Author note: Happy Fleurmione Week 2022!

I was not planning to do day 1. In fact, I was fairly certain I was only going to do one maybe two entries for this year's fleurmione week. That changed slightly over the last several weeks, so you're going to see a few more this week, but even yesterday morning I woke up and had no plans for day 1. And then this 1960s scene I thought up several months ago came knocking in the afternoon and I suddenly thought of a way for it to fit the prompt, and so I spent a few hours last night turning a few barebones sentences into this lol

college library meet-cute, light flirtation, attraction, pre-relationship, No Magic AU, College AU, 1960s AU

Day 1: "If I love you, is that a fact or a weapon?"

You'll find more Fleurmione Week entries over at archive of our own, so head on over when you get the chance

The Hogwarts University library wasn't always the quietest place but if one knew where to go, it wasn't so bad. Fleur liked studying there because she could wander amongst the shelves and stacks and always find something interesting to read. Because she felt a sense of oneness with all the students who came before her. And because it was one of the few places at the university where she could find a place to avoid those who would dare interrupt her studies for something as insignificant as asking her out on a date.

Not that she didn't date. She had started dating a very nice young man a few months ago in fact. William Weasley was older and finishing his doctoral degree this school year. His dissertation kept him busy so he was rarely on school grounds, which worked in her favor since this was only her third year at university and she very much wanted to finish her degree before settling down to marriage and a family.

But that time was far enough away for her to put it out of her mind as she refocused on the papers and books in front of her.

Unfortunately for Fleur, exams were approaching and a crowded library in the middle of the day meant grabbing the first free chair she could find, which forced her to work on her essay at one of the tables in the main reading room. The nearby laughter and whispered conversations were distracting but she did her best to concentrate.

That ended when the boy across from her left and a girl quickly took his place.

Fleur had seen her around the library and in various buildings over the last year, and she knew who her regular friends were, though they didn't know Fleur. Hermione Granger, third year student. They didn't share courses; Fleur was in the humanities and the girl was earning a degree in mathematics.

Whenever Fleur saw her she couldn't help pondering the reasons why she found her so striking. That she was pretty was a given. Hermione had wild curly brown hair which she rarely bothered to tame, and was currently dressed in a knee-length skirt and modest collared blouse, but there was something about her that caused Fleur to feel like unfamiliar and dangerous things could happen if she were to spend any time with her.

The girl hadn't made much noise when she sat down. She had laid out her books and immediately set to reading, but the reason why Fleur found her so distracting was the sneaking suspicion that the girl was watching her.

Every time she looked up, the girl's gaze was fixed on her textbook, but Fleur could feel the attention. It was something she was used to. Being a blonde, attractive French girl studying at a British university meant she'd had her share of stares from interested boys and spiteful girls.

This felt different somehow.

So instead of writing her paper, Fleur kept peeking upwards, hoping to catch her in the act. She wasn't sure what she would do when she did, but it seemed important for her to do so either way.

Then it happened.

Blue eyes looked up and found amused brown eyes looking back.

The girl quirked up an eyebrow, expectant.

Fleur blinked, suddenly off-balance, feeling like she'd made a mistake by trying to catch the girl out. She should've kept her head down.

Perhaps realizing Fleur's dilemma, Hermione did something unexpected.

The girl reached over and grabbed the top page of her essay. Fleur was too stunned by the action to say anything. Hermione frowned as she read over the paragraphs.

"That's a terrible title," the brunette remarked softly, sliding the sheet back towards Fleur.

"Pardon?" Fleur whispered harshly. The cocky expression that faced her annoyed her even more than the words had. "What's wrong with it?"

Hermione snorted. "Please. Your argument aside, which I won't even go into right now, the title has no punch. 'The detrimental effects of love and unrealistic expectations to women seeking successful marriages in the 19th century as set out in the novels of Jane Austen' is about as exciting as a dunk in the Thames."

Fleur clenched her jaw, tightly gripping her pen. She thought her title did a very good job of succinctly describing her paper's main idea… and what was wrong with her argument? Granted, she had initially been hesitant when William first suggested it after she'd been trying to think of essay topics a couple of weeks ago, but she really did think some women had unrealistic expectations when it came to selecting husbands. Women would be far less disappointed if they prioritized stability and financial security over unruly, unpredictable emotions like love.

As quickly as her fury flared at having her work challenged and criticized, the girl's expression softened.

"Look, you want the title to stick in your reader's head. What about something like 'If I love you, is that a fact or a weapon? What Jane Austen gets right and wrong about women's marital expectations in the 19th century'. What do you think?"

"That's… actually not bad," conceded Fleur, the tension in her shoulders easing. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," whispered the brunette. Then she bit her lip, fiddling with her hands. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'd just seen you around ever since you transferred here last year, and I'd been wanting to introduce myself so I finally worked up the nerve to talk to you. I'm Hermione Granger."

The admission caused a strange flutter in her stomach. Fleur didn't know what to think about this encounter anymore. Hermione had been wanting to talk to her?

"It's nice to meet you," Fleur replied cautiously. "I'm Fleur Delacour."

Hermione smiled. "I know."

The smile increased the fluttering in her stomach, and Fleur looked down, feeling a blush rise up her neck.

"I have another question," ventured Hermione after a long silence.

Fleur looked up again, seeing the cockiness back on the brunette's face.

Wanting to answer it with some cockiness of her own, Fleur smirked and said, "Ask away."

"Stones or Beatles?"

"I'm sorry?" Fleur was again caught off guard. A music question?

"Stones or Beatles. You must have a favorite. Most everyone does. Which are you?"

For a second, Fleur thought she would say she didn't have a favorite. While she had heard of these groups and liked some of their songs, she didn't really pay attention to the music scene and wasn't all that knowledgeable. But it was suddenly important that Hermione not know that about her.

"The Beatles," Fleur answered firmly.

The brunette smiled and started to gather her books. "Of course. Not a bad answer at all. They make perfectly acceptable music."

Unsure if she was being made fun of or not, Fleur tilted her head and said, "I suppose your answer to the question would be the Rolling Stones."

"Not a bad answer either, and I do like them very much. Anyways, I have to get to class. It was nice to finally talk. Maybe we can meet here again tomorrow?"

Hermione stood up from her chair, her books held tightly against her chest, and the earlier cockiness had been replaced with something earnest and hopeful. A nervousness as she waited for Fleur's answer.

There was something alarming about what that did to her heart beat. And yet she found she liked how it imbued her with confidence. She liked that she could make this girl nervous.

"I'll be here tomorrow at two if you tell me your answer to your question," Fleur said.

The smile that brightened the girl's face made Fleur feel like she was staring into the sun.

"Two o'clock then. I'll be here."

Promptly turning around, Hermione started to walk away.

Fleur huffed, confused about whether to be annoyed at the non-answer or happy that she was going to see her again the next day anyway.

Then the girl spun around and said loudly, much to the consternation of the nearby studying students, "The correct answer to my question, by the way, is the Kinks."

At that, Hermione winked and hurried towards the exit, and Fleur's eyes followed, wondering at the new friend she had made, and deciding it would probably be a good idea to go to the record store before dinner and find out more about these Kinks.

A/N: Title from the Kinks song "You Really Got Me"

I have no idea if I'm going to turn this into anything, so I'm leaving this complete for now

Thanks for reading!