and away we go

[fleurid]

It was not entirely out of the ordinary, in the world Fleur came from, to open a door and find the door did not lead to where one expected it to. Or it hadn't been in certain places; Hogwarts had been rather terrible like that, always changing the placement of the staircases or throwing trick steps in inconvenient places, or so on. It had been one

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[fleurid]

The fact that she was near the sea, on a dock, had registered only vaguely next to the concerns of the lack of magic, but it had registered. The salt air was almost comforting, but not quite; when she'd gone to the beach with her parents and Gabrielle during the summers, it had been different.

She very nearly drew her (useless) wand again at the strange voice, before realizing her handbag would be a better option. Although she doubted she could seriously deter anyone who wished to bother her with such a small thing - however, those concerns fell away when she recognized the person approaching her.

Well, sort of recognized him. She knew who he was in a roundabout way - Ronald's brother, who'd been at the tournament, the one who worked for Gringotts. Her coworker, she supposed. She'd gotten his name from Ronald, who had always been eager to please (which was helpful, and not as annoying now that he'd saved Gabby).

She hadn't known he spoke French, though, (she hadn't known anything beyond the fact that he was a Weasley and rather handsome) and for some reason that was what she latched onto. Perhaps it was because it was the least threatening surprise that had appeared - well, that, and how he knew her name. Perhaps he'd asked Ronald as well? "Your accent!"

It was sort of silly and ridiculous, but, well. Focusing on the mundane while she tried to stop panicking might help - and she did sound rather less than calm.

[red_ponytail]

So it seemed she didn't recognise him; he didn't think she had, at least. Possibly in a vague sort of way, but nothing approaching the familiarity the previous Fleur had displayed. She'd snogged him right from the off.

"My accent?" Bill raised a curious eyebrow; that had been a rather odd thing for her to comment on. Though, if she'd just shown up on the island, she was likely a bit disoriented. "I've been told it's impeccable. You don't agree?"

[fleurid]

"That's not it," Fleur waved her hand, a bit impatiently, her purse dangling on one arm as she stopped grasping it, as she didn't plan to smack the man with it. "Well, it is, but what I meant was that it isn't horrid. Your brother could not pronounce the names of simple desserts. He butchered the language." Speaking about something completely inane was helping. Sort of. At least imagining Ronald trying to say things in French made it impossible for fear to completely take over her mind.

Still - she couldn't exactly ignore it forever. And she would be damned if she allowed herself to behave in such a - silly, useless sort of way. She was Fleur Delacour - she had been a Triwizard champion, and she would not fall to pieces, even if the magic was gone and she was someplace odd with the brother of Harry Potter's best friend. "William, I do not think that this is some obscure English form of job training?" And yeah, she really didn't think so. But it was a happier sort of thought than her only other guess, which had to do with - well, with the dark lord Harry had said was back.

Although she couldn't imagine why she would be important enough to do...whatever to.

[red_ponytail]

Bill let out a short chuckle. "Ron? Yeah, I'm not surprised. He'd probably say 'bless you' if someone asked him to pass the bouillabaisse."

She called him by his full name, something not even his own mum did, and it took him slightly by surprise, though he didn't mind it. He just wasn't used to it. And when she mentioned job training, he realised when she was from. "No, it's not. You're not at Gringotts, or even in England anymore. This is an island, called Tabula Rasa, and we're not exactly sure where it is. You're safe, though."

[fleurid]

"I do believe he did." Fleur's tone was wry, but there wasn't any actual meanness to her words; she liked Ronald, after all, even if she didn't approve of his attempting French. There was even, in the pained worry of her features, the hint of a smile.

It had been too much to hope for. She'd known that intellectually, but still - still. Hearing that she was safe did not entirely ease the knot in her chest. "And the magic?" She did not say how important this was to know. She did not really have to.

[red_ponytail]

That had been the hardest thing for all the witches and wizards who'd come and gone from the island to deal with - losing their magic. Bill had learnt to live with it, but he still missed it even after more than three years. It was hard not to miss something you'd been born with.

"Gone, or suppressed somehow," he explained. "You've likely already found out your wand won't work. There is magic here, of a sort, but it's not ours."

[fleurid]

"It's more than that. Look at me." And then she stopped pretending, for a moment, that she was handling this. "I do not feel the same at all."

[red_ponytail]

Anyone else, or at least anyone not from their home, might not have understood her comment, but Bill knew what she was referring to right away. "That's because you're human here. Fully human," he replied. "It happens to everyone. You don't feel the same because you're not part Veela anymore. Or, at least, it's suppressed somehow here, the same way we can't access our magic."

[fleurid]

"Does anyone know why?" she asked, nearly petulant. There did not seem to be a lot of answers to go around - which she supposed there wouldn't be, as this was all clearly quite mad - but it did not hurt to ask.

Or it made her feel better to ask. one of the two.

[red_ponytail]

"No, unfortunately," Bill said, shaking his head. "I've been here more than three years and no one's been able to work it out yet."

He glanced back toward the treeline, in the direction of the path to the Compound. "Let me show you to the Compound," he continued. "It's essentially the central location of our island. You can start getting settled in."