Fleur had been walking back and forth in her room for more than ten minutes. Laetitia sitting on her bed, finishing her snacks.
"When do you think you'll be done with…this?"
"I don't know. I don't understand what I'm feeling."
"You've been growling for a while, so I'd say you are upset and or angry."
"But I'm not! I have no reason to be. This feels…foreign." She frowned as she finished before her eyebrows shot up. "Hermione!"
She walked closer to her bedroom's door but was stopped by her friend. Laetitia stepped in front of the only way out "Wait a minute. You can't just storm the castle because you feel your mate is upset."
"The hell I can't!" Fleur moved her body to the side, but Laetitia shifted too, not letting her through.
"Something is wrong with your mate, that much is obvious but that doesn't mean she wants company. Maybe she needs some time alone."
"She could be in danger." Countered the blonde.
"Does it feel like she is in danger?"
Fleur clenched her jaw before shaking her head from left to right.
"Good. Then maybe you should try to calm down, your own anxiety might not be helping her."
The blonde took a few deep breaths as she went to sit on her bed. Laetitia remained standing, keeping her body in front of the door but still walked closer to her friend. "Does that help?"
"No"
"Is it the first time you've felt the bond like this?"
"I'm not sure. I didn't think it would happen so soon. It's the first time I've realized it. The first time it's been so strong."
Laetitia nodded. "Is she calling to you?"
Fleur closed her eyes for a second. "No. She is just…very upset"
"Don't drive yourself crazy yet, it could be anything, she is a little British spitfire." Fleur had crossed her arms as her friend commented on her girlfriend, the brunette realized it "Not that it's a bad thing. She's good for you."
Fleur raised an eyebrow at her classmate as she watched her start to ramble. She wasn't sure how to stop her, but there was this thing she was sure she had seen.
"Why are you ears twitching?"
Laetitia trailed off instantly and frowned "My human ears do not twitch."
"There! They did it again!" Pointed out the Beauxbatons' champion.
The brunette self-consciously covered her ears. "No they don't!"
"Yes they do! They've twitched a few times just now, while we were talking."
Laetitia opened her mouth to deny it once more when she felt it. Her ears moved. She removed her hands immediately as she ran towards Fleur's mirror.
"Oh my Goddess!" exclaimed the black haired girl before turning to look at Fleur again "My ears are moving!"
Fleur let herself fall on her bed from her sitting position in a moan. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."
"No. You don't understand, they shouldn't."
"They always did. They rise up a little when you smile."
"That's normal for a human, but they shouldn't…twitch when I'm in that form!"
Fleur sat up again in a sigh, before taking a deep breath. "It's just your ears, we'll look into it tomorrow. You could write to your family to ask them if it's something to worry about."
"It has never happened before! I've never seen it happen!"
"It's not because you've never seen it that it's not natural."
"What if they decide to move in public?!"
"We need to know why they are…doing this." Pointed out the blonde again before Laetitia covered them just as someone knocked on the champion's door.
Fleur got up and opened it, not letting the person in, she just kept her body in the way. She was surprised to see her classmate. A boy with honey hair and blue eyes. "Florestan? Is something wrong?"
"There is a little British person making a scene outside. She wants to see you."
The Veela tensed as her mind was coming up with many possibilities, the way she was still feeling didn't help "Hermione? I thought she was allowed in?"
"She's not yours. That one is a red head with a mouth on herself."
Fleur mouth formed an Oh. "Thanks Flo. I'm going to take care of it right now."
"Sure." He smile as she started to walk away he turned back a few feet away. "Don't get too distracted by…all this. I don't want you to have any excuses when I beat you tomorrow."
Poised as even Fleur smirked "As if." before closing the door on her usual dueling partner.
The blonde pretty much slammed the door as she turned to her best friend. "Ginny is here. Something has to be really wrong with Hermione. We have to go downstairs."
"What?! With my ears like that!"
"Use your hair to cover them." Said the blonde as she put on a coat, getting ready to step outside. She stopped. "Unless you'd rather stay in my bedroom until I get back?"
Laetitia put her hair in place, she was not going to miss this, whatever this was.
They ran downstairs as soon as they could. They reached the carriage door in no time. They could hear Ginny's voice from inside, she was cursing. Fleur opened the door to face a very red Ginny, but there was no one else she could have been speaking to. "Ginny? I could have sworn I heard you yell at someone." Was the first thing the Beauxbaton's champion said.
The young Gryffindor seemed embarrassed for a second. "I was…you know…just…why are you covering you ears with your hands?" The redhead always did it with her brothers, usually changing the subject was a good way to move on from herself.
Fleur turned to her friend, and couldn't believe she was being this obvious, little did she know Laetitia ears had been moving like crazy on their way down.
"I…I'm not used to the cold here. I have…sensitive…ears." The brunette couldn't believe these words were coming out of her mouth, and by the look her best friend was giving her, neither did she.
"Oh." Ginny didn't even need to think about it, she pulled off her red and yellow beanie before handing it towards the French girl.
Laetitia gave it a strange look, so Ginny insisted. "I'm used to the cold. I have another one in my room don't worry." The brunette slowly grabbed it and put it on with a satisfaction sigh. "Thank you so much." She made sure the beanie was in place before lowering her hands.
"Great. Now that…no more ears are freezing, I was told you really needed to see me."
"Yes!" Ginny looked away from Laetitia and back at the blonde. "It's Hermione. She heard that Ron asked you out, knowing that you were going out with each other. They argued, he was kind of a prat… She ran up to her room, usually it's best to leave her alone for a while. But, I thought…maybe…you could help."
Fleur couldn't speak, she felt her stomach clench in fear as soon as the younger girl said it was about her mate. She barely relaxed by the end of her explanation. She nodded before making her way to the castle at a fast pace.
"We could run if you want to." Enquired her best friend.
"No. I need to stay calm. Take deep breaths." Fleur glanced at her friends showing that her eyes had paled and were starting to glow in the growing darkness.
With Ginny as their guide they reached the Gryffindor common room quickly, not saying a word before finally stepping in. The room was silent as the other students stared at the Beauxbatons' girls.
Fleur would be ashamed later on to admit that once inside she looked at the people there, looking as regal as ever, then she spotted a familiar red head, and going to Hermione came in second. She moved so fast even Laetitia was too late to stop her.
As the blonde moved the Griffindors strangely stepped aside, she grabbed the boy sitting on a couch by the lapel of his robes, pulled him up until his feet weren't touching the floor anymore, bringing him close to her seething expression. His face turned purple, his ears in a little darker shade. He opened his mouth but no sound came out.
Fleur shook him. "What is wrong with you?!" Her French accent more pronounced. It was when she felt her friend's hand on her arm. She looked at Laetitia, Ginny face not so far. "Shouldn't you go to Hermione first?" The brunette gave her a meaningful look.
The blonde looked back at her prey "Your mind is weak for succumbing so easily to my thrall, and you are a fool if you are willing to throw away your friendship with Hermione because of…your pride? Jealousy?" She paused, giving him a moment to respond when nothing came, she finished "If you make Hermione cry ever again…I'll make you cry harder." There was no doubt that it meant a world of pain for the boy. Fleur watched him gulp before she tossed him back on the red couch, make it move a little backwards.
She didn't look back as she followed Ginny out the common room and up a flight of stairs.
The people remained frozen for a few more seconds, Harry was standing next to the Weasley twins whispered "You didn't do anything to help him."
"Neither did you." Replied Fred, followed by George "It's not like he didn't deserve to be shaken up a little."
"Not that we were not ready to interfere if she went too far. Just like you I assume." Added Fred.
Harry moved his head from left to right before going to his best friend, kneeling before him. "Ron? Are you okay?"
Ron looked up at the boy who live with dreamy eyes. "She touched me?! Did you see that?!"
Harry could only groan.
Ginny stopped in front of Hermione's dormitory, the French girls merely steps behind. She lifter her index finger in front of her lips, motioning to them to remain quiet as she slowly opened the door.
The room seemed empty, one bed had the drapes pulled.
"That's Hermione's." Whispered the red head to Fleur, who nodded as she climbed passed Ginny.
Laetitia started to do the same but was stopped, her top was caught on something. She turned around to look at Ginny making a face, coat caught in her fist.
"What are you doing?" They simultaneously asked.
The younger girl didn't let go as she moved closer so she could get her arm around the Lycan to close the door. "This should be a private moment between them"
Laetitia took a big step back, freeing herself. "I just wanted to listen in. They wouldn't even have realized I was there."
"Sure." Said Ginny as she pointed down the stairs.
"Can't I just…" She leaned in closer to the door.
"I'm not that familiar with Fleur, but knowing Hermione, she probably used a silencing charm."
The brunette pouted. "Fine." As she did as instructed.
Fleur was concentrating on her nerves, taking deep breaths as she gradually made her way towards the bed. She turned around for a second as she heard the door being closed.
She stood in front of these drapes a good minute, raising then lowering her hand, until she grabbed it and slowly pulled.
Hermione was laying on her bed, head in her pillow, body shaking, oblivious to the newcomer. Fleur's fingertips had barely touched her mate's back that she jumped away, nearly falling off the bed. The Gryffindor had an angry frown on as she opened her mouth, it changed as soon as she realized it was her girlfriend, she just propelled herself into the blonde's arms.
Fleur made a noise at the impact but immediately hugged back, holding on tight. They didn't stay like that long; the position was awkward. They both shifted without a word, until they rested comfortably in the middle of the bed. Fleur was on her back with Hermione half on the top of her, head in the crook of her neck, bushy hair tickling her face.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Asked Fleur as she passed her fingers through the girl's hair.
Hermione made a negative noise against her skin, making the blonde shiver, moving her face from side to side. Fleur held on a little tighter for a second.
"Okay. But we need to talk about our bond. It's growing stronger, I nearly took a girl's head off for bumping into me. I didn't understand why I felt so angry for a while."
"Sorry." The Gryffindor's voice was muffled as she spoke against her, then she raised her head to look straight unto the other girl's eyes.
"There is no need to be sorry. It's not your fault. Not at all. We just have to figure out how this work."
"Maybe we could try to learn occlumency so we can block each other out."
"I don't know. I kind of like…feeling you. And it's nice to know when you are in trouble and might need me." As she spoke Fleur grabbed her hand and interlinked their fingers.
They enjoyed each over's presence for a while before Hermione spoke again. "I think I felt you too."
"Really when?"
"In the library when Krum came…" Hermione stopped mid-sentence. She felt anger growing. Her mouth dropped open. "There it is again."
"Sorry." Said Fleur was she took a deep breath, centering herself, relaxing once more. She was in Hermione's arm.
"There is no need to be sorry." Hermione gave her a small smile as she repeated the blonde words.
"I'm sorry I'm sending you bad…vibes. We need to learn to control it. It seems we feel each other more when our emotions are extremely strong."
"Mostly negative emotions." Hermione lowered her eyes to their joined hand, moving hers a little, toying with the other girl's fingers
"Or maybe we didn't realize we are sharing our l… positive emotions when we are with each other, because our own feelings are so strong already."
The younger girl felt so moved, she couldn't find anything to say after that.
Fleur felt her heart swell as she spoke, but she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, insecurity she shouldn't feel. She added "Or maybe we don't question it as much when we feel happy or something."
Hermione watched the blonde look to the side at the hanging drapes. She didn't stop her impulse. She lifted herself just enough so that her face could reach Fleur's and softly kissed her. They broke it, looked at each other before leaning in again.
Laetitia found herself playing a classical game of Exploding Snap in the middle of the Gryffindor common room. She didn't think she would be having fun with these people, but she was. Ginny had mainly boys' friends here, her brother to whom they still glared from time to time was sitting in a corner.
"Ha Ha! I win again!" Exclaimed Ginny.
The French girl laughed as she watched Seamus get annoyed. Neville wasn't playing but was sitting on the opposite side of the red head. He seemed shy. Harry was good, but Laetitia was pretty sure that he was letting the youngest Weasley win sometimes, like she did. Laetitia told herself she had to let them win from time to time, her reflexes being faster than the average human's. It was irrelevant that it was always the younger girl.
It was when she saw the Weasley twins walk in with a younger student, his nose bleeding, holding his head back. Fred said a few things to the second year before coming to join them with his other half.
"What brings you to our part of the castle?" Asked Fred.
"You know. Fleur having girl trouble because of your brother." She moved her hands in Ron's direction.
"Hmm I heard about him asking Fleur. That boy is clueless." Started Fred.
"You just have to look at Fleur when she is around Hermione to know there is nothing he can get there." Finished George.
"I think the whole Veela thing is affecting him a lot."
"Probably, then if he had acted on his crush on Hermione sooner maybe he wouldn't be in this situation." Stated Fred.
Laetitia couldn't help it as the muscles in her jaw went lax and it just dropped. What?!
"He is just fumbling around trying to do something, only making it worse." Added George.
"Typical Ron. Remember when he used a spell to do his chores faster and instead of cleaning up his room he made everything in it disappear." Said Fred as he turned to his brother.
"And when he tried to bring them back again, he started a fire." George laughed at the memory. Ginny wasn't "Then he tried to blame me."
"Hey we all did. You were young, the only girl, they are going easy on you."
Ginny glared up at George while he was trying to defend his little brother. Laetitia was paying too much attention to their quarrel that she jumped when Fred pulled the Gryffindor beany off her head. It was merely a few inches off her head before she slammed it back down.
"Isn't it a little warm in here to keep the hat on?" Asked Fred.
"And where did you get a Gryffindor one?" Asked George right after his twin.
"Stop bugging her." Ginny swatted her brothers away. "She was cold so I gave her mine."
Laetitia felt strangely threatened by the twins look after that. They simultaneously crossed their arms as they stepped closer to each other. The tension rose until Neville spoke, looking at the French girl. "Is…isn't it going… to…to be past curfew soon?"
"Why do you think we just came back?" Retorted Fred.
"I'm not leaving without Fleur." Explained the brunette.
"You'll get in trouble if you are not in your common room." Commented Seamus.
"Technically we don't have common rooms like you guys."
"Doesn't Beauxbatons have a curfew?" Enquired Ginny.
"We don't have houses like you do. We are not supposed to wander through school past a certain hour. As long as we are in a girl's dormitory that's fine, and since our rules doesn't specify that it has to be our school's…" The trailed off with a smirk.
"We don't have any spare beds in our dormitories." Stated Harry.
"It's okay. She can sleep with me." Innocently offered Ginny.
"No way!" Exclaimed Fred, follow by George "No how!"
Hermione winced when lights unexpectedly hit her face. She groaned, as the person against her moaned, pulling her smaller body closer, hiding her face in her hair.
The Gryffindor started to get a goofy smile, but it dropped as soon as a voice resonated. "Miss Granger!"
Her eyes snapped opened and burned. Too fast, too bright. Too scary. Still holding her bed drapes open was the head of Gryffindor house, and Minerva McGonagall looked pissed.
"Where do you think you are Miss Granger? Get up this instant!"
Hermione had rarely felt this mortified, if ever, to add to it, Fleur raised her hand and made a shoo motion in the older's woman's direction as she mumbled something in French while getting even closer to her girlfriend.
McGonagall lips turned into a thin line. She pulled out her wand and before Hermione could react, both girls in bed were hit by a freezing water spray. Hermione squealed and jumped out. She was soaked in cold water, and the worst part was her teacher had used a nonverbal spell, she couldn't learn anything, she'd have liked to be able to use it on the boys, then frowned as she thought about Ron.
Fleur for her part had fell off the other side of the bed. She got up gracefully before drying herself with her wand, she then directed it towards her mate but was stopped.
"That's quite enough Miss Delacour. I think you've done enough. Madame Maxime is beside herself looking for you, already accusing everyone of foul play to make her lose this competition. And I'm sure Miss Granger needed a very cold shower."
Hermione couldn't help but glare as she pushed a strand of wet hair away from her eyes, and Fleur looked at her tenderly, as she did so.
"Miss Granger, once you've changed, I expect you in my office. Miss Delacour, I think you have somewhere to be." The professor gave her a meaningful look.
Fleur brushed down her clothes, trying to get them to look presentable and not as wrinkled as they got during the night, wondering if there was a spell for that. Then she walked around the bed, looking at the professor until she leaned in and kissed a bright red Hermione on the cheek. "I'll see you at lunch?"
The Gryffindor couldn't look at either woman in the room as she let out a strangled "Yes."
McGonagall was glaring at the blonde who merely flashed her an innocent smile on her way out. "Miss Granger. I'll be waiting." She noisily left too.
Hermione sighed and sagged after that, without thinking she slowly lowered herself on her bed to jump back up, her freezing wet clothes making contact with the back of her legs.
Fleur had barely starting getting down the stairs when suddenly the surface under her feet changed, flat and downward, a slope. She rolled her eyes as she slipped down to the common room. She gracefully landed down, standing up a little mad, pushing her hair behind her ears.
She glared around to see who, she was pretty sure, was responsible. A red head. Ronald Weasley. She walked up to him but Harry stepped in between them. "This is not what you think" The boy who lived said to the blonde before turning to his best friend. "How many times do I have to tell you this is not going to work?!"
"I can't believe you let my little sister sleep with that French harlot!"
"You were there!"
Fleur was frowning, perplexed. She saw the other two Weasley, they were close together, arms crossed, glaring at the stairs. She would probably get more information coming from them. She knew she should be going but curiosity got the best of her. She went to them.
"I don't know what your brother did to the stairs but if you are thinking about doing the same, maybe you should know that your professor McGonagall will probably have to come down soon."
They glanced at her before Fred answered. "We know."
This is when the said woman walked down, glaring at her, for a second it seemed like she was going to scold at her again but changed her mind a swiftly left. She had enough of her own troublesome students to take care of.
"What did he do to the stairs? That's not a spell I'm familiar with." Persevered Fleur after the short answer she got.
"Nothing. It's just the way it works at Hogwarts, if a boy tries to get up the stairs towards the girls' dormitory they turn into a slope." Explained George.
"What's upstairs that got you all so riled up?"
"Ginny didn't come down yet and she slept with…" George trailed as the twins turned towards her. "Your friend actually." Finished Fred.
"What?"
Harry had joined them. Ron a few steps behind, he wouldn't come closer and was glaring at her.
"Laetitia. She wouldn't leave without you last night so Ginny offered." Finally told her Harry.
Fleur made a silent oh shape with her mouth. "Don't you think it's a little late now? The morning after. Not that anything happened." Added the French girl as the Weasley boys seemed to move closer.
"Believe me we all tried to talk our sister out of it but she is…stubborn." And could be as scary as their mother, but George left that part out.
"If Madame Maxime is looking for me, she might be looking for Laetitia too." She walked carefully around the boys. "I'll get her." She finished as she walked up the stairs. She had barely closed the third-year girls' dormitory behind her that Hermione was passing in front of it.
The Gryffindor was worried about going to meet up with her head of house but froze as she saw the Weasley boys glaring at her. Harry with them. "What's going on?"
She realized as she moved closer that they were glaring at the stairs not her. Harry passed his hand through his hair. "Overprotective brothers squad. Nothing new."
"I…I…" She really wanted to stay to learn more about what had happened with Ginny. But she had been given a task by a Professor, with whom she was already in trouble with. "I've been convoked by Professor McGonagall" She winced as she finished. Harry smirked so she lightly pushed his shoulder before leaving. Boys.
Fleur saw them instantly. It was the second bed as she stepped in. Her friend's black hair contrasting with the red pillows. She quietly made her way towards the bed and was surprised to see wide awake blue eyes look up at her.
Laetitia was on her left side, wrapped around the younger girl. Her right arm around Ginny's torso was holding her, hand disappearing under a freckled arm. Her leg was draped over the Gryffindor's legs, her foot hooked behind the pair of legs under her.
Ginny was pretty straight in her bed, she had probably move since waking up. Laetitia's head was tucked in her hair, nose against her neck.
Fleur had a big smile on her face as she watched Ginny's face turned as red as her hair. She obviously tried to move, but the Lycan wasn't letting go, in fact it seemed that she hold on tighter for a second, until the body against her relaxed again.
"Help me." Whispered Ginny.
The blonde couldn't stop smiling as she asked. "Why are you whispering if you want to wake her?"
"I don't. I just want to get up. She can sleep in, it's fine."
"You'll have to disturb her if you want to be able to free herself. I tried to free my pillow from her grasp once. Let's just say it didn't go well. She tried to bite…me."
Ginny raised an eyebrow at that.
"She was having a strange dream." Tried to cover Fleur.
"Would you both shup?! I'm trying to sleep here." An annoyed Laetitia mumbled against the red head's skin, making her shiver.
"How rude! Ginny offer you her bed and you hold her hostage!" Teased Fleur. She knew her friend was still out of it but she was surprised at how wide Laetitia eyes got and instead of getting up pushed away her sleeping partner, pushing her off the bed.
Fleur was laughing so hard at that. Laetitia grew pale as she realized what she had done. She slid on the bed before sitting on its edge. She helped the younger girl up, excusing herself. "I'm so sorry. So sorry."
Ginny felt even more embarrassed by Fleur laugh resonating in the room. She looked down at her feet. "It's okay." Then glanced at the blonde.
Laetitia caught it. She thrown the pillow they slept on at the blonde who easily dodged it and didn't stop laughing. "Fleur shut up!"
"I can't! You should have seen…and still…" Gasped out Fleur. She had never seen her friend like this. She was pretty sure she had no shame. And she had pushed the poor girl on the floor.
Laetitia stopped herself from growling as she went to her friend and pushed her out the door still laughing. She slammed the door in her face. A few seconds late she heard her friend's voice. "We really need to get down. Madame Maxime is going crazy looking for us."
Then she could hear her laugh again and she groaned. Ginny started to rub her back to comfort her. "I have two prankster brothers. You just say the word."