A/N: Yes, it's not anywhere near Valentine's either, but... oh well! This is what happens when you transfer fics from tumblr... Leaving this in the "Holiday" grouping for now... might pull it out to be on it's own later.

Pairing: Fleur/Hermione

Per usual, I didn't even reread this before posting it here, so please let me know if there are any small mistakes!

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What irked her the most was the way he thought he was caring and kind. Maybe he thought he was making up for the fact that he ended it. Maybe he genuinely thought they were friends again. She didn't have the time or energy to figure it out; not to mention she didn't care enough at this point. Too much had happened to pin down every little detail and too much time had gone by. Even those things aside, the Veela in her knew that part of it would always be indefinable. Instinct. That's just the way it was. Why they were in this situation.

Despite having no true family in Great Britain, Fleur had decided to stay in the country after their divorce. Though Molly had put on airs about "always being a part of the family," Fleur avoided the Weasleys as much as possible. Throwing herself into work helped with that. She took any assignment that took her out of the country, visited her family in France whenever her schedule and a Portkey would allow, and for the first time in her life genuinely tried to make friends.

Fleur despised going out to night clubs and concerts and really any place meant to be at least mildly social while accommodating a crowd. She had a feeling she would like them were she completely human, but the attention her beauty drew was not always an advantage. Plus, she reasoned, she was becoming a little too old for those places. She wanted to go somewhere she'd actually enjoy the kind of people there.

So, she went to lunch at little cafes, she made small talk with people she was in the elevator with, and she did her research at the Ministry library and records hall.

And Hermione Granger was somehow everywhere.

First, it had been at the Ministry. All over. Fleur first wondered how Hermione got any work done when she always seemed to be rushing off somewhere, then she wondered if the curly-haired witch did anything but work.

Of course, Fleur knew she did rest sometimes. Hermione was almost always at the Weasley & Co. family gatherings. Plus, she would hear stories of who was getting into what kind of trouble and Hermione made appearances in the mischief making tales. In fact, they had always gotten along. Without fail by the end of an evening the two female non-Weasleys would end up together either chatting or finding respite in each other from the noisy family. Naturally, Hermione was the best place for Fleur to start making new friends outside family ties.

In a very short amount of time, Fleur realized her senses were on moderate alert for Hermione as soon as she entered the Ministry. The blonde would glance down every hallway she passed, check elevator doors as they opened and scan each room she entered. It wasn't purposeful, it just happened. Instinct. Once she recognized it, Fleur told herself she was looking for any of the workplace acquaintances she had made. And while it was true, she also knew that running into Hermione was always better than finding anyone else.

What her senses didn't alert her to was the fact that her ex-husband had come into the Ministry that early February day.

Fleur walked into the half-full elevator as soon as the doors opened and stepped to the side to let the queue of people behind her fill in whatever space was left. As soon as the doors closed and everyone's shuffling subsided, it hit her. Bill. Her spine went straight and she could feel her skin itching to take action. Instead, she steadied her breath and hoped she could get out of the elevator without needing to speak with him. There was no way he wouldn't know she was there. Even if there had been a Giant in the elevator to block his view, Bill's Lupine sense of smell would have picked her out in an instant.

Morgana, it seemed, was not listening.

A few stops later, the part-Veela and her ex-husband with latent Werewolf tendencies were locked in a small box together.

Two hours later, Fleur was out of the box, out of the building, blocks away, and still fuming.

"'You should really come,' – psh! Az eef I woz so upset to miss 'orrible, cliche decorations and perfectly good food ruined by colorant alimentaire," she said as she put down her teacup onto the saucer a bit too harshly.

"Don't forget the gnomes forced into wearing little wings and bow and arrows," Hermione added as she discreetly cleaned up the tea Fleur had spilled. Her companion let out a disgusted noise and Hermione smiled to herself. She didn't think herself a petty witch, but she did sometimes admit enjoying her own annoyance with the rambunctious family reflected on someone else's face. Plus it was fun to get Fleur flustered when she knew she could talk her right out of it again.

Hermione watched Fleur huff and grumble in French across the table. It had been an unexpected friendship, but one she found she was appreciating and enjoying more every day.

"Az eff I had nozing else better to do," she caught Fleur mumbling and momentarily wondered if Bill's overstep in boundaries was the only thing bothering her friend. Perhaps she didn't have anything better to do.

"You know," Hermione started, then cleared her throat, adjusted her seat and started again. "Well, it's just that I've actually been invited to a couple Valentine's Day events…" Oh, Merlin, maybe this wasn't the right thing to say. Fleur was just staring at her. Don't make it seem like you're bragging! "I hadn't been considering going to any, really. You know, some are work-related, or with people I don't actually spend much time with, I'm sure I just get invited to these things because of Harry most of the time and, anyway, I just thought, if you wanted, maybe we could go to one." She looked up from the napkin she had been twisting in her hands to see a nearly glowing Fleur.

"We could pick whichever sounds the most fun, or a few even!" Hermione started again. Why was she so nervous? She was just asking Fleur–

"Eet is a date," Fleur said. No falter, hesitation or question in her voice. She was actually beginning to smile. How was it possible for Fleur to become even more beautiful?

Hermione let go of her breath.

"It's a date."

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A/N: Thanks to kreeblimsabs for the character suggestions when I originally thought of this scenario.

Also, thank you to nessajana for double checking my tiny bit of French!