Bubblegum
Disclaimer – I do not own Hermione, nor do I own Fleur. I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any characters or places within it. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.
'The impediment jinx- when cast upon an attacking foe, this aptly named jinx impedes the attacker, slowing down their assault. It can be cast by raising ones wand and yelling-'
A dull thud resounded around the library as a book was dropped onto a table, its pages still open, revealing information about the impediment jinx. The sounds of shuffling paper were heard soon after.
About to dip her quill into the ink well, the student creating all of the sounds paused, the quill nub hovering dangerously close to the black depths of ink.
Would this really help him, considering what the next task was?
In fact, what would the effect of the spell (or any spell for that matter) be if cast underwater, where no voice commands could be heard?
The young woman did not know, and did not have time to look.
Still, she allowed herself to dip the tip of her quill into the ink anyways and copy the information down onto a piece of parchment.
If it would not help Harry during the second task, it would most certainly help for the third.
And who was Hermione Granger, if not a girl who planned for the future?
Dotting the last 'i' in the final sentence, Hermione placed her quill down on top of her parchment and re-read over what she had written. Satisfied she placed it aside and picked up a new book from the massive pile she had obtained from the shelves.
Opening it with gusto, the brunette flicked past the first few pages of the book, going straight to the table of contents. Running a finger along the list, her eyes brightened as she saw what she was looking for. Turning to the page that the table of contents had cited her to, Hermione smiled as she saw the highly elaborate script reading 'Underwater beasts'.
"Perfect." She whispered into the silence of the nook she had made for herself in the corner of the library. Shifting her position so that she would be more comfortable, Hermione buried herself in the dusty pages, her mind absorbing the information like a sponge.
With the discovery of the private corner of the school library, where there was little chance of anyone walking along and finding Hermione, the bushy haired brunette could finally relax. There were no more distractions to bother her.
Finally, there was no more Krum haunting the shelves. Finally, there was no more annoying twittering fan club nearby, stalking the Bulgarian Quidditch player.
Finally, Hermione could read her tomes in peace; and Merlin's beard, she needed that peace. Things had been hectic around Hogwarts- of course, the school had always been hectic, but since the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had arrived it had been even busier, what with the Triwizard Tournament commencing and Harry being chosen as the fourth unexpected champion.
That being said, Harry was the exact reason why Hermione had sought out a private nook in the first place. While it was a common sight to see the Gryffindor amongst the books, it was not common to see her reading up on the subjects that she was reading up about now, like Mermen and Giant Squids and underwater beasts.
Yet she was doing this to help Harry win the tournament, or at the very least, survive. Hermione knew that Dumbledore would never put his students in harm's way intentionally, but it would not be the first time that something that Harry was supposed to do that seemed so straightforward and simple would turn out potentially life threatening.
Shaking her thoughts of her previous encounters with danger alongside Ron and Harry out of her head, Hermione finished reading the chapter. Taking a few more notes down on monsters that could lurk in the lake, Hermione closed the book with a firm thud, and picked up yet another one, this time on more spells, hexes and curses.
Flipping it open, a title in the table of contents caught her eye immediately: 'Spells effective on aquatic creatures.'
Heart leaping to her throat, Hermione turned to the page and looked at it more carefully. This would be useful. This was what she was looking for all this time. Harry would make it through the second round with flying colours and his life still intact. All Hermione would have to do would be to read the page.
"Grindylows." Hermione muttered aloud. "These creatures…"
Her reading was cut short as an obnoxiously loud noise interrupted her mid-sentence. Irritated, Hermione dropped the book onto the table. Without getting out of the chair she sat in, Hermione began to search for the source of the noise. Maybe someone had stumbled onto her private corner, and had decided to try and test her?
But that was highly unlikely- if there was one thing that Hermione was known for, other than her impressive brainpower, it was that she loved her books and hated when she was disturbed from them.
With that ruled out, the fourth year eyed the bookshelves. Maybe a book had come loose and had fallen, setting off a chain reaction, making the rest of the books fall over as well?
Yet that was out of the question, as Hermione recalled exactly what the sound of books toppling over sounded like. The sound was not unfamiliar to her, as more often than not it had been her initiating the domino effect by accident in the pursuit of a new book.
With those two answers out, Hermione wondered exactly what and where the noise was coming from, and wondered how she could stop it immediately.
A moment later, Hermione heard the sound once again, as if an answer to her question.
With a jolt, Hermione realized that the sound was not being caused by other library-goers or toppling books at all.
In fact, the sound was coming from Hermione herself.
Her stomach was grumbling.
A flush crept up her neck and onto her face, turning her cheeks pink. Hermione knew no one was there, but that didn't stop her from biting her lip and glancing self-consciously around.
Hermione only blushed harder and scowled down at her stomach as it growled again, even louder than the first time. However, Hermione had to admit that she could not blame her body for its reaction. The only meal the Gryffindor had eaten was breakfast, skipping lunch in favour of reading.
And now, she was paying the price.
Her stomach growled again, and Hermione cursed herself- the dinner feast would not start for another couple of hours and there was no way for her to come upon any food until then, unless she visited the kitchens; which, of course, was a complete no for her. The house-elves were there, and as the founder and chair of the Society of the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, she would not go down there and let those house-elves help her, not while she was fighting for the freedom of their race. To do so would be making herself a hypocrite.
Heaving a sigh, Hermione reached her hands into her robes, searching for her wand. Even though Hermione only knew enough to transfigure things into smaller food items (for she hadn't tried anything heavier yet) the apple she could end up with from transfiguring something in her bag would be able to tide her over. Once she received her apple, all she would have to do would be to leave the library until she was done her snack, then return and continue researching until it was time for dinner.
Yet as Hermione searched for her wand, her fingers brushed along something that was clearly not what she was looking for. Confused yet curious, the girl seized it with her hand. It was smooth but sharp along the edges- clearly, a cube or box shaped item. It was a small package, fitting in Hermione's hand. Hermione drew it out of her robes for a better look.
There, sitting in the palm of her hand, was a small bright yellow package. It was crushed and ripped open on one end, but the bright pink lettering still clearly read 'bubblegum'. Inside, Hermione felt the edges of a single piece left in the wrappings.
The Gryffindor stared at the bubblegum in her hand. Outwardly, she was completely silent, but on the inside her body and her mind were having a heated debate. Over what, you may ask?
Whether she should eat the gum or not.
On one hand, she was starving- her stomach was beginning to growl again, each time with increasing loudness. Thought that did not concern Hermione much, what she knew about what was happening as her stomach was growling did. Though she did not attend muggle schools anymore, books she had at home kept her informed on non-magic studies as well, and she knew enough about the human body that the prospect of chewing on gum was more attractive than contributing to the development of an ulcer.
Yet on the other hand, the rule of libraries everywhere, whether magical or non magical, was that there was no food allowed within a library. To some, bubblegum would not seem like food to them, but Hermione had a feeling that Madame Pince, who disliked anyone who came through the doors of the library (even the most trustworthy, rule-abiding students like Hermione herself) would consider her chewing gum as breaking the rules. While Hermione had broken rules before, ones more severe than the 'no-food' one, the girl generally did not like to do so often and avoided it whenever she could.
'But not eating it will make you hungry.' The side of her mind that was for having the gum argued.
'And eating it here is breaking a rule.' The other side sternly reminded Hermione.
Torn between her two thoughts, Hermione bit her lip. Closing her eyes, she decided that risks needed to be taken to sate her wants.
And being a Gryffindor was all about risk-taking, wasn't it?
Reaching for the gum, Hermione tore the yellow paper off of it, leaving the packaged cube behind. Dropping the wrapping on the table, Hermione carefully peeled off the paper on the gum, placing it beside the other bits of trash. Glancing on either side of herself and looking down the rows of books for good measure, Hermione finally popped the piece of gum into her mouth.
She glanced nervously around herself once more before finally biting into her gum. The sweet taste exploded in the Gryffindor's mouth, a taste she loved very much. However, Hermione could not savour and enjoy the gum as much as she usually did. Paranoia was etched into her every move, even her chewing. The brunette's eyes flicked from side to side nervously. She was afraid that somehow Madame Pince would swoop down upon her like a vulture, and throw her out of the library.
After a few minutes passed by, Hermione realized that she was safe. She could hear no students around her, never mind see them, and Madame Pince didn't seem to be remotely near her.
Reassuring herself that no one would see, Hermione picked up her book and began to read it again.
Just as she relaxed, however, a painfully familiar voice rang in her ear.
"Well 'allo there."
Freezing up, Hermione squeezed her eyes shut.
'Not her.' She pleaded mentally. 'Anyone but her.'
However, it seemed that day that Hermione's prayers would go unanswered.
As she opened her eyes, standing before her was the ever perfect, ever gorgeous, ever-so-snide Fleur Delacour.
"Hello." Hermione muttered back to her, intense dislike washing over her. There was just something about Fleur that the bushy-haired brunette didn't like. Every single time they were in a room with each other, every time that their eyes met or they spoke, there was an overwhelming tension of some sort between them. Hermione attributed this to the fact that the half-veela girl was from another, unfamiliar school and competing against one of her best friends no less in a potentially life-threatening competition.
Deep, deep down, Hermione secretly knew that the tension was caused by something else.
"What are you doing?"
Fleur's accented voice broke Hermione out of her thoughts. Seeing the blonde trying to glance at the stack of books in front of her, Hermione reached out and hugged them close to her body, covering their covers and spines.
"Nothing that should concern you." Hermione said curtly.
Fleur simply arched an eyebrow, icy blue eyes moving from Hermione's reddening face and the books in her arms.
"Ah." Was all she said, and the answer annoyed Hermione immensely.
"Don't you have other things to do?" She snapped her face pink. "Shouldn't you be on your carriage, chatting with your headmistress?"
Fleur kept her eyebrow cocked. This time though, it seemed not to be due to Hermione's odd behaviour, but instead at the tone of her voice.
"Am I not allowed to look around la bibliotheque?" She asked innocently, reaching behind her without looking and pulling an old, musty book from the shelf.
"Monsieur Dumbledore 'imself said zat we were welcome to look around ze castle, and I will not be one to deny what 'e may offer us."
She sat down with the book, and Hermione felt her annoyance surge as she saw that Fleur was sitting straight across from her, looking like she had no intentions to leave any time soon as she said with a barely hidden smirk,
"Besides, Madame Maxime ees busy at ze moment. She ees... conversing, wiz zat man, monsieur 'Agrid."
Hermione's only response was frosty silence. However, she couldn't help but be intrigued by the news about Hagrid. Hermione already knew about Hagrid's supposed crush on the headmistress of Beauxbatons, but what she knew was precious little, and though she wasn't one for assumptions and gossip, it looked like maybe Madame Maxine could be on her way to reciprocating the enormous man's feelings.
After that little tidbit of information, Fleur kept her mouth (surprisingly) shut. Hermione, glad to have her silence back, continued to read, determined not to be bothered by the blonde beauty in front of her. The tension between them didn't help Hermione at all though, and the harder she tried to ignore it, the harder it became to pay no mind.
Frustrated out of her wits, Hermione was about to snap at Fleur again, but the blonde spoke before a word could come out of her mouth.
"What ees zis?"
Glacing upwards, Hermione saw the familiar yellow and pink gum wrapping paper being twisted in-between Fleur's fingers.
"Give that here!" Hermione ordered as she held her hand out for it, keeping her voice steady as she forced the blood out of her cheeks. It was no easy task to accomplish, as all she wanted to do was snatch the wrapper out of Fleur's hands and blush furiously while admonishing herself for forgetting to put away the bits of rubbish.
"You did not answer my question, 'Ermione."
"First off, I don't have to." Hermione said bitterly. "Second of all, how do you know my name?"
The second question was something Hermione would usually never ask, but there was something about Fleur that brought out the fire in Hermione, something that infuriated her
"I know your name because you always 'ang around wiz zat boy, 'Arry Potter." Fleur explained placidly, her reaction (or lack of one thereof) ticking Hermione off even further.
"Also, zat ees no way to treat a guest to your school."
The smarmy smile on Fleur's face only made Hermione more upset.
"Fine then." The brunette gritted her teeth together. "Would you please give me that back?"
"Only after you tell me what zis ees."
Hermione sighed harshly, giving Fleur a disdainful look. Why did the Frenchwoman have to be so very difficult? Why couldn't she just give Hermione her trash back and leave her alone?
Hermione had no answers to these question, and had no time to think of them as she sighed once more and began to explain in a stressed voice.
"They're wrappers."
"Wrappers?" Fleur's hand tilted to the side. "For what?"
"For bubblegum." Hermione said shortly. "Now may I have those back?"
She made a move to take them, but Fleur moved further back, keeping herself out of Hermione's range.
"Bubblegum?"
Fleur rolled the word around her mouth and the thought came to Hermione that Fleur hadn't ever heard the word before.
"It's a sweet." Hermione's annoyance began to fade slowly, and her curiosity and wonder grew. "Usually pink and soft. I don't know the French word for it, but surely you've had some?"
When Fleur shook her head, it dawned on the Gryffindor that Fleur had never had bubblegum before in her life. It wasn't uncommon for some wizards and witches to go their entire lives without tasting certain muggle sweets, but the thought still baffled muggle-born Hermione.
"What about Drooble's?" She questioned, the wizarding version of one of her favourite treats coming to mind. "Drooble's Best Blowing Gum?"
"Non." Fleur replied. By the way she wrinkled her nose, Hermione was sure that the name Drooble's was both a new and distasteful word to the witch.
"Haven't you ever had sweets?" Hermione couldn't help but gape.
"Only zee finest." Fleur replied arrogantly. "Un chocolat et des bonbons, but never zis 'Droobles'. 'Owever, I would like to try some."
"That isn't Drooble's Best Blowing Gum." Hermione said, pointing to the wrapper pinched between Fleur's thumb and forefinger on one hand.
"Zat does not matter, I still want some of zis 'bubblegum'." The French woman held out the hand not holding the wrapper expectantly, and Hermione instantly remembered her annoyance and disdain for the older woman.
"Unfortunately, I don't have anymore." Hermione said with false remorse, strangely enjoying the slight twinge of pleasure that she got from denying the French witch. Hermione wasn't a mean person, she just didn't like Fleur much (or more specifically, their tension). Perhaps now that Hermione wasn't going to give her any gum, Fleur would leave her alone?
Unfortunately, Hermione was wrong. Instead of leaving her be, Fleur simply stared blankly at the brunette, keeping her hand and palm outstretched and open.
"I don't have anymore." Hermione repeated crossly, her voice laced with barely restrained annoyance.
"'Ermione, I know zat you still do. In fact, I know exactly where eet ees, right now."
Fed up with Fleur at last, Hermione stood up. Pressing her hands flat against the tabletop, she leaned over it and moved forward daringly, glaring angrily at the French woman.
"Where is it then, Fleur?" Hermione said, her voice almost harsh enough to be a snarl. "Can you tell me where it is, if you're so sure?"
"Let me show you."
Suddenly, Hermione felt lips crushed against her own. She squealed in surprise, but the sound was muffled and muted against Fleur's mouth.
The Gryffindor's logical mind screamed at her to make Fleur stop, to pull away, but the rest of her body would not comply. Hermione felt fingers pressed to the bottom of her chin, gently tilting her head up to meet Fleur's lips, who she noticed had stood up as well. The hand, soft as silk, ghosted up her face to land on her cheek and cup it tenderly. Feeling the soft caress, Hermione let her eyes fall closed. Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to kiss Fleur back.
Only a moment later, Hermione felt something brush against her lips. Gasping in surprise, Hermione felt that same something take advantage of her gasp, and enter her mouth. Realizing it was Fleur's tongue, Hermione's eyes shot open...
To see Fleur's eyes locked onto her own. The half-veela's eyes had darkened dramatically, turning from icy blue to smouldering cobalt. Unable to handle the intensity in Fleur's eyes, Hermione's eyes drifted closed once again, just as she felt Fleur's tongue brush against her own. Tentatively reaching back, Hermione nearly gasped again as the kisses passion increased.
And just like that, it was over. Before Hermione knew it, Fleur had pulled back, ending their kiss immediately.
Opening her eyes, Hermione saw Fleur once again. This time however, the blonde was not as perfect as before; a slight blush was stained across her usually pale cheeks, and she looked somewhat dishevelled.
Somehow, she still managed to look perfectly dignified, which was much more than Hermione could say for herself- if Fleur had been affected, Hermione was most likely worse. She could feel her hair, bushy enough, even more unruly, and she could feel a flush twice as heavy as Fleur's heating up her face.
Even still, that didn't stop Fleur from leaning in close to Hermione once again, so close that their face were almost touching.
"C'est delicieux." Fleur purred with a satisfied smirk on her elegant features. "Merci beaucoup, 'Ermione."
And with that, Fleur turned and sauntered away, disappearing behind the endless rows of dusty shelves and spell-books.
It was only when Hermione was left alone, without her breath, without a clue as to what she was doing earlier, and without her heart, did she realize something.
"She took my bubblegum."
So. I'm The Darklight Angel. New to the HP fic writing scene, yes, but I've been a big fan of Harry Potter for years. This is my first Harry Potter fic. I wrote it for a friend of mine, Contagious Contradiction, who challenged me to write Fleur/Hermione, and having it have something to do with bubblegum. Here's your fic, buddy, and I hope everyone enjoys!