Fleur

I was stood outside a small brick house; the front yard held a lush green grass with a large maple tree sitting off to the side of the yard with an old swing still attached to one of the large branches. The yard was bordered completely by a long, green, waist-high hedge, one gate sat smack in the middle of the hedge, allowing access to a path created by stepping stones that led to another gap near the front door that didn't have a gate. The hedge was impeccably manicured. Littering the front yard, within the hedge border, were small, almost randomly placed, plots of soil filled with various kinds of plants. A few of them were currently flowering adding little pops of colour throughout the yard.

My heart pounded as Hermione knocked on the white, wooden door that led into their house. Mere moments later, the sounds of heavy footfalls could be heard within the house and the door was flung open by an older woman wearing a dark blue knit jumper and a long black skirt. The woman's hair whipped around Hermione as she wrapped her child into a tight, loving embrace.

"Hermione, it's so good to see you again, and Merry Christmas!" Mrs Granger exclaimed.

"Mum, you're embarrassing me," Hermione mock complained as she returned her mother's embrace.

The two Granger's untangled from each other and Mrs Granger's attention was quickly turned to me, "You must be Fleur," The older woman said as she held out a hand for me to take.

I nodded, taking the offered hand, "I am and it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr Granger, Merry Christmas," I said with a winning smile.

Hermione's mother smiled back at me, "The pleasure is all mine, and please, just call me Rebecca, I'm only a doctor while I'm at work."

"Of course, Rebecca."

Rebecca moved to the side, allowing Hermione and I entry to the modest house. The furniture just inside the front door was filled with still framed photos of their family and friends comprised of many people. Christmas decorations adorned many of the surfaces and walls within the house and in the corner of one of the rooms sat a small, ornately decorated Christmas tree, a few gifts resting beneath it.

"So you are a friend of Hermione's?" Rebecca asked as she followed Hermione and I, Hermione leading me through the house. I nodded the affirmative, "I must admit, I was quite surprised, Hermione usually spends time with her friends at their houses when on break. And it's the first I've heard of you; Hermione has continuously spoken of her other friends, yet I know next to nothing about you."

"Yes, well, Hermione and I actually only met this year, I'm from a different school, Beauxbatons. We've come to Hogwarts along with another school, Durmstrang, to compete in a Tournament," I explained.

"Yes, the Triwizard Tournament was it? Hermione mentioned that briefly in one of her letters," Rebecca said as we reached the door to a small, neatly organized room. The walls were a creamy white and the room housed a simple single bed, desk, a bookshelf that was almost overflowing with books, and a chest of drawers. In the middle of the floor was a mattress, that I was sure had been laid out for me to sleep on.

"That's the one, and I'm one of the competitors," I said confidently, trying to impress the older woman.

"How many competitors are there?"

"Three," Hermione said quickly, giving me a pointed look, "Just one from each school."

Rebecca looked surprised, "So, does that mean you are at the top of your school?"

"Not exactly," I responded sheepishly, "The competitors are chosen by a magical artifact known as the Goblet of Fire. The Goblet chooses who is worthy of being a 'Champion' but I am unsure of how it works exactly or what qualities denote who is worthy."

"But still, the Goblet of Fire chose you over all of the other Beauxbatons students, that has to be commendable. But anyway, I'll let you two settle in. Hermione's father should be home soon, I sent him out to buy a few items that we ran out of for Christmas Dinner."

Hermione's mother disappeared down the hall and Hermione quickly moved to close the door behind her, I moved through the small room, placing my trunk in an empty corner of the room.

"Your mother seems nice," I commented as I sat on the end of Hermione's desk.

"She is, maybe a little too nice sometimes, I didn't want her to worry about Harry being forced into the Tournament," Hermione commented, explaining her reason for not sharing the information earlier.

The young witch bent down and unlatched the door of her cage to let her ginger cat out, I hadn't spent much time with the creature and it seemed to glare at me with suspicion as it jumped up onto Hermione's bed and lay down just within arm's reach. I extended an arm out to try and pat the cat but it recoiled, swiping at my hand and hissing until I moved back, a bemused look on my face.

"Nice cat," I commented mirthfully.

Hermione grinned as she sat close to her pet, patting it with ease as it continued to glare at me, "He is, he just needs time to warm up to you. I'm sure by the end of this week he'll just love you."

I doubted that as Crookshanks relaxed even more on the bed but still refused to take his eyes off of me. I stopped watching the cat, deciding it would be better to ignore him for now so he could suss me out his way. Hermione and I sat in silence for a few moments, relaxing after the long cab ride as the nearest Floo Powder destination was a little under an hour away from Hermione's house.

A soft knocking broke the silence in the room and, upon Hermione's invitation, a middle-aged man opened the door with a warm smile. "Welcome home Hermione, and you must be Fleur?" Mr Granger asked, his eyes lingering on me a little.

"Yes I am, it is nice to meet you, Dr Granger," I replied.

"Hey dad, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, I just wanted to pop in and say hello, your mother says dinner will be ready in a couple of hours."

And with that Hermione's father left the two of us alone, closing the door behind him as he did, "And that's my dad," Hermione said fondly, "He's a bit quiet but he is kind and understanding. Both my parents are, when they first found out I was a witch, while confused, they accepted and supported me whole-heartedly."

Hermione moved closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder, "So I'm sure they'll accept us when they find out," Hermione took my hand between both of hers, linking her fingers with mine.

I relished the feeling, "That would be great," I murmured, resting my head against Hermione's and relaxing as I breathed in the witch's wonderful scent.

Hermione pulled away after a few moments of contentment and pulled me with her as she stood up, "What's this about?" I asked as the brunette pulled me towards her bedroom door.

"Well we can't just sit in my bed all day now can we?"

I blushed a little as I thought about how lovely it would be to spend so much time with just Hermione doing nothing in particular, "What are we doing then?" I asked, keeping the thought to myself.

"Dinner won't be ready for a while so I thought I could show you around the neighbourhood a little."

We walked brusquely down the hallway towards the front of the house, only stopping at the front door for Hermione to speak to her parents about our plans. I took the time to take in a few of the photos sitting on a small table near the entrance of the home. Spying Hermione's familiar face in many of them at various stages of her childhood. I picked up a small framed photo of a newly born child, I wiped off the thin layer of dust with my hand and grinned, sure that the photo was of Hermione.

The girl yelped as she came back to the front door, "Don't look at those," Hermione shrieked, forcing a laugh out of me.

"Why not?" I asked as I replaced the photo, "You were a gorgeous kid."

"She was, wasn't she?" Hermione's father asked as he approached us, no doubt coming to investigate the commotion. "We've got plenty of albums if you would like to check those out as well."

"Dad!" Hermione yelled embarrassedly.

I chuckled at the girl's reaction, "I'd love to see them."

"No, no, no. They're way too embarrassing," Hermione complained as she started to push me out of the house, hoping to end the conversation.

"I'll round them up for you," Dr Granger called out, causing Hermione to groan.

I wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders, "Come on Hermione, I'm sure you are just as cute in all of the photos."

"I can't wait until I get to meet your parents," Hermione grumbled.

"That will be quite the day," I shuddered as I pictured my parents teaming up with Hermione and Gabi to embarrass me. "But still," I rubbed Hermione's arm comfortingly, "I can't wait for that day to come."

Hermione perked up at that and she began moving more animatedly down the street, the front gardens all looked similar as we passed the other houses on Hermione's street, some more well-kept than others.

"Is that you, Hermione?" A small, coarse voice called out as we walked past an immaculately kept garden.

Hermione visibly brightened as she pulled me towards the white-picket-fence of a nearby house, "Mrs Alberts," Hermione greeted an old woman as she popped her head over the fencing, "It's good to see you."

Mrs Alberts stood from the garden bed she was working on and greeted the two of us with a smile, "I didn't expect to see you this Christmas," The older woman looked towards me, "And not with such a beauty on your arm, no less."

I blushed at the comment, "This is Fleur, I met her this year."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Alberts."

"French too, such exquisite taste."

Hermione and I both blushed deeply at the insinuation, "No, no. We're not… It's not like that," Hermione began frantically, while I wondered how the woman could have figured us out so easily.

"Relax dear," Mrs Alberts said with a chuckle, "Your secret is safe with me."

"Mrs Albert, if I may," I began too curious to let it pass.

"How did I know?" The old woman asked, "It's quite simple," She began without an answer, "I didn't," The woman grinned at the confusion etched into our faces, "You see I was merely teasing, thinking the two of you were friends. But the way you reacted, Hermione, it was kind of obvious. But anyway, the two of you should be on your way, I don't want to take too much time out of your date."

Hermione blushed again as she waved goodbye to Mrs Alberts, "Well that was fun," Hermione deadpanned.

"It was indeed," I smiled, "Mrs Alberts seems like an interesting woman."

Hermione nodded her head slowly, "She has led one hell of a life as well. But that's for another time, we're almost there."

"Almost where?" I asked, "Weren't you just showing me around the neighbourhood?"

"I'm taking you somewhere very special to me as well," Hermione grew silent as we continued through various streets.

Hermione

My heart began to pound as a familiar small clearing came into view, the lawn was thick and green, a small cluster of large trees sat in the middle of the small field and everything looked just the same as it had years ago. I took Fleur's hand into mine, tightening my grip on her as I stepped onto the grass, heading towards the trees.

"This is one of the most important places in my life," I said shakily as I remembered the fear that I had felt years ago.

"Are you okay?" Fleur asked worriedly.

I nodded, turning to the blond with a smile, "I'm more than okay, just some old memories." I said before taking a few steadying breaths.

We reached the edge of the cluster of trees, "This was where I first used magic," I breathed out.

"Really?" Fleur asked, suddenly seeming very interested in the area as she looked around.

"Yes," I said as I pulled Fleur into the trees, "At the time I didn't know what was happening or why, and with how I was raised, it seemed completely illogical, my mind couldn't comprehend what was going on and… I actually thought that I might've been dying." I explained as we approached the same spot I was in when it first happened.

"What? Why? What happened?" Fleur asked worriedly.

I giggled at the girl's reaction, "Take a seat," I motioned to a small, white, wooden chair.

"How did this get here?"

"I brought it here, right after my first year at Hogwarts," I explained, "As well as the table. I've spent many hours in this space just reading and enjoying time by myself while I waited for time to pass so I could return to Hogwarts. Of course, I love my parents, but Hogwarts somehow feels more like home."

"Now," I said, getting back on track, I walked behind the chair Fleur was sitting on and tapped my finger onto a small burr on one of the trees that was at about waist height for me now. "One day many years back there was a branch growing from right here. I was standing right where you're sitting, and just glaring at the tree when, out of nowhere, the branch began to crack and splinter from the tip back to the trunk. Moments later, there was a bright flash, the branch itself split apart and chunks of wood exploded outward showering the area, and myself." I lifted the sleeve of the wool-knit jumper I was wearing, "The pieces of wood flew with such force that I was soon covered with many cuts and abrasions, and one fairly large piece got stuck in my arm," I pointed at a small scar just below my shoulder.

Fleur moved a little closer, inspecting the scar I was pointing out, "Wow, did it hurt badly?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't really remember any pain, it's mostly the fear and confusion of that time that I always remember when I come here. But this is still one of my favourite places, and that has become one of my fondest memories," I mentioned as I soaked up the beautiful scenery. "This is where I was when, although I didn't know it at the time, my life's trajectory changed to be what it is today."

Fleur leaned back in her chair, an easy smile on her face as she enjoyed the sound of leaves rustling in the wind, "This is a beautiful piece of land as well."

I nodded a little solemnly, "It is, but unfortunately, it is all going to end soon."

"What do you mean?"

"This plot of land is up for sale," I sighed, "I'm honestly surprised it's lasted this long before being sold. I just… Don't want it to go away," I walked around the small table, my hand brushing against the trees as I passed them. "This place holds such a big part of my life and it'll soon be torn down," My voice shook as I spoke, imagining what this area was going to look like in just a few years as the land is filled with houses.

I relaxed a little as I felt Fleur's arms softly wrap around my waist, holding me from behind, "I'm glad I could share this place with someone," I mumbled as tears began to roll down my cheeks, "Before it all went away." I turned around in Fleur's arms, burying my face in her chest, my shoulders shook as I started to sob quietly in the older girl's warmth.

"Everything will be okay," Fleur whispered as she ran her hand softly up and down my back, "So long as this place remains in your heart, it'll never be taken away, not really."

I took a little comfort from Fleur's words, but I knew it wasn't the same as actually being here, seeing, hearing, and feeling the area rather than remembering. But I also knew that there was nothing I could do to stop the land from being sold off so it was best to remember the area.

"Do your parents know of this place," Fleur asked once I had calmed down a little.

"They do," I said with a nod, "I told them about it right away, not being one to lie about how I got hurt. Of course, at the time they thought I merely had an overactive imagination."

"Of course," Fleur agreed, "Maybe we could come out with a camera, take a few photos," The blond suggested.

I brightened at the idea, "That would be nice," I smiled and nodded excitedly, "We should definitely do that. It won't be the same but it's something at least."

I shivered as a cold breeze blew through the cluster of trees, "We should be getting back, it is getting rather late," I commented, only just realizing that the sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon.

Fleur looked around as we untangled ourselves from each other, "It is, I hadn't noticed we'd been here for so long already."

Fleur and I headed back out of the trees and towards my house, Fleur taking my hand and squeezing it gently as we walked down the streets. I squeezed Fleur's hand back, enjoying the feeling of her hand in mine more than I thought possible as I accepted that it didn't matter if people saw us. We passed by Mrs Alberts house and she was leaning against her fence, admiring her day's work, she sent us on our way with a wave and a smile. I waved back at the older woman and, before long, Fleur and I and had made it back home.

We walked in through the unlocked front door and were greeted by the strong, unmistakable scent of a roasting turkey and the mouth-watering aroma of cranberry sauce bubbling away over a gas stove. Unable to ignore the scent, I walked towards the kitchen, releasing Fleur's hand as my parents came into view.

"That smells amazing," Fleur commented as she approached the kitchen bench, my mother was busily working away as she stirred the pot of cranberry sauce and second pot that presumably held a less aromatic gravy.

"Rebecca's an amazing cook," My father said from his post at the sink as he washed up the many dishes that my mother had used in creating the feast.

"Great timing," My mother said as she turned off the stovetops, "Dinner is just about ready, so could you set the table, Hermione?"

"Of course," I quickly walked into the kitchen, grabbing four plates, bowls, glasses, and sets of cutlery and placing them onto a serving tray so I could carry them all over in one go. I set the table quickly so I could return the serving tray back to its original position, no doubt my mother needed it for something. As if on cue, the turkey was pulled out of the oven and placed onto the serving tray I had just replaced, which was then surrounded by various roasted vegetables. My father grabbed the serving tray and took it to the table with a knife and set about carving the small bird, while I helped my mother carry over various other sides.

Fleur seemed rather out of place as she watched us work like a well-oiled machine, clearly looking unsure as she stood kind of awkwardly off to the side.

"You should take a seat, Fleur," My mother suggested, much to my disappointment, as an awkward Fleur looked rather cute.

Fleur gratefully took a seat as the last of the food was placed on the table and my father finished carving the turkey.

"Alright, let's not all sit here staring, time to dig in," My father said as he greedily heaped food onto his plate.

Upon seeing the manner in which my father grabbed his food, Fleur relaxed a little as she also began to take some of the food and place it onto her plate, thanking my mother as she did so. My mother smiled sweetly at the blond, "Don't mention it dear, any friend of Hermione is welcome as part of our family."

Fleur tensed ever so slightly at the comment an action I became very curious about as Fleur seemed to become overly happy at the statement, as her smile grew wider.

"Thank you," Fleur spoke, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

As my parents continued to eat normally, I was sure they hadn't noticed how Fleur was reacting, so I made sure to file the interaction away so I could ask her about it later and set about gathering my own food.

I took a forkful of turkey meat, slathered with cranberry sauce and gravy, and sighed in delight as the flavour's mixed in my mouth. The food at Hogwarts was, of course, very good, but I found it couldn't compare to what my mother seemed to be able to produce.

"This really is amazing, mum," I commented.

"Indeed," My father agreed around a mouthful of roasted potatoes, earning a glare from my mother.

"This is the best food I have ever tasted," Fleur gushed as well.

My mother grinned happily, giddy at the praise she was receiving from all of us as dinner continued light-heartedly. Our plates cleared and the food disappeared rather quickly as hours of work turned into our small group of satisfied individuals with one bit of food left to go. My mother brought out a small Christmas pudding, placing it in the middle of the table with a smile. The pudding was divided equally amongst the four of us, topped off with a generous helping of a thin vanilla custard.

"I am not sure I will be able to finish this," Fleur commented as she poked at her dessert with a spoon.

"I'm positive that once you've tasted it, you will change your mind," I said with a knowing smile, my father agreeing wholeheartedly as he dug into his bowl of dessert.

Fleur eyed the dessert warily, clearly unsure as she took a small scoop of the Christmas pudding and custard. Her eyes closed slowly as she slipped the desert into her mouth and she moaned contentedly as the flavour spread through her mouth.

"Okay," She said as she swallowed her mouthful, "I believe it," And with that, she quickly finished the dessert on her plate.

"I got it!" I announced excitedly with a smile, gathering the attention of my parents and a confused look from Fleur. I held up a small silver coin with a grin.

"What is that for?" Fleur asked.

"It's an old tradition," My mother explained, "You put a silver coin into the Christmas pudding, and whoever gets it has good luck. It's too bad you didn't get it, Fleur. Luck could have come in handy with the rest of the Tournament."

Fleur smiled cockily, "I don't need luck," She said confidently, "I will win the Tournament using my skill."

I admired Fleur's confidence, thinking there was no doubt that she would follow through with the claim.

"Just be careful," My mother spoke worriedly, "It would be terrible if something happened to you."

A light silence fell on the room, a silence my father was quick to dispel as he clapped his hands together, "Who's ready for presents?" He asked rubbing his hands together.

We moved from the dining room into the living room and sat down, Fleur and I sat together, maybe a little too closely, on a three-person couch while my mother took a seat on the loveseat she and my father generally sat in. My father walked up to the tree, immediately grabbing a small delicately wrapped present, "For my darling wife," He said as presented the gift to my mother as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

He quickly moved on grabbing another small gift and passing it to Fleur, "We were unsure of what to get you, we hope it is to your liking," My mother commented while my father grabbed another present, handing it over to me.

"I wasn't expecting anything," Fleur said gratefully, "I'm sure whatever it is, I will love it."

I watched as she slowly opened the gift, taking great care not to tear the paper as she peeled off the tape that had been used to fasten the wrapping paper together. Slowly, a bronze statuette of a lion was revealed, Fleur's eyes lit up as she completely removed the lion from the paper.

"It's beautiful," Fleur gushed as she turned to my parents, "Thank you."

"Come on Hermione, open yours up," My father hurried me.

I looked down at the still wrapped present sitting on my lap, a present that I had completely forgotten about as I was completely focused on the blond sitting beside me.

"Right," I said as I excitedly opened the package, tearing off the paper haphazardly to reveal a small, leather-bound book with my name indented on the front in the lower-left corner. I opened the book slowly, revealing hundreds of empty pages for me to write on.

I looked gratefully towards my parents, who both looked at me worriedly, I grinned at the two as I quickly pulled them into a hug, "Thank you."

Breathing a sigh of relief, my parents both hugged me back, "You're growing so fast we were unsure of what to get you," My mother confessed.

"Well, this is perfect," I said as I held up the leather-bound diary.

"It's that the time already?" My mother asked abruptly as she glanced at the clock by the small fireplace.

"Wow," My father began, "We should be getting to bed, don't stay up too late you two."

And with that, my parents disappeared up the small flight of stairs, leaving Fleur and I to ourselves in the living room.

"I can't believe they got me a present," Fleur spoke happily as she gazed down at the lion.

"Do you really like it?" I asked hesitantly.

"Why wouldn't I?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I was thinking maybe you were just happy to receive something from them at all."

Fleur shook her head, "The Lion is thy symbol of Gryffindor, is it not?"

Realization dawned on me and I began to blush a little, "It reminds you of me, doesn't it?"

Fleur moved a little closer and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "That's right, it's almost like your parents already know," Fleur joked, causing me to blush further at the thought.

"We should get to bed too," I said as I stood up abruptly, jostling Fleur in the process.

"But what about the albums?" Fleur whined.

I shook my head, "There is no way I'm getting them for you."

I quickly headed down the hall, a tall giggling girl following behind me, "Guess I will just have to wait until your parents get them. I sure I can wait."

"I know I can," I grumbled as I opened the door for the two of us, closing it as Fleur stepped into my bedroom.

We set about changing into our night clothes, before I settled onto my bed, I watched as Fleur took a seat on the now made-up mattress and I frowned a little.

"What's with that look?" Fleur asked worriedly.

"Do you really think you're going to be sleeping down there?" I asked as I patted the bed beside me, inviting the older girl up.

Fleur looked hesitant, "I'm not so sure we should," She sounded worried as she looked down at her crossed legs.

"Why not? We already have before," I was kind of afraid of the way Fleur was acting and what answer she could give to explain her worry.

Fleur rubbed the back of her neck, as she seemed to suddenly become very nervous, "I… Can't explain it right now, can we please just, give it a little time?" Fleur asked and my heart quaked at the trembling in her voice. Whatever it was she was hiding from me she was clearly terrified of.

I stood up from my bed and joined her on the mattress she flinched just a little as I placed my hand on her thigh, unable to enjoy the feeling of her warmth on my palm as I felt the girl trembling under my touch.

"We can," I whispered, afraid that the sound of my voice would somehow break the girl. "I don't know what this is about, or why but I can see that you are terrified, I'm not going to push you, Fleur, I can wait until you're ready to tell me."

Fleur nodded her head slowly, "Thanks," Her voice was small but full of relief as she relaxed, leaning on me a little and, as she rested her head on my shoulder, I knew I had made the right decision.

I wrapped my arms around the older girl, "Maybe we should go to sleep," I suggested, Fleur nodded in agreement and I pulled her to her feet as I stood up.

"What are you doing?" Fleur asked.

I pushed her onto my bed in answer, "Making sure you take the right bed," I explained as I leaned forwards pecking the girl softly on the cheek.

Fleur laid on my bed, propping herself up on her elbows as I leaned over her lithe figure, the blond reached up with a free hand and brushed my hair out of my face, "You are so beautiful Hermione," Fleur whispered.

I took Fleur's words and actions as an invitation to lean forwards, pressing my lips softly against hers, giving the older witch a soft kiss. We parted slowly, gazing into each other's eyes "Are you sure you don't want to sleep in the same bed?" I asked after a deep breath.

Fleur smiled a little sadly, "I never said I didn't want to, I just… Can't"

I nodded my head slowly, accepting the answer as I pushed myself back up to my feet, "Well, good night I guess."

"Good night, Hermione," Fleur replied a little sadly and we settled into an uncomfortable silence, the air thick with tension as we laid in the same room, so close yet so far apart, and slowly drifting off to sleep.