastily and he backed away from his brother's now almost plum coloured face and tried to find Fleur's silver head. He tried not to look around again at Hermione.
Were they back together? Bill asked himself. Why was Ron so bothered, does he know? Bill shook his head with a laugh. No, he can't know. It was probably Fleur, how he gets around her.
Bill saw Fleur disappear into the "Serious" joke section, the more powerful stuff that was at the back of the store. He steered himself through the bodies toward her. When he pushed through the curtains into the considerably quieter part of the store he said "Fleur!" He saw her spin to look at him. At the same time, a soft hand had grabbed his.
He spun and saw Hermione standing breathless, staring at him.
"I'm here to get the divorce papers sign-" she stopped when she saw Fleur's livid face. "Fleur- I'm sorry. I'm leaving."
Fleur's face was pink with fury. She looked like she wanted to spit at Hermione, her hand was tightly gripping her wand in her pocket. Bill turned to look at her when Hermione's head disappeared through the curtains. He took two wide steps to Fleur and hugged her.
"I'm sorry, it's alright." He said, and Fleur's tension melted into his arms. She hugged him back.
"Can we go home now?" Fleur said, her voice was shaky.
"Yes, of course." Bill said. He felt worse about his birthday plans now.
When Fleur had curled up with a cup of jasmine tea later that night, Bill cautiously approached her.
"Fleur." Bill said. He sat opposite her and looked directly at her. "You know, it's okay if you haven't forgiven me. You shouldn't have forgiven me so easily."
Fleur's face went pink.
"Your reaction to Herm-" Bill continued and stopped when Fleur flinched at Hermione's name. "Her being there. You're clearly angry still. And you're allowed to be. Angry with me, I mean."
"I forgive you, Bill." Fleur said simply. Her eyes drifted into a far away stare.
"Why, though?" Bill asked, a little in disbelief. "You should never want to see me again."
"It's alright." Fleur said. She thought about why.
She remembered writing the letter to Bill for the third time. This time her hands weren't shaking, and tears hadn't bled the ink into indiscernible words. She put it neatly in the center of her desk. She'll send it to him tomorrow.
She was crying because she had just come back from Ron's place. Ron Weasley's. The morning sun was glaring onto the desk, and Fleur was terrified of what she must look like in the mirror right now.
She tried forgetting last night.
She had bought a bottle of fancy cognac and was drinking her anger at Bill away. She wanted the bottom of the bottle. She had only gotten two glasses in when she tipsily apparated to Ron's doorstep and knocked.
When Ron opened the door, his mouth hung agape. Like a fish, Fleur remembered thinking.
"Bill's left me." She said in a little giggle. "I thought you might know what that's like."
Understanding dawned onto Ron's face as his mouth closed and he swallowed.
"Yea, sure, come in." he said and stepped aside, widening the door for her.
She remembered Ron staring at her from across the table as she poured herself her third glass. She forgot about his sobriety. She kind of liked how Ron always looked at her like she was shiny and new. Bill doesn't look at me like that, she thought to herself wryly.
She giggled. What was I laughing at? She couldn't remember.
At the end of her third glass, her words were a little slurred.
"Do 'oo know why he's left me, 'On?" Fleur said. Ron's face tried to understand her words through her accent and slurring.
"Why he left you?" Ron asked, Fleur nodded. "No idea. He's mad."
"Madly in love." Fleur corrected him. Ron's eyebrows shot up.
"With who?" Ron asked. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, why would he love someone else?"
Fleur smiled devilishly.
"It's 'er." Fleur said, she was pointing at a portrait on the wall. Hermione's. Ron didn't see her poorly pointed finger.
"Her who?" Ron said, his eyes wide.
"'Ermione." Fleur said, and she hiccuped. Ron stared at her blankly.
"Hermione?" he repeated. Fleur nodded. He remembered Hermione's words I slept with someone. "She's sleeping with Bill?"
"Yes!" Fleur said, raising her empty glass to the air. Ron was stony still. Fleur poured her fourth glass.
"Can I have some of that?" Ron said, pointing at the cognac.
"Oui." Fleur pushed the bottle over to him, the cognac tinkled against the glass.
"Thanks." Ron said and he called a glass over, filled it half way then threw it to the back of his throat in one gulp.
"Zis is fantastique." Fleur said, now trying to focus on Ron. "My 'usband 'as left me, for your wife!"
Fleur smacked the table laughing, Ron's eyes followed her eyes. He felt anger welling.
He drank another half glass of cognac. Then he looked at Fleur's breathtaking beauty. Even in the state she was in, she glowed. The laughter fought back the anger building in him.
Fleur moved closer to him, sitting next to him instead of across from him. She looked at him, enjoying the way his eyes drank her in. The wave of loneliness she felt since Bill had been gone washed over her. She leaned in and kissed Ron.
The next morning, she awoke with a pleasant ache about her body, the bedsheets draped across her bare backside. Ron's red hair in the sunlight made her heart skip a beat when she thought it was Bill.
Realising it was Ron, she started. Moving quickly and quietly, she gathered her things without waking him and disapparated back to her home, tears streaming down her face.
"Why?" Bill's voice asked again, cutting into Fleur's memories that played across her eyes like a film.
"Because," Fleur said looking at him, "You're my 'usband."