A/N: I don't own the Harry Potter characters. And I hope you enjoy :)

Hermione slept well for the first time in a very long time, but even so, she woke up too early for her own liking. She made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table with a pen and some paper, ready to make a list of pros and cons of helping Draco Malfoy. She took a long sip and stared at the empty paper. She felt silly.

Even though she had been the one to propose a proper meeting, her heart skipped a beat every time she thought about it.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. Her voice echoed in the empty room. "This is stupid. We're both adults." She didn't regret anything she had said the night before. Strange as it might seem to her friends and family, helping him was the right thing to do. More so now than ever before. She thought back to his trial – it was a small affair and he had almost been pardoned. She recalled the look in his eyes, that calm acceptance which had sparked the flame in her. She could not ignore the injustice once she had seen it.

"This is not different at all," she huffed, trying to calm her anxious heart. "It's not like we can ignore it and it will go away." Coffee probably wasn't one of her brightest ideas, but she poured herself another cup. If it made her sick, she had a perfect excuse to get out of the meeting. It was almost 9 a.m.

The knock on her door was quite unexpected, but she went to open it nevertheless. She was surprised to find Fleur there, holding an elegant box of chocolates in her hands.

"Sorry to barge in like zis," the blonde apologized profusely. "I wasn't sure I should come. I 'ave been 'oping to see you since I 'eard…"

"Oh, come in, Fleur." Hermione didn't know how to react. They hadn't interacted much outside of the Order. This was the first time Fleur showed up at her apartment and she couldn't help but wonder: how many of these meetings would there be in the future? "Would you like some coffee?"

"'Zank you. I would like 'zat."

Hermione fixed her a cup, vaguely remembering Fleur liked it black with one cube of sugar. Whether she was right or wrong, the blonde didn't comment on it which Hermione was eternally grateful for.

"How are you?" Fleur asked. Her voice rang out in the apartment and Hermione winced. There was nothing about this woman that wasn't attractive.

"I'm alright, I suppose," she answered, not looking at her. "How about you?"

"I'm good." Fleur took a sip from her cup – it was quite awful, but she pretended to like it. "Imagine my surprise, when I discovered Draco Malfoy is a veela."

"Imagine mine," Hermione couldn't help but snort. "He says I'm his mate, but I'm not quite sure I believe that."

"Why not?" The witch observed her companion curiously. Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Veelas 'ave been known to 'ave bright and beautiful mates."

"Exactly. I don't exactly fit the normal criteria."

This brought a smile to Fleur's face. "No, no you don't," she agreed readily. "But zen again, Malfoy doesn't fit the criteria for a normal veela either, being male and all." She watched Hermione's cheeks redden with a blush. "He's not lying, you know. I can tell you zat much for sure. I can feel it in the air."

"Is that so?" Hermione remarked dryly.

"It is. Bill says you are meeting with Mr Malfoy today."

"I am," the brunette confirmed, not seeing any point in denying it.

"Would you like me to come along?" Fleur's offer was unexpected and Hermione almost dropped her coffee cup. She thanked Merlin she didn't spill anything or her tablecloth could be forever ruined. "I doubt Mr Malfoy will come alone. He would find it too risky."

"Why do you think so?" wondered Hermione. She put her cup on the table carefully, afraid of losing her hold of it.

"He wants to keep 'is distance, so it's reasonable to assume zat, n'est-ce pas?"

Hermione thought about it and nodded. "You're right. It would be very kind of you to accompany me." She wanted to make things less awkward between the two of them, but couldn't think of anything to say. They sat in the silence for a while, before Fleur spoke again.

"It's not a terrible fate, you know. Even if it is with Malfoy." She gave up on trying to drink the coffee. It was truly too vile. "He's not the first male veela. There 'ave been many in ze past. But you won't find anyzing in your books." Her eyes found Hermione's and the brunette could see the fiery look in them. "You must keep him a secret for as long as you can. There are people who remember the last time and they won't 'esitate to 'ave him destroyed."

"The last time?" Hermione frowned. She had planned to keep it down anyway, but she was intrigued by Fleur's passion. "What happened the last time?"

"Ze world was changed," Fleur admitted. "For the worse, to be 'onest. Many lives were affected." She paused, considering whether to say what was on her mind or not. In the end, she decided to go for it.

"Try not to reject him," the quarter-veela pleaded. "Even if you want to, please don't. Give him false 'ope, if you must, but don't reject him outright. He would give you the world to try and change your mind."

"But I don't want the world." Fleur's words didn't make sense to Hermione. There were about a million questions swirling in her head.

"You'll have to convince him of zat," Fleur laughed. "What I mean is… He'll do anyzing to win your affections. And I do mean anything."

"So what do you suggest I do?"

"For the time being? Just give him a chance. Take it one step at a time." Fleur reached out and took Hermione's hand in hers. She gave it a comforting squeeze. "He was a pompous ass at school, I know. He told me all about your 'istory."

Hermione pulled her hand back. She wondered if Fleur had noticed her bitten nails and damaged cuticles on her fingers. It wasn't like it mattered, but the woman's mere presence made her think about things that she should probably do to improve her own looks. It was just the effect she had on her, on most woman, she suspected.

"I can only hope to understand him one day," she said quietly. It felt strange to talk about Malfoy with Fleur of all people and not with Harry and Ron. But she knew they wouldn't understand. They wanted the best for her, but life had other plans. Stuck with bloody Malfoy...

As if reading her mind, Fleur interrupted her trail of thought: "He is the best for you. It may be hard for you to see it now, but you really are the perfect match for each other. And you don't 'ave to accept him. Bill didn't lie about that."

"But I would essentially doom him into a meaningless existence," moaned Hermione, revealing her inner struggle. "What kind of person would I be if I did that?"

"An 'onest one." Fleur opened the box of chocolates and offered Hermione one. The brunette took it happily, the smell of chocolate arousing her appetite. "It is perfectly acceptable to choose your own 'appiness over someone else's."

The chocolate melted in Hermione's mouth. She had a perfectly good counterargument for Fleur's words, yet she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Deep in her heart, she agreed with her anyway. For a moment, she imagined the world without Draco Malfoy. She imagined her life, if she made the wrong choice.

"I don't think I can."

Fleur smiled, knowing well what she meant by that. She didn't deign to comment on how many clever witches and wizards had died of heartbreak, withered away without accomplishing any of the things they were destined to achieve. Prophesies broken, hopes shattered. What difference would another make? Fleur cheered in her heart for the young veela. It was no secret Malfoy's name was both feared and despised and there were many who would love to see him suffer. Hermione Granger wasn't one of them.

Satisfied, she stood up. The digital clock on top of the cupboard read 11:22.

"I must go now, but I'll be back soon," she announced. Hermione got up too and walked over. Fleur leaned in to give her a hug and the bushy-haired witch accepted it awkwardly. "Relax, read a book. Don't worry too much."

"I won't," Hermione promised and smiled. Fleur's visit had calmed her a bit and helped her feel more confident about her decision to support her former archenemy. Alone again, her anxiety levels began to rise again and resolving to not let her mind get ahead of the actual events, she went to shower.

"Chill, Draco. I'm sure you'll be able to find your mundane happiness or whatever. It's just a date. You don't need me to come along."

"No, you don't get it, Blaise. If it's just her with me, I don't know if I can hold back."

"Maybe you shouldn't hold back," Blaise wriggled his eyebrows. "If you just want her to leave her alone."

"I don't want to hurt her." The blonde's voice broke. He was leaning over a sink, looking away from the mirror. He had looked for any changes in his appearance (veelas were supposed to become more attractive once they matured, right?), but he has happy to say he looked as handsome as before, that is – in his own eyes. Draco turned to look at Blaise. He was desperate. "I can't hurt her."

"Oh please," snorted the Italian. "You've liked her since what, third year? About time you did something about it."

Draco glared at him. "It's like you don't understand at all!" He threw his arms up, as if throwing a tantrum. But he was just feeling hopeless and Blaise could see that. "I swore to leave her alone."

"What if she doesn't want to be left alone?"

"Of course she does!" Draco stared at his friend in utter bewilderment. How could Blaise not see what was so clear to him?

"But isn't she like… pestering you with this?" Blaise raised an eyebrow. Draco was so easy to read sometimes.

"Yes, but…"

"So she's the one not leaving you alone?"

"Yes, but…"

"So what's the problem?"

Draco took a deep breath and blurted out: "She shouldn't. She should be doing things that make her happy. I can't imagine she could be happy with me."

"Have you considered…" Blaise paused for a dramatic effect. "That helping poor innocent souls is what makes her happy?" Catching the blonde's attention, he continued matter-of-factly: "Even if she only wants to help out of the kindness of her heart, you should take advantage of the situation! Are you a Slytherin or not?"

"What's your point?" Draco's glare intensified. He didn't like where this was going.

"If you really want her to leave you alone, she must reject you, isn't that right?" Draco nodded in response. "Well, think about it then," Blaise spoke hurriedly. "Woo her. It'll drive her crazy. She'll leave you alone in no time. And you won't hurt her in the process."

"You might have a point." Draco turned back to face the mirror. He scrutinized his hair and ran his fingers through it to mess it up a little more. Pansy had said it looked sexy, untamed like that. It wouldn't hurt to look good for their meeting. "You still need to come along today."

He didn't see Blaise roll his eyes.

"Fine," the wizard finally agreed. "But only because I want to see you two in action. She's a force on her own."

"Yeah, she is." Draco couldn't hide the smile creeping on his face. Blaise smirked. Draco wasn't the only scheming Slytherin around there.