Charms and Curses

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           Molly Weasley was humming to herself as she set the table for dinner. She had received an owl from Albus Dumbledore that morning informing her that she would be receiving a pleasant surprise that evening, and that the night before, there had been great progress made by members of the Light Side. Ginny, lifting the pot of soup off the stove, glanced at the clock.

           "Mum, look! Bill's hand is traveling toward 'home'!"

           "Why, so it is! I suppose this is the surprise that Professor Dumbledore was talking of. Well, I'll just get another plate, then. Dinnertime, dears!" Molly called out to the house as she briskly got another plate from the cupboard and walked towards the table with it just as the pop of apparation sounded in the foyer.

           "Good evening, Mum, hello there, Ginny!" Bill strode into the kitchen, all smiles. He kissed his mother's cheek, and ruffled his little sister's hair.

           "Why, Bill, I thought that you were in Egypt still! Dumbledore had owled me at the beginning of the summer telling me that you were likely going to be gone for the whole summer. But it's lovely that you're here, Harry and Hermione will be here in a week to visit as well...And who is that with you?" Molly caught sight of the beautiful blonde girl standing behind Bill, wearing a pale blue dress and a somewhat hesitant expression on her face. At that moment, Ron, Fred and George came bounding down the stairs.

           "Hey there, Bill." Ron greeted this brother, then he, too, caught sight of Fleur, and blushed purple. "F-Fleur?!? W-what?!"

           ""Ello zere, Ron, 'ow are you?" Fleur greeted the boy cordially, "You 'ave a vairy nice 'ome." Turning to a confused Mrs. Weasley, she smiled charmingly, "Bill 'as told me so much about you, Mrs. Weasley. It is an 'onor to meet you at last." She finished greeting the other members of the family, and then, Bill spoke.

           "Say, mum, will Dad and Percy be home soon?" As if on cue, Arthur and Percy apparated in, the latter's eyes widening when he saw Fleur.

           "Good evening there, weren't you the Beauxbatons Champion for the Triwizard Tournament?" This raised another storm of questions directed at Bill and Fleur from all sides. Finally, Bill raised his hands for silence.

           "Well, Fleur, this here is my family. All here, except Charlie, who won't be back from Romania until next week. Everyone, this is Fleur. Some of you know her from the Triwizard Tournament. She's my wife."

           There was the clinking of breaking china followed by a dull thud. Mrs. Weasley had dropped the plate she was carrying in her hands on the floor before fainting.

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Letter from Ron Weasley to Harry Potter, 28 July

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Harry,

Blimey! You would not BELIEVE what happened today! This evening, just as it was about time for dinner, Bill came home. He wasn't expected to come home this summer so that was a surprise, but you would NEVER guess who he brought with him!

FLEUR DELACOUR!

She came with him, and Mum and everyone else wanted to know what was going on, and then Bill goes and tells everyone to be quiet, then tells us that the two of them are MARRIED!! Mum fainted, everything was in an uproar, and dinner did not get started til about an hour later after Bill answered all the questions from everyone and got scolded by Mum for not telling her. But they're REALLY married, wearing rings and holding hands and all that stuff. According to Bill, they were doing something in Egypt together for an assignment of some sort, Bill would not tell me exactly what it was, said that it was classified information.

Well, Fleur has changed a lot over the summer. She was really nice-like to all of us, polite and everything. But what's more, she has a scar on her cheek! A thin white line about an inch long. Said she got a cut from an enchanted knife. Bill doesn't seem to mind a bit, I caught them snogging outside after dinner (ugh!). Of course, he's bloody besotted with her, but she seems to be just as besotted back. It's really quite sick making!

Anyway, Happy Birthday from all of us here! Mum sent you a cherry pie, and the twins sent you something...I have no idea what it does but you should probably not eat it...feed it to your cousin again. I've enclosed a book, just out! Seeker Stratagems by Ganymede Fleet. Fleur insisted on including a present as well, saying all this stuff about how she will always be in your debt for saving her sister, and the owl delivering it is hers, since Pig is way too small to carry all of this. Anyway,when you and Hermione arrive next week, everyone'll be home. Hermione owled me saying that she'll pick you up this time, since she's muggle-born and her parents have a car. Then, they are going drop the two of you off in Diagon Alley to floo to the Burrow.

Well, that's all for now, hope the muggles aren't being too horrible. See you soon!

Â

Your friend,

RonÂ

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Letter from Hermione Granger to Ron Weasley, 31 JulyÂ

Dear Ron,

You should be happy for Bill and Fleur! I mean, if they're in love and everything, it's great news! What I am curious about is what they did in Egypt. Egyptian wizardry is so fascinating, I read all about it after you went on that trip to Egypt. Do you think that perhaps Bill and Fleur could answer some questions about it for me? Well, I guess I'll see when Harry and I arrive. Give them my congratulations, by the way.

Anyway, have you and Harry started studying for OWLs? I have, I ordered a study guide on them at the beginning of summer and I'm through with Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic and Charms. I still have to go through Herbology and Astronomy. Perhaps I will ask Percy about OWLs when I get there, he got full marks on all of them, didn't he? How is he, by the way, after that nasty business with Mr. Crouch and all? I hope he and everyone else is fine.

Oh! And I have the most exciting news! I got an owl from Professor McGonagall yesterday, and I've been made a Prefect! These are the Prefect, Head Boy and Head Girl assignments for the various houses:Â

Gryffindor Prefects:

5th Year: Dean and myself

6th Year: Leander Garrison and Violet Brown (Lavender's sister)

7th Year: Ivan VilenskyÂ

Hufflepuff Prefects:

5th Year: Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbott

6th Year: Bert MacMillan (brother of Ernie) and Flora Hurst

7th Year: Lorenzo Martinez and Beatrice Gray

Ravenclaw Prefects:

5th Year: Terry Boot and Padma Patil

6th Year: Robert Entwhistle and Cho Chang

7th Year: Stefan Ackerley and Tomoko FujiwaraÂ

Slytherin Prefects:

5th Year: Draco Malfoy (ugh!) and Blaise Zabini

6th Year: Vivek Gupta and Cara Wellesley

7th Year: Adrienne Emerson

Head Boy: Clarence Warrington (Slytherin)

Head Girl: Angelina Johnson (Gryffindor!!! Goodness, I wonder what Fred thinks of this?! He ought to behave himself this year!)

Yes, unfortunately Malfoy is a Prefect as well. But I guess that I will just have to deal with him. You and Harry should try to avoid fighting with him this year since he might very well take off points. I guess we'll see.

Anyway, I had better finish my studying for tonight and start to pack. I will see you in a few days!

Â

Love from

HermioneÂ

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Letter from Harry Potter to Fleur Delacour Weasley, 1 August

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Fleur,

Congratulations on your marriage, I heard from Ron. I hope that you and Bill will be very happy together. You probably already know this, but you really couldn't have married into a nicer family.

Thanks very much for the present, that was really something! A pensieve, really...you didn't have to! I really didn't do that much to save your sister. Speaking of which, how is Gabrielle? Fine, I hope? Tell her I said hello next time you write.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing all of you in two days!

Â

Sincerely,

Harry PotterÂ

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Fast Forward Three Years

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           Fleur smiled to herself as she set down her book. She really had never thought that she would ever fall in love, let alone marry. But here she was. She was a lucky one indeed, married to a wonderful, talented man who loved her as much as she loved him.

           After their mission, Dumbledore, who had sent various other people on other assignments as well, had headed the Resistance Movement known as the Order of the Phoenix. Bill had moved back to England from Egypt to help out, utilizing his curse-breaking skills and defense against the dark arts knowledge as an auror. Fleur, too, made her home in England, working at Hogwarts as assistant Charms professor.

           By summertime a year after her marriage, war had broken out. The artifacts that she and Bill had retrieved from Cleopatra's Mausoleum were put into great use, as so many people fought and suffered on both sides. There were some casualties, but thanks to the efforts of the Order of the Phoenix, they were not nearly as numerous as they could have been.

           Finally, in the beginning of this year, the war was at long last over. The Light Side was victorious, and Voldemort was dead at last. Many Death Eaters, including the dastardly Wormtail, had been captured and sentenced to the Dementor's kiss. Others, like Lucius Malfoy, Walden Macnair and Claudius Nott, had perished either in battle or, like the first, had committed suicide.

           That fall, several changes were made at Hogwarts. Professors Flitwick and Vector both retired. After three years of interning under him, Fleur now replaced Professor Flitwick as the Charms professor and Head of Ravenclaw House. The other new faculty member was none other than Hermione Granger, soon to be Weasley. Another relatively new faculty member was Bill. Towards the end of the war, the muggle-born Ancient Runes teacher, Professor Scribbins, had been killed. After the defeat of the dark side, Dumbledore had immediately hired Bill to fill in the position, saying that he knew no one more qualified, and moreover, it would give him more time with his wife. In order to not have any confusion over common last names, Fleur and Hermione had both opted to be called by their maiden names for the entire duration of their careers as Hogwarts professors, much to the amusement of their respective men.

           Today, Bill was substituting for her in supervising the first Hogsmeade visit, as she had to see Madam Pomfrey that morning. He would be back soon, and she had a big surprise for him.

           As if on cue, the door to their rooms opened, and Bill walked in. "Hello there, love."

           "'Ello. Did you 'ave a nice day?" She stood up from her couch and walked into his waiting arms. The two embraced briefly before Bill pulled away.

           "My day was fine, how about you? What did Madam Pomfrey tell you?"

           "Per'aps you should sit down for zis." Fleur said softly. Bill instantly grew alarmed.

           "Is there something wrong? Are you sick?" Fleur laughed lightly.

           "Calm down, Bill. I am not sick, alzough I might be in anuzzer mons or so. I am pregnant." She calmly dropped the bomb, and waited for the inevitable stunned reaction from her husband.

           He didn't disappoint. Brown eyes widening to saucer-like size, he stammered, "PREGNANT?! B-but...how..?"

           She laughed wryly, "Must I explain to you ze mesod by which women get pregnant? I certainly don't recall you 'aving any confusion about ze concept zat night after ze starting feast, where you drank all zose toasts to me as ze new Charms Professor, and afterwards me 'aving to practically levitate you out to our rooms so zat what transpired zereafter did not 'appen in front of ze impressionable first-year students..." she trailed off. He blushed red as his hair, then put both hands on her shoulders heavily.

           "Are you...really...?" he asked, in a small voice.

           "Oui, about two mons along." Bill gave a whoop, then swung his wife into his arms and spun her around until she was dizzy, all the while grinning ear to ear. Finally, he set a breathless Fleur down on her feet, and she laughed.

           "I take it zat you are 'appy, zen?" she asked.

           "Oh, you have no idea how happy I am!" he exclaimed, and spun her around once more before kissing her deeply.

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           It was noted in passing that evening by incumbent Head Girl Ginny Weasley that her brother and his wife, their respective Ancient Runes and Charms professors, came to the Halloween feast together fifteen minutes late, looking very dishevelled.

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