Thanks so much for the reviews, reads, follows and favorites! This story is a lot of fun to write. There may be a little (big) plot twist that came as a result of a guest reviewer asking if mates were going to be a thing and it triggered a whole long thing. Soooo… you can all thank the guest reviewer for the cliffhanger.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Harry Potter universe and am not making any money off this fic.
Hermione had offered for Fleur to stay over after their confrontation with Ron, and Fleur gladly acceded. After they both climbed into Hermione's bed, they both turned to face each other to stay up chatting awhile. Even though it had been a very long and emotionally trying day, neither woman felt ready for sleep yet.
"How are you feeling after today, ma courageuse lionne?"
Hermione reached out for a hand Fleur had resting on the bed between them and started playing with Fleur's fingers while she reflected. "I don't exactly know how I feel right now. I mean, I've kind of painted myself into a corner where I pretty much have to leave Britain or at least go Muggle and lie low for awhile. I'm not sure my reputation will ever be repaired. I know we've talked a bit about going to France, but it's very different talking about it than actually following through. I have letters ready to send to different masters, but I need to work out my visa and find somewhere to live, talk to Harry about what his plan is, and I don't even know. I'm sure I'm missing about a hundred things I should be thinking of. And my parents! They just recently moved back to Britain from Australia and I really don't want to be separated from them again. I've told them everything that's going on, of course, and they've been very supportive. They said they'd be happy to relocate to France with me since we have family there and they haven't really reopened their office here much, but I just feel so guilty doing that to them again."
"Well, you aren't going to erase their memories this time, are you?"
Hermione whacked Fleur on the arm. "Of course not! You are such a little…" but cut off when she saw Fleur laughing.
"Such violence, mademoiselle! I beg you to spare me!" Hermione whacked her arm again but was unable to hide her amused grin at Fleur's theatrics.
"Fleur, you have been a lifesaver through this whole ordeal. I really don't know what I would've done without you, and I have a feeling you'll be even more irreplaceable in the coming months. I've pretty much narrowed my choices down to moving to France. It just feels right, but I don't know the first thing about how to go about it. What would you recommend I do now? What are the next steps?"
Fleur suddenly looked noticeably uncomfortable and focused her gaze on the hand that Hermione was once again playing with. "Well, you could file for a visa after find a master and begin a course, but that could take up to a year and would not be reliable after you finish studying or in between programs. I believe for you, the best course would be… to get married to a French citizen. I myself have been in a 'visa marriage' for the last 5 years and it is not horrible if you have a good relationship with your partner. I…I would offer you the same arrangement if… if you would be open to that. I know you probably would not want to be seen married to a woman, or me at all, or tied up in that arrangement for at least 4 years, but –"
"Fleur, there's no way I could ask that of you!"
"Well, you didn't ask, I offered."
"Still Fleur! Believe me, you would not be the problem in this equation, okay? Hold on. Let me wrap my head around the fact that your marriage to Bill was a visa marriage. Is that why you aren't terribly broken-hearted over it? I suppose this stage has been planned for awhile then. How did you even- ? Did you and he ever-? No, nevermind. And you're really okay? I mean, you never in the last 5 years actually fell in love with him?"
Fleur finally looked up at Hermione and answered, "Non, I never did. He agreed to teach me English better and marry me for my visa so I could stay and assist in the war. I stayed the 5 years mostly for our own reputations because it would've looked really bad for us both if we divorced so soon after marrying. But non, I never fell in love with him. I will be honest here – I am interested only in women."
"Oh!"
Fleur saw Hermione's surprise and lost her bravado, looking back down at their hands. "I hope that is not a problem for you. I never told you before because of my marriage, but I don't suppose there is any reason for me to keep secrets from you at this point."
Hermione gently tilted Fleur's face back up to look at her. "Fleur, it would be a bit hypocritical of me to have a problem with you. I already told you you wouldn't be the issue if we got married. To answer honesty for honesty, I always felt strong admiration for you and felt a pull to be near you and get to know you, and it took me many years to realize what a crush I had on you back in the day! I think that became part of the reason I was so awful to you later. I was eaten alive with jealousy when you married Bill but I could never pinpoint exactly what my problem was. I was so ashamed of myself when I realized my feelings for you and that I was effectively acting like an immature teenage boy picking on the girl he likes."
"Hermione Granger! How could you keep this from me? I demand a new apology that is more thorough and honest than your last!" Fleur burst out into giggles, showing Hermione she wasn't offended or afraid of her confession, and Hermione started laughing at Fleur's ridiculous request. She tried to deny it, but Fleur insisted although she also asked that Hermione not take it too seriously to dig up old forgiven offenses.
Making as serious a face as she could muster and lifting her hand up to make her oath, Hermione began her new apology. "Fleur Isabelle Delacour, I humbly seek thy forgiveness for the grave fault of behaving as a teenage rapscallion. It was an error of youth, immaturity, and a grave unawareness of myself. I hereby swear to never call you names, pull your hair ['I KNEW that was you!'], or otherwise behave in a less than gentlewomanly manner."
By this point, Fleur was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. "What in the world is a rapscallion, Hermione? It sounds like an onion with interesting taste in music. Or perhaps a dancing onion. What kind of apology is this?"
Hermione's serious face finally broke and she laughed at Fleur's response. "I don't know! You wanted a different apology! That was a different apology!"
"Yes, well, in future I will keep in mind you are a terrible re-apologizer. And anyway, what I really wanted to get out of your apology, you did not provide."
"Well what more do you want from me?" Hermione was still giggling at Fleur's ludicrous response to her equally absurd statement.
"Obviously, Hermione, I need to know if your crush was only in the past or if you still harbor feelings for me. I was trying to be sneaky about it but you did not fall into my trap."
"Oh. Well, yes that was quite devious of you! I'm not sure I want to answer your question!"
"I just proposed to you! I think the least you can do is tell me if you would even consider it!"
Hermione suddenly sobered, realizing that Fleur was quite good at both helping her relax and not take herself so seriously, and also catch her completely off guard and throw her world out of balance. "Well, I mean obviously you're gorgeous and anyone with eyes would be drawn to you, but I've gotten to know you pretty well I think and everything about you is just… I mean we're so different but I never imagined anyone could be so compatible with me. I feel like I have a pretty difficult personality, you know? The know-it-all nag. But we just clicked after I finally gave you a real chance and got to know you. But getting married? I am so terrified of losing you, Fleur. You're the best friend I've ever had. And I've probably already made it really awkward just by admitting everything I have, but 4 years is a really long time to be married and not… fall… for you."
Fleur felt like she was riding a rollercoaster of emotions during Hermione's speech. She was really disappointed when it sounded like Hermione thought they were too different and was dismissing her offer out of hand, but that was replaced quickly by affection for how Hermione was talking about their close friendship and her fear of losing what they have. "Chéri, I believe I went about this the wrong way. Instead of a fake visa marriage, I would like to attempt a real marriage."
In her hasty reaction of surprise, Hermione fell off the bed. She rubbed her sore back and head but chose to stay standing so she could pace. "A real marriage? Like we would be really married? I mean obviously yes, but really not fake married? Oh this sounds inane. But then you – could you maybe have feelings – for me – too? Wait! I mean not like I already have feelings! I just feel like we could be compatible but I'm not secretly in love with you or anything. I think. Once again with the dismal self-awareness. Fleur, can you do me a favor and please make me stop talking?"
For her part, Fleur had been trying to stifle a giggle when Hermione fell off the bed and again at her ranting. She just found it so adorable! Moving closely into Hermione's space, she husked out "well, I do know one good way of shutting someone up." However, this time, she couldn't contain her laugh when Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "Truly, I do not know if I'm in love with you Hermione. Normally it would be more clear to me as a Veela, but your situation makes it a bit more complicated."
"My situation? What does that mean?"
Do you remember anything you studied about Veela in school?"
Sitting on the edge of the bed, a slightly calmer Hermione tried to recall what she had read ages ago. "I believe I read that Veela are very in tune with emotions of themselves and others, are very sensual, can transform into an Avian form with the ability to throw fire from their hands, and have a thrall that can ensnare men so they become mindlessly obsessed with the Veela. That's mostly what I recall from my own experiences though – we didn't really study Veela in any class and it's very hard to find any reliable information."
"Hm… well, yes, mindless obsession from the thrall sounds about right since it is a defense mechanism, and you doubtless saw the transformation when you were at the Quidditch World Cup. I am more interested, however, in your assessment that Veela are very sensual." Hermione suddenly felt quite hot as she had been caught giving her own personal opinion. Fleur laughed at the look on her face and couldn't resist teasing the brunette a little. "Come now, Hermione. It is nothing to be ashamed of! It is a true Veela trait to have flawless beauty. It is okay to recognize your appreciation for this trait. But anyways, back to the long explanation to get back to your question. Something you may not know about Veela is that we have mates. Not everyone has one and it is not easy to recognize. A Veela typically spends time getting to know someone and they start to either draw closer to them or reject them as a partner."
"That's interesting! I hadn't realized that was a thing. So have you found a mate yet? Wait! If you're supposed to be looking for a mate, why did you marry Bill and offer to marry me? In fact, you offered to marry me twice! Am I your mate? Is this an immediate response where you are somehow immediately in love or something?"
"Usually it is not immediate, but doesn't take as long as humans usually do to realize they are in love since we are in tune with the flow of emotions. As for me personally, I had not previously found a mate before I got to know you. I offered to marry you the first time because you are my best friend and I find myself willing to do almost anything for you. The second time I offered was when I realized that a true marriage with compatibility and true love and perhaps a mate could be possible. As for you being my mate, that is what I do not know."
"You don't know? Does that mean we haven't really gotten to know each other or does it have to be in the romantic sense?"
"No, it doesn't need to be in the romantic sense, and usually I would've felt whether or not you were my mate by now whether or not we were romantically entangled. However, when I am around you, I feel both responses. Half of me wants to draw closer to you and half of me rejects you."
Feeling severely disappointed in this unexpected rejection, Hermione started pulling at a loose thread on the duvet and tried to keep the traitorous tears from falling. "So that's it then? If you reject me then there's no point in trying to get married. I don't want to keep you from finding your true mate and postponing your happiness."
Fleur noticed the crestfallen look on Hermione's face and felt how close she was to heartbreak. She quickly came to sit down next to Hermione and pulled both of Hermione's hands into her own. "This was no ordinary rejection. It is impossible to describe, but I don't believe it has anything to do with you personally. In fact, I'm almost positive it doesn't because the other half of me feels so close to you. I asked my grandmére about it a couple weeks ago after we first discussed the ways to move to France, but she hadn't ever heard of anything like this. Usually it's very clean cut – you do or you don't. She did suggest because of your recent role in the war if there was an untreated curse on you, it may affect your magical core." Suddenly, Fleur stood up and grabbed her wand from the night stand, exclaiming in French "Idiot, idiot, idiot. Comment ai-je pu rater ça?" She walked back over to the bed side and held her hand out, asking for Hermione's left arm and removing the glamour charm Hermione always wears. Doing a quick scan over Hermione's arm, it suddenly had a dark brown mud-looking light around her arm. "Sainte Mère Vélane. Hermione, this is very important. When you were at that horrible place, did you ever fall unconscious?"
Hermione looked decidedly unwell as she tried to think back on memories she buried very deeply. "I think I must have towards the end of her carving this monstrosity into my arm. I don't really remember it being over and was probably crucio'd back awake. Should I be afraid to ask why?"
Fleur climbed back into bed and sat against the headboard, then pulled Hermione into her arms. "When I was taking care of you, I tried my hardest to heal you, but it was not a great skill of mine. I was never able to completely heal your arm, although I was able to break the curses that foul woman had on her knife so I make the faulty assumption I had taken care of everything and that my healing was just lackluster. And then you were gone and breaking into Gringotts and we all fought in the final battle and so many things happened and I never followed up on it and you wear a glamour charm so I never see it, but it clearly hasn't healed all the way. Hermione, I believe Bellatrix did a ritual while you were passed out."
"What? What kind of ritual are we talking about here? Something to make my arm not heal?"
"Non. I believe she made you a horcrux."
