Hermione pulled Fleur into a dress shop after a short walk and Fleur found herself longing for their contact again though this was neither the time nor the place. She was here to watch her mate try on wedding dresses for her upcoming marriage with Ron. Fleur had to keep reminding herself of that fact as she sat there in one of the plush chairs watching as Hermione tried on dress after dress.
She was continuously dissatisfied with what she saw in the mirror, though Fleur thought she looked beautiful in all of them, however when she walked out in one, a white mermaid style, Fleur couldn't help the gasp as she laid her eyes on her love, tears forming in her eyes.
Hermione smiled at the reaction and, after a quick twirl in front of the mirrors, she looked over at the saleswoman and nodded, "I'll take it."
"Perfect! When do you need it by?"
"Three weeks."
"Not a problem, we will have it ready," the old woman smiled and walked off to do her paperwork as Hermione turned to get changed out of the dress and back into her clothes. Fleur smiled to nobody in particular, unable to remove the image of Hermione in a wedding dress, allowing the fantasy to play out that she was the one getting married not Ron.
When the woman returned and Hermione was once again dressed more casually, she was handed a slip of paper with the dress information on it. As they were about to leave, once again arm in arm, the saleswoman mentioned how cute they looked as a couple.
Fleur felt herself blush and Hermione suddenly pulled away, putting distance between the two of them, "Oh no, we're not together."
A confused looked passed over the woman's face as she quickly attempted to apologize for her mistake. The two quickly left the shop and walked down the street in silence. They'd made it quite a distance before Hermione quietly said, "I don't know if I'm ready for this."
"Ready for what, my love?" Fleur asked, trying to conceal the excitement in her voice as her hopes suddenly soared and she felt her heart pounding in her chest.
"To get married." It was barely above a whisper and Fleur wasn't sure she heard it correctly. She wasn't sure how to respond to it and simply grabbed Hermione's hand. They continued walking on in silence.
"What if he's not right for me?" Her voice had begun to crack as she asked the question.
Fleur pulled her into a hug, feeling an overwhelming need to comfort her love. She spoke, softly, carefully, thinking about how to help best, but it was not a situation she was familiar with. "I suppose that is why divorce exists. I wish I could provide some comfort, but this is something I am unfamiliar with. I guess the most important thing is that you love him, and if you care enough to try and make this work."
Hermione didn't pull away, instead melting further into Fleur's embrace, the blonde witch decided to apparate them back home.
Finally, safe inside their own home, Hermione stole a needy kiss from the blonde, who happily returned it. She guided them back towards the couch, refusing to end her embrace, but she refused to allow anything to any further.
"I think we need to talk," she whispered, not fully committed to her own words, but needing answers, needing to know where the younger witch stood.
Hermione pulled away, tears running down her cheeks, and nodded. She quickly wiped her cheeks and sat in silence, attempting to collect herself.
"You don't have to answer now, but it's something we need to figure out, your wedding is coming up and when it does, things will have to change for us. I need to know, what does that mean for us? Obviously, Ron will be expecting you to live together and you won't have an excuse not to. What kind of a future can we really have once you marry him? Will you continue to be unfaithful to him?"
Hermione sat there in silence after Fleur had finished speaking. "I don't know. I guess I never really thought about that," was the answer that came after a long pause.
Fleur nodded, but did not move from her spot, watching Hermione closely, expectantly, however, she was taken aback by the question that followed.
Hermione had turned to her and asked, quietly, cautiously, "What do you want?"
"Oh my sweet, there is no doubt about that, you are my mate."
"What does that mean for me? Is it a mistake to marry him?" Hermione had never before sounded so weak, so lost and confused.
"I cannot answer that for you, but I can tell you more about what it means to be my mate."
Hermione nodded, always eager to learn something new, she once again wiped away her tears.
Fleur sat back, a distant look in her eyes as she recounted information told to her in her youth, "The Veela falls in love only once, recognizing our mate on sight, it comes as natural as breathing. However, our mate may not recognize the same love, for them it can be a process, and sometimes, they never fall in love. While we will only love one, our mate is free to do as they please. Sometimes it is easier to be in a relationship with your mate and sometimes it is harder, not every mate is kind or caring. There are stories of Veela with unkind mates, forced to commit acts of violence against others. Being with a mate should be easy, but we are forced to do whatever our mate wants until the binding ceremony has occurred, and then we can regain our freedom, our individuality."
She paused for a moment before adding, "Just because you are my mate does not mean I am yours," sadness creeping in at the edges of her words, tears forming in her eyes.
Hermione pulled the older woman into her arms, holding her tightly. "So that means, you've known since the tournament?"
Fleur nodded, her words failing her.
"I need to tell Ron," she said with a new determination, "I'll never know if I made the right decision if we don't have a chance to explore us."
The brunette, without waiting for a reply, stood from her spot on the couch and disapparated from the apartment with a pop.
Fleur sat there for quite some time in a stunned silence, wondering what exactly it was the younger witch was doing. Eventually, another pop was heard, Hermione returning home, she approached Fleur, tears running down her face, "Let's go to bed," she whispered and Fleur felt her heart break for the other woman.