So, lucky you! The day after I transfer everything over here from AO3, I finish the next chapter. It's short and kind of gets things rolling, but I believe that you guys will like it. I'm already working on the next chapter, so it shouldn't be a terribly long time before that one is up. Enjoy!
The Yule Ball was the talk of the school. Hermione had never known of so many people putting their names down to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. Harry always did, considering his other option was going back to Privet Drive with those awful Dursleys, but this was Hermione's first time staying at school for the holiday. This year, everyone in the fourth year and above seemed to be staying, and they all appeared to be infatuated with the upcoming Yule Ball – or at least all the girls were. It was startling how many girls that Hogwarts suddenly held, Hermione had never noticed it before. Girls giggling and whispering in the corridors, girls shrieking with laughter as boys passed them, girls excitedly comparing notes on what they were going to wear Christmas night… It all gave Hermione a headache.
And then there was Fleur.
The blonde beauty seemingly floated through the halls between her classes, somehow always managing to send a crooked smile Hermione's way as they passed each other. It made Hermione want to swoon, but she knew that Ginny would tease her mercilessly. Fleur was often seen walking alongside her brunette friend with the braid – Hermione had yet to learn her name – with a gaggle of boys and girls with glazed over eyes and gaping mouths staring after them. A twisting feeling deep in Hermione's gut often accompanied her seeing the aftereffects of Fleur's passing. Fleur was not a piece of meat to be drooled over, after all.
Hermione knew that Fleur was beautiful, gorgeous even, but she just couldn't comprehend why so many people appeared to be under some sort of spell whenever she passed them. She remembered the effect that the Veela at the Quidditch World Cup had on the boys – Harry would have leapt out of press box if Ginny hadn't grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him back into his seat. But Fleur didn't look like a mix between a bird and a woman like those at the World Cup, nor did she have scaly wings protruding from her shoulders, though she did have the same effect on people here at Hogwarts, just without the leaping from great heights part.
"Hermione!" Hermione jumped, her mind refocusing to the here and now. Ginny was waving a hand in front of her face. "You alright?" Ginny's question normally would've been perceived as concerned, but the look on her face suggested otherwise.
"Yes, of course, I'm fine," Hermione said, warily eyeing her friend's teasing smirk.
"Just making sure," Ginny held her hands up in mock surrender. "You seemed awfully concentrated on watching Fleur's backside."
Hermione gasped much like a scandalized grandmother. "Ginevra Molly Weasley!" Ginny winced at the sound of her entire name. "I was doing no such thing!"
"Right, okay." Ginny rolled her eyes and continued on down the corridor. "Just remember to wipe the drool off your chin."
Hermione doubted that she had drooled while watching Fleur walk away, but she dabbed the end of her sleeve against her mouth anyway. Just in case. She then broke into a light jog to catch up with the younger witch. The two walked in silence for a bit, the only sound being the buzzing of the conversations between the other students around them.
"Y'know, no one's going to care," Ginny said suddenly.
Hermione adjusted the strap of her bag as her brow furrowed. "What do you mean? About what?"
"About you dating Fleur." Hermione's cheeks turned red. "Listen, 'Mione. I know that most muggles don't easily accept anyone that deviates from the 'norm' with open arms, but I can tell you that no one here will bother you about it."
Hermione beamed and engulfed Ginny in a hug. "Thanks, Ginny. That means a lot, especially coming from you."
"I know that you weren't really worried about it a whole lot anyway," Ginny rambled, "but I thought that maybe you would like to hear it. But if anyone tries to give you trouble – especially Malfoy, the bloody git – they'll have to answer to my bat-bogey hex."
Hermione laughed. She wouldn't mind a couple untoward comments from Malfoy if it meant that Ginny would hex him. She reckoned that it wasn't the greatest experience to have your own bogeys attack you.
"Thanks, Ginny."
Breakfast the next day was a boring ordeal. Hermione ate her usual French toast and scrambled eggs, Ron finished off half of the sausages, and Harry took five minutes to eat a single slice of toast. The two boys, along with eating breakfast, had to focus on their unfinished Transfiguration homework. Ron had managed to drop both a sausage and a slice of bacon onto his parchment, which left large grease spots that smeared the ink. He didn't even think to use a spell to clean it up – he simply shrugged and continued writing. Ginny suddenly plopped down on the bench on Hermione's left side, nearly upending Ron's glass of pumpkin juice onto his report.
"Oi! Watch it, you twit!" Ron exclaimed, yanking his parchment off of the table and holding it above his head, nearly elbowing Harry in the nose in the process.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Well that's certainly one way to greet your sister." Ginny speared one of Ron's sausages and took a bite of it.
Ron huffed and placed his report back on the table. "What are you doing here? Don't you have your own friends to sit with?"
"Hermione is one of my friends. Besides, I came here to ask if any of you had managed to acquire a date to the ball yet."
"I haven't even bothered to ask a single girl yet," Ron said, "but Harry got turned down by Cho Chang."
"She already agreed to go with Cedric before I even asked her," Harry defended himself.
"Finding the perfect one is hard, mate," Ron commented.
Hermione frowned. "Girls are not just an object for you to scrutinize, Ronald. Besides, it's not as if you're likely going to start dating whoever you go to the ball with, so just find a random girl and ask her."
"Why is it such a big deal to you? It's not like you have to worry about asking anyone since you're a girl and all," said Ron.
"Since it's just so difficult for you, watch me get a date by asking them myself," Hermione snapped. She stepped over the bench and stood up, scanning the Great Hall for that familiar head of blonde hair while ignoring Ron's comment of "Has she gone mad? No boy in their right mind would say yes to a girl asking them."
Hermione spotted Fleur and her friend just entering the Great Hall. Fleur, seemingly feeling Hermione's gaze, looked up and made eye contact. She changed direction from the Ravenclaw table to where Hermione was standing, her friend following hot on her heels.
"Bonjour, 'Ermione. I do not believe zat you 'ave met Clara yet?" Fleur said, gesturing to her brunette friend.
"I 'ave 'eard all about you, 'Ermione. Eet ees great to finally meet you," Clara said, stepping forward and shaking Hermione's hand. She noticed Ginny staring at her with wide eyes, and proceeded to take the empty seat on Ginny's left side. "And you must be Ginny! Zat shade of red for your 'air ees wonderful, I love eet."
Hermione turned back to Fleur. "So, Fleur, have you gotten yourself a date to the ball yet?"
"Non, zough not for ze lack of suitors," Fleur laughed. She watched Ron's face turn the usual shade of purple out of the corner of her eye.
"Would you like to be my date then?" The words were out of Hermione's mouth before she could even realize that she was speaking. Fleur seemed taken aback at first. Her mouth dropped open a bit and her eyes widened, but she recovered before Hermione had a chance to regret it. Ron and Harry, however, were absolutely gobsmacked. Ron, who had just taken a drink of his juice, allowed his jaw to drop, thus spilling all the pumpkin juice in his mouth into his lap, and Harry froze with a bite of eggs halfway to his mouth.
"Of course I will be your date, 'Ermione," Fleur answered, much to the surprise of the two boys. "I planned on asking you myself, zough eet seems zat you beat me to the punch." She smiled prettily and dropped a kiss onto Hermione's cheek before settling herself down in the empty spot beside Hermione's vacated seat.
Hermione took her seat between Ginny – who was caught in a very animated conversation with Clara – and Fleur with a proud smile. She winked at a frozen Ron. "Told you it wasn't that hard."
Fleur laughed, smoothly slid an arm about Hermione's waist, and planted another kiss to her cheek. "I zink zat you broke your frainds."
"He'll get over it."