Hello everyone,
I hope you had a good week. From what I've read in the comments, most of you are probably expecting this to be the chapter where Hermione gets back her parents. Well, sorry, it isn't. You will have to wait a little bit for that.
This week is my birthday and I'm feeling generous, so I'm giving you this new chapter full of smut (actually, it's pure coincidence that this chapter coincides with my birthday, but let's not dwell on that).
People who thought the M rating was a joke or those who don't like to read about two women in bed (what are you doing here in the first place?), you should turn around now and start running.
Anyway, I hope you like it. Don't read it at work :)
Chapter Nine
When they returned to the Cottage the sun was already very low in the sky and coloured everything in beautiful tones of orange and vivid reds.
'The light really suits you,' Fleur said before entering the house.
'I bet you say that to every girl,' Hermione teased.
'Only to the most beautiful ones,' Fleur flirted back.
'And what else do you do with those beautiful girls?' Hermione enquired, playing with the lapel of Fleur's jacket.
'First, I cook them my famous lasagna, and then, I take them for a romantic walk on the beach and then, I take you 'ome to shower you with kisses,' Fleur elaborated. She'd noticed the change in Hermione's look.
'Me?', Hermione asked, referring to the sudden change of pronoun.
'Only you,' Fleur said and kissed Hermione softly, 'only ever you.'
Fleur pulled Hermione as close as she could and kissed her again. This time there was a lot more passion in her kiss and it got Hermione very worked up, very fast. She decided there and then that she would not hold back for anyone, least of all herself, any longer and let her intuition take over. There was a sudden sense of urgency gripping her. She wanted to see more of Fleur, feel more of Fleur, taste more of Fleur, so she peeled her out of her jacket without ever interrupting their kisses. Fleur ran her fingers through Hermione's hair and put her other hand on the small of her back to pull her even closer.
Hermione let her lips wander along Fleur's jawline to her neck. She couldn't believe how soft Fleur's skin was. Very soon, she found a spot that made Fleur moan almost inaudibly and yet it was the sweetest sound Hermione had ever heard. Convinced that there had to be a way to make Fleur repeat it she switched to Fleur's other side to look for more sensitive spots. Meanwhile, her hands had grown restless and were trying to get under Fleur's jumper, only to find that she was wearing a blouse underneath. Impatiently, she began to untuck it and, as quickly as she could, let her hands travel over Fleur's bare back. Surprised by Hermione's pace and her delicate hands, Fleur moaned again.
'I really like that sound,' Hermione whispered seductively into Fleur's ear between kisses. It made Fleur go weak in the knees and her brain go mushy.
Fleur, being part-veela, was used to being in charge when it came to bedroom matters. Without warning she lifted Hermione up, making her gasp in surprise. Hermione wrapped her legs around the blonde and Fleur supported her weight easily.
'I really like this one,' Fleur grinned.
Hermione held onto Fleur but seized her chance of having free rein to kiss her neck and shoulder as far as the clothes would let her.
Apparently, she had found another, even more sensitive spot because Fleur, who had taken them to the bottom of the stairs so far, had to relent and put Hermione down on one of the lower steps. Hermione put her hands behind Fleur's neck and pulled her down with her, locking their lips anew. She was surprised by her own behaviour, but for once she wouldn't let her mind rule her actions and followed only her gut feeling. This felt right. Fleur felt right. There was no point in artificially prolonging their waiting time to suit someone else's expectations. It was as if Hermione had known Fleur all her life. She trusted her implicitly. Hermione wanted to make it clear that Fleur was hers and left a love bite on her neck. Fleur liked Hermione's possessive side but couldn't deny her own. She was more than willing to give every last bit of her to Hermione, but she wanted the same in return. Hungrily, she sucked on Hermione's sensitive skin. They drove each other mad.
Fleur was holding herself up with her arms, which put her in the unfortunate position of being defenceless against whatever Hermione's hands were doing crawling up her back, one of her many very sensitive areas.
She shifted her weight to free up one arm and she put it underneath Hermione to pull her back up. Hermione took the hint and sat up, using the motion to get rid of Fleur's jumper, pulling it over her head and carelessly tossing it to the side.
Finally, they made it to the top, more crawling than walking and Fleur was surprised yet again by Hermione's ferocity. Before she realised what was happening, Hermione had pinned her to the next best wall, pressing her own body against Fleur's, both of them panting heavily.
This was a very new experience for Fleur. Being a quarter-veela made her a very sensual person to begin with, but she had also learned over the years that most people were intimidated by that. Hermione, however, didn't seem to even consider the idea of intimidation. She could feel the young woman's hunger and need. It was a welcome change of pace. She hadn't expected that there would ever be anyone that would have her wrapped around their finger so much, that the dominant Veela would be rendered almost powerless.
It was time to take back some of that power.
In one fluid move, she had Hermione out of her jacket. She didn't lose any time and got rid of her hoodie too, throwing it away without looking. Now the playing field was evened out a little and Fleur noticed that Hermione's t-shirt had ridden up a few inches. Without thinking, she snuck her hands under the garment and felt Hermione's silky skin, her hands on her waist and her thumbs caressing her stomach. Hermione gasped at the contact, stopping her kisses, keeping her eyes shut and resting her forehead on Fleur's shoulder to enjoy the feeling of Fleur's cool hands on their familiar spot.
'Which room?' Hermione asked breathlessly.
'Yours,' Fleur decided and moved them both through the door and onto the bed before Hermione could properly react. Fleur enjoyed not having to set the pace and take control. It was unfamiliar but incredibly refreshing.
Hermione lay on her back, staring up into Fleur's eyes for a brief moment before she leaned up to kiss Fleur's exposed clavicle and then, very slowly, she travelled further down. She reached for the first button of the Veela's shirt and opened it, before moving another few inches further down to the next button.
Fleur felt like an icecube in the desert. She didn't stand a chance when it came to Hermione. Every touch and every kiss, every time she felt her tongue, or her teeth, on her skin, she lost her mind a little bit more.
One of her arms caved in and Hermione used that to roll them over. Sitting on Fleur's hips, she continued her mission, opening buttons and exploring Fleur's skin with her lips.
Hermione had long travelled past the space between Fleur's breast and had confidently made her way down her stomach past her navel, and had now reached the last button. She took some extra time to kiss her way down to where Fleur's jeans blocked her way.
Fleur pulled her back up and kissed her full on the lips, she let her tongue meet Hermione's and overwhelmed by the feeling of their intimate kiss, feeling Fleur underneath her and enjoying her hands on her back, Hermione couldn't help but moan. It drove Fleur wild to hear Hermione like this. The panting had already turned her on, but this was even better. Quickly, she removed Hermione's t-shirt and didn't hesitate to get rid of her bra too. They silently agreed to simply ignore the bandage on Hermione's arm.
Without her bra, Hermione felt suddenly very exposed, which she knew was stupid because Fleur had seen her topless countless times. Maybe it was out of habit. Fleur noticed that something was going on, laid Hermione carefully on her back and laid down right next to her. She propped up her head with one arm and studied Hermione's face, while putting her other hand flat on Hermione's stomach, just stroking her with her thumb like she used to when re-bandaging her. Hermione calmed down immediately.
'Now I can finally tell you,' Fleur said, 'You are incredibly beautiful, Hermione.'
Hermione thought for a second.
'Why couldn't you tell me before?' she asked, a little confused. Compliments weren't usually considered cheating. It seemed not even the brain of the brightest witch of her age was unaffected by passion and desire.
'Because you were my patient, and I didn't want you to be uncomfortable every time I re-bandaged you,' Fleur explained and Hermione caught on. Again, Fleur had managed to make her feel safe and comfortable, like so many times before, and she even believed her a little bit, when she repeated her earlier compliment.
'You are not so bad yourself, you know,' Hermione teased her, while playing with Fleur's hair. Fleur smiled.
'Except for one thing, that I really don't like about you,' Hermione continued and Fleur's smile faltered instantly.
'You're wearing entirely to many clothes,' Hermione smiled and while Fleur was still processing, Hermione had already managed to get Fleur just as topless as herself. And in an instant she was on top of the French witch again, pressing their half-naked bodies together and kissing her senseless. It was the most marvellous feeling, having so much skin contact but it wasn't enough. Hermione concluded that getting more skin contact meant wanting to get Fleur out of her clothes even faster and she wouldn't be satisfied until she had exactly what she wanted.
Fleur turned them around again and trailed kisses down Hermione's neck, eliciting some very seductive sounds on the way. She wandered down until finally, she had arrived at Hermione's breast. And while she let her tongue play with Hermione's nipple, she cupped her other breast with her hand had her thumb mimic her tongue's movements. Hermione couldn't believe how good it felt and moaned, hoping to make Fleur understand to keep at it. She ran her hands along Fleur's back and shoulders and pressed her closer. Fleur repeated what she had done on Hermione's other breast, making Hermione moan even more in the process. Fleur could tell how much it turned her on to hear the witch like that by the state of her knickers.
In a moment of clarity, Hermione pulled Fleur back up to kiss her on the lips and the neck and carefully bite her shoulder when she heard Fleur breathe hard, right next to her ear. She briefly wondered how it was possible to get so turned on just from hearing someone rapid breath brush past her ear.
She let her hands travel up and down Fleur's back and sides. She loved how it felt to have Fleur's body press down on hers, it drove her wild.
She hooked her thumbs in Fleur's jeans and moved from the back to the front, sneaking her hands between their bodies. She found the button and zipper and undid both. Now she had the access she'd wanted. She freed her hands again and stuck them down the back of Fleur's jeans to feel her very firm buttocks. She squeezed them and played a little bit with the edges of Fleur's pants, while Fleur had moved back down to give Hermione's breast some more attention.
'That feels really good, Fleur,' Hermione said breathlessly, 'but I feel I'm missing out.'
And with that Hermione reclaimed her position on top of the French witch, wasting no time, she immediately caressed Fleur's nipples with her tongue, getting a taste of how incredible it was to play with Fleur's body this way.
Fleur was in heaven. Hermione had the softest lips she had ever felt on her body. She arched her back a little to effect more skin contact and ran her hands through Hermione's wild hair. She stifled a moan and regretted it the instant she'd done it. Carefully, but hard enough, Hermione had grazed her teeth over her nipple. Fleur's eyes shot open and found Hermione's grimly staring at her from above.
'Don't cheat me out of hearing you make these enticing sounds,' Hermione warned, 'or I might just actually bite you the next time.'
'What if I like being bitten?' Fleur teased.
'Then I hope you like it enough to be vocal about it,' Hermione said without an inkling of how much it turned Fleur on to hear Hermione talk dirty. She just went back to where she'd left off.
Hermione's hands found her way back to Fleur's already open jeans. They had ridden down a little bit already, aiding Hermione's plan to have Fleur out of them within the next three seconds.
Fleur helped a little by lifting herself up and this time, gave Hermione exactly what she wanted to hear when she felt her lips slowly traveling up her inner thigh. She was sure Hermione must've noticed by now just how turned on she was. The further up Hermione got, the more Fleur's leg began to quiver. The anticipation was killing her.
The bright witch got closer and closer but at the last moment veered off way and travelled up towards Fleur's hip bone. It was absolutely worth the detour, Hermione concluded, because on the way she found yet another very sensitive spot, right next to Fleur's hip bone and immediately got her reward in the form of an arousingly sensual moan. It was beyond her comprehension why her body had such an intense reaction to Fleur making those sounds, but it might just as well be that her mind simply wasn't functioning right now. She crawled back up Fleur's body to kiss her and have her tongue play with hers, when she noticed that Fleur was in the process of getting her out of her jeans. As soon as they were gone, she immediately pressed her body down on the French witch, moaning with pleasure, while entangling her legs with Fleur's.
Fleur turned them around again, assuming her place on top of Hermione. She explored every inch of skin available. She learned that there was a place just under Hermione's clavicle that made her breath speed up and a place just under her ear that would make her moan almost imperceptibly. There was another place just under her ribs that would make Hermione gasp and make her arch her back the tiniest bit. She ran her hands up and down Hermione's legs. Somewhere in the process, Hermione rolled her hip and pressed Fleur's arse down into her with her hands, desperate for contact. The sensation made them moan simultaneously. Hermione's brain had one last fully lucid moment before fogging over and she used it to get rid of Fleur's pants and her own.
The feeling of Fleur completely naked on top of her was making her writhe in pleasure and it only heightened this almost burning sensation between her legs. She was breathing heavily and nibbled on Fleur's earlobe, running her hands all over her body, before moaning loudly when she felt Fleur's hips roll into hers. She couldn't take it anymore, she needed Fleur to touch her and since Fleur pretended to be completely oblivious to the urgency of her needs, she just took the French witch's hand and led it down to where she wanted it.
In that moment, Fleur realised something and froze.
'Wait, 'ermione,' she said, catching her breath, ''ave you ever…?' she trailed off, stopping what she was doing, searching Hermione's eyes.
'Now you ask me? No, Fleur I haven't,' Hermione smiled at Fleur's timing but answered honestly, 'but if you're not gonna anytime soon, I might just have to do it myself.'
'Are you sure? I mean…' Fleur checked again. In the heat of the moment she had completely forgotten that this might be Hermione's first time and she wanted be absolutely certain that this was what she wanted.
'Fleur, which part in the last few minutes gave you the feeling that I wasn't absolutely sure?' Hermione asked, still catching her breath.
'I just... I don't want you to think that I expect this of you. I don't want you to feel pressured or anything,' Fleur explained.
'Fleur, look at me,' Hermione said and looked up deep into Fleur's eyes,'I don't feel pressured. I'm eighteen, I know what I want. If I remember correctly, it was me setting the pace of this, and I took your hand to where I want…no, need it, before you stopped. I know you'd never do anything I wasn't ready for, but I am. I've made up my mind a while ago. I want you, Fleur, I want to feel you everywhere on my body and I want to feel you now,' Hermione said, and with her last words took Fleur's hand again and made another attempt of leading it down her body; this time with a lot more success. At first contact, Hermione gasped, followed by the most deliciously enticing moan.
Fleur's finger's were delicately rubbing the most sensitive spot on her body and it felt even better than she had imagined it. Her hips began to move of their own accord and her hand found Fleur's breast, while her other held onto Fleur's back.
Fleur moaned right into Hermione's ear. She wasn't sure Hermione had noticed but she was dragging her nails across Fleur's back in an attempt to gain more skin contact. That combined with Hermione's hand on her breast and her own hand between her lovers legs just made Fleur burn with desire. Not to mention the panting. Huge turn on.
With every moment that passed, Hermione became a little more vocal and it drove Fleur mad. She wasn't sure how one person could make her lose control so completely, but having Hermione Granger unravel under her touch was an especially sexy thing. It took her quite a bit of concentration to remain on task, dragging her finger up and down through Hermione's wet folds before returning to their new favourite spot. And every time, she repeated this action, Hermione's panting got more erratic, her moaning louder and her body's needs more urgent.
Fleur was sure that her back would have red marks all over it, but it felt unbelievably good the way Hermione simply needed to hold onto her. She had moved her second hand to Fleur's back, and Fleur could feel the tension in Hermione's body just as well as her fingernails digging into her skin.
It was obvious that Hermione was close. Fleur leaned forward and whispered into Hermione's ear, 'Let go, 'ermione. I've got you.'
That was all it needed for the young woman. The very tight rubber band somewhere in her abdomen snapped and a wave of warmth and joy flowed through her. Fleur was swallowed whole by the sensation of Hermione's orgasm. She felt her quiver and writhe underneath her, her hands held on for dear life to Fleur's back and she was gently biting her shoulder, muffling a guttural moan that Fleur would've loved to hear, especially since she herself had gotten punished for keeping back, but she let it slide in favour of the exquisiteness of having Hermione come undone in her arms.
Hermione was beginning to calm down and Fleur gathered her in her arms and held her close, occasionally stroking her hair out of her face to be able to look at her beautiful girlfriend. Hermione had wrapped herself around Fleur as much as she could and just enjoyed the contact. She buried her face in the crook of her neck and took in the smell that was so distinctly Fleur.
After a while, she opened her eyes and looked at Fleur, who was studying her face.
'Thank you, Fleur,' she said quietly to not kill the fragile mood, 'that was incredible.'
Fleur smiled at her and replied, 'Non, chérie, you were incredible.'
Suddenly, Hermione began to shiver and Fleur immediately looked for the blanket. Then she remembered it falling out of bed at one point and stretched out on the sheets, flat on her stomach, to retrieve the blanket from the floor.
'What the… Fleur, are you ok?' Hermione asked in alarm.
Fleur grabbed the blanket and turned back around, spreading it over them.
'Yes, why? What is going on, 'ermione?' Fleur asked, wondering why Hermione was suddenly so concerned.
'Your back. I mean, did… well, did I do that?' Hermione asked a little bit embarrassed.
Fleur smiled and nodded, before being carefully turned on her stomach again, the blanket removed, so Hermione could examine the damage. There were a lot of red scratches all across Fleur's back, all of them in an angry red colour. She sighed, at least she hadn't drawn blood. With a little bit of care, they would probably be gone by tomorrow.
'I'm so sorry, Fleur. I don't know…' Hermione apologised, crestfallen. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed hurting Fleur.
But Fleur interrupted her, 'Don't you dare apologise for these.'
'But,' Hermione interjected.
'No but,' Fleur went on. 'Did it 'urt? Yes, still does a little. Did I like it? Most definitely yes.'
Hermione looked at her a bit confused.
''ermione, trust me. I like a bit of pain with my pleasure. I just can't imagine a scenario where I wouldn't want you to let yourself go like that. It's such a turn on. I can't see it. Is there any blood?' Fleur tried to calm Hermione down with her explanations.
Hermione shook her head, still not sure about the whole thing.
'Well, then you'll 'ave to try a little bit 'arder next time,' Fleur added and winked at the young woman.
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Fleur wanted her to hurt her? Hermione knew she wasn't exactly well-versed in the art of love-making, but now she really wished she had read up on it, if that was even possible. She felt like a fool, first for knowing apparently nothing about sex and then for being a bit slow on the uptake. What she did know though, was that she wasn't done with the night. There was still a lot more she wanted to know about this stunning blonde's body, scratches and all. And she knew exactly how to fill the gap in her knowledge.
Fleur had noticed the shift in Hermione's mood and smiled happily.
Hermione had crawled closer again and began kissing her. Slowly at first, but very quickly she became more demanding. The need to claim Fleur as her own growing fast. She rolled on top of Fleur and tangled one hand in her hair and ran the other all over Fleur's skin that wasn't in contact with her own already. Fleur moaned softly as the fire inside her was rekindled. Hermione took it as a good sign and continued her explorations. She was a woman on a mission, determined to introduce herself to every inch of Fleur's body personally. She wanted to make sure that Fleur knew how she felt about her.
Fleur on the other hand was fighting for control. She wanted to enjoy every bit of Hermione's ministrations and not for just five minutes.
She just couldn't help herself. Having Hermione Granger press her naked body into her own, move her tongue across her breasts and stomach, and her hands apparently conducting an experiment on the sensitivity of her thighs was too much. She noticed her pulse speeding up rapidly and her breath following suit. Fleur felt as if she had never been touched before. Everything she had experienced before paled in comparison. Her mother had told her a million times it might happen, but she had never listened. Fleur pushed all thoughts of everyone else, especially her mother, aside and focused on Hermione's uncanny ability to find every sensitive spot on her body with ease.
She noticed Hermione was taking her time. There was nothing rushed or hurried about her movements. It was almost as if she was studying her and it occurred to Fleur that she probably was. Fleur was like a book that became more familiar with every read, but still lets you discover something new each time.
The slow speed made Fleur crazy. On the one hand it meant that she would get to enjoy this for a long time, but it also meant that she would probably lose her mind before she got the release she so badly needed. Either Hermione had mastered Legilimency at some point and was reading her mind, learning what drove her wild, or she had taken a master class in teasing. Hermione's hand was moving up and down Fleur's leg, a little bit closer each time. And every time she got close, Fleur hoped that Hermione would lose her patience, but was disappointed yet again.
Suddenly, Fleur's fuzzy brain caught on, 'Chérie, you know you don't 'ave to if you don't feel ready. It's absolutely alright. No pressure.' It cost Fleur a lot of self control to say it, being as far gone as she was. But she would never want Hermione to overreach her limits. Making her feel safe and comfortable would always take precedent over her own desire, her very hotly burning desire.
'No, Fleur, I want to,' Hermione said, 'It's just that I have no clue what to do.'
'You've let yourself be guided by your intuition for all this time, chérie. Don't stop now. Shut off this wonderful brain of yours and just do whatever you would like to do,' Fleur said and it was apparent how much control it cost her to speak given that Hermione had at no point stopped running her hands over Fleur's legs.
'It is extremely unlikely that you'll do something I won't like. Just do whatever you want with me. I'm yours,' Fleur added, before letting out another moan when Hermione had gently bitten the inside of her thigh. These words were too sweet to hear.
It was enough for Hermione to throw caution into the wind. She kissed and licked her way up until she could smell and see how aroused Fleur was. It was intoxicating. Hermione just had to have a taste and without thinking she dragged her tongue along Fleur's entrance and up to her clit. Hermione was sure that there was no place in the world she'd rather be. She kept on going, licking and sucking her girlfriend's clit while Fleur's back arched and she moaned loudly. This felt unlike anything she would have been able to come up with in her mind. Hermione's soft lips and her undeniably very playful tongue, together with her hands holding her down at the hip and stomach, was too much to process. She tangled her hands in Hermione's hair and closed her eyes. Fleur was ruled by her senses now, she had never felt her Veela heritage stronger than in this moment. She let herself free vocal rein. Hermione, encouraged by Fleur's moans, stepped up her game a little, even though it meant fighting harder to keep Fleur's body in place. Hermione felt her tremble, heard her panting heavily, and decided to be bold. She stopped licking her clit and slid her tongue inside Fleur, curiously exploring new territory.
That was it. Fleur couldn't take any more of it. Her senses overloaded and she came moaning Hermione's name. She wanted to question all the times she'd slept with anyone else and how this was so much more intense.
She would have to tell Hermione about it and the thought made her incredibly nervous.
Pushing it aside for now, she pulled Hermione up and kissed her passionately, tasting herself on Hermione's lips. She pressed their bodies together as much as she could, needing any and all skin contact she could get.
Of course, the blanket had fallen out of bed again, but Hermione grabbed it as Fleur started to shiver. They cuddled up and Hermione looked at Fleur with a mixture of pride and fear.
As soon as Fleur had back all her faculties, she noticed Hermione's predicament.
'Nothing to worry about, chérie. Nothing at all,' she said and kissed her soundly. Hermione immediately relaxed and hugged her closer.
'Event when I just stuck…' Hermione began but was interrupted.
'Especially then,' Fleur ended the discussion once and for all.
They stayed quiet for a while, just enjoying the feeling of holding each other close, until Fleur broke the silence and quietly asked,''ermione?'
When Hermione stirred to look at Fleur she continued, 'I realise that the two years I 'ave on you are two quite formative years. And I see 'ow that might be daunting. But will you believe me that I have never felt this way before? It's all completely new to me too.'
Hermione waited for Fleur to continue, playing with a strand of her silky blond hair.
'Everyone I ever slept with was to some degree intimidated by my Veela 'eritage or my usually very dominant behaviour. But I never felt that from you. I very much enjoyed your taking control, it was a nice change of pace. And I was completely surprised by 'ow easily I accepted your lead. Not because you wouldn't let me be in charge, but because my body was giving in to every touch of yours. I've never felt anything so intense. My mother used to tell me about these things. Or rather she would 'int at them and I wouldn't believe 'er,' Fleur explained.
Hermione raised an eyebrow, wondering why Fleur would bring up her mother, now of all times. But given how tense Fleur was, she knew that there was a reason and apparently one that made her nervous. Hermione was a bit worried about what it might be. They'd just had the most wonderful time and Fleur should be lying by her side content and happy. It made Hermione slightly anxious to hear what Fleur was about to confess.
'She taught me that full-blooded Veela like my grandmother 'ave only one true mate. But as it 'appens, as our Veela blood gets more diluted, restrictions like that just fall away. I always thought that I 'ad the freedom to choose whomever I wanted, and I wasn't wrong, but I wasn't right either,' Fleur continued. Hermione was getting confused, but willed herself to listen instead of firing off questions. She could see Fleur become more nervous with every word and held her closer, with little effect. This must be big if Fleur wouldn't calm down the slightest bit at her touch.
'I can fall in love many times. There is no restriction to just one person. I can even stay with one of these loves for the rest of my life and be 'appy. That is what I thought I 'ad with Bill. Maman always told me that I might not 'ave one true mate and was free to choose, but somewhere in the world there would be a person, that 'ad the ability to be more than all the others could ever be. If I met them, I would fall in love with them, even if I was in a 'appy relationship at the time. The connection would just be that much stronger than with all the others. Should I meet this person, I'd never be able to fall for anyone else. I was 'appy with Bill and I still think 'e is a wonderful man. But ever since you arrived at Shell Cottage that very day, my feelings for you have always been more than they should logically be. I was more afraid for your life, than I would've been for anyone else's. I was more enraged over your wounds than anyone else's. I enjoyed our walks together more than made sense and when we fought at the beach, there simply was no denying it anymore. I 'ad grossly underestimated 'ow much it would 'urt me to think I'd destroyed our friendship. I was convinced I'd die of 'eartbreak in that moment. I was literally expecting to fall apart.'
'Maman said that everything would be more intense with that person. Absolutely everything. I believe I know now, that she was right. I wish I had admitted it sooner, I could've spared Bill a lot of worries about my wellbeing, but nevertheless I'm glad 'ow things turned out to be. Thank you for coming into my life and teaching me all these things even if it means I will 'ave to admit to my mother that she was right,' Fleur finished.
Hermione was touched. She had had no idea how much this relationship meant to Fleur. She had, of course, assumed that it was special enough, leaving her husband and all but not that it was because she was as close as possible to being Fleur's one true mate. Hermione kissed Fleur gently. She knew now why Fleur had been so nervous. It was a very loaded statement. With this Hermione finally had her explanation for why she had been so utterly convinced that this was forever. She noticed Fleur looking at her with big fearful eyes and realised she hadn't yet reacted to what she had said. She wrapped her arms around the blond witch to show her there was nothing to worry about.
'I have nothing to compare this to, but even so, I realise that what we have is precious. As you know, I have a tendency to get things right the first time around. If that is as true for my love life as it is for my academic achievements, I can't say I mind,' Hermione said calmly, making sure Fleur knew that she was serious. She didn't want Fleur to think that it scared her entering a relationship of these proportions at such a young age. It didn't. In fact, it did just the opposite and with that she had earned herself a kiss.
'I have a question, though,' Hermione announced.
'Of course you do,' Fleur laughed, visibly relaxed.
'What did you mean by sparing Bill the worries about your wellbeing? Where you sick? Why didn't I notice?' Hermione asked.
'I knew I would not get that past you,' Fleur mused, 'let me explain. Neither humans nor Veela can choose who they fall in love with, but humans have the possibility to cheat on their partners unpunished. Veelas, pureblood or otherwise, don't have this liberty. I can only ever have physical contact of a sexual nature with the person I'm in love with. If I don't listen to my body and make myself kiss someone else or sleep with someone else, I will get punished for it. I had that once before I met Bill, and it wasn't very comfortable, but it wasn't too bad and it also wasn't an instant reaction. This time, 'owever, it was quite a bit different,' Fleur explained but then reined herself in, 'Do you really want to 'ear about my love life with Bill?'
'Not the gory details, no, but what do you mean by "punished"? What happened to you?' Hermione asked a little concerned.
'Well, I thought that it was ridiculous that my body was reluctant to react to his touch, he was my 'usband after all, so I made myself react. I convinced my body to sleep with him. I'm a Veela, I 'ave needs. Every time, it was quite a bit of concentration. As soon as I closed my eyes, images of you popped up and I didn't want to do this to him. Please don't get me wrong. I still enjoyed myself, but it just wasn't the same. And afterwards, well, one minute I was lying in bed, the next I was puking my guts out in the bathroom. Once, when I…when I,' Fleur hesitated. Hermione had asked to hear no details but she knew that she had started her sentence and Hermione wouldn't accept if she didn't finish it.
'You what? Merlin, how bad was it?' Hermione asked, her concern only growing.
'I 'ad the idea that maybe my reaction was only so severe because of the pleasure I gained from it. So I tried what would 'appen if 'e was the only one to come. My body's reaction was even more severe. I probably shouldn't 'ave swallowed. Before I could even think about lying down to sleep, I was on my knees again, repenting on the bathroom floor. I almost passed out from the convulsions. I'm sorry. You said, you didn't want gory details. 'e was very scared, I imagine,' Fleur explained.
'Yes, well, I guess I didn't need the mental image of you blowing Bill, but I'm...Don't look so scandalised. I thought you're French!…I'm really sorry to hear what you had to go through,' Hermione said, when Fleur reacted to her choice of words.
Hermione understood that the fact that Fleur's reaction had been so severe and immediate only further proved the preciousness of their connection with each other.
'I'm glad to notice that you are still in bed with me, looking very healthy,' Hermione said, kissing Fleur again.
Fleur had feared that announcing to Hermione that there would never in Fleur's life be anyone else again, who could compete with what she felt for her, would be too much too soon. But she felt that Hermione had a right to know, sooner rather than later, what she was getting herself into. Fleur was sure that Hermione had understood the implications, which was why she was even more surprised to see that she seemed to be completely fine with it. Even more so, she considered it to be a good thing, something she'd 'gotten right on the first try'. There was no way on earth, Fleur could be any happier in that moment.