"Fleur wake up you need to eat something." Fleur ignored the voice as she tried to hang on to her dream of a brown haired woman. She wasn't sure what it was that she had been dreaming about but she knew she didn't want to wake up. In the dream she was happy and awake she didn't feel good at all. Snuggling back into her pillow she felt herself dozing off again but the annoying voice wouldn't let her. "Fleur sweetheart you need to wake up."
"I just want to sleep." Fleur mumbled.
"I know but you need to get some food and water in your body. It will make you feel better." Apolline felt bad she was waking her daughter up but now that the worst of the withdrawals were over Fleur needed to replenish her body after not being able to keep anything down for almost a week. She even threw up the healing potions so they were no help.
Fleur groaned as she opened her eyes seeing her mother leaning over her. "Why did you wake me?"
"Because as I said you need to eat something and drink some water." Apolline wasn't happy to see Fleur's face was pale and eyes blood shot with bags under them. She looked like she was on the verge of death and Apolline knew when Fleur learned of everything that had happened to her that Fleur would probably wish she were dead. Fleur had a lot of healing ahead of her not only physically but mentally as well. That was another reason they needed to find Hermione. The witch would be the only one who could make Fleur feel better.
"I'm not hungry." Fleur didn't think her stomach could handle any food with how upset it was.
"I know you aren't but you need to try and at least get some of this soup down. Just a couple bites and then some water. You are dehydrated and need the fluids." Apolline told her.
"Alright." Fleur struggled to maneuver herself so she was sitting up. She gave her mother a grateful smile when the older woman helped her and arranged her pillows so she was more comfortable. "Thank you."
"It's no problem. Here I'll help you." Apolline held the glass of water for Fleur so she could sip the water. As Fleur tried to gulp it down she pulled it away. "Go slow, you'll make yourself sick if you drink to fast."
"I didn't realize I was so thirsty." Fleur said.
"It's of no surprise as you have been fighting off a fever for over a week." Apolline told her.
"What was wrong with me? Did I catch a bug?" Fleur asked.
Apolline sighed. She really didn't want to be the one to break the news to Fleur because she knew it would devastate her daughter. Luckily her mother chose that moment to enter the room. "Why don't we have your grand mere explain what happened."
"Hello my love how are you feeling?" Sabine Delacour asked her granddaughter.
Fleur took stock of her body."I feel weak and tired."
"How about your mind?" Sabine wanted to know if Fleur was still feeling any effects of the love potion.
"It feels clear like a fog was lifted." Fleur was confused by the looks of relief on her mother and grandmother's faces. "What happened to me?"
"What happened to you was something terrible. I will tell you but I need you to keep a calm head. It will be hard I know but please try." Sabine said.
"You're scaring me." Fleur wasn't sure what was going on but by the seriousness her grandmother was showing knew it was something bad.
"Before I tell you what is wrong tell me how you feel about Bill?"Sabine asked.
Fluer was ashamed to admit she hadn't even thought about her husband. It was like he was no longer important to her and that was startling. "I don't feel anything for him. Did someone hex me to make me no longer love him?"
"No but it is good to know you no longer love him." Sabine held up a hand to stop Fleur's reply. "Let me explain before you ask any questions. As you know you began feeling ill a few days after you came here."
Fleur nodded. "Yes, the healer wasn't sure what was wrong with me."
"Well after the fevers and sickness got worse she drew your blood to run some tests on it." Sabine reached out for Fleur's hand and cradled it in her own. "It's not easy to say this but she found that you have been taking a love potion."
"A love potion? Is that why I don't love my husband anymore because someone used a potion on me?" Fleur couldn't imagine who would do something so vile.
"It's worse than that. After our investigation we have concluded that Bill was the one who gave you the potion." Sabine told her.
Fleur couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No he wouldn't do that. Bill is a good man and has always treated me kindly. I don't believe for one second that he would do something like that."
"I know it's hard to hear but it's the truth." Apolline hated the look of betrayal on her daughter's face.
"Why would he do it?" Fleur wanted to defend Bill more but knew that her grand mother and mother wouldn't lie to her about something so monumental.
"We believe he did so that he could not only have you but be attached to the Delacour name and fortune." Sabine said.
"I've been with him for years. When do you think it started?" Fleur asked.
"We think he began when you began meeting with the other members of the order and that he manipulated you into moving to England and working for the bank." They didn't have an exact time line but that was when Sabine and the other members of the flock had remembered Fleur beginning to change her attitude about her future.
"What am I going to do?" Fleur's life was ruined. She didn't know how she was supposed to react.
"We have something else to tell you." Apolline looked to her mother and received a nod of agreement. It seemed that Sabine agreed it was best to give Fleur all the information.
"I don't know if I can handle anything else." Fleur admitted.
"I know sweetheart but this is important. We know who your true mate is." Apolline told her.
"My mate? How would you know who my true mate is?" Fleur asked.
"When your body was overcome with fever you called out to her many times. It was the only name you said actually." Apolline hated that they weren't having a nice talk with the family with Fleur coming to tell them she found her mate and all the celebrations they would have for the joyful event.
"Who is she?" Fleur thought back to her dream of the brown haired woman but didn't remember the woman's face.
"It's Hermione Granger." Sabine expected the look of surprise that crossed her granddaughter's face.
"Hermione?" Fleur was stunned. She had spent time with Hermione during the war and had been the one to nurse her back to health when she came to the burrow after the incident with Bellatrix. She had felt a fondness for the girl but didn't think she was her mate. "If that's true then why didn't I know about it when I was at Hogwarts?"
"We believe it was because you were underage and your thrall had yet to mature fully." Sabine told her.
That made sense to Fleur. When she was a teenager she had very little control over her thrall and wouldn't have been able to make out the difference between a mate and a friend. "Does she know that we are mates?"
"That's another problem we have."Apolline hated that they didn't have any good news to tell her daughter. "No one knows where she is."
"What do you mean? She has had to keep in touch with someone. Did you ask Harry?" Fleur figured if Hermione kept in touch with anyone it would be Harry.
Sabine nodded. "Yes and he said he didn't have any information on her whereabouts. We even put in a request with the English ministry of magic and they have told us they can't reveal anything about her. After a little bit of digging we found out that they actually have no clue where she went to. Not that they would want that information to be spread around."
"Of course not." Fleur scoffed. "Hermione was the one who saved us all. If the British admit they don't know where she is then they can't continue to brag about her being a British patriot."
"Exactly." Sabine agreed. "But even with the less than satisfying replies we received from them we have reached out to other flocks who have pledged their support in finding her."
"Other flocks are going to help me find my mate? Why would they do that?" Fleur asked.
"Because we are going to have Bill prosecuted for his crime. We expect a lot of attention will be on the case. The other clans know that whatever happens will determine the way magical creatures are treated in the future. You being the mate of Hermione Granger will sway a lot of people to our side but only if we can find her." Sabine explained.
"What if she doesn't accept that we are mates though?What if she doesn't want me?" Fleur was worried that even if they found Hermione she wouldn't want to be with her. She had been defiled by Bill and was no longer pure. It was the Veela part of her that was saving herself for her mate as no other would ever live up to them. Now that was no longer an option.
"She will want you don't you worry." Apolline promised. She wasn't sure what was going to happen but she knew that Hermione wouldn't reject Fleur. They were soulmates. Destine to be together.
"What are our next steps?" Fleur asked.
"You need to get better before we do anything. Bill has contacted us numerous times trying to get access to you but he has been denied so we figure he has to have realized you are no longer under the effects of the potion. Luckily we have samples of your blood that was contaminated which proves you had it in your system that not only the healer took but we had an official from the French ministry who is a wizard take some as well. By using him no one can claim we tampered with the evidence." Sabine told her.
"Will Bill be arrested?" Fleur wanted to know what was going to happen to her so-called husband.
"Not only will Bill be arrested but we have already started the divorce proceedings. Luckily even though you were under a love potion you weren't swayed to sign his name to any of your assets. It clearly states in your marriage agreement that you have separate finances and property so he has no right to anything that is yours." Apolline was happy that her mother had demanded that to be added to the marriage agreement. If not then Bill could have been able to clean out Fleur's savings and trust fund.
"I need to go home and get my things." Fleur didn't really want to but she had things in the house she shared with Bill that had sentimental value.
"Don't worry about that. We will have members of the flock take care of it. What you need to focus on is feeling better. We have everything else under control." Sabine told her.
"Thank you grand mere." All that had happened may have been horrible but Fleur was grateful that she had her family and flock to help her out. It was good knowing someone had her back.
"It's no problem sweetheart. Now why don't you eat your soup and drink some water then you can go back to resting." Sabine could see how tried Fleur was and knew that sleep would be the best thing to make her better physically. Mentally was a whole different matter. Until they found Hermione Fleur would never be able to heal fully.
"I will." Fleur opened her mouth for her mother to feed her some soup as she watched her grandmother leave the room. She had a lot of things to think about but selfishly she just wanted to go back to sleep. Now that she knew about Hermione she knew the brown haired woman in the dreams was her mate. As sleep was the only way they could be together at this time Fleur wanted to rest as soon as possible and worry about the rest later. She did wonder where Hermione was and what she had been up to all these years. Hopefully Fleur would be able to ask her in person but only if they were able to find her.