til the right one comes (h. maguire)

💖

A/N: Just want to put a couple of TW for childbirth, death in childbirth, and divorce. Stay safe folks!

When Harry Maguire's girlfriend had died in childbirth, he'd thought it was the end of the world. It had seemed like the end of the world, until Fleur started school and made friends with a girl called Tulip.

At the school gates one afternoon, not long after Fleur had started Infant School, Harry was introduced to Tulip's mother, Clementine.

"Clementine, but call me Clemmie" She said, shaking his hand as she grinned widely.

"Harry Maguire" He replied, keeping half an eye on Fleur.

They walked with the girls around to a field where lots of the children and their parents would congregate on a friday afternoon, the parents having a picnic whilst the children play. Harry and Clemmie sat down on Clemmie's picnic rug and told the girls not to go too far.

"What do you do then, Harry?" Clemmie asked, sipping on some lemonade she'd poured into a plastic cup.

Harry smiled, "I'm a footballer, I play for Manchester United, I got this afternoon off training to pick Fleur up, my mum normally picks her up in the afternoon"

Clemmie smiled as Harry stared adoringly at his little girl, who was chasing Tulip around the field.

"And Fleur's mum?" Clemmie asked nervously. She'd seen Harry's slightly sad smile as he watched Fleur interact with other people, and wondered what the story was.

"Childbirth complications, she died two days after Fleur was born. Is Tulip's dad around?" Harry asked. As Clemmie had asked about Fleur's mum, he guessed it was a fair question.

Clemmie raised her eyebrows at him.

"Less tragic than yours, I'm afraid, left me for another woman when Tulip was tiny, not seen hide nor hair of him since" She replied. Harry rested a gentle hand on hers for a moment. He'd only known her for maybe half an hour, but Harry knew that Clemmie was going to be very important to him.

Before they really knew what was happening, Tulip and Fleur seemed to be spending every waking moment together. Harry and Clemmie spent an awful lot of time drinking tea or coffee together, and Clemmie spent every other Saturday looking after Fleur when Harry had a home match.

Harry's family adopted Clemmie and Tulip almost instantly. Harry's parents and siblings had turned up one afternoon to surprise him and found Clemmie there with him, the girls in a world of their own in Harry's big garden.

"You must be Clemmie!" Harry's mum, Zoe, exclaimed, "we've heard so much about you, you know!"

"I'm Clemmie, it's lovely to meet you, I hope he's only told you good things" Clemmie replied, accepting the hug that Zoe was offering.