The Best-Developed Harry Potter Character

The Harry Potter series has a lot of characters. Some well-developed, some not, some only mentioned for a few sentences before they vanish again. But the character with arguably the best and most consistent development is one that tends to shock most people when I point it out.

Fleur Delacour.

"Hang on a second!" I hear you cry, "She was a snob and a bitch and shallow! Everyone hated her; how can she be the best developed character?"

I'm so glad you asked.

You see, Character Development isn't always about a nice character becoming better, nor is it restricted to likable characters. Sometimes it's about taking a character who has done questionable things but has the potential for change, and making them better. Sometimes it provides rational for a character becoming worse. Sometimes it adds complexity and depth to an otherwise two-dimensional character. Sometimes it's multiples of the above.

For example: Season One Zuko, from Avatar: the Last Airbender, is a very different character to the person he becomes by the end of Season Three. Fleur as she is introduced in the early chapters of Goblet of Fire, while similar in the essentials, is very different from the woman in Shell Cottage in Deathly Hallows.

Fleur is introduced to us as the Beauxbatons Triwizard Champion, quarter-Veela and Generic Mean Girl. Beautiful, vain, scornful of everyone around her… there's not much to like, especially when compared to characters like Cedric Diggory. Fleur doesn't stand out much in the Triwizard Tournament, going for efficency over showmanship, falling into last place by the second task, and is mostly defined by the way she looks down on the other characters.

However, we quickly discover that there are other sides to her. 

Fleur fell victim to a Grindylow attack, and failed to retrieve her little sister, Gabrielle, from the bottom of the lake. When Harry brings Gabrielle up, along with his own hostage Ron, Fleur is in obvious distress, fighting to get back into the lake, nothing like the composed Ice Queen we had previously been exposed to. She also softens significantly toward Harry afterward, and we get the impression that the icy facade is just that; a shield against those who do not care to look deeper.

Placing last is less of a big deal when the competition only has three players, plus an extra, and Fleur shows remarkable growth over the course of book 4. By the time Beauxbatons departs at the end of Goblet of Fire, we see Fleur as a teenage girl who has learned to open up, and is looking forward to her plans for the future.

Fleur is mentioned briefly in book 5, and plays a larger role in book 6.

While most foreigners would take Voldemort's return as a sign (or excuse) to stay as far away as possible, Fleur is doing the opposite. She and Bill Weasley have returned to the UK, to help in the fight against Voldemort, and so Fleur can get to know her future in-laws. Harry discovers this when he goes to join the family for the summer, and is reasonably startled.

Jokes aside, this is a not-insignificant move on Fleur's part. Bill already travels all over the world for his job as a Gringotts curse-breaker; it would be easy to go a long time before having to interact with the rest of the Weasleys in any meaningful capacity outside of family gatherings. Instead, Fleur is actively spending time with them, and trying to make a good impression.

It takes all of a few seconds to see that the latter is not going well. 

Part of the problem is a culture and class clash of epic proportions. The Weasleys are synonymous with poverty, while the Delacours are implied, through their brief appearence in Deathly Hallows, to be fairly well-off, and while their professions and status are unconfirmed, comfortable moving about in society. About all Fleur, Mrs Weasley and Ginny have in common is their love for Bill, and it's quickly made evident that it's not as solid a foundation as they might wish. 

Fleur is blunt-spoken, and consistently fails to read the room when she offers her opinion on things, facts not helped by the age gap between her and the other two. But while she could be doing better, the percieved hostility is far from one-sided. Indeed, the argument could be made that Fleur is the only one of the three putting in more than a token effort.

Ginny openly mocks Fleur, referring to her by the insulting monicker of 'Phlegm'  (real mature there, Gin, doesn't make you look like a bratty kid throwing a tantrum at all …) and mimicking her behind closed doors. Sure, she claims that Fleur treats her like a little girl, but with a four year age difference, an even bigger gap between Fleur and her only sibling, and the way Ginny acts when Fleur is around… it's hard to argue that Fleur is wrong.

Mrs Weasley is much more polite to Fleur's face than Ginny, and doesn't openly badmouth her behind her back. However, it's still a fairly superficial effort, and she doesn't hide her opinion that they're moving too fast, or her skepticism that Fleur is attracted to anything beyond Bill's good looks. Honestly, Fleur is to be commended for not walking straight out the door, and it's a testament to her commitment to making the relationship work that she's willing to put up with it.

The simmering tension comes to a head at the end of Half-Blood Prince, when the Death Eaters attack Hogwarts and Bill is mauled by Fenrir Greyback, leaving his face badly scarred.

Sitting at his bedside in the Hogwarts infirmary, Mrs Weasley laments that Bill was such a handsome boy, and that he was going to be married. Perhaps it's merely unfortunate phrasing, but she pretty clearly assumes that the scars mean that the wedding is off.

Fleur snaps.

She launches into a speech more passionate than anything we've heard from her so far, angry at the assumption that the wedding will be called off. She doesn't directly accuse Mrs Weasley of assuming that Fleur would be the one to pull out, rather insisting that Bill's scars show that he is brave, that she can be beautiful enough for the both of them, and that it would take "more [than] a werewolf for Bill to stop loving [her]!"

This is the beginning of reconciliation for Mrs Weasley and Fleur, a bright moment in a cloud of doom and gloom.

In Book 7, Fleur proves herself more than a pretty face once again. She is part of the group that retrieves Harry from Privet Drive, risking her life as one of the decoys. When the trio take refuge in Shell Cottage, she proves caring and compassionate, helping them heal from their time in Malfoy Manor.

At the Battle of Hogwarts, Bill and Fleur answer the call to arms, and Fleur is recognised by the French and British Ministries for her bravery.

Over the span of three books, we watch Fleur develop from a seemingly-spoiled and arrogant Mean Girl, into a brave, clever, caring and fiercely loyal woman willing to risk her life for others.

Love her or hate her, that's some damn good character development.

If you liked this story, leave a heart or a tip, and follow me on Vocal and Medium for more Harry Potter headcanons!