AN: So, I decided to accelerate Fleur and Hermione's relationship a bit. If it seems like they're going a little too fast, just remember that there's a war going on. I don't doubt for a second that they would get caught up in that whole "I could die tomorrow" mindset that people often get when they rush a relationship.
DISCLAIMER: Why the hell didn't James and Lily just make one of them the secret keeper for the Fidelus charm? In the seventh book, it's proven that you can do that. For that matter, even if Peter wasn't the secret keeper, who's to say that he couldn't just take Voldy to the area where he knew the house was, and just point at the area where the house was, and Voldy could have just, I don't know, shot a lot of really powerful Reductos at it? I can't answer any of these questions, therefore I must not be the owner of Harry Potter. It's just logic, after all.
Chapter 6: Breaking New Ground
Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and she groaned softly in equal parts pain and embarrassment. Her eyes were hurting from her crying spell last night, and she couldn't help but feel humiliated by it. She hadn't meant to get so emotional last night, but something about the way Fleur held her made her feel so safe and comfortable. She sighed, nothing she could do now but hope that the Veela didn't bring it up. She closed her eyes again, giving them some relief, and breathed, drinking Fleur's scent in deeply. She started drawing little shapes and figures on the taller witch's chest, enjoying the feel of being held and comforted.
"Purr for me?" Fleur whispered, making Hermione jump a bit. She quickly recovered and purred, her back vibrating a bit against the Veela's hand. Hermione cuddled closer, tucking herself in under Fleur's chin. They both closed their eyes and just relished the feel of each other's bodies.
"Hermione…do you want to talk about last night?" Fleur asked, gently testing the waters. Hermione's immediate tensing answered her question.
"Um…I don't…I'm not ready to talk about…I mean…"
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, baby." Fleur gently said.
"There…there isn't?" Hermione asked, looking up with hopeful eyes. Fleur's eyes twinkled back.
"Of course not! No one outside of this room needs to know about you going over my knee and getting a spanking!" She gently teased, pleased when the tension evaporated from Hermione's body.
"What? No, not that. I didn't mean the spanking!"
"Oh, so you're okay with me telling Harry and Ron about putting you over my knee?"
"WAIT, NO! Please don't do that!" Hermione's face reddened even farther.
"Oh, did you not enjoy it?" Fleur asked, carefully sculpting her face into a slightly hurt expression.
"No! I mean, it's not that I didn't enjoy…um, wait, I mean…" Hermione stammered lamely. It became a bit of a game for Fleur, to see how red she could make her soon to be kitty turn.
"So, you did enjoy it?" Fleur asked teasingly. Hermione buried her face in the night dress, an eternity seemed to pass before the bushy head nodded. Fleur's heart soared.
"I'm sorry, I guess I'm kind of a freak." Hermione muttered, Fleur shushed her and rubbed her back.
"Shhhh, sweetheart. There's nothing wrong with you. You can't help what you enjoy." She reassured the embarrassed younger woman. She continued to whisper reassurances to the brunette until chocolate eyes finally peeked up at her. She smiled and kissed Hermione's forehead gently. "So, all teasing aside, did you enjoy it?"
Hermione blushed. "I think so, I mean, it was over pretty quickly." She laughed nervously.
"Would you like me to do it again? So you can decide if you like it?" Fleur offered. Hermione's face erupted once again.
"I…um…" Fleur smiled at the stammering girl and sat up in the bed and gently pulled her over her knee. Hermione followed willingly, blushing the whole way. Once the brunette was settled over her knee, Fleur gently rubbed her bottom, propped up against a pile of pillows.
"Shhhhh, just relax, Hermione." The blond whispered, her other hand resting gently on the younger woman's back. "If you want me to stop, just say the word 'red', okay?"
"O-okay." Hermione replied nervously. "But, what about the…the noise?"
A quick flick of a wand and a muttered "Muffiliato" took care of that worry. Hermione relaxed a bit more…well, as much as one can relax when over another woman's knee. She buried her face in the cotton sheets, waiting nervously. Fleur continued rubbing her bottom, waiting for her to relax. Finally, the brunette relaxed, and Fleur's arm raised.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Hermione squeaked at the first slap, which took her by surprise.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Fleur seemed to settle into a rhythm, which permitted Hermione to relax under the soft blows.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Hermione felt the impact of the gentle smacks, but more in the sense of feeling the weight of Fleur's palm against her bottom. It was an odd sensation, but not unwelcome.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
The brunette rested her head against her hands, closing her eyes and letting her senses expand outward, the rhythm of Fleur's spanks sending her into a bit of a trance-like state.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Hermione felt the warmth of Fleur's body against her side.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
The steady pressure of the blonde's other hand as it pressed against her back, holding her in place.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
The gentle force of the Veela's knees digging a bit into her stomach and her crotch.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
She then became aware of a growing warmth on her backside, slowly but steadily spreading until it felt as though it were filling her entire body.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Finally, Hermione allowed her thoughts to turn inward, reflecting on what she was feeling and how…good it felt.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
She relaxed completely against the blows, and for the first time in years, Hermione felt completely safe.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Finally, Fleur stopped and simply rubbed the brunette's bottom through her pajama pants. After a few minutes, Hermione turned to look up at her, chocolate eyes shining. The blond smiled and pulled the smaller woman into her lap and held her close, wrapping a blanket around the Muggleborn. Hermione tucked herself under the older woman's chin and held her nightdress in her hand, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of being held.
"Well, what's the final verdict?" Fleur asked with a smile. Hermione blushed.
"Yeah, I liked it. Although, I kind of expected it to sting more…" The brunette looked up at her with a genuinely curious expression.
"It didn't sting because of your pants. Now, if I had spanked you bare (Fleur grinned at Hermione's "eep" of embarrassment and arousal) then it would have stung more."
"Oh…" Hermione replied, a thoughtful look on her face. Fleur smiled and kissed her forehead.
"But, I don't think you're quite ready for that." The blond commented, to which Hermione blushed and nodded. "No rush, sweetheart. We'll get there when we get there."
The younger witch nodded her assent and snuggled closer to the taller witch's warm body. "I…I like this." Hermione admitted softly. "Being held like this. I thought this was going to make me feel small and powerless, but I feel like I could take on Riddle right now and win…does that make sense?"
"Of course it does, sweetheart." Fleur assured her. "You got an opportunity to let some things go and just enjoy something. I don't doubt that you feel lighter. As for being held, as far as I'm concerned, every time you get a spanking, you will always get cuddles afterwards." The blond grinned. "Even when you're getting a spanking for being naughty."
Hermione blushed, but couldn't deny the intrigue she felt at the thought of getting a "real" spanking. As much as she wanted to hide her face in embarrassment, there was something else that she wanted to do far more. Looking into Fleur's eyes, she could see the same desire, burning in a sea of icy blue. Unconsciously, she started to lean forward, and was pleased when Fleur did the same.
In a dark and dingy house, in a shabby bedroom, on a messy bed, Fleur and Hermione shared their first kiss.
Finally pulling away, Hermione hid her face in the blonde's chest and softly purred as Fleur rubbed and scratched her back. After a while, the blond gently roused Hermione from her relaxed state. The brunette whined in protest, clinging more tightly to her.
"Baby, we've gotta check on how things are going with Narcissa." Fleur reluctantly admitted. "We can cuddle more tonight, I promise."
Hermione sighed and reluctantly untangled herself from Fleur's lap. "You're right, duty calls. But mark my words," the brunette grinned mischievously, "there will be so many more cuddles tonight."
The group standing in front of the fireplace at Grimmauld consisted of Hermione, Fleur, Harry, Ron, Remus, Tonks, and Andromeda. Everyone clutched their wands hidden underneath their robes as they waited for the fireplace to flare up. For this first meeting, Andromeda would be doing most of the talking, but everyone was ready to fight if it turned into a trap.
"I still don't like this." Harry groused. "Making deals with Death Eaters? Pardoning them for their crimes? This isn't how wars are fought, Hermione!"
"No, Harry, it's not." Hermione agreed. "This is how wars are won."
Everyone tensed as the fireplace activated, almost expecting Voldemort to saunter into the kitchen. Thankfully, only Narcissa's regal form strolled through, brushing a bit of soot off of her robes.
"You can release your wands," Narcissa said with a calm look on her face "I give you my word that I will not intentionally harm any of you without just cause." Her body glowed, sealing the oath.
Harry and Ron released their wands, but Hermione kept her hand right where it was. After all, who knows what a person like Narcissa would consider "just cause". Narcissa noticed Hermione's lack of movement and raised an approving eyebrow.
"I'm here to bargain for my freedom." Narcissa announced, looking over everyone in the room. "I have no intention of putting any more of my time or energy into this foolish war, especially when I will lose either way. If the Dark Lord wins, I have no guarantees that I will be safe, considering the many ways that my family has 'failed' that madman. And if you win, then I will no doubt spend the rest of my life counting the stones on the walls of my cell in Azkaban. Lucius refuses to listen to reason, and Draco and my other sister are already dead. I have nothing here in Britain to lose anymore."
"Wait, Draco's dead?!" Harry asked, shocked at the news and a bit disappointed. He had been hoping to get a crack at the little shit that helped kill Dumbledore.
Narcissa raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Yes. I'm surprised that you didn't know that already, considering that your Muggleborn friend is the one who killed him, as well as Severus Snape."
All eyes turned in shock to Hermione, who straightened up and stared back at Narcissa defiantly. "I had no choice. They did, after all, kill my parents."