Chapter 13
The halls of Hogwarts during the last week of term were filled with stress over the unrelenting amount of schoolwork and hormone-addled nerves from those still attempting to find dates for the Yule Ball.
Ron almost started another row over his best mate taking his sister to the ball, but since he was still trying to make up for his earlier behavior, he grudgingly accepted it. Later confiding in Hermione, Ron said he wouldn't mind if it did turn into anything because at least Harry was a good sort. Ginny was uncharacteristically quiet whenever anyone asked about her and Harry, perhaps trying to temper their expectations and her own hopes, but Hermione could tell she was excited.
On the last day of classes, as Hermione and the boys were on their way to lunch, Ron started to complain yet again over the impending Potions test Snape planned to give that afternoon.
Harry ignored him and asked, "Are you worried about the dancing at all, Hermione?"
"Erm, not really. Fleur says she's been taking lessons since she was little, and I took one class years ago, but I did ask Ginny to show me whatever formal wizarding dances she knew. The rest I'll figure out. Assuming the rumors are true, the Weird Sisters being there means the music won't all be formal. I can practice with you in the common room, if you like. Ginny will know what to do so she can help, too."
He smiled gratefully.
They passed a group of Ravenclaw fourth-year girls talking together in a courtyard when Ron suddenly said, "You two go on ahead. I'll catch up."
Hermione shrugged and kept walking but Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a stone pillar.
"Watch," he hissed, peeking around the pillar.
"What's going on?" Hermione whispered.
"You'll see."
From their vantage point, they saw Ron stand in place for a few seconds, taking deep breaths as he unwrapped his scarf. His face was flushed but his shoulders were back which gave him an air of confidence. Then he walked straight over to the group of Ravenclaws, his attention on Padma Patil. The repeated up and down movements of his head caused Hermione to gasp in realization.
Padma's puzzled expression at his display appeared more curious than repelled which Ron took as approval to move to the next step. Hermione couldn't hear what he was saying but she saw him remove something from inside his student robes and hold it out to Padma, his face shining with hope.
"Is that a flower?" asked Hermione under her breath, wondering if the boy had gotten it from the greenhouses.
"Sort of," Harry answered. "It's cut-up candy wrappers shaped into a flower that he stuck onto the end of a short twig."
Hermione melted at the courting gesture. Ron really had taken Fleur's advice to heart.
Padma waved her friends away for added privacy. The ensuing hush of everyone around them, however, still allowed for some of their exchange to be heard across the courtyard.
"Are you a good dancer?" Padma asked.
"Terrible," Ron replied as he scuffed the toe of his shoe against the stone ground. "But I promise to try."
Taking the makeshift flower from Ron, the girl twirled it in her hand and smiled. What had been a flattered expression was now genuine interest.
"Okay yeah, I'll go."
Ron beamed, and the two spoke quietly for another minute before saying goodbye. When he spotted Harry and Hermione, the boy careened towards them.
"It worked! I can't wait to tell Fleur!"
They laughed and clapped him on the back as they continued on their way to lunch. Just before reaching the doors to the Great Hall, Hermione spotted Philippe with some of his Beauxbatons friends. Watching Ron with Padma had given her an idea for a surprise for Fleur, but it required knowledge of Veela she didn't have. Hopefully Philippe knew enough about Veela culture to help.
*::::*
Christmas and the day of the Yule Ball finally arrived.
Hermione and Fleur agreed they would see each other only once before the ball; at breakfast where the two of them would exchange gifts. Since Fleur wanted the scarf to remain a Christmas present, she'd insisted Hermione not give her anything big or extravagant. Hermione argued the same considering Fleur had already given her so many things including one of her own feathers as a quill.
At the Gryffindor table, the two witches brought out little boxes smaller than the palms of their hands. When they opened them, to their delight, each had given the other a button. A red one for Fleur and a light blue one for Hermione. Sneaking quick kisses on each other's cheeks, they promised to affix the buttons to their dresses tonight.
The rest of the day went by quickly. The snowball fight Harry and the other Weasleys engaged in was fun to watch and she lost track of time until around five o'clock when she looked at her watch. Having never dressed so formally before, and not knowing how long it would take her to get ready, she excused herself and went up to the dormitories hoping three hours would give her plenty of time.
Lavender and Parvati were sitting on their beds chatting when she walked in.
"Hopefully Seamus won't set anything on fire," teased Parvati.
"I hope not either," giggled Lavender. "Seamus is all right, though, he'll be good for a laugh. Aren't you worried you'll be bored with Neville?"
"Not at all," replied Parvati. "He's nice and I think it'll be fun to go with someone who isn't going to grope me the first chance he gets. What do you think, Hermione?"
"I think you'll have a great time. Neville's excited to dance."
Parvati smiled. "Good."
Hermione went over to her trunk and took out the bottle of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion she'd purchased. Her original intention was to put a significant amount in her hair to straighten it out and sweep it up into a knot, but then she thought about how much Fleur liked her hair.
"How much do you think it'll take to tame my curls but not get rid of them?" asked Hermione.
The other two girls exchanged a look and then shrieked delightedly as they rushed over.
A couple of hours later, Hermione scrutinized her reflection in the mirror. Her mum had helped pick out her dress during the summer and she was glad it still fit well. Fleur only told her the color of her dress, a silver-grey, and she thought her periwinkle blue would pair nicely with it.
She didn't like too much make-up, so Parvati had applied only a little eye-shadow and lipstick. Her hair was down; more of a cascade of waves over her shoulders instead of a bushy nest. That was how Lavender had described it after the hair potion had done its work and she'd finished brushing it. The last thing she put on was the blue button Fleur had given her this morning, charming it to stick to the top left-side of her dress.
The three girls gushed over their outfits, and after Hermione thanked Lavender and Parvati again for their help, they went downstairs to the common room.
It was filled with dressed-up Gryffindors eager for the ball, and Hermione went around saying hi and complimenting everyone she saw.
"If it's a madhouse in here, I can only imagine what the entrance hall will be like," said Ginny, walking up to the brunette.
The younger witch was in a pale green dress. It had originally been both pink and green but after Harry asked her to go with him, she found out the color of his dress robes (a dark bottle-green) and wanted to coordinate, asking Angelina to help her transfigure the color.
A minute later, Harry and Ron came down. Fred, George, and Ginny started to laugh at Ron's robes but Hermione elbowed the younger witch in the side and sent her harshest glare to the twins before rushing up to her grumbling friend. Ron had apparently used some sort of severing charm to cut off all the lace. But he'd done a poor job of it as he was pulling at the frayed strings everywhere.
Hermione waved her wand, clearing off the loose strings and tidying up the frayed hems as much as she could using a mending charm. After finishing, Ron looked at himself and let out a relieved exhale.
"Thanks, 'Mione, you're a lifesaver."
Turning around, she spotted Harry and Ginny talking. The two friends looked comfortable and she was glad. The boy seemed much more optimistic about the night than he did when the ball had first been announced.
When they got to the entrance hall, they saw Ginny had been right. It was packed with everyone waiting for the doors to the Great Hall to open. Anyone whose date was in a different house than theirs or a different school was left weaving through the masses to find them.
Hermione turned and dodged as she looked for Fleur, ignoring those who gaped at her appearance. Ron found Padma easily enough. She had briefly worried the Ravenclaw would find Ron's old robes unseemly and would be embarrassed to be on his arm, but it wasn't like that at all. Dressed in a bright turquoise, the pretty girl looked very pleased indeed to have Ron's attentions. And he looked positively smitten.
The Durmstrang delegation strode through the front doors, and Viktor Krum walked in alongside a Beauxbatons girl named Josette who wore a deep red dress. The typically scowling boy looked bashful next to the glamorous girl, especially when Josette squeezed his arm, and their sincere smiles made it clear Philippe's matchmaking had been welcomed.
Now if she could only find her own date.
Just as she was about to stomp her foot in frustration, she felt a hand caress the back of her shoulder. Spinning around to give whoever dared touch her a piece of her mind, her mouth dropped open instead.
"You are stunning, Hermione," Fleur murmured as she learned forward to kiss her cheek in greeting.
"Thanks," said Hermione breathlessly, warmed by the compliment but also by the Veela's appearance. "You look amazing, too."
The girl's silver-grey dress seemed to shimmer in the light, and her blonde hair was gathered into a low bun just above the nape of her neck. The red button she'd given her was fixed to her bodice over her heart.
She's absolutely radiant.
Fleur seemed pleased by Hermione's reaction. A tiny smirk grew on her face and blue eyes sparkled knowingly as they stared deeply into hers. Hermione found herself longing for a quiet evening somewhere else, just the two of them. Now that their relationship had progressed to kissing, they'd been making out whenever they had the chance.
Professor McGonagall's voice sounded out over the crowd, calling for the champions.
Clasping each other's hands, Fleur and Hermione walked over to the harried professor who directed the champions and their dates to one side. At eight o'clock, the doors opened, and they waited and watched everyone go into the Hall.
Hermione took the opportunity to say hello to Cedric and Cho, who both seemed excited. Harry also had fun with Ginny whispering in his ear and pointing out whatever hilarious thing she'd spotted amongst the Slytherins walking by. At least Ginny kept her laughter at Fleur to herself whenever anyone stared a little too appreciatively at Hermione as they passed. Territorial and protective instincts were part of being Veela, but Fleur did her best to not be a possessive ass, so Hermione leaned into her girlfriend's side, the close contact helping to prevent her icy glares and occasional tsk's from escalating.
Fortunately, a distraction came when Philippe and his date Tyler came over for quick greetings. Tyler was a sixth-year blond Ravenclaw who was on the quidditch team. Fleur and Philippe hugged, each telling the other to behave with their dates tonight, which made Hermione roll her eyes good-naturedly, knowing full well she was the one who initiated her and Fleur's makeout sessions more often than not. But it wasn't her fault the library had so many hidden alcoves, or that Fleur's lips were so inviting.
While her girlfriend chatted with Tyler, Philippe asked Hermione quietly, "T'es prête?"
"As I'll ever be," Hermione replied softly.
Fleur's brow furrowed as she stepped towards them. "What are you two up to?"
Hermione grabbed her hand, hoping the older girl would be okay with not knowing for a little while longer. "It's a surprise for later."
"You'll love it," assured Philippe with a wink before taking Tyler's hand and pulling him inside the Hall.
The French witch eyed her for a moment, probably debating whether to push or not, but in the end she let it go with a shrug and a smile.
After everyone else had gone in and sat down, McGonagall lined up the pairs with Fleur and Hermione in front, then they entered the Hall in a procession.
The Great Hall was gorgeously decorated. Frosted garlands and wreaths were all over the walls. Bunches of mistletoe and ivy hung across the starry black ceiling. Students sat at dozens of smaller round tables as the champions and their dates walked to the top of the Hall where there had been placed a large round table.
Sitting down with the schools' headmasters was strange at first. And it was disconcerting to have Percy Weasley there instead of Crouch, but when his attempts to engage Harry got too annoying, Ginny told her brother to stop bothering her date, and he surprisingly did as he was told. Other than that little dust-up, the rest of the dinner went smoothly. She and Fleur talked with the other champions, they ate their fill of food and butterbeer, and when they were done, Dumbledore stood up and gestured for the students at the other tables to do the same.
After a few waves of his wand, the tables were moved to the back and a stage was set up along the side wall with a dancefloor lit up in front of it.
"I knew it," whispered Ginny gleefully. "It's the Weird Sisters."
Sure enough, a band in black, ripped-up robes took the stage and began to play a slow song.
Fleur held out her hand. "Shall we?"
Hermione glanced around and saw the other champions getting up, too. It was time for the opening dance.
Taking Fleur's hand, they stood up and walked out to the dancefloor.
Her chest felt tight with nervous anticipation. She was ready. She'd practiced. The thought of Fleur's face at her surprise was the only thing that kept her together. Fleur took the lead, and even though she'd only learned this dance last week, the girl's firm grip on her hand and waist ensured Hermione never once felt self-conscious as they glided across the dancefloor
Cedric and Cho also meshed well in their dance. Harry and Ginny giggled over their missteps, and Viktor and Josette managed their own stilted dance without too much awkwardness. Soon, more people joined them, including Ron and Padma, and Philippe and Tyler.
When there were enough people dancing, Philippe caught her eye and she nodded. It was time.
He immediately started jumping in place, and gave a slight shove against Tyler's shoulder to do the same before running over to Harry and Ginny and whispering in their ears. With gleeful smiles, Ginny and Harry nodded and joined in. Laughing and holding hands, Ron and Padma jumped too, followed by Cedric and Cho and many of the other couples on the dancefloor. All of them jumping as high as they could.
"Hermione, what's going on?" Fleur asked as she looked around, slowing their dance to a stop.
"It's your surprise. Go on. Show me," encouraged Hermione as she stepped back to give the girl space, making sure her girlfriend saw her watch the other jumpers. They hadn't really talked about it, but she remembered how Maxime and Philippe had stopped Fleur's jumps back when the blonde first noticed her. Hermione wanted her girlfriend to have a chance to fulfill that initial instinct to win her attention.
Fleur frowned at first and then her eyes lit up. Affection and joy spread across her face, which soon changed to the same fierce expression she wore at the first task. Crouching down slightly, she leapt into the air. Not as high as she could've done with her wings but she was still higher than everyone else. She jumped again, gaining more distance from the floor.
There were ooh's and ah's from onlookers at every jump. And Hermione now kept her eyes on the Veela, showing her that no one else could compare. That she was the highest and most powerful. That she was the only one the brunette wanted.
The song stopped just as Fleur leapt one more time, her wings coming out briefly to propel her upwards. The crowd cheered as she came down for a graceful landing.
Once her wings retracted, Hermione rushed forward but instead of hugging her, she bowed. She gave a curt nod to Philippe who waved to the band, and the expected song started. She held her arms aloft, stepping forward with one foot and tilting her head sideways and downwards. This hadn't been her original idea when she went to the French wizard to ask whether prompting Fleur to jump would be appropriate for the ball, but when he brought up a Veela courting dance, she immediately demanded to be taught what he knew.
Holding the position, Hermione waited, and then Fleur's eyes began to water, her throat bobbing with emotion. Blinking it away, the older witch raised her arms and mirrored the bookworm's pose.
Hermione stepped closer, curving her body one way. Fleur followed and curved herself in the opposite way. She repeated the motion in the other direction, and the blonde did the same.
When she raised one hand, Fleur did so as well, and on it went. A spin one way, then the other, arms lifted straight up, moving to and fro until they'd reached the point where Philippe said the moves and their order didn't matter. As long as Hermione moved in a way that felt right, Fleur would show her approval and interest by continuing the dance.
And Hermione felt it. The rhythm inside, the heat of her attraction at seeing the girl respond and follow her lead, recognizing the same heat in Fleur's eyes. Closer and closer until they each had one arm wrapped around the other's waist. They spun around again and again and soon both their arms were wrapped around each other, the two of them laughing and smiling as their spins grew faster. Until at last they came to a stop, and she was filled with an overwhelming urge to kiss Fleur. So she did, leaning forward to press a tender kiss on her lips and not caring who saw how much she adored the other witch.
After their kiss ended, Fleur leaned her forehead against Hermione's and asked, "How… when…?"
"Philippe taught me. When he told me about it, I knew I wanted to do that for you because you deserve to be courted, too."
Fleur looked at her in awe. "You are truly a wonder, Hermione Granger. And your courting dance was magnificent. I will dance with no other but you."
Hermione smiled. "And you are more impressive than the rest, Fleur Delacour. I'm so glad you're my girlfriend."
"Good," Fleur said cockily. "Because I've been meaning to show you the nest I'm building for us."
"Wait what?" Hermione asked, startled.
There hadn't been mention of a nest before, had there? A bower, yes, but that was supposed to be for a marriage proposal at the end of the courtship ritual. Which was years away. Hermione had been very firm on that. Unless Fleur was talking about what came after an engagement. But then why would she do that now? And here at Hogwarts?
The brunette raised an eyebrow in question.
"Just kidding," Fleur replied in a sing-song voice, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Fleur! You can't do that, you know I'm still learning about Veela. You really had me," Hermione scolded, pressing her forehead into Fleur's shoulder to hide her embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, chérie, but you made it so easy," the blonde teased, her arms tightening around Hermione.
After a few moments of dancing in that position, Hermione said softly, "You do, you know. Have me, that is."
"And you have me," whispered Fleur, nuzzling her face into Hermione's hair. "Your nest of curls is the only one I could ever need."
Hermione pulled back to smile happily at Fleur as they continued to dance.
The schoolyear might have brought new stresses and fears but it also brought her someone who understood her like no other. Who had taken all her stumbles in stride. Who had shown her how a relationship could grow with patience, trust, and communication.
How love can grow, her heart whispered.
Stomach fluttering at where her thoughts went, Hermione took a calming breath. She wasn't an idiot, not about this at least. The signs were very clear about where this was going. But there was no reason to rush. She and Fleur had the rest of the year to explore and nurture what was blossoming between them.
For now, there was dancing, and hopefully more kissing afterwards.
"Wouldn't a nest of blankets and pillows in front of a fire be better than my hair?" she asked suggestively.
Fleur's face flushed, blue eyes flicking down to her lips as she gulped and nodded.
Hermione smirked in response, already thinking about ways to make that idea happen.
A/N: And that does it for my 2022 fleurmione week contributions. Now to look forward to this year's lol
Thank you so much for reading and commenting. It really meant a lot that so many of you enjoyed this fic as much as I did.
This also marks the last time I'll be updating on this site. I just find the 'archive of our own' site easier to manage as a writer so that's where I'll be from now on. If you're not already an ao3 reader, you can find a few short fleurmiones I've recently posted there and not here, including one for my Ballads series. Thank you again for your readership. Hopefully I'll see you around at ao3. Cheers!