Perpetual Nonsense AN: Hey everyone! We're baaaack! Sorry it's taken so effin long, but Fran and I both wanted to finish our separate stories before we dove too far into this one. I will be working on "If I could turn back time" the sequel to Cruel Intentions very soon! I promise! I've just promised Fran a million times over that we would get the ball rolling on this one first haha Thank you all for your amazing reviews! I know we're both super excited to make a darker fic. As usual, here are the songs that inspired me while writing; Once again "Lilium" from Elfen Lied, but the music box version, then for Fleur's stuff I was listening to the piano version of the lullaby from Pan's Labyrinth, and then for the last part I listened to Table for Two by Abel Korzeniowski and Angel of Music piano version. It's a lot of dark classical music that fit the setting very well lol Oh and quick warning, there will be mentions of rape and self-harm. Just wanted to let people know in case these things trigger you. I assure you, we both did the best we could to be sensitive and insightful on the subjects.
Fran A/N: phew! I finally finished Antique and my threats were successful since I was able to drag nonsense back to this crazy project. I will be updating on different fandoms and I am also working on some one-shots from Antique's universe [they will be a surprise that I won't spoil] I am not as flamboyant as nonsense with her music so I kept it simple with the OST from the anime Kakegurui. It's basically a mix of decadent piano and sax. The songs I listened to the most were 'strange visage', 'the demise of mankind' and 'bewitching madness'. Anyhow, we want to go all the way with the dark stuff and being sensitive about it tends to be hard at times so nonsense will be in charge of the warnings and such [I always forget about them lol]. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and we apologize for the long wait, I think both of us never expected our main stories turn that long.
Veelabyte PN: Thanks so much for the review! You are right, the give me malice and lust is from a book. It's from my favorite book "Invisible Monsters" by Chuck Palahniuk. I love just about anything written by that guy. He is a true inspiration. I'm glad you liked the song choices! Fran and I have very different tastes in music so it's going to be interesting to see how mixed the songs are haha Anyways, sorry for the insanely long wait. I do so hope you enjoy the new chapter in all it's dark awesome glory Fran here: nonsense is teasing my music taste all the time, so I kinda ignore her lol. We definitely took a long time but we are kinda back on track now. Thanks for the review, it cracked me up.
Beatsbounded PN: Yay! I'm so glad you like the dynamic! We're definitely trying to go for something a little different when it comes to mate stories. Something neither one of us has seen done so we do so hope you like it. Thank you so much for the review and I hope you like the newest installment. Fran here: since we don't like being very traditional, we decided to write a different take on mates. I grew bored of reading the same thing over and over and well, nonsense agreed [somehow] and here we are getting crazy with this.
Thestral212: Lazy ass writing in Spanish lol. Nonsense is so lazy and only knows bad words in Spanish anyway lol. So yeah, we do have a similar writing style but our ideas go crazy easily as well lol. From my original idea we have changed a lot of things but the essence is there and I couldn't be happier that nonsense accepted. I was not that happy about removing that burning part since it's a dark fic but oh, well we will go dark anyways. Let's say that this is an experiment of sorts for both of us since we would like to add a darker touch to our future projects. Leave me alone with my crush for Fleur! It's not that I started French lessons or anything *pouts*
Rathofawesomeness PN: Yessss! I'm so stoked you like Fleur! I love how bitchy she is! How could we not have her like that, especially when she's some high-class model. Fran: I really love the way Fleur is all kicking ass and taking names, that attitude totally fits her.
Silent Bug PN: Haha, you and Fran have the same thought of Ginny and Hermione! That actually used to be my favorite pairing until I stumbled on Fleurmione and I was like 'oh, this is so much better' haha and I'm glad you like the bitchy Fleur and the deep dark Hermione as a photographer. Thank you so much for the review. Sorry for the long wait and I hope you like the new chapter. Fran here: Dead to the Weasleys! Wait no, just to Ginny lol. Fleurmione 4eva baby, and I do love Hermione with that 'tormented soul' trait, I dig it bad.
Musiclover104491 PN: I super promise we will have a big chapter on the mamba tattoo. For now, it will remain a mystery, but I really really REALLY like the back story we came up for the tattoo. It will just add to the dark amazingness of this story. Fran here: oh that mamba tattoo is pretty cool. I think the backstory we are working on was nonsense's suggestion [she pushed me to watch some seasons of American horror story] and my muse came up with something that we both are still revising and it's great.
Andrewpine PN: Yup lol jk, sorry for the long wait. Fran here: yup, that's it lol. And well, I did finish Antique [still crying about that] so... Enjoy and don't complain that much jk, lol.
Soul Speaker PN: Do we still get cookies even though it took forever for us to update? Also, can I have Fran's cookies? I hear she doesn't like them haha. Fran here: Cookies! Where? Hey! Those are mine, nonsense gimme my cookies [cries] sorry for the delay but we are back. Can we have more cookies? Nonsense ate them all đ.
Enjoy!
3.- Her
Entering the hotel suite she shared with Tonks, Hermione Granger could not help but smile widely. A surprised pink-haired girl stared at the now beaming photographer which was a rare sight to see.
"SoâŠ" Tonks started but didn't dare to continue, fearing that she would have to freeze to death another night.
"I took them," Hermione added with a satisfied smile while placing some of her equipment on a coffee table.
"You did?" The pink-haired girl raised her hands and jumped from the sofa to help the Ravenclaw with her bags "fucking finally!"
The photographer decided on ignoring the cursing words her assistant used since her joy was greater. "Yes, magical and muggle perfect pictures!"
"Does that mean that we won't continue freezing our asses off here?" Tonks asked ecstatically. The thought of going back to her warm apartment enticed her greatly.
"Not yet" Hermione replied still smirking "I need one more night"
The pink-haired girl tilted her head confused. "Didn't you say that you have already taken them?"
"Yeah, I just..." Hermione trailed off, the smirk dropping from her face while her amber eyes glossed over as she remembered the blonde angel floating through the sky leaving a trail of gold dust behind her and then those gold eyes that were so vibrant and bright that it felt as if they were burning her when the fairy looked down at her. 'I have to see her again.'
"Earth to Hermione!" Tonks waved her hands in front of Hermione's face, breaking her from her daydream. "Why can't we fucking leave now?"
Hermione shook her head, blinking her eyes to bring her back to reality. "I just have some loose ends to tie up."
Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Loose ends? What does that even mean?"
"You know, I need to develop the pictures and-"
"You can develop the pictures at home in your warm apartment." Tonks deadpanned, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, but-"
"Let me see what you got," Tonks grumbled as she went to grab the camera off the table, but Hermione was quick to snatch it before her assistant could get her hands on it, holding it close to her chest.
Tonks looked at Hermione as if she had grown another head and the Ravenclaw struggled to come up with a good reason as to why she had reacted so oddly. She didn't know why she didn't want the other girl to see the picture she had captured of the fairy, she and Tonks shared everything, the reaction was almost involuntary.
She looked down to the camera, her heart thudding painfully in her chest as she thought about the picture it contained before she looked back up to Tonks, putting on a fake cocky smile. "Be patient Tonks. I'll show you when the picture is developed and you'll finally understand that good things come to those who wait." Hermione ran a hand through her hair as she turned around to head into her darkroom.
"You're not going to get some rest?" Tonks laughed.
Hermione shook her head, waving her friend's concern off as she opened the door to her darkroom. "There's no rest for the wicked."
Tonks rolled her eyes in response. "I see you're still as elusive as ever Mamba."
"I hate it when you call me that." Hermione stuck her tongue out at the pink-haired girl over her shoulder childishly before closing the door behind her and silence enveloped her.
She knew she was tired. Her limbs were sore from sitting in the same spot in the freezing cold for so long; she didn't even have feeling back in her fingertips yet, but she needed to develop the photos. She needed to know the other girl, fairy, goddess, or whatever she was, was real and not a figment of her imagination.
She turned on the red light, waiting until she heard Tonk's footsteps fade into the opposite direction of her and then the telltale signs of her door closing before she turned on her camera to look at the perfect image of the mysterious woman gliding through the sky. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she stared at the picture completely transfixed before she quietly asked, "Who are you?"
Back at her apartment in London, Fleur opened a bottle of wine with a sigh. After pacing back and forth for the last half an hour, the blonde finally sat in front of the lit chimney of her living room and drank one glass after another until she finished the entire bottle.
She knew that despite temporarily silencing her veela, the creature would find a way of searching and finding the one for her once more since now she had some idea as to how her mate looked.
She supposed she was lucky in the sense that she woke up before her veela could get any closer to her mate, because if the creature had gotten a clear look at her intended, she knew nothing would stop the veela from going back, and that meant the end of her modeling career and most importantly, her freedom.
"Merde, now what?" the blonde witch pondered aloud before her gaze landed on her latest buy. A golden mask that featured three peacock feathers. She fell in love with the Italian handmade piece as soon as she tried it out. It contoured her eyes with a myriad of colors and made them shimmer in shades of green and blue. It was quite a sight.
Twirling the mask between her hands, Fleur sighed. The blonde witch wanted to enjoy more of her liberty before going back to France. She was in the last semester of her mastery in potions and business so her time as the sapphire swan was about to end whether she liked it or not.
Selfish as she was and being on Rajasika, the stage where those feelings were enhanced, the blonde only wanted to enjoy life her own way. She had bought some time by silencing her creature, but Fleur also feared that when the veela came back full force nothing would stop her from finding her mate and the French witch's fate would be sealed.
But there was one thing that Fleur Delacour couldn't deny anymore and that was that now she was curious. Deep inside, she wanted to know who her mate was, but as stubborn as she also was, the blonde witch would always deny that fact.
"In painâŠ" the blonde witch could not stop herself from voicing what her veela had said about her mate, a sharp almost guilty pang reverberating in her chest as she thought about her mate suffering. She felt uncomfortable with the feeling coursing through her veins and she resented the veela in her even more for making her feel this way for someone she didn't even know.
"We are all in pain." She spoke numbly as she opened a second bottle of wine, hoping that drowning herself in alcohol might make her forget the events of the night.
She placed it next to her now empty glass to let it breathe before taking the mask and heading to her room. Once there, she removed her clothes, fixed her hair in a messy bun and put on the mask. She smiled at her naked reflection staring back at her from her full-length mirror before tossing the mask onto the bed.
Entering the next room, Fleur started filling the tub before going back to the living room. She grabbed the wine bottle and her glass before letting herself be engulfed by the warm water. She poured a glass and sipped from it elegantly as a Delacour should do.
"My veela will be really mad when she finds out a way to undo ze spell I used" Fleur giggled amused at her childish mischief but then her expression immediately darkened "and my mate...a woman, of all people" the blonde emptied her glass before pouring another that she drank in three big gulps. Fleur was amused at the turn of events "at least she will 'ave a 'ard time trying to figure out 'ow to get a veela pregnant."
Fleur grimaced at the thought of this woman knocking her up for a moment, glaring at the white wall trimmed with gold before dunking her entire body into the tub including her head.
She let out all the air she had in her so she could settle on the bottom of the porcelain tub and laid there under the water where it was quiet and peaceful, looking up at the distorted ceiling through the clear substance. Her blonde strands floated up above her head, catching the light as she slowly closed her sapphire eyes and found peace beneath the surface of the water.
She felt weightlessness take over her body, almost as if she wasn't inhabiting it, losing herself in the darkness and serenity when she felt a hand wrap around her throat and then another painfully prying her thighs open and leaving marks.
She saw a flash of gray hair behind her eyelids and could feel a heavy body on top of her own, crushing her with its weight. She felt the grip on her throat tighten and then suddenly she jerked to life, sitting up in the tub and gasping as she greedily took in the air her body was being deprived of beneath the water.
She looked around, confusion and fear swimming in artic orbs as they scoured the bathroom for any trace of an intruder, but found no one there. She brought shaky fingers to her throat, gingerly touching it to see there were no marks and no signs that anyone had harmed her. "What was zat?"
She jumped a little, apprehension taking over her when she heard the telltale signs of someone apparating into her apartment.
"Fleur?" A soft voice called.
Fleur let out a sigh of relief when she recognized the voice of her younger cousin Cecile, her body relaxing back into the tub as she filled her glass once more to the brim with what was left of the wine to soothe her frazzled nerves. "Een ze tub, ma vie."
Not a minute later, a tall blonde with sparkling green eyes entered the bathroom and could not help but blush at her cousin's naked form. "I see you're enjoying your new tub." Cecile promptly grabbed a fluffy dark blue robe and helped a now inebriated Fleur out of the tub who didn't let go of her now half-empty glass.
"Why are you drinking so much, ma chou?" The tall witch asked, thinly veiled worry showing in her voice.
"Rough day," Fleur mumbled as she brought the glass to her lips, but before the liquid could enter her mouth the glass slipped from her fingers to the ground, shattering it into a million pieces and making Cecile wince.
Fleur drunkenly stared down at the mess she had made, shards of glass laying amongst the red liquid starting to spread out slowly on the ground. Suddenly, the liquid became thicker and smelled of copper as the sound of a male screaming filled her ears. An old and withered hand appeared on the ground, reaching out for her as the thick substance oozed closer to her bare feet, making her jump back and startling Cecile even more. "Fleur, what ees wrong?"
The hand and blood disappeared as soon as it had appeared, leaving the model perplexed once more as she stared down at her now stained tiles. "Eets..." Fleur shook her head, trying to clear out the disturbing images that flashed before her eyes that were now embedded in her head. "Eets nozing. Per'aps I did 'it ze bottle a little too 'ard." Fleur put on a lopsided smile, but it did nothing to soothe Cecile's own worries now as she waved her hand, cleaning up the mess her cousin made; something she was accustomed to doing.
The taller blonde sighed as she led the other girl to her darkroom. "I zink I should get you to bed."
"Why did you come?" Fleur asked, seemingly out of the blue as she plopped down unceremoniously onto her bed, looking up at the green-eyed veela with glassy eyes.
"I just..." Cecile chewed on her lower lip, looking off to the side to avoid that knowing look. "I just wanted to see 'ow your shoot went."
"You are a 'orrible liar Cecile." Fleur scoffed as she fell back onto the bed. Cecile cast a longing look at the older girl before she decided it might be best to leave Fleur to herself; she knew how she could get when she was this drunk. "Where are you going?" Fleur asked, pushing herself up on her elbows to stare skeptically at the retreating girl's back.
"I zought you might want to be-"
"Stay." Fleur's voice was so fragile and soft at the moment that startled Cecile, making her pause in her steps. "I don't want to be alone tonight."
Cecile swallowed the lump in her throat, nodding her head, because she never could refuse Fleur anything and turned back around, settling herself into the soft bed as Fleur cuddled up to her. "Ma chou...what 'appened today zat 'as you so distraught?" She asked as she tenderly stroked her fingers through her cousin's soft strands of hair, trying to soothe the clearly upset model.
A million answers were on the tip of Fleur's tongue; what hadn't gone wrong that day? Why was she seeing these horrifying images? Why did she find her mate now? At the most inconvenient time. "I found my mate." She spoke softly as a lone tear slipped from one sapphire eye and slid down her cheek while Cecile's fingers halted their movement.
Cecile felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at that one simple statement; she had had a crush on her cousin for a long time. She had felt her heart shatter before when she was only five and her mother saw how she adored Fleur and followed her around.
At that age she had no idea Fleur was her cousin, but her mother was quick to tell her who Fleur was and that becoming infatuated with her cousin in any way shape or form was a grave transgression to veela laws that could have her executed if the clan got to know about it so Cecile kept her confusing feelings inside; constantly at war with herself when she was in the same room as Fleur.
'She is poison.' The veela within Cecile hissed as the older blonde snuggled up to her.
'She is not poison.' Cecile shot back, her eyes narrowing angrily at the creature inside of her. Even though she was a couple of years younger than Fleur she constantly found herself picking her older cousin up from the floor after drinking too much, fixing the messes she made or at least trying to, and defending her to others when she lashed out in a cold or aggressive way.
She knew there was a lot beneath the surface of Fleur Delacour's icy exterior; there were horrors that no one should have to witness or live through. The darkness had been sealed away by Fleur's own veela to keep the model from going mad or dealing with the heavy burden, but she constantly worried that perhaps Fleur knew there was something there inside of her lurking and waiting to eat her alive from the inside out, but with how Fleur acted most of the time she was concerned it already was.
"Ma vie?" Fleur's fragile voice broke the younger girl from her thoughts and when she looked down and saw those bright blue eyes probing her with her questioning gaze she realized she had perhaps been quiet for a little too long.
Cecile tried to smile reassuringly down at the confused girl and continued raking her fingers through Fleur's hair. "I'm 'appy you found your mate."
"I'm not." Fleur grumbled, glaring at the wall as if it had offended her.
"Why not? What are zey like?" Cecile probed, curious and little jealous of this new person that would come between her and Fleur; it was unavoidable.
"I don't know." Fleur mumbled, making the girl stroking her hair furrow her brow in confusion.
"You did not go to zem? I'm sure your veela-"
"My veela won't be a problem," Fleur smirked and Cecile became worried about the situation.
"What 'ave you done?"
Enjoying the silence of the empty rooms, Hermione walked towards the improvised darkroom set at the guest's bathroom of the large suite she was staying and turned on the red safelight, so the negatives would not be damaged. She had had a fitful sleep with gold eyes staring into her soul, that fairy haunting her dreams and leaving her heart pounding so when she woke up, she went straight to her darkroom.
After making sure the films were dry, she aligned and cut them in rows of six photographs. After isolating the first black and white picture she wanted to print, the Ravenclaw placed the frame on a negative carrier to place it on the enlarger. Soon the picture was projected onto the easel. She tried raising and then lowering the enlarger's head until she found the perfect size. Then, she proceeded to focus it with the help of the focusing wheel and finder.
She chose the aperture point and decided not using a filter this time, she liked her pictures as natural as possible. She considered herself an old-school photographer hence, she enjoyed black and white pictures the most. A real endangered professional.
Since she had been working on printing her own photos for a long time, she did not have to try an exposure test on her films. She knew the exact time she wanted to expose the image on the film paper, so it would look the best as possible.
Hermione poured the developer solution in the first tray, then the stop bath in the second and the fixer on the last one. Then, she placed gently the white sheet in the first tray where the developer fluid was.
Something that the Ravenclaw loved was to see how the image started appearing as if it was magic but she knew better, it was just the chemical reaction from metal silver exposed to light, but magic sounded way better.
Making sure the picture was printed the way she wanted, the photographer placed the film on the second tray with acetic acid or stop bath, to halt the developer's action so it did not turn too dark.
After seeing that the process stopped, Hermione placed the photo in the last tray that was filled with ammonium thiosulfate and was the one in charge of stabilizing the image and removing any extra silver halide that might stain the final print.
With a satisfied smile, Hermione took the print and washed it in the sink to finish the process. After that, she just hung it from a wire Tonks had placed for her. She went back to the lightbox, chose another picture before going back to the darkroom, and printed some more photographs.
Once she had finished all the ones she needed for the magazine she finally set to developing the one she had been itching to see all morning. She usually enjoyed the whole process, but this time she felt impatient.
When she finally hung up the one of the fairy's, she felt her mamba start moving down her right forearm then up to her shoulder, unable to decide where it wanted to be to better see the picture itself. It finally settled on coming up to her neck to get Hermione's view as she stared at the picture almost as if she was in a trance.
The golden mamba hissed in the Ravenclaw's ear, far more impatient that Hermione already was to see the goddess again.
"I know, I know." Hermione sighed. "We'll go back tonight and we won't leave until we find her okay?"
That statement seemed to soothe the anxious snake and Hermione as well as she took down the picture to get a closer look at the fairy, completely ignoring the other photograph she had worked so hard to get in favor of admiring the mystical creature.
As her amber eyes stared at the woman who had transfixed her in only a matter of moments, she couldn't stop her thoughts from straying to Ginny. "You are the love of my life, but I am not yours." She heard the Gryffindor's voice. She had never understood what Ginny meant when she said that to her, but she was excited, afraid, and felt guilty that she may understand what the redhead may have meant now, but she had been tricked by that hopeful feeling before.
After the fateful day Hermione stumbled upon that flower in the street the photographer had resigned to staying amongst the living and yes, her career had started to take-off faster than ever before, but it still felt as if there was a hole in the middle of her chest; as if something was missing. She still felt that dull pain thudding through her veins on a daily basis, reminding her she was alone even if she was in a room full of people.
There were times when she felt like every day was the same as the previous one as if going around in circles in a permanent déjà vu. Days turned into nights and nights into days. Her photographs were the only reminder that time had not stopped and she did still have a purpose, a reason to keep going. The red lightbulb on and the loneliness of handling the chemicals to develop her photographs in the medium size darkroom of her loft were one of the fewest things that still made her smile.
Then, she met Sarah. After one big photography exhibit that Tonks attended as Hermione's representative since the photographer hated public exposure, the pink-haired woman dragged the Ravenclaw from her apartment and took her to a gay bar to celebrate another success.
Tonks was a very open bisexual while Hermione was just into girls. That night, there was live music at the place and the drummer caught the photographer's eye. Hermione immediately became enamored with the girl with eyes that were as black as her soul; she felt as if something inside her recognized something inside the other girl so after the show she got her a drink and effectively captured the other girl's attention.
Despite popular belief, Hermione Granger was, in fact, a very sexual being, but ever since Ginny had died the photographer kept to herself even though she desperately wanted to feel something other than that void that threatened to swallow her whole.
Dating Sarah turned out to be an epiphany, a way to unlock something inside of her she didn't even know was there. The girl introduced her to bondage, domination, and submission. Hermione had finally found a way to vent by making others submit to her. She felt powerful. She felt free, and all for the wrong reasons.
One night, she had Sarah tied to a pole and was using a stock whip on her when the cigarette the photographer was smoking landed on her forearm and she gasped in a mixture of pain and pleasure. Sarah had observed the normal flicker of pain in those bright amber orbs but then saw something else that she knew all too well shine in those eyes. Release.
"You should do it again," Sarah smirked and suddenly it felt as if the tables had been turned.
Hermione did do it again that night and the next and then the one after that and so on and so forth. All that pain she felt trapped inside suddenly had a way of manifesting itself into a physical form, a type of release, a way for it to make its way to the surface and exit her body if only for a short while and it was entirely addicting and all-consuming.
Being a cutter herself, Sarah introduced Hermione to her own way to release pain but the photographer kept on burning herself. In her own words, it was less messy.
They dated for around three months until Tonks had to intervene. She was not against Hermione having fun but the healthy kind and the moment she saw a drunk and jealous Sarah throwing things at Hermione, threatening to slit her wrists in front of them, the green-haired woman at the time knew that it was enough.
Hermione knew she was lucky to have her friend there to pull her from the toxic relationship she couldn't pull herself from, because Sarah had manipulated her to the point where she thought she needed her, that she was her savior, but she was a fraud. Hermione knew she had dark impulses after the loss of her fiance, but had never known how to act on them and Sarah was all too happy to show her how and in the worst ways.
Hermione jumped when she felt a burning sensation wrapped around her left forearm, breaking her out of her thoughts that would undoubtedly lead her back down a path she had sworn she had walked away from. She looked down to where the sensation came from when she heard her golden mamba hiss irritably at her. The mamba seemed to sense where she had been going to in her head and was not keen on letting her linger too long.
"Sorry." Hermione smiled apologetically at the snake, petting its head fondly to soothe its frazzled nerves. "But you didn't have to startle me like that." She chastised the snake who flicked it's tongue out at her indignantly, making Hermione laugh. "Little fucker," Hermione mumbled under her breath, but the mamba seemed to hear it and heated its body up once more, making Hermione jump again and scowl at the snake.
"Merde." A voice grumbled irritably in the middle of the forest as she pushed her blonde hair obstructing her blue eyes from scouring the dark frosty land for some kind of escape.
The girl's slightly taller companion sighed, defeated. "I told you eet won't work."
"There must be a way out of here," The first voice added louder this time.
"WellâŠ" the second one commented hesitantly, her brown eyes shifting uncomfortably to the side.
"You know a way!" the first voice exclaimed excitedly, her excitement making her eyes shine golden. "Tell me."
"We need to leave ze muggle way" the second voice added with a shiver. It was certainly, a cold night "so walking out ees our only option but we 'ave to be back before sunrise, because zey will come to check on us"
"Eet can't be 'elped zen" the first voice commented annoyed "being 'ere is so boring and I do need a distraction and I know you do too" a silent nod was the only reply "let's go zen, I saw a muggle 'otel zat way." The blonde smirked, a mischievous glint now shining in her arctic orbs as she and her friend trekked up the mountain.
It felt as if the sun was never going to set for Hermione that day; she wanted so badly to go back to her spot, but knew she would have a better chance of seeing the enchanting woman again if she went out after sunset so when the sky started to turn orange and purple the photographer was quick to jump to her feet.
"Where are you going?" Tonks' voice stopped Hermione from running out the door, making the Ravenclaw inwardly groan.
"Out."
Tonks raised an eyebrow at the clipped tone in Hermione's voice. "Out? Where?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at how overprotective her friend could be but turned to face the pink-haired girl all the same with her trademark smirk in place. "I promise I'll be home by curfew, mom."
"Oh, shut up!" Tonks laughed, throwing a gray jacket and scarf at the photographer. "If you're going outside, make sure to put that on so the muggles don't think you've gone bonkers just wearing a shirt in this horrible weather."
"Gee, thanks, mom." Hermione pushed again but was quick to leave when Tonks picked up a shoe to throw at her friend, the footwear making a loud thump on the other side of the door when Hermione closed it.
"That was a close one." The brunette shook her head, laughing to herself as she threw on the jacket and scarf before she all but ran down the stairs of the hotel main entrance, hurrying back to her spot.
When she got there, remotely unscathed, she looked around, her breath coming out in heavy pants and white clouds came out of her mouth, her amber eyes searching the night sky for any signs of the girl. The golden mamba seemed to be doing the same, slithering from one arm to the next, helping its vessel with her search, but came up empty.
"Guess we're going to have to wait." Hermione sighed, sitting down in the snow and bending her knees so she could wrap her arms around them as she stared up and the glittering lights hanging above her. The mamba seemed less pleased with this choice, hissing irritably. "Don't worry. I have a good feeling we'll find her." Hermione smiled down at the mamba with its head on the back of her hand while its body wrapped around her wrist.
Hermione sat there for hours, finding peace in the quiet surrounded by trees, but when the snow started to fall from the sky and rest in her dark locks, she let out a sigh. The confidence she felt when she started this adventure had begun to waver and she was starting to think she would never see that girl again and for some reason that thought alone filled her with despair, making her heart clench uncomfortably in her chest. 'Maybe she doesn't want to see me . . . she did disappear right after we locked eyes. I just thought...' Hermione chewed on her lower lip as she looked down. 'I just thought there was no way she didn't feel that too, whatever it was.'
A burning sensation in her hand suddenly snapped her attention back to the present. She looked down at the mamba irritably, she hadn't even been thinking those dark thoughts. She opened her mouth to reprimand her rebellious tattoo, but when she saw it insistently moving up her arm then back toward her hand as if telling her to look ahead of her, she obeyed.
Amber eyes drifted up from the snow-covered ground, squinting a bit as she tried to look between the trees into the dark forest through the thick snowflakes dropping in front of her face. She stood up, wiping the snow from the front and back of her pants as she walked forward, careful to not fall down any of the slippery slopes in front of her.
She clucked her tongue, annoyed when she still didn't see anything; the mamba must have just been messing with her. She was about to give it a good tongue lashing when she saw her.
It was the full moon's light glimmering off her long blonde locks that caught her eye. Her eyes widened and she immediately moved to get a closer look, to see if her eyes matched the one of the fairy's; one could never be too sure. She noticed that her goddess wasn't alone, accompanied by a taller girl with darker blonde hair that was almost brown.
She was having a hard time seeing the fairy's eyes with her luscious blonde locks blocking them and then she pushed her hair out of her face to reveal a pair of vibrant cerulean eyes. Hermione frowned when she saw their color; yes, they were a beautiful shade of blue, but they were not golden like the girl she saw floating through the sky.
She felt her heart drop into her stomach at the revelation and then the taller girl said something to the fairy that made her whole face light up and her eyes shine gold. It was only for a second, but Hermione knew she saw it and her heart was suddenly back in her chest, wildly thumping and then she saw her.
Blue eyes widened as the mystical creature stopped, looking at the brunette with curiosity and wonder; not nearly as intense as she did last night, but still intrigued. Hermione suddenly felt self-conscious under the other girl's gaze, as if she was stripping her down and looking beneath the surface of her skin.
The fairy said something to the taller girl, grabbing her friend's attention who was suddenly on Hermione as well and before Hermione knew what was happening, they were standing in front of her.
"'Ello." She smiled and Hermione nearly swooned at the sight of her light pink lips stretching across her face, a twinkle shining in her eyes. Hermione just stood there dumbly staring at the girl; she was usually so smooth with women, but her heart was now lodged in her throat, making it impossible for her to say anything.
The two friends looked at each for a moment before the taller one spoke, prompted by the fairy who gave her a pointed look. "We seem to be lost. Could you possibly show us ze way to ze mug- I mean, 'otel nearby?"
"Hotel . . .?" Hermione's brain still didn't seem to have caught up with the situation.
The taller one furrowed her brow in confusion. "Ees zat not what you English call eet? Did I say eet wrong?"
Hermione finally seemed to snap out of her daze at the worried look on both of the girls' faces. "No, no. That is what it's called. Sorry, I'm just a bit out of it." The brunette smiled what she hoped to be a charming smile. "I've been out here for a little too long."
"Oh, what brings you out 'ere?" The fairy tilted her head, a playful smile pulling at her lips.
'You.' Hermione thought to herself, but there was no way she could say that out loud so she went with something close to the truth. "It's just ah...a really..." Hermione trailed off as she observed the blonde watching her with that amused twinkle in her eye. "Pretty view."
The mystical creature nodded her head, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I agree."
The taller of the pair rolled her eyes at the two in front of her. "So zis 'otel...?" She waved her hand, trying to move the two along.
Hermione finally broke her eyes away from the other girl as if she was snapping out of a daze. "Oh, right. I can lead you guys there. I should be getting back myself."
"You are staying zere?" The shorter one's smile widened.
"Yeah."
"Zat ees parfait." The fairy moved a little closer to Hermione. "Eet ees almost as eef we were destined to meet . . ." The girl wanted to say the brunette's name, but she realized she had not been given it yet. "Je suis désolé, I did not catch your name."
"Hermione."
"'Ermione." The name rolled off the slightly shorter girls tongue in a way that made the photographer shiver.
"And you?" Hermione managed to ask around the lump in her throat, trying to stop herself from blatantly staring at the beautiful blonde next to her.
The mysterious woman stopped in her steps, making the other two halt as well as she held out her hand, introducing herself properly as Delacour should. "Gabrielle."
Perpetual Nonsense: Ooooooh Gabrielle, sneaking in for the win! Did you guys think it was Fleur? We were trying so hard to effin trick you until the very last moment lol Now, to explain the Gabrielle thing. Fran and I have a different idea of mates. Like, what if it isn't as simple or perfect as seeing someone and being like "Oh! That's my mate!" We were brainstorming and were like "what if the veela get confused or the mate if they come upon their mate's sibling first or something like that since they're so close in blood and such?" So, we really liked the idea of an imperfect mating system. And omg, the cousin scene! Haha, the entire time we were writing it I couldn't stop thinking of Mean Girls XD I was like "No, it's okay, cause she's her first cousin. You see, you have your cousins and then your first cousins . . . wait, that isn't right is it?" XD hahaha Anyways, we would love to see what you guys think about the newest installment. So many things happened in this chapter.
Also, on a last, more serious note, I feel it's important that with these mentions of rape and self-harm to say there are lines you can call if you are experiencing any of this or need help. I would love to put the numbers down here, but I don't think fanfic will let me. If you don't want to reach out to one of those lines Fran and I are great listeners so feel free to PM either of us.
Fran here: Lol, I was rereading and thought 'wait, isn't that Fleur? but how? Nonsense you are killing me' so yeah Gabs is coming and she wants some fun. Since 'mate' is a concept that has been abused so much to the point that when I read a fic I am just waiting for the 'you are my mate, and let's live happily ever after' and yawn, we decided on adding some tweaks here and there to make it a bit more interesting since there are no life-threatening situations [no Voldy and all that jazz this time] but a lot of character development and darkness. We will update again as soon as our jobs and life, in general, let us.
Being a girl that had dealt with depression for a long time, I have developed nice listening skills so if any of you guys need someone to talk to send us a PM, we will gladly reply. It doesn't have to be about the fic, you can also vent out and bitch about your job [we do that all the time anyway] or life in general. See you on the next chap.