A/N: Here is the next installment. A bit long... keep in mind that I tweaked the information in HP lore to suit the purposes of this story. Enjoy.
Chapter 5
Strangely enough, both girls sleep until around 7 am, when the sunlight filtering through the window finally rouses them from their sleep. Rachel is surprised because even without an alarm, her body is so used to waking by 6 am. She guesses that she must have been more tired than she realised. Fleur for her part is amazed the slept until 7 am because her body is still adjusting itself to the six hour difference between Ohio and France. She is also extremely grateful to whatever deity that had allowed her yet another night of nightmare free sleep.
"Good morning Rachel. Did you sleep all right?" She greets the young brunette softly when she feels movement beside her.
"Good morning Fleur. I slept fine, thank you. How about you? How is your foot?" Rachel asks with a small smile.
"I sleep surprisingly well, much later than I expected. My foot feels all right, better I suppose, but perhaps a little bit stiffer than usual." Fleur answers back, deciding not to mention her often regular nightmares just yet. No need to bring up such issues yet. There will definitely be time for that in the future.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to get the washcloth again." Rachel says after she stretches quickly and hops out of bed and back into the master bathroom.
She quickly takes care of her morning routine and then returns with the washcloth once again. She then gently wraps Fleur's ankle with it and can't help but smile at the surprise in the blonde's face.
"I thought we needed to keep my injury cold?" Fleur asks after a moment.
"Yes, but because your foot is stiff, the heat will improve circulation and loosen any tightness in the area. I also noticed that the swelling is down, so the cold treatment should now be used to help dull the pain, while we alternate heat treatment to aid circulation and recovery." Rachel explains as she gently massages the ankle wrapped in the cooling washcloth.
"Thank you. I believe I have some things for you to change into until we can make it to your house and you can change properly." Fleur says already planning out the day.
"If you don't mind, that would be great. I figure then I can quickly shower and change while I get the ice pack for your foot. Then we can go and head for breakfast and come back here and wait for your deliveries, and, uh, maybe if you are up to it, we can continue our conversation from last night?" Rachel hesitantly asks, still curious about Fleur's world. For the first time in ages, Rachel doesn't feel bad about missing her morning cardio workout.
"Of course Rachel. I haven't forgotten we still have a conversation pending." Fleur smiles softly at Rachel's gentle blush.
"I, uh won't wrap your foot until after we get back to my place and ice it." Rachel says quickly.
"Whatever you think is best. You are the doctor, after all. I shall do as you say." Fleur says with a teasing smile. She should be in a near panic because of the way Rachel found out about her secret, because she still needs to tell Rachel about her true heritage, but for some reason, this gentle teasing comes so naturally she can't help but go with the feeling. It has been so long since she had felt this carefree.
Rachel can't help but blush yet again at the teasing. "Uh, how is your foot now?" she asks eventually.
Fleur flexes and rotates her ankle and is quite surprised that she barely feels any pain and that the stiffness from earlier is all but gone. "Great. Thank you Rachel. I will go get you something to change into while I go and get ready myself." Fleur says, as she slowly gets up from her bed, again, surprised at how well her foot feels, without any use of magic or potions.
"Ok. I know your foot feels better, but don't abuse it. The more you rest it, the faster it will heal." Rachel says finally, unsure of what else to say and not wanting the room to be blanketed in silence.
"It should be all right. We will be spending the day waiting for my furniture and appliances to be delivered so I doubt I will be walking around too much." Fleur says as she rummages through her suitcases for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "Here you go Rachel. This should fit you just fine, until we head back to your house." Fleur says handing over the items.
"Thank you Fleur." Rachel takes the items and smiles, grateful that they're shorts so their height difference shouldn't make them look funny on her.
Rachel quickly changes and while she waits for Fleur to emerge from the bathroom, she neatly makes the bed and then folds the pyjamas she used and puts them on top of her sundress. This way, she can wash them along with the shorts and t-shirt she is wearing now.
Eventually, Fleur emerges wearing a pair of khaki coloured cargo shorts and a fitted black t-shirt. Comfort being the key since they will spend the day waiting for furniture. Rachel can't help but notice the long, shapely legs as Fleur once again rummages through her luggage in search of a pair of flip flops. A small smirk graces her lips when she thinks of how her mother would react to her wearing such casual clothing.
Rachel silently grabs the folded clothing and stuffs them into her shoulder bag and they both head over the Berry residence. Rachel quickly ushers Fleur to the couch. She then makes a beeline to the freezer to retrieve the ice pack and a clean dish towel and once again wraps them around the Veela's ankle.
"Umm, Dad and Daddy are off to work already, early shifts this week. I should be down in about 15 minutes. If you can take it, leave the ice pack until then and I'll go about wrapping it again for support. Uh, feel free to watch TV while you wait." Rachel says as she makes her way to the stairs to get ready for the day.
"Merci. I shall find something to entertain myself once again." Fleur answers softly, reaching for her Blackberry, intent in letting her parents know how displeased she is about the sudden appearance of Trixie. She quickly sends them a couple of text messages because she is sure she will regret what she will say if she actually talks to them. She already knows that her parents' calls will go unanswered until she finishes this conversation with Rachel and she manages to cool off.
About ten minutes later Rachel strolls down the stairs wearing a pair of cut off denim shorts, a white fitted tank under a blue man's button down shirt and a pair of white Keds.
"I, uh, was thinking about breakfast here since we need to be back at your place by nine to wait for the delivery people. That and here we can have a bit more privacy and not have to worry about curious ears." Rachel says as she sits down on the coffee table to start wrapping Fleur's ankle with the tensor bandage.
"Then maybe after all your items get delivered, we can pick up a neoprene brace for support, that way the heat generated by it should keep your foot from getting too stuff and we just have to worry about icing it." Rachel says as she gently wraps the foot in question.
"Merci. If you ever decide that a musical career is not for you, I would certainly suggest a career in medicine. Your bedside manner is fantastic." Fleur says honestly. She normally hates people fussing over her, but the way Rachel has been taking care of her ankle is done in a way where she does not feel like an incompetent fool.
"Thanks. I doubt it though. I actually get queasy at the sight of blood." Rachel says as she once again feels the familiar flush of heat wash over her in the form of a blush colouring her features. "There. All done. Come." Rachel says as she offers her hand to Fleur and both girls head to the kitchen.
"Is there anything in particular you want? Any dietary restrictions I need to aware of or any food allergies?" Rachel asks as she scours the content of the fridge.
"Non. Whatever you were planning on having is fine. Thank you for asking though. It was very thoughtful. You would be surprised how many people don't bother at all." Fleur replies with yet another smile.
Rachel smiles back and gathers everything she will need for a spinach, mushroom, and feta cheese omelette.
"Do you need help with anything?" Fleur asks as she watches Rachel wash the spinach and mushroom.
"Nope, just make yourself comfortable." Rachel answers as she starts to finely chop the produce in front of her.
"Let's see, where did we leave off last night?" Fleur mumbles to herself.
"I ended with my foot in my mouth, as usual." Rachel answers softly, as she chops away.
"What do you mean?" Fleur asks as she hears Rachel's comment.
"Oh, I'm sorry; here I am doing it again. It's a figure of speech. It means I ended up saying something I wasn't supposed to. It's part of our slang here in America." Rachel says blushing yet again.
Fleur just looks confused because she cannot remember what Rachel might have said the night before, but for now lets the subject drop. Instead, she smiles and chooses where to continue with her tale.
"We talked about muggle-borns yesterday. The flip side is also true. There are children who are born to wizarding families that possess no magic within them. They are called squibs. Usually there is the option for them to stay in the magical community doing odd jobs and such, or they have the option of integrating themselves into this world." Fleur says as she watches Rachel intently.
"What determines if someone is born with or without magic? Is it genetic?" Rachel asks as she breaks 3 eggs in a bowl and starts to whisk them.
"No one truly knows. I imagine genetics would play a big role since most children from wizarding families are magical. Still, it doesn't explain the growing incidence of muggle-born witches and wizards. Actually, it's not a bad research topic. I will have to e-mail a good friend of mine and see if she is interesting in exploring this subject further." Fleur says, thinking of Hermione.
"Our world isn't perfect though. The discrimination to those born a squib is horrible, so most choose to leave the magical world. The ironic thing though is that there is a chance their own children will be born to be witches or wizards, and they have to be part of our world again, if only from the periphery. Sometimes I believe that if we didn't isolate ourselves so much, things wouldn't be so bad, but I also see that in this world prejudice is also something we must deal with." Fleur states sadly.
Rachel just nods as she continues to add a touch of milk and seasonings to the eggs she will use for their omelettes.
"You're probably wondering what this has to do with Trixie, or as you call her, the hairless Chihuahua in the toga." Fleur chuckles at the description, and once again, Rachel nods.
"Remember last night I mentioned that Gringotts is run by goblins?" Fleur asks, and continues when she sees Rachel nod again.
"Just as magic is real, so are magical creatures that your world describes as mythical or figments of an overactive imagination. Fairies, goblins, unicorns, pixies, leprechauns, elves, giants, centaurs, sirens, dragons and a host of other wonderful creatures. Some are sentient beings, like you and me; some are more like highly intelligent animals. Unfortunately, a lot of sentient magical beings are subject to a lot prejudice and discrimination. There are those in the wizarding community that think that humans are superior in every way, and those in power have made laws that make it very hard for some of these beings to be able to co-exist with the rest." Fleur adds sadly with a hint of anger in her voice.
"I guess it's like the discrimination we have when it comes to ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, political affiliation, and religion to name a few things." Rachel adds, understanding just a little too well.
"Trixie is what we call a house elf. They're a species of elves that are sentient and possess their own magic. They are powerful creatures, but the biggest catch is that they're bound to a family. They are usually servants to rich wizarding families. The house elves will serve a specific family for generations. Each one of their descendants will serve the same family and their descendants. This has been going on for generations. This will sound awful, and for some, it truly is awful. They don't get paid, and they cannot quit. They can only be dismissed when they are given real clothing. That is why Trixie wears a tea towel she has fashioned into a toga, as you call it." Fleur continues with her tale, after acknowledging Rachel's comment with a sad nod of her own.
"Most house elves live to serve and they are happiest doing so. There are some that wish more than anything to be free. A lot of muggle-born witches and wizards see this as a form of slavery, and unfortunately, in some cases it is true. It is a very interesting and lopsided dynamic though. It isn't something as simple as giving a house-elf a piece of clothing and they live happily ever after. I met one while I was still in school that was suffering from depression after being dismissed by her master. I guess like everything else in this world, it isn't as cut and dry as some would like to believe." Fleur finishes.
"Does your family let go of the ones that wish to leave?" Rachel asks softly while she plates the omelettes and grabs the orange juice from the fridge.
"Yes, we will give a piece of clothing to those who do not wish to stay with the Delacour family." Fleur answers, looking sad and a bit nervous. She knows she will have to tell Rachel about her Veela heritage if she so much as wishes and/or hopes for them to become friends.
Fleur is so distracted by her thoughts, and the possibilities of what might happen, that she does not realise that breakfast is ready and Rachel is now sitting beside her, a plate of food in front of each one, and a glass of orange juice.
"Fleur?" Rachel calls out softly, and when she sees the blonde jump slightly she smiles and at the acknowledging nod she continues. "Go ahead and eat before the food gets cold. I hope this is ok. "I uh, didn't know if you like coffee, and we don't have any Chai tea here, so I hope orange juice is ok. The only teas we have are herbal and caffeine free." Rachel finishes, grabbing her own fork to begin eating.
"Everything looks great, and orange juice is just perfect." Fleur says sincerely.
They eat in relative silence, Rachel talking about her dreams of becoming a Broadway star, somehow sensing that while they eat, a light topic of conversation is best. When they're done eating, Rachel puts the dishes in the dishwasher and they make it back to Fleur's house to wait for the deliveries.
"Thank you for breakfast. It was really good." Fleur says during the quick drive to her place. Rachel still refuses to have Fleur walk and injure herself even more.
"You're welcome. I, uh, do most of the cooking at home because my dads are always busy and Quinn, my best friend and roommate cannot cook unless she has a recipe and even then, it takes her a lifetime to make one meal. We'd all grow old just waiting, so if I want to eat anytime this decade it's just easier for me to cook our meals." Rachel says smiling fondly.
"I still say we could have walked back, but thank you for your concern. I guess now we just sit and wait for the delivery people to show up. I hope sitting on the stairs or the floor is acceptable." Fleur says as they enter her house.
"The floor is fine, don't worry about it. I normally hate the pollution cars create, but I will not have you aggravating your injury if I can prevent it." Rachel says shyly.
"I also appreciate the break from our conversation during breakfast." Fleur says with a smile.
Rachel, as it seems to be normal around Fleur, blushes at those words, making Fleur laugh. Rachel just thinks that she has a beautiful laugh and should do so more often. She can think of at least a dozen clichés as she listens to that laugh, and of course blushes a deeper shade of red.
"Shall we continue?" Fleur asks as she settles on the bottom two steps of the staircase and places her Blackberry beside her. "Don't worry; I don't plan on answering unless it's from one of the stores I bought furniture from." She says in response to Rachel's furrowing of her brow.
Rachel sits cross-legged facing her and nods.
"The number of magical creatures is too big for me to list and describe them all. Once I am speaking to my family again, I shall ask them to send me my old school text books." Fleur adds as an afterthought.
"Are you out of sorts with your parents?" Rachel asks, immediately clamping her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry. That was very nosy and insensitive of me." Rachel replies after a few seconds.
"I came here on my own, intent on giving up magic for the most part. That is why I settled here, no where near a magical town, with a very low crime rate. I imagine that my parents panicked once I shared with them the news of my injury and probably sent Trixie over to help me. You walking in on her was not how I was planning on you finding out about my world. As I mentioned before, I was planning on telling you today or perhaps in the coming days, but I am digressing. I am a bit angry because once again, my parents disregarded my wishes and did as they pleased. They need to learn to respect my decisions and choices." Fleur says softly, managing to control some of her anger, mainly because she cannot bring herself to take it out on the brunette who has done so much for her. Silently she hopes again that things will continue to progress in a positive way between them.
"There are as many sentient as there are non-sentient creatures." Fleur says, picking up the story once again.
"When you mean sentient, you mean intelligent and with a soul, capable of reasoning and feeling emotions?" Rachel asks for clarification.
"Yes, imagine as you will, encountering an alien species from another planet. They would be just as intelligent as you are, but probably look different, depending on how evolution would have happened in his or her home planet. Only with sentient magical beings we're not talking beings from another planet, although if you saw some of them, you would think they were from another planet." Fleur says, feeling her nervousness increase.
"Goblins, house-elves, fairies, leprechauns are sentient creatures that aren't humanoid or lack human features, but are quite intelligent and have a soul. There are sentient beings who have humanoid features, such as giants, sirens, centaurs. Some like giants have no magic at all, but are just big and strong. There are trolls, who are strong and have feelings, but are about as intelligent as a sack of rocks. There are beings such as centaurs who do not perform magic, but are known to be able to read the stars and get insight on things yet to come." Fleur says, getting a bit more nervous and restless. She shakes her head slightly, trying to gather some courage and calm down. She was the champion for Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons, and she fought alongside Harry Potter to defeat one of the darkest wizards in history. She can do this. Taking a deep breath she continues before Rachel can interrupt.
"There are sentient beings called veelas, who look for the most part like very beautiful men and women, but once angered, they turn into a more mythical looking being. Pure veelas will show a beautiful set of golden wings and their features will resemble those of a bird, with talon like legs and hands. Part veelas, depending on how much veela blood they carry might just show increase physical strength, to having their fingers elongate and having sharp claws to even showing partial wings. Veelas also have a strange effect on members of the opposite gender. They possess something that is mostly referred to as their thrall, and it draws members of the opposite gender to them in a hypnotic way. Pure veelas have the strongest thrall of course, and part veelas have it as well, but fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who you ask, have a weakened or diluted version of the thrall." Fleur says, pausing to catch her breath, and readying herself for the questions she is sure will come.
"You mentioned pure and part veelas. You mean there are veelas who have mated with other species?" Rachel asks.
"Yes. Most will mate within themselves, but there are some who will mate with other magical beings. Some like my grandmother, married a human wizard." Fleur admits quietly, waiting for the look of disgust and rejection.
Rachel does a double take at the last sentence from Fleur. "You're part veela?" She asks surprised.
"Yes, I am. My grandmother is a pure veela who fell in love and married a wizard. My mother was born a half-veela and also happened to fall in love with a wizard and she had two daughters, my younger sister Gabrielle, and me. We are both quarter-veelas." She says closing her eyes, waiting for the axe to fall.