AN: Written for Laura (thingstogoandplacestodo) for the Monthly One Shot Exchange!

Also written for the Convince Me Competition :)

Ma Chérie

Ginny had seen Fleur's strong, slender legs in action, when she had run away from the dragon in the first Triwizard Tournament task.

Fleur had seen Ginny's wiry arms in action when they had pulled up a broom at the last second.

Ginny had seen the smooth strokes Fleur had made in the water when she had dived in the Black Lake for the second Triwizard Tournament task.

Fleur had felt Ginny's strong hands grip her sides as she was lifted up out of the lake.

Fleur admired Ginny's strength, and Ginny admired Fleur's. It was what had made them become friends so quickly during Fleur's stay at Hogwarts.

"Ginny, wake up." Ginny felt someone shake her gently and groaned. Who was it?

She opened her eyes and waited for them to focus in the darkness. When they did, who she saw surprised her. "Fleur? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping? Madame Pomfrey said you needed rest."

Fleur only smiled at Ginny's grumpy tone. "I have been resting all day and I am bored. I did not want to wake any of my school mates because they might tell Madame Maxime. You are the only person I could think of." Her voice had a heavy French accent.

"What did you want?" Ginny asked, sitting up. Fleur's reason for waking her up sounded a bit more interesting now that she had expressed her worries about being found out.

"I heard that it was the last night that the dragons were here; I did not have the chance to see them before and I thought that you might want to accompany me," she answered.

"You want me to come with you to see the dragons?" It sounded dangerous, and it was. But it also sounded like a small adventure… a perfect little bit of excitement.

"Yes."

Ginny sat up. "Let's go then."

The pair had pulled on thick jumpers and outdoor robes in silence, the occasional creak of a bed as someone turned around being the only noise.

Once they had changed into clothes suitable for the February weather, they exited the dormitory.

"Can you see anyone patrolling the corridor?" asked Fleur, squinting in the darkness.

"I can't see anyone… let's hurry before anyone turns up."

They hurried forward and reached the stairs; they were halfway down them when Fleur winced.

Ginny paused. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," said Fleur, carrying on down the stairs.

Ginny frowned at the blonde's retreating back but didn't say anything else about it.

They had made it to the grounds of Hogwarts when Fleur fell; Ginny lunged forward and grabbed her waist, keeping her upright.

"What happened?" asked Ginny, still catching her breath.

This time Fleur was honest. "It is my ankle; I don't think it recovered properly."

There were loads of questions that Ginny wanted to ask, such as, how on earth were you allowed out of the hospital wing? But clearly, they were going to have to wait.

Now the two of them were sitting together in the grounds of Hogwarts, the midnight sky and long grass concealing them.

"Are you feeling any better now?" asked Ginny.

Fleur smiled at the concern she could hear in Ginny's voice. "I am fine, Ginny. The injury on my ankle is only small and Madame Pomfrey said that I am not suffering shock after the incident."

"Only small," Ginny huffed. "So small that you bloody collapsed. How did you even get let out? Madame Pomfrey fusses over the tiniest things."

Fleur's pale cheeks flushed; Ginny could see them even in the darkness. "I—er," she stammered.

Ginny didn't need to hear anymore to know what had actually happened. "You snuck out?" she asked, disbelieving .

"I was bored!" Fleur protested. Ginny fought to stop a grin from forming on her face; she was actually quite impressed with the blonde's nerves.

"Well you aren't exactly having a magical time down here," huffed Ginny. "You set out to see dragons but look, you're in a patch of damp grass. Doesn't get much more exciting than this, does it?"

Fleur rolled her eyes. "I did not ask you to come with me for the sarcasm. Can you help me stand up so we can do what we set out to do in the first place?"

Ginny was tempted to say no, just to piss off Fleur—and because she didn't like being bossed around. But she stood up and helped pick Fleur up off the grass. "Come on then. You better hold as much of your own weight as you can. I'm not carrying you to the dragons."

"Oh please do, ma chérie," said Fleur, dishing out the sarcasm she was previously so against. Ginny knew that it was not an endearment; she had only been addressed as 'ma chérie' by Fleur because she was being sarcastic. But all the same, the way the name rolled off the French girl's tongue made Ginny fight to suppress a shiver. The slight reddening of Fleur's cheeks suggested that she either felt the same way, or knew what Ginny was thinking.

"Do you really want me to take up that challenge?" she asked.

Fleur snorted. "As if you coul—" she cut herself off with a squeal as Ginny had hoisted her up over her shoulder.

"I definitely can," said Ginny with a satisfied smirk. Fleur was protesting, but she wasn't about to let her down.

It was only when they had passed the borders of the Forbidden Forest and heard the rattling of cages that Ginny set Fleur down quite suddenly. Fleur stumbled forward, still not able to find her footing with her bad ankle, and Ginny grabbed her waist before she took them both to the ground.

"You shouldn't have asked," said Ginny. Her lips were dangerously close to Fleur's; their close proximity had been brought about by the other girl's stumble. Fleur's eyes fluttered close, and Ginny's heartbeat quickened. Did she—should she?

Her inner musing was cut off by Fleur. "I'm glad I asked," she whispered, and you could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

"Do you want me to pick you up again?" Their voices were hushed, playful. But neither of them seemed to want to admit they were flirting and neither of them seemed to want to take the initiative and do what Ginny had been debating in her mind.

"I would be delighted if you did," said Fleur. And then, as if it was an afterthought, "Ma chérie."

Ginny's hands tightened at Fleur's sides. But instead of lifting her up, she pulled the blonde just a bit closer, so their lips met.

Fleur didn't protest, leaning into the redhead and deepening the kiss.

A huge clang of metal made them jump apart, and they watched with flushed faces as a stream of fire lit up the sky above the forest.

"The dragons are nearby," said Ginny with a small smile.

Fleur smirked and wrapped her arms around the redhead. "I suppose you are carrying me there, ma chérie?"

Ginny laughed. "Of course I am."

Ma chérie is 'my darling' in French :)