Fleur lay back on the bed she shared with Bill, reading as the room dimmed. Slowly, the glow of the lamplight became the only source of light in the whole room, indeed the whole house. Fleur turned page after page in the book. She had borrowed it from Harry, hoping that by reading it she might improve her English. It was an adventure story about an Australian wizard and his travels through Europe. Every so often, Fleur noticed a word she didn’t know. She used a quill she had tucked behind her ear to write the word down on a roll of parchment next to her.
Fleur’s stomach began to grumble. She suppressed the hunger and continued reading. She hoped to finish the book before Bill returned home. He didn’t like it when she tried to be more English. Harry or Hermione would help her with her words.
They were all over at the Burrow now, getting ready for Christmas. Bill had asked Fleur to come with him. Practically begged, actually. But Fleur could not celebrate, not with the deaths of so many only a few months behind them.
Suddenly, Fleur heard a knock on the door downstairs. She levered herself out of bed and trotted downstairs, her hand on her wand out of sheer habit. Perhaps the knock was a group of Muggle carolers. Heaven knew she needed some Christmas cheer. Fleur reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed the hall, pulling the door open.
No one was there. A chill wind blew by outside, carrying snow with it. Hurriedly, she shut the door and went back inside. Her stomach growled louder than ever. Sighing, Fleur went into the kitchen and sliced off a piece of bread from the loaf in the breadbox. She sat at the table and began nibbling at the bread. It felt so strange to sit at this table without Harry and Ron and Hermione and Luna sitting around her. They had only stayed for a few weeks in the spring, but those weeks had permanently changed the way Fleur felt about her home. It felt empty without guests.
She knew she should be at the Burrow. It was Christmas Eve, for Merlin’s sake. She couldn’t make herself go “ go see the empty, bereft look in George’s eyes, as though he had lost a part of his own soul when Fred died, see the way Molly still couldn’t look George straight in the face, see the scars that everyone bore now. It wasn’t just Bill and Harry who were scarred by Voldemort anymore. George was missing an ear, of course, and Hermione had those awful scars on her arm and neck from being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange.
Fleur sniffed. She reached up to wipe her face and felt tears. She hadn’t realized she was crying.
“What’re you crying for, girl?” growled a deep voice from the doorway to the sitting room.
Fleur leapt to her feet, turning almost in midair and pulling her wand out in one fluid motion. She pointed it at the figure in the doorway, who only laughed.
“There’s nothing you can do to hurt me, Delacour “ or it’s Weasley now, isn’t it?” he said.
“’Oo are you?” Fleur demanded, her voice shaking.
The man chuckled and stepped into the light of the kitchen. Fleur gasped and took a step back. “Mon dieu,” she whispered, slipping back into her native tongue in shock. Before her stood Alastor Mad-Eye Moody, dead over a year.
“Why aren’t you at the Burrow with the other Weasleys?” Moody demanded.
“I saw you die,” Fleur muttered, still too shocked to really process the situation. “Mundungus deserted you, and you were struck by a Killing Curse. Right in ze face.”
“Yes, I’m dead,” Moody snapped. “But I was sent back.”
“Why?” Fleur asked.
“Why?” Moody repeated. “Why do you think, Princess? Use your brain!”
“Don’t call me zat!” Fleur retorted.
“Don’t call you what?” Moody inquired, pretending innocence. “I thought that’s what you wanted everyone to believe “ that you were a lovely fairy princess.”
Fleur didn’t know how to respond to that. It was true that it was easier when people thought she matched the flowing blonde hair and big blue eyes. And she had emphasized that image during the Triwizard Tournament. “What are you doing ‘ere?” she demanded in an effort to change the subject.
“I might ask you the same,” Moody replied. “Why aren’t you at the Burrow with the other Weasleys?”
Fleur shrugged. “I did not zink I could ‘andle such an occasion with ze tragedy of ze war so close behind us.”
“Didn’t think you could keep your damned politician’s face up, more like,” Moody growled.
“Zat’s not true!” Fleur rejoined. “I love ze Weasleys. Eet is just too hard, with Fred gone and ze ozzers dealing with zer scars.” Her accent thickened as she grew agitated, just as it always did.
“And what scars do you have?” Moody demanded. “You’ve grown up as a fairy princess. Nothing ever went wrong for you, did it?”
Fleur glared at him, trying to come up with a suitable retort. “I almost lost Bill last year,” she pointed out. “And do you really believe zat Fred dying was any easier on me zan any of the Weasleys?”
Moody studied her. “Come on. It’s time to go.”
“Go where?” Fleur asked.
“I’m going to show you why you should be at the Burrow right now, instead of sitting alone around your house. If you don’t intend to leave for the Burrow now, you’re coming with me.” Moody pulled out a watch and studied its face. “We’d better hurry. We’ve got a lot to do, and there’s only “ four hours to Christmas.”
“What makes you zink I want to go?” Fleur demanded.
Moody walked toward her until they were only a few inches apart. “They way I see it, it doesn’t rightly matter what you want. You need this, princess.”
Fleur glared at him a moment, her nostrils flared. “Fine,” she finally said.
Moody offered his arm. Fleur reluctantly linked her arm through his. “I need you to remember one thing,” he said.
“What’s zat?” Fleur asked.
“Constant vigilance!” Moody growled. “If we’re going to solve this problem of yours, we need to notice everything. I’ll take you back to two of your young Christmases first. Now, hold on tight.”
With that, he turned tightly on the spot. They both vanished in a shower of golden sparks.
A Christmas Flower by Apollonious
Story Notes:
Character death is only mentioned, as intrinsic to the prompt.
Chapter Endnotes: I hope you enjoyed this beginning! Please review!