As the silver-haired girl stepped into the office, Mada Maxi looked up from her desk with a warm smile.
"Co in, sit down, Fleur. I have sothing to discuss with you."
The girl—Fleur Delacour—glanced briefly at the Headmistress before her sharp, crystalline gaze shifted toward the other occupant of the room. She tilted her head ever so slightly and asked, with a trace of disdain, "Is this another one of those girls complaining, Mada Maxi?"
Her eyes narrowed as she studied Eira. "Let guess," Fleur continued, her voice tinged with dry amusent, "did your little boyfriend lose interest in you after seeing ? Or perhaps you worked up the courage to confess to your crush and found out he was more interested in instead?" She gave a dismissive flick of her hair. "If it helps, I rejected him on the way here. So don’t worry."
Before she could go any further, Mada Maxi raised a firm hand.
"It is not that at all, Fleur," she said, her voice laced with gentle authority. "Please, allow to explain before you jump to conclusions."
She gestured toward the younger girl seated before her. "Her na is Eira White. She’s a first-year student who has only just arrived. I called you here to introduce the two of you—your father insisted upon it, after all."
Turning her kind eyes toward Eira, Mada Maxi continued, "Fleur is a mber of the noble Delacour family, and one of our most accomplished students. She’s the young lady I ntioned earlier. I think it would do you both good to spend so ti together, get to know one another."
Eira, ever composed, gave a polite nod. "Thank you, Mada Maxi," she said softly as she rose from her seat and left the office.
As the door clicked shut behind her, the smile on Maxi’s face faded into sothing more serious.
"You were quite rude, Fleur," she said. "That is not the kind of first impression an elegant young lady should leave."
Fleur’s expression faltered. She cast her eyes downward in sha. "She’ll despise , like everyone else," she muttered. "I’m sure of it."
"You don’t know that," Maxi replied gently. "People are different. Eira may co from a noble family like yours, but she was raised without parents, without friends. She’s not had an easy life. And besides—your father personally asked for this eting. The Delacours and the Whites have been in partnership for generations. She will be the next heiress of that family. This is a rare opportunity for you to build a aningful connection."
Fleur bit her lip, hesitating.
"Go," Mada Maxi urged, her voice kind but firm. "Don’t keep her waiting. And be nice this ti."
With a reluctant nod, Fleur turned and left the office.
⸻
Outside, beside the garden blooming at the roof of Beauxbatons Château, Eira stood alone, admiring the delicate bluebells that swayed in the soft sumr breeze. She turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.
Fleur stood before her, the tension in her posture replaced with a hint of sincerity.
"I apologize for what I said earlier," she said, her voice lower now, more reserved. "I hope you don’t take it to heart."
Eira regarded her for a mont, then smiled lightly. "Don’t worry about it. Just a misunderstanding. From what I’ve seen since yesterday... your situation here isn’t exactly friendly—especially with the other girls."
Fleur blinked in surprise, then gave a soft, bitter laugh. "You could say that. Over the past three years, I’ve been harassed by boys and hated by girls more tis than I can count. It makes eting new people... difficult."
"Are all the girls like that?" Eira asked, a hint of amusent in her tone. "Or are there so sane ones hiding in the corners?"
Fleur chuckled. "There are a few good ones. Most of the beautiful ones, though..." She trailed off with a knowing look. "Well, anyway. Co, let’s walk together. It’s lunchti. Maybe we can grab sothing to eat."
Eira nodded, her smile growing a little warr. "Sure, why not?"
⸻
As they strolled along the gravel path winding through the Beauxbatons gardens, birds chirping softly overhead, Fleur glanced sideways.
"I heard sothing interesting," she said casually. "You chose to co here instead of going to Hogwarts. Why?"
Eira paused a mont before answering, her eyes thoughtful. "Well, I ca with my grandfather. It’s kind of a tradition in our family to study here. But one day, I’ll have to go back and transfer to Hogwarts."
Fleur raised a delicate brow. "Why is that? Don’t like it here?"
"Oh, nothing like that," Eira said quickly. "I love it here. I could study here all the way through, honestly. But as a British citizen... and given my family’s history, it’s expected that I’ll graduate from Hogwarts. Besides, I’m curious. I’ve heard stories about the school."
"Curious, hmm?" Fleur mused. "That’s fair. Though Beauxbatons is far more elegant, in my opinion."
By the ti they arrived at the Ombrelune Hall, the late afternoon sun filtered through the high glass windows. So students sat at long tables eating lunch, while others huddled in corners, noses buried in books. The two girls took plates and helped themselves to the elegantly arranged spread of fresh baguettes, cheese wheels, roasted vegetables, and chard pastries that shimred faintly with sugar.
As they sat down, Fleur asked, "So, how was your first class?"
"It was good," Eira said honestly, "I enjoyed it. There’s sothing satisfying about working with ingredients, watching them transform under your hands. It’s like coaxing life from magic."
"That’s good," Fleur said, nodding approvingly. "It’s rare to see soone who actually enjoys studying. If you ever need help with anything, you can co to ."
Eira smiled, touched by the offer. "Thank you. I appreciate that."
A mont later, Fleur glanced at the clock and stood up. "I’ve got class this afternoon, so I should get going. It was nice eting you, Eira. We’ll catch up again soon, I hope."
"Nice eting you too, Fleur," Eira replied, watching her go.
After finishing her lunch, Eira made her way back to her room. With no afternoon classes scheduled, she sank gratefully into her bed, letting the hum of distant chatter and the scent of lavender lull her into a peaceful afternoon nap.
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