Part 4

FLEUR

"Hi honey. How was work?" Bill asked from the fireplace in their home in Shell Cottage. Fleur hung her coat in the hallway, ignoring her inner Veela who winced every time she addressed her husband affectionately. During sex, her disgust was so great that Fleur ended up throwing up in the bathroom every time after. "Where's Victoire?" She asked, looking around the living room, ignoring the beer bottles on the table and the mess in the kitchen. "Mum took her to the Burrow. Andromeda and Teddy dropped by and Mum wanted them to spend the day together." Bill replied, standing up and walking behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she stood by the kettle, making tea. She hated the cold English weather, and it was the middle of winter. It had been a year since she had last seen Hermione. She quickly dismissed those thoughts, as she felt Bill's hard cock against her ass. "Bill, this is the third time this week that your mother has taken Victoire... don't you think you should spend more time with her now that you're on vacation?" Fleur observed with frustration, pulling away from her husband. "Sweetie, I have plenty of time to spend with her. I don't even know when I'll be called back to work!" The man replied, rubbing his stubble. Only now did Fleur notice how sloppy her husband looked. Dressed in an old sweater and jeans, matted hair that had started to fall out, showing the beginnings of a bald spot on top of his head, hereditary in the Weasleys. Veela smiled inwardly with 'and you could have had HER' sarcasm. "Besides, she's a girl. What would I do with her? She gets along better with her grandmother." "William!" Fleur admonished him. "Of course it's a girl, Veela cand give birth only to girls! You know that! Besides, she's a child, you can spend time with her just like you would with a boy, play with toys, take her for walks." "Yeah, I know..." Will sighed, rubbing the scar on his cheek. "I always dreamed of doing these things with my son. Just like in my home. Lots of brothers, Quidditch matches..." "...a wife who stays at home, cooks, cleans, and has more children than is capable to take care of, right?" Fleur snorted, folding her arms across her chest. "You knew who you were marrying, Bill. I like working, and now I have to, when I don't know when you'll be back at work." "Hey! It's not my fault that office work isn't for me. You know how goblins are." Bill said with frustration, approaching her again and hugging her, gently kissing her neck. She got goosebumps, but not from pleasure. She had to oppose the raging Veela inside her with all her being, who wanted her to reject her husband's affections. "You have to find a job. Maybe at the Ministry? Harry and Ron could help you." "I'm not asking my younger brother for help. Besides, I'm like you, no one will hire a halfbreed." Fleur felt as if a bucket of water had been poured over her head. Her biggest insecurities returned once again. "You're not a halfbreed. You were bitten. You don't have to register with the dangerous creatures section once a month, bringing a partner with you, who will confirm every time that you're sane." She said coldly.

"That's what I'm here for, darling. I'm watching over you, so you don't turn into a winged beast." Bill joked, leading her to the couch. A moment later she was no longer wearing any clothes, and her husband was fucking her from behind. Fleur closed her eyes, holding back the nausea and the furious Veela.

When Bill was already asleep in bed after everything, despite the early evening, Fleur took a shower, trying to wash his scent off her, she only thought about how she could have let this happen... and that she would give anything to see Hermione. She knew the brunette was suffering. She could feel it with every fiber of her being, although recently this feeling has been somewhat subdued. She had caused her this suffering, not wanting her to live in such shame with someone like her... a halfbreed... a predatory, sexual Veela. With her by her side, Hermione couldn't be herself, reach for more. Fleur despised herself for using the girl to have a child.

But only Victoire stopped her from going crazy.

***

"Mom, this chicken is delicious. I haven't had such a good dinner in a long time." Bill enthused as he ate another portion during dinner at the Burrow. 

Christmas passed like every year in the company of the Weasleys, and Fleur missed her family in France more with each passing year. But now her family was here. In the loud crowd of redheads and their partners, to the sounds of a terrible singer, whom Molly imitated. The blonde rocked the sleeping Victoire in her arms, hoping that the girl would fall asleep so she could sneak upstairs and lie down with her. The recently rejected bond was becoming increasingly difficult to bear. Fleur thought about her lionne every moment when she wasn't focusing on her daughter or her job at the bank. 

"I can give the recipe to your wife. I imagine you eat a lot of salads, considering the French style, darling." Molly said to Bill, caressing his face. Fleur rolled her eyes. 

The only good thing about the holidays was that her husband shaved and got a haircut, and put on some fresh clothes to please his mother. Unfortunately, he was behaving worse and worse at home. Fleur threw out empty beer bottles every day, cleaned up the mess in the house, and worked late, just to have a second job at home, cleaning up after Bill. She also had to enroll Victoire in a nursery, because her husband would disappear for days, supposedly looking for work, although another two months passed and he found nothing. The honeymoon period after Victoire was born, when Bill was caring and loving, ended when Victoire grew up. She was two now and starting to talk, which irritated the man when Fleur devoted more time to her daughter, because she slept less and less during the day. Fleur looked around at the company, which fell silent for a moment, watching this exchange. Fleur met Harry's gaze, and she sensed his anger directed at her, raising her eyebrows.

"I'll put the little one to bed." She stood up and went upstairs to Bill's old room. She had barely put the child on the bed when someone gently knocked on the door. She opened it and stood face to face with Harry. "Can I help you with something?" She asked politely. Harry looked around the empty stairs, but hearing laughter from downstairs, he returned his gaze to Fleur. "Not me. Hermione. Do something to free her from your bond. She's been living in France for a year. I don't know what's going on with her, she doesn't contact any of us. I'm worried." "And what do I have to do with this and how do you know about our bond?" "How do I know that my best friend, whom I treat like a sister, has been looking worse and worse since we finished our fourth year at Hogwarts? It's obvious... but it was the healer who confirmed that she was dying." Fleur bit her lip, looking down. "What do you think I should do? I rejected her, I have my own family." "Yes, a happy family." Harry chuckled darkly. "I see how they treat you, I see that Bill has a serious drinking problem. I've met him at the Leaky Cauldron before noon at the bar. Ron also said that Bill was showing symptoms of a werewolf and that the bite might be more serious than it seemed." Harry said seriously, watching the color drain from Fleur's face. Her hand was shaking on the door frame. "I don't know why you didn't want Hermione. Many would give anything to be with her... You have your own problems and you clearly don't care what happens to her, but please, if there's anything you can do, break your connection, just do it! Save her."

"You can't break the bond." "So she can die and you can continue living in your utopia?" Harry was frustrated. "It won't last forever." Fleur muttered. "With the right potions, Hermione can lead a normal life." "She lives with Veela on the reservation." Harry said. "Will that be enough? Can you write to her and tell her to contact you? Please. Only you can contact them." "I'll try." Fleur replied weakly and closed the door, not wanting to continue this conversation any longer.

She leaned heavily against the wall and sobbed, covering her mouth with her hands. She lay down quietly, holding her daughter close. Hermione was in her thoughts. Why hadn't the brunette reached for help earlier? Why hadn't she found someone to love, someone who would help her overcome the bond? She was so stubborn... as stubborn as Fleur...

"Your mother is suffering, and I'm too much of a coward to change it, darling..." She whispered to her daughter, who wrinkled her nose adorably.