Somewhere Safe - Chapter 47 - Interlude

Fleur Delacour - Julia Garner
Viviana Krum – Alyssa Bounty

Fleur nervously checked the earring on her left ear again for at least the tenth time in the last two minutes. She knew it was there; it would take a concentrated effort on her part to remove it, but that didn't stop the worry. The argument with her parents had taken more courage than she had expected. She had put on a strong mask, using her desperation and desire to fuel her. Now, here in this school, far from her family, and surrounded by so many strangers, her courage was starting to flicker.

Veela were nightmare creatures in the magical world. They would steal away wizards, drain them of their lifeforce, and then toss the corpses aside to flaunt their success. Only, that wasn't true in the least. Wizards had been drained of their life force and left for dead. It was also a magical creature that took the form of a beautiful woman that just happened to have feathers, but it was not a Veela. Harpies were often confused for their more humanoid cousins. They could use a short-term glamour to charm witches and wizards to drain their lifeforce in desperate times. Usually, they just ate them. Draining them was a quick meal that didn't do much more than stave off starvation. The fact that there was nearly a dozen witches found in the same state along with a wizard or two didn't matter. A group of local Veela were blamed and punished all the same. Word spread and soon her people were being hunted.

The smart ones adapted. She kept her hair shoulder-length, curly, and a more natural blonde. Like Fleur, they used enchanted items to suppress their allure. She also added a pair of glasses. Everyone knew that a Veela was a statuesque woman with long, almost white, blonde hair and bright, silver eyes.

She knew she could do this. Not only would it prove to her parents that she was capable, but it would be a perfect addition to her argument to live on her own. Being an International Duelist meant she could see the world. It also allowed her to study an impressive range of combat-based magic that would keep her safe if things went wrong.

Her goal was to win the tournament. It wasn't ranked, but it would do wonders for her prospects. She had pushed herself harder than ever in her training in the last year. There were some perks to having a father who worked in International Affairs of the French Ministry.

She took a deep breath, let it out, and forced herself to concentrate on something else. Her eyes scanned the room to scout the competition. She hadn't made her debut on the International Circuit yet, but she knew the names of those in her range.

It only took a couple of moments to find a few familiar faces. Delphi Riddle was easy to spot. The strange part was that she looked rather comfortable around a group of witches. Last she heard the witch was something of a social pariah. Word was that she was just as crazy as her mother, but there was no question about her skill.

Her head cocked to the side as she took in the people around Riddle. She sat next to two sets of twins. While odd, it wasn't something completely wrong. She expanded her inspection of the people around Riddle. There were a couple of upcoming duelists that she could recognize by sight, but not name. The group were all a couple of years younger than her, but that didn't matter in the International League. Skill not age, determined rank. Every few years there would be some young up-and-comer who would make a splash. She made an effort to stop studying the other schools. True, she wasn't the only one, but she didn't need to focus on it.

Maybe she could even make a few friends. That sounded a lot like her mother. Fleur huffed at the thought. People might not know she was a Veela, but there was something 'off' about her. It was her suppressed allure. Not that they knew it or could really explain it. Regardless, it made making and keeping friends difficult.

~§~

Viviana Krum, Vivi to the few people she called friends. Hated crowds. She hated it when people recognized her, and she really hated it when people shouted her name. Was it so hard to just let her play Quidditch? At least she could stay on the ship and only leave for games or practices. Life was so much easier on a broom. She didn't have to worry about grades, her parents setting her up on countless marriage matches, or all the damned people bothering her.

She was perfectly fine never being married, having kids, or having sex. The wizards her parents tried to set her up with were old enough to be her father. Folklore said that older men had a better chance at having sons. How was she supposed to play Quidditch if she was pregnant? It would simply swap hounding fans out with the even more oppressive crowd of Healers.

Maybe she could claim to not like wizards. It was common enough to get away with it. A few of her teammates preferred witches. If only they hadn't found her damn diary. She had written about the crush she had on one of the Scottish Quidditch Reporters. He had been one of the few wizards that she interacted with on a regular basis. It didn't help that the crush had lasted quite a while. There were a lot of pages dedicated to the wizard. She wanted to blame their House Elf for taking it to her parents, but she had been the one to forget it at home when she was out of the country for a game.

One of the reasons she had agreed to come here was to get away from her parents. Being able to play Quidditch against teams that weren't the same ones repeatedly. Vivi was certain that she could easily arrange a few pick-up games. There were a few players from Durmstrang that had come over as duelists or racers that would jump at the chance.

Vivi stopped brooding for a moment to look around the room. There were usually a few players that had been scouted in each school. She found a pair of chasers that had their team recruiter excited. Their names escaped her but had heard good things. Vivi didn't usually watch games outside of studying upcoming teams. Renting a private box drew too much attention and the VIP section just meant she would be forced to deal with people she couldn't afford to ignore.

She continued her search around the room. Everyone was so loud. Why couldn't they just be quiet? Her eyes met those of another girl. A sense of understanding passed between them. That desire to be anywhere but here. She was surrounded by her classmates but sat on her own. The girl wore a Beauxbatons uniform.

Vivi found the corner of her mouth twitch in the briefest hint of a smile. Her heart thundered in her chest when the girl replied with one of her own. They both looked away after. That silent conversation was the most pleasant one she had had in years.

She didn't want to get her hopes up. The girl could come over to introduce herself and ruin it all.

~~
NOTE:
It's a short one. I know. Just wanted to give these ladies an introduction.