"You look good Hermione." Fleur said as she looked her mate over. Hermione had grown up in the years she had been away and Fleur took the time to appreciate the way Hermione had grown from that chubby cheeked girl she met so long ago during the Tri Wizard Championship to a stunning woman. It was obvious that Hermione had been taking care of herself as Fleur could see the outlines of muscular arms in the tight long sleeve green button up shirt she wore. Her black slacks showed off fit legs and Fleur yearned to see what was under all of that fabric. She quickly pushed that thought aside. Many things needed to be discussed before she made a move to get her mate naked. Hopefully it would happen soon because being around Hermione brought with it an attraction that had Fleur shifting in her seat to try and relieve some of the ache between her thighs.
"Thanks, you do to." Hermione replied.
"Well if there is something positive that came from the love potion it was that it didn't stop me from taking care of myself." Fleur said.
Hermione reached across the small patio table the pair was sitting at enjoying their lunch and softly cradled Fleur's hand in her own. "I am sorry this happened to you. I want to say I'm surprised but the Weasleys aren't the most outstanding of individuals."
"I heard rumors that you had a falling out with them, will you tell me what happened?" Fleur refrained from moving her hand afraid that if it even twitched Hermione would pull her own away.
Hermione sighed. "It started at the quidditch World Cup I went to with the Weasleys and Harry. When the death eaters attack naturally everyone panicked. We were all trying to get to safety when suddenly a death eater got in our path. Instead of trying to protect everyone Mr. Weasley grabbed me and threw me at the person claiming it was the mud blood they wanted not them and took off running."
"WHAT?!" Fleur couldn't believe what she was hearing. "He actually sacrificed you to save himself."
"Yes he did." Hermione confirmed. "I was lucky that the death eater was so surprised by what happened because the small delay of their actions gave me the opportunity to pull out my wand and attack them. I just barely got away."
"What the hell? I didn't know they were blood purist." Fleur had assumed the Weasleys were about equality amongst all magical kinds.
"I wouldn't say they were blood purists, I would say they are opportunist. They will side with whoever gets them a more favorable position.I think the only reason they didn't side with Voldemort was because his people wouldn't give the Weasleys the time of the day because they knew they weren't trustworthy." Hermione explained.
"You said that it started at the World Cup does that mean other things happened?" Fleur asked.
"Many things. When we were at school Ron expressed a romantic interest in me. I told him I had no feelings for him and I thought everything would fine." Hermione shook her head. "I was wrong. He became incredibly possessive and would barely let me out of his sight. I finally had enough and told him I was a lesbian but that just made it worse."
"You're a lesbian?" Fleur figured Hermione was but liked having confirmation.
"Yes, I have always been a lesbian." Hermione told her.
"Why did you go to the yule ball with Viktor then?" Fleur along with everyone else assumed that the pair were dating at the time.
"Promise you won't repeat what I'm about to tell you." Although this wasn't Hermione's secret to share she trusted Fleur not to spread it around.
Now Fleur was even more intrigued. "I promise."
"Viktor is gay." Hermione told her.
"He's gay?" Fleur didn't believe that for one minute. "He has been in a relationship with the same woman for years."
"A very nice woman as well but the fact that she is also gay makes it the perfect relationship for both of them." Hermione said.
"Why are they together if they don't love each other?" Fleur asked.
"It's because of the laws in his country. It does't have the greatest track record with gay rights. Viktor is the best seeker in the league and if it came out he was gay, he would be kicked off the team and a lot of other horrible things would likely happen to not only him but his family and friends as well. It's the same with the woman he is dating. She is the heir to a big family legacy that includes a lot of money. If she was found out then she would lose everything." Hermione explained.
"That's horrible." Fleur couldn't imagine what kind of pressure the couple had on them. "How did you find out about them?"
"Viktor had heard someone speaking about my sexuality and came to me. We had a lot of talks about his struggles with coming to terms with his attraction to men and I tried to help him the best I could. When it was announced we were having a yule ball he asked me to go and I easily agreed." Hermione had had a wonderful time that night. Viktor was a complete gentleman and the pair had a lot of fun.
"Do you still keep in touch with him?" Fleur wasn't that surprised that Hermione was nice enough to help out Viktor. It seemed her mate had always had the will to protect those in need.
"I do. After the war I went to his country for business and needed some help. I contacted Viktor and ever since then I have stayed in touch." Although she didn't visit him that often she still considered Viktor a friend. They weren't as close as she and Luna but they were still close.
Although Fleur had questions about what that business was she wanted to know about the Weasleys. "You said telling Ron make it worse."
Hermione nodded. "Instead of just accepting the fact that I didn't like men Ron decided that I needed to be fixed. He would constantly make comments about how he was just the man to cure my sickness. It all came to a head when one time I was in the hallway by myself and he cornered me. I easily fought him off."
"Ron attacked you?" Fleur was now furious. The more she learned of the Weasleys the more hatred she felt towards the family.
"I tried to report it but it was my word against his and he is a member of a respectable Wizarding family and I'm just a muggle." Hermione told her.
"So no-one did anything about it?" Fleur was already planning the many ways she was going to hurt the boy for what he did.
"Nope, I was told that I shouldn't be walking in the hallways alone." Hermione still hated Dumbledore for that incident. Well she hated him for many things but that incident was just the tip of the iceberg.
"Jesus." Fleur said. "No wonder you hate the Weasleys."
"It wasn't only that, there were many instances that led to my hatred for them. Especially during the war. Everyone thinks of Ron as having an important role in the war when in reality Harry and I never wanted him to come along with us. He just wouldn't leave. When we got the horcrux he became obsessed with the thing. Harry and I had to take turns sleeping with it because we feared he would steal it. We were both relieved when he finally left us after he got scared of us being caught. The fact that he never came back to help us just proved what type of person he was." Hermione had been happy she hadn't had to deal with Ron during most of the war. The battle of Hogwarts was big enough that she didn't have to associate with him.
"Wait, Ron left you guys?" Fleur hadn't heard about that. "I thought he was with you the whole time. Even when you were captured and taken to Malfoy manner."
"That's what everyone thinks but that isn't true at all. I'm sure Ron bragged to everyone that he was there but he wasn't. How he made it to the burrow I don't know but by that point Harry and I didn't care anymore. We just wanted him away from us." Hermione had just figured Ron had been hiding out at the burrow trying to stay safe.
"So is Harry on good terms with him?" Fleur asked.
"No, Harry just doesn't like conflict. He went through a lot during the war and although he doesn't know the full extent of what I went through he knows that he would have died many times if it wasn't for me. He doesn't speak to the Weasleys for the way they have treated me. He also knows I want my privacy so he has never brought up anything about me or my involvement." Hermione told her.
"That's why Harry is so vague in his interviews when asked about your involvement. I always thought he didn't want you to have the spotlight." Fleur had always wondered why he and Ron never brought up Hermione in the press. Now that she thought about it when she was around Ron and the other Weasleys when they talked of the war they never mentioned Hermione as well. Fleur hadn't really noticed before.
"No Harry doesn't want the fame either. He just wants to live a peaceful life as an arbitrator. Ron on the other hand wanted everyone to think he's a great hero who won the war singlehandedly." Hermione hadn't paid attention to what the media said after the war was over but she couldn't completely escape it.
"What an asshole." Fleur was now questioning a lot of what she heard from the Weasleys. They did treat Ron like a war hero but if Hermione was to be trusted which to Fleur she was that meant that Ron was a huge liar and basically hid the entire war.
"It's the reason Luna hates him so much. She knew about what I went through with him in school and what happened at the World Cup. The stuff he did after the war just pissed her off more." Hermione told her.
"So you have been with Luna since after the war?" Fleur wanted to know how long Hermione and Luna had been in a relationship.
"I stayed with her and her father for a few months then I left to travel."Hermione said.
"Why didn't Luna go with you?" Fleur would have thought Luna would have traveled with her girlfriend.
"Luna has her own life. Although she was interested she has bigger ambitions. She wants to change the world not travel it." Hermione knew that Luna would succeed as well.
"Don't you miss her when you are away?" Fleur asked.
"Of course I do but she has her own life. I actually suspect she's dating someone and hasn't told me about it yet. I think she is worried I will hassle the guy." Hermione had seen the hesitation when Luna had been talking about what was going on in her personal life and figured she had finally started dating.
"And you're ok with that?" Fleur couldn't believe Hermione was being so nonchalant about her girlfriend cheating on her.
"Luna deserves to be happy. The only way I will object to anyone she is dating is if they don't treat her well." Hermione said.
Fleur was flabbergasted. "How are you ok with your girlfriend cheating on you?"
"Girlfriend?" Hermione frowned in confusion. "I don't have a girlfriend."
"Wait, isn't Luna your girlfriend" Hermione's head shake confused Fleur even more. "But you live together and you share a vault."
"How do you know I share a vault with Luna?" Hermione didn't remember telling anyone about that and knew that Luna wouldn't either.
Fleur blushed. "When we began looking for you my grand mere reached out to an associate at the bank to find out if you had been accessing your vault. He said that you hadn't but Luna had. That's how we found out Luna was connected to you."
"I don't know how I feel about someone giving you that information so easily." Hermione didn't mind Fleur knowing about the shared vault but if other people got wind of it then a lot of attention would be put on not only Hermione but Luna as well.
"I'm sorry we did that but it was one of the only ways we could think of to find you." Fleur apologized.
"It's alright I just don't want that information spread around." Hermione told her.
"If I'm not being to forward why do you share a vault with her?" Now that Fleur knew Hermione wasn't in a relationship with Luna Fleur allowed the hope that had been threatening to burst forward since finding out that Hermione agreed to meet with them to blossom fully. It also made her jealousy flare as well. Why was her mate sharing a vault with another woman who wasn't Fleur. It wasn't rational but Fleur was already feeling possessive of Hermione and didn't like the idea of Hermione sharing anything with anyone who wasn't her.
Hermione sighed realizing that she was going to have to bring up the war once again. "After the war Luna and her father were ostracized because of Luna's father's mistake."
"Mistake, he turned you over to Bellatrix. It was because of him you got hurt." Fleur couldn't believe Hermione called it a mistake.
"That's where you are wrong. He wasn't the one to hurt me, Bellatrix was." Hermione corrected.
"It was still his fault that you were tortured." Fleur felt an involuntary shiver go through her body thinking of when she first saw the damage Hermione had suffered from when she came to the cottage.
"It wasn't his intention though. Luna was being held captive at the manor as well. He had hoped that if he turned Harry and I over that they would release Luna. You have to understand they had had her for months and the man was desperate. Luna is the most important person in his life. After his wife died in the accident it was Luna that pulled him out of his depression. So to have her taken just because he was publishing articles he was overcome with guilt. Put yourself in his position. If you had the love of your life taken from you and you had a way to get them back would you do it?" Hermione asked.
Fleur thought about it. She wanted to say she wouldn't but then she thought about what she would do to prevent Hermione from getting tortured like that again. The conclusion left her sick to her stomach. "I hate that I would."
"It was because of that I never blamed him for what happened to me. When the war ended I went and stayed with them to hide out. While I was there I witnessed the way they were treated. No one would buy Xeno's publication and Luna kept getting rejected for jobs she applied for. After I was awarded Bellatrix's property to include her vault I couldn't think of anyone better that deserved to reap the benefits. It was Bellatrix that ruined their lives as well." Hermione explained.
"I guess that makes sense." Now hearing Hermione's reasons Fleur felt more secure that it was just Hermione helping out another war victim not giving her money to a romantic prospect.
"So tell me how are you really doing?" Hermione asked.
Fleur thought about brushing off the question but decided against it. Hermione was her mate and probably the only one she could really talk to about what she was feeling. "I want to treat you like everyone else and tell you I'm fine but it isn't the truth. I'm barely holding on. The things he did to me. I just don't know how I'm ever going to be ok again."
"Oh Fleur." Hermione jumped up from her chair and rushed over to Fleur when she saw the first tears fall. She pulled Fleur up from her chair and wrapped her arms around the Veela and held her as she sobbed.
It was the feeling of safety that Fleur felt being in Hermione's arms that she finally felt comfortable enough to break down. She didn't know how long they stood there but when the tears finally stopped Fleur felt a lot better. "Thank you."
"It's no problem. I remember a time or two that you did the same for me." Hermione was referring to the time Fleur took care of her after the Bellatrix incident.
"I got your shirt wet." Fleur said as she felt the wetness on Hermione's shoulder.
"I hate this shirt. I only wore it because Luna said I needed to not dress like a homeless person and I refused to wear my robes." Hermione smiled when she heard Fleur laugh.
"You didn't need to dress up but I appreciate the effort." Fleur was happy it seemed like Hermione wasn't in a hurry to let go of her. She wanted to bask in the comfort of her arms for as long as she could.
Hermione pulled back just enough so that she was able to look Fleur in the eye. "I can't say everything is going to be alright but you do have things to look forward to. You found your mate. That's something."
"She doesn't know." Fleur whispered.
"Who doesn't know?" Hermione asked.
"My mate." Fleur spoke a little louder. "I haven't told her she is my mate yet."
"Why wouldn't you tell her?" Hermione couldn't imagine not telling someone something so important.
Fleur laid her head back on Hermione's shoulder and voiced her fears. It was easier if she wasn't looking directly at the witch. "I'm damaged goods. Bill violated me over and over again in so many ways. He took my instinctual love for her and made it focus on him. How can I expect her to want me when my love for her wasn't strong enough to fight off the effects of the potion? What if faced with the choice she decides I'm not worthy enough for her?"
"Whoah stop right there." Hermione said cutting Fleur off in the middle of her breakdown. "First off you're not damaged goods. Second you aren't giving fate enough credit. If this person is really your soulmate then they are your perfect match. I doubt that they would reject you because of something out of your control. I know if I was in that situation I wouldn't. I would probably take out my revenge on Bill but never you. I know that your love is strong enough to overcome many things but he was dosing you with high amounts of a love potion. I don't know anyone who could shake off the effects of that."
"You really think she'll want me?" Fleur asked softly.
Hermione nodded. "If she didn't then she wouldn't be good enough for you not the other way around."
"Then I think I have something to tell you." Fleur was feeling a little bit more confident in telling Hermione as she didn't think Hermione was lying about rejecting her.
"You can tell me anything." Hermione said.
Fleur took a deep breath to gather her courage. Pulling out of Hermione's arms to look her in the eye again Fleur spoke. "Hermione you are my mate."
"What do you mean?" Hermione's first instinct was disbelief. That disbelief was overwhelmed with the feeling of hope. She hoped beyond hope that Fleur was telling her what she thought she was.
"You are my mate." Fleur wasn't sure what the look on Hermione's face meant but as she suddenly felt warm lips on her own she smiled into the kiss.
Hermione kissed Fleur like her life depended on it only stopping when both of them needed air. Swiping the tears off of Fleur's cheeks she became concerned. "I'm sorry was I to forward? I didn't mean to make you cry."
"These are happy tears I promise." Fleur leaned in to capture Hermione's lips again this time tenderly. "I'm so happy you didn't reject me."
"I would have never rejected you. I have always felt something for you ever since I saw you throw butterflies in the air at Hogwarts." Hermione admitted.
"I wish my thrall was mature enough to have recognized you as my mate then." Fleur sighed sadly. "We have so much time wasted."
"It wasn't wasted. Yes, things didn't work out perfectly but we have from this day forward to make the rest of our lives a lot better and I'm going to be by your side the whole time." Hermione promised.
Fleur smiled brightly. "I like the sound of that."
"I do to." Hermione replied.
"Now let's finish our lunch. I'm sure my mother and grand mere will want to hear the good news. They have been the unfortunate ones that have had to listen to all of my fears and have had to console me since this happened." Fleur pulled away from Hermione taking her seat. She knew that there were many tough times ahead but as she looked at the brown haired girl across the table from her she was happy to know she wouldn't be facing them alone.