A/N: Hey guys- just wanted to say thanks for the reviews! They really keep me motivated and I'm loving hearing your thoughts and feelings on the chapters. I've fulfilled a couple more requests in this chapter, heh. Hope you enjoy! x
Hermione had a pleasant time. Apolline seemed strangely pleased to have her around now she thought she was sleeping with Fleur. Gabrielle seemed excited to get to know the parent of her impending niece or nephew. Alexandre was cordial, sharing the most in common with Hermione, but being most talkative in one on one encounters around the mansion. Hermione surmised he was a very introverted man, and handled himself better when not in a group setting.
Fleur remained moody, swinging between thawing with Hermione and getting upset with her. She showed her breathtaking spots around Marseille, but kept aloof. She was keeping Hermione at an arms'-length still.
Hermione spent the last two nights of their trip in her own room, back to her inability to sleep.
She wondered if the reason she had slept through on her first night was because of Fleur wrapped tightly around her.
It was their last morning in France and they were having breakfast outside on the vast lawn.
Fleur was pouting about the fact she couldn't have any coffee, and her father was trying to placate her.
Hermione had finished her breakfast quickly, and now she was messing around on the lawn with Gabrielle. The blonde had really taken to her.
"Want to see something cool?" Hermione asked.
Gabrielle's eyes lit up and Hermione grinned.
"Oui! What is it?" Gabrielle asked excitedly.
"Can you do… this?!" Hermione asked, before leaping forward. As she leapt forward, her body shifted and she transformed into a small cat.
"Mon Dieu! Maman! Papa! Did you see that?!" Gabrielle was beyond excited. Hermione knew younger witches and wizards loved to see an animagus.
She'd learnt how to do it soon after leaving Hogwarts, inspired by McGonagall, Sirius and even bloody Rita Skeeter. She'd regretted that she'd never learned until after the war—it would have been a fantastic way to get around undetected and escape capture.
She'd looked to Sirius and McGonagall when deciding her form. By picking domesticated animals, they'd been able to move around public places far easier than, say, a giant stag. Harry's father certainly wouldn't have been able to move around a train station in animagus form.
Her form was a small cat. She was grey and long haired.
"She's so fluffy!" Gabrielle squealed, patting Hermione's back.
Hermione chirruped, before rolling over and showing Gabrielle her fluffy tum. This made Gabrielle squeal even more.
She let Gabrielle rub her belly for a moment before straightening up and changing back. She was giggling a little at the wide-eyed look on Gabrielle's face.
"Hermione, that was soooo cool! I wanna do that!" Gabrielle gushed as they walked back to join the others at the table.
"When you're older you'll be able to learn if you want," Hermione smiled, "And you can pick any animal you want!"
"Any animal?! Maman, did you hear that!" Gabrielle was beyond excited.
Apolline smiled serenely, nudging Fleur. Fleur was watching Hermione with a mix of surprise and happiness on her face. It was rare to see her showing emotion freely, and Hermione couldn't take her eyes off her.
"You are good with the young ones," Alexandre said with a smile.
"Oh, am I?" Hermione asked, "I just figured anyone would find an animagi interesting!"
"And I do!" Gabrielle concurred, "Can you do it again?"
"Maybe in a bit," Hermione offered, "I'm a little tired right now. Did you know I once knew a woman who picked a beetle as their animagus form?"
"Ewww!" Gabrielle scrunched her face up with disgust, causing Hermione to giggle at her reaction.
"Tired?" Alexandre asked, "I am so sorry, Hermione. You should have told us if your room was too uncomfortable to sleep!"
"No, no, it's not that…" Hermione said apologetically, "I think I'm just stressed, I haven't been able to sleep well lately."
Apolline grinned knowingly.
"Except for the night you stayed with our Fleur," Apolline said, "You know, when I was pregnant, I could never sleep unless Alexandre there was right next to me. He had a business trip for a week during my pregnancy with Fleur. I barely got a couple of hours sleep each night during that week!"
Hermione felt embarrassed. Her night with Fleur cuddled around her had been the best night's sleep since all this had happened.
"Is it a Veela thing?" Fleur asked, furrowing her brow. The joy that had been on her face before had been hidden carefully yet again.
"Perhaps," Apolline shrugged, "I never thought to mention it to your Grandmere when I experienced it. We will have to ask her."
The butler, Paul, approached the group, indicating that the carriage was ready to take Fleur and Hermione to the train station to leave.
Gabrielle hugged Fleur tightly, getting a little tearful. She came up and hugged Hermione next.
"Please tell me you'll come visit again?" Gabrielle asked, looking up at Hermione.
Hermione glanced sideways at Fleur, who was impassive as always.
"Maybe," Hermione replied, smiling at Gabrielle.
Apolline hugged Fleur and then Hermione, whispering in Hermione's ear.
"You are very good for my daughter, I can feel it," Apolline purred. Hermione blushed as Apolline pulled back from her ear, kissing her on each cheek.
Alexandre said his goodbyes next, pulling out a phone from his pocket as he reached Hermione.
"Hermione, we should exchange contact information," Alexandre said quietly, "I have come to love this Muggle device through my work. I assume as a Muggleborn you would also have one?"
"Oh, erm, yeah," Hermione said, fishing hers out of her pocket, "I only really use it to talk to old friends and Harry."
"What is that?" Fleur interjected, watching the interaction with curiosity.
"A phone," Alexandre said, holding up his smartphone, "They have changed a lot over the years, but this is the same kind of thing you used to see me talking on while you were growing up."
"It means you can instantly talk to whoever you want," Hermione explained, "As a voice conversation, through sending images, through sending messages… There are a bunch of different options."
"You're getting me one," Fleur demanded.
"Oh, er, they're really only useful if you know a bunch of other people with one too," Hermione tried to explain. Fleur huffed and put her hand on her hip.
"Oui, you and Papa," Fleur retorted agitatedly, "Don't you think I need a way of reaching you about the baby?"
"Oh, good point," Hermione conceded, "Fine, I'll sort you out when we get back home."
She caught Alexandre and Apolline watching her, both of them with amusement sparkling in their eyes.
Hermione stopped past and got Fleur a phone immediately on their return, spending some time teaching the impatient blonde how to use it.
When she finally got back to Grimmauld Place, she was tired but strangely happy.
After half a week with the Delacours and Fleur, she was feeling a little closer to the blonde. As much as anyone could be close to the cold and distant woman, anyway.
That and she felt she had made a good friend in Alexandre. He was a fellow bookworm and shared the same passions as her.
Her phone beeped and she pulled it out of her pocket.
Alexandre: I trust you and Fleur made it home okay?
Hermione smiled. It felt good having a kind of father figure checking in on her. The Weasleys and Hagrid made her feel the same way, but they didn't know how to use Muggle tech like her real parents had.
Hermione: We did. She didn't want to wait a second to get her own phone, so expect a call or message from her soon.
Hermione smirked. Fleur was a high maintenance enough woman without having the ability to contact people 24/7. Hermione may have just created a monster.
"Hey, 'Mione, how was the holiday with the baby-momma?" Ron asked, coming forward to hug her hello.
The scruffy-haired Harry appeared, also hugging Hermione.
"How was France?" Harry chimed in.
"It was really good, actually," Hermione replied honestly, "I think I made some good progress with Fleur."
"Supportive baby-daddy progress or putting a ring on that progress?" Ron asked, wiggling his eyebrows ridiculously.
Hermione shoved him, yet couldn't help but smile.
"Shut up, Ron," Hermione muttered.
"You so like her," Harry surmised, smirking.
"Yeah, well, she doesn't really like me," Hermione said, shrugging.
"Oh!" Ron exclaimed, "Speaking of girls, you got an owl while you were gone!"
Ron fished around in his pockets before producing a letter.
He handed it to Hermione, who noticed with dissatisfaction that he had got a smear of jam on the corner.
"Er, thanks," Hermione replied. She opened it up.
It was a letter from Amelie. She was asking if Hermione wanted to go for a coffee sometime. But, thankfully, she didn't seem to be putting much pressure on Hermione either way. Hermione smiled. She considered it, but she knew her complicated feelings towards Fleur meant it would be unfair to give Amelie any kind of impression of interest.
Yet Hermione couldn't stop weighing it up throughout the rest of the day.
As she lay in bed that night, she mulled over giving Amelie a chance. She was very cute. She was very interested.
Hermione's phone buzzed on her bedside table.
Fleur: I want ice cream.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she saw the time. 3 in the morning. Giving Fleur a phone was definitely a mistake.
Her phone buzzed again.
Fleur: And hot sauce.
Hermione scrunched her nose up.
Hermione: Together?
Fleur: Good, you're awake. Yes, together. Can you get it for me? I'm too tired to get up.
Hermione groaned. She supposed she wasn't going to get any real sleep anyway. She may as well go and run an errand for the blonde.
Fleur: Come on. You're the one that got me pregnant. You owe me.
Hermione rolled her eyes again, getting up out of bed. She had to have got the most demanding woman in Europe pregnant.
She got changed quickly, checking her hair in the mirror before apparating.
In an instant, she was in a 24-hour store. She had no idea what ice cream Fleur liked, or what kind of ice cream would even go with hot sauce. She giggled to herself as she picked French vanilla ice cream. It seemed the most appropriate. She then grabbed a hot sauce, paid and apparated again.
She arrived outside Fleur's door, stumbling a little. The lack of sleep was getting to her. Apparating too close together made her dizzy and faint.
She leant on the doorway as she regained her bearings, before knocking on Fleur's door.
Almost instantly, the door flung open.
Fleur was in another silk gown, undone, and another revealing lingerie set. Hermione was beginning to get a little desensitised to Fleur's openness. She didn't even blush at the blonde's attire this time.
Fleur snatched the ice cream and hot sauce from Hermione's hands, grinning broadly and turning on her heel, walking into the studio without saying anything.
She'd left the door open, which Hermione took as an invitation to come in. She headed in, shutting the door behind her.
"Any reason you're up this late?" Hermione asked.
Fleur had already scooped ice cream into a bowl and was now dousing it in hot sauce.
"Haven't been able to sleep for more than an hour or so at a time since all this happened," Fleur shrugged, "That's why I kept dozing off on the train."
"Oh," Hermione replied, "Me too."
Fleur looked thoughtful..
"It is curious," Fleur commented, "We really should get Maman to ask my Grandmere."
She then dived into the bowl of ice cream, closing her eyes and humming with pleasure.
Hermione frowned.
"Is that really any good?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Try it," Fleur offered, holding the bowl out to Hermione, "Such a strange craving and yet it tastes so good."
"Weird," Hermione commented, shaking her head.
"Oh yeah, I called Papa," Fleur said between spoonfuls, "He is eager for us to visit again. I would be interested in seeing my Grandmere if she is in town."
"Oh, the Veela one?" Hermione asked, cocking her head to one side.
"Oui," Fleur replied, putting the bowl down, "You are okay with Veela, oui?"
"I'm okay with you, aren't I?" Hermione replied, a little confused.
Fleur snorted, rolling her eyes.
"I am merely a quarter blooded," Fleur replied, "Are you okay in the proximity of full-blooded Veela? I'm not going to be impressed if you lust over my Grandmere."
"Fleur!" Hermione yelped, disgusted, "I'm not going to lust over your bloody grandmother! For starters, I don't tend to go for the elderly!"
"Elderly Veela don't look like elderly humans," Fleur responded, "You saw my mother, oui?"
"Erm, yes," Hermione replied awkwardly. Apolline was indeed stunning as well as strangely youthful looking. She did look like she was only three or four years older than Fleur despite being her mother.
"Time does not ravage the Veela like it does humans," Fleur explained, "I know you like women, so I worry about you embarrassing me when faced with a full blooded Veela thrall."
"I'm not—Jesus, Fleur—I don't even feel your thrall," Hermione said defensively, embarrassed.
"My thrall is weak," Fleur replied, "I am only a quarter-blooded."
"Weak?! You have all eyes on you whenever you enter a room! The entire male population of Hogwarts was drooling over you during the Triwizard Tournament… And probably a bunch of the girls too!" Hermione exclaimed.
Fleur smirked.
"You would know," Fleur replied, "But oui, my thrall is nothing compared to a full-blooded Veela."
"I don't know," Hermione replied defensively, crossing her arms across her chest, "I told you, I don't feel your thrall."
"You really don't?" Fleur asked, cocking her head to one side.
"I don't," Hermione confirmed.
"And yet you are into women," Fleur said thoughtfully, considering the situation.
"Maybe you just aren't as desirable as you think you are," Hermione teased.
Fleur glared at her.
"Don't try me, Hermione!" Fleur said, putting her bowl down on the table, "You are the cause of my body being ruined!"
"It isn't ruined," Hermione placated. She felt a bit bad for teasing Fleur when she was so hormonal, "You are still beautiful."
Fleur's frown faded almost immediately. Her eyes locked with Hermione's and Hermione could feel a kind of simmering tension between them. Hermione felt a pleasant pang deep in her stomach.
"Erm, I should probably head back home," Hermione said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, "It's late."
"Are you sure?" Fleur asked.
"Y-yeah," Hermione replied, already heading to the door, "Unless you need anything else?"
"Non," Fleur replied.
Hermione wasn't looking at her, focussing hard on the door instead. She was embarrassed and self-conscious of these feelings that kept bubbling up with Fleur.
"Good night, Fleur," Hermione said, opening the door, "You know how to reach me if you need anything else."
"Good night, Hermione."