Disclaimer: No money is being made from this and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Thanks to kiskafalair, sauri seiya, and ty.soglasna for beta reading! ty.soglasna was the one who saw this last and insists on taking all the blame for any remaining errors. ;)
An Obedient Heart
As a quarter Veela, Fleur knew how to control her emotions. Either that or she could hide them pretty well. It had been part of her education. Well, it always had been a necessity for Veelas. When you have the power to enthrall half the population at least, it is better to know how to deal with it.
Most of the Veelas were trained on how to use this power when they were teenagers. They would use it for mild things, like going on dates, being treated a bit better... It could sound really selfish, but it was totally necessary. That's what happened when Fleur used her thrall on Cedric to make him ask her out for the Yule Ball. When it didn't work (she was only quarter Veela, after all), she used it on the next male who she thought would be interesting enough. He wasn't, really. Well, he still was a quite good kisser, so the evening wasn't totally lost.
After turning 18 years old, though, Veelas were not allowed to use their thrall for such personal (or more important) matters. (For some reasons Fleur didn't get, sports were an exception!) Well, they couldn't avoid being Veelas, and the most sensitive blokes (usually hormonal boys) were still strongly attracted to them.
So, no matter what some people said or thought, Fleur never used her thrall with Bill. When she had met him, she had just turned 18 the previous month. Sadly, it had taken a werewolf attack to Bill for some people to start believing in her sincerity. Honestly, she wasn't interested in his inheritance, now, was she? People can be so prejudiced that they don't even start to think!
Now, many things were different. The war was over, they were married, and she was a bit over eight months pregnant. She was very much in love with him and she knew it was the same for him. He was now the one who knew her best. That's what she had wished when she decided to fall in love with him. Decided? Oh, yes, she indeed 'decided' to love him. That's how strong her control over her feelings was… Till quite recently!
When Fleur realized that she was attracted to women, she wanted her husband to know. This part of her personality only became known to her a short while after her wedding. She had been so caught up in dealing with the male population she never had actually wondered about her own sexuality until a couple of dreams had kept nagging her at night.
So, when she told Bill, this was all new to her as well, and therefore she didn't know where she was standing, what her sexuality really was. The only thing she knew for sure was that she loved him; that's what she told him first, and then shyly and blushing as she talked, she admitted being strongly attracted to women. He didn't look ecstatic at this piece of news (so many men would have been, she often mused), but neither was he disgusted. Fleur took it as an acceptance from him, and was relieved by his comprehension.
She had never thought of any woman in particular, nor was she looking for it anyway, but she had to admit that she was curious to know the feeling of touching another woman... of tasting one.
However, this mild curiosity became a strong want, if not a need, when she started developing some kind of feelings for none other than the young Hermione Granger.
Fleur and Hermione had started to become friends shortly after the end of the war. The older girl assumed that her wedding and some time later, her pregnancy, had been good starts for a conversation and a blossoming friendship.
Hermione had been the first one she became friends with in England (besides Bill, obviously). She had acquaintances, yes, but no friends, really; they were all back in France, like her family. And as much as she hated admitting it, she felt terribly lonely.
So, becoming friends with someone like Hermione was overwhelming. Indeed, Fleur discovered that the younger witch was... fascinating. She was very smart, for starters; everyone knew she was a genius, but it was more about the way she saw things that kept the part-Veela's wonder and attention. She spoke her mind, which was a quality Fleur praised a lot. She could be very funny, too, but also infuriating from time to time, in Fleur's opinion. But as much as she tried, she could never stay cross or annoyed with Hermione for long. She could be so sweet as well, and it got Fleur every time.
One day, Fleur realized how much she was trying to get her new friend's attention. Hermione was totally oblivious to it, and she dismissed it thinking she was still feeling lonely. And she was, so she kept on inviting her or talking to her, asking whatever question popped into her mind to keep the conversation going. The younger girl answered her willingly and nicely, but after some time, Fleur knew she was much more involved into that friendship than the other witch was. It made sense to her really. Hermione had her other friends, her boyfriend, her own life and family, but no matter how much it made sense, it still hurt. It hurt so much that the blond witch got confused.
She got even more confused with the dreams. She had still been having dreams with girls. Wet dreams that is. But before that, the girls in her dreams were mere blurs, with no faces. And then they slowly started to have a shape; and to Fleur's surprise, Hermione's face. She felt ashamed and embarrassed for having those dreams even if no one but her knew about them. For some time, just before going to bed, she tried to think of one of her friends in France, or some random girl she saw during the day to make the dreams change, but when she woke up in the morning, she knew it had all been in vain. So, she just abandoned and let the dreams take her.
It took her some time, before she decided or maybe managed to sort out her feelings. Because she knew by now she was having some feelings for the brunette. She wasn't in love with her. Not yet, at least. But she liked her. Definitely. More than what she should. It scared her, because that really was the first time she had no control over her feelings. She sometimes willed it to stop, but on the other hand, the feelings were kind of... nice.
She didn't tell anyone either. Not even Bill. Being attracted to women in general and falling for someone else were totally different matters. She didn't want to hurt him. And it was not as if she had any chance with the girl anyway, so she kept quiet. She just didn't really know what to do with herself.
Today, Bill and Fleur were actually waiting for Hermione and Ron to come over.
"What did they tell you?" she asked her husband.
"That they just wanted to pop in for a couple of minutes, but they couldn't stay long," Bill shrugged.
And just then, they indeed could hear a loud crack, announcing their arrival. Bill went to the door and opened it before they had even time to knock on it. They greeted each other quickly and went to the living room.
"I'm sorry," Ron started "But we're only here for a minute". He was beaming. Hermione was, too, and it was really contagious.
"We just..." Ron went on. "Wanted to announce our engagement to you," he finished, looking proud while taking Hermione's hand. Fleur's emotions were swirling. She felt an ache in her heart, but at the same time an immense happiness for her friend. She smiled broadly and engulfed them both in a hug. Well, as much as her swollen belly allowed her to.
"This is great," she said. "Congratulations." She remembered all the conversations she had had with Hermione about boys and their respective lovers. She had even given her advice.
The newly engaged couple stayed with them for just a few more minutes before leaving, saying that they would like to announce the good news to everyone in the family today.
Bill and Fleur waved at them in the doorway till they disapparated. They were still smiling. It was such good news. Hermione looked so happy, and then so was Fleur. And it wasn't as if it upset her, was it?
"What the - ?" Bill's exclamation brought the blond witch back to reality. She looked at him, and then followed his gaze down to her own feet. Her water broke… a tiny bit early!
Well, maybe she was upset.
fin
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