Eternally • Fleur Delacour

88

Tuesday, 25th July 1995

The calm wind brushed against Athena's skin as the sun lay on her face. She squeezed her eyes further shut as she turned away from the sun's brightness. Athena reached out for Fleur, but she wasn't there. Her eyes opened, frowned at the absence of Fleur. Athena sighed, and a blissful smile appeared when she remembered that Danielle practically kidnapped Fleur.

Some superstitions about not seeing each other before the wedding day.

Athena stayed in bed longer; her body felt too heavy to wake up. Athena groaned as she sat up, looking out to the sunrise. It was different to see the sunrise in a completely different country. Fleur requested the wedding venue to be in Italy instead, seeing that Athena had talked about Lake Como so much. The Delacours had a Villa they owned by the Lake. That Fleur had forgotten about.

"My dear Best Friend!" Alexis chimed, barging into her room with Mackenzie and her brothers. Trays of food float with them.

"Are you awake, Sissy?" Damon chimed as Atlas and Mackenzie hopped onto the bed. Athena chuckled before yawning as they all got comfortable around her.

"It's your wedding day!" Atlas shrieked, pulling in for a hug and kissing all over her head. Athena laughed as everyone engulfed her in a warm hug.

"We got you food," Corvus voiced, pulling away and taking a plate of waffles for her.

"And we will help you get ready," Mackenzie insisted as she fed Athena, which was scaring the bride. "I don't trust you with yourself, you little shit." Athena nodded and was relieved that her best friend was still normal. Alexis whacked Mackenzie and scolded her with her eyes as she handed Athena a glass of orange juice.

The group spent the hour together, enjoying breakfast together and went over the plan. They had a couple more hours till the wedding. Athena was nervous but excited. She is the first in the family to marry despite being the youngest.

And, of course, she is marrying Fleur Delacour. The fucking love of her life.

Who wouldn't be nervous about their wedding?

"My gorgeous daughter...ready for married life?"

"No," Athena scoffed, placing her glass of orange juice on the table. "But a life with Fleur? Yes."

"What's the difference?" Atlas questioned, confused.

"Oh, there's a difference, speaking from experience." Camille laughed as her mother and mother-in-law entered the room. Isabelle slapped her daughter's thigh before nodding in agreement with Elizabeth. Camille looked down at her mother, crossed and scoffed in disbelief. "But you two will be perfect."

"You'll be good," Elizabeth voiced.

"As my daughter said, you will be perfect." Isabelle sighed, placing a kiss on each of her grandchildren. Elizabeth did the same to all of them, including the chaotic best friends of Athena. "Come on, time for you to get ready."

~

"Oh, my sweet child." Rosalee sighed as she watched her granddaughter pacing around in her room. Fleur exhaled exsperately as she ran into her grandmother's arms. The Veela smiled as she tried to calm Fleur down. Fleur was frantic, out of her mind. Fleur was ready for her wedding. She wasn't getting cold feet but was just nervous as Athena, maybe more. "You have nothing to worry about. You're perfect."

"I know." Fleur whimpered into her shoulder, snuggling a little bit closer. "I don't like it that I haven't seen or heard from Athena. This no-contact everyone put us in was making me annoyed."

"You two got too dependent on one another," Rosalee chuckled as she pulled away from the hug, helping her fix her hair. Fleur slumped and nodded in full agreement. The grandmother cradled her granddaughter's face as she lifted up her chin. "You will be perfect together. She is perfect just like you. I knew it the moment she entered my doors."

"Pardon?"

"That girl is what I hoped for you when you were a child."

"Except you thought it would be a man." Fleur scoffed as she folded her arms.

"Well, I am so glad that it was a woman." Rosalee laughed before she could utter another word, her daughter and son-in-law barged into the room and made a lot of noise of excitement. They were adults for god's sake. The Veela glared at her daughter and her husband as they cower away from her glare. "Daughter. Son-in-law."

"Mother," the two utter in unison while their daughter laughed before Gabrielle ran, crashing into her big sister's body. Fleur laughed at their behaviour before bending down to place a kiss on Gabrielle's forehead.

"Ma Bebe, look at you," Apolline gasped as Monsieur twirled his daughter around, showing off his daughter.

"You look like a princess!" Gabrielle shrieked as she hugged her grandmother. Fleur curtsied before she was attacked with kisses by her parents. Fleur giggled as she tried to separate herself from parents but they held onto her, making sure that they wouldn't mess her up too much.

"My niece!" A woman announced as the double doors burst open. "I can't believe you're getting married!" Fleur looked over her shoulder to see her aunt and uncle walking with a bouquet of flowers and gifts in hand.

"Aunt Nessie! You're back! Uncle Reggie!" Fleur cheered as she bunched up her dress and ran to her aunt and uncle. Vanessa was sent on an overseas posting for four years on orders by Camille, to resolve some relationships. Regis was a Dragonologist in Romania with his family. His colleagues were familiar.

"My merlin, you look perfect." Regis sighed, mesmerised by how beautiful his niece was. "My family will be late, someone was being grumpy. So grumpy for someone so small."

"Shouldn't you be helping your wife?" Apolline muttered as she looked at her husband. Monsieur chuckled as he nudged his wife with his shoulder.

"Yes yes, I'm here to give my niece something. I can't wait to see this Athena you're talking about. She reminds me of someone." Regis murmured, handing her a small box and giving her a wink. And that told her that she should open it later.

"She's Cami's," Apolline informed, forgetting that they had never sent a picture or mentioned her surname. Rigis and Vanessa looked at one another with smug faces, before turning to their older sister.

"Like mother like daughter," Regis cackled as he left his family for his own. Apolline cast a spell at her brother, receiving a glare from him and Rosalee cleared her throat to get her children to behave. It is her granddaughter's big day and her children are misbehaving.

"Oh my god, I will be working under my niece's wife. I heard she is a deadly and powerful one."

"Remember Boucher?" Apolline chimed and received a nod from Vanessa. She knew that Boucher gave Camille a headache. A big one. "She brought her in within a day."

"Oh. I better not get on her bad side," Vanessa shuddered. "The kid is more talented than I am. And I was sent on a diplomatic mission."

"You are the better Auror to be sent," Apolline informed while her husband agreed wholeheartedly.

"A couple more hours of waiting and I get to walk you down that aisle," Monsieur said as tears filled his eyes. He sniffed and turned to look at his wife. Monsieur is an emotional man and sees his daughter getting married, walking her down the aisle of their holiday home. That does something to most fathers.

"Oh, papa."

~