Born in London to a second-generation Ethiopian migrant and a pure-blooded squib, Fleur's early childhood was fairly unremarkable. She went to school, took part in various clubs, and came home every evening to her family's boring terraced house. Sure, occasionally odd things would happen around her, like the best colouring pens seemingly teleporting towards her table during art sessions, but those things aren't generally thought about for more than two seconds before they're dismissed.
Life continued on in this vein for the first ten years of Fleur's life, with the addition of a younger brother when she was five and twin younger sisters when she was seven, until her mother decided to pay a visit to the GP. She'd been having problems with her sight and with her balance, you see, and was often tired. A few weeks later came the diagnosis: she had multiple sclerosis.
With her mother deteriorating fairly quickly, Fleur stepped up to help her father with her younger siblings and her mother. The family didn't have enough money to hire childminders or private nurses, you see, and the NHS wasn't really able to spare the staff to give the little family much extra support - though the occasional visit from the district nurse was still a great help to them. While Fleur became a carer, her father picked up a third job in order to compensate for the lost income.
Caring for her mother and siblings meant that Fleur had to give up the majority of her extracurricular clubs, but she didn't mind much. The one thing she was really passionate about was her violin lessons, but she was able to continue those since they happened during the school day (which was a double win, because who doesn't want to get out of lessons for a morning?). Looking back, Fleur thinks it truly incredible how she didn't buckle under the pressure of effectively mothering her siblings 24/7 for four years, but needs must.
At school, Fleur did suffer some. She lost friends due a lack of time to spare to spend time with them - she had to make sure that her siblings got home safe, and that dinner was ready for Dad coming home, and that Mum was comfortable, and that her little brother did his goddamn homework before Miss McNaughton called home and put even more stress on her dad. Almost overnight, Fleur changed from a happy-go-lucky little girl with her head constantly in the clouds to a down-to-earth, mature one.
Fleur's eleventh birthday passed like any other day, really, save for a few small details. She woke up, made breakfast, waved her Dad off to work and walked her siblings to friends' houses before returning home to spend time with her mother. Then the letter came. Nobody was on the street when she looked out to try to find them (because an envelope so old fashioned had to be something weird), and when she opened it she quickly decided it was a prank. Magic didn't exist! If she was a witch, she would know about it and her mother wouldn't be ill. So Fleur threw the letter in the bin and neglected to tell her father about it.
Fast forward a few days, and a man dressed in strange clothes knocked on the door almost as soon as her dad arrived home from work. He had another of those odd letters and sat her exhausted dad down to explain to him (complete with demonstrations) that magic was real, and to introduce him to the idea of sending Fleur to Hogwarts. Of course, the whole family was reluctant. How would they cope without Fleur? Her next-oldest sibling was not nearly so self-sufficient as she was, and her mother needed someone at home.
In the end, Fleur was sent (reluctantly) to Hogwarts. Her parents agreed that it was best that she had this opportunity - they would survive without her help at home, though she still did her best to come home as often as she could. A few years later, she was even joined by her younger brother Freddie at school, and upon graduation she began her training to become a healer.
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Fleur's friends call her "mum" because she's possibly the most responsible person you'll ever meet. A product of her environment, she's used to helping her father out with her two much-younger siblings and with her sick mother, so she tends to fall into the role of mum friend pretty naturally. Her most common phrases are probably "have you eaten yet?" and "are you cold?"
A self-described "conscientious objector", Fleur would rather sell her left kidney than get into an argument with one of her friends (unless said friend is being an idiot and neglecting their basic needs, in which case she's ready for battle). She's a big supporter of house elf emancipation, and although she acknowledges that many of them are happy where they are, she believes this is a classic example of stockholm syndrome.
While she often comes across as understanding and kind, Fleur isn't without spine. She's not afraid to tell someone when they're being an idiot, and that's what makes her such a good confidante for her friends. She's infinitely trustworthy and not someone who likes to gossip (about her own friends, at least). She likes to know things about people, to feel like she's part of something, but she'd never spread gossip.
Raised by self-made parents, Fleur is a firm believer in making her own way in the world. This, in combination with her experience as one of the main carers in her home, has created someone with a fierce sense of independence. She really doesn't like to take charity from anyone, and feels uncomfortable even when receiving birthday presents because really, she doesn't need them
Financial stability for her family, becoming a healer
Favorites
Color
Light yellow
Song
Technicolour Beat
Show
Outlander
Movie
Sabrina
Book
This is going to hurt
Food
Honeycomb
Drink
Warm milk bc she's a child
she's allergic to dogs but she doesn't let that stop her from petting every one she sees she plays violin
she really loves those muggle coming-of-age films. you know the super cheesy ones with the unnecessary romantic plots? yeah, those
and audrey hepburn films! sabrina and roman holiday in particular. audrey hepburn is her ultimate idol - so sophisticated and kind and bright. she wants to be that kind of person
she owns like 20 plants
she's a vocal advocate for creature rights, especially for house elves
she's a conscientious objector to all wars. full stop.
this character belongs to asteriea | this template belongs to red
