ᴥ A/N: I'm writing this here again as you all will probably get a update notification for this chapter.

Hi everyone, this story was put on hold in 2017 at Chapter 13 and I'm here to say I'm back and I've rewritten a lot of it (but kept most of the core the same). To enjoy this story again, I urge you to reread it from the start :)

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Not Repeating The Same Mistake

Bursting into her room, Hermione quickly locked the door behind her and sat heavily on her bed. They had been close to kissing, Hermione was sure of that but didn't Fleur say that Veelas only cared for their mate? Jumping off the bed, she went to her bookshelf where she had kept all the books on Veela together. Pulling out the books "Introduction to Veela" and "Veela Mates" that Fleur's grandmother had sent for her. At that time, she had thought that Fleur had asked for the books for her because the blonde knew how much she loved learning new things but now she realised that it might have a hidden meaning to it.

Crawling back into her bed with the books, she browsed the pages until she reached the sections she wanted to check.

Introduction to Veela

Relationships:

Most Veelas find their mate during their lifetimes. As such, it is not known for Veelas to have relationships with people other than their mate. They will be celibate until they meet their mate. It is only in rare circumstances that Veelas have relationships with someone that is not their mate and it often occurs late in their life. This rare occurrence only happens when the Veela hasn't managed to meet their mate. It can happen in case of the mate's early death before their meeting. Distance is not a factor in those cases as the Veela believe that if a mate is living very far away from the Veela, their magic and destiny will guide them to each other.

…

She put the book down and grabbed another one, ruffling through the pages as she tried to remember the spot from memory.

Veela Mates

After love at first sight, the Veela will try to get closer to their mate, starting by friendship. They will still be very protective of their mate. They will also be patient and slowly woo their mate. Bonding between the Veela and their mate starts with a kiss on the lips when feelings are genuinely reciprocated. The kiss is never initiated by the Veela as they believe in the choice being completely that of the mate. Though, due to the magic that governs the process, the bond will not start if the mate doesn't love the Veela even if a kiss has been initiated. The magic can recognise if the mate's feelings are genuine. Therefore, for the bond to start, the feelings of love have to be reciprocated by the mate. Kissing alone won't do.

The bonding has multiple stages and the final seal of the bond happens when the Veela and their mate complete the Sanguin Ritus and make love to complete the ritual.

…

It was all here. Right in front of her eyes and she had been too blind to see it. No… this can't be…I've been such a fool… it all pointed to... her mate… she was Fleur Delacour's soulmate… did that mean that Fleur was her soulmate? She tried to think about what it meant… that they were destined to be together by some higher power… or by magic. A couple…? Blushing furiously at the thought, she buried her face in her pillow. She wasn't sure what she felt about the blonde Veela. Did she like her? She knew she did… as a friend. She had never given a thought of anything more. She remembered the kiss that Fleur had deposited to the corner of her mouth and flushed, bringing her hand up, fingers fluttering on the spot. She allowed her fingers to move onto her lips, caressing the pliant flesh and wondering what it would have felt like if Fleur had kissed her there.

Suffice to say that Hermione had a really hard time going to bed that night.

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The next morning, Hermione woke up a bit late. Realising she was supposed to be meeting her friends in the Great Hall, she quickly showered and got ready. She was going to Hogsmeade again today, this time with Harry and Ron. As she got closer to the Hall, she realised that Fleur would be in there for breakfast and hesitated, steps faltering. She didn't think she was ready to handle Fleur's presence at the moment so she decided to skip breakfast, loitering around in the hallways and only entered the Hall after the Beauxbatons students had left.

"Hermione, where have you been?" asked Ron, his brows furrowed.

"Sorry, I had a hard night and seemed to have trouble getting up this morning," replied Hermione. It was the truth, after all.

"That's ok. You've missed breakfast though" replied Harry.

"It's alright, I shall get something to eat in Hogsmeade," Hermione replied, starting to walk towards the main door.

"Are you alright, Mione?" Ginny was concerned as she peered into Hermione's face. The brunette looked exhausted.

"Yes, nothing the fresh air of Hogsmeade won't cure. Let's go." She replied. She needed something to take her mind off Fleur Delacour.

And with that, the four of them started their trek, in the snowy Scotland weather, for the little village.

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It wasn't until Hermione walked into Hogsmeade that she realised that maybe she should have just stayed in her room at Hogwarts. Everything was reminding her of her trip with Fleur yesterday and it just made her heart clench.

The group walked into The Three Broomsticks and quickly commandeered a table.

"I'll go get us our drinks," said Harry before shuffling through the crowd of students to get to the bar where Madam Rosmerta was serving people. Thankfully, it didn't take him that long to get served and he carefully navigated through the crowd, as to not spill anything before sliding the mugs onto their tables and taking a seat beside Ron.

"So, it's good to be together, yeah? We should do this more often," said Ron, eyeing the brunette expectantly, taking a big chug of his butterbeer.

"Yeah," replied Hermione uncommittedly, keeping her eyes on her foamy beverage. Ginny looked at her friend worriedly.

"It's understandable that we haven't had much time to do this much this year with the Tournament and all," replied Harry, defending the brunette.

Ron winced at the mention of the Tournament. Not only was he not in it, but he had to deal with his two friends or more accurately, his best friend and to-be-his-girlfriend not having time for him. "I kinda get the part where you are involved, Harry but why are we wasting time helping Fleur Delacour instead of it just being us friends together. I mean, she's a Veela! You saw how she did in the First Task. She needs no input from Hermione, in fact, Hermione should be helping you only so you can beat her!"

Hermione frowned at his words, she really wanted to tell him that it was actually the opposite, Fleur was helping them, helping Harry, that they were training together but decided against it, knowing that he would want to tag along and end up being a nuisance to them all. Just the thought of the redhead prancing around the blonde like a peacock made her bristle. For the first time, she wondered about why Ron around Fleur made her feel this way. Was it jealousy because she still unconsciously felt something for him or-

It seems Harry thought to keep quiet too as he shook his head, "It's not like that, mate," not willing to say any more.

Ron huffed, taking another large swig at his Butterbeer. He wondered if his friends were under the Veela's thrall. Deciding to change tactics, he replied, "be as it may, I still feel we should be together more, us three, we've been friends since our First Year!"

"And what does that mean?" asked Ginny angrily at her brother, "am I interrupting your 'Trio' time here?"

"No, that wasn't what I meant," the redhead backpedaled, leaning away from his sister's ire.

Hermione just tuned them out as an argument started. She was barely concentrating on what they were saying anyway, her mind still stuck on everything that happened last night and the maelstrom of emotions she has been feeling since then. She wondered how Fleur was feeling, then realised she had run away without caring about the blonde at all. God, she must be feeling awful! I'd feel awful if our positions were reversed. I was so rude! I have been rude with her since day one! I can't keep hurting her like this, thought Hermione, realising how her actions might have been construed, I can't leave it like this! Picking her mug and drowning it in one go, much to the astonishment of her friends, she banged the mug back on the table and quickly shuffled out of her seat, "I remembered, I have this really important research to do for an essay. I'm sorry, I have to go," she said as she hurried to the door.

"Wait, Hermione!" She heard Ron call out behind her but she paid it no mind, quickly exiting the pub into the cold air. Quickening her steps, she set out to return back to the castle.

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She marched purposefully, boots sinking in the deep snow that blanketed the area, leaving deep footprints indentations. The trek back to Hogwarts at her brisk pace had been arduous, the cold air biting into her lungs everytime she breathed. She was so concentrated on navigating the snow under her feet that she was caught off guard when her body slammed into something, only a hard hand clamping on her shoulders stopped her from falling.

"Oh I'm sorry-" she hastened to apologise only to come eye to eye with Victor Krum's dark eyes.

"Herm-own-ninny," his gruff voice called out, his hand not leaving her shoulders, "vhere are you going?" He asked, his beady eyes looking at her with suspicion.

Hermione winced at his butchering of her name and took a step back, forcing his hand to drop off her shoulder, "why do you need to know?"

His face changed, contorting into annoyance and anger, "are you going to ve beast?! She has you under her spell, Herm-own-ninny, you have to fight it!" He growled.

"I am not under any spell, Victor and I would like it if you refrained from calling Fleur a beast."

He growled louder, taking a step towards her, "She is a beast! All of vhem are beasts! Ones to prey on people's emotions vith their Thrall, to seduce innocent men! She has you under her spell!"

Hermione's body took a defensive stance, hand quickly going to her pocket and wrapping at her wand, "I am not under any spell and I can see whoever I want, Mr Krum. Now if you would, please, get out of my way," her voice clearly issuing a demand despite the politeness of the words. Her eyes were set and hard, showing that she would not take non-compliance happily.

Krum gritted his teeth but moved aside, having already noticed her hand move to her pocket, most likely where her wand was. The place was too open for him to try anything. "You are making a big mistake, Herm-own-ninny," he spat as she walked past him.

"No, I believe you are the one making the mistake, Mr Krum," she said as a parting shot, not even bothering to turn around as she made her way to the castle.

It only took her half an hour before Hermione found herself in front of the powder-blue door of the Beauxbatons carriage. Knocking nervously, she pulled her coat tighter around her body as she waited for someone to answer the door. It took a few seconds before the door was thrown open and an unknown girl looked at her in question.

"Uhh, hello. I was looking for Fleur Delacour?" she said, fidgeting on the spot.

The girl looked at her curiously before opening the door wider, "I presume you know where to find 'er," she said before walking away.

Hermione looked at the open door nervously before shuffling in, worried that it would close by itself if she took too long. The portraits did that in the castle. She made a beeline for the blonde's room, not wanting to bump into any of the other Beauxbatons students for fear of chickening out. Thankfully, she reached the blonde's door uninterrupted. Knocking, she hoped that the blonde was there. Luck seemed to be on her side as the door opened revealing a dishevelled and tired looking Fleur, eyes red-rimmed.

"'Ermione? What are you doing 'ere?" asked Fleur, surprised to see the brunette here. After what happened last night, she had assumed the worst, that the brunette was so disgusted with her, she had ran away to put distance between them. She had barely slept a wink since.

"I need to speak to you," said Hermione, looking at the blonde, concerned.

"Oh, come in zhen," whispered Fleur, allowing the brunette to enter the room. She closed the door behind her. Looking at the Gryffindor who was nervously shifting on her feet, she added, "'ave a seat," pointing at the armchair in the room.

Hermione nodded and seated herself in the comfortable chair, watching as Fleur took a seat on her bed, facing her. She was struck dumb at how beautiful the blonde was despite the messy hair, red eyes and tired look.

"'Ermione?," Fleur called out, feeling a bit awkward at the silence, "what did you 'ave to talk about?," she asked, despite already having an idea of what the brunette was here to discuss.

Hermione snapped out of her stupor, blushing faintly, "I have a few questions I need to ask you and I want you to tell me the truth," she said seriously. Seeing the blonde nod nervously, she continued, "am I your mate?" She watched as the blonde hesitated before nodding again. Hermione didn't manage to stop the gasp escaping her throat, "why didn't you just tell me?!"

Fleur shook her head, "we cannot just tell, it doesn't work like zhat," she replied, fidgeting nervously, worried that the brunette would be angry at her secret keeping.

"So, what does this mean now?," asked Hermione, voice full of uncertainty. Thinking she was Fleur's mate had been a lot to take in but having the blonde confirmed it was… overwhelming.

"It means whatever you want it to mean, 'Ermione," replied Fleur, cerulean eyes full of sincerity. While she wanted it all with Hermione, she didn't want to rush and spook the brunette. If Hermione didn't want her like that, she'd deal with it… it'd break her heart irreparably but she'd take whatever the brunette was willing to give.

Hermione hadn't really expected that answer. She thought Fleur would tell her that they'd get together, be a couple just like the Veela magic had intended. Thinking about it, it didn't really sound bad or… foreign... but she wasn't sure what she felt for the blonde and didn't want to hurt her by making a mistake. She cared too much for the blonde to risk their friendship.

"I don't know what I feel about you, Fleur," she said sincerely before hurrying to add "but I'd like to find out," when she saw the blonde's face fall.

"Really?," asked Fleur, not being able to hide the hope in her voice. It was more than she could ever ask for.

"Yes," replied Hermione, shyly, "I don't want to hurt you. Can we stay friends and maybe spend some more time together... for me to figure it out? Maybe we can be open and talk about it."

Fleur smiled and nodded, "no matter what, we'll always be friends, 'Ermione and I will answer any questions you 'ave. You can ask me anything about zhis and I promise to answer honestly. And spending time wiz you is my favourite thing to do..." she said, smiling reassuringly. Any time with her mate was like a gift from the gods.

Hermione blushing at the words, feeling that they were different now. Before, Fleur's words had sounded friendly but now, it felt more like… flirting. Her heart sped up at the thought, it was a nice feeling. "There's still some time to this Sunday, would you like to spend it at the lake?," she asked shyly.

"Wiz pleasure," replied Fleur, smiling at the cuteness of the shy girl. She fell more in love.

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Fleur sighed as she dropped on her bed unceremoniously. She had just spent a full day with Hermione. They went to the lake, with the pair of them walking side by side, a bit closer than usual, their shoulders and hands brushing together multiple times. No words were spoken but Fleur had noticed a shy blush on Hermione's face as the brunette surreptitiously glanced down and eyed her hand and had to try so hard to keep herself from grinning, not wanting to embarrass the Gryffindor. Despite wanting to take Hermione's hand, she did nothing, not wanting to seem too pushy. She was leaving it all to Hermione to make the first moves.

They got to their spot and spent their time talking about generic things, getting to know each other even better. Then they had dinner together in the Great Hall, just discussing food and different dishes from each other's country. She wondered about this new arrangement of theirs. Friends but tentatively seeing if there could be more. It had a lot of good possibilities but also endless possibilities for Fleur to get hurt. She didn't have much of a choice though, Hermione was her mate. She had to take the chance… because Hermione was worth it, the possibility of their love was worth it.

She was also worried of what Hermione would think about being a Veela's mate. It wasn't exactly like typical relationships. Veela relationships were intense as Veelas lived for love. They always stayed close to their mate, always cherishing every moment spent together and were still left wanting more. They were fiercely protective yet needy for their partner. The fact that once sealed, both parties would be able to feel each other's emotions just added to the flames. A Veela's relationship was the joining of two wholes to make a much more powerful being, a one that could coexist separately in body yet never to be separated in mind and soul. It was intense, powerful and not easy of a joining. She knew from Day One that Hermione was not one to shy from hard things but she worried if such a joining would be what Hermione needed because if it wasn't, then there would be little hope, it would be impossible for Fleur to go against her very nature. She kept hope though. She had never seen incompatible pairings. The Veela magic seems to just know the best person suited for each of the Veelas.

Hermione walked into the Common Room with a slight smile threatening to erupt on her face. She had had a splendid time with the blonde at the lake. They had spent their time chatting, Hermione having decided to ask more about mates another time to keep the day on a lighter tone, they would have time to go over what it meant another day. Being around Fleur gave her the same happy feeling as always but now there was a different tone to it and it was making her feel fluttering in her stomach...it was such a foreign-

"Where have you been?" asked Ron, arms crossed over his chest. He was quite annoyed. After getting so much trouble to plan something with the brunette, he had finally got her to agree to spend the day with him at Hogsmeade. It hadn't even been only the two of them, he had had to make it a group outing to get her to agree and she ran off not even fifteen minutes into Hogsmeade!

Hermione skidded to a halt, realising that she hadn't been aware of her surroundings in her daydream and was inches from bumping into the redhead, "Ron! You startled me!" she said, bringing a hand to her chest where her heart was pounding.

"I ask again, where have you been?" he continued, "you disappeared from Hogsmeade, and don't think I didn't see you having dinner with Fleur," he hissed, voice laced with irritation.

Hermione frowned, "wha-, yeah I had something to do and I had dinner with Fleur, what's the issue?" She didn't like his tone and wasn't liking where this conversation was going.

"Fleur, always Fleur. Come on, Hermione. She's Harry's competition! She's probably using you to get to him! Get information on how to best him! You barely have time for your friends anymore, for me anymore!" he spat, his voice getting louder, not noticing the gazes of the other Gryffindors in the room zeroing on the pair.

Hermione could feel the others' gazes on her and felt her ire increase, "Fleur is not using me and it is NONE of your business, Ronald. I spend my time with whoever I want," she hissed.

"How are we supposed to mend our relationship if we barely spend a second together," he growled. Why were women so daft!?

It took all the effort to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Taking a menacing step forward, she watched in satisfaction as Ron stumbled backwards in fear at the look on her face, "I will say this one last time," she enunciated, her voice travelling loud and clear over the whole room, "There. Is. Nothing. Going. On. Between. Us. We are not in a relationship, nor will we be in one. There. Is. Nothing. To. Mend. At this point, with your boorish behaviour, I'm not even sure there is a friendship involved!" and with that, she walked around him and made a beeline for her bedroom. Stupid redheads! Stupid boys! What's with them today?! She wouldn't waste any more energy on them though, she had a blue-eyed blonde woman to figure out.