Some things to keep track of...

« words » = French

« italicized words» = Fleur's thoughts with her Veela

italicized = thoughts

- break = change in POV or scene.

Also, in case it wasn't clear from ch1, this is very much an AU, time travel fix it. Very canon divergent from books/movies.

"OOOFT!" Hermione grunted when she felt a heavy weight land firmly on her chest, pressing her deeper into the soft mattress and needly paws of doom pressed themselves into her soft flesh. Her war instincts kicked in and she reached for her wand but before she could react, a rough tongue started licking her cheek. Her eyes shot open when she realized what it was.

"CROOKSHANKS!" She sat bolt upright, her arms wrapping around the dense fluff of her part-Kneazle, her fingers threaded into his thick orange coat. She sobbed quietly into his fur and he patiently let her manhandle him, purring like the engine of the Hogwarts Express. He seemed to sense her distress and did his best to comfort her. Her beloved familiar hadn't made it out of the final fight and she wasn't about to waste the opportunity to cuddle him. "Oh, I love you…" she murmured softly and he nuzzled her chin.

Then reality hit her.

"Crookshanks, what are you doing here?" She looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was in her dorm, the crimson drapes around her four-poster bed drawn for privacy. This isn't right… Where am I? Rather, when am I?

"Granger! Stop napping and wake up!"

That was Lavender Brown's voice Hermione thought. She slowly let go of her cat and looked down.

Never had she been more thankful that she had developed the habit of casting silencing charms on her drapes because the bloodcurdling scream that escaped her throat would have made a banshee proud.

Crookshanks hissed his displeasure and darted away, disappearing through the drapes. Apparently cuddle time was over and his personal comfort took precedence over Hermione's.

No, no, no, no, no! Her mind was racing as she looked over her body. She had set the Turner to years, not months. FOUR YEARS! She started hyperventilating.

"Come on, Granger! The other schools will be arriving soon and McGonagall said we were to assemble in the lawn in advance!" Parvati chimed in and she heard the door to the shared dorm open and close as her roommates scurried away. She heard them giggling about wondering if there would be any cute boys in the foreign delegations.

Still breathing hard, she poked her head out from between the heavy drapes. Things in the shared dorm room were just how she remembered them. The air hung heavy with incense that her roommates burned, their obsession with Divination used to drive her up the wall. There was no logical or scientific proof that burning plants helped one 'open their inner eye' or whatever rubbish Trelawney spouted. She herself had only lasted a few months in the class before the eccentric professor insulted her and she dropped out. It still burned, years later, that she had this blemish on her school record.

She continued looking around the room, noting the messy chaos on the other half. While her area was tidy and organized, Lavender and Parvati's areas were covered with articles and clippings of handsome wizards and copies of Witch Weekly were strewn about. She chuckled softly to herself. Things were so simple back then. Or now? She furrowed her brow. 'Then' is now...

She cautiously crawled off her bed and inspected herself in the mirror. She looked exactly like she had when she was in her fourth year at Hogwarts, God, was her hair so big? And her body was so... small. She looked so young, her curves and other more feminine attributes wouldn't fully hit her until next year, though she had started filling out some. Not that it really mattered to her. She needed to fly under the radar this year anyway, she had a mission.

Otherwise she was still wearing all the clothing and accessories she had before her time-jump. That was bizarre but also expected. The point that struck her as truly odd was both Pavarti and Lavender had acknowledged her without even seeing her. Usually when traveling with Time Turners there were two versions of yourself and you had to avoid yourself and no one was aware of your 'current' presence, the one that had jumped back. She smiled at the memory of all the times she had startled Ron when she would randomly pop up in class. But this?

She waved her hand and did a few quick practice spells wordlessly. No, her skill and consciousness was intact... It seemed like she had somehow been injected back into her 15 year old body. How was that possible?

She clutched the cold metal chain on her neck, pulling out the Time Turner. She wondered if perhaps Dumbledore had fiddled with it. The Deluminator he had given Ron was something of his own creation. Was it that big of a stretch to think that perhaps he had tinkered with other magical artifacts? A problem for another time. She tucked away the hourglass under her shirt.

Next she inspected her knapsack. The Marauder's Map was still in it, as were Fawkes' ashes and other odds and ends she had picked up. The whole situation was a mess but she didn't have time to start dealing with it. She had places to be. Anything she did out of character would possibly tip someone off that she wasn't the real Hermione Granger. Well, she was the real Hermione, but not the one they were expecting. God, this was getting confusing.

She grabbed a clean set of robes and tossed them over her jeans and shirt and darted out the door. She had always thought that wearing school uniforms under robes was so pointless. Not like anyone would know or be looking.

«Fleur! Fleur! Fleurrrrrrr! Wake upppppp!»

Fleur groaned, her hand flying to her pounding forehead. She turned over and shoved her face into a soft pillow. Wait, what the hell? Her eyes shot open as she came to her senses. She was lying on a soft bed, her little sister jumping on her lap like an overactive puppy in the form of an 8 year old girl. That can't be right… Gabrielle was 12 and in France. She looked around the room. It looked like her room in the Beauxbatons carriage. No… how did she get here? Just a moment ago she was at…

«HOGWARTS!»

Fleur blinked at Gabrielle's exclamation. Yes, she had been on her way to Hogwarts, but how did her sister know?

«I see it! Oh it's beautiful! It's like a fairy tale! I can't believe Maman allowed me to accompany you! This year is going to be the best year ever! I can just feel it! And with all these new witches and wizards, maybe you'll finally find your mate!» Gabrielle babbled excitedly in rapid French as she stared out the window.

If Fleur hadn't been so shocked by her current situation, she would have scoffed at her sister's comment about mates. She knew that definitely wasn't the case from her past experience. Instead, she blinked again and looked out the window. Sure enough, the outline of the giant castle could be seen through the wisps of clouds. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was there, standing tall in all of its former glory. She rolled out from under her bed covers and started to pace around the room as she tried to get her thoughts in order.

«Oh, Madame is going to be so mad at you!» Gabrielle giggled, her silvery blonde hair swishing as her shoulder shook softly.

«What? Why?» Fleur raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her sister. Her sister looked so small and innocent. Fleur knew it was carefully disguised mischievousness.

«Well, look at what you're wearing! I didn't know you even owned any Muggle clothes! Have you been shopping behind Maman's back again? How daring! What a scandal, the heir of the Delacour Clan wearing Muggle clothing! I never thought my sister would be such a rule breaker! Good for you, sis!» Gabrielle chattered, her eyes bright and beaming.

Fleur looked down dumbly. Sure enough she was standing there in faded jeans, a nondescript black t-shirt, and dirty sneakers. They were the clothes she had been wearing before her strange time-jump to the past. Instinctively she checked her wand holster on her forearm. Her rosewood wand was strapped in place. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

«Don't worry, I won't tell… but you owe me a favor in the future!» Gabrielle giggled.

«Oh you little extortionist.» Fleur chided. Internally her heart was swelling with love. It had been so long since she saw that light in her sister's eyes and she laughed. It was the first time in months that she had anything worth laughing about.

Even though she knew her family had been safely hiding in France, she was not with them. She felt guilty that she had not been present at the Battle of Hogwarts and wanted to honor the fallen Order members by continuing the underground resistance efforts. So she had remained in Britain to fight Voldemort's terror and try to smuggle refugees out to safety.

She knew that the war and the weight of her choices hung heavy on her family. The uncertainty of not knowing if she would ever return. If their family would ever be whole again. The war had stolen a part of Gabrielle's childhood innocence, forcing her to grow up so quickly.

«Okay, you little monster… Get out of here so I can change into my uniform.» Fleur smiled and pulled her little sister in for a bone crushing hug.

«Fleur! Too hard!» Gabrielle gasped for air, wriggling free from her sister's clutches. «Fine. But remember! You owe me a favor!» The youngest Delacour smirked and stuck her tongue out as she hopped off the bed and flitted out of the room, closing the door loudly behind her.

Fleur waited until she was alone before she sat down on her bed, trying to wrap her mind around everything. She ran her pale slender fingers through her thick blonde hair as she thought. If what Gabrielle said was true, it was October 30, 1994. That meant she was 17 again! WIthout thinking her hands flew to her chest and gave herself a squeeze. Huh, just like I remember them…

She got up and inspected the rest of her body in the full length mirror. It was more than a little unnerving, seeing herself in the past. Her body looked flawless and light, not beaten down and exhausted from carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Except her eyes. Her eyes still reflected how tired she was and the weight she carried within, her heart hardened by loss and war. Their sparkle had faded. Not entirely gone but definitely not as brilliant as it had been in the past. She returned to her bed and flopped down.

How could she possibly have just gone back in time four years!? One moment she was following some strange call, inexplicably drawing her back to Hogwarts in 1998 and now she was back here? Someone had clearly messed with time and she somehow got sucked into the mess and she was determined to find out who. A million questions flew through her mind. Why would someone do this? What were their motives? Why now? What was so special about 1994? Was something supposed to happen in the Triwizard tournament? And most importantly, what should she do until then?

She didn't have any answers for her questions except the last one. In fact, it was the only one that she was certain about. She would have to put on her best acting hat and play the part of a 17 year old student and go through the motions again. She had no other option as she couldn't give away the fact that she was from the future. The consequences would be dire and anything she did in this new timeline would change the course of the future. Her head started to spin again. What if she didn't get picked this time around? What if she somehow made it worse in the future? Then again, she didn't think that the world she remembered could get much worse, so would it actually be that bad if she did mess with the timeline? Maybe that's why someone attempted such a big time jump and she was just collateral damage? An unwilling stowaway? Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. She had a chance to prevent the wizarding apocalypse and save the world and her sister could have the chance to grow up without fear… maybe this wasn't all that bad?

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Madame Maxime's voice echoing throughout the carriage announcing that they would arrive in 10 minutes. She rushed to change into her powder blue silk dress, rubbing the expensive fabric between her fingers. She snorted in a very 'unlady-like' fashion at how frivolous and petty everything seemed now. But she had to admit, the smooth fabric felt nice on her skin. It had been so long since she had experienced such luxuries.

She was carefully putting her hair up into a tidy bun and adjusting her hat when the ground lurched as the carriage touched down on Hogwarts grounds. With a deep breath she squared her shoulders and pulled on her travel cloak. She paused for a moment to collect herself before opening the door, her nerves were getting to her. Her hand gripped the brass handle until her knuckles turned white. With another deep breath and self-affirming nod, she opened the door and stepped out into the halls of the elegant carriage.

Her eyes swam with the memories and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. All around her were her old school friends, running around without a care in the world. In four years, almost all of them would be dead. Hunted for their Veela heritage or persecuted because of their 'blood status.' After the Battle of Hogwarts on May 2, 1998, Voldemort's reign of terror quickly spread across Europe. Nowhere was safe, not even the illustrious chateau of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, hidden high in the Pyrenees.

She quickly schooled her expression and tilted her chin high as she strutted down the hall. She could do this. The future depended on her. Failure was not an option.

She quietly assembled with the other students in blue, getting into two tidy rows as they waited to exit the carriage. As she waited, she felt that familiar tug in the back of her mind, the same one that led her to come out of hiding and travel to Hogwarts four years in the future. She shook her head and tried to clear her mind.

She was met by a chilly wind as soon as the door was open. Merde! She had forgotten how miserably cold this place was. That was something she was not looking forward to this year. She quickly cast a warming spell over herself and her sister, who was glued to her side, clutching her hand tightly. She noted to herself that her magical power was untouched by the time jump. She cast the spell both wordlessly and wandlessly. Well that will make things easier this time around. She thought, almost feeling bad for the other competitors. Almost. She descended the steps and marched across the lawn, feeling toasty warm with her spell.

She strode across the grass, her head held high, eyes straight ahead, ignoring the hoard of students in their black robes that were openly staring as they passed. If she bothered to look she would see the glazed expressions and in extreme cases, drool. No need to see that again.

She was calm. She was focused. And then her Veela started thrashing about inside her mind. «What the hell is wrong with you? Calm down!» She thought angrily, surprised by the sudden outburst, and willed her inner being into submission.

It had been a while since her Veela had reacted so intensely to anything. She had worked with her mother and grandmother to achieve harmony with her Veela and by the time she was 19, she and her Veela existed in almost perfect symbiosis, both occupying her mind.

She clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on Gabrielle's hand as they continued across the grounds and into the stone castle.

Hermione was an emotional mess on the inside but on the outside she looked as cool as a cucumber. It took all her self control not to hug Harry every second, just so glad to see him alive again. And not just Harry but Ginny and Ron and her other friends, too. Even her roommate Lavender who had made her life rather miserable. Tormenting her about her hair or her teeth, or teasing her over the fact that she never had a boyfriend. Because I like girls, you twat! She thought to herself.

Despite feeling the need to just hug everyone, she had to remind herself that she was technically a 19 year old trapped in a 15 year old body. That was just… weird. She tried not to think about it too hard. Nope. Even though she considered Harry, Ron and Ginny to be family, it was still unsettling that she was mentally a legal adult and they were kids. Her hands were to stay firmly at her sides or folded across her chest.

She was standing in a sea of black robes waiting for the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to arrive. She cursed to herself. This was a waste of time, time she could be in the library! Besides, in a few years none of this mattered. No one would remember the Triwizard Tournament. They had bigger issues to worry about. Like surviving the Dark Lord. She would much rather be using this time to research the markings on the Time Turner and trying to figure out what had gone awry.

"There! Look! There's something in the water!" Someone yelled and excited whispers rippled through the crowd.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's fangirling over Viktor Krum and made a point to look away when the Bulgarian walked by. She did not want to deal with that again. She had accepted his offer to the Yule Ball because she thought it was 'what girls were supposed to do' not because she felt any romantic interest in the man. In fact, it was going to the Ball with Krum that helped her start to realize that men just didn't do it for her. In her fifth year she finally admitted to herself that she had developed a bit of a crush on Katie Bell, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, and the two dated a little in secret for a short while. It was a short, awkward romance to say the least.

Her mood quickly deteriorated further when Beauxbatons arrived. She hadn't been aware of all the blatant ogling last time. Ugh, Veela thrall, she thought to herself. It was disgusting and insensitive to the young women. She knew that Veela had no control over their thrall, it was just part of who they were. She wanted to yell "Yes, Fleur Delacour and a number of other girls present are part-Veela. Get over it you moronic brutes!" But she bit her tongue and punched a purple-faced Ron in the shoulder to take out a little frustration. He didn't seem to notice but she heard Harry snicker softly.

Despite herself, she chanced a look at the blonde as the blue-clad students marched along. In some ways she felt bad for her. Being treated like an object all the time certainly would grate on anyone's nerves. But then again, the blonde seemed to view everyone with the same respect as the dirt under her ridiculously tall heels. So she didn't feel that bad. In fact, she was starting to feel annoyed.

The more she looked, the more irritated she felt. Sure, she was poised and more beautiful than anyone she had ever seen but that attitude! Hermione could overlook a lot, she was friends with Ron after all, but even she had limits.

And God did that woman complain! She complained about everything. The weather. The food. The subpar standards and teaching methods. Hermione clenched her fist tight to calm herself down, trying not to get too wrapped up in the memories.

She knew that in time Fleur would become more tolerable. She showed a surprising courage and skill, becoming an invaluable member of the Order of the Phoenix. And she was smart and witty and they had many intellectual conversations together when their paths crossed. The two had found common ground in that they had spent most of their lives being undervalued or underestimated by their peers and colleagues. People saw Fleur as just another pretty face who got what she had because of her body, not her merits. And Hermione for her lack of magical heritage. It was a pity that she lost contact with her after Remus and Tonks' wedding when she, Harry and Ron left on their hunt for Horcruxes. In a different universe they might have been friends if the world hadn't gone to shit. But at this time, she wasn't particularly interested in being treated like an insignificant insect.

"Come on Hermione, stop staring at the pretty girl…it's time for the feast" Harry whispered quietly in her ear.

Hermione flushed, grateful for the cover of dark. She hadn't been staring! She was thinking… deeply. Also, she hadn't told Harry yet that she fancied witches, that was a conversation they would have far in the future. While she knew older Harry was okay with her being gay, she wasn't sure how younger and more immature Harry would take it. She cursed herself for being so obvious.

"Oh shove off." She pushed him with her shoulder and followed the other students into the Great Hall.