A/N: My apologies for the delay. RL was being a bit difficult, and then I was obsessing with another fandom to the point that my muse went on strike and would only give me new plot bunnies. I finally gave in, and next thing I know, inspiration is back and my muse is smiling sweetly my way once again :-) Enjoy the update. Please note that all text in italics is spoken French.
Chapter 4
They quietly make it up the stairs, with Rachel following, in case Fleur stumbles, and into Fleur's bedroom. "Please make yourself comfortable, and sit if you wish." Fleur says as she walks over to her carry on and starts searching through it.
"Thanks." Rachel says as she sits on the corner of the bed, a thousand different questions warring to the forefront of her mind.
"Ah, here it is." Fleur says as she pulls out what looks like the carrying case for a flute.
"Err, you're going to play me a song?" Rachel asks confused, looking at the small carrying case in Fleur's hands.
"What? Oh, this." Fleur looks confused at first, and then has to bite the inside of her cheek to stop giggling. "No, I'm not going to play you any songs. This is something that I will need for my explanation." Fleur adds after she manages to control her giggling, silently wondering if hysterical laughter is a symptom of shock. If Rachel doesn't go away running and screaming, she might ask her.
They both sit in silence for a bit, Fleur struggling to find the right words to explain her world to Rachel, hoping that in the end, they can remain friends. Rachel, for her part, sits as patient as she can, for the first time ever, no words come to mind, and she absentmindedly thinks about how ironic that the one time she can't think of a word to say, there is no one there to witness it.
"There is no easy way for me to say this. All I ask if that you let me say as much as possible without interrupting. I promise that I will answer your questions to the best of my ability." Fleur says breaking the silence. Rachel opens and closes her mouth, but no sounds come out, so in the end, she just nods in agreement. Relief floods through Fleur's slim body and she tries to smile reassuringly at the young brunette sitting in front of her.
Fleur then opens the case where her wand is and pulls it out. "Magic is real." She says without preamble. Without giving Rachel a chance to reply to her statement or to even ask what she is holding, she utters a quick summoning spell and the rest of her luggage floats up the stairs to settle just outside the closet.
Rachel watches with her eyes nearly bulging out and once again pinches herself a couple of times to make sure she isn't dreaming. Maybe she fell down a rabbit hole and didn't notice it, her mind supplies.
"No, Rachel. You're not dreaming. This is real. There is a whole world of magical people that is hidden from non-magical people or muggles, as we call you, that exists independently from yours. We have our own government and a Minister for Magic in each country. The Ministry sets up the rules and regulations that witches and wizards, that's what we call ourselves, must follow; much like your own government. For the most part, both worlds co-exist peacefully alongside each other, but there have been some notable exceptions, big and small.
"Most of the overlaps between our two worlds occur when there is a witch and/or wizard born to a non-magical family. Once they are identified, the school that would be responsible to train them in magic use will contact the family once the child turns eleven years old. In which point, they are given the option of attending the school, or to remain in the muggle world. Most choose to send their children to magical school even if it is just to teach them control of the magic they carry inside. For those that remain in the non-magical world, their magic is bound so as to prevent accidents." Fleur says gently to a nodding Rachel.
"That doesn't explain the furless Chihuahua wearing the toga. Were you from a magical family?" Rachel asks, finally able to string sentences together.
"No, but I will get to that part soon, I hope. And to answer your question, yes, I am. My whole ancestry is magical." Fleur answers honestly. She wonders how Rachel will react when she finds out magical creatures exist and that Fleur herself is not completely human.
Fleur then takes Rachel's hand and squeezes it gently between both of hers. "Are you ok with this so far? Do you need to take a break at all?" Fleur asks gently, knowing how overwhelming all this information must be for the young brunette to take in.
"I'm not really sure how I feel. Just continue please. I have tons of questions, but I will wait until later to ask them." Rachel answers truthfully, taking comfort of Fleur's hands cradling hers.
When Fleur goes to remove her hands from Rachel, she is surprised to find Rachel holding on to one of her hands, so she gently laces their fingers together, surprised that she is enjoying and is actually grateful for the comfort their joined hands provide. She smiles sweetly at Rachel and is rewarded by one of Rachel's smiles.
"Each country has its own magical school, but it's not unheard of that parents send their child to what they deem a better one. We start our formal schooling at age eleven, and it goes for seven years. We are fitted with our wands just before the term starts, which you have already seen, and we learn to control our magic and learn spells that will guide and help us through life. After our seventh year, we choose an area to specialise in, where we will study in a different academy, much like your colleges and universities.
"We have our own currency, and it is a standard currency throughout the wizarding world, less confusing that way when we do business with other countries. We have one bank called Gringotts with branches throughout the wizarding world." Fleur pauses for a moment; the mention of Gringotts brings back painful memories. Before Rachel can say anything, she forces herself to bury those emotions and continue with the story. It isn't time for that part of her tale yet.
"Our currency consists of bronze coins called Knuts. Twenty nine of those make up one silver Sickle, and seventeen of those make up one gold Galleon. To this day I still haven't figured out why they break down our currency in such a strange way, and I used to work for Gringotts. The bank is run by goblins, yes, they are real, but I will get into more detail in a bit.
"To the non-magical world, it would seem as if we have been stuck in the past. We don't have anything that runs on electricity. We still use lamps that have a burning flame in them. In my school and my former home, we alternate between candles and lamps with a magical flame. We dress in robes and yes, the old cliché that we ride brooms is true. Most pureblooded witches and wizards wouldn't know how to use something as simple as a telephone. We communicate via something called the Floo Network. It consists of a series of fireplaces that are linked together. To activate it, you throw a handful of floo powder and wait for the flames to turn green, you say loudly the location of the other fireplace and then stick your head in the fire, and you speak. The flames with the floo powder won't hurt you, if anything, they feel warm and kind of tickle. I would show you, but I refuse to have my fireplace connected to the network." Fleur says with a small smile.
"Why? I mean, it would save you a bundle in long distance charges." Rachel says quickly.
"We can also travel through those fireplaces and I truly do not want to give my family and friends a way to just show up unannounced here. We also travel by something called apparition, but a wizard or witch has to be seventeen before we are allowed to use that form of transformation. Once we turn seventeen, we must go the Ministry of Magic to perform an apparition test, the same way you would perform a test for a driver's license. It's also the quickest way of transportation, but it can also be very dangerous. If not done properly a witch or wizard could splinch themselves." Seeing the look of confusion in Rachel's eyes, Fleur thinks of the best way to explain splinching. "Do you remember seeing magicians perform a trick where they seem to be cutting their assistant in half with a saw while said assistant is inside a box? Well, that is what splinching is, if not done properly, a witch or wizard can have their top portion in location and their bottom portion in another. It's quite painful and a nuisance to fix. That is why the licensing is very strict." Fleur finishes with a grimace, noticing the same reaction on Rachel's features.
"Instead of a postal service, we use owls to deliver letters and parcels. But unlike the postal service, the owls will deliver you a letter regardless of where you are, instead of say to your home or workplace. I have asked my parents to refrain from doing so, but don't be surprised if you suddenly see an increase in owl activity, even during daytime." Fleur can't help but add the last bit, knowing that it will more than likely be the case, seeing as how they just sent her Trixie without so much as a word to her.
"Were you ever going to tell me about all this, I mean, if you didn't have that furless Chihuahua downstairs?" Rachel blurts out the question that has been bothering her since Fleur started her explanation.
Fleur takes a deep breath to calm her nerves, and looks at Rachel's eyes, hoping that the brunette will be able to see the sincerity in her own eyes. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I was debating the best way of doing it. I really like you Rachel. I wanted our friendship to be built on a solid base of mutual honesty and trust. I hope you believe me, but I was thinking of inviting you over for breakfast and then I was hoping you would join me while we waited for my deliveries. I was planning on telling you then. I just needed a way to start the conversation and not have you think that I am a raving lunatic." Fleur finishes with a soft smile.
Rachel can see the honesty and fear of rejection in Fleur's blue gaze. "I believe you. Thank you. I like you as well. I feel horrible that you hurt yourself, but I am glad we ran into each other because it gave me a chance to meet you. I was so hoping you would accept my help; I wanted to spend more time with you." Rachel says looking down, feeling a deep blush cover her features. "How do you know so much about my world? I mean, you said most purebloods like yourself don't know anything about the non-magical world." Rachel asks quickly changing the subject, hoping the colour leaves her cheeks.
Fleur smiles at Rachel, relief pouring over her. "One of the subjects we have available at school is called 'Muggle Studies' where we learn about the non-magical world. Unfortunately, it's not required, but ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated by the non-magical world, so I researched and took every level of that subject during my schooling. At home during my summer break, I made it a point to play around with as much non-magical things as possible. I love the ingenuity that invented the mp3 player. I doubt I can survive without music, and compared to my world, there is so much more variety." Fleur says with a huge smile in her face.
"How can the two worlds exist without us knowing about it? I mean, I'm sure I'd notice someone wearing a robe or someone flying in a broom, or someone popping in and out of nowhere." Rachel asks, wanting to know so much more.
"Well, the magical world isn't completely unknown. Remember I mentioned earlier that there are witches and wizards who are born into non-magical families?" Fleur asks and continues when she receives a nod of confirmation from Rachel. "All heads of states know about us, and whenever necessary, he or she will communicate with the Minister for Magic of the country they run." Fleur answers.
"What prevents them from saying something to the rest of us? Especially once they're out of office." Rachel asks truly perplexed.
"It's not practical. Do you remember studying the witch hunts that were performed throughout the world from as early on as the middle ages? If word were to get out, something similar would happen again. That is one of the main reasons the wizarding world is kept secret. Keeping both worlds separate in theory also keeps us from abusing our powers, but in all honesty, with all the technology in your favour, I would wager that we would be the ones at a disadvantage." Fleur replies, glad that Rachel seems to be taking in the information without freaking out too much.
"Then why have our heads of state be in contact with yours then? I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to keep your world completely secret? Why take the risk that a blabbermouth will spill the beans and expose all of you? Worse yet, what's to stop said blabbermouth to start the witch hunts all over again? It would make more sense to not say a thing." Rachel concludes, again, truly perplexed.
"Formal contact between our worlds is fairly recent, and it was born of necessity. During the 1970's a very powerful dark wizard was coming into power. He used to go by the name of Voldemort and he was intent in controlling and destroying all muggles and muggle-born wizards and witches. This happened mostly in England, but as his power grew stronger and he gained more followers, those who did not share his philosophy were either killed or tortured into submission. The Minister for Magic in England first contacted the then Prime Minister and warned him about the situation, and eventually they devised a way to protect those in your world without revealing the existence of ours. Eventually heads of states from other countries did the same. Now that Voldemort has been defeated, there has been rumours that this deal will soon be broken and once again, the wizarding world will exist alongside the muggle world without yours knowing about us." Fleur explains.
"What happened to this Voldemort person?" Rachel asks.
"I promise you I will get into more details with that in the near future. I'm not trying to keep anything from you, but it will take a long time to explain it all. Don't worry, everything I am telling you is connected so you will hear that part as well. Just be warned that it is not a pretty story at all." Fleur says barely above a whisper. The pain she has been trying to escape comes back to her and hits her like a ten ton boulder.
Rachel notices the look of despair on Fleur's near perfect features and feels her heart clench in sympathy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad. You know what? It's late. We have been talking for hours now, well, mostly you, and earlier you mentioned that you are still jetlagged. Why don't we take a break and continue tomorrow." Rachel offers, hoping to give a Fleur a break and to give herself time to digest and absorb what she has heard so far.
"Thank you Rachel. I really appreciate your kindness. I am exhausted. It is very late. We can definitely continue this in the morning after some breakfast." Fleur replies gratefully. "Here, let me get you something you can sleep in." Fleur gets up and walks slowly to the suitcases by her closet, opens them and eventually she finds a pair of ruby red silk shorts and a matching sleeveless top. She then goes through a second suitcase and pulls out a big, fluffy towel. "This should fit you just fine. You can change in the bathroom. Feel free to take a shower if you want. Feel free to use whatever toiletries I have. Unfortunately, I don't have a spare toothbrush, but I can fix that really quick." Fleur says and then she quickly transfigures a lipstick into a toothbrush and hands it to Rachel.
Rachel for her part accepts the proffered items with only slight surprised after seeing Fleur change the lipstick into a toothbrush for her. "Thank you Fleur." She heads to the master bathroom where she quickly goes through her night time routine. She then walks out and once again, she finds Fleur standing by the huge windows, looking outside. "Err, do you care which side I uh, take?" Rachel asks, bringing Fleur out of her musings.
"Non, chere. Any side you wish to use is fine." Fleur replies with a soft smile.
"Thanks." Rachel says from the bathroom door, but makes no effort to move just yet. "Fleur, uh, why don't you sit down and prop your feet up. I uh need to take the bandage off your foot so that you can, you know, shower and stuff." Rachel finally says, as she slowly makes her way to the bed, starts to fold her sundress, and sets it down on the floor by the bedside table on the right side of the bed. She then walks to the foot of the bed where Fleur is sitting and silently plops on the floor and places Fleur's injured foot on her lap. She then carefully removes the bandage and very gently massages the injured area. "How does it feel? Does it hurt?" Rachel asks.
Fleur winces a little bit when she feels Rachel's fingers on her foot. "A little, but it's no big deal. It's actually feeling a lot better now. Thank you Rachel. I actually forgot about my foot until I got up to walk to the window." Fleur smiles sheepishly. Once Rachel is finished tending to her foot, she gets up and heads to the master bathroom with her own pyjamas to get ready for bed.
While Fleur is getting ready for bed, Rachel makes her way downstairs to make sure the door is locked, and is at the same time relieved when the strange creature is nowhere to be seen. When Fleur returns to her bedroom, she finds Rachel standing and staring out the same window she had stood at earlier. She walks to Rachel's side and they both look into the neighbourhood, lit only by streetlamps and the solar garden lights.
"I have always wondered why the architect designed this house with such huge windows when all you can see is the rest of the neighbourhood." Rachel says to break the silence between them before it becomes uncomfortable.
"Perhaps he or she enjoys a lot of natural light. I would also imagine that in the winter, just after a snow fall, before anything is disturbed, the sight would be breathtaking." Fleur answers softly. She then grabs Rachel's hand and guides her to the bed. "Come on, Madmoiselle Berry, it's getting really late, and we have a very long day ahead of us."
Rachel allows Fleur to lead to the bed, but notices that Fleur is limping a bit more. She feels her gut clench at the sight of the blonde in pain. "I should have insisted we took more rests while we were out earlier. It looks like you aggravated your injury even more. Do you want a pain killer? I think I have some Advil in my purse." Rachel says they both settle on the bed.
"I am fine. Don't worry. I really have had worse injuries. A little bit of rest and I shall be all right." Fleur says, warmed by Rachel's concern, even after the partial revelation from earlier.
"I have an idea. Be right back." Rachel says and then she disappears into the master bathroom.
She promptly returns with a damp washcloth in hand. "I ran it under cold water for a bit, it's not as cold as an ice compress, but it should work like a cold compress for a fever." Rachel explains as she draws Fleur's foot to her lap once again and covers it with the washcloth. She repeats it a few times and then gives her a quick massage. "Hope that feels better." Rachel says shyly as she settles beside Fleur once again.
"Merci, Rachel. It is better." Fleur says through a yawn.
"I didn't mean to keep you up so late. Sweet dreams Fleur." Rachel says barely above a whisper.
"Good night and sweet dreams as well, Rachel." Fleur mumbles before falling asleep.
Rachel lies on her side, staring out the huge windows, trying to absorb everything she just heard from the blonde. She should be scared, but she isn't. She should be questioning her sanity, which she is, but not because of the revelations, but because she has this urge to trust and be with the blonde lying beside her, deep in the arms of Morpheus. Eventually she drifts off to sleep as she makes the decision of following her instincts and hope for the best. She hasn't had a connection with anyone like this before and she enjoys having a friend that no one else knows.
TBC...