A/N: Never written Fleur before and wow, I'm glad I did! Hope you enjoy this, please leave a review if you did! Translations for French are at the end.


Title: the only one

Summary: Fleur is the perfect child. She's proud, she's conceited and she doesn't care for anyone but herself. And she is absolutely sick of waiting for the bébé to be born.

WC: 963

Characters: Fleur D., Gabrielle D.

Genres: Family


Fleur is the perfect child. She can't help it if she's just fabulous. Everyone loves her: they coo over her, exclaim at her beauty, congratulate her for the strong magic she has been showing. And all this for the 10 years of her existence. A child everyone is constantly fawning over her. A child who learns to take every compliment as if it was due to her, as if it was only natural. It's no wonder she becomes conceited and proud. Especially as she has no one to care about but herself.

But that changes, one day.

It is one of those sweltering hot summer day, when the air is so heavy it crushes any desire to go play outside, and the sun beats down upon the region of Provence with not an inch of mercy. Even the cicadas can't muster up the energy to chirrup on those days.

The labour lasts for hours and Fleur is absolutely sick of waiting. She has spent the day all alone, no friends came over, which is a real shame because she put on her pretty blush-pink dress and was expecting an onslaught of compliments from her admirers. But no, there was no one. No one at all. Honestly, it's only a bébé, there is far too much of a fuss being made over it, and not enough over her.

Finally, after what seems like hours of interminable boredom, when the sun finally decided that to melt into the horizon in a camaïeu of pink and orange, and the earth is allowed to breathe a little under the cool embrace of the night, there is a bébé's cry and Fleur is ushered to bed.

She doesn't want to go just yet. She's almost 11, she's going to Beauxbâtons is September, surely she can be allowed to stay up a little? She is still hurried up the stairs and into her room. How about the bébé, can she see the bébé? She knows it's born, surely she should be allowed to see it? The door of her bedroom is closed behind her.

Fleur is angry. Not particularly because she was desperate to meet her sibling, no. It's because someone's said 'no' to her, and Fleur doesn't like it when she doesn't get her way. Even her baby doe eyes she has spent 10 years perfecting don't work. Whatever. She just wanted to see if the bébé is a possible threat to her ever-growing popularity.

Later, when the night is fully settled, and the cool navy breeze is whispering sweet nothings to her curtains, and there is little other noise than the chirrup of the cicadas and the occasional hoot of an owl, Fleur sneaks out of her room.

She reaches the bébé's door, and pushes it open. The room is a pastel blue, bathed in the azure of the moonlight. There is the berceau of the bébé in the middle and Fleur creeps towards it, careful not to make a noise. She will see the bébé whether they like it or not. She will not take 'no' for an answer.

Fleur peeks over the edge of the berceau. She sees the bébé, and immediately her fears of being overturned by it are completely overruled. The bébé is an ugly little thing, all wrinkled and pink. Fleur wonders for a moment if this truly is her sibling, if she's not just like the villain petit canard from her fairytale book. The bébé has been wrapped up in a blanket, her own baby blanket, and Fleur feels a sting of jealousy, and decides to walk away.

But then something happens, just as Fleur is about to leave, the bébé gives a little whimper, just a whisper before a cry, and Fleur panics. She rushes back over to the berceau, desperate to shush it before Maman or Papa sees she is out of bed.

"Shhhh," she coos, "Ne fais pas de bruit."

And just like that, the bébé quietens down, and makes no noise other that the soft hush of its breath, all bundled up in that precious blanket. Fleur's voice has appeased it immediately. Fleur looks at the bébé in wonder. Did she just manage to make the baby hush? As if by magic?

And just like that, Fleur has suddenly discovered an even greater magic, completely by chance. It's more powerful that the magic she's starting to wield, or the veela magic she's slowly mastering everyday. No. It's love. L'Amour.

A huge wave of it come crashing down upon her as she gazes at the bébé. No, not 'the bébé'. Gabrielle, her own little sister. She's suddenly seized with the immediate desire to protect her little sister at all costs, the keep her safe from every danger of the world she's yet to discover, and love this little bubbly bundle of a human being to death and back.

There is a noise in the corridor startles her out of her gaze.

"Au revoir, ma Gabrielle," she promises her little sister, who is breathing peacefully, bathed in the light of the smiling moon and lulled to sleep by the melody of the wind.

Fleur tiptoes back to her room. When the morning comes, Gabrielle is officially presented to her, and Fleur is more and more delighted by her little sister and she spends the rest of the summer, the sunny, dazzling summer telling her sister all about the warmth of the sun and the song of the cicadas.

And so, the girl who had seemed to care only for herself has now found in her heart something greater than herself to love. And she's still proud, she's still conceited. But now there is a part of her heart which knows how to love, and oh, does Fleur love fiercely.


Bébé: baby

Berceau: crib

Villain petit canard: ugly little duckling

"Ne fais de bruit": don't make any noise

L'Amour: love

"Au revoir, ma Gabrielle": Goodbye, my Gabrielle


FOR HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

House: Ravenclaw

Assignment #9: Men's History Task #4 Write about a defining moment in a child's life.

Gobstones: Grey – family – 20) blanket – 19) Gabrielle Delacour – 17) no character older than 11

All aboard: 1) The only one

Honeydukes: 6) protective

Talent show: 11) 4) blanket

Writing club:

Record collection: 12) crying

Show time: 4) love

Liza's loves: 12) keeping someone safe

Elizabeth's Empire: 8) blanket

Autumn seasonal:

20th November: No characters over 13

Chemistry: 56) Bubbly

Games: 9) Family

UN: 157) Summer

Colour: 8) blush