A/N: Just a quick update this time, I'm afraid! Thank you for the follows, faves and reviews! They make me smile :) xx
Hermione stepped out of the Order meeting room, sighing heavily. It had been a long debrief, that had triggered all of the guilt she had been carrying about misjudging Blaise. At least he had never entered a proper meeting and had never seen Grimmauld Place. The best thing to come out of the entire disaster was that they were all now on active duty to track down Blaise, Malfoy and Parkinson to apprehend them.
Ginny jogged out of the meeting room and caught up with Hermione.
"So its true?" Ginny asked, biting her lip. Hermione blushed a little.
"Erm, is what true, Gin?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"That you've been shagging Fleur this whole time," Ginny said firmly. Hermione blushed harder.
"It just sort of happened, Gin!" she said awkwardly, throwing her hands up. Ron, who was walking out behind them, purpled again.
"With Phlegm," Ginny said, even more firmly.
"With Fleur, yes," Hermione said.
"She is a nightmare,"
"She is,"
"And annoying as hell,"
"She is,"
"So?" Ginny asked, stopping and putting her hands on her hips.
"So… she's also incredible… I can't help it, Gin" Hermione said, ignoring the gurgling sound behind her from Ron.
"But you hid it from me," Ginny said, sounding a little hurt. Hermione looked a little guilty at this.
"I did… but I also didn't tell Harry or Ron about it too," Hermione said, shrugging.
"But that's the boys! 'Mione! We always tell each other everything!" Ginny exclaimed. Hermione turned to her with a frown.
"No, Ginny. We used to. Then the war started and I spent ages on the road with Harry and Ron while you finished school. We drifted apart. I went back to school and you became an auror. I came back and… You'd become this judgmental girl, Gin. You became the kind of girl we used to bitch about."
"Hermione…" Ginny said awkwardly.
"I don't expect you to be fine with her," Hermione immediately countered, "God knows she still drives me up the wall. But I expect you to support me, Gin."
Ginny opened her mouth. Hermione waited for an apology but Ginny appeared stunned into silence.
"Come find me when you're ready to apologise," Hermione said tersely, striding up the staircase and leaving Ginny downstairs with a purple faced Ron.
Hermione walked into her room, shutting the door hard, which startled Fleur who was standing by the mirror.
"Oh, hi Hermione," she said with a smile, "I just spilt some moisturiser over your notes but I'll clean it up in a moment."
"God you are the worst," Hermione said as she pulled Fleur in for a kiss. Fleur's hands went to her waist, before climbing their way up her back, touching her tense muscles. Hermione let her own hands wander over Fleur before pulling away abruptly. Fleur looked at her, surprised for a moment. Hermione gave Fleur a sudden push, throwing her onto the bed. With quick reflexes, she climbed up, straddling Fleur. Fleur's eyes were already dilating as her hands started slowly climbing up Hermione's thighs. Hermione leant in, her lips brushing Fleur's ear.
"I'm sorry for doubting you about Blaise," she said softly. Fleur's breath was uneven.
"I know a way you can make it up to me," Fleur replied in a sultry tone. Hermione tore Fleur's shirt open, exposing pale flesh that she furiously kissed down. A moan escaped Fleur as Hermione continued to tear off her clothes and kiss down her body. Desperate hands pulled at Hermione's clothes, pulling them off in kind. Hermione moved smoothly back up Fleur's body, moving a thigh between Fleur's legs as she returned to kiss and nip at Fleur's neck. Fleur moaned again as she grinded on Hermione's thigh. Hermione moved her hand down Fleur's body, cupping her breasts before moving down south to her wet centre. Fleur arched her back as Hermione began to rub her.
"I want you so bad," Fleur gasped into Hermione's hair.
"I want you too," Hermione replied huskily as she slipped two fingers inside Fleur and began to thrust. Fleur began to moan louder, writhing and bucking against Hermione. Hermione continued to kiss along her collarbone, nipping every now and again, then up her neck before taking her earlobe into her mouth and tugging at it. Fleur finished with a shudder and Hermione smiled into her neck. It always made her feel so good getting Fleur off.
Hermione slid off Fleur, grinning.
"I'd call us juuuust about even now," Fleur sighed with a smile. Hermione jokingly swatted her.
"It scared me though, you know," Hermione said, lying on her back looking at the ceiling.
"What did?" Fleur asked, also still lying on her back, her chest still heaving as she her heartbeat returned to normal.
"Thinking you'd been taken out by Blaise and that it was all my fault," Hermione said, trying and failing to keep the emotion out of her voice.
"Please, as if he could take out me," Fleur said with a smirk, "Veelas are natural predators, Hermione."
Hermione laughed, putting her hands behind her head, "I can't believe I find your hideous ego endearing now."
"And I yours," Fleur replied with a smile.
Hermione strode into work the next day and sat down at her desk, looking across at Blaise's empty desk. She still felt an anger deep in the pit of her stomach. She was angry at Blaise, but she was also angry at herself for being so naïve. She had always prided herself on being the intelligent one, but she had missed the obvious. Blaise's constant prying questions about the Order, his impatience to see the Headquarters… She should have known.
She snapped out of her reverie as Tonks came and sat down at her desk beside her.
"Well, if it isn't one half of my favourite dysfunctional couple," Tonks said with a quirked smile. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"What's up Tonks?" she sighed.
"While I'm sure you're having a tonne of fun staring daggers at Zabini's desk, I was going to ask you if you wanted to accompany me out into the field. You're at the level where you can go in the field with more senior aurors now."
"Really?" Hermione's attention was piqued now.
"Want to hunt down that bastard and bruise that fragile ego even more?" Tonks said with a smirk, her eyes glimmering.
"I'd love nothing more," Hermione said with a wide grin.
"Great, Fleur and Harry have already headed off, so we had better make tracks ourselves," Tonks said.
"Fleur? Why couldn't I go with Fleur?" Hermione asked, frowning. Tonks mimed being stabbed in the heart.
"Oh I'm not good enough now?" she joked, "But seriously, sending you and Fleur into secluded places together? I doubt you two could keep your mind on the job," Tonks joked. Hermione blushed bright red.
"We forgot to silence the room again last night, didn't we?" she asked, mortified. Tonks winked at her.
"On that lovely note, lets get going, Granger," Tonks smirked, standing up. Hermione shook her head in embarrassment, getting up to follow.
Tonks and Hermione had given up for the day when they stopped into a pub for a drink on their way home. Hermione was about to place her order when she saw the familiar jet black hair of Pansy Parkinson ducking out to a private room with a wine.
"Hey," Hermione hissed, tugging at Tonks' sleeve.
"I've already paid for my beer!" Tonks exclaimed, thoroughly put out at being moved along.
"Parkinson," Hermione explained, pulling Tonks along with her. They stepped through the doorway and into a small hallway. There seemed to be a handful of private rooms lined up down the hallway.
"Don't worry, I got a good look at the bartender," Tonks said, suddenly morphing into a middle aged haggard looking woman. She then proceeded to knock on each door and duck her head in with a croaky "Y'a'right?"
She had got to the last one when she ducked back out again, morphing back to normal and waved Hermione over. With a dramatic bang, they flung the door open to find Pansy sitting around drinking wine with a couple of flabbergasted men.
"Oh, I was hoping if any of you found me it would be Delacour," Pansy drawled with a smirk, raising her eyebrows. Hermione gritted her teeth, letting out a noise of disgust before quickly disarming Pansy and putting her in a full petrificus totalus in what felt like less than a second.
"Wow, jealousy suits you well, Hermione," Tonks smirked appreciatively. She nodded at the two men who were sitting frozen with fear, "You guys can leave us now." The men didn't need telling twice, clumsily stumbling to their feet and running from the room. Hermione and Tonks took their seats, on either side of Pansy, who's eyes were darting around angrily. Tonks smirked.
"Now, Parkinson," she grinned, "I can un-petrify your head, but you're going to have to promise me to keep your comments about Fleur to yourself because I can't guarantee what Hermione is capable in her jealousy."
Hermione rolled her eyes at Tonks who just laughed. Tonks then carefully tapped Pansy's head.
"Fuck you two," Pansy spat.
"Sorry, you're hardly my type," Tonks said airily, "Now tell us where Zabini is."
An ugly smile broke out on Pansy's face.
"You know the Dark Lord says that Blaise reminds him of himself at that age," she said smugly.
"Charming," Hermione said sarcastically, "But where is he?"
Pansy let out a sneering giggle, "You're never going to find him until its too late."
"Too late?" Hermione asked. Pansy's smug smile widened even further.
"Oh yes, he's got big plans for the Order," she giggled, "But you'll just have to wait and see."
Hermione grabbed Pansy roughly by the neck of her shirt, gritting her teeth.
"What is he planning?" she hissed. But Pansy was now refusing to talk, instead smiling annoyingly at Hermione.
Tonks put a hand on Hermione's arm.
"She's not going to say anymore, Hermione," she said softly, "But with luck we can put in an application to get some veritaserum to use on her back at the Ministry."
"Ugh!" Hermione threw up her hands in pure irritation.
"Merlin you are quite difficult when you're jealous, aren't you?" Tonks teased.
"I'm not jealous," Hermione said petulantly, crossing her arms. Tonks raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, so I'm sure that it doesn't bother you at all that literally everyone in this room has made out with Fleur in the last week?" Tonks smirked. Hermione gritted her teeth.
"Okay, fine, I'm jealous! But Fleur and I are official now so I'm going to be the only one making out with her," Hermione said tersely. Tonks laughed.
"You're kind of hot when you're possessive, Hermione," she laughed.
"Tonks!"
"Okay, lets get her back to the Ministry and then I can show you where the real adrenaline starts for aurors… Paperwork!" Tonks joked. Hermione laughed and helped her with Pansy. It was strange, other than Fleur, she had probably been the harshest with Tonks while she had been working through her confused feelings. And yet Tonks had been nothing but encouraging and supportive. She had been a better friend to her than Ginny.
The next day, Hermione arrived in the office to find Fleur, Tonks and Harry. She was beginning to think that Ginny was actively avoiding her after their argument. She sighed, the ball was in Ginny's court. It was time for Ginny to show Hermione that she could step up and be a real friend, and that wasn't something Hermione could push her into.
"Look what we have!" Tonks called out to Hermione, waving a slip of paper in the air.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, approaching them.
"One approved application to administer veritaserum and interrogate Pansy Parkinson" Tonks said triumphantly.
"I thought you said it usually took three weeks for those applications to go through!" Hermione exclaimed. At this, Harry grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"It may have been pushed along by 'The Boy Who Lived,' paying the paper pushers a visit," Tonks said with a laugh.
"Harry! That's not proper procedure!" Hermione scolded, earning a laugh and kiss from Fleur.
"Okay, well now Hermione's here, shall we go and interrogate her already?" Harry said, itching to get involved.
The group soon found themselves in an interrogation room with Pansy, who was chained to a chair. Tonks was wrangling her with the veritaserum to get her to take it.
"Are you sure there aren't too many of us in this room?" Hermione asked, looking at the four of them compared to the lone Parkinson.
"Oh come on, this will be interesting," Harry said. Fleur nodded.
Tonks finally managed to get the veritaserum down Pansy and stepped back, exhaling with relief.
"How long does it take to work?" Harry asked.
"Oh what I wouldn't do to have Delacour bent over a table right now," Pansy said, staring at Fleur.
"Okay, that's it, its just me and Tonks from here on in," Hermione said abruptly, ushering a resistant Fleur and Harry out the door and shutting it behind them.
"There's that jealousy again," Tonks teased.
"Right, Parkinson, where is Blaise?" Hermione interrupted.
"I don't know," Pansy said honestly.
"What is his plan?"
"To take down the Order,"
"How is he going to do that?"
"By killing the target,"
"Who is the target?"
"I don't know… a senior member of the Order. He wouldn't tell me."
"When is he going to kill them?" Hermione pressed. Pansy smiled widely.
"Today."
