Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [7]

⚡️ Chapter 6 ⚡️

The Delacours were due to arrive the following morning at eleven o'clock. While the rest of the children lazed around in their beds longer, Vega was up early and heading down to help Mrs. Weasley out with tidying everything up before the guests came by. It was almost a miracle that they managed to get everything down in time.

While Mrs. Weasley had quickly worked on the garden – pruning, plucking and just sprucing up – Vega had guided all the chickens away into their house, shutting them up to stay inside and not get run over while people greeted each other.

It was then that Vega, who always liked things clear and arranged tidily, realised that she somehow preferred that garden in its overgrown state. To her, it looked rather forlorn without its usual contingent of capering gnomes and chickens.

Mrs. Weasley had then headed off to wake everyone up and make sure that they were dressed properly, and Vega had followed her orders to replace the rusty cauldrons and old wellington boots that usually littered the steps by the back door with two new Flutterby Bushes standing either side of the door in large pots; though there was no breeze, the leaves waved lazily, giving an attractive rippling effect. Vega hoped that it would look nice.

On the other hand, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were feeling quite resentful towards Fleur's family by this time, and it was with an ill grace that Ron stumped back upstairs to put on matching socks, and Harry attempted to flatten his hair. Once they had all been deemed smart enough, they trooped out into the sunny backyard to await the visitors.

Vega, dressed in a simple summer dress, had lost track of how many security enchantments had been placed upon The Burrow by both the Order and the Ministry; all she knew was that it was no longer possible for anybody to travel by magic directly into the place.

Mr Weasley had therefore gone to meet the Delacours on top of a nearby hill, where they were to arrive by Portkey and be brought down to the Burrow.

The first sound of their approach was an unusually high-pitched laugh, which turned out to be coming from Mr Weasley, who appeared at the gate moments later, laden with luggage and leading a beautiful, blonde woman in long, leaf-green robes, who could only be Fleur's mother.

"Maman!" cried out Fleur, rushing forwards to embrace her. "Papa!"

Monsieur Delacour was nowhere near as attractive as his wife; he was a head shorter and extremely plump, with a little, pointed, black beard. However, he looked good-natured and Vega felt like he was a bit like her own Uncle Ted. Bouncing towards Mrs Weasley on high-heeled boots, he kissed her twice on each cheek, leaving her flustered.

"You 'ave been to much trouble," Monsieur Delacour said in a deep voice. "Fleur tells us you 'ave been working very 'ard,"

"Oh, it's been nothing, nothing!" Mrs. Weasley trilled. "No trouble at all!"

Ron relieved his feelings by aiming a kick at a gnome who was peering out from behind one of the new Flutterby Bushes and Vega shook her head at him.

"Dear lady!" Monsieur Delacour exclaimed, still holding Mrs Weasley's hand between his own two plump ones and beaming. "We are most honoured at the approaching union of our two families! Let me present my wife, Apolline,"

Madame Delacour glided forwards and stooped to kiss Mrs Weasley too.

"Enchantée," Madame Delacour greeted. "Your 'usband 'as been telling us such amusing stories!"

Mr Weasley gave a maniacal laugh; Mrs Weasley threw him a look, upon which he became immediately silent and assumed an expression appropriate to the sickbed of a close friend. Vega bit her lower lip, finding it a bit amusing herself.