Chapter 7.
Hermione entered the small apartment behind Fleur. She could smell the delicate scent of Fleur's perfume as the blonde shut the door behind them.
"Oh… Wow…" Hermione murmured. The apartment was littered with large stacks of paper and books. Amongst the towers of resources were broken quills and ink wells.
"Erm… Sorry, I did not expect to have company here," Fleur said with a grimace. It was rare to see the Frenchwoman so self conscious.
"Its fine, I have left many a room in this state," Hermione replied, "I guess I just wasn't expecting it."
"I have been working on your case," Fleur replied tersely, waving her wand to tidy the mess. Once the books and papers had been organised into a pile in one corner of the room, it revealed a small table with two chairs and a couch. There were two doors leading off from the main room.
"That is the bathroom and that is the bedroom," Fleur said, gesturing dismissively at each one. Hermione almost choked on her saliva at the thought of sharing a bed with Fleur.
"And you're…?" Hermione managed to get out. Fleur seemed oblivious.
"I'll sleep on the couch, you can take the bedroom," Fleur finished, moving over to a small kitchenette in the corner of the room, "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Erm, sure," Hermione said, stepping further into the room.
"I will arrange for some of your clothes and belongings to be brought over here," Fleur said from the kitchenette, "I am sorry that you will not be able to see your friends."
"Fleur, I'm just beyond relieved that I'm out of Azkaban… Even if it is only momentary," Hermione replied.
Fleur stopped what she was doing and walked across to Hermione. She was standing very close, entirely in Hermione's personal space.
"I swear I will not let them imprison you for this," Fleur said fiercely. Hermione was entirely thrown by the intensity of Fleur. Her azure eyes were burning and her plump lips were fixed into a determined line. Hermione swallowed and tore her eyes from Fleur's pink lips, clearing her throat and taking a step back.
"I… I might take a shower and get some rest," Hermione murmured, rubbing the back of her neck and walking away. Turning away, Hermione missed the way the blonde's eyes ran down her body.
The next morning Hermione rose early, still used to the strict routine of Azkaban. She paced about her room at 5am, before finally padding out to the common area as the sun rose.
She found Fleur asleep on the couch, her blonde hair swept elegantly around her face as she dozed. Her chest was rising and falling with her breaths and Hermione blushed as she found herself drawn to Fleur's toned and perfect form. Fleur was in a skimpy nightdress, only covered in a loose knit throw.
Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly and moved to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. Although she worked as quietly as possible, she heard a yawn and Fleur appeared sleepily beside her.
"Did you sleep well?" Fleur asked.
"In comparison to Azkaban?" Hermione asked, "Obviously."
She immediately regretted her harsh response. It was a knee-jerk reaction to the embarrassment of her attraction to Fleur, that was it. Fleur hummed dismissively and withdrew, disappearing to the bathroom.
Hermione, growing more frustrated with herself, finished making her tea. Agitated, she only took a sip before pacing about the flat. Finally, she settled down and picked up a nearby book.
"Fleur I. Delacour" was scrawled in looping cursive on the inside of the cover. Hermione traced a finger over the handwriting.
Fleur returned from the bathroom, running a hand through her long platinum blonde-silvery locks. She set to preparing herself a coffee in the small kitchen.
"Would you like some breakfast?" Fleur asked politely.
"Nope," Hermione grunted, shutting the book again and tossing it on the couch.
"Another tea?" Fleur asked, appearing in front of Hermione. She leaned against a windowsill, resting her cup of tea beside her.
"Barely finished this one," Hermione mumbled. She knew she was being rude to Fleur. Incredibly rude, in fact. But she couldn't help it. All of the feelings of rage, helplessness and frustration were bubbling up again after her careful compartmentalisation.
"Is there anything you would like to do today?" Fleur asked, keeping her tone neutral. Hermione looked up at the girl. She was so painfully beautiful. Her face was aloof as always, always giving off an air that she didn't really care much for what was going on around her.
"I'd like to see my friends," Hermione said tersely, balling her hands into fists. She was trying to keep thoughts of Pansy out of her mind. Pansy who she had thought was her friend. Thought was more…
"You know I can't allow that," Fleur replied with practiced patience. Hermione growled and leapt over to Fleur, a hand landing on the windowsill either side of the blonde, penning her in.
"Then what's the difference between here and Azkaban really?" Hermione snapped, "I'm still a prisoner. The only difference is now you're the prison guard."
An unreadable look had skittered across Fleur's features but she was neutral again. She raised her chin in that arrogant way that Hermione loathed.
"I wish you could see that I was trying to help you," Fleur said steadily, "I'm trying as hard as I can."
"Yeah? Well, try harder," Hermione growled.
"You don't intimidate me, Hermione," Fleur said dismissively, placing her hands on top of Hermione's, "You'll just have to trust that I'm doing my best."
"Don't intimidate you?" Hermione snapped, well and truly seething, "You don't know how much Azkaban has hardened me."
Quick as a flash, Fleur gripped Hermione's arms, whipping them around so their positions were reversed and she had Hermione pinned to the windowsill. Fleur smirked proudly.
"And you don't know me at all, Hermione," Fleur said smugly, "Now if you're done throwing your little tantrum, I could do with your help reading through all this old case law."
And just like that Hermione found herself shaking out of her rage.
"Erm… Sorry…" Hermione mumbled as Fleur released her and walked away.
"No problem," Fleur said, a smirk in her voice, "Your temper is still nothing compared to the Weasleys."
Hermione sat across from Fleur at the small table, a steaming mug of tea beside her and papers stacked in front of her. Wading through the documents to help Fleur find useful case law was actually restoring a sense of normalcy to her. It reminded her of numerous days spent poring over books in the library to help Harry out of a bind.
She looked up at Fleur over the papers. Fleur was frowning as she read, her brow furrowed. She was chewing on the end of a quill, intermittently scribbling in margins. Hermione was blown away by how painfully pretty Fleur looked, even hours into studious work. Hermione supposed Bill must find it hard barely getting to see his wife. Hell, if Hermione were with Fleur it would drive her crazy not getting to come home to her each night. Hermione shook her head, trying to get the thoughts out of her mind.
Hermione leaned back, her back cracking. It was strange, since Hermione had never been terribly athletic at school. But since Azkaban, she didn't feel entirely right without regular work outs. She got up from her seat and found a clear area in the room where she began doing sit ups.
"Uh, wh-what are you doing?"
Hermione paused, looking quizzical. Fleur was watching her, her mouth a little agape.
"Working out," Hermione replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Is that okay?"
"Y-yeah," Fleur replied. Hermione considered Fleur's strange mood for a moment before getting back into her sit ups. She moved through the rest of her routine, noticing that Fleur was glancing frequently at her.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked finally, panting and wiping sweat from her brow.
Fleur had turned away from her papers now and was openly watching her.
"I just…" Fleur paused, licking her lips and looking down for a moment, "You're just so different to how I imagined you would be."
"Yeah?" Hermione replied, still panting.
Hermione could see that same unreadable look cross Fleur's face as the blonde got up and walked over to her.
"You're more athletic than I thought you were," Fleur said softly. She was now standing close to Hermione.
"I… Yeah?" Hermione answered. Fleur was behaving strangely. "I knew I had to become a bit stronger to last in Azkaban. We couldn't rely on magic in there."
Fleur didn't reply, her eyes roaming down Hermione's body. It reminded Hermione of the way Pansy used to look at her. Hermione's eyes widened with realisation. Did Fleur want her?
"Fleur?" Hermione asked cautiously. This couldn't be true. Fleur was married. Fleur was straight as an arrow. Everything in Fleur's life was perfectly ordered and correct. Fleur was… utterly unattainable and out of her league.
"Yes?" Fleur replied breathlessly, her eyes finally rising up to meet Hermione's. Her pupils were larger than usual and there was a faint blush at her cheeks.
'Merlin, maybe she DOES like me,' Hermione realised with shock.
"Erm… I have to take a shower," Hermione finally replied. She pushed past Fleur, ignoring the shiver that ran down her arm at the light contact with the woman. Hermione hurried to the bathroom so fast she missed Fleur's reply.
She shut the door and leaned against it, banging her head lightly. 'This is fine… So the woman I have been having inappropriate thoughts and dreams about could be attracted to me… No big deal…' Hermione thought.
But it was. The thought of Fleur harbouring an attraction for her set a fire alight in Hermione. Now she had realised, she couldn't stop the thoughts racing through her mind. Taking Fleur in her arms… Fleur leaning into her…
"No," Hermione murmured, shutting her eyes tightly. Fleur was infuriating. The woman got under her skin. More importantly, Fleur was married to a Weasley- the family that treated Hermione like their own. Fleur was her lawyer. Everything about a mutual attraction was beyond inappropriate. Even if Fleur was attracted to her, Hermione couldn't act on this.
Hermione pondered the situation as she showered. The longer she thought about it, the more convinced she was that she had misread the signs from Fleur. Fleur wanting her? The idea was almost laughable.
Just because Fleur had looked at her in a way that reminded her of Pansy… Hermione growled as she got out of the shower and put a towel on. The very thought of Pansy set her teeth on edge. She couldn't believe the callousness of the Slytherin. She couldn't believe the nerve! How could she in good conscience kiss her and hold her when she knew she was going to betray her? Merlin, how could she get Hermione to give her an orgasm right before the betrayal went down? Hermione punched a wall, swearing.
"Hermione?" Fleur burst in through the door, looking alarmed, "Merde, I thought something had happened to you!"
"I can't believe Pansy could do that to me!" Hermione scowled, pacing about the small bathroom in her towel. She felt caged. She wanted to get out… She wanted to go and take down Pansy.
"It is fine," Fleur said, pulling Hermione into a hug to stop her pacing, "I will find a way to fix it all."
Hermione sighed, enjoying the feel of the blonde in her arms. Fleur's body seemed to fit so well against hers. Blushing, Hermione drew back from the Frenchwoman.
"How are you going to fix the anger I feel at Pansy for betraying me?" Hermione asked. Fleur smiled, a cold wide smile that reminded Hermione of the infamous Ice Queen of the Triwizard Tournament.
"I'm working on that."