A/N: Hey folks! Sorry for the slight delay- things have been super hectic and I've barely had time to write. Like I mentioned in a previous chapter, I like to have 2-3 chapters written ahead so I can plant seeds here and there as I think of them, which means sometimes there's gonna be a delay!
Special shoutout for this chapter goes out to Alicia, whose review put a big smile on my face. I try to make my writing as visual as possible, and I've found as I write more it's starting to come more naturally. Thanks to everyone else for the reviews, too! You guys are legends.
I had toooons of fun writing this chapter and I had to cut some stuff out/move it to later chapters cos it was getting too long. When I was reading HP 4, I always thought there wasn't enough recognition of the champions by outside people. I mean, this tournament is meant to be the biggest thing that's happened in years and yet there's no fanfare/merch? I ain't buying it. SO, I added it in myself :)
o-o-o-o-o-o
The cool wind whipped through Hermione's jacket as she pulled it closer to her body. The plan was to meet Ron at exactly midday by the gates, and then they would pick Fleur up at her carriage together. He was fifteen minutes late, and Hermione was extremely unimpressed.
It was an overcast day, and they were meant to be going on their planned Hogsmeade trip. Harry had said he would meet them in the village later as he had a mountain of neglected homework to attend to.
Hermione was growing impatient as she checked her watch. She didn't want Fleur to think she had bailed on her and hated the thought of keeping her waiting.
Suddenly, a silver Jack Russell Terrier came bounding across the grounds toward her.
Ron's Patronus, Hermione thought as she crouched down to hear the message it was carrying. The little dog opened its mouth, and Ron's voice echoed out.
"Forgot I had detention with Snape. Can't make it. Let Fleur know I'll take her out next time."
Hermione let out an exasperated laugh and pulled her hood up as she walked quickly toward the Beauxbaton's carriage. She couldn't say she was disappointed that neither of the boys could make it and had to force herself not to smile as she approached the wooden door.
She knocked loudly, brushing her hair out of her face as she did so. She needn't have bothered, the wind was so fierce that it immediately whipped back into her vision.
Hermione tutted in frustration and pushed it out of her eyes as the door to the carriage swung open.
Fleur stood at the mantel, and Hermione felt her stomach do its usual flutter.
She was wearing black, ripped jeans with stylish boots to match. Her blouse was knotted at the front to give it a more casual look and she finished the outfit with an expensive looking coat that curved effortlessly along her body.
Her hair was in a loose braid, and she was wearing a large square ruby ring on her finger. Hermione suddenly felt extremely underdressed in her jeans and knitted sweater.
Fleur laughed as Hermione continued to struggle with her hair and waved her wand. The wind immediately stopped as an invisible bubble surrounded them.
Fleur walked down the steps, her hair remaining perfect as she reached Hermione.
"You are late, Ms Granger," Fleur said playfully. She snaked her hands around Hermione's waist and pulled her into a close hug. They held each other for a few moments before Fleur released her, leaving one hand on Hermione's hip.
"Yeah, I know," Hermione said apologetically. "Ron just sent me a Patronus saying he wasn't coming and I was waiting at the gate for him."
"And Harry?"
"Doing homework."
"So it is just us?"
Hermione nodded, and Fleur started to emit a faint glow.
"It is a date," Fleur said, smiling coyly.
She removed her hand from Hermione's waist as they turned toward the track that lead to Hogsmeade. Hermione felt somewhat disappointed at the loss of Fleur's touch but didn't say anything as they walked slowly toward the stream of students already on their way out of the grounds.
"You like that tree," Fleur stated, pointing at the large Beech tree Hermione often sat under to do her homework. "I see you sitting there often."
"It has the best view of the grounds," Hermione replied. "I can see the lake, the castle, and the forest all at once. It's a nice break from the noise of the common room. It's kind of my safe place."
"Do you not get bored having no one to talk to?"
"Not at all. There's so much to look at if I want to. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I'll see some creatures. The other day, Professor Dumbledore sat and talked to one of the Merpeople for over an hour. It seemed like they were talking about something really intense; Dumbledore had diagrams and everything."
Fleur tilted her head and smiled slightly but didn't reply as they reached the gates; blending into the walking crowd.
Students from all schools were scattered around them, chatting happily to each other despite the frigid day. Many of them gazed curiously at Fleur and Hermione as they passed and Hermione forced herself not to make eye contact with any of them, already knowing what they were thinking.
She noticed that many people who drew too close to them would be bumped away by an invisible force, causing the person to look around in alarm.
"This bubble," Hermione said, gesturing at the space around them. "Is it permeable?"
"No," Fleur replied proudly. "When performed correctly, the only thing that can come in and out of the bubble is what you want to."
"So, it's also a shield charm?"
"Well… no. It will collapse under most spells as it is not strong against magic. And, well, a hole can be stabbed through it… But, someone could throw a snowball at us right now, and it would bounce right off!"
"Well, that's the main thing," Hermione replied sarcastically.
Fleur smiled and bit her lip as she Cedric's voice rang out from behind them.
"Oi, Delacour!" he yelled.
Hermione and Fleur turned toward him and waved hello. He was walking with a group of shivering Ilvermorny students, his arm firmly around Tess' shoulders. Hermione made eye contact with Mikhail who was among them, and quickly turned back around.
"How are you doing that wind blocker charm?" Cedric shouted.
"Magic," Fleur retorted. Hermione laughed.
"Aw, come on flower, we're fucking freezing," Tess whined back. Hermione discretely rolled her eyes.
Flower? Really?
"If it were just the two of you, I would tell you," Fleur replied over her shoulder, turning back and giving Hermione her full attention. They heard Cedric make a noise of exasperation from behind them.
"For all I care, that friend of his can freeze," Fleur said sourly.
"Tess?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"What? No. Isn't the one who used that awful slur toward you at the first party standing with them?"
"Yeah."
"Then yes, him."
Hermione smiled as they continued down the path. They chatted casually, walking extremely close to each other, shoulders brushing lightly every now and then. Hermione felt the urge to grab Fleur's hand, but the mass of staring students around them made her keep her hands buried deep into her pockets.
Eventually, Cedric jogged past them with his group, too cold to stay at the slow pace the crowd had set. He turned as they passed, pulling the finger at Fleur and Hermione as he ran backwards.
"Don't come crawling to me when you two need help with the second task!" he shouted over the wind. "' Cos I'll tell ya'll right where to go."
"Why would we need your help, Yankee?" Hermione replied, playfully.
"Hey, Yankee's are from the North, I'm from the South. Don't be racist."
"Okay, redneck, then."
Fleur laughed loudly as Cedric shot a spell that landed at Hermione's feet with a loud crack. Bubbles began to float from where the spell landed as Cedric said, "You can use those to wash your mouth out."
Hermione popped a couple of bubbles with her finger before the wind whisked away the rest.
"You are all talk, Diggory," Fleur countered, "we will not be asking for your help at all seeing as we have already figured out the clue."
Cedric frowned and stumbled slightly on an uneven part of the track.
"Really?"
"What, like it is hard?" Fleur said, cocking her head to the side.
Cedric shook his head with a smile on his face, turned, and ran to catch up with his friends.
Tess jogged after him, blowing Fleur a kiss she ran by. Fleur laughed and shot a spell after her that caused her shoelaces to tie themselves. She stumbled forward but regained her balance with a graceful twirl. Fleur laughed once again, and Hermione felt the urge to send a much harsher spell in Tess' direction.
Mikhail disrupted her moody thoughts as he jogged past after them, passing too close to the bubble and getting sharply flung to the side. He sprawled to the ground and shot a dark look toward Fleur.
"Watch how wide you cast that spell!" he snapped. "Don't you know how to control your magic properly or something?
"Watch how close you get to us," Fleur replied coolly. "And I made it the exact right width to avoid contact with people like you."
Mikhail sneered.
"What a shame you aren't more like your older sister, it seems she got all the talent in the family," he jeered, shaking his in disappointment. He got to his feet and jogged after the now distant Ilvermorny students.
"Jerk," Hermione said once he was out of earshot.
"Ignore him; he isn't worth your thoughts."
Hermione glared after Mikhail's receding back but decided to drop the issue. She wasn't about to let him ruin their afternoon.
"Have you really figured out the clue?" Hermione asked, changing tact.
"Yes, a few days ago."
"Damn, you're really good at this," Hermione replied, pushing Fleur lightly on the shoulder. "First, you found out about the dragons, and now you've cracked the clue two months early."
"I got told about the dragons, remember? And the egg, well, there is a bit more to it than just figuring out what the screeching is."
Fleur paused slightly and watched a couple of fourth-year Hufflepuff's run past with a jar filled with blue fire.
"Do you want help with it?" she asked slowly.
Hermione chewed the bottom of her lip. This was strictly against the rules, and Fleur knew it.
"Thank you, but I'm good. Honestly, I haven't even made an attempt to try and figure the egg out myself yet. There's been so much going on with classes and… stuff."
She decided not to explain what she meant by "stuff".
"You will get it as soon as you try," Fleur said confidently. "I actually worked it out by accident."
"I doubt that," Hermione replied. "You don't give yourself enough credit."
Fleur shrugged as the wooden rooftops of Hogsmeade came into view.
The village was more packed than usual with the injection of the foreign schools and Hermione couldn't see any shop that didn't have a line out the door. Wooden stalls were set up along the street selling merchandise from each of the schools, much of it with the champions faces adorned on them.
They walked past The Three Broomsticks as Madame Rosmerta threw a pair of Durmstrang students out the door, shouting colourful language at them as the line waiting outside watched on in amusement.
"Should we just window shop today?" Fleur asked, eyeing the swelling crowd as students continued to file in from Hogwarts.
"Once again, you're showing you're a lot smarter than you look," Hermione teased.
"Well, I am not the one that people call the brightest witch of her age," Fleur replied and Hermione blushed slightly.
Fleur waved her wand to cease the bubble charm as they made their way into the crowd, staying close, so they weren't separated.
Fleur stopped to admire a set of lavender dress robes in the window of Gladrags Wizardwear, her fingers brushing against the glass as if she ached to touch them. Hermione squinted at the price tag and let out a low whistle.
"Those are three hundred galleons," Hermione said, shaking her head at the absurd amount.
"Oh, they are on sale!" Fleur replied happily and made to walk in.
Hermione grabbed her hand to stop her.
"You're not serious, your wardrobe can't possibly fit any more robes into it if you tried," Hermione said, half laughing.
"These are couture, there is always room in my wardrobe for couture!" Fleur whined, her eyes still glued to the window.
"Come on, the line is so long we won't get in there until midnight," Hermione replied, pulling Fleur's hand gently to lead her away.
"I'll dream about you," Fleur yelled, waving at the robes. Several students walking by looked quite pleased with themselves, under the impression Fleur had been talking to them.
"Look at you with all the jokes today," Hermione teased, still holding Fleur's hand as the crowd pushed around them.
"If I keep making you laugh, will you keep holding my hand?" Fleur replied cheekily. Hermione threw her a look of mock anger over her shoulder.
"It's busy, I don't want us to get split up."
"Is that the only reason?"
"No, the other reason is to stop you going back to that shop to pray to the Gods of couture."
"Oh, now who has the jokes," Fleur jibbed. Hermione squeezed her hand in reply as she continued to cut a line through the crowd.
They could now barely see into the shop windows around them due to the mass of people and Hermione's toes were trodden on multiple times as students pushed and shimmied around her. She heard Fleur swear at someone's "clown feet" as they walked and Hermione couldn't help but chuckle.
They stopped outside of Zonko's to watch a demo of the new wet-start-no-heat fireworks range, Honeydukes to admire a cauldron filled with syrup that looked like molten gold, and Dervish and Banges to watch real-life figurines of magical creatures chase each other.
Fleur spied a figurine of a Speropax playing with a Crup, pointing it our excitedly to Hermione, only to let out a sound of outrage when a nearby dragon let out a jet of fire and reduced them to ash. They watched as the shop assistant hurried over to the display, wagging his finger at the figurine dragon. It lowered its head in shame.
They held a tight grip on each other's hands the entire time, relishing in the chance to be able to touch without anyone questioning why. It was so busy that passers-by barely even glanced at them and Hermione was rather enjoying the anonymity.
The crowd pushed, and Hermione stumbled slightly, nearly falling into a nearby stall.
"Hey, you're the girls on my merch!" the wizard operating the stall wheezed. He pointed his stumpy fingers at an array of rosettes, badges, and flags, all with the champions faces adorned on them.
Fleur laughed as she picked up one of the badges with Hermione's face on it, holding it next to Hermione's real face.
"Hmmm, I think the real version is prettier," Fleur said, causing the man to drop his smile. "You did not manage to capture the essence of her eyes in this.
"Lady, all I needed was for it to resemble her before they started to fly off the shelves" he replied, snatching the badge out of Fleur's hand.
"How much?" Fleur asked.
"Oh, absolutely not-" Hermione began to say, but the wizard cut her off.
"Fifteen sickles," he replied, eyeing Fleur's expensive bracelets as she waved her hand incredulously.
"Fifteen sickles! For a piece of tin with an unmoving picture glued onto it. You are insane!" Fleur scoffed.
The wizard frowned and looked down at the badge in his hand.
"Ah, they're meant to be moving, hold on."
He jabbed his wand at the merchandise, and the pictures suddenly came to life. Hermione observed the cheesy grins plastered across the faces of the champions start to stretch even wider as the moving images waved up at her. Krum looked the most absurd, his usual surly face looking like an overexcited child
"I'll give you ten sickles," Fleur countered, pointing at the badge of Hermione in the wizard's hand.
"You will give him nothing because you are not buying that! Imagine if Madame Maxime saw you with that, she would have a conniption!" Hermione said, attempting to walk away, but Fleur pulled her back.
"Thirteen," the wizard scowled.
"Ten."
"Twelve and four knuts."
"Nine."
The wizard threw his hands in the air.
"Lady, one of those Goblin made bracelets on your wrist would be worth half my house! You can afford to pay full price to a poor wizard like me. I have Kneazle's to feed…"
Fleur rolled her eyes and thrust a small pile of silver coins into his hands. He eyed it greedily as he tossed the badge into her chest, counting the coins quickly and depositing them into a safe by his feet. Hermione tried to grab the badge, but Fleur's reflexes were too quick, and she held it high above her head.
"I cannot wait to wear this in the second task," Fleur said, laughing as Hermione tried to jump to reach it. "Or better yet, to the Yule Ball."
"There is no way you're taking that back to Hogwarts with you," Hermione snapped, still trying to reach for it.
"Well, if I cannot take the real thing to the ball, this will have to do."
Hermione stopped trying to grab it and crossed her arms.
"It won't match your couture," Hermione said grumpily.
Fleur just laughed as she pocketed the badge and held out her hand.
"Come on, we should go somewhere to warm up. Where is a place that will be quieter?" she asked, looking at the buildings around them for some signage.
"The Three Broomsticks is out of the picture, that place is packed even on a slow weekend," Hermione said, unfolding her arms and taking Fleur's hand again. "The Hog's Head is a bit dodgy so we probably shouldn't go there… we could try Madame Puddifoot's?"
"Lead the way," Fleur replied.
They walked slowly toward the opposite end of Hogsmeade, the crowd starting to thin out as they reached Madame Puddifoot's. They continued to hold hands until an Ilvermorny girl looked at them with her eyebrow raised, causing Hermione to let go. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Fleur throw the girl a filthy look.
They reached the café, and Fleur held the door open for Hermione as they entered. It was busy, but there was no line, and they were seated immediately.
The tables were crowded closely together, and Hermione had to squeeze past her neighbour to get into her chair. Students from all schools were situated in the around them, talking and laughing loudly as the voice of Celestina Warbeck crooned from a record player.
The café was a faded pink colour with an array of coloured candles floating overhead. Each table had at least one teapot already sitting on it and was decorated with a simple lace tablecloth.
A bored looking waiter came over and thrust some menu's down onto their table. He popped his gum and reached for a small notebook in his back pocket.
"Welcome to Madame Puddifoot's," he recited, not looking at either of the girls. "Wait for the kitchen is thirty minutes, and the special today is Doxy liver with a side of relish."
"That is disgusting," Fleur said, picking up the menu and scanning it for other options.
"Sure," the boy replied. "What flavour tea do you want?"
Fleur gestured for Hermione to choose.
"Erm, Earl Grey is fine," Hermione said.
"We're out of that."
"Oh, what about Green Tea?"
"Nope."
"Peppermint?"
The waiter sighed deeply and waved his wand. The teapot in front of them whistled and began to levitate, pouring steaming tea into their cups.
"I knew you would choose that one," the waiter muttered under his breath.
"That is funny because it was actually her third choice," Fleur said in an annoyed tone, but the waiter had already walked off.
"No wonder this place is the only café without a line out the door," Fleur muttered, placing her menu down.
"You're in a bit of a mood all of a sudden," Hermione said, cocking an eyebrow.
"I am not."
"Are too."
Fleur picked up her teacup and took a slow sip, wrinkling her nose at the taste.
"Man, the world is just against you today," Hermione teased further. "Come on, are you having a good time?"
"Of course I am," Fleur replied, setting the teacup down and pushing it away from her. "It is just… that girl that was staring at us outside, she is one of Tess' friends. I did not like the look she gave us."
Hermione's smile quickly dropped off her face.
"Oh," Hermione said, reaching for her own teacup to have something to do with her hands. She brought it to her lips and took a sip, recoiling slightly as the sour taste of lemon hit her throat.
"It was not in a homophobic way," Fleur added quickly, "more in an accusatory way. Like she thought I was doing something sneaky."
"Why would she think that?"
"I do not know."
Fleur sighed and rubbed the lace from the tablecloth between her fingers.
"I have made it clear to Tess that we are just friends, but this has… happened before."
"What do you mean?"
"I told you the first time I introduced you to Tess that we have known each other for a long time," Fleur continued. "We met when my family moved back to France after Amandine was expelled from Durmstrang. Her family were our new neighbours and were very welcoming, considering the fact they knew what Amandine had done."
"Starting the group of Grindelwald sympathisers?" Hermione asked, and Fleur nodded.
"That is the tip of the iceberg, but yes. Word had spread to France by then that Amandine had been involved in that group and that a student was killed as a consequence. The media was unrelenting and constantly published stories about how our whole family must hold similar views. It did not help that Amandine continued to spew hate speech to anyone who would listen. We were rejected by everyone. Old friends stopped speaking to us, my parents had trouble finding work, and the media were constantly on our doorstep sniffing for a story."
"Oh wow," Hermione breathed, "that sounds horrible."
Fleur nodded.
"It was. We barely left our house and my mother home-schooled me to try and keep me out of the spotlight. Everyone was saying, if the oldest sibling is bad, imagine what the next one will be like."
"How old were you at this point?"
"Eight."
"Fuuuuck," Hermione said slowly.
Suddenly, the waiter appeared next to them.
"Ready to order?" he said, holding his notebook in front of him with a pen poised.
The girls stared at him as he lazily chewed his gum, like a cow munching on grass.
"No," Fleur finally said, "and you gave us the wrong tea."
"Huh," the waiter replied and proceeded to walk to the next table.
Fleur glared at him, and Hermione leant forward, touching her forearm to get her attention again.
"So, how does Tess come into this?" Hermione asked, not moving her hand from Fleur's arm.
"Well, like I said, no one would speak to us," Fleur continued, taking her eyes off the waiter and focusing back on Hermione. "Then, one day, Tess and her family invited us around for dinner. I think it was out of pity, but we appreciated it all the same. Tess and I flew around on her toy broomsticks the whole night. I fell off the broom and cut open my face, I still have a small scar from it."
Fleur pointed to the faded line near her lips. It was the same line that Hermione had noticed on multiple occasions, the one that became prominent whenever Fleur smiled.
"I've noticed that scar before," Hermione said.
"It is ugly."
"No, it's one of my favourite parts of you. It only ever becomes easier to see when you genuinely smile."
Fleur tried to hide her corresponding smile, but the little scar stuck out more than ever.
"Yes, well, anyway," Fleur continued, brushing her thumb along the scar, "after that night we became best friends. We spent every moment possible together. She was educated at a Muggle primary school, but she would always come over every afternoon to play. We used to steal my mother's wand and pretend we were on a quest to save the world from Grindelwald."
Fleur smiled slightly at the memory.
"We were inseparable. Her father was on a long-term contract to work for the French Ministry, but we were unsure whether she would be admitted into Beauxbaton's or have to fly back to America to go to Ilvermorny. I remember the day she received her Beauxbaton's acceptance letter so clearly. She came running over to our house immediately, and we cried with happiness. We hugged each other so tightly… and then she kissed me."
Hermione felt a twinge of jealousy in her stomach.
"I'm sure that was quite a… surreal moment for you both," Hermione said, grappling to find the right words. Fleur nodded.
"It only lasted a moment, but… it happened. We both said it must have been the excitement of the moment and did not talk about it again. I think I always knew she meant more by it, but I did not want to complicate our friendship. It was too important to me. It is too important to me."
Fleur stroked the top of Hermione's hand gently.
"We started at Beauxbaton's together and clung to each other like glue. I was very shy back then, so she would defend me whenever anyone made comments about my family or my sister. Once, she hexed a boys mouth shut, and the Professors were so impressed with the spell work that they did not even give her detention. Eventually, I proved that I was not going to be a clone of my sister, and I found my own friend group. We still remained close, though. We were both the top of our year and enjoyed learning and challenging each other to always be better. Then, in our fourth year, we became… closer."
Hermione cleared her throat. Fleur paused and took a sip of tea, scrunching her nose to the taste once again.
"Fuck, I forgot that is disgusting," Fleur said, pushing the cup away.
"Just tell me what happened next," Hermione sighed, wanting it to be over and done with as fast as possible. Fleur began to lightly brush the top of her fingertips with her own.
"Well, we started to sleep together," Fleur said, speaking quickly as if she were spitting the words out. "It lasted for six months. We were never actually together, though. Well, I did not think we were."
"Let me guess she didn't agree?"
"By "didn't agree" do you mean did she hex me in front of the whole school at breakfast when she found out I had asked another girl on a date? Because then the answer would be yes."
Hermione frowned as Fleur continued to absentmindedly play with the tips of her fingers.
"Did you tell her that you just wanted to keep it casual?" Hermione asked.
"In a sense."
"That doesn't mean yes."
Fleur sighed.
"I did not think we needed to label it. I had just realised my attraction to women, and she had too, so we agreed we would experiment. We felt safe and comfortable together, so it made sense to have our first times with each other."
Fleur blushed slightly at the last statement, and Hermione felt another wave of hot jealousy wash over her.
"Anyway, after she hexed me, we did not speak properly for weeks. It was excruciating. We shared most of our classes together, and the teachers would constantly try to get us to compete like we had so happily done previously. It only made things worse. We had duelling practice in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and we were paired together. The duel became so intense that she ended up blasting me into a wall and gave me a concussion. As you have witnessed, duelling is not my strong suit."
Fleur smiled self-consciously and shrunk slightly in her seat. Hermione turned her hand over and intertwined their fingers.
"What happened next?" Hermione asked softly. Fleur swallowed.
"One day soon after, my parents sent me an owl saying that Tess' father had been transferred back to the American Congress and they would be leaving within a couple of weeks. We may not have been speaking, but she was still very special to me, and so I bypassed my pride and apologised. She accepted, and we tried to repair the friendship we had but… it was never the same. When we said goodbye, we both agreed that the distance would probably be best to help us heal. We would send occasional owls to each other, but the first night we arrived at Hogwarts was the first time I had seen her in about two years."
Hermione thought back to that night and remembered watching Fleur and Tess squealing and hugging in the Great Hall.
"Do you think the distance helped?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. Even though I had apologised, I did not believe I did anything wrong, and I think she knew that. She needed time to get over her feelings for me before we could ever be friends again."
"Do you think it worked?"
"I thought so, yes. The first few weeks we were at Hogwarts, it was just like old times. We were inseparable once again."
Fleur gazed into the distance, watching as their water spilt scalding tea into Susan Bones' lap. She squealed and leapt to her feet, swearing profusely.
"Do you… have feelings for her?" Hermione asked after a few moments.
Fleur snapped her attention back to Hermione.
"You keep asking me this, and I have told you, I do not," she replied in an irritated tone. "I have never felt that way about her, and she knows that. I only see her as a friend."
"Do you think she has feelings for you?"
Fleur paused.
"I would be lying if I said no. But after what happened the other night at the party… well, I told her that I did not feel that way about her and that it could not happen again. She seemed to understand."
"Seemed to?"
"She seemed to understand last time I said that to her too and then next minute, I am getting hexed."
They fell into silence.
The waiter slunk over once again, and Hermione quickly pulled her hand away from Fleur's. He was carrying a plate with a slice of carrot cake on it and placed it in front of Fleur. The plate clattered loudly as it touched the table. He began to walk away.
"Wait, I did not order this!" Fleur shouted after him, causing people at the table next to them to look over curiously.
"It's a gift from that fella," the waiter replied, jerking his thumb to a table in the far corner. Hermione and Fleur both looked and made eye contact with Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain. He raised his hand in a stationary wave, staring intently at Fleur.
He beckoned her to his table, and Hermione turned back around quickly. She made a mental note to tell Harry to knock Roger off his broom the next time Gryffindor played Ravenclaw.
Fleur scoffed and pushed the plate toward Hermione.
"Wow, is he in for a surprise," Fleur said. "I hate carrot cake, you eat it."
Hermione glanced at the cake but suddenly had no appetite.
"You have a lot of admirer's," Hermione said, keeping her tone as light as she could.
"It is all superficial," Fleur replied. "Most people I meet do not listen to me when I talk, they just agree with everything I say. That is what so drew me to you."
"What do you mean?"
Fleur rested her elbow on the table, leaning her chin on her hand and observing Hermione.
"The first day we met in Charms, we had a proper conversation. You were solid in your beliefs, and you treated me like anyone else. You challenged me and even corrected my wand work, do you remember? I cannot remember the last time someone told me I was wrong."
Hermione let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, I'm kinda known for correcting people's wand work. Ask Ron about the "swish and flick" incident in our first year," she said shyly.
"Well, you had me enchanted from that moment onward," Fleur replied, lifting her finger from her chin and tracing it along her lips lightly.
Hermione felt herself get rather hot.
"Plus, you have many admirers too. That is why I got so frustrated when I did not know how you felt about me. I knew there was a line of people waiting to snap you up if you gave them a chance," Fleur finished.
Hermione scoffed.
"I don't have admirers."
"You are kidding, right?"
"I don't!"
Fleur tutted loudly.
"Do you know how manypeople have come up to me asking if we are together because they wanted to ask you out?" Fleur said incredulously.
"And what did you say to them?"
Fleur bit her tongue between her teeth.
"I said that I had heard you were dating a famous Quidditch player from Finland."
Hermione laughed, shaking her head at the ridiculous lie.
"The people asking me were not worth your time!" Fleur countered, unable to stop a smile spreading across her face too. "For example, Cobus has been pestering me about you for the past two weeks! He is such an idiot, I cannot believe he thinks he would ever have a chance with you."
Hermione frowned.
"Who's Cobus?" she asked.
Now it was Fleur's turn to laugh.
"Hermione, he is the boy you sit next to in Charms!"
"Oh!" Hermione said, putting her face in her hands. "I've been calling him Corbin for the past two weeks!"
Fleur laughed even harder and people in the surrounding tables glanced at them. The waiter was standing at the counter, watching them, still chewing his gum slowly.
"We can't even communicate though, he doesn't speak English very well, and I can't speak French," Hermione continued, smiling at the absurdity of the situation.
Fleur's laughter slowly died, and she wiped her eyes with her napkin.
"What do you mean?" Fleur asked, still chuckling. "Cobus is fluent in English."
"No, he's not?"
"Yes, he is, just like every other Beauxbaton's student. We have pupils from all parts of Europe attend our school, so courses are taught in both English and French to accommodate."
"So that's why you speak it so well?"
"Well, no. We always had staff that lived with us when I grew up, and they all taught me English. Plus, Tess was not great at French, so we would speak in English. It has always surrounded me."
"So, maybe Cobus just hasn't had the exposure you did?"
"You are sweet to think the best of people," Fleur said endearingly. "But, Cobus' father is the French Ambassador at the British Ministry. I guarantee that he grew up bilingual.
Hermione's bit the inside of her cheek.
"But… but he's always asking me for extra help. He never stops talking to me. He requested private English lessons the other day…" Hermione's voice trailed off as realisation crept in.
Fleur smiled affectionately. She reached forward and stroked Hermione's cheek lightly, tracing along her now very faint scar.
"How is it possible for someone to be so cute?" Fleur mused. "Though… I do not blame him for using tricky tactics to get your attention because, well, I may have done something similar…"
Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, really?"
Fleur bit her lip slightly, trying to stop the smile creeping onto her face.
"Do you remember the first time we spoke to each other?"
"Yeah, in Charms?"
"No,the first time."
Hermione frowned as she tried to think back, but she was drawing a blank.
"It was in the corridor…" Fleur said, trying to jog Hermione's memory.
"Oh, yeah, I remember! My bag had just split, and I was picking everything up, and you came up to me and said you couldn't find the classroom."
"Yes," Fleur said slowly. "Well, you see the thing is… I may have shot a spell at your bag to make it split on purpose."
Hermione's mouth dropped open.
"What!"
"I wanted to speak to you alone, and you were walking with Harry and Ron! I had heard that Professor Flitwick was pairing up students from foreign schools in his class, and I wanted to make sure I got to sit with you," Fleur replied defensively.
Hermione couldn't stop herself from shaking her head
"You didn't even know me at that point," Hermione laughed.
"I had heard enough about how brilliant you were to realise that I needed to get to know you."
"So you ruined my bag?"
"It was a necessary sacrifice."
"That's my favourite bag, Fleur!" Hermione exclaimed in mock-anger. "It's never been the same since!"
"You are ridiculous."
"You owe me a new bag!"
Fleur scrunched her nose affectionately as the waiter came striding toward their table, notepad at the ready.
"We will just order-," Fleur began, but the waiter cut her off.
"You two are in the Tournament, ain't ya?" he said, looking at them properly for the first time that day.
"Oh, yes we are," Fleur said, slightly caught off guard.
"Can I get your autographs?"
He held the notepad out to them. Fleur and Hermione eyed it.
"Erm, we aren't celebrities," Hermione said quickly. "That piece of paper will become pretty useless the moment the Tournament ends."
The waiter shrugged.
"Depends on the winner though, dunnit? I could sell the autograph and make a bit of money if it was one of you two. Who do you reckon is the most likely?" the waiter asked.
"Her," Fleur and Hermione said at the same time, pointing at each other.
"See, I thought it would be Diggory," the waiter said, pocketing the notebook and scratching his chin with his quill. It left an ink smear near his lip.
"Just 'cos he has connections, yinno? His grandad is a big dog, ruthless fella. My Great Uncle Marcus worked for the American Congress years ago, and he met him once and tried to challenge his anti-Muggle views. Well, the next day, he got a call to pack up his office and find a new job."
The waiter shook his head.
"So when the grandson Diggory got selected as champion, well, he was the favourite by a long shot. I went down to The Goblin's Grotto, that's me favourite gambling spot, and chucked a couple galleons on him to clean up in the first task. No offence, ladies."
"None taken," Fleur said, eyeing him with amusement.
"So then when he didn't even get the egg, well, he proved that he's just a pretty face. I can't imagine what his grandad woulda said. Especially having lost to a Muggleborn and a Veela. No offence."
"A little taken," Fleur said pointedly. The waiter cackled, under the impression Fleur was joking.
"You know what?" the waiter continued. "I'm gonna head down to The Goblin's Grotto after me shift and put all me money on you to win. I was saving to buy a shack in Ottery St Catchpole, but with an attitude like yours, I reckon it's a safe bet that you got this one in the bag. With the odds they're giving on you at the moment, I'd win enough for a decent place in London."
"No, no, do not do that," Fleur replied quickly, but the waiter was already walking away.
"Wait, can we order something?" Hermione called after him, her stomach grumbling.
He shook his head and yelled back, "Kitchen's closed, sorry love."
Hermione scowled.
"What an interesting character he is," Fleur said, watching his retreating back.
Roger Davies walked past their table at that moment, glancing begrudgingly at Fleur and the untouched carrot cake on their table. Fleur didn't notice him.
The café had emptied substantially, dirty abandoned tea cups littering the tables around them. The rest of the wait staff were circulating the café slowly, straightening out tablecloths and collecting the left behind tips.
The light coming through the windows had started to dim as the sun set slowly behind the buildings of Hogsmeade. Hermione glanced down at her watch.
"Oh shit, I said I'd meet Harry at the Three Broomsticks at four," Hermione exclaimed, pulling her coat on and zipping it up. "He'll be waiting for me. Do you want to come along?"
"Will he mind?" Fleur asked, buttoning her own jacket.
"Of course not, come on."
Fleur reached into her pocket and put two galleons on the table as they stood.
"That's way too much, the tea only costs ten sickles," Hermione protested.
"If he is putting a bet on me winning the Tournament, he'll need the extra money," Fleur replied. She touched Hermione's lower back lightly as they exited the café, the bell on the door tinkling as they walked out.
The frigid wind whipped more fiercely than before, causing both girls to wrap their coats tighter around themselves.
Fleur flicked her wand, and the wind stopped immediately as they became shrouded in the air bubble once again.
"How do you do that?" Hermione asked, brushing the hair out of her eyes.
"You want to steal my trick?" Fleur teased.
"Well, yeah, obviously."
Fleur smiled. She flicked her wand, and the bubble disappeared, letting the freezing wind tear past them once again. Fleur leant in close to Hermione's ear.
"Think of the area you want the bubble to reach and visualise the space you will fill in it," Fleur said, pocketing her wand and returning her hand gently to Hermione's lower back. "Then flick your wand upwards sharply and use the incantation, Bullasphaera."
Hermione nodded and tried to focus. She was very aware of Fleur's fingers lightly stroking her back, and it kept pulling her attention away from her task.
"Bullasphaera," Hermione said and flicked her wand. The wind around them died down, though a slight breeze still ruffled their hair.
"Not bad for your first attempt," Fleur said genuinely.
Hermione frowned.
She focused again, visualising the space they occupied. She saw a stray pebble on the ground and concentrated on making that the border of the bubble.
"Bullasphaera," Hermione said again. The wind stopped around them completely. Fleur beamed at her.
"You are cute when you get competitive," Fleur whispered into her air, placing a light kiss on Hermione's cheek.
Hermione turned toward her slightly.
"I like this," Hermione murmured, gesturing at the space the bubble took up. "It's like we're in our own little world."
"That it is," Fleur replied, stroking her nose lightly against Hermione's cheek.
"Well, look who it is!"
Fleur and Hermione jumped apart as if they had been electrocuted.
Rita Skeeter was striding toward them, her arms opened wide. She wore robes of turquoise blue, and her hair was in tight ringlets that flew behind her in the wind. She had sharply manicured pink nails, and a crocodile handbag slung over her shoulder loosely.
"What do you want?" Fleur said coldly. Skeeter placed her hand on her chest, mouth open in mock-horror.
"Why, you aren't pleased to see me?" Skeeter replied. She was now so close that she bumped into the bubble, jumping backwards in alarm.
"Oh, this is quite the trick," Skeeter mused, looking impressed as she reached forward to tap the invisible barrier.
"We're actually on our way to meet someone," Hermione said and began to walk away.
"Who?"
"None of your business," Fleur snapped.
Skeeter's eyes flashed.
"You two were looking quite cosy just before," Skeeter said, a mischievous smile stretching across her face. "Care to do an interview? Our subscribers would be thrilled to hear about a champions love story. Oh, the headlines it would cause!"
Hermione's stomach sunk as Fleur bristled beside her.
"There is no story to tell," Fleur growled. "Now, leave us alone."
They began to walk away quickly, making sure to keep a small distance from each other.
"Once I have the evidence, you can't stop me from printing what I want!" Skeeter called after them.
"She is a curse on this earth," Fleur said, shaking her head. Hermione didn't reply.
They didn't speak as they walked along the lane. It was a lot less crowded now, and dim lights were flickering to life along the street. Many of the stall owners had packed up for the night, though the remaining ones called out to the girls to offer last minute discounts on their shoddy merchandise.
The Three Broomsticks was still quite busy as they approached it, though they managed to squeeze inside.
Hermione immediately spotted Harry at a table and waved at him. They shuffled past other students until they reached him. He was drinking a Butterbeer with a full one sat next to him.
"Hey," Harry said, beaming at them. "I didn't realise you'd be coming, Fleur. Have a seat, I'll go grab you a drink."
Fleur rummaged in her pocket and tried to hand him some coins, but he waved it away.
"Nah, my shout tonight," he said and began to squeeze his way through the crowd.
Hermione and Fleur sat down, pulling their stools in close to the table.
"It is too crowded in here," Fleur said loudly, trying to speak over the din.
"It's always like this," Hermione replied. "And with the ball so close, everyone will be out shopping for their outfit."
"Speaking of which," Fleur said, fiddling with the bracelets on her wrist. "I have to ask you something."
Hermione sighed.
"I already said I'm not ready for that, Fleur."
"It is not that."
Fleur licked her lips.
"Madame Maxime told me I have to go with someone, even though I do not want to."
"You'll have no problem finding someone."
"Yes, but I want to go with someone I trust, and unfortunately that cancels out a lot of people. There were a few girls I am friends with at Beauxbaton's that could have worked, but they have already found partners. I waited because I thought…"
Hermione bit her lip.
"Because you thought we would go together," Hermione said, finishing Fleur's sentence. Fleur smiled sadly.
"Well, anyway, then I considered asking Cedric because he has been a good friend to me. He often helps me in Herbology with the stupid plants that try to attack me. But, I heard he has already asked someone. So, there is only one person I truly trust left…"
Fleur trailed off, and Hermione knew what she was insinuating. She scratched her nose lightly and glanced around the pub.
"You want to take Tess," Hermione said, not meeting Fleur's eye as she watched an Ilvermorny boy chatting excitedly with Parvati Patil.
"No, I want to take you," Fleur said quickly. "But you are not ready. She is the only person left I feel comfortable going with."
"That's quite a situation to put me in, Fleur. I'm not comfortable going with you to the ball, so you go with someone who has a history of liking you?"
"This is not a punishment if that is what you are insinuating," Fleur replied, sounding hurt. "You have seen the way people act around me in a normal environment. I do not want to put myself in a vulnerable position with someone I do not trust. Everyone will be watching us at the ball, and I do not want to take the chance of my partner doing something I do not like and causing a scene. I know that Tess will not try to do anything if I make it clear that I am asking as a friend."
"Is there really no one else?" Hermione said, not believing that Tess could genuinely be the only option. The Ilvermorny boy and Parvati were now kissing, and Hermione tore her gaze away.
"How would you feel about going to the ball with someone you hardly know? With someone whose intentions you are not entirely sure of?" Fleur replied, frowning slightly.
Hermione imagined going with someone like Cobus or Mikhail and had to suppress a shudder. She decided to ignore Fleur's question.
"And you're sure that Tess' intentions won't be anything more than just friendship?" Hermione replied.
"I have spoken with her about it, I told you this-,"
"Yeah, and you also told me that you think that she still probably has feelings for you."
"But I do not have feelings for her, so I would never let anything happen!"
"I don't trust her!"
"Do you trust me?"
Hermione sighed.
"Of course I do," Hermione replied after a moment. "But it doesn't mean I like it."
"If you are not comfortable with it, I will not do it," Fleur said, and Hermione felt Fleur's hand touch her thigh lightly. "I can find someone else."
Hermione paused and then reached under the table to intertwine their fingers.
"I understand your reasoning," Hermione replied, "I don't want to go with someone I don't trust either. It's just, I think you're putting too must faith in how you think she'll act. No doubt, there's going to be alcohol there, and everyone's has certain expectations about how the night will go…"
"What expectations?"
Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"Like that," she said, pointing at the Ilvermorny boy and Parvati, who were now holding hands and pushing their way through the crowd to leave together.
"Ah."
"Yeah."
Fleur squeezed Hermione's hand gently.
"I grew up with Tess, and she has never once tried to do anything that I was uncomfortable with. I know her. She is a good person. She will not try anything."
"That doesn't stop me from being jealous," Hermione muttered.
Fleur smiled, and her Veela glow began to radiate softly from her.
"You have nothing to be jealous about, my eyes are only ever on you."
Harry suddenly appeared in front of them, holding a bottle of Butterbeer with liquid spilled down the side. Fleur slowly withdrew her hand from Hermione's.
"Sorry Fleur, I spilt it on the way over. This crowd is nuts," Harry said, placing the drink in front of her. He stopped and stared at Fleur, suddenly transfixed, his mouth slightly agape.
Fleur frowned slightly and glanced at Hermione.
"You have your Veela glow on," Hermione said, laughing slightly at the expression on Harry's face.
"Oh! I did not notice," Fleur replied blushing. The glow immediately stopped, and Harry blinked quickly.
"Back on earth with us?" Hermione teased, and Harry laughed awkwardly.
"Sorry, mate, just… wasn't expecting it," Harry stammered. Fleur waved her hand.
"It happens all the time, do not be embarrassed. It is the Veela in me," she said, taking a sip of the frothing Butterbeer.
"I didn't know what that was until we went to the Quidditch World Cup two years ago," Harry replied. "Some Veela girls were selling merchandise, and I nearly bought the whole damn stock."
Hermione and Fleur laughed.
"So, you were raised in the Muggle world, too?" Fleur asked.
"Yep. Didn't know I was a wizard until Hagrid came ploughing through our door on my birthday."
"Is that how it happens for everyone at Hogwarts?" Fleur questioned.
"No, Harry is just a bit special," Hermione replied, scrunching her nose in Harry's direction to annoy him.
"How did you find out you were a witch?"
"Professor McGonagall came to my house," Hermione answered, taking a sip of her Butterbeer. "At first, my dad wouldn't let her in because he thought she was trying to sell him something."
Fleur and Harry laughed.
"She sat my parents and me down and said I was a witch. My parents are both dentists so you can imagine what they thought of that statement. My dad actually asked her to leave. Then she turned our teapot into a gerbil and suddenly he was asking her to stay for dinner."
"And how did you take it?" Fleur asked
Hermione paused, tilting her head to try to remember.
"Pretty well," she finally said. "I mean, I had accidentally performed magic all my life, but I always thought there must have been a logical explanation for it. In a way, I always knew that I was magic, I just never admitted it to myself."
"That can happen with a lot of things," Fleur replied. "Sometimes we are not ready to believe certain parts of ourselves, even if deep down we know it is who we truly are."
Fleur looked at Hermione pointedly, who quickly took a large gulp of her drink.
The three of them continued to chat amicably for the next hour, sharing stories about their pasts as the pub continued to fill around them. The atmosphere was thick with laughter, and the clinking of glasses as people from all walks of life mingled. A fire blazed intensely in the corner, though the pub remained the perfect temperature.
Some wizards sat at a table near them, debating furiously in Greek. A group of fashionably dressed witches sat opposite them, several empty bottles of elf-made wine in front of them, laughing hysterically at a picture of a Hippogriff wearing pants.
Many of the teachers had entered together at one point, all in intense discussion about a variety of topics. Hermione caught snippets of some of their conversations; McGonagall and Fontaine were debating the regulation of magic carpets in Papua New Guinea, whereas Sprout and Dumbledore were musing over whether adding Mandrake roots to Essence of Murtlap would increase its healing properties.
The large clock on the wall chimed loudly, catching Fleur's attention. She sighed.
"I have to go, I have another meeting with Madame Maxime," she said, smiling apologetically at Harry and Hermione. She stood up and buttoned her coat. "I will see you later?"
They nodded and, with a final glance at Hermione, she disappeared into the crowd.
"She's really cool," Harry said, watching the space where she had just been. "We got the wrong impression of her at first."
"I told you guys that," Hermione replied. "She's brilliant, too, the magic she can do is incredible. And she's funny as well, and obviously attractive, and…"
Hermione trailed off and began to scratch at the label on her bottle. To Harry's credit, he didn't tease her.
"Yeah, well, I think she's great, Hermione. You two seem to really… get along."
Hermione glanced at him for a moment before returning to scratching at her bottle.
"Hey, Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to go to the ball with me?"
Harry's eyebrows shot up high on his forehead.
"You don't really want to go with me," he said, laughing slightly.
"Well, no, not really, but I have to go with someone, and you're one of my best friends. You mentioned at breakfast awhile ago to go with someone that I can stand spending an entire night with, and you're one of the only people who tick that box."
Harry smiled and punched her on the shoulder playfully.
"Ow!" Hermione exclaimed, rubbing the spot where the shot landed.
"That didn't hurt!"
"Yes, it did!"
"I'm a fucking terrible dancer."
"So am I."
"We're going to make fools of ourselves, aren't we?"
"Absolutely."
Harry laughed and finished his bottle of Butterbeer.
"Alright, I'll go with you," he said, placing the bottle on the table with a clunk. "But on one condition."
"What's that?"
"You get the next round."
Hermione grinned and reached into her pocket for her wallet.
o-o-o-o-o-o
A/N: There it is! What do you all think? Surely Tess and Fleur going to the ball together will go off without a hitch… right?