Written In The Body
Poetheather
A/N: I figure that you all are aware of the warnings by now so there you go. Have a great day and thanks for reading.
A/N 2: Happy Groundhogs Day!
This is a work of fiction using the characters created by J.K. Rowling. They are not used with her permission. All actions follow the events of book seven of the series, excluding the epilogue. Any similarity between any person living or dead is purely coincidental and unintentional. If you happen to find your life reflected in this piece I'll be impressed.
Ten
The green flames of the Floo showed Hermione's face poking out through the coals and she called out, "Fleur?"
The part Veela woman came over and smiled down at the girl, "Oui? Bonjour 'ermione, please come through."
Hermione stepped through the flames and ended up in the very familiar Shell Cottage. She went over and hugged the lady of the house. "Hello Fleur. How are you today?"
"I am quite well. 'ow are you?" asked Fleur with a smile.
"Not too bad. I still have some nightmares and some issues with residual pain, but I have been seeing a Healer who specializes in treatment of this sort of thing. It has been helping."
"That is good to 'ear." It was very easy to see the sincerity and relief on the young woman's face.
"Thank you. The Healer told me that your assistance was instrumental to my being as healed as I am. I came over today because I could really use your advice on something and you were the best person I could think of to help me with this." admitted Hermione, with a slight shrug. She then looked around, "Bill isn't here, is he?"
"Non, William is not 'ere. 'e is at work. Are you okay? What is it that you need?" asked Fleur, leading Hermione to the comfortable sitting room, gesturing for her to sit down.
"I… well, I realized something about myself the other day and that only led to more questions and so I need some advice so that I know how best to proceed with things." Hermione's voice shook only a little when she said that. This was making her nervous and she knew that she was only talking in vagaries.
Fleur raised one eyebrow in question and her eyes widened happily. She smiled at the bushy haired girl, "So you 'ave realized it then? That is wonderful. I am 'appy for you."
"Wait, what? You knew?" Hermione was a bit stunned and she sort of fell back into the seat, eyes wide. How could Fleur have figured this out when she hadn't been able to?
"What, that you had feelings for women? Oui. I 'ave known about that since we met at 'ogwarts. Part Veela, remember. I could tell that there was an attraction from you to me. It was not a great draw as it was with some of the males but it was there and I could feel it."
Hermione blushed, looking down at the floor. Fleur had been able to notice her interest that far back? Did that mean that she might have been into Ginny far longer than she was aware? Eyes even wider, her mouth opened and she said softly, "Oh."
"Non, non, do not be embarrassed by this. 'ermione, you are a beautiful woman and that you are attracted to women is no great thing. There are some in the wizarding world who would be upset by this but not all, not even most. Witches 'ave 'ad power for themselves for a very long time and that 'as included who they could be with. There is a reason that 'ogwarts 'as two women founders. This might throw some but do not worry about them." Fleur moved over and hugged Hermione, pulling the girl closer to her.
"Thank you Fleur." Her voice shook a little as these revelations were a bit of a surprise. She had not really been aware of these sorts of aspects of wizarding society because no one really talked about them and there really was no class to educate the muggle born in the ways of their new world. It was completely sink or swim. Maybe she should talk to Professor McGonnagall about that.
"Now, 'as someone captured your eye or your 'eart?" Fleur asked playfully, her voice nice and light.
The blush on Hermione's face deepened and spread down her neck and up into her ears. She could not bring herself to meet Fleur's dark blue eyes. Fleur laughed happily, quite delighted with this, clapping a little, "Oh la la, someone 'as. Oh 'ermione, you must tell me who it is."
"I… you see… its… uhm… I…" stammered Hermione, at a total loss for words. She had no idea how to say this in such a way that would not get her into any sort of trouble. It was a known fact that Weasley's stuck together and Fleur had certainly integrated herself into that family. What would she say if she knew? Fleur had figured out the first thing but saying this part, it was almost impossible for her. She knew that the consequences could be dire but if she wanted the help in dealing with this she had to try.
Fleur looked at Hermione worriedly, almost as if she could read the progression of thoughts, "Really 'ermione, is it that bad? This girl that you 'ave feelings for… who is it? The only way I could think it could be that bad in your mind would be if the person you were attracted to were me or Ginny."
Hermione made a slight strangled noise and looked down at the floor, wishing she could disappear into it. This conversation was really not going like she had thought it would. Fleur was figuring things out and she was not really saying much of anything.
"It is Ginny? Really?" Fleur leaned in and hugged Hermione again. "It is okay 'ermione. Do not fear. I will tell no one about this, not even William. It is your secret to keep."
"Thank you." Some of the stress she had been feeling went out and she relaxed.
"D'accord. You are my friend 'ermione and I know this must not be easy for you. I will 'elp as I can." Fleur rested a hand on Hermione's forearm in a comforting gesture. It really did help her calm down some more.
"I… I have feelings for her, deep feelings, as I smelled her in Amortentia, and I have no idea how to let her know I am interested in her or even if she is interested in me. I… I am so confused Fleur." Hermione lowered her face into her hands and groaned.
"What kind of advice do you want?"
Hermione bit her bottom lip and looked up at the ceiling. She was so nervous and part of her saw this as so hopeless that there was no point in even trying. It was terrifying and she did not know what to do. She closed her eyes and sighed before looking back down at Fleur. "I… I want to be with her Fleur but I'm afraid. I don't want to lose her and I think that if I say anything about this I will lose her. I couldn't stand that. She means too much to me."
"Do you really think that she will deny you, that she will keep you out of 'er life forever? 'ermione, you are 'er best friend, even if it all goes poorly when you confess your 'earts love she will still be there for you. You two 'ave been through so much that I cannot see any way that this will break your friendship. And in terms of 'ow she will treat your 'eart when you 'and it to 'er… you must trust to love." Fleur held Hermione's hands and looked the girl in the eyes as she said this to drive this point home.
"So what do I do? I don't know anything about this and I don't want to be as bumbling as Ron. I have never really been in a relationship like this before or ever had to tell someone how I felt. I have no idea what to do. Any suggestions?" Hermione looked at her a bit desperately.
"Non, but think about Ginny. You know 'er better than anyone else. That alone should make it easy for you to figure out how to approach 'er. What method do you think would actually work? You are very smart 'ermione, figure it out." Fleur tightened her grip and then let Hermione's hands go, patting them before she withdrew them.
Hermione snorted. "I think, you just want to be able to honestly say that you had nothing to do with that part of things if asked."
Fleur laughed a light happy sound. "Oui, there is a little of that, but this is your conquest 'ermione. When one has a conquest like this, especially when it is their 'earts desire on the line they can get advice but they must be the ones to plan things out. It makes the victory all the sweeter."
Raising an eyebrow, Hermione stared at her, trying to read what the blond was not saying. There were a few things in the woman's face that she could sort of read. She slightly cocked her head and asked, "You honestly think I can do this?"
"I think that if you listen to your 'eart and trust in your feelings, using that brain of yours that you can do a great many things. Victory is in your 'ands." Fleur smiled and it did little to assure her.
"So you think I should tell her but do it in such a way that it works to draw her in?" mused Hermione aloud, working out what she was hearing.
"I did not say that."
"No, but that was what you were implying. It does give me something to work with, though it will be a challenge." Hermione gave her a smile that was a bit more sure and confident. Sitting up straighter, she was starting to believe that she could do this.
"And we all know 'ow our 'ermione loves 'er challenges." Fleur giggled after she said that, amused.
Hermione rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Yes, yes we all know that I do love a challenge and that this will be a pretty tough one as I am scared about it. And I still have to figure out a way to tell my parents about this."
Fleur pursed her lips in thought, "I remember Molly saying that you were going back to 'ogwarts?"
"Yes…" Hermione was unsure where this was leading.
"Then what if you spend the rest of the summer coming to accept this part of yourself, telling your parents a little before you leave about this, giving you time to deal with them before you leave. This lets you talk to Ginny either on the train or at the school, away from other distractions. You would be in a safe place with no other Weasley's to interfere." suggested the silvery blond witch.
Hermione was quiet as she pondered Fleur's suggestion. Was this whole thing really a good idea? If she wanted Ginny to stay over again later in the summer and they slept in the same bed it would be murder, it would be so difficult to restrain herself from caressing the girl she wanted. But if she waited for the train to tell her that she was attracted to girls would Ginny get upset over having slept with her in the same bed? But if she timed everything just right she might be able to actually do this right. It was going to kill her. With a sigh Hermione nodded, "That might work out. Thank you Fleur."
"My pleasure 'ermione. I am always 'appy to 'elp with issues of love." Fleur seemed pleased with how things were turning out.
With another breath to steel herself, Hermione stood, "Well, I should be going while I still have my nerve."
"Oh?"
"Yes. I plan on telling Harry at least about this. At least the part where I like girls. I am not sure Ron will understand but I am sure Harry will. Besides, as the last person to have been after Ginny I kind of feel that I owe him this. If he is good then I won't feel like I am cheating on my friend."
"'arry is a wonderful young man. I am sure 'e will understand after you explain everything to 'im. Thank you for coming over. I am glad that I was able to 'elp." The two young women embraced. They walked over to the fireplace and Hermione grabbed some of the Floo powder that was being stored in a flower pot just like at the Burrow. With a smile Hermione threw it into the fire, announced her destination and stepped into the green flames.
She stepped out of the fireplace at Grimmauld Place and brushed the bit of soot that always seemed to end up on her after a trip off. It wasn't much and she was grateful for that. Dirtier fireplaces left more soot. As she looked around she noticed that the room was quite a bit cleaner and a bit brighter than it had been before. That made her smile. That would surely be helping Harry deal with some of his issues. Kreacher came into the room and said, "Miss Granger, what can Kreacher do for you?"
"I am here to see Harry. Is he in?" asked Hermione politely.
"Master Harry is in the kitchen." His voice was still a bit hollow sounding.
She followed the old house elf deeper into the building. The house elfs attitude was far far better than it used to be. She was looking forward to seeing Harry again. It had been a few weeks since they had talked but she missed him. True, his party was only in a few days, but she wanted to do this away from other people. The fewer people who knew about this the better. Besides, she was still getting used to living without seeing him daily and that was taking some getting used to. It was pretty weird.
She heard voices up ahead and she raised an eyebrow. This was an interesting development. When she entered there was Harry, talking to Luna, and they were sitting fairly close. With a smile at them, she said, "Afternoon you two."
Harry jumped slightly, hand moving towards where his wand was stashed and then relaxed some, "Hermione hello."
"Hello Hermione. Nice to see you again. I should go Harry. It looks like she has something she wants to talk to you about and it is probably important. I will see you tomorrow." Luna rested her hand on Harry's for a long moment and then walked off, resting hand on Hermione's shoulder briefly as she passed. "Take care Hermione. It will be alright."
Hermione turned her head to look after Luna as Harry stood and moved over to the stove, "Want some tea?"
"Sure Harry." She said as she took a seat at the table. "How have you been?"
He poured a cup and set it before her, sitting back down where he had been. "Not bad. Thank you very much for your suggestion about talking to Luna, she really has been a big help."
"Not a problem Harry. I am glad that is working out for you. Luna is a really sweet girl and since talking with her helped me I was sure she could help you. I was really worried about you." said Hermione, reaching across the table to take hold of one of Harry's hands.
"Well the medication and talking to the Healer has been helping. I am still kind of shaky but a lot better than I was. If I remember to take my potions before the party I should be fine. And if I have Luna nearby she might be able to help talk me down if anything happens. I'll even have some potions with me just in case." admitted Harry, squeezing her hand tight and then letting it go.
Hermione raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, "Growing close to her are you?"
Harry blushed and looked down at the table, trying to turn the conversation away from himself, "Uhm… er… so what's up with you?"
She looked at her cup and sighed, taking a sip, letting Harry change the topic. That he felt the need to do so was interesting and a bit of an admission right there. This was definitely a topic that would need to be pursued later. And the color of Harry's cheeks… oh yes, this topic would have to be revisited. But now it was time to get to the reason for her being here. Steeling her courage, thankful that she had seen signs of Harry being interested in someone else, she began, "Well, you know how I have been going through a lot lately, and changing?"
"Yes. That much has been pretty obvious. And I have to say, I really do like this new look of yours but the things I have seen you in would have been terrible for running from Death Eaters." Harry smirked and snickered some.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Prat."
"Yeah, but that's why you love me." She reached over and shoved him, making the dark haired boy laugh. "So what is it?"
"Well, a lot of my changing has been because I have been thinking a lot and coming to some realizations. The Manor really made me look at things differently, shook me up and made me see that I was living my life for other people. And because I determined to live my life my way I have decided to follow up on my new realizations." Stated Hermione, staying vague, even though she knew it was not going to help Harry understand her.
"Okay." Harry stretched the word out, making it clear that he was following along but not entirely sure what she was saying.
"Well, the thing is… what I wanted to talk to you about is… well, you see Harry, I realized something a few days ago and honestly… it has shaken me up. I wanted to talk to you about this, because, well, it kind of changes my life a fairly good amount." Hermione kept talking around the topic, still unsure what to say.
"What is going to change your life?" She could tell that Harry was starting to get all protective, like he usually did. It was endearing but now was really not the time.
"You can't tell Ron this, as I know he wouldn't understand. I know I will tell him about this at some point but I have no idea what to say to him. You have to promise me Harry." Hermione was quite adamant.
"Alright, alright, I promise. Do you need a Wizard's Vow or something? You know, you actually haven't said anything to me yet." grumbled Harry.
"Sorry. I just had to get that out. This isn't really easy to say. I… uh… so, Harry… I just need to let you know that I'm… well… I'm… a lesbian." Hermione's voice grew quieter as she went along.
Harry blinked a few times as if he were trying to make sense of what Hermione had just said. He leaned forward and looked her in the eyes, his green eyes more intense. "Wait… did you just say that you were a…"
She just sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Yes Harry I did."
"But you… Ron? I thought you two were going to…?" Harry was clearly confused, trying to process all of this.
"Now you see why I don't want you to tell him. He wouldn't understand and I bet he still thinks that we are going to get back together. If he found out that I liked girls he would get upset. I don't want to do that to him. We don't need to fight again and especially not over this." said Hermione, her eyes pleading with her best friend.
He held her gaze and then nodded, giving in to what she was asking. "Okay, so you are into girls. Wow… You know that is really going to take some getting used to."
Hermione shook her head and said lightly, "Think of it this way Harry, now we have something else in common."
With a groan Harry said, "Hermione that was terrible. That was almost as bad as something Ron would say. Why would you say something like that?"
Snickering, her grin huge, Hermione said, "Well I have been hanging around you two idiots for seven years, so I guess your sense of humor may have rubbed off a little bit."
"Thanks a lot. It's our fault… again. Great. So, what brought this about? Is there a girl you fancy?" asked Harry honestly, looking like he was honestly trying to accept and deal with this new development.
Hermione blushed a little as she thought about Ginny and how she kept appearing in her dreams. "Uhm…"
"So there is." chuckled Harry, enjoying the slight squirming that Hermione was doing. This was a change from the usually cool and collected girl he was far more used to seeing.
"I… uh… well you see… uh… yes." She was finding it a little difficult to look Harry in the eyes.
"So are you going to let me know who it is?" asked Harry casually.
"I… I'm not sure. Do you really want to know?" asked Hermione, pleading with her eyes that the answer would be no.
"Merlin Hermione, I was only teasing you, but if it is affecting you that much then it has to be someone we know. A stranger wouldn't get you this tangled up." Harry sat up a little straighter and peered at her closely as she fidgeted under his gaze. "I'm right, aren't I?"
Hermione looked up at him with a slight look of desperation on her face. She really didn't want to do this. "Harry… I haven't even told her yet Harry, don't you think that's a bit unfair?"
"Nope. I'm your best mate so I can help you get her. That's what best mates do for each other. You helped me so now I am helping you. I mean, how do I even know if she is good enough for you? Only the very best for my Hermione." said Harry, looking all proud and brotherly.
"Urgh…" Hermione lowered her face into her hands. How did she get into these messes? True she should have expected it with Harry as she kept forgetting that he really was quite smart and able to put pieces of things together rapidly when he was actually paying attention. It would make sense that he would be able to figure out some of this. Thankfully he was not able to figure out all of it, unlike Fleur. Should she tell him? Since he had been after Ginny for so long would he get upset? But he seemed to be currently interested in Luna if she was able to read things correctly, else he wouldn't have stammered so much and tried to have changed the topic. Should she take a chance? They were friends, the best of friends. Surely he would be able to see that despite what she was going to tell him. After all he seemed fine with things so far. After all they had been through after all these years he might get a little bit angry with her but he would never abandon her over this… right? "Fine, I'll tell you who it is but I want to state right now that I am telling you under duress. If it shocks you or freaks you out remember that you asked for this. Don't get mad at me for this Harry James Potter, it's not like I can control who I am attracted to."
"Oh man, now you really have me concerned. Who is it? Oh Merlin… it's not McGonnagall is it? Please tell me it's not McGonnagall!" Harry actually looked rather terrified that his guess could be true.
"Harry! She's a teacher!" Hermione was quite affronted at the suggestion that she would be in such a relationship. She wanted to smack him and barely restrained herself. "And she is older than my parents. It would be like dating my grandmother."
"Right, right, sorry, so I guess that means that Miss Pince is out as well. So who is it? I mean, I can't imagine you with any of the Slytherins and you have wanted to smack Cho forever, so it can't be her. There are a couple of cute Hufflepuffs but I just don't see it. No… I'm at a loss. Please you have me on pins and needles here Hermione. You have to tell me who it is." pleaded Harry looking a touch desperate, even if a touch of it was just an act.
She took a deep breath and looked at her left forearm "Fine… I'll tell you. It's… it's Ginny." said Hermione, looking down at her tea and then taking a drink to fill the sudden silence.
There was a long moment of silence that sat between them before Hermione looked up. Harry looked completely shocked by this admission. His eyes were wide and he looked a little like he had just been hit in the back of the head with a board. As the silence stretched out longer, Hermione began to get nervous and fidget some. This was not a good reaction. He blinked a few more times and then he asked in a voice filled with disbelief and confusion, "Ginny? Ginny Weasley?"
"Yes Harry, Ginny. Ginevra Molly Weasley. We don't know any other Ginny's. That is who I fancy. Oh Merlin, I am such a headcase." Hermione lowered her head to the table and groaned.
Out of all the response she had posited, she had not expected Harry to start laughing. These were not small titters or giggles, no these were the deep belly laughs of someone deeply amused. He was laughing as if he had been hit with a tickle jinx, and eventually fell off the bench and onto the floor. As he was laughing she could hear him gasping out as few words, "Headcase… fancy… Ginny…"
She banged her head on the table a few times, hoping that would give her some sort of relief. It didn't. She groaned in annoyance and complained, "Honestly Harry."
As he was trying to catch his breath and control himself, pulling himself to his feet, Harry said, "No, no, I'm good. Oh man… thank you. I needed that. You, Hermione bloody Granger, a headcase. That's rich. Oh man… so funny. And you know… thinking on it, I think I actually get you and Ginny, I really do. She kind of… you know… fits. She is more like you than Ron ever was, since she actually does her schoolwork without copying, but she still has that element of life and adventure that you seemed to like in our favorite prat that brought you out of your shell. No, I really can see it. And there is no question that she is good enough for you. She is too good for me, so at least the better woman can get her. No Hermione, you go get her. I approve."
"Harry, I haven't told her how I feel. She might… she might reject me." Hermione sort of pulled into herself as she shared one of her deepest fears. It made her fell so vulnerable and fragile when she said that and she hated feeling that way. The slightest thing could possibly break her when she was this exposed.
He scoffed and shook his head, waving his hand dismissively, clearly finding her fears groundless, "Someone reject Hermione Jean Granger, not going to happen. Look, if it weren't for the fact that you are practically my sister, I might even go after you."
Hermione came around the table and hugged Harry tight, resting her head into the crook of his neck, trying to fight back the tears that were fighting to rise up. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me. Do you really think she would be okay with this? With the idea of us?"
"I think so. I mean, she was team mates with Katie Bell who was really, really close to Leanne Spinks, who was in Hufflepuff, if you know what I mean. That particular relationship was kind of an open secret, at least amongst us players. Also she follows the Holyhead Harpies, which has a couple of players who happen to be lesbians. There are a couple of others in the league as well. So, this is probably not going to be something that really throws her. This is something she is aware of and knows. That part should be fine. As for the part where you fancy her… all I can say is you're on your own for that." said Harry, offering up some of his sage advice.
"Why are you such a git?" Hermione glared at him in mock anger.
"Well, according to Snape it is clearly genetics." His eyes went from playful to saddened.
Hermione hugged him again, remembering what they had learned about the former potions master earlier that year and how it had changed everything. She smiled softly, "Well, Snape would know from gits, wouldn't he?"
Harry snorted and replied somewhat fondly, looking off into nowhere. "Yeah, that he would."