Fleur had never thought that she would ever be relieved to hear someone tell her that she had to fight a dragon. But that's exactly how she felt when Maxime told her about the First Task. She knew exactly what to do this time around. Last time she had the Welsh Green and had managed to cast a particularly powerful sleeping charm on it. She figured this time around would be pretty much the same. But she made sure to work on her fire repelling charms. Her leg still had occasional phantom pain, remembering the burn of dragon fire from when the sleeping dragon snored and unexpectedly released a burst of fire, catching her skirt on fire.
Even though she was feeling confident, she didn't allow herself to get complacent or lazy. Quite the opposite, in fact. She decided to start going for a run in the mornings before breakfast. Her Abraxan duty had made her realize that she needed to build her physical endurance and condition her heart, not just her muscles. Madame Maxime's physical regime was more focused on quick bursts of strength and power, but Fleur knew she needed more. Especially if the Second Task was anything like last time.
She wondered if she had been stronger then maybe she could have fought off the grindylow attacks. She felt the burning shame of having not completed her task, failing to save Gabrielle from the merpeople.
She felt herself worrying more about this task than the task that she was going to be facing in just a few short days. It was the only one with real unknowns. Since she didn't finish the task last time, she didn't know where the hostages were actually kept or how much further she would have needed to swim in order to find them. She was determined not to repeat her mistakes in the past. She had been so young and arrogant, letting her Veela pride get the better of her.
«Not this time» She muttered to herself as she tightened the laces of her sneakers and slipped out of the quiet carriage.
Aside from her anxiety about the Second Task, Fleur was in great spirits. Ever since she and Hermione had started interacting more, her nights weren't quite as unbearable. She still had occasional nightmares but now her dreams were mostly focused around her mate and how happy she felt. With what was coming, Fleur needed all the rest she could get to keep her body and mind sharp so she didn't chastise her Veela for thinking about the Golden Girl to stay calm at night.
She had also noticed that Hermione seemed to be more energetic and alert. She had been concerned when she saw how tired the younger witch looked. She knew that Hermione had a lot on her plate with being in such advanced classes and also worrying about Harry, but the poor girl looked like she hadn't slept in months! Selfishly she hoped that maybe her presence was having the same effect on her mate and helping her sleep.
She was about half-way around the Lake when she spotted someone approaching her, also dressed for exercise. She smiled wide when she saw the unruly brown curls bouncing behind the girl as she approached.
"Bonjour 'Ermione. Fancy seeing you 'ere, mon ami." Fleur waved cheerfully.
"Hi Fleur! I didn't expect to see you out. Do you run often? I haven't seen you here before." Hermione slowed her pace as she approached.
"I just started today. I zought eet would do me good. Eet ees… calm. And it might 'elp me wizz ze tasks."
"I've been trying to tell Harry the same thing but he thinks riding a broom counts as exercise!"
"Well, eet does require quite a bit of strengzz to control flying…" Fleur's eyes sparkled when she saw Hermione throw her hands up and huff something about "ugh not you, too!" But she was having a hard time focusing, trying to keep her eyes from drifting downward.
Try as she might, she couldn't help but look her mate up and down at least once. She had never seen Hermione in clothes like these before. Her Veela purred her approval. The Golden Girl clearly took good care of her body. She was surprised to notice that Hermione was rather toned, more than she expected. In her defense, the black school robes were not very flattering to anyone, hiding all curves and shapes.
The Gryffindor was wearing a black spandex long sleeve shirt and matching bottoms. The tight fabric hugged her gentle curves just so. She was wearing a little beanie, Gryffindor red, of course, and her cheeks flushed with effort and the chilly winter air. Her soft pink lips parted as she breathed heavily from her run. She looked so… Shit, shit, shit. No! She chastised herself for having thoughts about the young witch. Subconscious thoughts were one thing, she couldn't control those, but she was wide awake and had no excuse.
Fleur quickly looked for something to distract herself. A flash of silver caught her eye.
She quirked her eyebrow when she noticed a silver emblem on the shirt. It looked like two half circles, facing opposite directions and overlapping slightly in the middle. "What ees zat? I do not recognize ze maker's sigil. Ees eet a British zing?"
It was a lame but better than nothing and it did the trick.
"Oh, this? No. It's a Muggle brand. Underarmour. Designed specifically for exercising. My mum sent it to me. It's quite comfortable, actually. Light but also very warm."
Fleur nodded, right. Hermione was a Muggle-born, forever straddling two worlds. "Zat ees interesting. Per'aps I should get some of zat eef I wanted to keep running."
Hermione nodded "If you did, I can help order it for you. You keep surprising me, you know. Most people shy away from Muggle clothes…"
Fleur huffed "I zink we bozz know zat I am not 'most people' as you say. I might be a Veela, but I would like to zink zat I am razzer open-minded."
Hermione nodded appreciatively "I respect that a lot about you. And I never really had a chance to tell you this, but thank you for speaking out against Skeeter. That woman… ugh" Hermione made a disgusted noise and shivered.
"Eet was nozzing. I am not unfamiliar to ze ways ze media likes to twist ze truzz. Eet was beneficial for everybody. Except per'aps Madamoiselle Skeeter 'erself. I'm afraid she won't 'ave as much juicy gossip to write about." Fleur feigned an overly dramatic sympathetic look, her hand on her forehead to emphasize her sarcasm. Her Veela was strutting about, proud that her mate was praising her actions. Sort of praising her… close enough.
Hermione nodded "Well, I'm glad all the same."
They stared awkwardly at one another for a moment, neither sure what to say or do. The heavy silence started to grow between them like a thick oppressive blanket.
Fleur finally broke the tension "Would you like to join me to finish ze run? I can turn around so you can continue your track."
Hermione just grinned "Yeah, that would be brilliant. I'd love the company. We can go your way."
The young Gryffindor turned and started running at a gentle pace, leaving Fleur to stare dumbly at her ass for a moment. She would have to write a letter to Thank this Underarmour person for having invented such a wonderful…
"Fleur! Are you coming?" Hermione's voice snapped her out of her daze and her tracking instinct kicked in when she saw her mate in the distance. Her Veela loved to chase and run and she herself got excited by the thrill of the 'hunt.' She tore after the brunette with a broad smile that reached her eyes.
The one downside of running was that neither had much breath left to have a conversation, but Fleur just enjoyed having the opportunity to be close to her mate, just appreciating the companionship.
When they got back to the Beauxbatons carriage, Fleur was not satisfied with the short amount of time they had spent together. She paused with her hand on the door "Would you like to get breakfast wizz me? I must get ready for ze day, but per'aps we could meet een an 'our? Zat gives us plenty of time to eat before class."
Hermione nodded enthusiastically "Yeah, that's perfect. I need to get ready as well. So, I'll… see you in the Great Hall in an hour then."
"Een an 'our, mon ami." Fleur confirmed and headed into the carriage.
The moment she entered the carriage, Fleur was attacked by a blue blur that latched onto her waist for a moment only to jump back with a displeased squeak.
«Ewwww, Fleur! You're all sweaty!» Gabrielle complained, looking at her sister like she had a bad case of spattergoit.
«Oui, I went for a run around the Lake.» Fleur just rolled her eyes and walked past her, knowing the little Delacour would follow.
«Oh yeah? Just a run, hmm?»
Fleur didn't respond, she knew what Gabrielle was up to. She was not going to give her sister the satisfaction of riling her up.
«If it was just a run, what were you doing with Brainy? I saw you two talking outside!» Gabrielle continued her teasing as she chased after her elder sister.
«Brainy? Is that your new nickname for her now?»
«Yes, I think it suits her very well. And stop deflecting. Answer me.»
«You are such a little monster...» Fleur sighed, her sister could be so bossy. «We ran into one another during our exercising.» They had reached her room and she sat on her bed, taking off her shoes.
Gabrielle huffed, «Is there something going on between you two? You seem to talk a lot about her.»
«I talk about her because we are in the same classes and she is very smart and nice to talk to. And no, there is nothing going on between us. Stop being so nosy. You are spending too much time with Evangeline, I think her habits are rubbing off on you. Now go, little monster, I need to get ready for the day.»
«Can we go to breakfast together? I hardly ever get to see you anymore!»
«Of course. I am meeting 'Ermione for breakfast but I am sure she would be fine if you joined us.»
Gabrielle's face lit up but before she could speak, Fleur cut her off.
«Do not give me that look. We are just having breakfast as friends.»
Gabrielle pouted but rolled off the bed and headed for the door. «Fine. Come get me when you are ready.»
Fleur shot her a playful glare when she heard the girl muttering under her breath as she left. She only caught a few of the words but "denial," "hard headed" and "useless lesbians" were definitely present. Evangeline was definitely having an influence on her sister. She sighed as she headed for her private bathroom to get ready.
She hoped for Maxime's sake that the headmistress would be retired by the time Gabrielle started at Beauxbatons. Otherwise she was going to have a real handful to deal with.
After a hot shower, Fleur emerged from her room feeling like a new woman, ready to take on anything the day had in store. She found Gabrielle talking animatedly with Evangeline and the three witches made their way up to the castle for breakfast.
Fleur perked up when she saw Hermione sitting at the table next to Harry and Ginny, so she felt less bad for bringing her friends along. An added benefit of a group breakfast is that it seemed more casual and put less pressure on her.
Every head in the Great Hall swiveled when the three part-Veela entered and made their way over to Gryffindor table rather than their usual seats at Ravenclaw. Especially when they sat with Harry, who was still being shunned.
She was disturbed to notice that Harry looked exhausted. His usually bright green eyes were dull and bloodshot and he looked like he was in pain. She wondered what was troubling him so much but figured it had to do with the news about the dragons. Hermione had a slightly distant gaze, not particularly paying attention to what Harry and Ginny were discussing. Whatever was on Harry's mind was clearly affecting her mate.
"Bonjour, everyone. I 'ope you do not mind, 'Ermione, I 'ave brought my little sister, Gabrielle, and my friend Evangeline to breakfast."
Hermione grinned up at her "No trouble at all, the more the merrier. Hi, I'm Hermione." she introduced herself to the two witches flanking Fleur's movements.
"Enchantee, 'Ermione. I 'ave 'eard much about you." Evangeline smiled charmingly, giggling when she saw the other brunette blush. She turned and looked expectantly at the redhead girl who was busy glowering slightly at Fleur. The girl simply said "Ginny Weasley" with a very stiff tone.
Fleur faked a smile to Ginny as she sat down next to Hermione. She and Ginny had never really warmed up to one another, mostly due to Ginny's immaturity and refusal to call her anything other than Phlegm. It seemed that nothing had changed this time around, but for Hermione's sake, she sucked it up and put on a pleasant face.
"'Ow ees everybody zis morning?" Fleur asked lightly, selecting a piece of toast and lathering jam on it.
The group fell into light conversation. So far it was a very pleasant morning indeed.
Then the post arrived and it all went to hell in a handbasket. Rita Skeeter's article had dropped.
Hermione returned to Gryffindor tower feeling happy and warm, and not just because of the exercise. She was glad that Lavender and Parvati were still asleep because she was certain that she was grinning like a fool and she did not want to fall victim to their endless questioning. She hopped in the shower and got ready for the day, taking a little extra time to make herself look more presentable for the day.
After she made an effort to tame her unruly curls, she made her way down to the common room. She spotted Harry coming down the stairs from the boys' dormitory and was immediately concerned. He looked like he hadn't slept all night and he was clutching his forehead. His scar must be bothering him again.
She pulled him over to a quiet corner and sat him down in an overstuffed armchair. "Harry, what's going on? Is it your dreams again?"
Harry nodded with a grimace, still holding his scar. "It's getting worse. It was really bad last night."
"Do you feel comfortable telling me about it? Is it the same dream from the house?"
Harry shook his head. "It was different. It wasn't like the other one. It was black but I heard…" he cringed and curled his arms around himself.
Hermione's heart broke when she saw how small he looked. "It's okay, take your time." She carefully pried one of his hands free and held it between her own, rubbing soothing circles on the back of his hand. She knew that he was not very comfortable with physical contact, a result of his abuse and neglect at the hands of the Dursleys. Small gestures like this were better to him than big hugs.
"I didn't see anything, but I heard a voice in my head." Harry finally spoke, his voice shaky and cracking a little.
"What did the voice say? Was it You-Know-Who?" Hermione didn't bother rolling her eyes at herself. While she had no issue saying his name, her 15 year old self wasn't comfortable using the name so openly. But right now she was too focused on Harry.
"It wasn't him. It was a woman. She… she didn't say anything. She just laughed. I didn't know a laugh could be so… evil. It made me feel worse than being around the Dementors."
Hermione stilled. She knew exactly who Harry was talking about. But that couldn't be right. Bellatrix was still in Azkaban and would be for another year. There was no reason that Harry should know about that. And he didn't have a connection with Bellatrix's thoughts. So why was he dreaming about her? Something to worry about later, right now she was more concerned about calming her friend.
"Hey you two, wanna head down to breakfast?" Ginny's timing was perfect.
Harry nodded slowly "Yeah, maybe food will make me feel better."
A few minutes later, Hermione sat quietly, picking at her food while Ginny tried to distract Harry with Quidditch talk. She did not understand the obsession with the sport and had nothing to contribute to the conversation. She subtly watched the entrance to keep an eye out for Fleur. She felt bad that she had Harry and Ginny, but she figured Fleur would understand. Plus she could keep an eye on Ginny and make sure the fiery redhead wasn't too rude to her friend. Wait. Friends? Could she consider Fleur a friend yet? Sure, they had talked a few times and exchanged messages in class the other day, but… It didn't matter, she had other things to worry about. Like the change in Harry's dreams. It was very unsettling to her.
"Bonjour, everyone."
Hermione was grateful for the distraction and enjoyed the pleasant conversation with the three French witches, though her worry was still niggling at the back of her mind. Even Ginny seemed to be behaving herself, though she talked more with Evangeline, which was probably for the better. Hermione didn't feel like dealing with a snarky Ginny. She remembered how annoyed Ginny was by the way her brother drooled and lusted over Fleur and made her displeasure obvious, calling her mean names behind her back. Ugh, her friends were so immature back then.
She was pulled from her thoughts when the sound of screeches and fluttering wings filled the Great Hall for the morning postal delivery. It was actually one of Hermione's favorite times of the day. There was something magical about watching so many birds flying around, carrying letters and packages of all shapes and sizes. She marveled that there was never a collision, which with hundreds of owls flying about, was a miracle in itself.
A small speckled brown owl fluttered down and landed in front of her, holding out a rolled up paper in its talons. She grabbed a few coins and put them in the pouch attached to the bird's other leg and the owl released its hold on the newspaper.
Hermione thanked the bird and gave it a bit of sausage, which it happily gulped down before flying away. She untied the red string holding the paper closed and unfurled it. On the front page was a picture of the four Champions standing together. She smiled at how confident Fleur looked, tilting her head up at her. She wasn't smiling this time, nor was she sitting. She looked strong and powerful.
Then she started reading.
The article started off just like it had before, though she noted that Skeeter was less harsh about Harry's participation than last time. Then her jaw dropped when she got to the second half of the slanderous article. From the rippling giggles she heard echoing throughout the Great Hall, she was not the only one to be reading the morning Daily Prophet.
"What ees so funny?" Fleur looked up from her plate of fruit, looking around the room.
Hermione paused then slid the paper over to Fleur. "You… it might be easier if you read."
Fleur gave her a confused look but took the paper and started reading. As she read, her brows started to knit tighter and tighter together.
Hermione held her breath, waiting for Fleur to get to the part that she had just read.
Fleur's shriek filled the Great Hall when she read what Rita Skeeter had published about her.
Hermione sat bolt upright, her eyes wide, afraid to breathe or move. Fleur was ranting in a heated mix of English, French, and a language that she didn't recognize. Veela, perhaps? She didn't need to understand the words to get the gist of what the blonde was feeling. The blonde was absolutely furious. Her eyes were flashing dangerously, shifting between icy blue to scarlet red. Hermione knew without a doubt that she would rather face a pack of Blast-Ended Skrewts than ever end up on the receiving end of Fleur's fury.
"Excuse me… I must go and kill zis infuriating excuse of a woman." Fleur jumped to her feet and stormed out of the Hall, leaving a stunned silence in her wake. Gabrielle and Evangeline chased after her.
Hermione just sat numbly. Well that just happened.
"Bwahaha! Okay this is hilarious!" Ginny exclaimed as she read the paper "Man, this Skeeter woman really dug in at her! Really paints her as a floozy who just slept her way into the tournament..." she smacked her knee gleefully "What's this bit? Oh, Ice Queen… that's good… even better than Phlegm!"
Hermione had had enough "Stop it, Ginny!" The fuming brunette snatched her paper back from her friend "Fleur is none of those things and she really doesn't deserve to be painted as such! She's nice and intelligent and it's not her fault that people are so ignorant and make horrid assumptions about her because of something she has no control over!"
"Whoa! Calm down, there Hermione! I wasn't the one to write the article. If anyone, you should be ripping Skeeter a new one, not me!"
"But you're just feeding into it!" Hermione huffed "You know, if you're just going to be a git, here. Believe what you will. But I'm going to find my friend now." She angrily tossed the paper back on the table.
For the first time in her life, she didn't feel like reading. If she had, she would have read a small but disturbing piece about a breakout from Azkaban the night before.