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Tweak says, "The most famous shower scene"

Fleur (jesuisenchantee) wrote in tinworth,
@ 2009-12-15 23:08:00

O Christmas Tree
Characters: Bill, Fleur, and Victoire Weasley
Locale: Shell Cottage
Date: 14 December, 2001
Open? No?
Warnings? I'd guess none?

The little white cottage was getting a makeover, courtesy of a Christmas tree and all of the trimmings that had been accumulated over the last few years. For now it meant a sitting room littered in newspaper, garlands, boxes, bowls of popcorn, and a box of fairies, which both Victoire and Fleur thought should be given their freedom to roam the house rather than live in their little bulb cages.

Fleur's attention was divided between draping gold garland around the tree and worrying that the overenthusiastic Vic was going to bounce onto a box of handmade Parisian glass angels. "Vic," she called, over the impromptu song about fairy freedom, "Why don't you help your Papa try and find a charm that will keep them near the tree before we let them out?" She sent a pleading look to Bill, hoping he would grasp her trouble, and perhaps even whisk her out of reach of breakables.

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bweasley
2009-12-16 07:19 am UTC (link)

Bill, who had been flipping through a book for exactly that same charm, looked up in time get Fleur's silent plea and caught Vic up in one arm mid-bounce before she could demolish the box. "Come here, 'Bug. Look what I found." He showed her the book, which was an apparently ancient hand-me-down volume that his mother had given to them on his and Fleur's first Christmas. Holiday Magic: Quick and Simple Decorating Tips. They hadn't looked through it that year, quite a few other things had been more pressing at the time, and it had been packed away somewhere and forgotten. But fortunately, Bill had found it and, better still, it had several simple charms for keeping fairies controlled.

"What do you think, will this make a good home for our fairies?" He had the book open to an illustration of a charm that would make a magical cone around the tree, letting the fairies flit and fly between the branches by not leave the tree. Bill put Vic and the book in his lap as he sat on the end of the couch nearest his wife. "I'd completely forgotten we had this; there's some good stuff in here, if you want to take a look."

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jesuisenchantee
2009-12-16 07:49 am UTC (link)

Fleur had been hoping the book had vanished completely, as she had not fully appreciated her mother in law's subtlety after her insistence that she and Bill would spend their first Christmas in their own home, omitting the real reason for staying away from the Burrow. Ron had been moping about Shell Cottage, for despite being fed and having a bath and a shave - and a haircut courtesy of Fleur, complete with parallels to the same affronted mother in law - he had no interest in anything but lamenting his treachery.

She finished twisting the garland with a flourish of her wand, picked up the angels and another box of two dozen delicate spheres and put them on a shelf far out of Victoire's reach. "What is the good stuff?" Fleur asked, checking the needles that were stringing their way through the bowls of popcorn before settling in beside her husband and daughter.

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bweasley
2009-12-16 07:59 am UTC (link)

Bill glanced at the delicate glass ornaments she was moving and then back down at the book in his hands. His childhood Christmases had been characterized by paper ornaments and blocky, childish decorations pulled out of 'cheap' tip books. Fleur, however, had come into his life and brought hand-made Parisian angels. And while he loved the angels (and the woman they came with) he wasn't entierly sure the two styles would mix all that well.

He also completely missed the subtle struggle between mother- and daughter-in-law, very uncharacteristically still believing that two of the most important women in his life had a sterling relationship, just because they both told him they did.

Bill flipped through the pages and found that detailed how to reuse old picture frames, holding that one out to her with a shrug. "I don't know, just some interesting stuff. I wouldn't presume to take the decorating lead from you, though, I know how much you love it."

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jesuisenchantee
2009-12-16 08:24 am UTC (link)

Some of the pages Bill was turning through screamed anything but holidays, though nothing was able to meet Fleur's specific standards for what decor induced the greatest holiday merriment. Beauxbatons had been lovely, but even the wood nymphs had paled by comparison to the lavish golden glow Les Vingt-Cinq Étés had emitted by the time her mother and grandmother had finished. Candles, garlands, swags, fairies, glittering ornaments hanging from ornate crystal chandeliers.

The little cottage might not be so elegant, but Fleur thought it infinitely more comfortable for a little one, as there were no worries about fingerprints on mirrors or smudges on golden candlesticks. "The wreath is pretty," she said truthfully, though abstaining from comment on some of the paper crafts. "We could make ourselves one of white shells from the beach, maybe?"

"Oui," Victoire agreed with a nod. "Papa and I can make it for you Mama."

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bweasley
2009-12-16 08:39 am UTC (link)

Bill wasn't fooled; he could read well enough what his wife thought of the book in his hands. He was not uncomfortable or ashamed of his family's financial state, hadn't been since Hogwarts really, but he often did wonder what Fleur really thought about it. Especially at the times when she tried to make their home closer to the idyllic Les Vingt-Cinq Étés. If he were entierly truthful, he would have been happy if their house had a bit more Burrow-ness to it. But the Burrow was a lot closer than France if either of them got homesick, so it was one of the few things he didn't fight Fleur over.

"We certainly could," Bill agreed when Vic latched onto the idea of a seashell wreath. "It could be a project just between you and me, that sounds nice."

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petiteweasley
2010-01-07 02:08 am UTC (link)

"No mums allowed!" Vic cried gleefully, giving her papa's hand a tug to help him out of his chair. "You stay here an' do boring things with the tree and popscorn."

Fleur laughed, rather thoroughly pleased with her banishment, and solemnly agreed. "I will stay inside and do boring things," she said, "but only if you will put on your hat and mittens with your cloak."

Scowling, Victoire bolted for the entryway, where her outdoor wraps hung on hooks, and returned in a snap with all three pieces to be affixed to her.

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	bweasley 2010-01-07 02:19 am UTC (link)
	Bill chuckled and helped his daughter into her outdoor things, a process that she submitted to with a great air of sufferance. He picked her up and gave her a squeeze before he turned to Fleur. "You'll be alright by yourself?" he asked, clearly teasing her. "Sure you can stand to be without us for a few hours?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

jesuisenchantee
2010-01-07 02:38 am UTC (link)

"Somehow I think maybe I will survive," Fleur smirked, kissing her winter-wind-bundled daughter and husband both before they went off to search the beach for suitable shells, which Cornwall provided in reasonable abundance. It was just the opportunity she needed, an hour or two in which to fully decorate the tree, to arrange the evergreen garlands over the hearth, and successfully wrangle several dozen fairies into a suitable area where they had freedom to fly, but not to wreak havoc on the upholstery.

And truly, just in time, Fleur finished netting the fairies in place, pleading in vain and in French for them not to spend too much time all chatting together as Bill and Victoire clattered up the veranda steps. Rather than a gentle twinkling glow, a mass of fairies provided a light rather similar to a policeman's torch, shining in your eyes as you're being queried on your events this evening. "What treasure have you brought home, ma chère?" she asked, as her two loves, windswept and frozen, blew into the house once again.

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bweasley
2010-01-07 02:53 am UTC (link)

Bill had had a little trouble keeping up with his daughter as they walked along the beach, as she had energy in spades. For the most part he didn't bother and just let her run around as she pleased and made sure they stayed away from the more dangerous areas. Some of the more rocky shores were slick with semi-frozen sea-spray.

By the time they got back to the house, bag of shells in hand, Bill had picked her up and carried her back into the house to keep her from escaping back to the beach, and she was giggling madly. He deposited her on the couch with a flourish and then gave her the bag of shells to present to Fleur. "We have returned! Bearing gifts for you, the finest the sea has to offer."

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petiteweasley
2010-01-07 03:15 am UTC (link)

"Oui Mama," said Vic, "Shells!" They were, of course, the nicest thing the sea had to offer. Other than that it was rocks, or fish. And while Victoire had liked the little goldenfish - imported from China, subtly glowing fish that looked most like fluid metal - that had been on display at the creature festival, the fish that were down on the seawalls of the nearby towns were grey and ugly, with gaping mouths and scary eyes.

"They are perfect," Fleur pronounced, as Victoire began to pull out pieces of the new collection. The wreath they would make might not fit in so nicely with the decorations at her first home or her school, but it was indeed perfect for it's present surroundings, and Shell Cottage was the home of Fleur's own choosing. "Thank you," she mouthed silently to Bill, pressing a kiss to her fingers and fluttering it his way. "Do you think we should have some hot chocolate, before we turn them into a pretty Christmas wreath?"

"Yes," Victoire said, as though this question was completely unnecessary. Who would not want chocolate first?

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bweasley
2010-01-07 03:30 am UTC (link)

"Hot chocolate sounds great." Bill stood up and followed her toward the kitchen. "I'll get stuff for cleaning the shells while you fix that."

If they didn't prep the shells first, what would start as a lovely ornament would quickely turn noxious. He found a large bowl to fill with water and some scrub brushes from under the sink. Before he went back into the other room he moved behind Fleur as she worked at the drinks and moved her hair aside to kiss her shoulder. "The tree looks great, honey."

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jesuisenchantee
2010-01-07 04:08 am UTC (link)

"Thank you," Fleur murmured, pausing in her pouring of milk into a copper bottomed saucepan to smile up over her shoulder at her husband. "I think the fairies will be alright, if we perform the charm in the morning and at night."

She watched as Bill gathered supplies - ones she was all too familiar with, from the months of adorning their home with similar shells - and made a face as Victoire pulled a mitten off with her teeth. Four-year-olds would put anything in their mouths. "Hang them up, please," Fleur said, taking the cocoa canister down from the baking cabinet and nodding back towards the hall. Victoire hopped down from her chair with an almighty sigh, and came around the table for Fleur to unfasten the frogs at the neck of her cloak.

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