#Bill x Fleur

[toorumlk]

hot people in love!

[wisteria-lodge]

I’d love if you ever expanded your thoughts on the way JKR writes romance, because it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. One thing that’s very interesting to me is that jealousy is used as a driving force for both of the main romantic storylines in HP. It’s more obvious with Ron/Hermione (the Yule Ball, basically everything that happens between them in book 6, the locket horcrux stuff) but also plays a big role in Harry/Ginny. Harry’s jealousy of her relationship with Dean is what makes him realize he’s into her, and moments where he’s pining for Ginny tend to focus on that jealousy more than an actual appreciation of Ginny’s personality. The most important part of writing a convincing romance is making readers believe that these characters actually care about each other and want to spend time together, and it feels like maybe what you describe as JKR’s obsession with pining made her lose sight of that. What do you think?

We've also got jealousy as a motif in Harry/Cho and Severus/Lily. It is absolutely a trope she uses, a lot. 

When I was trying to get my head around how JKR writes romance, the main thing that made it click for me was realizing that, to her - romance is inherently threatening. And/or embarrassing, overpowering, animalistic, dangerous. (thanks to @the-phoenix-heart for that line.) 

Really, the Harry Potter books are kind of a romance-free zone. It is incredibly unusual to see a romantic couple, acting like a couple, on the page. We spend a lot of time with Arthur and Molly, and while they’re both pretty fleshed out as characters, we get almost nothing of their couple dynamic (and what we do get doesn’t seem all that positive…) The blocking tends to physically separate them - Molly isn’t at the World Cup or Harry’s hearing, Arthur is working overtime when Harry is at the Burrow, etc. This is a pattern: her romantic couples, of which there are not many, have a way of being in different rooms, on different side quests, one of them is mind-controlled, one of them is unconscious, it cuts to black right before Harry kisses Cho, and right after he kisses Ginny.

Ron/Hermione takes place mostly outside of Harry’s perspective, and Harry/Ginny takes place mostly out of *the reader's* perspective. It’s a lot of narration, a lot of “Harry could not help himself talking to Ginny, laughing with her, walking back from practice with her” and “[Harry] was supposedly finishing his Herbology homework but in reality reliving a particularly happy hour he had spent down by the lake with Ginny at lunchtime.” Like, I don’t know. I might have liked to see those scenes play out.  

Bill/Fleur is probably her most successful couple (I mean, who doesn't like Bill and Fleur?) But even they almost never interact with each other. They talk about their relationship to other people, other people talk about them, but like… I’m just going to go through a rundown of every single time we see Bill and Fleur interact: 

 “’E is always so thoughtful,” purred Fleur adoringly, stroking Bill’s nose. Ginny mimed vomiting into her cereal behind Fleur. Harry choked over his cornflakes.

(Romance = embarrassing) 

What if [Ron and Hermione] became like Bill and Fleur, and it became excruciatingly embarrassing to be in their presence, so that he was shut out for good?

(Romance = embarassing, threatening)

Most [of the people at Dumbledore’s funeral] Harry did not recognize, but a few he did, including (...) Bill supported by Fleur and followed by Fred and George

(put a pin in this one, I’m going to come back to it) 

“Bah,” said Fleur [in Harry’s body], checking herself in the microwave door, “Bill, don’t look at me — I’m ’ideous.”

(I actually think this is kind of cute in context, but unfortunately JKR is being uncharitable to her hyper-femme characters again, and making a joke about woman-in-male-body, which unfortunately makes it less cute in the grand scheme of things) 

“I’m taking Fleur on a thestral,” said Bill. “She’s not that fond of brooms.” Fleur walked over to stand beside him, giving him a soppy, slavish look that Harry hoped with all his heart would never appear on his face again.

(Romance = embarrassing) 

“We saw [Mad-Eye die]” said Bill; Fleur nodded, tear tracks glittering on her cheeks... 

(Not sure if this counts as them interacting, but they are at least next to each other)

“No,” said Bill at once, “I’ll do it, I’ll come.” “Where are you going?” said Tonks and Fleur together. “Mad-Eye’s body,” said Lupin. “We need to recover it.”

(this one doesn’t even frame them as a couple, since the teams have split into Bill and Lupin and Tonks and Fleur.) 

“We can’t tell you what we’re doing,” said Harry flatly. “You’re in the Order, Bill, you know Dumbledore left us a mission. We’re not supposed to talk about it to anyone else.” Fleur made an impatient noise, but Bill did not look at her.”

(... does this imply that Fleur isn’t in the Order? Anyway, they’re married at this point, and kinda disagreeing a la Molly and Arthur) 

[Griphook] continued to request trays of food in his room, like the still frail Ollivander, until Bill (following an angry outburst from Fleur) went upstairs to tell him that the arrangement could not continue.

(Another conflict, but hey, at least it sounds like they resolved it. We hear about their daughter Victoire in the epilogue, but this is the last time we see Bill and Fleur together.) 

But, okay. Not putting romance in the Harry Potter books is a perfectly fine creative choice. JKR can absolutely decide she just wants to give other things more emotional weight. What clarified this for me was the Fantastic Beasts films and her adult literature (particularly the Cormoran Strike books.) In those, JKR is wanting to write romance. And yet....

In Fantastic Beasts, she can write the awkward getting-to-know-you pre-romance stuff, but the second Jacob and Queenie are actually a couple - he loses his memory, then he’s brainwashed, she’s with Grindelwald, they’re different plot lines that never intersect… and then they just get married at the end of Secrets of Dumbledore. So it’s not even a slow-burn, will-they-won’t-they thing. Tina and Newt get the same treatment, except their pre-romance getting-to-know-you beats are so subtle that a lot of people missed them completely. Then Tina's angry at Newt for a very silly misunderstanding… then in a separate plotline… and is only in the third film for two minutes at the end. People compare the structure of these films to Indiana Jones, but in those movies the love interest is actually hanging out with Indy the whole time. In the Cormoran Strike books, the romantic leads do spend time together, but they’ve also been doing a pining, bad timing, will they/won’t they back-and-forth thing for seven books. And they’re long books. 

So okay. What’s going on. Why is this. 

JK Rowling has been very public about the trauma she has from abusive relationships and sexual assault, and I’m afraid I do have to bring that up in a conversation about why she treats romance so negatively. More specifically - if I had to guess - I think she finds male attraction towards women threatening. (I’m sure we all remember Harry’s chest monster.)  I think she feels a little icky writing it, which is why when she does do it… it feels perfunctory, generic, repetitive, and also not the sort of thing that would come from a teenage boy. (Like when has a 14-year-old boy ever thought a girl was pretty because she had nice teeth. That’s such a straight girl compliment.) BUT, when she writes about the attractiveness of guys - it gets more specific, more nuanced, more interesting, and also a lot less uncomfortable. J.K. Rowling likes guys! She’s allowed. 

But of course, she also tends to write male viewpoint characters, and I think this is why a lot of her guys (and Harry specifically) kinda read as queer to a lot of people. We’re told Harry is distracted by/attracted to Cho Chang… but is he though? Compared to the way “pretty boy” Cedric, or “sleek haired” Draco get under his skin? 

I want to take a look at her adult romantic leads for a second. Because in Fantastic Beasts, she really did pull out all the stops to make Newt and Jacob as non-threatening as humanly possible. Newt is a gentle, pacifist, Doctor Dolittle-type conservationist who barely seems interested in women at all, and Jacob… is a Muggle baker. She pairs Newt with Tina, tough as nails American star auror. Jacob is with Queenie, who is constantly literally reading his mind. Which is an ability we’ve only seen with the most powerful wizards. These guys are not a threat to these ladies. In Queenie’s case, the power balance is tipped so insanely far in her direction that I’m a little bit worried for Jacob (and she does in fact, bewitch him into doing stuff.) I think JKR wrote her couples this way so any romance she wrote with them would also feel safe… and sadly I don’t think it worked. The most fleshed out couple dynamic we get is Dumbledore/Grindelwald, who have a coffee date and a duel in the third movie. But - that’s the one movie where she doesn’t have sole screenwriting credit, they’re exes, and they're also both GUYS, so she doesn’t have to worry about any kind of male/female power imbalance gunk, or put herself in the headspace of a guy being attracted to women.

Now I do want to talk about Cormoran Strike. Of all her non-threatening male love interests, this is the one who seems to work best for her. She’s stuck with him the longest, and it actually seems possible that we might get an actual romantic scene with him in the next book. 

Here’s my theory. I think that when JKR was writing Goblet of Fire, and it came time to introduce the real Mad-Eye Moody - imprisoned in the bottom of his own trunk, weak, down a leg and an eye -  something clicked. Because that is someone who is both entirely masculine, and entirely safe, and that makes him the perfect romantic figure. And I absolutely think she grabbed that archetype when it came to writing Cormoran Strike.

Basically, this character just is Mad-Eye Moody, only 15(ish) years younger, and non-magical. Strike is an ex-military cop who now freelances. He’s older than his love interest, he’s been around the block a few times. He’s gruff, but careful and kind, world-weary and grizzled, extremely capable, principled, tough, and just sort of hyper aware of what’s going on around him. He is also a bigger guy with some access weight who is not “conventionally attractive” - and for JKR this is a feature, not a bug. If your female character is into someone who is not *~*~handsome~*~* that means they’re cool, deep, not like other girls. Viktor Krum is not conventionally attractive, and (after the werewolf attack) neither is Bill. In fact “he now bore a distinct resemblance to Mad-Eye Moody.” JKR likes Mad-Eye Moody. 

And you better believe that Cormoran Strike has a broken nose and a missing leg, just like Mad-Eye Moody. Strike’s prosthetic leg comes up a *lot.* I think it’s telling that the loving interaction we see between Bill and Fleur is her physically supporting him at Dumbledore's funeral post werewolf attack, and the loving little wrist squeeze we get between Lucius and Narcissa is right before Lucius hands his wand over. Basically, JKR likes someone who is sexy and capable and has a lot of presence, but who you get to take care of, and who… can’t chase you. Doesn’t pose a threat. That's the fantasy. 

[briarpotter]

Next Gen Kids!

[lakeofflowerss]

hunter schafer is my fleur delacour, how can she be so cute????

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Best Harry Potter Hubby

I am curious as to who people think the best husband is. Please try to be as objective as possible. It doesn't matter if the man is a villain or antagonist. It's not even about the ship. Like you can prefer Hinny over Romione but think Ron makes a better husband than Harry for eg.

It's a bit hard for some of these guys since their marriage may not have a lot of screentime or no screentime at all. Use how they acted as boyfriends as a rough estimate??

Propaganda from moi:

I personally think Vernon is the best husband in HP. The dude is an abusive jerk to Harry but the man is always ready to throw hands to protect his family. Plus, the dude treats Petunia like a queen and respects and loves her. I just think the Dursleys have the best marriage on paper. Unlike other HP couples, I can't find any fault with Vernon as a husband.

[maladaptivewriting]

just here to remind you (once again) that the best canon ship is bill/fleur

[darklinaforever]

Sorry, but for me J.K didn't write good romances. We don't know Astoria, Rolf and Hannah. Lupin and Tonks appeared out of nowhere. Jily is undrinkable. Hinny has little or no development over 7 books even though they have really known each other since volume 2. Romione is really not great from my point of view. Don't even get me started on Dumbledor and Grindelwald...

Bill & Fleur are the only ones, among the young characters, that I find cute and even then it's a very secondary couple. Honestly, Molly and Arthur are the only real Harry Potter goal couple in my eyes. And yet, they also haven't seen them much !

[starlingflight]

Ginniversary Drabble 12

Prompt: I16 - Why had no-one ever mentioned Mum's twin?

AO3 or below:

She'd spent the morning at Shell Cottage, having accepted Fleur's invitation to help decorate the Christmas tree with what Ginny considered to be a generous supply of seasonal altruism. However, as the hours wore on, and Fleur's criticisms of Ginny's bauble placement became increasingly frequent, she could feel her benevolence swiftly waning. 

“You have bunched too many of the gold together,” Fleur declared, snatching Ginny's most recently placed bauble from the branch and relocating two inches to the left where it looked… exactly the same. 

Ginny swallowed the angry retort that rose in her throat in response to Fleur's behaviour. Harry's words from earlier that morning echoed through her mind. ‘Be nice’. Easier said than done where Fleur was concerned, but Ginny was trying. 

“Sorry,” Fleur muttered in the silence that had fallen between them, turning her perfect sapphire eyes on Ginny. “I just want it to be perfect. This year…” She trailed off. 

Ginny nodded in understanding, swallowing thickly against the lump that had risen in her throat. 

Even Fleur, who was annoyingly competent at everything she attempted, could do nothing to make this Christmas perfect. This year was proving to be a strange mix of festive cheer, and chest-crushing grief that lurked in the shadows, ready to jump out at them at any moment. Two opposite ends of the spectrum, that only served to intensify each other. The tree, at least, they could control. 

“Where do you want this one?” Ginny asked, selecting a delicate glass bauble from the box on the sofa. 

Fleur's smile was radiant, not that that was any indication of her feelings towards Ginny; Fleur's smile was always radiant. She pointed at a branch to Ginny's right. “Here would be good.” 

They managed the rest of the tree in relative peace. Ginny pretended not to see Fleur wince dramatically when she placed a bauble somewhere that wasn't to her liking, and Fleur waited for Ginny's back to be turned before moving it, keeping her comments mercifully to herself. 

They'd just placed the final bauble when the front door of the cottage opened, ushering in Bill, and a frigid blast of icy wind. Fleur hurried to him, removing his cloak and marshalling him to stand before the roaring fireplace. 

“The turkey is secured,” he pronounced, rubbing his hands in front of the fire. “The queue in Diagon Alley was ridiculous, but Mum's pleased – when I left she was telling Harry her plans for preparing it.” 

Ginny laughed as she crossed the room to stand beside Bill, unable to stop herself imagining the utterly serious look that she knew would overtake Harry's face as he listened carefully to Mum's instructions for proper turkey preparation. 

“You're freezing,” Fleur shook her head, pressing the back of her hand to Bill's ruddy cheek. “I will make hot chocolate… these English winters are so inhospitable…” 

She bustled off to the kitchen, still muttering about the weather. Ginny grinned wider as she watched her go.

“Thank you for doing this with her,” Bill said, quietly enough for only Ginny to hear. “She really wants to make an effort with you.” 

Fleur placed a pot on the stove, filled it with milk, and began to heat it. “I remember you like your hot chocolate with the little marshmallows, Ginny?” She called over her shoulder, and then as though she was unable to resist, “they are too sickly for my taste.” 

“Yes, I like loads of them,” Ginny called back, still smiling. 

“You should both sit down,” Fleur instructed. “I will bring your drinks.” 

Bill and Ginny did as they were bid, taking opposite sides of the sofa. Fleur sent a plate of iced gingerbread soaring to the coffee table in front of them. 

Ginny laughed lightly as she picked a piece up. 

“What?” Bill asked cautiously, following Ginny's eyes to where she was watching Fleur still bustle around the kitchen. 

“Oh nothing,” Ginny chewed thoughtfully on her gingerbread. “I was just wondering why no-one had ever mentioned Mum's twin.” 

“Shut up,” Bill shoved her playfully. Ginny's smirk grew. “That's the most disturbing thing you've ever said.” 

Ginny hummed, swallowing her mouthful of biscuit. “It's true though, isn't it?” 

“No,” Bill replied stubbornly. The two steaming mugs of hot chocolate that floated across the room to them suggested otherwise. “Anyway, you're one to talk – your boyfriend is currently in the kitchen at home taking cooking lessons from Mum.” 

“Yeah,” Ginny agreed, certain from the knowing way Bill was looking at her that her smile had turned agonisingly enamoured and finding it impossible to care. “But at least I know where my boyfriend is this year.” 

[teeth317]

Everyone's trans no one can stop it >:3

[sailtomarina]

Written for Day 10 - Bonfire - of the Weasleys, Witches, & Writers’ Fall Fluff Fest 2024. Fleur/Bill | Rating: M (referenced sex, pregnancy) | WC 545 | Domestic fluff

⋆.࿔*:˚🍂𓍊𓋼🍁𓋼𓍊🍂˚:*.࿔.⋆

Fleur bid the final guest farewell and watched as they vanished through the Floo. She breathed a sigh of relief. As fun as it was to host friends and family, she always welcomed the solitude that followed their departure.

Shell Cottage sat quiet now. She tidied up as she walked through the front room. The dishes began washing themselves in the sink at a flick of her wand. Molly had insisted on helping before she’d left, so the food was already put away and the sand they’d tracked in from the beach swept away so not a speck remained.

Bill, however, was nowhere to be found. She wasn’t worried, though. She knew where he was.

Fleur closed the door tightly behind her, then made her way carefully down to the beach. The fall breeze wasn’t quite so cold yet to be unbearable, but they’d still lit a bonfire for everyone to enjoy. Some of them had enjoyed lounging by the warmth of the fire as they’d celebrated the reason for their gathering. Others had joined in on an impromptu Quidditch match with the beach as their pitch.

The flames were much lower now, the silhouette of her husband keeping watch nearby.

Silently, she slid an arm around his waist and welcomed his in return across her shoulders. He smelled of smoke and seasalt. Spice and musk. Looking up, she saw past the scars ravaging his skin to the wizard beneath–calm, discerning, and compassionate. He’d retained those qualities even after the werewolf bite.

He was rougher in other ways. There was a darker edge to his appetites. Fleur didn’t mind, because she, too, had her own violent tendencies. She’d demonstrated as such the first time they’d come together. He’d proudly kept the “battle scars” of her passion afterward, and continued to do so each time that followed.

They were mates. They were husband and wife. 

Parents, soon.

“Should we go back inside? Are you cold?” Bill looked down at her with concern, already thinking of two instead of one within her still slender frame.

She shook her head. “You are all I need.” And it was true. One of the most notable changes he’d undergone was elevated body heat. It didn't matter how cold it got; he no longer needed to concern himself with thick cloaks or gloves. Fleur merely had to stand in the circle of his arms to warm herself, just as she was doing now.

“How’s our girl? Is she behaving?”

“‘Ow are you so sure ze baby is a girl?” she teased. They’d had this conversation countless times since they’d first learned of the pregnancy.

He tapped his nose as he smirked down at her. “Yet another side effect. I realised just today what it meant.”

Fleur rolled her eyes, but pleasure unfurled like the heat currently radiating out to her fingertips and toes.

A girl. They’d have to think of names. Consider decor. She would be the first of this generation–a victory considering all they’d endured these long years.

“Let’s keep zat our secret for now,” she murmured.

Bill hummed in agreement, pulling her even tighter into his embrace.

They stayed like that a while longer yet, the crashing waves and crackling fire their only other company under the waning light.

⋆.࿔*:˚🍂𓍊𓋼🍁𓋼𓍊🍂˚:*.࿔.⋆

Subscribe to the series to follow along with the fest throughout the month of September! I also encourage you to check out the other participants' works from the collection.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Fleur Delacour/Bill Weasley Characters: Fleur Delacour, Bill Weasley Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, POV Fleur Delacour, Veela Fleur Delacour, Protective Bill Weasley, Implied/Referenced Sex, Pregnancy, Romantic Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Facebook: Weasleys Witches & Writers, Fall Fluff Fest 2024, Weasleys Witches & Writers Fall Fluff Fest 2024, Not Beta Read Series: Part 10 of WWW Fall Fluff Fest 2024 Summary:

Fleur and Bill share a quiet moment together on the beach.

[greenhouse-seven]

[hxuse-xf-black]

Bill, to Victoire, Dominique & Louis: We don't use bad words in the house. Fleur, who has just stubbed her toe in the other room: FUCK!

[cassidyjaneart]

RIP Bill and Fleur Weasley (not dead just severely under appreciated)

[rosesneverwither]

Harry Potter ships

Day 7

Bleur

Bill Weasley x Fleur Delacour

And here's the very first canon HP ship on our list! I have to admit that they made a very cute couple and seemed to be a great match. The last picture shows their wedding from Deathly Hallows.

[hp-confessions]

The only canon ship I like to the point I would consider looking for fan content for them and be reluctant to them split up in fics is Bill/Fleur. Everything else ranges from outright dislike to indifference. That includes Golden Trio era ships, both endgame (Hinny, Romione) and brief (Ginny/Dean, Harry/Cho, Cho/Cedric, Hermione/Victor, etc.), the Marauders’ era ships (Jily, Lucissa, Andy/Tedd and everyone else’s parents) and everything else (Remadora, Teddy/Victorie, Gelbus).

~

[kind-hufflepuff]

TRANS FLEUR AND ACTOR BILL FOR ANONYMOUS