Thank you again for the reviews, and for getting me to double digits :) All your reviews leave me with a smile on my face so thank you for that and as a reward here's your next chap, which is much longer b.t.w :D

Disclaimer: I have used words from J.K Rowling in this story.. I'm not trying to copyright I swear, just letting her help me for now. But I do make up my own story in this chapter.

3rd November 2005

Double Potions was always a horrible experience, but this day was worse than usual. Being shut in a dungeon for an hour and a half with Snape and the Slytherins was about the most unpleasant thing Hermione could imagine. It was bad enough that she had to spend one Fridays worth, sitting next to Harry, intoning 'Ignore them, ignore them, ignore them' under her breath (Harry never did like Slytherins much). When she and Harry arrived outside Snape's dungeon after lunch, they found the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of his or her robes. They were more surprised to see that some of the Beuxbatons girls were wearing them too.

"Like them, Potter?" said Malfoy loudly, as they both approached "I think you'll like what they do – look!" He pressed his badge into his chest and a bright green message showed up saying:

POTTER STINKS

The Slytherins howled with laughter, even the French girls chuckled too, and they didn't even know Harry. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message 'POTTER STINKS' was shining brightly all around the both of them. Hermione could tell that Harry's blood was slowly rising, this didn't look good at all.

"Oh very funny" Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherins girls, who were laughing harder than anyone "really witty."

Ron was standing against the wall with Dean and Seamus. He wasn't laughing, but he wasn't sticking up for Harry either. But then again she wouldn't have expected him too, seeing as the pair of them had an argument again – only a while ago – causing them to brake up. Hermione just thought it was stupid really, and was surprised when she found out that they still hadn't forgiven each other yet, most likely because their both just as stubborn as each other. She gave up trying after a while and decided to leave them to it.

"Want one, Granger?" said Malfoy, holding out a badge to her. "I've got loads, but don't touch my hand, now, I've just washed it, you see, don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."

She hated when he called her that, it was like a swear word to them, just because Hermione's parents aren't witches or wizards doesn't give him the right to call her such a filthy thing. But then in the corner of her eye, she could see that Harry's anger was finally coming out – she knew this would happen soon, he's always holding in his emotions. And before Harry had even thought of what he was doing he reached for his wand. People all around them scrambled out the way, backing down the corridor.

"Harry!" Hermione said warningly.

"Go on then, Potter" Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now – do it, if you've got the guts-" For a split second they looked into each other's eyes, then, at exactly the same time, they both acted.

"Furnunculus!" Harry yelled.

"Densaugeo!" screamed Malfoy.

Jets of light shot from both wands; hit each other in mid air, and richoted off at an angle – Harry's hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hand to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up – Hermione, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.

"Hermione!" Ron had hurried forwards to see what was wrong with her. Hermione felt Ron dragging her hands away from her face, she could tell from his immediate reaction that it wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione then felt her teeth herself, and let out a terrified cry. Her front teeth – already larger than average, though she didn't like to admit this – were now growing at an alarming rate, she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, towards her chin. She really did hate magic sometimes.

"And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice. Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamoured to give their explanations. Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said "explain."

"Potter attacked me, sir-"

"We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted.

"And he hit Goyle – look-" Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. "Hospital wing, Goyle" Snape said calmly.

"Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said "look!" He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth – she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherins girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back. This just upset her even more. Snape looked coldly at Hermione then said "I see no difference."

This got her as she let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight. She was thankful that she could hear Harry and Ron shouting – most likely at Snape – but she was more thankful that no one could make out what they were saying as they'd most likely be put in detention for the year. But she most certainly wasn't thankful at that idiot Malfoy and his clones, winding Harry up like that, now look what they'd gone and done. She just wanted to get to the Hospital wing, and fast.

So fast that she almost didn't see who it was coming her way, almost. But as the corridors weren't as loud as usual (seeing as classes were in progress) she could make out the sound of small heels clinking on the ground. At first she just assumed that it was a Professor, quickly she started to think of excuses she could say to them, until she remembered about her teeth and how they most likely could see why she was out of class anyway. But what she most certainly wasn't expecting was the pretty French girl heading her way instead. She didn't realise it was her until they were almost face to face and she quickly looked up, expecting to see an annoyed Professor. But instead she was met with the most beautiful face she had ever seen, she wanted to call this girl a cow, but then she'd forgotten how perfect she looked. As Hermione was going to quickly run away, before she could see how terrible she looked, the girl started to speak.

"Where are you goin', classes are in progress, non?" she asked her, in the most elegantly soft voice she had ever heard. Hermione wanted to reply but remembering she couldn't, stuck with nodding her head instead.

"Zen, why are we out of classes?" she said, clearly wanting Hermione to say something this time. But she couldn't, so instead just decided to let her teeth give her the answer. Hermione braced herself for the tear-stained laughter she knew she would be hearing any moment, but she waited and didn't get any. Instead she got a massive shocked expression, one that looked like pure worry, not humour. Hermione liked the girl all over again. "Huh! Ma' Cherie, what 'append?" she asked, concern written all over her face.

"Chome idiot in clasch" Hermione answered, keeping her reply short so to make the girl actually understand what she was saying. The French girl didn't look very pleased when she finally figured out what she said. Her face said it all, and it actually made Hermione feel all kinds of tingles inside, knowing that the girl of her dreams was worried about her. Although she did find it slightly odd, considering this was their first actual conversation.

"Oh, no ma' cherie, zis jus' won't do. Come, come zeir must be zome kind of 'ospital, Oui?" she said, looking into Hermione's eyes the entire time. As if she was looking for something, but what? Hermione didn't know, she was just wondering why her belly was getting butterflies all of a sudden. Hermione simply shook her head in reply before saying "yesh, sher Hoshpitalsh wingsh" pointing in the right direction. The French goddess just shook her head in understanding, and then started to lead the way – with the help of Hermione of course.

Once their, the girl made sure that Hermione was in the utmost care, asking the school nurse – Madam Pomfrey – all kinds of questions. Making sure she really knew what she was doing, and that Hermione would get the best treatment possible. She had never felt so much love and care be put into her until that very moment, the fact that the girl was bothering to make sure she was ok at all told Hermione everything. This girl really wasn't a cow, she just comes across that way sometimes, and that maybe – just maybe – she might like her too (as friends of course, anything more than that would be a miracle). After the girl finally realised that the only way to help out Hermione's teeth was for her to drink this medicine, she eventually settled down and decided to let the nurse do what she was good at.

"Just drink this dear, and after a while your teeth should start to go down. When they do just simply tell me when to stop" Madam Pomfrey told Hermione, and then with one last glance at the French girl she left them alone, tending to her next patient – Goyle and his warty face. As her teeth where slowly starting to go back down, neither girl said anything, simply waiting for Hermione's teeth to go back to normal so that she could properly talk again. But that didn't stop Hermione from glancing down at the French girl holding her hand, which she realised she'd been holding right from the moment they started making their way here. Then she noticed that the French girl figured out what Hermione was staring at and started looking at their hands too, and the way they fitted together perfectly. The girl started to gently stoke her hand with her thumb after a while, Hermione realised out of comfort, and it was certainly working, though, as she felt herself relax into the feeling of their skin touching each other. This should have freaked her out, but Hermione decided that she couldn't get freaked out by something that just felt so right, and this – whatever this was – felt completely right. Her teeth were slowly starting to go back to normal, though they were still at her lips, Madam Pomfrey said that it wouldn't be long until they started going back to their rightful position. Hermione was just thankful they were going down at all. That's when it hit her, like a light bulb just went off in her head, the French girl was meant to be heading somewhere too. Hermione couldn't help feeling bad for the girl as she was now being held up here with her, and she probably didn't want to leave because she didn't want to come across as rude, no wonder why she'd been here all this time.

"I'm so sorry, I've only just realised that you were meant to be heading somewhere too, earlier on. And I've been keeping you waiting all this time, when you could have been where you were supposed to be" Hermione said to the girl apologetically.

"Non, do not worry yourzelf ma' cherie, I waz not 'eading anyw'ere important" she explained simply. "Plus I' ave enjoyed our time 'ere togezer, Oui?" Hermione just smiled at her in reply and was thankful when the girl smiled back, her toothy smile – which Hermione couldn't help but love so much. Then as if the girl read her mind, before Hermione could even ask her the girl answered for her.

"Fleur, Je'mappelle Fleur Delacour" Hermione gave a quiet giggle, she loved the way she spoke, she couldn't help but think she sounded much sexier when she spoke in full French. Then Fleur extended her hand out, and it took a moment for Hermione to realise what she was doing until she saw the confused expression on the French girls face.

"Zis is 'ow ze Ingles greet each' ozer, Oui?" Fleur asked, her face completely baffled, Hermione just thought she looked absolutely adorable.

"Yes it is" Hermione told her simply, and to stop her confusion she shook her hand in greeting. Once Hermione's hand touched Fleur's, a bolt of electricity went shooting up her arm, leaving goose bumps in its place.

"Hermione, Je'mappelle Hermione Granger" Hermione said back, but she couldn't stop the shiver that came at the contact of the other girl's smooth hand, and reluctantly let go, thinking it best if they kept their hands far apart for now.

The girls face seemed to drop, though, at the sudden lose of contact, Hermione started to question whether that could mean Fleur liked the touch just as much as she did. But she instantly shook the thought off once she saw the girl start to smile again. The girls then started spending the next 20 minutes talking about anything and everything; Hermione didn't really know how their conversation even started but for some reason it lead to them talking about their family lives. Hermione found out that Fleur had one little sister and they were very close, her sister seemed to sound very protective of Fleur too by the sounds of some of her stories. Then Hermione told Fleur about how she wished she had a little sibling, she was an only child, and that she would get lonely sometimes, seeing as her parents didn't fully understand her anymore. Hermione also found out about France and her school, she found out what Fleur's favourite food was – bouillabaisse, that's why she asked for some earlier, her favourite colour – blue, like their uniforms, and all sorts of other things that she just simply couldn't remember all at once. It's surprising how much you can learn about someone in such a short space of time. But then it seemed that they're little greeting was to be cut short as Madam Pomfrey came over. Hermione almost forgot about her teeth then, she would've ended up with no front teeth had it not been for the nurse quickly rushing over asking Hermione if her teeth were ok to stop now. Hermione let them go down just a bit more than usual, though she wouldn't tell them that, before finally telling Madam Pomfrey to stop.

Once fully happy with her teeth, the two girls were allowed to go, meaning they would have to go their separate ways. Hermione wasn't looking forward to this part at all, she was just getting used to the girls company too. But sometimes 'parting is such sweet sorrow', the girls had to find this out the hard way. As they left the Hospital wing, Fleur and Hermione looked at their timetables to see what lessons they had next, seeing as they would still have half an hour left of class before Lunchtime. Hermione had Herbology, whilst Fleur had Defence against the Dark Arts, Hermione still found it strange that the two schools were in their classes now, she hadn't gotten used to them just yet. But she most certainly was starting to get used to one particular French girl, and Hermione couldn't help thinking she felt the same way too – as she didn't look particularly pleased to be leaving her.

The girls stood their uncomfortably at first, neither one knowing what to do or who should be the one to make the first move. But eventually Fleur stepped up and caught the bushy haired girl by surprise, as she wrapped her up in a warm embrace. Hermione hugged her back just as tightly, and felt herself melting in the girls arms, she was in heaven. Then as quick as it started, Fleur pulled away, and then she leant in and gave Hermione two tender kisses on her cheeks, lingering a bit more than usual.

"Zis is 'ow we greet in France. I prefer' zis version, non?" she asked Hermione, her eyebrow raised. Hermione chuckled at this and nodded her head in reply.

"I prefer it a lot" she said, making the blonde haired girl smile, reaching all the way to her eyes. That toothy grin Hermione loved so much.

"I shall zee you around' ermione Granger" Fleur said, ever so gently. Hermione nodded her head so fast, she must have looked like one of those nodding-head toys, before saying back:

"I shall see you around too, Fleur Delacour" Fleur gave her one last toothy grin, before heading off to her class, and leaving Hermione to walk to hers slightly dazed. Hermione really did love magic sometimes…

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