Fleur

"Fleur… Can we talk?" Harry asked as he took a seat beside me in the school's library.

I looked curiously towards the younger boy, "What is it, Harry?"

Harry looked sheepish as he stared down at the table between us, "I… I'm sorry about how I acted a couple of weeks ago, after the First Task, and for avoiding you up until now."

"Don't worry about it," I spoke curtly as I eyed the Gryffindor.

"No really," The boy continued, "It was stupid and unfair, and I'm grateful for what you did. I was just feeling inferior and afraid. You chose the Horntail to save me, but what if you had died? It would have been to save me and, I don't deserve such kindness, especially after the way I acted."

I sighed as I listened to the sincerity in Harry's voice, "Harry, you need to listen to me. I am in my seventh year of schooling, while you are only in your fourth. Not only that, your Headmaster asked me to help you. You shouldn't feel inferior when in reality, you are simply not as experienced as I or the other Champions."

Harry nodded his head in understanding, but I was unsure whether or not he accepted what I had said. Either way, the air between us had at least somewhat been cleared, if only by a little. We sat chatting for only a few moments before he took off, allowing me to return to my studies. The studying was short-lived, however, as I was interrupted by a Ravenclaw walking up to my table.

I grumbled silently, annoyed by the second interruption, as the boy took it upon himself to sit in the chair that Harry had just vacated. He smiled a winning smile as I gave him my full attention, "Good morning Fleur, how has your day been?" The boy asked, ignoring the stack of books I had been intently studying before he sat down.

"Fine, I've just been trying to study," I looked pointedly towards the books, hoping he'd take the hint while I racked my brain for his name only to come up with nothing.

"As a Triwizard Champion, I'm sure you don't need to study all that much," The Ravenclaw commented.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, "Did you need something…" I trailed off, hoping that whoever this person was, they'd at least take the hint and fill me in on their name.

"Roger Davies," The Ravenclaw supplied.

"Roger," I said with a slight nod.

"Yes… I'm surprised you haven't heard of me; I am the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team," Roger looked a little dejected as he introduced himself, I found myself loathing his arrogance.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Roger, but as you can see, I'm busy," I motioned to the many books on the desk in front of me.

"Of course, I'll get straight to the point. As you know, the Yule ball is coming up, and I would be honored if you'd go with me."

I removed my hands from the books in front of me and placed them nervously in my lap as Hermione's face flashed in my mind. "I'm sorry… I already have someone else in mind."

The Ravenclaw nodded his head, seemingly in disbelief after being turned down and it wasn't long before he trudged his way out of the library in slight embarrassment.

I chewed on my lower lip as my nerves began to bubble in the pit of my stomach. I had been wrestling with the idea of asking Hermione to go to the Ball with me for weeks now. I thought the best way to go about it was to ask if she wanted to go as friends, but that somehow felt wrong, as if it was somehow dishonest with her and myself, given the romantic nature of the event.

I closed my eyes and tried my best to clear my thoughts and steady my breathing to focus on something I knew I could figure out, the Golden Egg. Unfortunately, I became very distracted as, in the newfound silence of the area around me, I was able to overhear a couple of nearby students gossiping by one of the book stacks close to my desk.

"Did you hear about Hermione?" A girl whispered, my eyes shot open at the mention of the Gryifindor's name, and I looked around instinctively for her.

I continued to listen, even as disappointment washed over me, "What part?" Another girl asked.

"That she's going to the Ball with Viktor."

"There is no way that's true. She's with Ginny."

My heart began to thump in my chest. Usually, I would ignore whatever gossip was spread around by people, especially students, as I was no stranger to having rumors spread around about myself. But as they talked about Hermione's love life, I found myself wanting to run away and hide, to ignore that she might be with someone else, but I was rooted in place, my ears pricked as I listened to every word that came from the gossiping students.

"No, no, I overheard Viktor asking her to the ball a few days ago, I didn't quite make out what her answer was, but there is no way she said no based on how red she was when she left the stacks and the smile that Viktor was sporting as he emerged."

"But… I heard from Fay that she and Ginny were… Doing stuff in the dorms." My heart thundered and my breathing became heavy with anger, but still, I made no moves to leave.

"You're joking."

"No, it's true. Fay told me that when she walked into the dorm room she shared with Hermione, that she saw them. Ginny was on top of Hermione, and they were staring into each other's eyes as they slowly grew closer together."

"No way."

"Yep. Not only that, but Ginny raced after Fay and tried very hard to convince her that nothing was going on. Fay said that the desperation in Ginny's voice gave everything away."

"Wow, so Ginny and Viktor, I guess you really never know about people, huh? Who would have thought that Hermione, of all people, would be after multiple partners… Of both sexes no less. Maybe the Daily Prophet was right about Harry too, and then there's how close she has been with both Ron and Harry these past few years."

I finally couldn't take any more of the gossips and, in my anger, I stomped right over to where I had heard the voices coming from, ready to explode at the two girls. My anger quickly dissipated, however, as I came across two very young Slytherin's, a blond and a brunette, who couldn't have been older than twelve years old, and I didn't want to traumatise the poor girls. I took a few deep breaths, pinching the bridge of my nose as I did so to calm myself as much as possible.

"Oh, wow, your Fleur!" The girls gushed almost in unison, earning a quick, harsh shush from somewhere nearby as their voices raised loudly.

"You were amazing when you fought against that Dragon," The girls began to whisper animatedly about every aspect of my performance in the First Task, all the while expressing their hopes of becoming as strong as I was.

"Stop, please, that's unnecessary," I said as I raised a hand, "I just came over to ask you to keep quiet. I'm trying to figure out what to do with the Golden Egg."

They both grinned as if incredibly pleased by something, "We know the answer! We could tell you; please can we tell you?"

"Now, how would you know the secret behind this Egg?"

"My father was the one that came up with the idea," The blond said proudly, "He's a minister in the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

"No," I said quickly, feeling that being given the answer was tantamount to cheating, "Thank you for the offer but I feel I must figure this out for myself, but I do have a favour to ask if you don't mind." The girls nodded their heads in unison, "So when I looked into the golden egg after opening it for the third time, I thought I saw bubbles through the bright light. Does deciphering the clue have something to do with water?"

The girls smiled at each other, "It does," The brunette said eagerly while the blond nodded the affirmative.

"Thank you, girls," I spoke with a smile for the first time since being interrupted by the Ravenclaw, "Might I know your names?"

"I'm Clara," The brunette spoke up first.

"And I'm Siera," The brunette followed.

"Well, Siera, Clara, thank you again, but I have some things to do, I hope to see you around sometime."

"Bye, Fleur."

"Goodbye," The girls called out to me as I waved to them, leaving them to their gossiping in between the bookshelves.

As I left the library, it was as if a veil was lifted, and the thought of Hermione being with other people began to assault my mind once again. I felt a wave of intense anger build within the pit of my stomach as I started down the steps, walking a touch faster than I usually would and ignoring everyone I passed.

"You wanna go to the Ball Fleur?!" The screamed question made me jump as I quickly turned to see an extremely red-faced Weasley just before he spun on his heel and sprinted up the stairs, fleeing the scene.

"Oh god," The familiar voice drew my attention to a certain redhead that I only know noticed was standing behind me.

Completely forgetting about Ron's screamed question, I couldn't stop myself as I blurted out, "Are you and Hermione together?"

"Dammit," Ginny cursed as she became angry, "Where did you hear that?"

It took everything I had to keep my face and breathing neutral as I answered, "I overheard some young girls discussing it in the Library."

Ginny sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Let me guess, they mentioned the name 'Fay' as well." I nodded my head and jumped as Ginny's hand shot towards the wall slapping the concrete loudly in anger. "I told her that nothing was going on," The redhead growled.

"So it is just gossip?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, nothing is going on between Hermione and me. She has fallen for someone, though," Ginny spoke suggestively, "A certain, Champion."

I felt my eyes prick as tears began to build in my eyes, "The girls were also talking about Viktor asking her to the Ball, I'm assuming you mean him?" I asked, hiding my pain and hoping the hammering in my heart couldn't be heard over the murmur of nearby students.

"He did ask her earlier, but it's not for me to say what her answer was," There was a mischievous glint in Ginny's eye as she replied, making me wonder just what was going on. "Maybe you should talk to Hermione, don't listen to gossipers, listen to her. But I should really get going, help my brother calm down a little after… Well, you know."

I chuckled despite everything as I allowed the young girl to go after her brother. I walked into the hallway, joining the throngs of students, as I mulled over what Ginny had told me and, more importantly, the way she had phrased it.

"Could she be…" I wondered to myself, Is she pushing me towards Hermione?

Hermione

"So you finally apologised?" I asked frustratedly as Harry sat down across from me in the Common Room.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I did. She seemed to be a bit distracted, but, you were right, I needed to apologise, and fast."

"Of course, I was," I spoke a little arrogantly, "But I really don't understand your reasoning," I looked the boy in the eyes. "You're a great Wizard, Harry, and you may be lacking compared to the other Champions, but they have also received three years more training and learning than you have."

"I know. But it's just how I feel. It's stupid, but, well, just put me next to you, everyone knows you're the top student in our year, you're probably even better than some of the fifth and sixth-year students. If your name had also placed in the Goblet, then I'm sure that your name would have been chosen before mine."

"Dammit, Harry, stop selling yourself short, you are the youngest seeker that Gryffindor has seen in one-hundred years, that is amazing," I said reassuringly as I rubbed the boy's back comfortingly.

Harry smiled appreciatively as he looked up to me, but before he could say anything, Ron burst into the Common room with a mortified look on his face. He was followed closely by Ginny, who looked quite out of breath as she followed her brother over to where Harry and I were seated.

Ron stayed stone silent as he sat down, his lips moving slowly. Harry waved his hand in front of the boy's face, "What happened to him?"

"He screamed an invitation to the Yule Ball out to Fleur as she passed by," Ginny explained with a slight smirk. "It gave her quite the fright."

"She was just walking by," Ron said as he came out of his state of shock, "You know I love the way they walk." I blushed at the comment as the image of Fleur walking ahead of me came to mind, "Then it kind of just… Slipped out." Ron lowered his head, pushing his right hand against forehead in embarrassment, groaning as he did so.

"Ron, I'm sure it's not that bad," Harry said comfortingly as he moved to kneel beside the redhead.

While Harry tried his darndest to help Ron to feel better, Ginny motioned for me to step away from the two for a moment so we could talk privately. Ginny could no longer hide the enjoyment she got out of her brother's embarrassment as a massive grin spread across her face.

"It was that bad," The girl said with a quiet giggle.

I, however, was not in a laughing mood, "What did Fleur say?" I asked worriedly.

Ginny exploded into a loud burst of laughter at my question, gathering a few shocked glances from the surrounding students, "What did she say?" Ginny asked in between bouts of laughter. It took the young Weasley a few more moments to calm down once again, "Ron didn't stick around long enough for the answer," Ginny said after one last calming breath.

"Did you?"

Ginny smirked, "She didn't answer. She did ask about us, though. Apparently Fay has been telling people that we're an item. Also, that whole Viktor business has been spreading about the school like wildfire, Fleur questioned me about both instances."

"What did you say?" I asked, needing to know every detail of the exchange.

"I told her the truth about us, and that she shouldn't listen to other people, and that she should talk to you rather than question your friends," Ginny explained quickly.

I nodded along as she spoke, as my mind swirled on one question that I put to Ginny, "Why was she so interested in my romantic entanglements, however false they may have been."

Ginny shook her head with an oblivious look on her face, "You're going to have to ask her." Ginny knew that that was not the answer I wanted to hear, but she was right. I needed to talk to Fleur about this, whatever came from it. "Go on and find her now. Harry and I can take care of Ron."

I laughed a little, "Are you going to help or just make fun of him?"

Ginny just grinned as she turned around, heading back towards Harry and Ron, leaving me to look for Fleur. I watched two of my closest friends as I walked away, hoping they didn't get too hot-headed when they learned that I had once again ditched them for Fleur.

I turned around with a slight shrug, "They'll get over it," I murmured to myself as I walked out of the Common Room. I searched high and low in the castle, searching the areas that I had spent the most time with Fleur, before eventually heading down to their Carriage.

I knocked on the door, unsure whether or not I should walk in or wait for someone to answer, luckily, I didn't have to wonder for long as the door opened revealing Fleur, looking somewhat dazed as she looked down from the Carriage.

"You do not need to knock Hermione," Fleur spoke as she motioned for me to enter the Carriage, "If I hadn't been passing by, you would have been waiting out there for the rest of the day."

"Good to know," I said as I followed her to her room, "But I'm sure I would have taken the initiative to walk in by myself eventually. Gabrielle's not here?"

"No… It's just you and me," There was a nervous lilt in the Champions voice as she sat down on her bed.

I sat down on the chair that was placed by her desk and wrenched my hands together, nervously, "So… Ginny told me about your encounter earlier today."

I glanced up and saw Fleur staring intently at me, a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks as her lips parted slowly. She rubbed the back of her neck, nervously and chuckled, "Yeah, Ron scared the hell out of me."

I reached forwards, slowly taking Fleur's hand in my own, as I fortified myself with bravery I didn't know I had, "That's not the part I'm talking about," I murmured. "Ginny didn't say much, but from what I gathered and… Stop me if I'm wrong but-"

I was silenced almost immediately as Fleur surged towards me at great speed, there was a fire in her eyes that I had never seen before as she removed her hand from my gentle grip, I braced myself. Unsure of what to expect, I shut my eyes tightly and held my hands up between us, ready to push the older girl backward.

But in a flash, Fleur's hands were placed delicately on the sides of my face as something warm and slightly moist was pushed against my lips. I opened my eyes slowly and quickly moved my hands from between us, instead wrapping them around Fleur's waist and pulling the girl as close as I could as I enjoyed my first kiss.

Fleur pulled her face away from mine after a few long moments, her eyes shining with euphoric happiness that scared me a little, "You're not wrong Hermione," Fleur leaned forwards and peppered my lips and cheeks with sweet little kisses, causing me to giggle in delight.

"What are you doing Fleur," I asked even as I enjoyed the attention.

"I'm just so happy… But I have a big question for you," Fleur suddenly turned serious as she pulled away from me, "Will you go with me to the Yule Ball?"

I raised a brow, looking at the girl as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Of course I would… Is that even a question?"

Fleur returned the hug that I had been holding her in all this time and rest her head in the crook of my neck, "Of course it is. I know that Viktor asked you to the Ball. Just because you didn't like him doesn't mean you declined his invitation."

I smiled as I relaxed into Fleur's embrace, "Well you know, there was someone else I wanted to ask me instead."

Fleur laughed happily, "I'm glad you waited so long."

"Well, if it came right down to it, I would have asked you to the Ball myself… At least, I like to think I would."

"I'm sure you would have, Hermione," Fleur mumbled. I reluctantly pulled away from the platinum blond.

"Maybe I should head back though, Harry and Ron are probably upset that I left them again."

Fleur pulled me back towards her and lay back on her bed, pulling me on top of her, "I'm sorry, Hermione, but I cannot let you go at this time. Your friends will just have to accept that," Fleur said with a grin.

I relaxed into her, enjoying the subtle scent of strawberries that wafted from her hair, "I guess they will," I agreed happily, "They'll get over it." The two of us lay together in comfortable silence for so long that I slipped into a light, dreamless sleep in her arms, her scent slowly permeating my robes as I enjoyed the comfort of the girl's body pressed against mine.

A soft giggle woke me, and I drowsily looked towards the open door. A particular cheeky face was poking in on Fleur and myself, sporting the biggest grin I had ever seen.

"What are you doing, Gabi?" Fleur whispered.

Gabrielle walked into the room and closed the door quietly, "I think that's the question that I should be asking, no?"

I smirked as I extradited myself from Fleur's gentle embrace and stood up, "We're just having a good nap," I explained as I stretched my arms and back. "But I really should get back and check on Ron." I gave the two girls a wave, looking at Fleur a little longer than usual before leaving the room. I took a deep breath as I closed the door behind me, unable to remove the smile from my face as I practically skipped my way back to the Common Room.

Ron and Harry sat by the fire still and, unable to contain my excitement, I scared them as I jumped into a seat beside them, "How are you, Ron?"

Ron looked a little miffed as he turned to me, but his look of annoyance quickly changed into one of surprise, he stared a little too long as his mouth flapped a little uselessly.

"What is it?" I asked as I rubbed at my face, "Is there something on my face?"

Ron quickly turned away with a light blush on his cheeks, "No, no, it's nothing. Where did you disappear too?"

I scratched my neck as I smiled sheepishly, "Please don't get too annoyed but, I needed to speak to Fleur about something… Important," I replied, avoiding giving too much information about our relationship away, worried about how the boys would react. To my surprise, Ron didn't get annoyed with the new information as he looked toward the fire, staring at it for a few moments.

"Is everything okay?" Harry asked worriedly.

I smiled at the kindness the boy showed, "Yeah, everything is good, better even. I can't really talk about it right now, but soon you'll know all about it."

Harry smiled understandingly, letting it go for the time being, "But what are we going to do about the Yule Ball?" Harry asked as he turned to Ron.

Ron blushed a little redder, "Hey, it's fine, Ron," I said as I reached out and took his hand comfortingly, "I'm sure that Fleur is used to that sort of thing."

Ron turned to me, taking my hand into his as he looked at me seriously, "Since neither of us has a partner for the Yule Ball, how would you like to go together?" Ron asked.

I furrowed my brow and tore my hand away from his angrily, "What do you mean neither of us has a partner?"

"Well, you know, you're…" Ron trailed off, knowing he had put his foot in his mouth in an awful way.

"I'm what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes and glaring daggers at the pigheaded moron.

"Nothing," Harry jumped in to defend his friend, "Ron didn't mean anything by it, you know how he is," Harry chuckled humourlessly as he looked worriedly between the two of us.

"Stay out of it, Harry," I barked, "Go on, Ron, tell me what I am, tell me what you really think of me."

Ron shook his head quickly, "I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't mean anything bad by it, I just-"

"Shut it," I snapped, not wanting to listen to his excuses or have him say what he thinks will get me to calm down. "I don't want to hear it," I said as I stood up and stormed off towards my shared dorm, fuming as I disappeared from the boy's sight.

"Hermione, is everything alright?" Fay asked as I slammed the door to our room.

My temper softened as I turned to the girl, somehow unable to be mad about her gossiping considering what it led to, "I just… It's nothing. Just Ron being Ron," I shrugged as I walked towards the girl, "But I do need to thank you."

"What do you mean?" Fay asked in complete confusion.

I smiled at my roommate, "Are you going to the Yule Ball?" Fay nodded her head slowly, "Then you'll find out very soon." I turned on my heel and headed towards my desk, settling in as I left a confused and very curious Fay standing behind me.