Fran's A/N: Hi guys, thank you very much for the kind reviews that Nonsense will reply, jk we will both do that in a bit. As I mentioned before this is kind of an experiment that started with me telling nonsense about the summary and she loved it, so I started nagging her until she finally accepted to work on this fic with me [the power of candy]. I have been having so much fun co-writing this with her since our styles are quite similar and the way we see things just fits the whole thing. We have so many surprises planned that well, you will see with time. Oh yeah, since nonsense named the previous chap with the song she was driving herself crazy during our eternal revisions, I will go with mine this time. Morphine by Michael Jackson gives me the feels all the time I listen to it and you might find it fitting for some parts, that piano part it's so... [sobs].
Perpetual Nonsense A/N: Ayeee, first of all I want to say how grateful I am for the reviews that we will BOTH *glares pointedly at Fran* be replying to lol and I know the first chapter was short, but I super swear this one is soooooo good and it's only going to get better : D The first chapter I suppose was more of a prologue and this is where things will really start : 3 As always, I'm going to put up the song that inspired me while I was doing my inception/revision thing haha a revision of a revision of a revision XD Anyways! I pretty much listened to Lilium from Elfen Lied, like every version, on repeat and it will totally give you all the feels near the end : ) Well, we'll shut up now so you guys can read :X
veelabyte: Hahaha I'm so glad we could amuse you XD Ginny's death was unfortunate but very necessary so I wouldn't feel too bad about laughing lol I'm so glad you were already engrossed in this; it's going to seem like it's going to go in the same direction for a minute, but I super swear things are going to change up soon and it's going to be even crazier than it was before : 3 Hahaha I'm sorry for the cringey moment, I know Fran feels the same lol and I promise there won't be any more Hermione Weasley comments. Anyways, thank you so much for the support and I hope you like the new chapter :D. Fran here: you totally get a pass there, Nonsense tends to tease me a lot since I was like 'death to all the Weasleys!'. I am glad that you read the first version and let me tell you, this one is way better. And yup, death to all canon! XD.
pappa: Us writing together has definitely been interesting and I swear with our powers combined this is going to be a crazy ride haha or we might summon captain planet :D. Fran here: Aww, thank you! Nonsense was really hard to convince [lies] but now that she is on board we are all in on this story to the point that Cruel Intentions and Antique Shop are a bit delayed. It's just that we can't contain our crazy on this one!.
A fan: Thanks : ) It's definitely going to get weird, dark, and crazy fairly soon :). Fran here: We will definitely go all the way to hell, but you guys will join us, right? RIGHT? XD.
Person of no interest: Ayeee, thank you so much for deciding to give this story a gander! I really appreciate it : ) It's definitely going to be a weird and crazy ride, but I'm so excited about this. The last chapter wasn't much to go on seeing as it was more of a prologue, but this one might give you more of an idea of what this story is going to be all about. Anyways, if this ends up not being your cup of tea it is totally cool. I'm just happy you're willing to give it a chance :). Fran here: Welcome to our fic. I understand your point since I am more into the fluffy side of life but I wanted to try something different this time and Nonsense got onboard because this is the first project we will work together but we do have plans for another one in the near future. Thank you for giving Strike a chance 😊
Enjoy!
2.- Morphine
by Michael Jackson
Three Years Later
A red-head stood in the middle of a room with a white sheet behind her while bright lights that should blind any normal human being flashed in her face, always switching angels, always with a voice yelling out commands.
"Give me lust, baby."
Flash.
"Give me malice."
Flash.
She had to refrain from rolling her bright azure eyes at the photographer practically drooling behind his lens while he barked out feelings he wished for her to portray as if she was a dog meant to perform a trick and that simply would not do.
She was born an heiress of one of the most noble families in France, blessed with the looks and magic of the veela and was considered the smartest witch of Beauxbatons. In other words, Fleur Delacour had it all. Well, all but freedom to make her own choices.
And that is why she started modelling in the muggle world. Soon, she became the image of the most famous products due to the mysterious aura surrounding her, all thanks to the mask she never took off and that only revealed her striking azure orbs and reddish hair, thanks to a glamour since she would never dye her hair and tarnish her veela heritage.
In the muggle modelling world, Fleur was known as the sapphire swan due to her regal appearance, natural elegance and sparkling blue eyes. The most famous photographers wanted to capture her image with their lenses, but she was very picky which made her even more desirable.
But one thing was a given, Fleur would be the one calling the shots, if not, there was always her thrall to make even the most stubborn being to submit to her whims which she happily abused in this situation.
The photographer suddenly grew silent as she released an almost lethal dose of her thrall while his index finger rapidly pressed the capture button, snapping Fleur from every angle, but every time she saw that flash she still heard that voice.
'Give me detached existentialist ennui.'
Flash.
'Give me rampant intellectualism as a coping mechanism.'
Flash.
She switched positions, looking off to the side to display her perfectly sculpted jawline and slender neck that would make Aphrodite jealous. The sleeve of her dress slipped a bit, showing off her dainty shoulder while the photographer's finger started snapping pictures even faster, going absolutely nuts over the little bit of extra skin she exposed.
"That's it. Pull it down a little more." The photographer smiled lecherously behind the lens.
A scowl overcame Fleur's delicate features at his command, apparently, she overdid it on the thrall this time around and this supposed professional was getting on her last nerve so she stood up with a huff.
The clearly confused photographer's arms dropped as he watched the red-head grab her purse. "Miss Swan, where are you going?"
"We're done 'ere." Fleur spoke in a clipped tone as she headed for the door.
"But-"
Fleur grabbed a flute of champagne from one of the many servants standing around with silver platters as she passed by. "My agent will contact you."
"I-I'm sorry Miss . . ." One of the servants stuttered nervously as Fleur continued towards her exit with her head held high. "You can't take that."
Fleur just put the edge of the glass to her full pink lips and tipped her head back, downing the bubbly alcoholic beverage in one gulp before she tossed the glass to the side without even looking or caring where she was throwing it, leaving the servant to scramble forward and catch it before it hit the ground.
The only sign that she even knew that she left everyone in the room scrambling and confused was the little smirk pulling at the corner of her lips as she removed her white and gold mask to replace it with her big dark sunglasses before she yanked open the door and walked down onto the street where a limo was waiting for her.
Since she graduated from Beauxbatons she worked as a model, it was easier that way and allowed her to be away from her family home studying in a muggle university that also had a magical branch. With the excuse of expanding her studies to become a better heiress to her people, Fleur moved to Paris, then Milan and lastly, London.
She was what people considered a veteran at modelling even though she just turned twenty-four but thanks to her veela heritage, Fleur looked like she was still in her early teens.
The blonde model had travelled the world and loved being free from responsibilities. The Beauxbatons alumnus felt alive while modelling, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders and the world was a worry-free place where the camera and her elegant poses were all that mattered. There was no clan, there were no expectations, just freedom and art.
Fleur had been photographed for almost all the muggle and magical professionals that worked on the muggle world except for two photographers, both female. Bellatrix Lestrange, a very arrogant and talented woman that loved to brag about all the models she had bedded and ruined their reputations in the process. And the always elusive golden mamba that was quite a mystery.
"Swan please reconsider, it is a big opportunity." Her agent pleaded though the phone as she entered the limo.
"Non." Fleur added adamantly. "I refuse to be near zat 'ideous woman."
"It's your chance of a big break in the Asian market due to Ms. Lestrange's connections." The agent sighed "She calls the shots on that side of the world."
"She ees a porc!" Azure eyes sparkled with rage. "She ruined ze reputation of my…friend." Fleur almost gave away that Cecile, who was also modeling while studying in Paris was her cousin.
Being as enthusiastic as she was, the blonde with forest green eyes modelled for Lestrange expecting to boost her career due to the woman's influence. Unbeknown to her, she did grow in popularity but also was considered another notch in her belt. And that for a veela, was an absolute humiliation.
On the other hand, you can get even, the veela within Fleur suggested with a purr and the French model smiled wickedly.
"Fine I will do eet." The blonde added with a fake sigh. "But under my conditions"
"Of course!" her agent exclaimed clearly excited. "I will take care of everything and get back to you in a few days."
"You will also 'ave to 'andle ze mess zat photographer made een zere. I zought you said 'e was a professional." Fleur growled into the receiver.
"H-he is."
"Non, 'e ees barely above amateur wiz 'ow 'e treats ze models. I will not 'ave a photo of me wiz 'is name next to eet."
"B-but you already took the photos and-"
"I don't care. Take care of eet." After abruptly hanging up on her manager Fleur tossed her phone onto the seat next to a magazine that caught her attention.
It was a magical publication that she loved due to the stunning pictures featured. After skimming through the pages, one picture made her stop. She pulled up her sunglasses to get a better look at a photograph of baby dragons hatching. There were two baby dragons out of the shell but there was a third one that was barely coming out of the egg.
The sweet baby dragon kicked his way out and faced the camera before spreading its tiny wings and Fleur could not help but smile. It was a rare sight that a dragon looked straight at the camera. The French witch could almost feel how the photographer smirked behind the lens and that made her smile widen.
Whoever took zis picture 'as a beautiful soul.
Checking on the lower part of the still moving photograph, Fleur raised an eyebrow at the name she read.
Photographer: Golden mamba.
Assistant: Tonks.
"Interesting." Fleur smiled to herself before stretching as the limo pulled up to her lush apartment.
She stepped out of the vehicle and felt the veela within her start to stir as she walked into her flat. She tried to ignore the creature thrashing around restlessly to get some freedom, especially after dealing with such an arrogant photographer, but the veela was relentless. "Fine. You win. We will go let off some steam." Fleur sighed, looking at her cozy apartment wistfully before apparating with a soft pop.
"You know . . . when you said we would be going somewhere tropical I thought we would be on a nice warm beach in Bora Bora or Tahiti . . ." Tonks spoke through chattering teeth while she rubbed at her arms. "Not in the middle of Norway freezing our asses off."
Hermione just smiled behind the lens of her camera, readjusting the focus for the millionth time that night. "And what gave you that impression?"
Tonks narrowed her eyes at the smirking brunette; if she didn't know any better, she would think Hermione was enjoying her suffering. "Have I told you today how much I hate you?"
"Yes, like five times, actually."
"And I won't stop telling you." Tonks growled as she rubbed her hands together. "We have been here for a week and a half and you still haven't felt it."
"It's not like I can force it." Hermione sighed, and a small cloud of steam came out of her mouth. It was a very chilly night. "I haven't felt that the moment is right to take the perfect picture of an aurora borealis and-"
"And you are a damn perfectionist, I know I know." Tonks sighed. "But it's freaking freezing here, and it does not look like you will be done any time soon."
"Probably not." Hermione looked at the gorgeous scenery and frowned, something was definitely missing but she could not figure out what it was, and it was driving her insane.
"Well, I am." Tonks shrugged her shoulders. "There's a limit to the cold my ass is able to handle, and I am beyond that point so see you back at the hotel."
"Take the bags and just leave me the case with the long-focus lenses, then." Hermione replied nonchalantly while observing the colorful sky.
"Sure, just don't die of hypothermia, mamba." Tonks added before placing an extra winter coat on Hermione's shoulders.
"Don't call me that, bubblegum head." The Ravenclaw spat and her assistant just scoffed before walking back to the hotel they were staying.
With a soft thud, Fleur landed in the middle of a dark log cabin. With a simple flick of her wand, the lights turned on and fire crackled in the living room's chimney. The Delacour family had a couple of medium size cabins in the secluded woods of the North.
Normally, recently awakened veela apparated and stayed there until they had moved onto the second stage of their ways of love or, Rajasika which was when they wanted to give and receive love in the same amount, it was not the perfect stage but way better than Tamasika, the selfish love where the veela could take control spontaneously and harm their potential mates.
That is why all veela families had these cabins hidden all over the continent, so their new ones were able to control their creatures without victims. And on this same place, the heiress had a private cabin to rest when things became too much or her veela wanted to go out and play.
The French witch was currently on the second stage of the veela ways of love, and due to her arrogant nature, the blonde considered that no one was up to her expectations, so she decided not to worry about finding her mate and to just enjoy life until she had to lead the flock, preferably alone.
After taking a long bath, Fleur changed into silver winter clothes and headed out to please her creature that was now purring in anticipation. Rubbing her gloved hands, the blonde witch walked the snowy path that lead to a grassy area deep in the woods.
The French heiress' veela had awakened a couple of years ago and was quite taken with this particular place and weather since she had woken up during the same season under gloomier circumstances. That is why Fleur apparated there just to please her inner creature, so she would not intervene with her secret muggle modelling life and didn't rat her out with Josephine, her strict grandmother.
When she got to what it looked like an old temple in ruins, Fleur crossed a stony arch with inscriptions in old veela and the place shone golden. When the blonde witch got to one side of the place, she kneeled, removed her left hand's glove and placed her pale digits on the ground. Soon golden lights engulfed her, and the ground turned liquid, it was a water mirror. Fleur removed her boots and walked to the middle of the warm water.
"I 'ope you appreciate all ze zings I do for you." The French witch whispered.
It is the least you can do after all that annoying modelling I have to endure, the veela replied with a scoff.
"Whatever." Fleur sighed and closed her eyes. Soon her white with golden tips wings came from her back and started flapping gently. When her orbs opened again, they had darkened, and thin golden lines swirled in them. Her hair also changed to platinum blonde. Then her veela took over and her eyes shone completely golden before taking off towards the alluring starry night sky.
Hermione kept staring at the beautiful lights of the aurora borealis and sighed. Her perfectionist side would be the end of her. Ginny used to tease her about that and her obsession on taking the perfect picture in every single occasion.
Ginny.
Despite the time that had passed by, Hermione Granger still missed her fiancée. When Hermione lost Ginny a piece of her died with the chaser; she quit photography all together for a while, stayed indoors, and drank herself into a stupor for a good year. With her partner gone it felt as if she was living in black and white; there were no colors, food had no taste, and she was completely numb.
Even though her friends tried to pull her from her deep depression, nothing lifted her spirits; she had completely lost her will to live and had planned on killing herself, but on that fateful day she had planned on finally putting an end to her misery something very unexpected happened.
She was walking down the street, her last bottle of fire whiskey she would ever drink in hand when she tripped on a crack and almost stumbled right into a red Amaryllis surrounded by white Angelica poking out from an abandoned flower pot.
She furrowed her brow and approached the flower carefully, crouching in front of it, and stroking the red petals with her fingertips. She felt a spark in that moment, something she hadn't felt in a long time.
It was if she was that young girl again in that field of flowers; she felt that contradictory pang of longing and hopefulness as she crouched in the middle of the street in complete awe of something that seemed so simple, something most people would walk past, stomp on, or pluck for their own selfish desires, but not her.
Hermione all but ran home, her fire whiskey and plans of death long forgotten, and returned with her camera just when the sun set. She snapped a photo of the flower and when she saw how the light danced off the dew that dripped down one of the ruby petals, she fell right back in love with something she thought she would never do again.
After that she straightened herself out, at least a little, became a freelance photographer and focused completely on her career. Her choices took her to different parts of the world and was able of take pictures of muggle animals in far off places like Africa or go on riskier endeavors like Rumania where she photographed hatching dragons for magical magazines.
She was now considered if not the best, one of the most sought-after photographers in the wizarding and muggle markets. She ended up specializing in nature and fashion, which was very uncommon for a professional in the area.
Renowned magazines wanted her to work for them, but the brown-haired photographer preferred to work as a freelance. She deeply disliked being attached to something or someone, making her somewhat infamous for her promiscuous behavior.
She had tried dating multiple different times, but it would seem no one could fill the void that her teenage sweetheart left, leading to destructive behaviors and a somewhat lonely life. Many women shared her bed, but none of them ever lasted long. The only person she could rely on, the only one that stuck with her, was her assistant and close friend Nymphadora Tonks.
Lighting a cigarette, the young photographer started making small smoke rings and chuckled with a sad expression.
Ginny hated cigarettes.
Oh, the irony.
Hermione took a whisky bottle from her beaded bag and drank from it before sitting on a foldable chair Tonks left for her after placing her digital camera on a tripod and attaching one of the long-distance lenses to the gadget. She did the same with her film camera before placing it on a small foldable table she had next to her.
The photographer kept on staring at the sky that was now tinted in green and purple, her heart sinking as she thought about how much Ginny would love the view up here. Her sad amber eyes lowered to the smoke coming off of her cigarette then to the glowing red cherry, shining wickedly up at her, tempting her to release the pain that was building up inside of her.
With shaking fingers she slowly rolled up her left sleeve, the cigarette moving unsteadily in her hand as she brought it closer to the tender flesh of her forearm. She paused, completely transfixed by the brightly glowing cherry, and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention as her mind took her somewhere else completely. 'What do you want witch?' A shiver ran all the way down Hermione's spine when warm breath hit her ear, the scent of sage filling her nostrils as she heard the faint rattle of a snake.
The young photographer could vaguely feel her tattoo of a golden mamba slither down her arm in the midst of her dreamlike state. "Shit!" Hermione jumped and dropped her cigarette when she felt her tattoo heat up almost unbearably hot, burning her before she could do the deed herself with her now ruined cigarette.
She looked down at the mamba with a furrowed brow, rubbing the red flesh where the snake still presided, seeming to look up at the night sky. Her bright eyes followed the snake's line of sight and suddenly she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.
Off in the distance she could barely make out the figure of some beautiful creature crossing the firmament. She scrambled for her film camera to get a closer look, moving the focusing ring clockwise and then counterclockwise until the image became less blurry.
Among the green and purple lights, was a winged fairy crossing the sky. Her wings were pure white with golden tips. Her hair was covered in golden feathers and she had the purest golden eyes she had ever seen, it was like the fascinating being had just come out of a fairytale.
Hermione was completely enraptured by the gorgeous creature drifting through the night sky with a serene smile on her face; she had never seen something so breathtaking in her entire life. She was so caught up in the magical being she almost forgot to snap the picture, but her trigger finger was fast and she captured the moment before it was gone.
She slowly lowered the camera from her wide eyes, looking up in awe at the fascinating specimen; it made no sense for such a creature to be in a place where the climate was generally cold seeing as they preferred warmer weather, but here they were as if the cold night sky was the most natural place for them to be.
'So beautiful . . .' Hermione thought to herself as her shallow breath produced steam that floated through the still air.
The fairy turned her head as if she could hear Hermione's thoughts and everything suddenly stopped except for the almost painful thump of her heart in her chest. Golden eyes zeroed in on her, looking right through her flesh and into her tortured soul, leaving Hermione frozen and uncomfortably exposed.
The phrase 'if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back' idly drifted through the back of Hermione's consciousness as those bright eyes that resembled a golden sparkling nebula all but hypnotized her while they stripped her down until she was nothing but bones. It was hard to explain what exactly was happening and even harder to decipher the fairy's unreadable expression, but for a moment the brunette swore she saw a spark of excitement in those orbs before the blonde's brows knit together. The gorgeous creature now looked almost as if she was in pain, torn in half, and confused by the girl looking up at her, but before Hermione could read anymore into it the fairy vanished.
'Who was that . . .?' Hermione thought to herself dreamily, still looking at the spot where the fairy had vanished before her brow furrowed and her eyes lowered down to the golden mamba slithering all over her body in search for the fairy.
"Why are you so riled up?" Hermione frowned at the restless tattoo that replied with an irritated hiss. It was obvious the mamba wanted her to venture out into the cold uncharted territory to find the fairy, but as she looked out into the trees shrouded in darkness she knew there would be no use. "I can't go after her." Hermione grumbled to the mamba. "Besides, I have a job to do." She sighed as her eyes flickered back to the reason she was actually here in the first place.
A smile lit up her face and her confusion was forgotten when she saw there was a golden halo surrounding the green and purple lights of the aurora borealis and the golden mamba was able to take the perfect picture for the muggle magazine, but it paled in comparison to the one she took moments before.
Satisfied with her results, Hermione packed up her things to go back to the hotel, but as she slung her bag over her shoulder she glanced behind her once more hoping she might see the fairy floating through the night sky again.
She felt the slight sting of disappointment when all she saw were bright stars sparkling at her, but she still smiled at the empty space the mysterious goddess had once occupied regardless. There was something about what she had just witnessed that filled her with joy despite the gloomy mood she was just in minutes prior.
The veela in Fleur smiled amused after diving and gracing some clouds with her fingertips while her stubborn host slumbered. The model enjoyed flying as a way to vent her frustrations, but this time she was annoyed and didn't feel the need to be freezing in the chilly air, so she gave total control to her veela and drifted into unconsciousness while the creature flew free.
Her golden eyes scanned her surroundings as the cold night air tickled her skin and when she saw the beautiful green and purple lights in the sky she raced towards the bright colors. She was a creature of instinct after all and in that moment, she needed to touch and feel the vibrant tones and textures floating through the atmosphere calling out to her.
The creature was able to graze the colors with her fingertips and smiled widely at the sensation. Then, she felt it. Something or someone was pulling her towards the ground and her heart started pounding so loud that she felt her ears ringing.
When golden orbs locked with chocolate ones staring through the trees, the veela recognized that matching magical signature, that was without a doubt the one for her. She felt excitement course through her entire being; Fleur's chosen, the only person that could complete the heiress was down below staring up at her in wonder.
She was so close to her, but also far enough away that she couldn't quite make out the appearance of Fleur's chosen. She was so curious, she needed to see who the person was, but right as she was about to get closer she felt Fleur awaken and a panic that was not the veela's filled her veins. Before the creature could even try to fight her host Fleur apparated, leaving a trail of her golden magical signature behind.
After landing on her knees with a loud thud, Fleur completely regained consciousness to find her body shaking on the ground.
"What ze hell 'apenned?" The blonde asked to her veela with a thick accent and an annoyed expression.
I saw her, the creature replied in a whisper.
"You saw who?" Fleur asked clearly irritated "Who ees 'er?"
The one.
Azure orbs widened. "You don't mean..."
Yes, the one for you, your mate.
"Merde!" Fleur exclaimed before standing and, with shaky legs, she headed back to the cabin.
Let's meet her.
"Non!" The blonde exclaimed with dread.
Fleur knew what that meant and was not ready for it. If she had found her mate, the chances of becoming the successor in the near future increased dramatically and she would be forced to go back home, bond with that stranger, and have offspring.
But she is in pain . . .
"Ce n'est pas mon problème!" Fleur said with a shout while changing into the clothes she was wearing when she got to the cabin. "I ban you from flying 'ere ever again."
You can't do that.
"Oh, yes I can." Fleur cast a wordless spell and let out a relieved sigh when she felt the creature within her drown in dark mist.
You are on your own now.
I won't help you anymore, you spoiled and selfish brat.
"As eef I would need your 'elp." The blonde replied quietly with a scowl, looking off to the side and out her window. "I need no one."
Bottom Fran's A/N: I love that mamba tattoo! It just makes Hermione so badass. And damn Fleur, you are evil but I love u...[drools].
Bottom Nonsense A/N: Ahhhhh, the mystery, the drama, the intrigue! I will personally award ten house points to whoever knows what the "Give me lust, baby" flash "give me malice" flash quote is from and NO USING GOOGLE! Unless you're a Slytherin then I guess that's cool. Us snakes gotta stick together XD I can award house points right Fran? Fran . . ? FRAN STOP DROOLING DAMNIT! *hits Fran upside the head* FOCUS! Haha anyways, I'm sure I can speak for both of us when I say we would absolutely adore to hear your guys' thoughts on this chapter : ) We've been super excited to share it with you all : )
