She walks in beauty

of cloudless climes and starry skies Apolline Delacour, nee Bellamy | 22 | Half-Veela | Mother

[mme-delacour]

notyourfrenchdoll:

“Apolline you cannot be serious.” Gabrielle was glad to be spending time with her sister, truly, but this was absurd. It clearly wasn’t safe for her anymore, and while the same could be pointed out and said to the younger girl, Apolline had a family - a husband and a daughter who needed her to stay in one piece. She held Fleur close as she nodded though. Perhaps in the time it took to get to where ever Fleur was leaving from (letting the three year old go on her own seemed a bit unsafe), Gabrielle would be able to convince her sister other wise. “If they continue to target creatures, you will not be safe here. Holiday or not.” Her voice was low, she did not want to alarm her niece, but she could only hope that her sister would begin to see some form of reason.

“I’m very serious.” She had known Gabrielle wouldn’t like it but that wouldn’t stop her; Gabrielle might be known as the headstrong daughter, but Apolline was equally stubborn when she thought something was important, and this was. “You’re not safe then either, Gabrielle,” she said lightly, sending a smile in her daughter’s direction, despite the serious topic of conversation. “I’m quite capable of defending myself, and I am of age. I’m not leaving you.”

[mme-delacour]

notyourfrenchdoll:

Gabrielle took the younger girl as soon as her sister held her out, immediately letting her head rest on her shoulder. She adored her niece, she had never tried to keep that a secret, and their time had been cut too short for her liking. Moving away from France had proven to be one of the hardest things she’d done, especially now. “I cannot believe you have to leave so quickly -” She began, before realizing exactly what her sister had said. She was saying goodbye to Fleur. Just Fleur. Moving the girl to her hip so that she could fully see her sister, Gabrielle shook her head. “Apolline, you are going home too, yes?”

Apolline hated that she and Gabrielle had been separated, and that her sister was missing out on seeing Fleur grow up. And while she liked to pretend that Gabrielle would be back next year, she knew the truth. Gabrielle had come here to get involved in the fight, and she wouldn’t be back in France until it was won - if then. She waited until her words fully registered and then shook her head, lips quirking into a soft smile. “Just Fleur. She’s too young for this, but I planned to spend my holiday with my sister and that’s what I shall do.” A quick look at her watch told her it was high time to start back toward Dumbledore’s office, where the Portkey waited. “Walk with us? Fleur misses her tante when we’re home.”

[mme-delacour]

notyourfrenchdoll:

Gabrielle was not okay. Not in the slightest sense of the word was she anywhere near being okay. She had received the news in the morning with the rest of the students, and immediately had to lock herself in her room, putting up any spell she could think of between her bed and the rest of the world. After what felt to be an eternity of controlling her breathing, letting herself cry, and stopping herself from screaming, she had a realization. Apolline and Fleur were still here. Fumbling herself out of her bed, and racing to put on shoes and throw her hair into a loose ponytail, Gabrielle pushed past a second year on the steps to the girl’s dormitories, and through other students in the common room. She needed to find her sister, to get her the hell out of this castle. France was safe. That’s where Apolline and Fleur needed to be. Making her way through the corridor, she was relieved to have found her early, and immediately pulled the pair in for a tight hug. Stepping back, she tried to keep herself calm in front of Fleur. “Apolline. Thank God you are both okay. You need to go home. You both do.”

She had known Gabrielle would be upset. Apolline had watched her younger sister struggle to control her emotions for her whole life, and this was not a surprise. She simply wrapped one arm around her and held her close as long as she needed, only letting go when Gabrielle stepped back. “I came to find you so you could say goodbye to Fleur,” she said, holding her daughter out. Gabrielle would not like the fact that Apolline planned to stay for the remainder of the holiday but it didn’t matter very much; Gabrielle couldn’t change the fact, and Apolline wasn’t going to give up any time with her sister. “Are you all right, Gabrielle?”

[mme-delacour]

December 27

@notyourfrenchdoll

Apolline was glad she had taken the headmaster up on his offer to stay in the castle, because she would not have wanted to walk the distance from Hogsmeade Village to Hogwarts, given the circumstances. As it was, she could feel the cold grip of fear tightening around her heart.  She’d written to Lucien as soon as they heard, and with Dumbledore’s help, they had prepared a Portkey for Fleur. Although Apolline was staying, she couldn’t keep her daughter here in good conscience. Holding Fleur in her arms, she walked through the castle toward Ravenclaw tower in search of her sister; from all appearances, Apolline was quite calm - she’d learned very young to control both her emotions and her appearance - but she felt far from it as she cradled Fleur.

[mme-delacour]

edgxrbxnxs:

WHO: Edgar Bones and anyone WHEN: 9pm, Christmas Day WHERE: Great Hall, Christmas Ball

“No, I won’t get you a drink.” Edgar said crossly to the fourth year Ravenclaw who had thought it appropriate to ask the prefect of his house if he could buy him alcohol. Of all of the issues in Hogwarts, underage drinking wasn’t really a huge concern of Edgar’s – not by a long shot – but he still wouldn’t be so brazen as to supply a fourteen year old. Besides, the boy had been foolish enough to approach Edgar over Ludovic or Lorcan. He was obviously too stupid to be drinking, anyways. 

Edgar turned to the person next to him and smiled slightly. He lifted his glass of wine to his lips. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“All I said,” Apolline said with her most charming smile, “is that it’s lovely to finally have a chance to meet this Edgar Bones whom my sister writes about so often.” Gabrielle might not have said anything specific about it, but Apolline had a flash of intuition regarding her sister and this Edgar Bones. It was something about the way she wrote about him, and how it reminded Apolline of the way she spoke about her future husband after their first meeting. “I’m Apolline.”

[mme-delacour]

ottobagman:

Otto nearly stopped himself from another tumble when he caught sight of the woman he’d bumped into. Holy Hagrid’s buttcrack ━ she was absolutely stunning. It took him a few seconds to compose himself again, paired with a lot of mental yelling to get himself together. He was acting like a complete buffoon in front of this gorgeous girl, Otto Bagman ━ who usually considered himself pretty suave, was being played for a fool. “Y-yeah,” He managed to get out, before clearing his throat and straightening up. “Still, I’m very sorry for my clumsiness. Can I er, maybe buy you a drink? To make up for my mistake, of course.”

Apolline had to admit to a certain amount of vanity, and it would be deceitful of her to say that she didn’t enjoy watching men fall all over themselves. It was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with her husband - he hadn’t been such a fool over her appearance. But as he was at home and she was here, she would take the compliments. “You’re quite forgiven, but I would never turn down an offer of a drink. That would be very much appreciated.” She was making a conscious effort not to be too charming, but she had always found it relatively easy to control her veela side. 

[mme-delacour]

callieavbrey:

Callie looked at the woman curiously as she spoke. She seemed less impressed, which Callie wasn’t too surprised about. She’d probably seen even greater feats achieved by this…magic. “Really? Sounds incredible if it’s even prittier than this. I’ve never heard of Beauxbatons though, is it another school?” Callie thought Hogwarts was the only wizarding school around, though she supposed that didn’t make much sense if these people were all around the world. 

“Beauxbatons has no equal for its beauty,” Apolline said, with just a hint of smugness coloring her voice. Hogwarts wasn’t terrible, by any means, but neither was it in the same league as her alma mater when it came to appearance. “Oui, it is the French school.” Her companion must be a Muggle, if she didn’t know about Beauxbatons. “Are you enjoying your stay here?”

[mme-delacour]

callieavbrey:

Callie’s eyes widened as she walked into the rather large room, she thought to be called the Great Hall. The decorations were absolutely stunning, and her first instinct was to describe the falling snow as magical. She then came to the realization that it in fact was. She didn’t recognize the music that was playing in the slightest, and caught sight of the bars on each side of the hall. She hardly drank at all, but it couldn’t hurt to go for something light later in the night. Smoothing out the dress she’d borrowed from Bertram, Callie looked up to the person next to her, in attempt to make conversation. “The snow…it’s amazing.” 

It was certainly no Beauxbatons, or even their family estate and her mother’s decorations, but Apolline would admit to a certain level of charm in the Hogwarts winter decorations. Clearly they had tried very hard, and the enchanted snow was pretty to look at. “It’s nice but the decorations at Beauxbatons were much more elaborate. If you think this is lovely, you should have seen what we did there.”

[mme-delacour]

ottobagman:

Even though he wasn’t as big of a drinker as he used to be, no, not nearly, Otto Bagman never resisted the alluring offer that was free drinks. He’d been making his way around the Great Hall, greeting some old, familiar faces, flirting with someone’s older sister ━ yes, this was the Hogwarts he’d truly missed. Thinking he’d spotted Ludo across the room, Otto quickly turned on his heel but hadn’t realized there was someone in his path.  

“Oh no, I am so sorry ━” He apologized profusely, after having nearly avoided an actual collision. “Are you alright? Did I spill any drink on you?”

Apolline had been to her fair share of these events, and had a great deal of experience with dodging out of the way of falling drinks, or distracted men. It took just a swift sidestep to avoid the man and his drink, and a glance down assured her that the dress had gone unharmed. Laughing lightly, she waved her hand and glanced up at her companion. “There is no need to apologize. You’re hardly the first man who’s nearly ruined a perfectly good dress at a ball.”

[mme-delacour]

Christmas 1977 | The Hogwarts Christmas Ball

[mme-delacour]

notyourfrenchdoll:

Thrilled was an understatement, as Gabrielle raced through the castle. She had been upset over the news of the holidays, but as soon as she found out that her sister was coming, and with Fleur, things began looking up. It was no secret that Gabrielle adored her sister and niece, and after receiving word that they had arrived, she couldn’t travel fast enough. Finally, she saw familiar figures, and she could see as Apolline set Fleur down. Immediately, Gabrielle stopped, sinking to her knees as the child ran up. “Fleur! Mon petit oiseau!” She instantly embraced the child, letting her face sink into her blonde curls, before she stood, lifting her up as she went, and embraced her sister. “Apolline,” Gabrielle let out a breath that felt like it had been held since September. “I missed you. How are maman and papa?”

Apolline gave her daughter enough time to be happy with her aunt before moving in for her own hug. The separation from Gabrielle had been nearly unbearable.  It was bad enough when Gabrielle was at Beauxbatons, but now that she had moved to Hogwarts - Apolline wasn’t sure what she would do for the rest of the school year. Her arms went around her sister tightly, trying to squeeze months’ worths of hugs into one. “I missed you so much, Gabrielle. Maman and Papa are well and send their love. And presents. I have so many presents. They wanted tocome but you know Papa cannot always get away. How are you? You haven’t had any trouble at school, have you? We’ve been so worried, reading the news.”

[mme-delacour]

motheringmolly:

“Oh, you’re too sweet, no, I’m really okay - Charlie, stop tormenting your brother, give Percy his glasses back. Go on then. And the hippogrif - anywho, yes, dear, perfectly fine. Tell me, have you seen my brothers?”

“Fleur - that isn’t yours, bébé, give it back.” Apolline said, trying not to stare at the gaggle of little red-headed boys. How did the other woman handle all of them at once - and pregnant again? Apolline herself could barely keep up with Fleur most days, it seemed. Another child might be in their future, but not for several more years. “I’m afraid I don’t know who your brothers are, so I’m sure I could have seen them, but I wouldn’t know it.”

[mme-delacour]

@notyourfrenchdoll

“Well, bébé, at least the castle is lovely, is it not? Don’t you think it’s pretty?” Apolline bounced Fleur on her hip, crooning softly to her daughter as she stepped through the doors. Not nearly as pretty as Beauxbatons, but that was to be expected, of course. Nothing could ever measure up to her alma mater for beauty. “Where do you think Tante Gabrielle is, hmm? We need to find her soon.” At the mention of her aunt, Fleur began squirming to get down, but Apolline only tightened her grip. Her daughter was precisely the child to run away and get lost and she didn’t want to deal with that today. But as luck would have it, she turned a corner and spotted her little sister coming in her direction. This time, she did set Fleur down, letting her cross the remaining distance as quickly as possible, squealing for her aunt. Apolline followed at a more sedate pace, though her footsteps quickened considerable. “Gabrielle!”

[sorting-hat-style]

A young Apolline Delacour