–Excuse me?†Bill’s head jerked up from the list of curses he’d been studying all afternoon, his stomach lurching as he recognised the voice.
–Fleur!†It had been a little over a month since he’d last seen her. Today, her silvery hair was bound in a braid; though a few wisps escaped to frame her face, she made it look entirely intentional. He sat up a little straighter, and she smiled sweetly at him.
–I was not sure you would remember me.†Her cheeks were slightly flushed. –I ‘m afraid I cannot read zees.– She placed a bit of parchment, covered in dense scrawl, on his desk. –I did not know ‘oo else to ask…â€
–Not at all.†Bill picked it up and began to read. He didn’t blame her for having trouble; the letter was from his boss, and it had taken Bill himself nearly a month to be able to read the woman’s hand-writing without squinting. –How have you been keeping?â€
–Oh, I am well, thank-you,†she said. –I’m enjoying London.†Something in her tone made Bill stop and look up at her. She was biting her lip, which made them a highly attractive colour… Bill shook himself. Her answer had sounded rehearsed, and she didn’t look happy: she held herself stiffly, and she’d folded her arms defensively across her chest.
–Not missing home at all?†he asked.
–A leetle…†She teetered for a moment, then admitted, –I do not ‘ave any friends here. I went ‘ome at ze weekend but…â€
–Oh, you’ll make friends easily enough soon. You’ve only just arrived, haven’t you?†Bill began to re-write the long memo in more legible script.
–I got ‘ere two weeks ago.†Fleur hesitated. –I’m silly, really, expecting to make friends so quickly.â€
Bill supressed a frown. After two weeks in her job, she shouldn’t be seeking out a mere acquaintance from another department for help with memos. His knowledge of her part of the office was somewhat limited: he worked directly with artefacts recovered by curse breakers in the field, and her department dealt with the administrative side of that. He knew he ought to know them better, but they’d been a rather dull lot, and they never really mixed much; Bill couldn’t ask anyone to keep an eye out for her. He finished his translation and pushed the parchment back in Fleur’s direction. –Is that better?†She scanned it, her eyes and lips moving rapidly as she read.
–Oui, merci.†She blushed again, bright pink creeping down her neck as well this time. Bill’s stomach clenched slightly; she was somehow even more attractive when she lost her perfectly composed veneer. –I mean-– He held up his hand to stop her, and she inclined her head and smiled: this was more like the self-assured girl he remembered, and Bill returned the smile, relieved that she was feeling better.
–If you need help with her writing again, just come straight down here and I’ll help you. Or if you just want to see a friendly face, you’re welcome to pop round anytime.â€
Her face was, for a moment, entirely unreadable. Then she said, –Zank you, Bill. It’s kind of you. I do not want to be in ze way…â€
–It’s no trouble.†Bill grinned, and she returned it shyly. –And if you want anyone to show you around London, I’d be happy to.†She tilted her head, her expression slightly confused. –Nothing meant by it of course, just… you know, if you want some company? Until you find some friends your own age…†Smooth, Bill.
–Zat would be lovely.†She had a surprised sort of smile on her face, and that blush was back.
*
–Bill!†Fleur was already halfway down the steps before Bill could turn around, her hair glistening under the early evening sun. –I was ‘oping to catch you before you went ‘ome.â€
–Of course,†said Bill, returning her bright smile – and trying not to sound too eager. –What do you need?â€
Fleur opened her mouth, but no sound came out: the silence became awkward in an instant, and she turned away, muttering something in French.
–Is something wrong?†Bill was stumped, and Fleur was still hissing to herself, her face turned away; her profile was just as disarming as her direct gaze, and Bill swallowed. Eventually, she took a short, sharp breath and met his gaze again.
–I am sorry,†she said, flicking her hair irritably off of her forehead. –This is difficult.â€
–Do you want to go somewhere quieter?†The heat of the sun was making Bill sweat: it had been a sweltering day, and he missed the Charms that kept his office pleasant.
–Yes, I do,†said Fleur. –Zees is my problem. I want to go somewhere with you.†She took a deep breath, her shoulders sagging as if she’d suddenly felt a great wave of relief.
–Fleur, that isn’t a problem… Have you not made any other friends, though?†He’d taken her on a tour of London nearly three weeks ago, and she’d brimmed with confidence; she should have found her feet since then, surely? Fleur, however, rolled her eyes.
–I do not want uzzer friends. I want you, Bill. I like you.†She made an odd motion, as though she’d been going to step forwards – towards Bill – but stopped herself. –I am sorry, I ‘ave never ‘ad to ask before.†Delicate pink blush began to spread down her neck towards her collarbones, peeking from beneath the navy robes Bill had seen her wearing around the office once before.
It was Bill’s turn to open his mouth prematurely: the second time he did it, he gave up and laughed, shaking his head. Fleur’s brow furrowed. –Did I say somezing funny?â€
Bill cleared his throat hurriedly, feeling guilty. –No, not at all, Fleur, honestly. I just… Today’s been such a boring day, I didn’t think…†He shook his head. –I thought going home to be nagged about my hair was all I had to look forward to!â€
–Er, nagged?†Fleur asked. –I don’t know zis...?â€
–Oh, don’t worry.†He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. It was probably too vigorous a motion. He felt ridiculous and weightless; anymore flapping like that and he’d risk taking flight.
A young wizard passed them on the pavement, his eyes lingering slightly on Fleur: when she smiled sweetly at him, he turned away, looking almost embarrassed at his own interest. Something about it struck Bill as odd, and it took him a moment to decide how best to approach it.
–Fleur, maybe it’s rude of me to wonder, but… Why were you so uncomfortable asking me? I’m sure you must have been approached before.â€
–Yes,†she admitted. –But only wiz some… charm.†Something in Bill’s expression made her jaw tighten. –Eet is not so easy to ‘ave control as some imagine. Eet is better now, but when I was young… And still now, sometimes.†Her cheeks turned a dark pink, but her voice didn’t waver. –I wanted to be sure eet was me zis time. I wanted to be in control.â€
Bill nodded mutely. He stared at her for a moment: her hair glinted in the sun, her skin was so flawless it could have been carved of marble, and her expression – defiant and strong – was frozen, waiting for his stammered response.
*
–Mr Delacour.†Bill took the hand proffered to him, hoping that he looked reliable and trustworthy – the sort of man a father would be happy for his daughter to marry. –Thank-you for meeting me.â€
–Of course.†Mr Delacour ushered him over the threshold; Bill could smell something fishy cooking and winced. –S’il vous plait, ‘ave dinner wiz moi et mon family. Gabrielle is ‘ome, and we are ‘aving Bouillabaisse.â€
–Thank-you, really, Mr Delacour, but I’m afraid I can’t stay long-–
–No! You ‘ave travelled far, eat wiz us first; any business you ‘ave can wait.†There was a twinkle in Mr Delacour’s eye, which Bill found unsettling: Fleur’s father knew exactly what Bill was there for…
Dinner was a short affair: Bill picked at the fish, mopped the sauce up with very fresh, crusty bread and was regaled with stories from Gabrielle (with some help from her parents with translations). Eventually, Mrs Delacour declared that it was time for Gabrielle to stop trying to teach Bill French songs and go to bed, and she swept her daughter from the room in such a flourish that Bill almost didn’t register that he was finally alone with Mr Delacour, who was now staring at him expectantly.
–Ah, I’m sorry.†Bill cleared his throat. –Mr Delacour, as you know, I care for Fleur very, very much and, with your blessing, I would like to ask for her hand in marriage.â€
There was a brief – though painful – silence, and then Mr Delacour laughed. –If you zink that my daughter is needing permission, you do not know ‘er very well.†He wagged a finger at Bill. –But of course, you already know zat. You are a family man at ‘art, I zink, and you want to know zat your children will ‘ave deux grandfazzers.â€
Bill choked on his wine: the white tablecloth turned the approximate colour of his cheeks. –I-I just wanted to know that you approved.â€
–Ah, you make Fleur ‘appy. If Fleur is ‘appy, I am ‘appy.†Mr Delecour grinned: Fleur had inherited his dimples, though his showed much more readily. Maybe when she saw the ring… Bill’s own cheeks ached as he returned the smile, feeling giddy. –I only ‘ope she says –Oui, oui!â€!†Mr Delacour’s suddenly mysterious tone made Bill’s eyes snap open: Mr Delacour’s eyes were focussed on something over Bill’s shoulder, in the direction of the dining room door. He didn’t need to turn to know who was there: his hand closed on the box in his pocket.
–I did not zeenk you would be ‘ere.†Fleur’s voice was tight. –I ‘ad ‘oped to see you alone, tomorrow night.†Mr Delacour was chortling to himself.
–Our anniversary,†said Bill. –I hadn’t forgotten. But as we’re both here...†He stood and turned to face her, drawing the box containing the ring. His eyes swept over her, looking for the familiar features that felt like comfort and excitement and possibilities all at once, from the line of her neck (tonight accentuated by the pony-tail draped over one shoulder) and the curve between her waist and hip, to her slightly amused smile to her willowy arms – and finally the small box she held in her left hand.
–If I ‘ad my way, our anniversary would ‘ave been three weeks ago, so a day early does not matter,†she said. She turned the box over in her hand. –Do you want to go first?â€
Blush by Ithinkrabis2people
Story Notes:
Notes: Part 1 is a slightly revised copy of a class assignments; the rest is new for the exam. I hope this fits the bill! I tried to focus mostly on characterisation and cliches - fingers crossed you can tell!
Thanks again to the Professors for running a really useful class, and for being so generous with an extension!
Chapter Notes: I really enjoyed playing with these two; Fleur's always interested me, and Bill... Well, I often see Bill portrayed as quite suave and - while I don't think he's clueless - I'm not quite convinced by that! :P
Chapter Endnotes: Eurgh, I hope that wasn't too fluffy? I was going for "sweet" but I think I've over-shot it and ended up in "sickly"? I enjoyed writing it at any rate,