It was the same student she had briefly spoken to on her short quest for French food and the boy who had conjured the butterflies; something that had earned him the disgust of those around him at the table. She had not been able to face the idea of heavy English food after travelling and the other girls had swiftly monopolised what native cuisine they could get the hands on. Obviously none of it ever reached her.
He did not even look at me then, Fleur remembered.
Once she could ignore. She had brushed off her surprise at his lack of reaction within moments of taking the Bouillabaisse from his disapproving friend. Twice would not pass without some investigation.
Releasing her hold on her allure she allowed it to swell back to the usual, passive level and made her next step a little louder than necessary so he would turn to look at her. Her charm would only work if he was looking at her. She did not like being ignored, it was unfamiliar and made her strangely nervous.
The young wizard paused a few steps from the end of the hall and Fleur celebrated internally. Nobody ignored Fleur Delacour. She was almost looking forward to seeing his glazed over eyes for having the audacity to not notice her twice.
'Tempus,' she heard him whisper. Silver numbers ghosted from the end of his wand and she saw him shake his head in apparent relief, but he didn't look back and simply continued on his way at the same leisurely pace.
Fleur was speechless and infinitely grateful there had nobody else present to witness her humiliation. She had all but intentionally levelled her charm at him and he hadn't so much as turned to look at her. The dark-haired wizard had piqued her curiosity. She was going to find out what made him so special that she was so far beneath his notice.
As her moment of surprise faded she realised it was not such a slight really. After all, she barely noticed any of the boys around her. They were all the same to her, with their blank, charmed faces and laughable dreams. As if she would ever deign to make their dreams of her real. This boy was no different to any of the others. She had come across those who were resistant enough to her charm to not be affected by the passive aura of attraction radiating from her.
Those boys do still notice you, though. He isn't aware that I exist, resistant or not.
Fleur was still a little curious about exactly how resistant he really was. The few she had come across before crumbled quite quickly once she actually tried to charm them and focused her allure.
Bringing him to his knees would rather make up for his inexplicable indifference to her and restore the pride he had unintentionally wounded. The idea brought a slightly cruel smile to her lips.
Now she had to hurry back to the carriage before Madame Maxime noticed she was gone.
Stealing back out into the drizzle, she cast an enchantment to ward the rain off her clothes and moved quietly back down the hill. The steps were uneven, steep and slippery under foot and it was hard to see how high they were in the dark, so she was forced to take them slowly.
She was back inside before Madame Maxime saw her. Her poor headmistress was still outside speaking to the gamekeeper in increasingly hushed tones. If the man hadn't been so useful in allowing her to leave and return undetected Fleur would have felt a little but annoyed at him for bothering Madame Maxime for so long.
'Where have you been, Fleur?' Caroline's overly dulcet tones caught her before she could reach her room. The small, rounded girl had been skulking the shadows at the of the corridor with a friend, probably waiting for a chance to try and provoke her again. Caroline had a jealous streak as wide a tree trunk and little self-restraint.
'Been sneaking up to Hogwarts to bewitch little boys again?' the second girl cut in.
Emilie. She was Caroline's counterpart in every way. Tall where her friend was shorter, skinny where she was not. The baby fat had melted away over the last few years to leave little but sharp bones and a sharper tongue. It was a wonder she even managed to survive on her vegetable only diet and tiny portions. If she was chosen as the Beauxbatons representative then a well aimed piece of meat would send her into a full, disgusted retreat. Not that the goblet would ever choose someone like either of them.
'I don't bewitch anyone,' Fleur responded icily. 'If you're both still upset that your boyfriends are so weak minded they cannot resist my charm then take it up with them, or, better still, ask yourselves why they might be looking at other girls when they have you.' She was not in the mood to be merciful, especially not to these two who had once been her closest friends.
'Our boyfriends were fine until you used your Veela magic to enchant them and lure them away,' Emilie hissed furiously. 'At least we know those rumours about you really are true. Why else would you be sneaking out in the middle of the night.'
'It's barely even early evening,' Fleur corrected coldly, 'your ability to tell the time is as poor as your duelling, Emilie. Would you like me to remind you which of us is the school duelling champion?'
'You wouldn't dare,' Caroline sniffed. She had a babyish face that reminded Fleur of the mandrakes they had occasionally taken care of herbology. The fact she had ever managed to get a boyfriend in the first place was the real mystery. Fleur suspected heavy doses of amortentia had something to do with it.
'It doesn't matter,' her friend remarked with spiteful, mock innocence, 'she's probably too tired to do anything after her excursion. How many was it, Fleur? Did you lure enough in to satiate yourself?' That was quite a cheap shot coming from a girl renowned for throwing herself at any male who gave her so much as a second glance and still couldn't keep a boy long enough to get her to avoid Fleur.
'Or are you going to go back later and find some more?' Caroline tacked on.
Ignore them, Fleur told herself. They have no understanding of Veela magic.
'Not going to share? We won't tell,' Emilie pressed, triumphantly. 'Or are the other rumours true. The ones that say for all your unnatural abilities poor Fleur has never been kissed.' That hit a little too close to the mark for comfort.
'As if I care what you or your rumours say,' she declared with carefully feigned indifference. 'You are both of you less than me. Less attractive, less powerful and less important. Go satisfy your empty lives by whispering about your superiors to compensate for your own inadequacies.'
Caroline gasped, the sugary pretence of over friendliness completely collapsing under the weight of Fleur's statement. Emilie reached for her wand.
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