Fleur Delacour: The Unsung Queen of Harry Potter

In most fiction today, we often see the trope of "The Diva". The girl who is extremely pretty and knows it. She likes makeup and is as feminine as it gets. More often than not, fiction villainizes such  women. We are often led to believe that this is a girl no one should aspire to be. Instead, we are made to root for girls who are beautiful without trying, who love the same things men do, and girls who don't "behave like other girls". This is the opposite of the "Cool Girl", Gillian Flynn talks about in 'Gone Girl". According to most men, this is girl too high-maintenance and not-at-all cool.

Fleur Delacour from Harry Potter breaks this trope and the glass ceiling without ever stepping a toe inside a corporate office. She is as feminine as it gets. She is blonde, gorgeous, and part-veela. She is a proper French lady with all the manners and the dresses. She is haughty and unruffled. She is breathtakingly beautiful and she knows it.

When we are first introduced to Fleur in The Goblet of Fire, she is laughing derisively at Dumbledore's words. The first words she says in the books are to offer Ron food. She initially seems to give a great high- society-girl-judging-everything-around-her vibe. And She definitely is that person. But, she is also so much more.

She was chosen as the Triwizard Champion from Beauxbatons.

 Contrary to what the movies make us believe, French wizards are not all female and Beauxbatons is not a girls' school. Fleur Delacour was the only female champion competing in the Triwizard Tournament and was selected to represent Beauxabatons and the country of France. This is no small feat. She was not chosen because she was a girl, she was chosen over all the girls and boys studying in Beaxbatons because the goblet deemed her more worthy than all of them.  

She stole a dragon’s egg and got her skirt burnt while doing so.

Fleur Delacour played with dragons before it was cool. Unlike a certain popular female character, Fleur was terribly afraid of the dragons. But, she still stole the Dragon's egg, in a skirt nonetheless.

 

Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?'
'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”

       -GRRM, Game of Thrones. 

Guess this quote applies to women too. 

The Person She would Miss the most was her little sister.

Fleur Delacour was an excellent elder sister. She loved her younger sibling with all her heart and jumped into the ocean to save her. And when she couldn't, she remained forever indebted to the person who did. Unlike most strong women in fiction, Fleur wasn't afraid of being vulnerable in public. She cried when she thought she had lost her sister, and did not for once think it would make her appear weak. She had enough humility to ask for help when needed it and utmost grace to offer thanks when she received it.

She spoke with a heavy French accent and didn't care when people made fun of her for it.

Fleur Delacour was a confident woman who didn't need society's validation to exist. When people made fun of her for speaking English in her native accent, she did not complain or crib about it. Instead, she joined Gringotts, the Wizard Bank to learn to speak English properly. Interestingly enough, this decision led her to meet Bill Weasely, her husband.

She was nothing but kind to Ginny, Hermoine, and Mrs. Weasely even though they don't extend her the same courtesy.

Most of our favorite characters in Harry Potter aren't too kind to Fleur Delacour. Ginny, Hermoine, and Mrs. Weasely make fun of Fleur's accent and her manners and nickname her "Phlegm". They not really subtle in their apparent dislike for her and still she is all but gracious to them. 

She married Bill, in full knowledge of the fact that he had been bitten by a werewolf.

Fleur Delacour knew her fiancee had been bitten by a werewolf. Her mother-in-law all but expected her to break the engagement. All the people around her considered her shallow and superficial. So, when Bill's face was scarred for life, they were convinced she wouldn't marry him. She says and I quote ' I am good-looking enough for the both of us' when questioned over her love for Bill's new scarres face. 'The scars show that my husband is brave'.

She loves Bill truly and unconditionally

She voluntarily risks her life to save Harry.

In a world where everyone wanted to get hold of the Chosen one, Fleur Delacour became one of the seven Harry Potter and risked her life to save Harry's. Of all people who did this, she was perhaps the one most distantly connected to Harry. She gave up her dream wedding in Paris and instead agreed to have one in the Burrow itself, for Harry's safety. She housed the Trio in her home when they were fleeing from the Death Eaters. 

She fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

She was one of the soldiers who fought against the death eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts. When she had to choose between being a warrior and a lady, she chose both. She fought with the same grace and poise that she danced. 

Fleur Delacour is a queen. Let's all bow to her and learn to be a warrior and a lady. 

Unsung heroes: Fleur Delacour - Pottermore

Tweet to @AbhiReadin