I will never be my sister
These were the thoughts that ran through Gabrielle's little head as her big sister's name fly out of the goblet. Eight years old and she knew, no matter how hard she tried she could never live up to the Lovely Fleur Delacour. The reason was simply that Fleur came first, and perfection is a hard act to follow. Make no assumptions that Gabrielle disliked her sister. On the contrary! Gabrielle loved Fleur with all of her heart, with every fiber of her being! Fleur was Gabrielle's idol. She was the ideal big sister. Fleur was nine years older than Gaby, but nine years might as well have been 30 years. At seventeen, Fleur could captivate an entire room. Granted that some of the captivation was through her veela blood shining through, but it wasn't all that counted. Fleur was physical perfection. Tall and willowy, she seemed to float and her waist length hair was a silver waterfall that rippled perfectly without a breeze. Her large cornflower blue eyes portrayed a sense of innocence but also mischief. Her face was flawless, peach tinted skin and full light pink lips that seemed to be curled permanently in a small smile. Fleur looked like the poster child of grace and class. She looked like an illusion dreamed up to make your dream a sweeter place. Fleur looked after Gabrielle fiercely and loved her as only a sister can. Wherever they went, Fleur made sure Gabrielle ate well, and would sneak her extra dessert. Fleur cared for Gaby when she was sick, so much to the point that their mother felt comfortable leaving home for longer periods of time when Gabrielle was little, because she knew Fleur would be there. Fleur was the one who started to teach Gabrielle basic arithmetic and language. She passed on her love of reading and flowers, and Fleur taught Gabrielle how to draw. Always the perfect sister, Fleur put Gabrielle above everybody else.
I will never be my sister
It was Gabrielle, whom Fleur loved the most. That's why it was Gaby who was part of the second task in the Triwizard tournament. Fleur fought tooth and nail to get to Gaby, even when it was no longer the second task, but against her headmistress who was trying to make sure she was okay. Gabrielle was the most precious thing of Fleur's life. She was someone that Fleur could love unconditionally and who could love her back just as much. Although everybody said that Gabrielle was Fleur in miniature, Gabrielle knew she was second best because Fleur was and always would be in first place. Her looks could never be as perfect, her silver hair didn't glow the same way Fleur's did, and therefore did not have the same magical effect. Her eyes, though a light blue, were just not the same cornflower blue that Fleur's were. They just weren't the same eyes that captured the whole room. Gabrielle had a slight sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and while everyone said it was cute, Gabrielle knew it was a flaw. As Gabrielle grew older, Fleur remained not only perfect, but the perfect big sister. Gabrielle was eleven when Fleur got married. She was eleven when Fleur joined in the fighting against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. How frightened Gabrielle was, but her sister survived. Thank god. But it made Fleur more of a hero in people's eyes. Gabrielle often found herself in conversations where people would ask her how proud she was of her sister. "Very proud," she would reply, "My sister is my number one role model and I am so proud and grateful for everything she has done. She is mon ange," But after awhile, it gets boring repeating the same thing over and over again. When Gabrielle hit thirteen, her veela powers kicked in. Suddenly, boys wanted her attention. Not her sister's, but Gabrielle's attention. She started forming curves, but they were never as elegant as Fleur's. Gaby became much more graceful, but even after years of ballet, she still didn't float, more like she glided. Her silver hair hung straight and shiny, but it never flowed in the way that Fleur's hair had. Fleur had been much more outspoken and confident, but Gabrielle was very quiet and shy. She was admired, yes, but she had few close friends. Gabrielle was very smart and did exceptionally well in school, but never quite reached Fleur Delacour's level of academics and creativity.
I will never be my sister
Gabrielle loved all of the Weasleys that came along with her sister's husband. And while they all got along quite well, Gabrielle never felt like she fit in very well. She never knew what to say to them, and she was always tongue tied. Something that Fleur never was, Fleur always had something clever to say. They said it was endearing how shy Gabrielle was, but even as a legal adult, Gaby felt like a small child. She always felt like a foreign exchange student, despite all of the time she spent in England. Gabrielle just couldn't get a grasp on English, no matter how hard she tried. One day she realized that boys liked her because of her Veela blood, because she hadn't learned to control it. Once she realized that, Gabrielle ran to Fleur for her help in controlling it. Boys still admired her, but it was never the same, and she never got the same awestruck looks that Fleur received. Gabrielle knew that even without the veela charm, Fleur could get any guy to do anything for her. Gaby was sure that she wouldn't have the same effect. Gabrielle approached the end of her schooling without a clue of what she wanted to do. "Oh Gaby, you have to make up your mind, your seester knew what she wanted," Sometimes it was enough to reduce Gabrielle to tears. And who else did she have to turn too but her big sister? Gabrielle was seventeen and her sister was twenty-six but Fleur, the proud mother of two, had no qualms about her baby sister snuggling into her lap. "Shhh darling, eet eez alright, zere iz no pressure,". Fleur would tell her stories of her time at Beauxbatons, and they would ease Gabrielle's stress for a while. But there was always that little voice, reminding Gaby that she was different. Nevertheless, Fleur was always there for Gaby to dry her tears. To listen and offer advice, because that was who Fleur was.
I will never be my sister
And this is why Gabrielle understood her niece, Dominique, so well. For Dominique, had it even harder. Not only did Dominique have a perfect mother, but a perfect older sibling who was a replica of their mum. Gabrielle knew that there were positives and negatives to Dominique looking different from her sister. She didn't have to look in the mirror and see a less perfect version of Victoire. But instead, she was forever comparing herself Because she looked different. Victoire looked like Fleur And Gabrielle, but Victoire took after Fleur in the perfect way Gabrielle never did. Victoire had the same flawless peach tinted skin, sans freckles. Her waist length silvery hair seemed to create its own light, and it waved like there was a constant breeze accompanying her. She would grow tall and willowy, with a perfect hour glass figure. Victoire floated on clouds in the same way Fleur did. Dominique just glided. She was shorter than her sister and would never be as thing, although she would try many methods to become so. Her hair was wavy and strawberry blond and it was forever tangling, unlike her perfect older sister's hair. Dominique's eyes were a deep dark blue. Not the light cornflower blue that embodied the innocence of Victoire and Fleur. Like her Aunt Gabrielle, Dominique had freckles across her face. While everyone tried to assure her they were cute, Dominique knew it was just another thing that separated her from her sister's physical perfection. Victoire was the first of the next generation in their family, and that made her an icon. How could Dominique, the middle child compete with that?
I will never be my sister
Like Fleur, Victoire was absolutely perfect. She went above and beyond her family's expectations in school, and she was a Gryffindor. Dominique was in Slytherin. But Victoire was the one who eased the family's reluctance of Dominique's placement at Hogwarts. For although the Weasleys loved Dominique and were proud of her, they still harbored a resentment towards Slytherin. But Victoire convinced them that Dominique was placed in there because of her ambition, not because she was secretly evil. Because Victoire was always looking out for her baby sister. Victoire showed Dominique how to build sand castles. She taught her how to ride a broom, and although Dominique was very good and would one day play professionally, she knew that Victoire was forever better. Dominique was also very smart, she often put studying before friends in order to achieve her sister's excellence. But Victoire was always a hair ahead. At school, Dominique was picked on because of her mixed blood, the other students were afraid of her Veela blood. Dominique never had the same presence that Victoire had. Victoire found out and made it clear to everyone that Dominique was off limits for bullying. Victoire always stood up for Dominique, no exceptions. Only five years older, Victoire seemed light years away to Dominique. Classy and sophisticated, Victoire never had to say much for her words to make an impact. People just wanted to listen to her. People liked Dominique well enough, she was still gorgeous, but she wasn't her sister. Her sister was another legend.
I will never be my sister
Dominique didn't handle the comparisons of her and Victoire as well as Gabrielle did. Dominique hit a rough patch in her teens. She was rebellious, something that Victoire would never do. Which is why she did it, something that only Aunt Gabrielle understood, although she had never done it. Dominique magically dyed her hair black and streaked it green, so that everyone knew she was different. Only Victoire and Aunt Gabrielle respected that. She had her belly button pierced, and tied her Hogwarts uniform up to show it off, landing her in detention many times. In fact, Dominique probably spent more time in detention than out of it. Victoire never received detention and was head girl. Victoire was the one who talked their parents out of their anger towards their younger daughter. Dominique tried every method she could to separate herself from her perfect big sister. She smoked, she partied hard, she did drugs (but decided that it wasn't for her). Dominique often snuck out of school with the help of James and Fred II, and partied in Hogsmede. She often found herself with a huge hangover and no idea how she got back in her dorm. She never knew that Victoire had James and Fred II follow Dominique and make sure that her little sister never got into too much trouble. Dominique gained quite a reputation at school between her fourth and sixth year. But she never let her grades slip, because that would truly upset Victoire, and that was something Dominique could never do.
I will never be my sister
Dominique knew she'd crossed some line when she woke up in an alley covered in her own blood. She called Victoire who'd been in the middle of planning her wedding to Teddy Lupin. Victoire was there immediately and apparated Dominique to St. Mungo's. Victoire held Dominique's hand as Dominique told the hard story of what had happened to her, and how she had been taken advantage of and then beaten, then left all alone. Dominique cried for the first time in three years. Victoire held her sister and repeatedly told her, "I love you Domino, I love you so much,". Victoire walked her sister into a rehabilitation center every day until she got better. Dominique dyed her hair back and took out the piercings. She stopped partying and smoking and drinking. Her grades were still exceptional, she felt she had to make her sister proud. Victoire had never been more proud of Dominique.
I will never be my sister
Gabrielle and Dominique looked up to their older sisters. They were perfection.
I will never be my sister
Fleur and Victoire looked up to their little sisters to remind themselves to be a good example. To show them what unconditional love was and that only sisters can love each other in such a way. Fleur knew she would love her mother's new baby, and the minute Gabrielle was born, it was like a silver string attached from Fleur's heart to Gabrielle's. Victoire always wanted a relationship like Fleur's and Gabrielle's. When her mum told her she would soon have a baby sister, Victoire felt reborn. Fleur understood that Gabrielle would suffer from the comparisons, and she loved her even more fiercely. She loved her so much, so that if Gabrielle ever didn't love herself, Fleur would love her enough for both. Victoire always loved that her sister was different, and she always understood Dominique's actions because she knew that Dominique would grow from the mistakes.
Because really, they were all perfection