Morwenna had curtsied, smiled, and spoken until her face ached. Jack angled them toward the French families, and the tightness in her chest returned.
She had noticed Fleur all evening, pale blue dress and silver-blonde hair glimpsed across the room. Fleur stood with her parents, hands clasped, watching. Morwenna felt that gaze between her shoulder blades.
Distance had made the sight of her manageable, but this was different.
"Don't look," she told herself as they walked, her heart hammering, her skirt whispering against the floor. "Just walk. You can do this."
She tried to keep her eyes forward, but her gaze darted to the left and then to the right—anywhere but ahead. She felt like a child, which was ridiculous because she was a child, a six-year-old at her own birthday ball. She was walking toward a girl she had once kissed on the cheek and promised to wait for.
She remembered Fleur now; while she didn't recall every small detail, she remembered enough to recall the blue ribbon and the way Fleur had fed her soup with her own spoon. The memory burned, and her face grew hotter.
Jane's hand pressed lightly at her back. "Nimue."
Morwenna looked up at her mother. Jane's expression was calm, but her eyes held a look that suggested she knew exactly what was happening.
"Breathe," Jane said quietly, and Morwenna obeyed.
They stopped before the Delacours. Fleur stood between Apolline and Philippe, her silver-blonde hair falling past her shoulders in shining waves. Her pale blue dress was simple, a white ribbon tied at the crown of her head. Her sea-blue eyes locked onto Morwenna.
When their eyes met, Morwenna's pupils dilated and her mind went blank. The sound of the quartet and the chatter of the guests faded away, and the chandelier light blurred at the edges of her vision. She felt as though she were four years old again at the Christmas market, staring at a girl who looked like frost and starlight.
Fleur's expression softened. The tension around her eyes eased and her shoulders relaxed just slightly as a faint curve formed at the corner of her mouth. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was far warmer than the composure she had held all evening.
"Still Nimue," Fleur thought. "Still the same Nimue."
Margaux's laugh cut through the moment, sharp and bright. She nudged Apolline with her elbow. "See? That's the same expression. Exactly the same as when they first met."
Apolline's mouth curved. "I see."
Morwenna snapped out of her daze, her face flushing hot as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her hands twitched at her sides, and she desperately wished for a deep hole in the floorboards, deep enough to swallow her whole.
Jane looked at her daughter with a helpless expression, the face of a woman who had watched this exact scene before and had no idea what to do about it the second time either.
Fleur stepped closer until the space between them shrank. Morwenna could see the strands of silver in Fleur's hair and the pale blue of her irises.
"Happy birthday, Nimue," Fleur said.
Morwenna's throat worked for a moment before she managed to reply. "Thank you."
Fleur smiled, and this time it was a real, bright expression that reached her eyes. "I'm learning English for you," she said, her accent thick with rounded vowels. "It was good, right?"
Morwenna nodded. "Yes. Very good. Thank you."
As they looked at each other, Fleur reached out and took her hand. Her fingers were cool and slender as they wrapped around Morwenna's.
Morwenna didn't pull away; instead, her fingers curled around Fleur's automatically, as if her body remembered what her mind couldn't quite hold onto.
Then, without warning, Fleur pulled her close. The hug drew Morwenna in against the pale blue dress, and she felt the white ribbon brush softly against her cheek.
Morwenna went rigid. She didn't know where to place her hands or whether she should return the gesture, but Fleur didn't let go. A steady warmth settled around her as Fleur's chin rested lightly against the top of her head.
The hold was firm and familiar, as if there had never been any distance between them at all. Slowly, the tension left Morwenna's shoulders. Her arms lifted, hesitant at first and then certain, as her hands pressed against Fleur's back.
"This is fine," she thought. "I can do this."
Her heartbeat slowed and the tight rhythm in her chest eased into something calm. She pressed her face into Fleur's shoulder and let the warmth hold her up while the adults continued their conversation around them.
Apolline mentioned the journey from France and Philippe laughed at something Morwenna didn't catch, but none of it reached her. She didn't know why this felt so right or why she trusted it so easily, but she let herself sink into the embrace completely.
Then, an unexplained urge came out of nowhere. A strange tickling sensation settled in her gums, creating a sharp, sudden need to press her teeth into something soft. She wanted to sink her teeth into Fleur's shoulder or neck, just hard enough to feel the muscle beneath the fabric and leave a mark that would fade by morning.
"No," she thought, pushing the urge down. "Stop. You can't bite people at your birthday ball. That's not how this works."
She nuzzled closer instead, her face pressed into Fleur's neck. "Grande sœur," she murmured.
Fleur's arms tightened around her. The truth was that Fleur had been uncomfortable all evening, watching Morwenna smile and curtsy to the other children—especially that blonde girl with the cool grey eyes.
Something had twisted in her chest each time, but as she held Morwenna now, the feeling vanished. She didn't want to let go.
Jane watched them for a long moment. Her daughter, who usually kept everyone at arm's length, was wrapped around Fleur. Yet, Morwenna's body was relaxed, and for the first time all evening, she looked like she was exactly where she wanted to be.
Eventually, Jane stepped in and placed hand on Morwenna's shoulder. "Nimue. Let Fleur breathe."
Morwenna pulled back with dazed, unfocused eyes, looking like someone who had just been woken from a deep sleep.
Jane noticed a small smear of saliva at the corner of her daughter's mouth and quickly wiped it away with her thumb before anyone else noticed. She glanced at Fleur's dress but found no suspicious stains. "Thank the old gods."
"Go," Jane said, steering Morwenna away from the adults. "Play with the other children. Fleur will go with you."
Morwenna blinked in surprise. "What?"
"The other children, near the dessert table," Jane gestured. "Go."
Fleur took Morwenna's hand again, her fingers feeling warm this time as she pulled gently. Morwenna followed her across the ballroom, still flushed and dazed, but the fact that Fleur was holding her hand was enough.
The dessert table was a long stretch of white linen loaded with small cakes, fruit tarts, and a chocolate fountain that flowed in a steady dark ribbon.
The children had gathered at the far end where the adults could watch them without hovering. Morwenna didn't let go of Fleur's hand as they approached, and the other children soon noticed them coming.
"Everyone," Morwenna said, "this is Fleur. She is from France."
Fleur inclined her head with a restrained air, her sea-blue eyes moving across the group and pausing on each face. "Hello," she said.
Her English was careful, as the vowels sat differently in her mouth than British ones did, but it was clear she had practised.
Susan gave a polite tilt of her head, while Lavender smiled and Ernie nodded. Daphne stood near the chocolate fountain with Astoria half-hidden behind her skirt. Her cool eyes moved over Fleur before dropping to their joined hands, though her expression remained unreadable.
Draco stood with his back to the table and his arms crossed, occupying the centre of the group with Pansy and Theodore nearby.
Morwenna released Fleur's hand, knowing she had a role to play. "Draco," she said.
Draco's grey eyes flicked to her. "What."
"We are cousins. Your mother is from the Black main line, and my grandmother is from the Black side branch, the Noctua line. Different family name, same blood. That makes us cousins."
Draco's mouth opened and closed as his expression shifted through something that might have been calculation.
"I'm older than you," Morwenna added, "so you should listen to me."
A flicker of annoyance crossed his face, but he didn't argue; he simply made a small sound and looked away.
Meanwhile, Fleur watched Daphne. She didn't know why, as the blonde girl wasn't doing anything, but something about her made the back of Fleur's neck prickle.
Morwenna moved through the group with ease, asking Susan about her aunt and Lavender about the cakes. She made sure to include Neville, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. "What do you think of the party?" she asked him.
Neville looked as if she had asked him to solve a complicated equation. "It's... nice."
"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to," she said. "We can go somewhere quieter."
Neville's shoulders eased just a fraction. "Maybe later."
When she reached Daphne, the other girl looked up with calm eyes. "Are you enjoying the party?" Morwenna asked.
"Yes. Thank you for inviting us."
Astoria tugged her sister's sleeve. "Daphne, can I have another strawberry?"
Daphne looked down. "You have already had one."
"One more?"
Daphne glanced at Morwenna, who shrugged. "The strawberries won't miss it."
Daphne picked up a strawberry and handed it to her sister, who beamed in response.
"She is very cute," Morwenna thought.
She then turned back to the group. "So, what do you want to do?"
No one answered at first, so she looked at Neville. "Neville, what do you think?"
He startled. "Me?"
"Yes, you. What do you want to do?"
He looked at the other children and then at his grandmother across the room. "I have never been here before."
"Fair enough," Morwenna said. "We have the conservatory, where there is a piano and koi fish. There is the creature meadow, but we would need an adult for that. Or the garden, which is lit for the evening."
"The piano," Lavender said immediately.
"The garden," Pansy and Draco countered at the same time.
Theodore murmured a preference for the meadow, Daphne chose the garden for Astoria's sake.
Fleur stood silently beside Morwenna, but her gaze kept drifting toward Daphne. It wasn't a glare, but rather the kind of focused attention a cat gives something it hasn't quite decided about yet.
"Right," Morwenna said. "Garden first, and then we can come back for the piano if there is time."
As they walked toward the stone terrace, Fleur fell into step beside Morwenna while Daphne walked a few paces behind.
On the terrace, the children began to scatter. Lavender ran to the railing while Susan found a stone bench. Morwenna turned to Fleur. "Grande sœur," she said quietly. "Are you okay?"
Fleur blinked. "Why would I not be?"
Morwenna just looked at her, noting the blue eyes that kept drifting toward Daphne.
Fleur looked away first. "I'm fine. I just... missed you."
Morwenna took her hand, and Fleur's fingers curled around hers. Across the terrace, Daphne watched them, ignoring Astoria's tugging.
Eventually, Morwenna led the group toward the conservatory.
The conservatory was warm, with glass walls that turned the space amber and gold in the evening light. The koi fish drifted in the fountain, and a piano sat in the corner.
Draco walked to the instrument and lifted the lid, pressing a key that rang out clear and sharp.
"Do you play?" Morwenna asked.
"Some."
Fleur stayed close to Morwenna as Daphne and Astoria approached the fountain.
"They are orange," Astoria observed.
"Yes," Daphne said.
"Why?"
Daphne looked at Morwenna for an explanation, and Morwenna simply shrugged. "Because they are."
Astoria seemed satisfied with that.
Fleur watched Daphne watch Morwenna, and the prickle at the back of her neck returned, causing her to step even closer to Morwenna.
Morwenna, however, was busy moving toward Neville, who was standing near a potted fern.
"That's a good spot," she said. "My grandfather says that fern was here before the walls were built."
Neville touched the leaf more carefully this time. Morwenna looked around the room and saw that the children were settling in. They weren't comfortable yet, but they weren't hostile, which was something she could work with.
"If anyone wants to play the piano, you can," she announced. "Just don't break it."
Draco sat on the bench and played a short scale and a few chords. It wasn't impressive, but it wasn't bad either. Morwenna gave him a small, approving nod, and he turned back to the keys.
Fleur touched Morwenna's wrist.
"Nimue," she said quietly. "You are very good at this."
"At what?"
"Making everyone feel included."
Morwenna hadn't thought of it that way; she had just been doing what she felt was necessary.
Astoria tugged at her sleeve then, asking to see the fish up close. Morwenna lifted her onto the edge of the fountain, where the little girl watched her own reflection wobble beside the orange koi.
"Pretty," Astoria said.
"Yes," Morwenna replied. "Very pretty."