The Reason Why I Smile

Chapter Two

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Bill Weasley sat in his flat before his fireplace. His eyes glued to the flickering flames as he fiddled with the diamond ring in his hand. A few hours ago, this very ring had been yanked from the ring finger of the girl he had thought he'd be with for the rest of his life. The woman who he thought would be there for him no matter what. They had planned on getting married soon, but all that had changed.

Fleur wasn't able to look past the scars on his face from Grayback. He never knew the woman he had fallen in love with was that superficial. Maybe he didn't want to see that part of her. He knew she was comfortable with her looks, but he didn't think she was such a proud person. He had been proven wrong.

She wouldn't look past his wounds and wanted him to get them fixed. However, he didn't see them that way; ugly. He saw them as a reminder that he'd survived. He had no problem with the scars and didn't understand why Fleur was so against them, not until today.

Bill ran a hand over his face, clutching the ring in one hand, as he looked back into the fire. He knew he had to tell his parents what had happened. His mother had been right about Fleur...something he didn't want to admit.

Then there was that woman, the woman with blue eyes and raven hair that defended him and called him beautiful, scars and all. She didn't bat an eyelash when her eyes landed on his scars, and she had called Fleur ugly. That wasn't something anyone had ever called her. The look on her face when the woman called her such was something he'd never seen.

"Today went to hell," Bill muttered as he stood up, going to the kitchen. He sat the ring down, a flicker of sorrow going through him. Bill had saved up and worked overtime for weeks. Taking dangerous jobs so he could afford a ring that was up to Fleur's standards. Now that he took a step back and looked at the relationship, it wasn't perfect. Far from it.

Shaking his head, he grabbed a glass and poured himself a shot of firewhiskey; he needed a drink after how the day had turned out. He'd taken one shot of the alcohol when his fire flared green, and a figure stepped through.

A frown marred Bill's face as he saw one of his younger brothers step through the fire. "What are you doing here, Charlie?" Bill inquired, as he sat the now empty cup down to greet his brother.

"I got a firecall from Fleur who was adamant on me coming to talk some sense into you." Charlie raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking what was going on. He hadn't been given too many details besides that from the French woman. Having not wholly understood all that she had to say, he'd just come to Bill's place as he'd been told to do.

"You can try, but I can guarantee that I won't change my mind." Bill gave scoff as he crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't going to change his mind. Things between the two of them were over. He wasn't going to be with someone who was that vain. Scars weren't something to be ashamed of, and for her to be so vocal about how he was ugly because of them. It cut him deep.

Charlie frowned, "What happened. It can't be that bad," he paused, seeing the look on his older brother's face, "...can it?"

"Fleur and I are no longer engaged," Bill told Charlie, a wave of sadness and hurt going through him.

"...What..." Charlie was looking at his brother with shock. Eyes wide as he was processing what he was told, "...why?...How?"

Bill stayed silent for a moment before he moved and sat down. Motioning his brother to do the same, "We got into a fight about my scars, one thing led to another―let's just say she may be beautiful on the outside..." he took a deep breath as he said the next part, "but she isn't quite as beautiful inside..."