A/N: Hello all, thank you for the reviews, they really make my day, honestly.


Chapter 16.


Hermione awoke in bed, covered in a cold sweat. The nightmares had been getting worse. Soothing melodic French words were whispered in her ear in an instant and Hermione relaxed as Fleur wrapped her in her arms.

"Fleur, I'm covered in gross sweat," Hermione objected. Fleur smiled into her neck.

"Ah, ma petite lionne, I have seen you weeks into a camping trip, I think I can manage a little sweat," Fleur said playfully.

"Hey!" Hermione said, elbowing Fleur, who giggled.

"Everything will be okay," Fleur said soothingly. She pressed her body closer to Hermione, who felt a thrill of arousal rush through her.

"I-I don't think I'm ever quite going to get used to being with you like this," Hermione blushed. Fleur smirked and nuzzled closer.

"Well get used to it, Granger," Fleur retorted, "You're not going to get rid of me easily."

"I'm glad that we'll have each other today," Hermione murmured, shifting nervously.

"Its just a run through with the lawyer," Fleur tried to reason, "The real thing isn't until tomorrow."

"Its still… I don't like reliving it," Hermione frowned, "Its bad enough in nightmares."

Fleur began running her hand through Hermione's tangled curls.

"We will get through it," Fleur smiled with her usual easy confidence. Hermione felt herself brighten at Fleur's confidence.

"Yeah," Hermione smiled, "Shall I make us some breakfast then?"

Hermione should have known the day was going to take a turn when she accidentally broke every single egg out of the dozen in the apartment while trying to make breakfast. She should have known it was set to be a bad day when they ran into Bill Weasley while going out for brunch.

Bill was alone at a table in the café, reading a newspaper and drinking a coffee.

"Bill! It has been a while!" Fleur exclaimed, as Bill rose to kiss her on the cheek and greet Hermione.

"It has!" Bill said with a big grin. He still had a boyish look about him and was wearing his fang earring again.

"What brings you here?" Hermione asked, somewhat guarded. Bill turned his attention to Hermione, his smile faltering a little.

"Teddy is teething," he explained with a shrug, "Sometimes I just need a bit of 'me time' away from Tonks and the kid."

"Well, it is nice to see you," Fleur said politely, "But I should jump in that line so I can get an order for Hermione and I,"

With that, she pecked Hermione on the lips and swiftly walked towards the counter at the café. Hermione couldn't blame her, it can't have been pleasant running into her former cheating husband.

Hermione dragged her eyes from Fleur's retreating form back to Bill, suddenly aware that she was still stuck in the conversation with Bill. Damn Fleur.

"So that's why you ruined things with me and Fleur," Bill said with a sneer, completely dropping his charming act now that Fleur had gone, "So that you could get in there."

"You ruined things with Fleur yourself," Hermione replied drily, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

"You smug?" Bill pressed, his voice getting colder, "You smug that you broke up a marriage just so you could nail my wife?"

Hermione uncrossed her arms, tensing her jaw.

"Fleur isn't some stupid trophy, Bill," Hermione said, her voice raising a little in anger, "She deserves to be treated with respect and to be with someone who cares about making her happy."

Bill snorted. "Yeah and you're with her for her brains? You won't make her happy, Hermione," Bill said nastily, abruptly shoving Hermione.

Fleur was at Hermione's side in a second, wand raised at Bill.

"If you dare touch her again, I will make you regret it," Fleur said icily, her eyes flashing. Bill looked from Hermione to Fleur, a grin breaking out on his face again. It was jarring.

"You two deserve each other," he said with a sneer, "It was nice seeing you, Fleur. You… not so much, Hermione."

Bill shouldered past Hermione and straight out the door of the café. Fleur turned to Hermione.

"What did he say to you? Are you okay?" Fleur asked, taking Hermione's hand. Hermione shook her head.

"He's just such a prat!" Hermione said exasperatedly. Fleur laughed lightly.

"Its just as well I have left him for you then," Fleur smiled, kissing Hermione softly on the lips, "Come, lets eat."


Hermione hadn't entirely shaken the negative feeling from running into Bill when they made it to the offices where they were to meet the lawyer to run through their trial testimony. Although, holding hands with Fleur was raising her spirits considerably. She cast a sidelong look at Fleur. Her silver-blonde hair was swept over one shoulder and she had her usual easy confidence about her. Merlin, even when she wasn't doing anything she was enough to make Hermione swoon.

Hermione continued to watch Fleur's face as her brow furrowed. Hermione turned to follow Fleur's gaze.

"Tonks?" Hermione was flabbergasted. First Bill and now Tonks? "What are you doing here? Bill said you were at home with Teddy."

"When did you run into Bill?" Tonks asked with a frown, crossing her arms as she leaned against a wall in the empty reception of the legal offices.

"At brunch… Why are you here? Do you use these lawyers?" Hermione pressed. Fleur was tensing next to her. She clearly wasn't thrilled about running into her ex-husband and his mistress in the space of one day.

Tonks sighed and uncrossed her arms, hooking her thumbs into her jeans pockets.

"You know my mother?" Tonks asked, kicking her combat boots at the polished floors of the reception. She seemed unsettled.

"Andromeda Tonks, yes," Hermione replied, "Former Slytherin, a member of the pure-blood Black family. She was cast out of the family when she married your Muggle-born father."

"Well, mostly cast out," Tonks said, stretching an arm up to play with her wand, which was tucked behind her ear, "I mean family is family, and sometimes you have to help them out, you know?"

"What are you getting at? We have an appointment to make," Fleur interrupted coldly.

Tonks took her wand out from behind her ear, "I am loyal to the Order. But a while ago I made a promise to an aunt that I can't break."

Hermione hadn't even made her hand to her wand when everything went black.


Hermione awoke blearily to a throbbing headache. She recognized it as a familiar hangover from a nasty curse. Bafflingly, she was back in bed at Fleur's apartment. Fleur stirred beside her, sitting up suddenly before shaking her head.

"Ugh, of course her idea of loyalty to the Order is making Unbreakable Vows with Death Eater relatives," Fleur groaned, rubbing at her temples.

"I think I agree about putting a Fidelius charm on this place," Hermione murmured, looking around the room, "It really creeps me out that she must have brought us back here."

A deafening knocking interrupted the silence that followed. Hermione groaned and got out of bed, making her way to the front door of the apartment. She opened the door to frazzled looking Harry.

"Hermione! You're okay!" he shouted before engulfing her in a tight hug. He let go of her quickly, agitated again, "Where have you been? Why haven't you been answering owls? Is Fleur okay too?"

"Slow down Harry," Hermione murmured, rubbing her forehead, "Tonks jumped us when we were on our way to the run through with the lawyer… Which we have probably missed," Hermione finished with a groan.

"Missed the run through?!" Harry exclaimed, almost shaking with agitation, "Hermione, you missed the trial. Narcissa's bullshit lawyer managed to get her out on insufficient evidence."

"What?! How?!" Hermione bellowed, causing an alarmed looking Fleur to join her at the door, "She's so clearly guilty!"

"Narcissa is out?" Fleur said in horror, looking from Hermione to Harry.

"I guess a lot must have been riding on the witness testimony," Harry said bitterly, shaking his head, "I can't believe Tonks sabotaged this. The Order isn't gonna believe this."

"What are we going to do now?" Fleur exclaimed. Hermione shook her head.

"If Draco's fears are to be believed then surely she will be in hiding, or worse," Hermione said quietly, taking Fleur's hand.

"One day we will have a drama free life," Fleur sighed, running a hand through her hair.


Fleur hissed and threw her head back, gritting her teeth. Hermione made a clucking noise as she dabbed at the dagger wound at Fleur's side.

"Its definitely improving though, Fleur," Hermione said with a smile, looking up from her handiwork.

"Of course, you are quite talented with your wand, cherie," Fleur said with a smile, although pain still tinged her beautiful features.

"If it wasn't quite so deep a wound I probably would have healed it entirely by now," Hermione replied with a grin, finishing her work.

"Oh great, I'll keep that in mind for my next stabbing," Fleur retorted. Hermione laughed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out quite like that," Hermione giggled. She ran her fingers over the smooth and taut skin of Fleur's stomach. Fleur shivered.

"You could be gentle," Fleur said softly, her pupils wide and dark. Hermione withdrew her hand, smiling sympathetically.

"I want my first time… doing that for you… to be perfect. I don't want to risk hurting you."

"You're too overprotective of me," Fleur smiled, leaning in to kiss Hermione, "I can manage myself just fine."

"Not protective enough," Hermione said, getting more serious, "It still kills me that you were hurt at all."

"Its over," Fleur said with a soothing smile, cupping Hermione's cheek in her hand.

There was a rapping at the window and Hermione leapt up to open it. An ugly black crow hopped onto the window ledge, sticking out a leg. Hermione reached for the note tied to the crow's leg but it pecked her and she yelped before managing to get it. The crow promptly squawked and flapped out of the window again.

"What is it?" Fleur asked, stretching on the bed and playing at the fresh bandages on her wound. Hermione could see her flinch as her finger ran over the bandage. She turned back to unfolding the paper, raising her eyebrows at the words violently scratched in red ink on the parchment:

'MUDBLOODS AND HALF-BREEDS WILL NEVER WIN.'

"What does the message say?" Fleur asked again. Hermione looked over at her lying on the bed, looking so vulnerable in her underwear and her bandage. She stuffed the note in her pocket.

"Nothing, just Ron asking if I want to play quidditch at the Burrow this weekend," Hermione lied, before biting her lip. She felt bad lying to Fleur, but she couldn't take any more of seeing Fleur in pain or worried. Fleur laughed, sitting up on the bed, her silver-blonde hair falling to frame her face.

"When will he give up trying to make you interested in it?" Fleur laughed, "I have never seen anyone less interested in a subject before in my life."

"Who knows?" Hermione said, forcing a smile.

"Do you think the Order will kick Tonks out after what she did?" Fleur asked, playing with the ends of her hair.

"Hope so," Hermione muttered darkly, "I suppose we will find out when we go to dinner at the Weasleys."

"Ron didn't say in his letter?" Fleur asked.

"Erm, didn't mention it, no. Just the quidditch…" Hermione said awkwardly, her stomach squirming at lying to Fleur.


Hermione held Fleur's hand tightly as they walked up to the ramshackle house for dinner. The door swung open and Hermione squeezed Fleur's hand tighter as Bill greeted them with a large fake smile.

"Easy tiger," Fleur smirked as she muttered under her breath to Hermione, "While its adorable how protective you are of me, I would like to retain the use of my hand."

"Hey guys, how are you?" Bill said cheerily. Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed past him roughly.

"'Mione!" Ron greeted, coming forward to hug Hermione. Harry came up next.

There was the usual frenzy of greeting a houseful of Weasleys before they all got shuffled around the table of mismatched chairs and a mountain of food placed upon the groaning table.

"So… Bill… What brings you back to the Burrow? Shouldn't you be with Tonks and Teddy?" Hermione asked, looking guardedly across the table at Bill.

"Broke up. Just need to be around the family, you know?" Bill said between mouthfuls.

"Horrible thing that happened," Molly said sympathetically, "Bill was so upset at what Tonks had done to you and Fleur that he called the whole thing off almost immediately. I suppose she had us all fooled."

"That she did, mum," Bill said, pointing his fork at her, "It really tore me up that she could do something like that- Betray us all."

"Loyalty and commitment is hard to come by I suppose," Hermione said drily, arching an eyebrow. Bill narrowed his eyes before his fake smile widened.

"Well its just a good thing that she's been kicked out of the Order," Ron added, "Although she was ace at quidditch."

Fleur smirked at this and Hermione felt another squirm of guilt. But soon the plates were being clattered off the table and people were scattering around the ground floor of the Burrow to socialize.

Fleur was happily chatting to Harry when Hermione saw Bill head towards the bathroom and she took her chance. She ducked away quickly.

"You really didn't know about her Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa?" Hermione said curtly, rounding the corner and boxing Bill in to a secluded area.

"Honestly, I didn't," Bill said, holding his hands up. A grin appeared on his face, "Although did I have a good laugh hearing that the home-wrecker who ruined my marriage got a good curse right to the face? You betcha."

"You're a prat," Hermione retorted, "Your mask is going to slip in front of everyone one of these days."

"Say, does Fleur ever do that thing in bed? The one where she—"

He was interrupted by a swift fist to the face courtesy of Hermione. He clapped his hand to his face, smirking.

"Hermione Granger!" Molly shrieked. Hermione whirled around to find a horrified looking Molly Weasley standing at the corner of the hallway clutching her collar.

"I, erm, Bill was—" Hermione stumbled. Harry and Fleur appeared behind Molly.

"I was just joking around and I guess I hit a nerve," Bill said with a grin. Molly shook her head.

"I think you should leave, Hermione," Molly said firmly, "And seriously think about dropping your little grudge. We've all made mistakes in life."

"Sure, I'm sorry," Hermione said, turning away from the smug grin on Bill's face before she could lose her temper and clock him again. She nodded and quietly walked outside, Fleur hot on her heels.

"What was that about?" Fleur demanded as soon as they were far away enough away from the house.

"He was saying things about you," Hermione said agitatedly. Fleur put a hand firmly on Hermione's shoulder and whirled her around.

"You need to stop trying to be my knight in shining armour, Hermione," Fleur said tersely, setting her jaw, "I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. When did you start treating me like some helpless damsel in distress whose honour you need to protect?"

"I…" Hermione trailed off weakly. Fleur did have a point. She was an incredibly talented witch, whip smart and with the physical prowess to back it up. "I just hate the feeling of anything or anybody hurting you in any way."

"Hermione, that's really sweet," Fleur said, her features softening a little, "But you've got to stop trying to wrap me in cotton wool. I'm not going to break."

"I- I know," Hermione sighed, "I'm sorry. Bill just pisses me off so badly."

She ran a hand through her tangled curls. Fleur smiled the special little lopsided smile she reserved just for Hermione.

"He pisses me off too," Fleur laughed. She took Hermione's hand, argument forgotten already, and Hermione felt the jerk by her navel signaling that they were on their way home.