Welcome to my first story.

Writing is new to me and I have no idea if this is going to work out well, but I'm loving it so far and I'll do my best to entertain you.

This is a story I started writing a long, long time ago but I lost most of it. This chapter is all I've been able to find back.

I'm posting it to see if there's any interest and if I should continue writing it. All reviews, favs and alerts are very welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters besides possible OCs. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.

Without further ado..

Enjoy

CHAPTER ONE

The first time they met was when they bumped into each other.

The Netherlands

It was a crowded day at the center of the city and both girls were busy with themselves and trying to get out of the craziness as quickly as possible. Therefore neither of them saw the other passing and they bumped into each other.

Fleur was surprised and apologized to Hermione in a foreign language Hermione didn't understand.

"I'm sorry. I don't speak Dutch. I'm sorry I ran into you though. I didn't see you," Hermione replied, trying to gather the groceries around her.

"Eh, it's ok, it was my fault. I should've seen you coming." Fleur answered in stuttering English. She, too, was gathering Hermione's groceries. She was in the center of the city, because she'd visited a friend who lives nearby so she didn't have any groceries herself.

It wasn't a big city, nothing like the capital or any other city of importance. When Fleur moved from France to this city in the Netherlands, people were surprised to hear her speak French. She was only a small girl at the time but she still remembered the odd looks she got when she was talking with her mom on the streets. Now, years later, she found herself speaking a foreign language once again.

Wondering who the stranger might be, she looked up only to look at one of the last people she expected to see here.

The first things she saw of the woman were her legs. Toned, sun-kissed legs that seemed to go on for miles to disappear at the hem of her beige shorts. To cover her upper body she wore nothing more than a light green tank whole outfit wasn't much and it certainly didn't leave much to the imagination but she managed to look classy in a way not many others could. She had long, wavy, brown hair that fell over her shoulders and covered part of her face. When the woman stood up with the remaining groceries in one hand and swiped her hair out of her face with the other, Fleur was able to see the rest of her face. It was indeed who she thought she was. She could recognize those lips and that small nose in a heartbeat. But what knocked the breath out of her lungs were the chocolate brown eyes, now staring into her blue ones.

After what felt like hours, but were in reality only mere seconds, she shook her head and cleared her throat.

"Don't I know you?" Fleur asked with furrowed eyebrows. She tried to ask the question as innocent as possible, to make the other woman think she was actually not capable of recognizing her by her nose.

"No, I don't think we've met," Hermione replied, faking innocence of her own.

"But you look so familiar," Fleur said, but didn't push it.

Just when Hermione thought she might have gotten away with it and could enjoy the rest of her abroad holiday she saw the color change in the other woman's eyes and heard her say,

"Wait a second. Aren't you, you know, the celebrity from the new movie Changes?" Fleur hadn't meant to say that. Clearly the other woman had no intention at all of telling her who she really was, but she simply couldn't stop herself. She was standing less than five feet away from Hermione Granger and she'd be damned if she let this opportunity pass her by.

"Shh, not too loud. I don't want the entire world to know." Today was not the day she would let her cover get blown up by a random girl who had accidentally bumped into her.

Fleur couldn't believe her own ears. She had never met a celebrity before. Seeing one and hearing the other woman tell her she was indeed who she thought she was, were two completely different things. Trying not to sound too enthusiastic about what she'd just been told, Fleur asked Hermione with a slightly trembling voice,

"Are you here to promote your movie?"

"No, actually, I'm here to get away from everything that has to do with the movie or the fame. So if you would like to keep this conversation between me and you, I'd really appreciate it." It felt pointless, telling the girl (was she a girl? She couldn't be much older than twenty) she didn't want word to get out. It had happened a few times before that someone couldn't keep it to themselves that they had met her.

"I won't tell anybody, I swear," Fleur said and in that moment she truly meant it.

"Have you found your way around here? I know it's not big, but being in a foreign country and well.." Fleur didn't have any difficulty coming up with good English sentences anymore, but now the problem was that the words came out too quickly and she stopped abruptly when she saw the sheepish look on Hermione's face.

"I'm sorry, I'm babbling," she said, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"It's ok," Hermione said while looking around her. Chances of keeping her stay here a secret were small with one stranger knowing her identity, but if more people found out she might as well call the tabloids herself. "The hardest thing is to remember the street names but luckily I have GPS."

"GPS? Did you come here by car then? Would you like me to help you carry the groceries to your car to make up for bumping into you?" Fleur asked. She wanted to spend as much time with Hermione as possible and, even though it was a lame suggestion, it seemed her best option.

"Yes, if you don't mind. I don't want to run in on any more people today." 'The quicker I'm out of here, the better' she thought.

And so they walked through the center of the city until they reached the parking lot. Fleur didn't know what kind of car she was expecting Hermione to have, but the one Hermione put the keys in, definitely wasn't it; it was an ordinary blue Volkswagen. The license plate was Dutch so Fleur figured Hermione must have rented it. It was a decent car, not expensive and it didn't stand out. It was the perfect inconspicuous car.

"Wait, let me just put the bag away and then you can put the groceries in," Hermione said, preventing Fleur from putting the groceries in the car. She had opened the trunk and noticed the gray garment bag.

"Is it a special piece of clothing or don't you know how to iron your clothes?" Fleur asked with a funny face, trying to break the awkward tension she was feeling.

"Do you think that just because I'm famous I don't know how to iron my own clothes?" Hermione asked flustered. She hadn't seen the look on Fleur's face for she was still looking at the garment bag.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just.. Never mind." They both twirled around a bit and then decided to finally put the groceries in the car.

Hermione was starting to feel the tension as well and decided to attempt breaking the awkward silence.

"To answer your question, it's a dress for a wedding. I don't like to wear dresses and certainly not pink ones, so I would like to keep it undamaged. That way I don't have to get back to the store and try on another one." These were more words than she had spoken all day and therefore she needed to catch her breath. Fleur noticed it and put the bag Hermione was holding in the car too.

"If you don't mind me asking, why would you wear a dress if you don't like wearing them? You don't have any premiers or conferences to go to so why wear the dress?" she asked.

Hermione felt defeated and knew she couldn't keep the real reason why she was here a secret anymore.

"I know I said I was in The Netherlands to get some rest and to get away from all the chaos, but the main reason I'm here is that I have a wedding to go to. It's my friend's; she's getting married and invited me to come, too."

"Wearing the dress might not be that bad, if it means you get to eat wonderful food and drink expensive wine all day long. And it's free," Fleur said, wanting to make up for the ironing comment from before.

Hermione hadn't thought of that and couldn't help smiling at the thought of it. There's something about wedding cakes that makes her crave for more once she's had a piece.

But the smile was gone as quick and sudden as it had appeared when she thought of all the questions that were bound to get asked.

Fleur noticed the certain types of emotions crossing her face and asked if something was wrong.

"No, it's nothing. Never mind." She shook her head and waved her hand in a way one would to bat a fly away.

Fleur left it for what it was and put the last grocery bag in the car.

"Thanks," Hermione said. "Do you want to know how the dress looks on me?" She scared herself with the question and didn't know why she had asked it. One moment she wanted nothing more than to get out of here and the next she wanted to know Fleur's opinion. "That way, ehm, you'll see why I don't like wearing them. They don't look good on me."

Fleur thought it odd Hermione had asked her if she wanted to see her in the dress, since she thinks the dress makes her look ridiculous, but answered politely.

"Yes, do you have a picture?"

"No, but you can come with me to the place I'm staying. You can help me carry the groceries again, too." Hermione couldn't believe her own ears. Had she really asked Fleur to come with her to the hotel? Asking a stranger to come with you is one thing, but what if she told the media about it and she'd have to leave? Again.

"If you want," Fleur interrupted her thoughts. To Fleur it felt like she'd woken up in an alternate universe. This day kept getting more surreal with every passing minute, not that she was complaining. "Where are you staying?"

"At the Grand Hotel."

"I've never seen the rooms of the hotel before. I applied for a job once, but wasn't hired."

They stepped in the car unseen and went on their way to the hotel. They talked about what it would be like to work in a hotel and having to serve celebrities.

"Serving them coffee and making up their beds doesn't seem like a fun thing to do, but you often get to help organize parties and weddings," Fleur said.

"I'm glad my friend's wedding isn't at the hotel." She already knew what Fleur wanted to ask so she continued.

"It's in a park and the party afterwards is on a beach. Nothing like the standard summer beach, though." Which was true. Dutch beaches are cold and have green water instead of blue, much like most English beaches.

"Is your friend a celebrity as well?" Fleur asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"No, she's not. She's one of my childhood friends. She met her fiancé in Brighton, on a beach, and eventually moved to the Netherlands. He's Dutch."

"Luckily for you there won't be any movie talk then. Or at least not all day," Fleur replied.

Hermione wanted to say something but decided not to and instead she said,

"This is it. The Grand Hotel."

They stepped out of the car, got the dress and the groceries out of the trunk, locked it and went inside.

The hotel looked enormous with high white ceilings and chandeliers hanging from it, filled with crystals. On the walls were expensive paintings and each table had beautiful flowers with all sorts of colors on them in a big vase. The employees were all dressed the same. White pants and a white shirt under a navy blue jacket. The women wore a navy blue pin in their hair and all the men had a navy blue handkerchief in the pocket of their jackets.

Fleur stopped abruptly and took it all in. She looked at Hermione to see if she felt the same way, but when she saw the risen eyebrows on her face, she knew she didn't. Fleur realized she had stared at all the grandness with her jaw dropped and closed it, then pulled herself together and acted like this kind of living wasn't new for her.

Hermione decided not to say anything about it and walked towards the elevator. She looked behind her to see if Fleur was following her and when she saw she did, Hermione looked in front of her again and greeted the receptionist. She smiled back and then answered the ringing phone, not paying any attention to Fleur.

Hermione pushed the button for the elevator to come and when the doors opened they both stepped in.

Fleur was surprised when the elevator stopped on the third floor. The hotel had five floors and she had expected that Hermione's room would be a penthouse. They stepped out and Hermione guided Fleur to her hotel room. She held the grocery bags in one hand and took a card out of her jacket with the other hand. She used the card to open the room and walked in.

The room was bright for the sunlight shone in it. On the far end of the room was a big window, which made up the whole side, with draped curtains on both sides of it and a rope that held the curtains together. A queen-size bed stood in the middle of the room on the right side with multiple pillows on it. In the left corner of the room was a chair with a table in front of it to put your feet on for when you were watching the TV that hung on the wall. Hermione asked Fleur if she wanted something to drink to which Fleur said she did. She walked to the kitchen and put down her bags.

"I don't have anything special in the fridge. I have apple juice and cold water for you. The rest of the drinks is still in the bags."

"Apple juice is fine," Fleur answered. Remembering she was still holding the garment bag, she asked: "Where would you like me to hang the dress?"

"Lay it on the bed, please. I'll try it on after I've had my drink," Hermione said, while getting two glasses out of the cabinet and filling both of them with apple juice. She walked to Fleur who had taken a seat on the bed and handed her a drink. She drank her own apple juice in one swig and put the empty glass on the bed stand.

"Could you hand me the dress I so badly want to wear?" Hermione asked in a sarcastic begging voice.

Fleur grabbed the bag with the dress in it and handed it to Hermione. Hermione headed to the bathroom and locked the door.

Fleur looked around her and wondered what it would be like to stay in a hotel room as big as this one. She imagined getting woken up by the receptionists through the phone and eating luxurious food like lobster and venison. Her daydream was ended when she heard the unlocking of the bathroom door.

She saw Hermione coming out in a long classic pink dress. It was sleeveless and came to her knees. Fleur asked her to turn around and when Hermione did, she could see that the dress was secured with a zipper on the side and it had a little bow on the back. When Hermione was facing her again, Fleur could see how uncomfortable she felt and wanted to cheer her up a bit.

"I don't understand why you don't like the dress. It's very pink, but it suits you. It shows your curves and doesn't look plain or dull."

"You think so? The woman who sold me the dress said I would stand out on the wedding," Hermione said while twirling around in her dress, trying to look at it from different angles.

"Why didn't you choose another dress?" Fleur wondered.

"Because I'm one of the bridesmaids and don't get to choose the dress," was Hermione's simple answer.

"You didn't tell me that," Fleur said excited. "But the woman who helped you probably wanted the famous Hermione Granger to buy her dress and said you would stand out because most celebrities want to hear that."

Fleur saw the corners of Hermione's mouth turn upwards.

"Besides, with a dress like yours I wouldn't be ashamed of standing out, if I were you. You look amazing," Fleur finished.

Hermione's cheeks turned pink and it matched her dress perfectly.

"I..I'm going to go change now. I wouldn't want the dress to get dirty," Hermione said with a shy smile before she turned and walked back to the bathroom.

Fleur glanced at Hermione and the dress again while Hermione spoke to her. She glanced at her knees where the dress ended, at her hips and waist and she saw the beautiful curves of her body. She looked at Hermione's face again, which now stood happy. When Hermione turned to make her way to the bathroom, she couldn't help but look at the back of Hermione's retreating legs. Hermione wasn't wearing high heels or any shoes for that matter but her calves still looked toned. When her eyes accidentally travelled up her body, she stole a glance of her behind. It was a beautiful dress which accentuated Hermione's good features, which were a lot, and it would be a shame to not admire them when they were on display. At least that's what she told herself.

With Hermione now in the bathroom, she was alone in the room and decided to look around a bit. It wasn't peaking, she didn't open any cabinets, but she really had applied for a job here once and she really had been interested in the rooms. She took a better look at the bed and one of the nightstands, the lamp that stood on it and the wallpaper behind it. When she'd reached the balcony and looked outside from the bed, she remembered her mother telling her to be home quick. She checked her cell phone and saw she had two missed messages.

Hermione chose this moment to come back out of the bathroom. She was about to say something when Fleur beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I promised my mum I'd be right back."

"Oh, ok," Hermione said bewildered. "I guess you're running late then. You better hurry up." She thought Fleur may be a bit too old to live with, apparently, her mum, but then again, she didn't know her age. She didn't even know her name.

"Before you go, could you tell me what your name is?" Hermione asked in a whim.

"It's Fleur, Fleur Delacour. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand for Hermione to shake it.

"I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you too." She grabbed Fleur's hand and shook it gently.

In that moment a sound that resembled thunder could be heard. It was abrupt and unexpected, a low rumbling noise that became louder as it seemed to come closer. But it disappeared just as soon as it had come.

Fleur thought she'd imagined it, but when she looked at Hermione, she knew she'd felt it too. The sun was shining bright and there wasn't a cloud in sight but there wasn't a doubt in their minds it was real. It happened only once and nothing looked different, but the sound had caused a shift in the atmosphere and both women could feel it.

"That was..bizarre," was all Fleur could say.

"It certainly was," Hermione responded distracted. She was looking around the room, stubbornly trying to find something that could explain the noise, a shattered plate or a broken lamp but it was useless. She already knew she wouldn't find anything.

Deciding it was probably better to act as if nothing had happened, she looked at Fleur again, who was looking back at her with uncertainty in her eyes.

She tried to think of a way to make sure she'd see Fleur again. She was the only person she knew here, except for her friend who was getting married and she had other things to worry about than to entertain her friend. Hoping Fleur wasn't scared off by what had happened between them, she tried to sound as nonchalant as one could after such an occurance as she asked her next question.

"Will I see you again?" That sounded far too formal than she wanted to. "I don't know what shoes and what kind of jewelry I should wear," she added quickly. She saw the doubtful look on Fleur's face and waited in anticipation for her answer.

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That's it. The first chapter. Let me know what you think if you've got a few minutes to spare ;)