Christmas 2009

"Mummy!" screeched a small, high pitched voice, followed by the sound of bare feet pattering down the hallway of shell cottage. Fleur sighed, putting down her book and mentally preparing herself for her children to come bursting into the room.

And burst they did. Dominique came running in, her strawberry blonde curls flying wildly around her full face. In her hands she held a pair of angel wings – angel wings that happened to belong to her elder sister, Victoire. The unhappy wing owner came in a moment later, her blonde hair mussed and a frown gracing her face. Hardly had the two girls entered when Louis stumbled in, his chubby legs pumping as fast as possible as he struggled to keep up with his elder sisters. He was the only one of the three who seemed wholly delighted in the situation as he plopped cheerfully to the floor, giggling and waving at his mother.

"Mummy, Dom took my angel wings," Victoire complained, sticking out her lower lip in a pronounced frown.

"Toire is always the angel! Mummy, I wanna be the angel!" Dominique squealed, holding the angels in a vice like grip as Victoire lunged for them.

"You're gonna break them, Dom!" Victoire said angrily. "Don't break my angel wings!"

"But I want them!" Dominique screamed, attempting to twist away. Unfortunately, Dominique's five year old self was no match for Victoire's nine year old body and both tumbled to the floor. Louis let out a cry of laughter and rocked backwards, falling onto a pillow.

"Girls, calm down, s'il vous plaît," Fleur said, her tone commanding. "Why don't you both be ze angel?"

"But we only have my wings!" Victoire said, standing up and placing a hand on her hip. She fixed an odd little expression on her face, as if what she was saying was the most obvious thing in the world, before continuing, "Mummy, they're my wings, not Dom's, so I'm the angel!"

"Give me ze wings," Fleur said tiredly, holding out a hand for the glittery and slightly crushed wings that Dominique was lying on.

"But –" Dominique began.

"Give zem to me," Fleur repeated, leveling a harsh look at her younger daughter. Dominique sniffled and handed the wings over. Victoire tried to take them from her mother, but Fleur held them out of reach. "Non, ma Cherie," Fleur said, turning her eyes to her other daughter. "You are nine years old, you should know better."

"Everyone takes my things," Victoire said, her eyes tearing. "They took Teddy to Hogwarts without me, Dominique took my wings, Louis took my broom – it's not fair, mummy!"

"Teddy will be 'ome soon, Victoire," Fleur said softly, "and then you will be able to see 'im again, non?"

"But what if he forgot me?" Victoire asked in a watery voice.

"Teddy will not forget you," Fleur said firmly. "Do not worry. Now, as for who will be ze angel –"

"Me, mummy, it's my turn!" Dominique said, raising her hand and bouncing on her toes.

"Wait, Dominique," Fleur said. She pulled out her wand and tapped the wings. They split so there were two identical pairs of angel wings. Smiling, she held them out to the girls. "You can both be Christmas angels," she said.

"Yay!" Dominique said, putting on her wings and running around the room, leaping off of a chair and flapping her arms frantically. "Look, mummy! Mummy! I can fly, mummy!"

"Oui, Dominique, I see you," Fleur said, laughing. Victoire took her wings as well, slipping them on and observing herself in the mirror on the wall.

"Do you think Teddy will like my wings, maman?" she asked, as if weighing the matter in her head.

"I think Teddy will love zem," Fleur replied. "Now, why don't you all run along and play since you don't have to argue over who ze angel is anymore?"

"Ok! Come on, Toire!" Dominique cried, grabbing Victoire's hand and dragging her from the room.

"Mama?"

Fleur looked down, having completely forgotten that her son was also in the room. She smiled and picked him up. "What do you need, Louis?"

"Angel, too, mama?" Louis asked, pointing at his chest. Fleur laughed and conjured a pair of sparkly pink wings like the girls had, fixing them to the back of his shirt and setting him down. Louis gurgled excitedly and ran from the room. Perhaps, she thought hopefully, they wouldn't have another problem for some time and she would be able to make them supper in peace. She stood and began to make her way towards the kitchen, humming cheerfully until,

"Mummy!"

She should have known better.

A/N: This is the first in a collection of drabbles/oneshots. Some will be directly related, others not - you don't have to read one to understand another, but they all take place in the same universe (my head!canon universe, of course!).

Read/Review/Critique/Ignore. Whatever floats your boat!

(For Christmas Boot Camp: Angels)

-Naomi