Thanks for the reviews :) also, to the time traveler that appeared and left a review on this chapter before it was posted, if you could send me my future chapters itd be appreciated :)
Hermione leaned into Fleur, whispering as quietly as she could managed in her drunken state, which sadly, was not below a normal conversational voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you not happy to see me?" The blonde questioned, turning to look at Hermione more easily, her brow furrowing at the accusatory tone used.
Realizing her mistake at how she phrased the question, Hermione momentarily panicked, "No! Erm, no, it's not that, I am, really, but isn't it a long trip for just a couple hours?"
Fleur's face fell, "Oh, I am sorry, I had not realized you worked on the weekends."
"I don't, but didn't you say you're just here for tonight?"
"Oui, but I could be persuaded to stay for longer," she said suggestively, leaning in and placing a tender kiss upon the brunette's lips, her fingers tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear.
"Y-yeah," Hermione whispered, her breath stolen from her lungs, she nodded slightly, "but, uh... we should talk first." She lost what confidence she had gained from the alcohol and then some, she knew this conversation had to come at some point, but had hoped it wouldn't be so soon, or while she was drinking.
The already pale woman paled even more, hearing those dreaded words, she feared that she may have been too forward in her actions and scared the other woman off. Her heart clenched in her chest as thoughts began to race through her mind.
Her panic was evident as the other blonde in the group, Hannah? she thought her name may have been, leaned over and asked "Are you okay?"
A shaky, uncertain tilt of her head was given in response. Words seemed too difficult to use, just beyond her grasp, their sounds now unfamiliar to her.
A soft voice broke her trance, "Maybe, should we go somewhere more private?"
Fleur nodded, standing from her spot on Hermione's lap, she didn't want to be in front of a large group when she was dumped, cast aside like a piece of trash, just some holiday distraction and nothing more. The brunette stood, and grabbing her hand, pulled her out of the bar, a slight wobble to her step.
She sobered up quickly enough in the cool night air, the clear sky above filled with shimmering stars, illuminating the street before them. Cobblestones leaving shadows upon their neighbors, they walked along in near silence, conversations carrying from other groups out late.
A moment passed, but it felt like eternity, Fleur looked to Hermione, expectantly, waiting for her heart to be broken.
"I need to tell you why I'm really here."
"It is not for work?"
"It is. But, my work, it isn't what you think."
"Oh?" Now that the panic was beginning to fade, curiosity was beginning to overtake her.
"Yeah, I uh, I'm in the Army."
A small chuckle escaped from Fleur's lips, "Is that all?" She couldn't believe the big, bad secret was that Hermione was a soldier, it really wasn't that bad, not like her secret.
"No," the answer was short, the smaller woman stopped walking, turning to face Fleur, gripping her hands between her own, "I'm deploying soon."
"Deploying?" The Frenchwoman was unfamiliar with the term, knowing nothing about the army, she did not understand why Hermione had been so secretive about her occupation. A look of confusion had swept across her face.
"Oh, uh, going to war," The younger woman clarified.
The news hit her like a ton of bricks. The air escaped her lungs, it felt impossible to breathe, she froze in the moment. Flashbacks of the wizarding war came to mind, the deaths of friends, loss of family, having to do unspeakable things. She began to panic once again, suddenly wishing it really was just a breakup conversation.
Hermione continued, "I'd volunteered a while ago, forgot about it really, but they told me a couple days ago. I'll be getting attached to another unit."
"H-how long?"
"It's a nine month tour, but I'll be gone for almost a year."
"No, no, how long until you leave?"
"Oh, uh, three months."
Tears threatened to spill as she felt two strong arms wrap around her. She choked out a sob, her chest constricting once again.
"I'll be okay, promise."
"How can you promise such a thing?" She remembered the last time someone had promised they'd be okay, she had to identify their body days later when it was located. It had been mangled beyond belief, small and unseemly, no longer the muscular powerhouse he'd been before. His red hair hanging limply, splayed out on the rocky ground, contrasting starkly with the dark gray and pale white surrounding it. She'd fallen, her knees going weak when she saw the figure, every bit of strength she'd had vanished on recognition. Someone, she was unsure who, had pried her away from the body, and she'd curled into them, tears escaping her eyes in thick drops, depression overtaking her. It wasn't until days later that she'd finally come to.
A small smile, "It's only Kuwait, it's not like a real deployment."
"But it is still war?"
"Yeah, but only like... technically, just like..." she thought for a moment, looking to the side, "a tomato is technically a fruit right? But nobody puts it in a fruit salad. Kuwait is a deployment technically because I'm away from home, but we aren't fighting there so it's not actually dangerous."
Hermione looked at Fleur, watching her carefully, hoping she'd understand. Fleur nodded in agreement, still confused by the issue, but not wanting to drag it out any longer, she'd have to figure out more later.
"It's getting late," Hermione started, "I've got to be getting back soon, it's almost curfew, where are you staying? I'll walk you back."
"Oh uhm," Fleur looked away shyly, a slight blush coloring her features, "I had hoped I could stay with you,"
"I would love that," Hermione had to remind herself not to sound so eager, "But, two problems, I've got a roommate, and while I don't think she would mind, we'd definitely have to keep our hands to ourselves, and the second problem, you'd have to sneak in, overnight guests aren't allowed."
"You mean I'd have to sneak in through the window like some sex-starved teenage boy?"
Hermione looked down, feeling awkward with the comparison Fleur had just made, a quiet "Yeah" escaped her lips.
"Merde, I have never been reduced to such... such..."
Hermione cut her off as the blonde searched for words, "You don't have to, really, I'd understand if you wanted to get a hotel room, or go back home." She barely whispered the last words, hoping the blonde would stay, but she couldn't force her to and presented the option.
"Non, I will stay," she was already planning on using her magic to get up to the window of the brunette's room, hopefully nobody would see her, though if others were nearby she could use a simple disillusionment charm until she made it to the window.
Hermione smiled, though it was mostly to herself, as she imagined the blonde attempting to climb a brick wall, there was something entertaining about the fact that grown adults had been reduced to sneaking about like sex starved teenagers as the blonde had put it. She began to lead the taller woman back towards the gate, her right arm wrapped confidently around Fleur's waist.
A comfortable silence fell between the two of them, or at least, it seemed comfortable for Hermione. Fleur's thoughts were still back with their conversation, thinking about how Hermione would soon be leaving, how she may never see her again, she wasn't sure if she could handle another loss in her life. The other woman hadn't left her, yet, but she assumed it would only be a matter of time, the fewer loose ends the better. And would she return after her deployment? The word still tasted unfamiliar on her tongue, giving her a moment's pause, she had so many questions but was afraid to ask them.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the brunette. She was looking at Fleur expectantly, and the French woman took in her surroundings, they'd arrived at a gate, small brown shacks brightly lit from the inside sat on either side of the white and yellow bar that ran across the path. Two men in uniform stood outside, rifles slung over their shoulders and black vests designating them as military police in white letters across the front and back stood there, illuminated by the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.
"ID?" Hermione asked again, noting Fleur's inaction. "It can be kind of intimidating the first time," she added, "but it's not that bad."
Apparently, she wasn't done panicking just yet, Fleur wished this night would be done with surprises, the magical community didn't use IDs like the muggles, they could be identified by their wands, and while some had gotten official IDs, depending upon how closely they were involved with the muggle world, she'd never had use of such a thing coming from a purely magical family. How could she explain this to Hermione?
She couldn't just break the International Statute of Secrecy, there was no need for that, no one was in danger, and surely there was no magical entrance. She thought as hard as she could to find a way in without breaking the rules, she couldn't just disappear, and while she could get past the guards easily enough, it would seem suspicious to Hermione. Fleur was at a loss for a solution.
"Fleur?"
"I-I don't have one," the witch confided.
"You don't? Have an ID?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, puzzled by the confession, "How do you not have one?"
Fleur shrugged, "I just haven't needed one."
"You haven't needed one? Ever? In your entire life? How did you get a job? Or rent an apartment? Wait, you aren't still living with family are you?"
Questions began to pour from Hermione, the revelation blowing her mind as she'd had an ID ever since she was 14, "Or what about a bank account? Doesn't your government require you show proof for stuff like alcohol and cigarettes?"
Fleur had not been expecting the bombardment of questions and laughed nervously, she wasn't expecting that train of thought from the other woman, she began attempting to answer the questions as best she could, "No, I haven't needed one, I have no job, and I do live in one of my family's former vacation homes, I believe the government requires ID for such stuff, but I could not say."
"Shit, beautiful and rich? Why are you wasting your time talking to me and not, I don't know, travelling the world, relaxing on some beach somewhere?" Hermione gestured about, waving her arms as she said the last part, there was no reason for the gorgeous woman in front of her to have even given her the time of day, and she really wasn't sure what stars had aligned that she had.
The momentary issue of no ID having been forgotten with these revelations, Fleur responded with another question, "Why are you so hard on yourself?" She was thankful for the change of topic, though she knew they'd have to return to it again, and sooner rather than later.
Hermione scoffed at the question, "Have you seen yourself? You could have anyone, not that I'm complaining, but really, you could, and I'm just a POG, nothing special."
"A what?"
"POG, uh..." Hermione paused, unsure how to describe it, "a uh, soldier, but not infantry, or special forces or anything."
"Oh."
"So, no ID or anything to verify who you are?"
The blonde shook her head in the negative.
"Fuck," Hermione muttered, one hand resting on her hip and the other running through long, brown locks. "I can't. There's no way, you won't be able to get on post without sneaking in, and if you're caught, they can shoot you. We can't risk it."
The way she spoke left no room for debate, and while Fleur knew she could make it without being caught, she couldn't risk exposing magic to the muggle world. She nodded, silently agreeing.
"You'll have to stay in a hotel until you have an ID." Another nod, she could always apparate back tomorrow, it wasn't difficult for an accomplished witch such as herself. Hopefully, Hermione wouldn't insist on being chivalrous and walking her to a hotel.
Side notes: Its true, Kuwait is called a deployment but as there isn't really any combat action, everybody says its not a real deployment, and you can volunteer to deploy. Depending on the mission, units will be selected but they have to meet a number, which after going through medical readiness and PT and life, many will be turned away, those numbers get replaced (or filled out) with volunteers from other units. When my unit was selected, we were told a year in advance it may or may not happen, the mission wasn't set yet, then we were told 3 months in advance it was happening. Those leaving were told about 3 weeks prior they'd met requirements and were for sure going to the next step. The next step being called "white cell" or "pre-mob" a one-month short mission in a similar environment to what the deployed environment is. Some can still be turned away at this stage if they don't meet requirements or are injured. Then 9 months is spent down-range (at the deployed location) and then another month or two back home to destress and decompress (and by back home, I mean in a non-combat location, but not actually 'home'). These'll be explored in upcoming chapters.
And deadly force is authorized for anyone trying to sneak onto post (unauthorized entry), there's nice large signs stating such at each entry point. ID is required.
POG stands for Position Other than Grunt, grunt being infantry only but special forces kinda gets a pass on the POG title (which is like... a put down? not really, like you don't want to be a POG, but 99% of the military is, I guess it'd be kinda like... calling someone retarded? it started off as an insult but lost most of its power with overuse?)