Shy little Eloise Moreau found herself the proud owner of Ollivanders after his death in the war. Now she's left to cope with the loss of her mentor while attempting to run a business.
When Charlie Weasley drops by one day in hopes of buying a new w...
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She wasn't sure exactly how Charlie had managed to persuade her to join him and his brother and sister-in-law (whom she hadn't even met before) at Shell Cottage for dinner. She vaguely recalled big brown puppy eyes and the light, teasing caress of his hand on her cheek as he relayed the dinner invite, but it was a bit of a blur. In her defense, she was rather eager to spend some time at the safe house that Ollivander briefly resided in following his rescue from Malfoy Manor. She'd heard about the beauty of the seaside, and the peace that Bill and Fleur were able to bring him during that difficult period of the war. Perhaps that's why she found Bill's presence so comforting. She could only imagine that Fleur would bring the same sense of warmth.
Or so she thought, before she laid eyes on her. They were seated at the dining table in the quaint kitchen of the cottage, her three companions making polite small talk as they served themselves some of the cassoulet that Fleur had flawlessly prepared. She wasn't sure where all of these witches learned to cook, but between her and Mrs. Weasley, Eloise was going to have to step up her game.
"More wine, Eloise?" Bill asked her, not waiting for a response before refilling her glass with the hearty red they had paired with the meal. She smiled gratefully before turning her gaze back to her plate, trying not to stare at any of her dining companions.
Charlie had failed to mention that Fleur was part Veela. But not only was she intimidatingly beautiful, she was also nearly the same age as Eloise, which made her feel oddly inadequate. The woman was a war hero, a successful Curse-Breaker, and she was married. It's not that Eloise was unhappy with her life, there was just something slightly threatening about the beautiful, successful, and happily married woman in front of her. Eloise never expected to be married young, and she still didn't, but it was fairly common in the wizarding world to do so. She'd met a fair few elderly witches who had suggested that she'd become an old maid if she didn't catch a wizard soon. The standard of marrying young was something that she'd assumed she'd become accustomed to, but since neither she nor any of her friends were in serious relationships, it never really sunk in. That could be part of the reason that Fleur's company was so startling to her.
"Eloise, you 'ave to tell us about 'ow you got into wandmaking? I know it is a competitive field, yes?" Fleur asked, looking eagerly at Eloise with genuine interest. A wave of guilt washed over her as it dawned on her. At that moment, she decided that she was being silly about being threatened. There was nothing threatening about another strong, beautiful woman. They needed to support and stand up for each other in the rather antiquated world that they lived in, not worry about who was prettier. Even though, in this case, that would be Fleur. By far. But she was part Veela, so who cares really?
She put down her fork and knife so that she could speak, but picked up her wine glass so that she'd have something to do with her hands to help channel her nervous energy. "I became interested while I was still at Hogwarts, as there are a surprising number of books on wandlore in the library there. When I finished school, I reached out to Ollivander to see if he knew of anyone who was willing to take on an apprentice, thinking that I might end up moving to America. I was just as surprised as anyone when he took me on."
