AN: Thank you so much for the great reviews.
Chapter 14 A True Wizard On The Inside
Hermione held Fleur in her herms and said nothing. Fleur clung to her desperately as she poured out her broken heart through tears. There was no judgement from Hermione, no cajoling just comfort. Hermione felt her own heart breaking at the sight of what was now her closest friend, so clearly distressed. Her mind was racing through possibilities of what could possibly have provoked this from the normally strong and proud witch. She instantly thought the worst had happened, someone in her family must have been injured, or worse at the cabin, trying to defend her. Hermione felt sick at the thought as she tenderly stroked Fleur's arms in a soothing motion, "Fleur, what is it?" she finally relented and asked, unable to bear it any longer.
Fleur shifted in her lap, twisting so that Hermione could not see her face but so that she was still in her friend's arms. She had, in the back of her mind, anticipated the question, though had no idea how she was going to explain to Hermione what was wrong. Hermione continued her tender strokes despite Fleur twisting away from her; she didn't push but instead just continued to hold her and waited patiently for Fleur to pull herself together. Fleur took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to force her body to calm down.
"I am so sorry." Fleur told her friend as she wiped her face with her hands and willed herself to stop crying. She was not sure how much she was going to explain to Hermione but she also knew that her comforter needed to hear something, and that something had to be the truth. She would not lie to Hermione, her experience told her that lies in relationships did not go down very well. After Bill she had vowed never to lie to someone she loved ever again, and she loved Hermione. In fact her love for Hermione had been the cause of the lecture that she had gotten her parents. Remembering their harsh words caused tears to spring to her eyes again, this time Fleur let them fall feeling that wiping them away was a pointless exercise.
"Please don't apologise to me for crying Fleur, Merlin knows that I have sobbed in your lap more than a few times at this point," Hermione explained is a soothing voice, "I am just concerned, is your family alright?" she asked praying that they were fine. For a brief moment when Hermione started speaking Fleur tensed up, as though bracing herself for something, but as Hermione spoke and she heard her words she was able to relax more. Hermione could tell that Fleur was hurting, and wanted nothing more than to take the pain away, as Fleur had done for her a dozen times over. Hermione knew though that Fleur having offered her comforted her before had absolutely nothing to do with her own need to offer the witch any comfort. Hermione would do anything for Fleur to take this pain away simply so that she would not have to feel a moments pain.
"Everyone is fine, zank you for asking 'Ermione. I just 'ad a disagreement wiz my parents zat is all," Fleur explained. Part of her hoped that the brief almost non-explanation would be enough to satiate Hermione's curiosity, the last thing she needed to do was burden the young witch further with her own affairs of the heart. Fleur was certain that Hermione had enough to worry about without worrying about Fleur's feelings complicating things. Fleur sighed as she realised what a hippogriffs ear she had made of things, first with Bill and now with Hermione, it seemed that she left an emotional minefield wherever she went.
Hermione considered the vague explanation that Fleur had given her, it was not enough information to go on to draw any sort of conclusion, however she was relieved to hear that her family was fine. She was really unsure as to whether she should probe further or just let it go, she wanted to be a good friend to Fleur, she imagined that was as close as she could get to the beautiful witch as far as a relationship was concerned and if that was what she would have to settle for then she wanted it to be as special as possible. Hermione chose not to push, "Ok Fleur, if you ever want to talk about it, you know bounce idea's off of a third party, I am here and willing to listen." She told her friend letting Fleur make the decision as to whether or not she wanted to share anymore information or not. As she made the offer Hermione tightened her hug around Fleur for a moment and then loosened her grip.
Fleur smiled through her tears at Hermione's hug and her words, she truly thought that this witch was amazing. Here she was on the run from a wizarding family so dark their name is Black; starved, beaten and tortured, on some sort of mission that Dumbledore should have assigned to trained auror's and yet all she wanted to do was offer words of comfort and friendship to a silly witch who was crying her eyes out because her parents basically told her to sort her life out. Fleur loved this witch because her heart was so huge, because no matter her troubles she had time for others and because of a thousand more reasons. She gave Hermione an appreciative squeeze and took a couple of deep breaths, perhaps her mother was right, Hermione deserved better than this mess. Fleur resolved herself to dealing whit the whole Bill situation at the next possible opportunity, until that time she would work on continuing to be a good friend to Hermione.
Fleur wiped her face and turned in Hermione's lap, she smiled up at her friend who was looking back at her with a concerned gaze. "You are a good friend to me 'Ermione. Zank you" she told her letting her see that she was alright, "really it is silly and I am fine." Fleur dropped her gaze as she finished, ashamed that she had not been able to control herself better than this, she really had not wanted Hermione to see her break down. Fleur wanted her to think that her friend, her guardian was strong, someone who would be there for her, honest with her and supportive of her. Not this flake who dissolves into a sobbing mess at a few home truths from her Maman and Papa.
Hermione smiled softly but at the same time reached down and stroked Fleur's cheek forcing her gaze upward towards her, "Please don't do that." Hermione asked her softly pausing for a moment, ensuring that she had Fleur's attention, "Please don't minimize whatever it is you are going through and tell me it is silly out of some heroic act to protect me. We are in a war Fleur, but we are all going through stuff. Whatever it is that you are going through is just as important as me and all my crap, in fact to me it is more important." Hermione was still smiling though her voice had taken a sterner tone. Ironically both witches were blushing, Fleur because she felt like she was being told off for something, and in a way she was, Hermione because she was coming awfully close to telling Fleur exactly how important she was to her.
Hermione nervously bit her lip. Fleur would think she truly had lost her mind if she shared her feelings for her. Fleur smiled up at Hermione, she was just glad that the younger witch cared, "et is complicated 'Ermione, I 'ave made a mess wiz Bill and Maman zinks zat I am being unkind to 'im. I do not believe zat she is wrong, but I do not know what to do next." Fleur explained. She found that though she thought that this was the last thing she wanted to be discussing with anyone, least of all Hermione, once she got started however it did not seem so difficult. It was almost comfortable talking to Hermione about something that she should have been ashamed about.
Hermione bit down harder on her lip and repeated an internal mantra of, 'I need to be a good friend to her no matter what!' She had heard enough at the burrow to recognise that Fleur was avoiding her husband and so it was no surprise to Hermione that the couple were having problems. Hermione could not even begin to fathom why they were having issues though, and she was not entirely sure she wanted to know or could help Fleur sort those issues out. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, strengthening her resolve, "Well I am no one to be giving out marital advice, but I find that honesty is the best policy. If you tell Bill the truth behind whatever it is that you have made a mess out of then he will listen. If he truly loves you then the last thing that he would want would be for you to be laying her crying your eyes out over it." Hermione thought that her logic was sound though she had no real evidence to back it up, and not really enough information to know if she was even on the right track or not.
Fleur sighed, she genuinely did not know if Bill loved her or not, though she suspected that he was in love with the idea of having a wife and the married life as opposed to being in love with her. She thought over Hermione's words, if he loved her he would want her to be happy , no matter what. She sighed again, "'Ermione, 'ave you ever made a decision wizout zinking et zrough, to 'ell wiz ze consequences?" She asked, still looking for a bit more reassurance.
Hermione blushed and giggled as a memory that fit Fleur's parameters popped into her mind almost immediately, "Sweet Circe yes!" she replied as she stifled more giggles. She knew that Fleur's situation was not one that was light hearted but perhaps the situation needed to be lightened up a little. "I will tell you mine if you will tell me yours?" Hermione asked Fleur with a mischievous grin on her face, Fleur nodded her agreement and Hermione blushed as she thought about telling Fleur her memory. "This one time in first year, Harry, Ron and I thought that Severus Snape was trying to kill harry by cursing his broom." She smiled as she remembered sneaking around underneath the quidditch stands, "so I snuck to underneath where the teachers were sitting and set his robes on fire." She finished the story with a grin on her face.
Fleur was shocked. The story was the last thing she had expected to hear from Hermione, "You?" She asked in disbelief, Hermione simply nodded and giggled, "What 'appened?" Fleur asked now smiling as well.
Hermione's face fell a little, "As it turned out, Severus was not trying to kill Harry, to the contrary it was one of the many times he tried to save Harry's life. I don't know why, but I do believe that if Harry, Ron and I had gone just a little easier on Severus over the past seven years he would not have died the way he did. He is the bravest man I have ever known, a true wizard on the inside, who kept his love hidden but devoted his entire life to protecting those he loved, a lonely existence, and it cost him his life." A sadness had drifted into Hermione's voice as she finished explaining her thoughts about her potions master who seemed to have made a profound impression on her life through his actions. Hermione thought about the story, Severus had hidden his love for Lily, and subsequently Harry, a secret and he had died alone. Hermione genuinely understood why he had lived the way he had, for she too loved someone who was with someone else, she would not destroy that persons life or reputation by declaring her love to them and asking them to choose. "What was the rash decision that you made Fleur?" she asked brushing the thoughts of her love to the back of her mind for the time being.
Fleur sighed, in her mind she imagined declaring her love for Hermione. Telling her that she is the only one her heart beats for, that she left her husband with a pitiful explanation to throw herself into the fray so that she might devote the rest of her life to being a guardian of sorts to Hermione in exactly the same way it seemed Snape had been a guardian for Harry. Fleur swallowed her declaration of love and chose instead to take little steps, "I was young and impulsive and married the first man 'oo asked me because I felt a lust for 'im but I 'ave never been in love wiz Bill. Now his parents expect grandchildren, he expects and explanation and my parents 'ave found out zat I am in love wiz someone else." Fleur told Hermione and she felt somehow lighter now that she had told her this much, as though a weight had been lifted off of her.
Hermione sat stunned, not at all sure what to say to Fleur. In her head there was an explosion of questions bursting through Hermione's mind that she wanted to ask. Just as she was about to ask one, there was a cacophony of noise surrounding them, Fleur shot up and grabbed her wand calling for Kreacher. Hermione rolled off the bed and stood to Fleur's left also brandishing her wand like she was hold the sword of Godric Gryffindor in her hand and was about to cut down all her enemies.
With a pop Kreacher appeared outside the bedroom door, opened it and walked in to the room on the business end on the two witches wands. He shrunk down a little on the spot at the sight of the two powerful witches pointing their wands at him. "Kreacher what is that noise?" Hermione asked him and for the briefest of moments it looked as the house elf was having an internal battle just to stop himself from rolling his eyes.
Kreacher waved a hand and the sound stopped, "Someone is trying to get through the wards at the back garden gate." Kreacher replied. Fleur and Hermione glanced at each other nervously.
Fleur nodded to signal that she was fine and would take the lead on this. She turned to Kreacher, "I assume zat et is not Ginny or Luna?" she asked him. Fleur already knew the answer, Ginny would not do anything to set the wards off, not when she knew how nervous Hermione was and how defensive Fleur herself would be.
Kreacher shook his head no, "It is the blood traitor Ronald Weasley," He told her, pleased with himself for having checked before apparating into the room. Fleur spun to look at Hermione, the colour had completely drained from the brunette's face and she promptly ran into the bathroom and vomited.