Title: Tranquillity
Characters: Fleur Delacour Weasley, Hermione Granger Weasley and Ronald Weasley.
Pairing: Fleur x Hermione
Prompts: Write about a character who appears nice and interesting, but quickly becomes annoying/ irritating. Red – Lesbian. Candy Corn: [character] Fleur Delacour, [dialogue] "It's too early for this.", and [word] multitudinous.
AN: Written for Pride Month Event held by octocelot at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments), the [Challenge] Jurassic Fever held by whitetiger91 at the Golden Snitch Forum, and the [June Event] Honeydukes Challenge held by SiriusMarauderfan at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments).
Word Count: 1, 570
No one was surprised when Hermione Weasley one day packed her bags and left the home where she, Ron and their children had built a life. There was no drama surrounding the event, for once no arguments were heard from inside the four walls, and if someone would have seen it they would have been amazed by the tranquillity that surrounded her departure. Tears fell down her brown eyes, the dark hair which held traces of grey was pushed back in a ponytail and all that could be heard was the sound of the wheels of her bag against the stone path. Ron stood in the entrance to their house with one arm resting against each side of the door and watched her leave. His red hair was messy from having pulled his hands through it multiple times out of sheer frustration and his entire face was red from having rubbed it with his hands.
Everyone was surprised when Fleur Weasley one day packed her bags and left the home where she, Bill and their children had built their lives. Her departure was anything but tranquil. There was screaming, arguing in both French and English. Harsh words were spoken not behind closed doors but out in the open. No one was there to see it but if they had been then they would have seen a blond whose hair whipped back and forth. They would see that Fleur's cheeks were red from shouting, they would have seen the spit that flew from her mouth when she screamed and they would have seen Bill gesturing dramatically and running his hands through his hair much like his younger brother.
The thing that the two couples had in common was the absence of their children during the battle. Hugo, Rose, Victoire, Louis and Dominique had left for Hogwarts a few months earlier. And their respective break ups came about due to a confession, the same confession, which were received very differently.
Everyone, except for Ron and Bill, was surprised when Fleur and Hermione found each other as they tried to mend the broken pieces of themselves surrounded by the ruins that were their broken relationships. It became a common sight to see the two women out together and enjoying each other's company. And when they weren't out they would be hiding out in the comforts of either one's apartment.
Hermione sat on one side of the couch and Fleur on the other. Hermione's curly brown hair hung loosely around her shoulders and while she spoke she would absentmindedly move strands of hair from one side to the other. Her legs were crossed underneath her and she tapped the side of the couch with her newly painted nails.
"It was fine when were only dating," Hermione said when they talked about their respective marriages and what had eventually lead to the end. "Because then I could hide away if the arguing became too much. But I couldn't hide from him when we lived in the same house and eventually the constant squabbling became too much."
Fleur leaned her head onto the palm of her hand. Her dark blue eyes watched Hermione with an intensity that she could never truly get used to and they reminded her of the emotions that had stirred within her the past months.
"But you get along with him much better now?" the blonde asked with concern written across her face.
"Yes," Hermione nodded. "We get along much better now. He actually came to visit recently."
"Oh, and what did you talk about?" Fleur looked down on the couch and fidgeted with a loose thread.
"We talked about the kids and how we were going to tell them about us." Hermione's cheeks turned one shade pinker. "And we talked about you."
"Moi?" Fleur asked while pointing at herself with that higher tone of voice than she had when she spoke English. Hermione giggled, something she rarely ever did, and felt the butterfly inside her stomach come to life.
It was early in the morning when Hermione heard someone knock on her door. Her reading glasses rested against her nose and when she went to open the door she wore only an oversized tank top, a pair of grey shorts and her robes. She didn't expect to see Ron standing outside even if they were on friendly terms still.
"We need to talk." Ron said before she could say anything. "Can I come in?"
"Yes, of course," Hermione took a step aside to let him in while her mind presented her with multitudinous reasons for why he was there. "Do you want some tea?"
"Yes please." Ron answered and sat down by the round table in her kitchen. He rested his hands in his lap and looked out the window that showed him the more central parts of town where they had lived in since before they got married. "So, I would like to talk about the kids. You know, how we're going to tell them that we're not living together anymore and that we're getting a divorce. It's really important that we have the same explanation so that they understand that we're still a unit."
"I agree completely." Hermione nodded as she put the cup in front of him and sat down on the chair on the opposite side.
"And we also need to talk about Fleur."
Hermione questioningly raised an eyebrow. "Why would we talk about Fleur?"
"Come on Hermione," Ron tilted his head to the side. "You like her and I'm not referring to liking her as you like me or Harry. You have feelings for her."
"It's too early for this." Hermione said with a groan.
Ron shook his head. "It's never too early for this."
Hermione hummed as her cheeks turned a shade pinker. Warmth spread across her fingertips as they graced the lower parts of the cup. "Is it that obvious? Does everyone know?"
"No," Ron said with a laugh. "I can see it and Harry can see it. But the others are completely oblivious and yes that includes Fleur too."
"And you're here to what? Discourage me from doing something about it?"
"Ouch Hermione," Ron laughed and placed his hand over his chest. "I may be your soon to be ex-husband but before we were married we were best friends. I would never do that. No, quite the opposite actually. I'm here because you should kiss her."
Hermione almost spit out the tea she had in her mouth. "You want me to assault her?"
"It wouldn't be assault if she wants you to kiss her which both Harry and I think she does." Ron said and shrugged. "But if you're concerned ask for her permission."
He took a mouth of his tea and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the scenario. She was talking to her ex-husband about having feelings for a woman and he was drinking tea with his pinkie sticking out. Hermione assumed that he did it on purpose.
"This is odd." Hermione laughed.
"It could be worse and I think that in the end this will be better for us." Ron said with a shrug. "And even if it's not logical I feel better that we didn't work out because I'm a man and not because I'm me."
Hermione nodded and chose not to comment on the odd statement. Instead she smiled and lied through her teeth. "If you would have been a woman then I would have been all over you."
"Merlin, I love you Hermione," Ron said laughing. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better."
"Yeah," Hermione said eventually and scooted closer to Fleur so that their knees hit each other. The brunette took Fleur's hand and rested the other on her leg. "I don't think I ever told you but the reason that I left Ron was not only because he had this annoying habit of getting under my skin all the time. I realised that I was never in love with him or any other guy for that matter."
"It looks like we have something more in common than our divorces then." Fleur let out a shaky laugh. "But what does that have to do with me?"
Hermione opened and closed her mouth as her brain worked to come up with the right words to say. It wasn't rocket science, she thought to herself when her brain failed to come up with something to say. Eventually she laughed. "It seems as if my words are failing me."
"Then show me instead?"
Hermione looked up from the couch. At first, she looked unsure of herself but then a determination appeared and she moved her hands to rest them on Fleur's thighs. She slowly moved closer to the blonde whose lips were parted and eyes wide open. Their lips clumsily connected and Hermione gasped when she felt Fleur's hands leave a blazing trail as they graced her hips, back and shoulders. Fleur's kisses, her touches left Hermione with a desire to lose control. And when the gap between them increased she wanted to close it.
Cars honked their horns. Birds screeched. The sound of laboured breathing filled the apartment. And Hermione thought about Ron. She thought about the adrenaline and the fear that pumped through her body when they first kissed. This was nothing like this Hermione thought and smiled at Fleur who returned it. This was tranquillity.
The end