Rated: K+

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

The International Wizarding School Championship

WWN Season 2, Issue 4

School and Year: Beauxbatons, Year 5

Prompt: [plot point] Racial discrimination

Technique: Commas

Word count: 955 (10% leeway)

Discrimination: the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex, according to Google.

Some people use it to their advantage, and sometimes their advantages are used against them.

As Pretty as an Angel

Where there's a society, there exists a hierarchy.

It is natural, yet it doesn't mean that it is for the better. Some people have the upper hand, while others have to crawl at the bottom.

From the very beginning, Fleur Delacour knew she was different.

"Fleur," her grandmother, a Veela said, "you know… you are very different from the other girls. You have an advantage over them."

Fleur nodded. "I know, grandmother."

"But you have to understand," her grandmother continued, "that everything comes with a price. You have to be careful."

Fleur didn't understand. But she nodded anyway.

Everyone is treated differently based on their position in society. However, not all halfbreeds were looked down upon. Some of them were admired and envied. And she was one of them.

Fleur liked the attention and the advantages that came with being a Veela. She would never be suspected of anything bad—all she had to do was give an innocent smile and any suspicions would be drowned.

Things were simpler during her childhood and being a Veela wasn't too bad.

"Because you're a Veela."

Fleur's eyes narrowed. "Repeat that."

"Because you're a Veela," Adele hissed. "That's the reason why you've got top marks. It's because you've seduced Monsieur Gallois."

"How dare you accuse me of that?!" Fleur raised her voice. Heads turned in her direction. They all held hostile glares and Fleur couldn't bring herself to say anything back, because even though she had worked hard to get top marks, it was no secret that her teacher had a thing for her. Experience taught her that yelling back would be useless and it would just make everything worse.

So she gritted her teeth and walked away. As she passed, she could hear whispers and they were definitely not friendly.

They didn't understand!

They didn't understand how it insulting felt to hear her accomplishments being reduced to her stupid face. Stupid gorgeous looks.

They didn't understand that being pretty was a pain.

Not that she wished to be ugly; she just wished to be normal, plain and simple. It was amusing how people would go to extreme lengths to just look pretty - they simply had no idea what it was to be like her.

They never appreciated their normalcy. They didn't understand how lucky they were.

"That kid, Fleur, she's too bothersome."

Fleur froze. She was outside the staff room and wanted to ask a doubt. Right before she knocked on the door, she heard her teachers talking about her.

"Why would you say that?" Madame Legrand asked. "She's a nice kid—good grades and well disciplined."

"Why do you think?" her teacher, Monsieur Gallois, asked. "Isn't it obvious?! Her Veela powers drive me crazy and I can't help it!"

Fleur gritted her teeth, It's not my fault!

"That's too bad," Madame Legrand sighed. "She's a gem of a child."

"I know, but I don't want to lose my job!" Monsieur Gallois said desperately. "The last thing I want is students assuming things."

They're already assuming things, Fleur thought as her stomach clenched.

"Students will assume anything…" Madame Legrand said. "But I'll make sure we teachers have your back."

"It's still so frustrating," Monsieur Gallois said. "To be attracted to a child… I feel so disgusted…"

Fleur bit her lip. She wanted to apologise to her teacher but how would it help? He knew it wasn't her fault. He was a great teacher and she felt terrible when her teachers thought of her as bothersome.

It's not my fault. I'm sorry for being bothersome, she thought as she stepped away from the staff room and walked back to her dorm.

The Triwizard Tournament was one of the hottest gossips that week. Everywhere she went, that was all people talked about.

"Didn't Fleur Delacour get selected as one of the people who would go to Hogwarts?" an unfamiliar voice spoke.

Fleur stopped in her tracks and hid behind a wall. She liked overhearing conversations on herself—even though she knew it wasn't always that positive; she liked to think that there were still some people who'd see her for more than her beauty.

"She did," a voice scoffed. Fleur recognised her to be Marine, one of her classmates. "But you know why…"

"Yeah—she's got fantastic grades and her skills are amazing!" another voice responded.

"Are you really that naive, Lena? You know she gets to do all this because she's a Veela, right?"

"I suppose, but that can only work to some extent," Lena argued. "Isn't our headmistress a female? She's the one who chooses the students."

"No, she isn't. She doesn't know the students personally. It's only our teachers and you know how our male teachers are all fawning for her…"

They turned around a corner and Fleur quickly tiptoed in their direction. Using the wall as her cover, she strained to listen.

"...doing it on purpose," Lena was saying. "They're attracted to Veelas and can't help it unless they're gay or something."

"That's fair," Marine agreed reluctantly. "I still think she's a bit shallow."

"I don't think so," Lena said. "I don't know Fleur personally—I've only spoken to her a few times—but she doesn't seem so bad."

"You only see the best in people, huh?" Marine asked and that was the last thing Fleur could hear from them before their voices faded.

Fleur smiled lightly. The world still had nonjudgmental people. There was hope.

I read about a person who looks absolutely gorgeous. She's very smart and brilliant, and worked in a field dominated by men. Her accomplishments would always be dumped down, and people would regularly consider her to be a shallow person. At times, she would feel so bad that she genuinely wished to be ugly. I felt terrible reading about it :(

So yeah, I'm pretty sure treating Veelas differently counts as discrimination too. If it's not... well, there goes all my points. At least I'll get 1/10 for trying (gotta keep up that positive attitude!) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯