A.N. Merry Christmas one and all! I know it's a couple of day's early but I don't think I'll post another chapter before Christmas. And also, hooray for Marriage Equality in Australia, I'm a bit late, about a month late in fact, but still. Hooray!

Ginny

Standing near the entrance of the castle, I wave as the carriage containing my best friend slowly disappears in the distance. The small gathering of other students that came out to see her and the Delacour's off had already gone back to the castle, most likely to either listen to or start rumors about why they are all leaving. But Pansy, Emily and I all stood at the entrance, none of us wanting to leave at the moment, even with the carriage almost out of sight we felt the need to stay at the entrance.

Resting my head on Pansy's shoulder and tightening my grip on her waist, I fought back the urge to cry… again. Sniffling quietly and rubbing my face on the warm shoulder beneath my head, I allowed my eyes to wander around the school, hoping for some kind of distraction.

Looking past Emily I noticed Luna standing near the by, her head seemed to be moving from looking towards the leaving carriage, before looking towards us and then back towards the carriage again. I waved her over but, gathering Pansy's attention as well, but instead of coming over she rushed off towards the school.

"What was that about?" Pansy asked as she looked down at me.

I shrug my shoulder's, still looking in the direction that Luna had just disappeared in, "I think I'm going to go talk to her…" I tell Pansy as I realize that I haven't actually spoken to her properly for quite some time now.

Pansy removes her hand from my shoulder as I pull away from her, immediately missing the warmth that the brunette provided me. But I continued towards the school undeterred, Emily watches me leave, a questioning look on her face, I shrug to her as well which only seems to confuse her further. Not having time to explain I simply nod my head back towards Pansy, hoping she'd get the message and talk to her.

Entering the castle, I see the familiar white-blond hair almost immediately as Luna is simply leaning against a wall just inside the castle doors. Tear tracks streaming down her cheeks as the drops fall to the floor, but she makes no move to try and hide them as other students glance at her while they walk past. Quickly I walk up to the white-blond and wrap her in a firm, comforting hug, without saying anything I start walking her in the direction of the library, knowing that on days off it was usually empty. The only common visitor being Hermione and then Fleur once she had arrived.

Madam Pince simply glanced up at us as we walked into the lonely library, I expected her to mutter something or, at the very least, glare at us. But she just gave us a small smile as we walked in, focusing back on whatever was on her desk. I sat Luna down in a very secluded part of the library, a part Hermione herself had told me to use if I ever needed to be alone.

The desks and chairs were kept pristine by the House Elves, but the books were usually left dusty as the librarian forbade the House Elves from touching them. I sat down beside Luna, putting my arm around her shoulder and pulling her towards me, her tears had stopped part way through the journey, but that didn't mean that the pain was over.

After some time I decided to speak, hoping that Luna would be able to respond, "Hey… Luna?" I ask, rubbing her arm comfortingly.

She looks up into my eyes, and I'm disturbed by what I see, in her eyes I can see hopelessness, despair, and most prominently, loneliness, the blonde sniffles a few times before she opens her mouth to speak.

"I…" She tries to speak, but her mouth moves uselessly, the only noises escaping being soft grunts. She clears her throat and breathes deeply a few times, trying to gather her composure so she can speak. "I fell in love," she sighs groaning as she pulls away from me and rests her head on the table.

"Why is that so bad? Shouldn't that be a good thing?" I ask, hoping to lighten her spirits even a little.

"How could it be good when the same day that I actually realize my feelings is the same day that she leaves!?" The white-blond yells, gaining the attention of the librarian.

She walks over, but instead of growling or yelling at us she simply stands on the other side of the desk, a sad smile on her face. "I'm sorry girl's but can you keep it down?" The both of us nod apologetically before the older woman walks away, she glances back at us briefly but says nothing else.

"I love her Gin," Luna sighs, resting her head on the desk, "What am I supposed to do?" She asked sadly.

I looked down into her eyes, the raw emotion in her eyes was kind of scary, and I wondered how the young girl could feel so strongly. I wasn't even sure if I could feel so strongly for Pansy and we were actually together.

"You can still write to her, can't you?" I asked, not really sure what to say.

Luna shrugged her shoulders, "I guess," she says pouting, "But it's not the same. When I was with her, it was always fun. And there was just something about her… I don't know what it was, I just felt a… Pull." She groaned once again, softly banging her head on the table.

"It'll be okay," I said, rubbing her back softly, "It's not like this is goodbye forever, you can visit her on the holidays, or something."

Luna laughed sadly, her eyes tearing up once again, "I wish it were that simple," was the last thing she said before standing up and leaving. I wanted to follow her, but something inside me told me not to, that what she needed now was time alone.

I got up and left the library a few minutes after Luna and headed towards the dorms, my emotions running so high all day had me exhausted, and I needed to rest.

Hermione

Sitting on the one car train back to Britain I couldn't contain my anxiousness at meeting my parents, clutching Fleur's hand in my own I worried I was beginning to crush it. But she didn't complain, didn't even bat an eye at my grip, all she did was sit there, her thumb slowly rubbing my hand, offering so much comfort. Pulling her down I quickly, pecked her lips as the train started slowing down, burying my head in the crook of Fleur's shoulder I told myself that everything was going to be okay.

We came to a stop at the platform and fear doubled, my hand trembled in Fleur's as I looked out on the platform. My mother and father were waiting patiently on a nearby bench, their stony faces revealing nothing of what they were feeling at this point. Standing against a pillar I recognized Fleur's mother and who I presume is her father, even from my seat on the train I could tell they were worried and a red spot had grown on Fleur's mothers face.

"This does not look good," Gabrielle said from her seat in front of us.

"No… It doesn't," I looked up at Fleur, her blue eyes shining with tears and it the reality of the situation really hit home. I gripped her hand a little tighter, hoping to comfort her a little while also trying to comfort myself. "We can do this Fleur, together."

She smiled down at me, her eyes connecting with mine, "We can," she whispered before kissing me lightly on the lips.

The three of us left the train together, I smiled at Apolline as she approached slowly, and she smiled back, but before I could greet her, my father grabbed my arm tightly and started dragging me away. I clutched Fleur's hand tighter as I was dragged away, essentially dragging her with me.

"Let go of her and come with us!" My mother growled as she pulled the hand that I was gripping Fleur with.

Fleur looked into my eyes pointedly, a soft smile coming to her lips and at that moment, I knew she wasn't going anywhere, I smiled back at her before looking towards my mother.

"She's not going anywhere mum," I said calmly but firmly.

"Get that freak out of my sight!" My father yelled as my mother continued to rip at my arm causing me to yelp in pain.

"Please… Stop that," Fleur pleaded, her voice breaking as she did so.

Immediately Apolline and her husband, Monsieur, were upon us, Apolline raised her wand as she quickly cast a couple of spells to pacify both my parent's. Her husband quickly ushering the both of us away before Apolline brought my parents back into their consciousness.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, please calm down," Apolline tried, but my parents were livid, as both their faces grew red with anger.

"We will not! That disgusting freak over there defiled our daughter, and she will never see our baby again!" My mother yelled as tears streamed down her face, my father just stood there, his arm around my mother's shoulders.

"Mum, please, it was an accident, sure, but she didn't defile me, and she isn't a disgusting freak… I love her mum." I said fighting back the tears, my mother's face softened slightly, but it hardened again almost immediately.

"If you stay with her then you're no longer welcome at home."

The statement rang through my head like a gunshot, my heart seemed to stop in my chest as my parents turned away, heading out of the station. I raised my hand gingerly, trying to call out to them but no sound would escape my mouth. Tears streamed down my face, as the feeling seemed to drain from my body. I collapsed into the strong arms of Monsieur as I started openly sobbing in front of the small family.

"Come on love, we should get her home," Apolline spoke, but I was barely able to register what she said as I slipped into a numb void.

Fleur

I clutched my love's hand as I desperately fought back tears, never in my life had I been called a freak or disgusting, but that wasn't what really hurt. What really hurt was that the two people who were supposed to love Hermione unconditionally had instead cast her out and put her into a horrible state.

I fought desperately against the urge to track the couple down and hurt them as badly as they hurt my love, but I knew that would ruin what I had with Hermione. But to keep my love, whom I could not live without, I had to fight against my basic biological instincts, the very same instincts that draw me towards her. I fought against them as hard as I could, and the only reason I was really able to keep myself still was the knowledge that my love needed me.

I kissed her forehead in the hopes of pulling her out of wherever she was to no avail, "Mama, Papa, why would they do this to their own daughter?" I asked sadly.

My mother turned around in her car seat sporting a sad smile, "Its because they are human, honey. Human's make mistakes without realizing it, especially when it comes to their children. Believe me, when I tell you, there is a good chance you'll end up doing the same."

I looked down at Hermione's face, rubbing my hand over her slowly growing belly, and at that moment, I vowed that I would never do this to our child. I looked up at my parents and wondered whether or not they had ever done the same thing to me.

"Mama, Papa, you've never hurt me with a mistake… Although Papa… I owe you an apology…" I said looking at the floor in shame.

"It's okay love, I was kind of a dick…" My head snapped up to my parents as I looked between the two.

"I'm sorry love," my mother apologized, "But I couldn't keep a secret from your father, you'll find that out soon with Hermione."

I smiled looking back down at Hermione I knew already that she was right, there was nothing I wouldn't do for the young brunette.

Gabrielle sat on the other side of Hermione, she kept glancing at the brunette with a worried look, I smiled at my little sister hoping to reassure her in some way. She smiled back at me, seemingly satisfied with my small reassuring look as she looked back out the window.

Resting my head against the window of the car, I started to wonder about my parents. Why they seemed to not really care that I was kicked out of school or the Triwizard Tournament, didn't mind that I was going to have a baby. Why didn't they yell at me? Say they were angry or disappointed, did they really care about me… About us?

I shook those idiotic thoughts from my mind, of course, my parents cared about me, I was just being stupid. Looking out the window I grimaced at the sight before me, an old house, run-down house sat in the middle of a plot of sand. The fencing around the perimeter of the house was filled with holes, and the shrubbery from the surrounding houses was growing through, completely unkept.

Ignoring the house for a moment my eyes floated towards the sign outside of the house, most importantly, the massive red sticker exclaiming onto the world 'Sold!'. My eyes darted from the sign to the house, to my parents then back to the sign again, my mind raced at what the hell this could be before I could really think my father opened my door.

I took his proffered hand and climbed out of the car, dragging a still catatonic Hermione from the car, glad that even her sub-conscious trusted and followed me. Her eyes fluttered slightly as she looked at the large real estate sign, but she still looked stuck in her own mind.

My father smiled down at the two of us as he gestured to the rundown house, "Girls, this is your new home," he declared, I looked at the rundown place with a mixture of happiness and disgust.

The fact that my parents had bought us a house was amazing, beyond amazing even, but the state the house was in… Couldn't they have just… I stopped my train of thought immediately, looking towards my parents, extremely grateful.

"I know it's a lot of work," my father sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "But it's all we could get on such short notice and… Well…" My father couldn't continue, clamming up as he glanced at the old house.

My mother took over now, her eyes turning hard as she glares at me, "Kicked out of school, forced off the Triwizard Tournament and now her!" My mother yelled, her frustrations finally getting the better of her, "I mean you got your mate pregnant! And you're only kids yourselves…" A tear rolled down her cheek, as she shook her head slowly, "We just think that it'd be best for all of us, if you make your own way, even if just for a little while."

I nodded solemnly as I looked around the property, the odd mixed feelings continuing to wash over me. "So this is now yours and Hermione's home," my father said as he pulled out the deed to the house.

Hermione leaped towards my mother and father hugging and thanking them both over and over again, a massive smile on her face. "Thank you so much!" She jumped up and down like an excited child, before dashing towards the house with Gabi in tow.

My father followed after with an affectionate chuckle, as I stayed with my mother, "Its fully furnished," my mother explained, "And we'll send you a monthly allowance so you can live, but I want you to find a job, to look after your family. And don't tell your grandmother, she'd go crazy if she found out I wanted you to be independent of us."

I nodded, grateful for everything my mother had done for me, grateful that she wanted me to grow on my own, but I didn't know how, I was scared. I put an arm around my mother's waist, and in that moment, she grabbed my hand with a flash, glaring at the many scars along my arm. I winced as my mother ran her hand over them, as her tears started to tear up uncontrollably.

"What the hell Fleur?!" She whisper-yelled, "Why would you do this to yourself?" she asked, her voice a mix of anger and worry.

I pulled my arm away from her grip and ran my own fingers over the scars, my mind flashing back to the few months I spent away from Hermione and the intense pain I felt with her, not by my side. "I don't really know," I shrugged my shoulders solemnly, "But after I met Hermione for the first time, everything just got worse and worse without her… Everything felt dead… Flat. The pain not only reminded me that I was still alive, but drew my mind away from the emptiness I felt, even if it was just a fleeting distraction." I looked into my mother's eyes, she stared at me in shock and fear, "What is it Mama?"

She shook her head, dismissing fear as nothing before looking back towards the house, "I want you to continue your muggle schooling, I know you passed their year twelve curriculum, but I think you should do more. There aren't enough Delacour's mixing with the muggle's, they all just get their magic and go off into the wizarding world, never to be seen in the muggle world again. Unless of course, we have a family gathering," she shook her head with a sigh before looking at me, "Will you do this for me? For our family?"

I smiled up at my mother, "Of course Mama."

My mother nodded before heading towards the house herself, I followed after her, looking at the house and everything that needed to be fixed. I rested my hand on my wand and smiled at how easy it was going to be with magic, but something was gnawing at me, for some reason I felt I wanted to do some of the work myself, with my hands. Not being able to explain why I decided to leave the thought alone for now and explore my new home with my family.

Upon entering the house, I noticed immediately that the insides resembled much the same as the outside, the same red brick on every wall, the plumbing had started to rust, except for the kitchen sink which I suspect my mother had fixed already. The carpets were brown in some patches and a dull grey in others, and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out if one of them was the original color or not.

The windows didn't open easily, the most of the lights flickered, and the pipes rattled whenever ant tap was turned on. The 'furnishings' that my mother consisted of a couch, kitchen table and chairs, a bed and a whole lot of baby stuff. Aside from those all we had were the bare necessities, but the pure joy on Hermione's face as she sat on the couch in the living room was enough to excite me as well.

I sighed contentedly as I sat down next to Hermione, Gabi sat on the floor looking up at us with a smile on her face. In the background, I could hear my parents arguing about something, but as Hermione rested her head on my shoulder, I completely forgot about them and just focussed on being here, in the moment.

"I can't believe Mama and Papa bought you guy's a house of your own," Gabriella complained half-heartedly.

"Well just go off and get pregnant and they'll do the same for you," I teased my little sister, laughing as she puffed up her cheeks in protest.

"I can't, I'm going to marry Luna!" She declared as if it were already a fact.

"You can't know that for sure," I spoke seriously, I didn't want to hurt my baby sister, but I didn't want her to get her hopes up, "She may not be your mate, you haven't reached that age quite yet."

"I don't care, we will be together," Gabi replied in a sad whisper.

I sighed sadly, my heart went out to her, it really did, I remembered feeling the same way for a boy when I was her age, but now I couldn't even remember his name. But looking at my sad little sister, I couldn't help myself and ended up agreeing with her just to make her happy.

A soft poke to my side drew my attention towards Hermione, she looked up at me with a question clearly visible in her eyes, "What is it, Mon Amour?" I asked, kissing her forehead softly.

"I want to know more about Veela, I mean… I've wanted to know more for a while now, but I'm growing some that are going to be part Veela so I think I should know more about them… You."

"We'll have the books sent over right away," my mother chirped as she suddenly appeared next to us, causing the both of us to jump so high we almost touched the ceiling. Gabriella laughed loudly at us, practically rolling on the floor in a fit of giggles. My father came up behind my mother, a smile on his face, a smile I knew was completely fake, but I didn't question it, was afraid to question it.

"Thank you so much," Hermione smiled at both my parents in turn.

"But be sure that no one else reads them, they are for Veela and their mates only, not nosy witches and wizards. But anyway, we'd best be off now, let the two of you settle into your new home, we'll be around in a few days to check on how things are going." My mother said, seeming to be in a rush to get out of the house for some reason.

"Is everything all right, Mrs. Delacour?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"All is well, my dear, nothing to worry about, anyway, Gabi, Monsieur," my mother practically demanded.

We saw the three out of the house with smiles, and after saying goodbye and getting side-tracked with a conversation about a hundred time's, they were off, leaving Hermione and I by ourselves in the small house. Hermione stood at the bench while I busied myself with making the two of us a simple dinner of fried eggs and bacon with a side of toast.

"Were your mother and father alright?" Hermione asked as I pulled the bread from the toaster, "Your mother seemed a bit rushed and your father's smile didn't seem real…"

I looked at Hermione affectionately, of course the ever-observant girl had noticed, "I don't really know, my mother seemed to freak out when she saw my arm, and before you say it, it seemed to be more about the reason, not the scars themselves."

Not really knowing what else to say about my parent's weird behavior we decided to eat our dinner before heading off to bed, it was still very early but the emotional stress of the day had gotten the better of us. Leaving the dishes for the morning we walked, hand-in-hand, towards our new bedroom, our un-opened trunks lay in the middle of the floor. I gazed at the bed longingly, I couldn't be bothered getting ready for bed, so instead, I just dropped into the soft white linen and got comfortable while Hermione diligently dressed into pajamas and brushed her teeth.

Lying in bed, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering towards Hermione's own parent's and whether or not they'd be able to accept me as one of their own. I wished with my entire being that they did, that they could accept me, if only for their own daughter's sake.

Hermione climbed into the bed next to me, facing away from me, I looked over at her, and while I couldn't really see her in the darkness, I could tell something was off. Crawling over to her I wrapped my arms around her waist, she was trembling, my presence seeming to allow her to let go as she started to cry. I didn't say anything, didn't know what to say, I just lay there holding her, hoping that I could give her some form of comfort. My heart ached with every sob, so much so that by the time Hermione had fallen asleep I lay behind her, silently crying myself. Listening to the younger girl cry was too hard, and I had to fix it.

I stayed with Hermione during the night and emptied my mind, fixing things could wait, right now I needed to stay with Hermione, to stay in the present just in case she woke up and needed my help. As I lay in the darkness I heard the smallest sounds of movement, I glanced around the room instinctually but couldn't see anything. The sound stopped after a few moments, so I let it go, resolving to buy rat poison the next day.

I rubbed Hermione's stomach, as I had found myself doing much of the time since I found out she was pregnant and hoped that the little thing inside her wasn't under too much stress. Another and possibly greater reason for resolving the situation suddenly jumped to the forefront of my mind, the health of the baby. Closing my eye's, I forced myself to drift off to sleep.