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I did a little more research on Beauxbatons which brought me a little closer to the alchemy connection between Bill and Fleur. The school had no suits of armor, but statues of ice which flanked the halls. A "cold heart" can prevent the soul from shining through, which would offer protection to the school and its inhabitants - if you can't see or feel what you are missing, a treasure would not be recognized for what it is. Madame Maxime is a formidable guardian of her charges, but in her interaction with Hagrid, we see the matching soul blossom to his open and trusting heart. When the students are outside of the school, they are perceived by men to be irresistable, but seem cold and aloof to other women, and other females feel threatened by their presence. Why might that be? In alchemical terms, the material (male) aspect is always in search of its soul (female) aspect. The Veelas are "pure soul" so to speak, so they hold an unbridled attraction to any male. Every female has a bit of "Veela" in her, but in varying amounts which might not always be so obviously present to the males that interact with her on a regular basis. The jealousy that Mrs Weasley and Ginny regard Fleur with by calling her "Phlegm" is merely a misunderstanding that because of Fleur's beauty, she could not be faithful to Bill. The Veelas had a reputation of "loving and leaving" unsuspecting men, which might be true or untrue. It isn't until Bill's handsome features are lost, and Fleur stays true and defends her committment, that Mrs Weasley finally sees the real love that binds her son and his fiance, and is able to accept and rejoice in it.
The wedding scene when Fleur is walking down the aisle with her father, she shares the glow and beauty of her happiness with every other person present: "While her radiance usually dimmed everyone else by comparison, today it beautified everybody it fell upon. Ginny and Gabrielle, both wearing golden dresses, looked even prettier than usual, and once Fleur had reached him, Bill did not look as though he had ever met Fenrir Greyback" [ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Scholastic, p.144] The golden dresses, and the golden "sun" robes worn by Luna and her father, also represent this transformation into something untainted, pure and "whole".
Fleur's "soul connection" can also be seen later on, when Harry apologizes for all the work she has to do while he is staying at Shell Cottage. She replies "'Arry, you saved my sister's life, I do not forget." [ibid, p510]. She is, of course, referring to the Triwizard Tournament when Harry saved Gabrielle from drowning underneath the lake. The soul is our "memory keeper", and its beauty is determined by and reflects that which it has been able to transform to "good" from "bad". We were never given a real reason why Fleur was not capable of completing that task, but it would seem that a soul cannot save another soul, that is needs a material aspect (in this case Harry) to pull it from the depths. Also note, that she said that Harry saved her sister's life, not her sister. For a soul that hasn't yet been "realized", life is the only way that it can be achieved. Harry saving Gabrielle's life, though it wasn't his task to do so, gave her the opportunity to find her own "heart". As an aside, that Viktor was the one to pull Hermione from her "suspended animation" shows that the beauty of Hermione, which might have been overlooked before, was brought to the surface for all to see, through him.
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Jul 23 2007, 07:11 AM
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OPAST
to the story. My point was in reference to it being a surprise that it would end up being Bill and Fleur's event. Making the "royal" connection of this union can be further strengthened by the "colors" they embody by merits of their "houses" or schools. Bill was in Gryffindor, making him red and gold. Fleur's "uniform" was blue. Red + Blue = (Royal) Purple One can easily imagine that a joining of these two elements, bound and embroidered with gold thread is highly symbolic. 
