A/N: This story is the result of a prompt by jailbaitjello on LJ's HP-Girlslash. The challenge was to write a story based on the poem "Lady I will touch you" by E. E. Cummings. She suggested Hermione Granger as one of the characters and we decided to pair her off with Fleur Delacour for this one.
What started as a one-shot grew so long that we decided to divide it into chapters. We're not done writing yet, so no idea how long this will turn out to be. Hope you enjoy!
Lady, I will touch you
Lady, I will touch you with my mind. (lady I will lightly and you utterly will become the poem which i do not write.
Touch you and touch and touch
until you give
me suddenly a smile, shyly obscene
touch you with my mind.)Touch
you, that is all,
with infinite care
By E. E. Cummings
Chapter 1
Watching her had become a favorite pass time for Fleur. She was so brilliant, so sure of herself. She had come a long way from the sometimes awkward little bookworm she once was. Hermione Granger's rise to fame had not only come with the war, but with the things she had set out to accomplish after it was all over.
Now, at 25, she was rumored to soon be appointed the second in command to Kingsley, something that didn't surprise Fleur when she had heard it. After finishing school, the brunette had gone on to further her studies in both wizarding and Muggle universities and had come back a few years later and taken their world by storm.
She had organized the masses and gotten many new laws approved to protect people like Fleur herself - people of mixed blood, people of different backgrounds and all the magical beings that had never had protection or rights before. Surprisingly, there had been little opposition to granting house elves pay and holidays since most wizards had recognized all they did for their families.
As far as weres, vampires, giants and the rest, she had made sure their species also had protection, that the correct information was given out about them and suddenly, they weren't as feared as before. Remus Lupin would have been proud and Fleur knew Andromeda couldn't be happier because Teddy's future was going to be somewhat easier thanks to the brunette.
She was invited by the ministries of other countries to speak to their people, to help them draw new laws, to ask for advice on how to handle certain things. And it never ceased to amaze Fleur, who had a front row seat to all of it because she just happened to be Hermione's personal assistant, a job not many thought she would like.
And contrary to everything everyone else thought, she absolutely adored being around her, loved watching her work her magic in more ways than one and considered it a privilege to work with her. Her job mainly consisted of keeping her together, keeping things flowing and organized, booking every trip and function, keeping the press away from her and basically making sure Hermione didn't topple under the stress.
The job had come unexpectedly, as she was working at Gringotts. Bill and her had had an amicable divorce two years after their marriage took place and Fleur had been working with him still but had been looking for a change. When Hermione came back and things had started flowing for her, it had become clear she needed someone to keep her together. When she approached Fleur about it, asking if she knew anyone, Fleur had offered to do it herself.
-
Hermione had always been a passionate person, although she always fell hardest for the intangible things. The pursuit of knowledge, for example, had been a driving force in her life for as long as she could remember. The other had been her desire to make a difference. Though one could assume her role in the golden trio, amongst other things, would have been enough for a lifetime, it was never enough for her.
Despite her passion, she hadn't been good at keeping the romantic passion in her life. She and Ron had parted ways shortly after their final year at Hogwarts, with Hermione pursuing her own higher education and Ron, being Ron, never having really expanded his emotional capacity. Afterwards, Hermione had little time for her own romance, as she spent most of her time learning or advocating for change.
That change had manifested itself into a high-level position within the Ministry, working tirelessly for the rights of those who previously had little. Having gained much attention for groundbreaking work like this, she had been invited to consult and speak for various assemblies. Over the years, as she had built her reputation up, her presence was required in more and more places, sometimes at the same time.
And then, everything changed for the better.
By pure luck, she had run into Fleur while she was at Gringotts one day, and the two of them had gotten to talking. Hermione had been looking for a solution to organizing her life, and came to the conclusion that a personal assistant would be best. She asked Fleur if she knew anyone that would be well suited for the position, and surprisingly, it was Fleur herself who ended up filling the role.
Though Hermione was a little surprised at first, the two of them worked flawlessly together. Fleur was impeccable in her organization of Hermione's life, and she herself had never been so relaxed in recent memory. Fleur was immensely helpful to her, and even went above and beyond anything Hermione had ever expected.
Since she and Fleur were essentially inseparable from breakfast to dinner, and sometimes before and after that, the two of them became quite close. Occasionally, Hermione wondered if it had bordered on too close. Fleur had, a couple of times, walked in on her getting dressed in the mornings when she came with coffee to her flat, and it didn't bother her at all; in contrast, she had spent most of her time behind her bed curtains when she got changed during school.
She had shrugged it off though, not worrying about it. Fleur and her were seamless together, and that was all that mattered.
-
As Fleur walked towards Hermione's building, coffee cups in hand, she went over their day in her head. She had everything on her cell phone, but her hands were currently occupied. Using Muggle technology had come in handy to them. Using everything it had to offer - from laptops to smart phones - their communication never stopped. It was easier, faster and more private than owls, the Floo network and Patronuses. Fleur was a simple phone call away and it was easy to keep everything together through emails, spreadsheets and the other electronic methods. They had even figured out ways to give presentations to the Ministers using PowerPoint and while some were resistant at first, by the time Hermione was done with a presentation, she had won every single one of them over.
And Fleur just soaked it all in. She just loved being around her energy and positivity. Hermione Granger was a force to be reckoned with and she enjoyed being in the middle of it all. She just couldn't get enough and as busy as her life had turned since getting the job, she wouldn't change it for anything. Not only did she get to travel all over the world, but she had also found an incredibly close friend in the brunette.
One that she sometimes found herself thinking about on her free time. One that she had dreamt about on several occasions. One that impressed her more and more every day with her intelligence and positive way of thinking. And one that had wormed her way into her heart without her noticing it until it was too late.
Did she love the brunette? Of course she did. Was she in love with her? That was the puzzle she was trying to figure out right now and it was a difficult one to solve. So she kept pushing it to the back of her mind or chalking it up to some sort of hero worship. She just kept telling herself she wasn't the only one that found Hermione's brilliance sexy.
It didn't help that they were leaving that night again. Hermione had been invited to be an orator in a conference taking place in New York and they were taking the night flight there. Since Hermione had always wanted to visit that city, Fleur had booked them a few extra days to make sure she got some sightseeing in.
As she let herself into Hermione's well appointed flat, she smiled when she saw the brunette at the counter, her back to Fleur. Wearing black heels, a dark gray pencil skirt and a lace camisole, she looked amazing and Fleur drank in the sight quietly, eyes roaming up and down her body before she could shake herself. This reaction was happening more and more often and she kept wondering if she would ever be brave enough to do something about it or just keep on ignoring it. Her fingers were literally itching to bury themselves in the long curls that ended at the middle of the brunette's back.
Biting back a sigh, she moved closer to her boss.
"Morning, 'Ermione. 'Ow long 'ave you been awake?"
Hermione smiled as she turned around. She had smelled the coffee before Fleur had announced her entrance. "Good morning, Fleur. Not too long." She walked over and plucked one of the coffees out of Fleur's hands. "Thank you," she said, taking a long sip. She sighed happily as she swallowed. Perfectly doctored to her tastes, as usual.
Fleur had always been like that, though, almost being able to foresee Hermione's needs before she knew them herself. She liked that about her, and it had only made Fleur even more capable than she already was. She had only had to tell Fleur once or twice how she liked her coffee, and it had been correct every time since.
It amazed her how much information Fleur retained; it was one of the many endearing qualities that Hermione loved about her. She had no idea where she'd be without the other woman, who was one of her best friends, on top of being her personal assistant. She never tired of her company, which she valued greatly. It was bewildering how much time they spent together in both professional and personal capacities, but they were always able to switch between the two.
She walked back to the counter, where she had been buttering her toast. "Did you want something to eat?"
Fleur couldn't help but look down at her silk covered chest. Why isn't she wearing her suit jacket already? she wondered. It would make my life so much easier if she was.
"No, just coffee for me, ma chérie. I don't want to eat a lot today. It's going to be incredibly busy and I don't want to end up with an upset stomach before we fly."
Putting her coffee on the counter, she opened her bag and took out her blackberry. As Hermione finished her toast, she started going over their day with her.
-
By the time they had made it to the airport, Fleur was beat. She just wanted to sleep the entire flight and hoped Hermione was of the same mind. She was done planning for the day as far as she was concerned.
Checking in was uneventful and soon they were seated in first class, where Fleur immediately took off her heels.
"I'm really 'oping you'll tell me we're going to sleep now."
Hermione was just as exhausted as Fleur sounded, and she slipped her shoes off right after Fleur. "As soon as we're in the air, its bedtime," she said, smiling tiredly.
Despite the fact that they took off smoothly, sleep did not find Hermione. Her eyes were shut, but her mind was going a mile a minute. The day, so far, had gone without a hitch, but it didn't help that her thoughts were elsewhere.
Throughout the day, for some reason, she would catch herself looking at Fleur. She'd write it off as her jewelry caught the light, or she was bringing something to her, but the point was, she kept staring. It was a little strange. This was the sort of thing that she did occasionally when she was with Ron; just staring.
She wondered, briefly, if there was any sort of … attraction, something that would explain why she kept looking at Fleur. She then realized that she had turned her head and opened her eyes to look at Fleur's sleeping form half a second later.
Sighing to herself, she re-settled under the blanket she had been given. She loved Fleur; she was a dear friend and an amazing colleague. But if she loved her …
Hermione had known long ago that gender had very little to do with what attracted her to other people, but this was actually the first time she had felt the pull to someone of her same gender for more than five minutes. That was, however, assuming that this pull was sincere attraction.
She sighed, again. She was just thinking in circles. She shifted, trying to get comfortable so she could fall asleep.
Fleur happen to crack an eye open just as Hermione looked away and she smiled. Caught you! she thoughts with a little smile as she grabbed Hermione's hand and squeezed.
"Go to sleep, love, we 'ave a long day ahead of us when we land."
Hermione squeezed Fleur's hand back, seeing the small smile on the blonde's face in her peripheral vision. "I know, I really should sleep," she said, yawning practically on cue. She shifted under the blanket again, trying to get comfortable.
Leaning her head back, she shut her eyes again, willing her mind to stop thinking. It was an impossible request, considering how much she used her brain, but she really needed to sleep.
Knowing she wouldn't sleep, not while her mind was up and going, Fleur lifted the arm rest between them, threw their seats back so they resembled a bed, turned on her side and pulled Hermione to her.
"Close your eyes," she murmured softly as her fingers started playing with Hermione's hair, massaging the scalp softly. "Shut down your mind, sweetheart, and just rest."
Knowing it was working, she pulled Hermione closer to her and kept talking to her softly, fingers in her hair the entire time, until she felt the brunette starting to relax in her arms.
Hermione sighed as Fleur worked her hands into her hair, against her scalp. She immediately felt the bone-deep languor associated with exhausting days, and she felt sleepy already. She could barely hear what the other woman was murmuring, over the hum of the airplane, but it relaxed her all the same.
She leaned back against Fleur's body, wondering idly if they could sleep like this during the flight. This was just another example of how perfect Fleur was as her assistant, and her friend, and she let the feeling of satisfaction be the last one before she gave way to sleep.
Smiling in satisfaction when she noticed the brunette had finally fallen asleep, Fleur wrapped an arm around her middle and joined her in slumber.
-
She woke up before Hermione did and untangled herself from around the brunette. As comfortable as she had been, she knew it might be awkward if they both woke up at the same time. Going into the bathroom, she freshened up and went back outside, asking the flight attendant to let her use their small kitchen to put together Hermione's coffee.
Once she was done with it she walked back to their seats and gently woke the brunette up.
"Sweetheart, coffee is ready," she whispered as she brushed Hermione's hair away from her face. "We're landing in one hour and we 'ave to go over some things."
Why she kept touching her or speaking to her with such sweetness she wasn't sure about. She wasn't sure what had triggered it now. They had been working together for close to two years now and nothing like this had ever happened. She was a little lost but as Hermione stirred, she didn't have time to figure it out anymore.
Hermione stretched as Fleur woke her up. She had slept surprisingly well, considering the fact even first-class airplane seats weren't exactly the most comfortable chairs in the world. She realized that Fleur had turned their seats into a bed-like set up, which was probably the reason why.
She sat up, yawning, and took the coffee that Fleur gave her. Even if it was probably the instant stuff, it tasted fine, thanks to the blonde. Blinking, she looked up at the other woman, who was settling down beside her.
"Let me guess, those things involve going non-stop from the moment we touch the ground to the moment we hit the hotel tonight?"
"Unfortunately, oui, they do. I'll check us in as soon as we arrive at the 'otel. You will 'ave approximately one hour to get ready and then we'll be gone all day. We 'ave three days like this and then we'll 'ave three days to do whatever you want." At Hermione's look of surprise she raised a hand and shook her head. "I don't want to 'ear a single complaint about it. You need it."
Hermione wasn't surprised to hear about the hectic schedule, but she was surprised that Fleur had booked in a little vacation. "What about everything in London? I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to..." she trailed off as she realized that since Fleur made her schedule, she could manipulate it however she wished. "You're forcing me to take a vacation, aren't you?"
"Caught on, 'ave you?"
Laughing, Fleur took out her phone and started going over their schedule.
-
When they landed and exited the airport, they got into the limo waiting for them and made it quickly to the hotel where an unexpected surprise waited for Fleur. How Hermione reacted to it was going to be interesting.
As they headed over to their room, Fleur just decided to let her look at it before explaining. She ran the card over the reader and opened the door, waving Hermione in. It was a very luxurious suite and Fleur was pleased with it. Hermione looked a little surprised at the opulence since it wasn't their usual.
There was a small sitting area, a desk and the door to the bedroom. As Hermione looked around with a small frown on her face, she pointed at the lone door.
Fleur sighed as she walked over to it and opened it, revealing the very large bed.
"They overbooked the 'otel, which is why we ended up with one of their best suites, but it is only a one bedroom. They 'ave nothing else available to us," she explained with a little shrug.
She just wasn't sure how Hermione was going to react.
Hermione wasn't sure, exactly, how to react. These sorts of things happened all the time; it was just one of the many perils of practically living in hotels. It had just never happened to her, and especially not during a time of mental debate of how she really felt about her personal assistant.
The room was beyond nice, almost ostentatious, but it was welcomed, since they'd be here for almost a week. It was as if the hotel had purposely given them the best suite, just to accommodate for the mere fact they couldn't book a two-bed hotel room properly.
Her lips twitched into a frown, but she supposed it could've been worse. "At least the bed is not a single," she said, the downward turn of her lips morphing into a small smile. She knew it wasn't Fleur's fault, and to be honest, she didn't really mind; it wasn't as if she had slept alone her whole life.
But sleeping in the same bed with Fleur, that would be a different challenge altogether.
Relief flooded through her as Hermione seemed okay with the idea. Had she been able to fix it, she would have, but there was nothing she could do.
"Wonderful! Go get ready and I'll see about more coffee and breakfast."
Turning, she went back out to get their day started.
A/N: Reviews and/or comments are welcomed!