AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading this little story of mine. I wrote it some time ago when I couldn't sleep but never got around to posting it. I am working on another project, so I decided now would be a good time to share this little bit. I hope you enjoy!

Sadly I do not own Harry Potter, so all credit to J.K. Rowling, but I love getting to imagine what could have happened. -Saber

Stormy Love

I sat down on the couch in the Gryfindor common room, sighing with exhaustion. I had been helping Harry prepare for the first challenge, which was only days away. He had been working on being able to summon his broom to try and out fly a dragon. Not only was I not sure if that would even work, I wasn't completely sold that my best friend-turned-brother would be able to achieve the distance required for the spell.

But there was no way I would give up with him. There simply wasn't enough time to try to come up with another strategy.

"I really think I'm starting to get the spell," Harry breathed as he sat in one of the armchairs. Ginny flopped down beside me, gazing at the boy I knew she had feelings for.

"You better, or else The Boy Who Lived will be The Champion Who Was Roasted," she snickered. He shot the redhead a look, clearly showing his not being amused. "What? You have to admit it is a little funny at least. Can't be killed by a madman with intention, but a fire breathing dragon on the other hand? Funny."

"Not really, Ginny," I returned. "Besides, not all dragons breathe fire." She simply shrugged.

"Whichever dragon I get placed against won't be fun or easy either way. I really don't want to do this…"

A dark snort rang out from the other side of the room, and I turned to see who it had come from. To my disdain, Ron was now striding towards us. Ever since Harry had been selected as a champion, the youngest male Weasley had been repulsive, scorning Harry and often me for involvement with the Triwizard Tournament.

He, for whatever reason, believed that I had gotten Harry selected to participate in this death tournament. We often called him out for being off his rocker. There was no way I would want Harry to fight a dragon or anything else. He had enough on his plate.

"Please, we all know this was just part of your plan to gain even more fame and glory," the redhead seethed. "Surviving You-Know-Who wasn't enough, hmm? Now you decide to go and conquer the world on your own?"

"Shut it, Ronald, you know that's not what's going on," I retorted, annoyed with the boy.

"Don't even get me started on you," he shot back. "You think you're so great, too. 'Look at me, I'm so smart!' There's nothing special about you. Being book smart and good in school isn't all there is to life. I mean, seriously, you don't even have a real name to yourself. It's not like you're a pureblood or anything, which is what really matters, right?"

In the next instant, the palm of my hand was stinging as it came into contact with the redhead's face.

Never before had I felt so betrayed. I expected this sort of comment from someone like Draco Malfoy, a known supremacist, but not someone I thought was my friend. Hearing Ron say that broke me.

"Don't you ever say anything like that ever again, Ronald Weasley, or I'll show you just how smart I can be," I threatened through clenched teeth. I shoved past him, not bothering to see the stunned expressions on my real friends' faces.

I stormed out of the common room, breaking into a run once I was in the hallway. I broke through the front doors of the castle, unsure where I was going as tears blurred my vision. All I was really aware of was the ground passing underneath me, and the distance I was putting between myself and that foul being.

As if things hadn't been difficult enough lately, I now had to deal with the discrimination from someone I thought I was close with. Ron never had much of a filter before, which had earned him several smacks on the back of his head from me and his sister, but this was too much. This hate had gone too far, and all because he wrongly thought I had helped Harry get into the tournament.

No, I wasn't sure if that was all. He had always been bitter about my intelligence. Where I passed all of my classes with perfect grades, he often struggled to pass at all, despite me trying to help him with his work. How ungrateful could someone get?

I found myself in the back of a cave in the Forbidden Forest. I had discovered this place during my first year, when I fled all of the bullies making fun of me for my appearance or brains. The one time I decided to stay in the school, I had found myself being attacked by a troll in the girl's bathroom. That event was what really brought about my friendship with Ron and Harry.

After that day, I didn't have much of a reason to run away from everyone, as I had friends to support and cheer me up. Well, it mostly fell to Harry as Ron was always an arse, but still.

I fell to the ground at the back of the cave. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to hide me from view so I could cry properly, letting the pain wash over me as I worked to release it.

In the distance, I heard a low rumble of thunder that echoed through the cave. Even though I knew I should probably get back to the school before the storm arrived, I had no desire to see anyone. I didn't want everyone to know I had been crying, hurt by someone I had cared about—someone I thought cared about me.

How could I have been so stupid? Ron only cared about himself…

A small hiccup escaped my lips, and I curled up into a ball as another rumble sounded.

"Bonjour?"

My eyes shot up at the voice, which came from the entrance. Please go away. I don't want to see anyone.

To my disappointment, I heard footsteps approaching. I recognized the voice and turned away. If I didn't want to be seen by anyone in my own school, being seen by the Beauxbatons' champion was even less desirable.

"What's wrong?" the blonde girl asked as she came upon my small form.

"Go away," I stated, trying to sound stern and demanding. Instead, it came out more like a whimper, weak and hurt.

The cave was silent for several moments, though I didn't hear her retreat. Instead, the sudden downpour of rain announced the arrival of the storm, roars of thunder echoing through the cave. I hoped the foreign student didn't mind the rain, as I still wanted her to leave.

"I'm afraid zat won't be 'appening, mon amie," the blonde replied and scooted down against the wall across from me. I could feel her continue to study me, which only served to piss me off. I didn't need her sympathy or pity.

So I huffed, shifting away from her vision even more. "Why are you even here? Don't you know students aren't allowed in the Forbidden Forest?"

The blonde chuckled slightly, "If zat is ze case, zen why are you 'ere?" I hesitated, not wanting to reveal my reason. Luckily she didn't give me time to think of a lie. "I'm out 'ere because we were given permission from your 'eadmaster."

At this surprising news, I wiped my face and turned to look at the girl before me. "Professor Dumbledore said you could be here?"

"Oui, 'e said zat us Veela could use ze forest to explore and feel more at 'ome."

"Great, then go explore the forest," I pushed, turning to sulk more. She made no move to get up and leave. Why did my luck have to be so horrible lately?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I snorted, "No, of course I don't want to talk about it! Why would I tell you anything anyways?" Was this girl crazy?

She simply shrugged. "I just know it's good to talk about what's bozering you. It's not good to keep it in—it only works to make us bitter and more likely to 'urt ozers." I blinked. Did she think I was lashing out because I was hurt by Ron?

"That doesn't mean I'm going to tell you anything."

"Zat's alright. I know you don't like me; I was just trying to be nice and offer a friendly ear."

"Who says I don't like you?"

She chuckled lightly. "Well let's see, you're friends with zat red'ead girl who calls me 'Phlegm', non? I 'ave never 'eard you try to correct 'er, so I assumed you 'ated me as well. Am I wrong in my assumption?"

Another sting shot through me. "I don't hate you," I replied, only slightly softer. A perfectly shaped eyebrow arched up. "You just come off as arrogant and full of yourself. Not to mention how everyone in school drools over you and practically worships the ground you walk on."

"But not you," the girl grinned.

My eyes narrowed. "Of course not. It's repulsive."

Her cerulean eyes fell, seeming upset. "I don't try to get everyone's attention. I don't want it, believe it or not. I just can't 'elp it. Zat is why I come off as, 'ow you said, arrogant and such. I do it to try and push ozers away. I 'ave no interest in zem."

I rolled my eyes in irritation. "So then tell them. A simple 'no' tends to work pretty well."

She sighed deeply, frowning even more. "I wish zat worked. It does for a little bit, but zen zey get trapped in my zrall again."

Zrall? Thrall, perhaps. "What's that?" I asked, intrigued at the word I hadn't heard before.

She finally looked back up, cerulean eyes catching my own. I had to admit they were breathtaking—so clear and deep, bluer than anything I had ever seen. She seemed to be thinking on how to explain.

"It's a, um, an aura? Similar to pheromones I suppose. Every Veela 'as it and can use it to lure prey, zough I 'ave no interest in such insignificant flings. We can typically control it, zough when a Veela's mate is nearby, it gets a little out of 'and, trying to call out to 'er mate."

I furrowed my brows, taking in every word she was saying and still wanting to know more; my insatiable thirst for knowledge pushing all thoughts about Ron away.

"So is everyone affected by the thrall?"

She shook her head. "Non, but most people are. Men with strong wills can break zrough ze lust and desire, and women who are completely straight won't feel anyzing. Ze same goes for a Veela's mate, too."

The information fascinated me, though some of it made sense. "Why won't your mate be affected? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of it then?"

A small chuckle was masked by a loud boom of thunder, which startled both of us. After collecting herself, the Veela continued. "Non, zat is only natural. 'ow would it be fair if we could seduce our mate from ze beginning? If we could, 'ow would zey know if what zey feel is true love like we feel or just ze zrall?"

"That makes sense. It's really nice, actually. You don't force them into a relationship."

"Of course not! We may be sexual creatures, but we would never push our mates. And ze zrall can affect zem, but only once zey start to accept ze bond. It allows us to grow closer and more intimate. After a Veela and mate 'ave completely bonded, ze zrall doesn't affect ozers as much, since ze Veela is taken and can only ever be with and love 'er mate."

"So you're monogamous?" She nodded. "And how often does a mate accept the bond? How do they even know if you like them?"

She seemed to think for a moment, the pouring rain and thunder the only sounds around us as we sat, the cave illuminating occasionally from flashes of lightning.

"It's uncommon for a mate to not accept ze bond, zough it does 'appen. It's…never good for a Veela, but she only wishes ze best for 'er mate. If zey zink it's with someone else, she can only accept it. Zat doesn't mean it's always ends well, zough. Just as a mate is a Veela's true love, so is the Veela to 'er mate. Anyone else for eizer just isn't as fulfilling.

"And it's easier for men to know if zey are a Veela's mate, as zey should 'ave been affected by ze zrall but weren't. Women tend to be much more difficult, doing zeir best to deny zeir attraction to anozer woman. It's up to ze Veela, zen, if she tells 'er mate or not, since zat tends to be what's needed for ze mate to know."

We sat in silence for several minutes as I worked to process all of this information. Cataloguing it into the right folders, I sat and pondered it for a bit. Veela were indeed fascinating creatures, and talking to Fleur like this had also changed my perception of her.

"I'm sorry," I finally broke the silence. She looked confused by my apology. "I thought poorly of you because I didn't understand you. That was wrong of me. I should know better than to judge a book by its cover."

The blonde beamed, and I could see why people were able to fall for her so easily. She really was a beautiful creature. "Merci, 'ermione, zat means so much to me coming from you."

I blushed, surprised she knew my name.

For the first time, I did something I never imagined doing. I thought about telling her my troubles.

When she looked at me with soft, kind eyes, I sighed. "I don't want to bother you. It's really nothing much; just my friend being stupid again. He always sticks his foot in his mouth."

"I know you and 'arry are really close, so you refer to ze red'eaded boy?"

I blinked in shock. "How do you know who I'm talking about?"

She simply shrugged. "I know 'arry is a good person. 'e's very strong, not as affected by my zrall. Ze girl 'ates me, like I said before. And since you said 'e, I assume you refer to ze one who drools too much."

I burst out laughing. "Yeah, that pretty much sums Ron up. Though that still doesn't explain why you seem to know about my friends so much. I guess it's because Harry's a champion, too."

"Oui, of course…So what did zis Ron do?"

I bit my lip, frowning at the cruel and hurtful things he said. "Long story short, he thinks I somehow managed to get Harry chosen to compete for the tournament, which isn't true. Even if I wanted to put his name in the goblet, that wouldn't guarantee his selection, though I'm sure I could have been able to work a few spells to…"

Fleur cleared her throat, and I blinked, blushing at the amused look the blonde wore. "Oh, sorry, I was rambling, wasn't I?"

She simply smiled. "Continue, mon amie."

"Anyways, so he thinks I got Harry selected and now hates Harry for being a champion, which isn't his fault. He hates me for being so smart and…said some hurtful things…"

"What did 'e say?" I could hear a tinge of anger in Fleur's voice, which surprised me, but I figured it was only natural. As a Veela, she was bound to encounter some harsh and degrading comments as well.

"He said that I have nothing going for me; that being smart didn't matter much because I'm not a pureblood…"

The blonde shot up, rage written across her face. "What!" In the next instant, she was yelling quickly in French with such anger. It shocked me for her to have this reaction, though it was oddly sexy to hear the foreign language spoken like this.

In the next instant, she was storming towards the entrance of the cave. I rose to my feet and chased after her, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving.

"Fleur, please don't—he's not worth it," I pleaded. "I don't want you getting in trouble over him because of me."

The Veela spun to face me, her usually icy blue eyes now a fiery gold that pierced me. I wasn't afraid, though. "'e needs to pay for what 'e said," she growled. "'e cannot be allowed to say such zings and get away with it!"

"He didn't," I assured. "I slapped him, hard, and I know Ginny will probably tell their mum. She's kind, but you don't ever want to cross her, believe me. They'll set him straight."

This didn't seem to satisfy the Veela, though, as she turned to glare out into the storm. The rain was coming down in sheets, and I shivered beside Fleur. She seemed to notice this and urged me further inside to the back of the cave. Forcing me to sit, Fleur held out her hand and made a small movement.

Suddenly, a thick quilt appeared in her grasp. I blinked in surprise. "Wandless, wordless quilt? No wonder you're a champion."

She chuckled and blushed shyly. "It's really nozing special. 'ere, zis will warm you up." She unfolded the quilt and wrapped it around me before turning to go back to her side.

"Wait," I called without thinking. She paused and looked back at me. "Aren't you cold, too?"

Shrugging, she replied, "I can always summon anozer blanket, non?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," I admitted, shifting awkwardly as I looked down, "but we will warm up quicker…if we share body heat…"

I felt her eyes on me, studying me. My cheeks were incredibly hot now, and I was about to dismiss my comment when she moved towards me. "If you wanted to cuddle zat bad, you could 'ave just said so."

My gaze shot up, face even redder than I thought possible. "That's not what I meant!"

She laughed lightly, "Of course, mon amie, I was merely joking. You're très adorable." I huffed and crossed my arms, angered by her comment.

"Fine, I won't share the quilt. Freeze for all I care."

"Non, I wasn't trying to be mean…"

Looking up, she was actually sad, her bottom lip sticking out slightly in a pout. How was she so cute? Why was I even thinking this way about her?

With a sigh, I relented. "Alright, but say anything like that again and you're on your own."

She nodded quickly and slid down the wall next to me. I wrapped the quilt around her, sharing what she had given me. She smelled incredible, and I couldn't help but try to sneak a few sniffs.

What was wrong with me? Why was I acting so weird with Fleur? Sure, she was being nice to me, but that was probably because we were stuck in this cave together, riding out the storm outside. Once we were out, she would likely go back to being a snob, though I couldn't really blame her anymore.

The only sound for the longest time was the rain and thunder. I couldn't remember a storm this bad, though it did storm occasionally. I wanted to say something to break the silence, but was oddly content. It was nice sitting next to Fleur, something I never imagined I would think. I was glad to have gotten trapped with her now. Getting to know her had been good, and I was able to talk about how I felt. Seeing her want to kill Ron was a plus, too.

But I was confused with how I felt about her. While I felt Ginny went a little far to insult the Veela, I hadn't defended her. Now I had a distinct desire to protect her from my friends. And something just didn't add up.

"Fleur, why did you tell me so much about your kind? I thought they were supposed to be secretive, as I hadn't seen or heard much about them before."

She shrugged. "A good way to pass ze time, I suppose."

"But why? I mean, those were some pretty intimate details, were they not?"

"Why are you so curious?"

I studied her, replaying our earlier conversation in my head, trying to sort the details out. "Why does your thrall seem to be so much stronger than everyone else's?"

I noticed her swallow. "Per'aps because I'm ze 'eir to ze Delacour Clan."

"You found your mate, didn't you?"

She finally turned to look at me. "What makes you zink zat?"

Thinking back to the conversation, I replied, "You said thrall gets a little out of control when a Veela finds her mate. The way everyone reacts and drools around you seems a little much. None of the others get that treatment."

"Like I said, I'm ze 'eir. I'm more powerful zan ze ozers. Is it truly surprising zat I elicit such a reaction from people?"

"Well, no, I guess not. I just don't think it makes sense. If you haven't found your mate, why would everyone be so lost to you unless you actually want it? Since you don't seem to actually be interested in them, I can't help but think you have found your mate."

We sat in silence for several minutes as she studied me intently. I wasn't about to back down, curious about the intricacies of Veela relationships. It was more complex and yet secure than normal relationships, as they were able to know who their soulmate was. Most people were lucky to get in a good, long term one.

"Does it matter if I've found my mate?"

"I just don't see why you haven't pursued him. The way you speak about it, I figured you would want to rush and tell him everything. It's literally magical."

She turned away and shrugged. "Maybe I don't want to push or rush my mate. Like I said, it's often up to zem 'ow zings progress. It wouldn't be fair for me to make ze decision for my mate, would it?"

"But how will he know if you don't tell him? Seeing how everyone acts around you, maybe he's just shy or jealous and thinks he doesn't have a chance."

"What makes you zink it's a boy?"

I blinked in surprise. I didn't have an answer. "I just assumed…I sorry. I mean, you just seem like the type of person who would be with a guy."

"'ow so?"

I shrugged. "I don't know…You're beautiful and all, and I just stereotyped you again. I'm sorry. It's cool if you're into girls, too."

"Veela are attracted to both men and women. We don't limit our choices as far as potential mates are concerned."

"That makes sense. Otherwise it would be more of a shock if you were only attracted to men and found out you were mated to a woman, huh?"

She smiled softly. "Exactly. Zough it's not always ze same with our mates, which is why it tends to take longer for us to get into relationships. Like you said, zey see everyone fawning over us and get angry or jealous. When we tell zem, zey don't often react well, zinking we are eizer lying or somezing. Because of zat, we try to form friendships first so zey learn to trust us. Zen we can move onto ze more romantic aspects of ze relationship."

"Have you tried to become their friend?"

She hesitated, "Ah, I'm trying, zough I don't know 'ow well it is working. My mate is a little…complicated. But I like zat. Not so much zat it's a challenge, but zat my mate zinks differently and is very intelligent."

"Oh Merlin, is it Luna?" I laughed. I could see the two blondes getting along quite well.

Fleur's face scrunched in confusion. "Who?"

"The blonde Ravenclaw who always stares off into space dreamily. Guess not if you don't even know her name."

She shook her head. "Oh, oui, I know who you're talking about now. But non, she isn't my mate. I 'ear…zat my mate…is even brighter…"

I blinked at the Veela, my mind racing over the possibilities, but I was getting the sinking suspicion I knew. "Fleur…who is your mate?" When she didn't reply, I pushed further. "You can tell me. I promise I won't say anything to them."

"You won't…but I will…"

"Fleur…am I your mate…?"

She breathed in deeply, her eyes full of panic as she studied my face. "Oui. You are my mate, 'ermione. Please don't 'ate me or be mad—I can't 'elp 'ow I feel. I don't want you to 'ate me for what I am…"

I sighed and leaned my head back against the hard wall, trying to process everything. Never in my life had I imagined I would be in this position. I hadn't given much thought to romance before, let alone with a girl. I wasn't opposed to it, wanting to consider myself more open minded as a Muggle-born, but this was a lot to take in.

Fleur remained silent, studying me cautiously, as my mind tried to comprehend the situation. She, a sexually driven magical creature, was in love with me. That was why everyone seemed to be in a stupor around her, because she was releasing more thrall to try and get my attention.

She wasn't unattractive—quite the opposite. I had never been able to deny her unnatural beauty. I just never imagined that someone as gorgeous as her would even look at someone as plain and unappealing as me. It was almost unreal, but then again, wasn't my entire life after I got my acceptance letter from Hogwarts?

Talking to her during this storm also showed me a side of her that I hadn't seen, that I hadn't thought was there. She wasn't as cold or aloof like she pretended to be. She was a powerful witch, as her summoning the quilt revealed.

I sighed, unsure what to think. "What now?" I finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

I looked at the Veela, who seemed uncertain. "Well, you just basically told me that you're in love with me, right? So where do we go from here?"

"Are you saying you accept ze bond?" I could hear the faint glimmer of hope in her voice and smiled.

"Well I'm not saying I deny it, but I think it's a little early for me to return your feelings completely. I am only fifteen, after all."

"Of course! We can go on from 'ere and work on building a friendship, or we can start slow on a relationship and go from zere. It's all up to you, mon amour. Whatever you want, I will be more zan 'appy to give you. Your 'appiness is mine."

I raised a concerned brow. "Fleur, I don't want to boss you around or take your decisions from you either."

She shook her head quickly. "Non, you misunderstand. A Veela lives for ze 'appiness of 'er mate. We don't see it as a bad zing—it's ze greatest joy to 'ave a mate accept ze bond in any way, even if it's as a friend. I will do anyzing to protect you and make you 'appy. I want nozing more in life zan zat. I'm not giving up my freedom or anyzing. It's my decision to follow your choice with 'ow our relationship progresses."

"But I don't want to control every aspect of our relationship, either. It's supposed to be about equality, isn't it? Give and take," I argued.

"And it will be. As I said, ze pace is yours to decide. Veela are very possessive creatures, which is why I still want to kill your friend for 'urting you ze way 'e did. I won't 'andle ozers touching you well, as I see you as mine, zough I understand I can't stop you from 'ugging friends and family or anyzing. Also…"

When she didn't continue I pressed, wanting to know more about what our relationship would be like. "What else is there?"

She blushed and refused to meet my gaze. "Um, well, as you know, Veela are…sexual creatures…I'm not saying we 'ave to 'ave sex, zough! Non, we don't need to complete ze bond if you don't want to or aren't ready. But if we do…Well, Veela aren't submissive beings…"

My own face was hot with a blush as I understood her meaning. "You would dominate me."

She nodded shyly. "Zough I would respect your wishes and not take you until you're ready and ask me to. I know it is a very personal and intimate zing. But…I 'ave to know…'ave you ever…?"

"Are you seriously asking me this right now? Fleur, we're not even dating yet," I squealed, burying my face in my hands in utter embarrassment.

"I know, and I'm sorry, truly," she replied softly. "I just…Ze Veela doesn't like sharing what is ours. If you've already been claimed by anozer, we will be even more possessive and might lash out at ozers more. Especially if we find out who took you before us…"

"Merlin, Fleur, I'm only fifteen! I haven't even kissed anyone!" I cried, looking at the blonde with utter shock and disbelief. Why was she even asking me these things? She should have known better. I was a bookworm—I barely interacted with people in the first place. If it hadn't been for getting rescued from the troll in my first year, I probably wouldn't have friends at all.

Her blue eyes turned gold once more, a faint smile playing on the edges of her lips. "I'm sorry for asking you, mon amour, but it makes me extremely 'appy to know no one else will 'ave what is mine." She slowly moved to lean forward.

I raised a brow, warning the girl. "I didn't say I was yours. And don't even think about kissing me right now. You just keep digging your hole."

She hesitated, blinking a few times before leaning back. "Sorry. I didn't mean to push you. I said you're in control, and you are. I just got a bit excited. Forgive me, 'ermione." I sighed, not sure if I could be mad at the blonde. "I won't do it again; not unless you want me to. Of course we will 'ave to work on controlling ze Veela a bit better, too."

I snorted at the twinkle in her eye. "You better stop if I say. Otherwise there won't be two people alive to have this relationship." She laughed and agreed, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

We sat in silence for quite some time while I continued to process today's events.

"'ey, ze rain stopped," Fleur commented. I blinked, listening for a few seconds, only to be greeted with the sounds of birds and other creatures stirring back to life from their shelters.

"We can head back to the castle."

Fleur pushed up from her seat, turning and holding out a helpful hand. I took it and stood up with the assistance. She smiled softly and started for the entrance of the cave.

"It should be about dinner time, non? Let's make sure we don't miss it."

"Fleur, wait," I called, causing the girl to stop and look back at me. "I can't say that things won't progress somewhat slowly, as I am still so young. But…I do want to see where things can go. I accept the bond; just don't push me too hard, alright?"

The Veela smiled as she returned to me, taking my hands in hers, raising them to her lips. "Of course, mon amour, anyzing for you. Come, let's go eat, shall we?"

I nodded, allowing her to intertwine our fingers as she led the way back to the school. Mad as I still was at Ron, I knew I would have to thank him one day. I found myself suddenly loving storms as I looked at the girl smiling down at me, curious as to what the future held in store for me. Who knew what would happen come the next storm.