"Is everything ready?"Fleur asked as she anxiously made her way around the room in the carriage they were holding the party for Hermione in. The elves had been kind enough to provide the food and drinks and to Fleur's surprise even made some decorations.It seemed the creatures loved Hermione very much as was proof in the way they went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect for the girl.It made Fleur wonder how Hermione earned such loyalty from elves she didn't one. She would have to ask Hermione about it.It was just one of the many things she wanted to know about her mate.
"Fleur calm down everything is perfect."Natalie was amused by Fleur's nervousness at first but now it was getting to the point of annoyance.
"We can't screw this up."Fleur knew that if they somehow offended Hermione then not only would she lose a chance with her mate but she and her flock mates would feel the extent of her grandmother's wrath.That was something none of them wanted.
"And we won't.You just need to relax.If you are too tense then you will most likely make Hermione uncomfortable."Natalie said.
Fleur took a deep breath and let it out slowly."I know. It's just so much is at stake."
"Yes there is but you aren't alone.Not only is the rest of the flock here to help you but the other girls as well."The Beauxbatons students that came with them to Hogwarts were all behind Fleur. The few who weren't in the flock were happy to help out and Natalie knew they would be on their best behavior.
"It's just what if she doesn't have a good time.I kind of forced her to let me have this party."That's what Fleur's biggest worry was.She had bulldozed her way through Hermione's objections in her quest to have a party for her mate.
Hearing a knock on the carriage door Natalie patted Fleur on the shoulder."Well it's too late for regrets because regardless of how it happened we are having the party and the guest of honor is here."
"I can do this."Fleur mumbled to herself as she made her way to the door and opened it.Immediately her eyes sought out Hermione. The girl was dressed in a sleeveless black mock suit with white shirt adorned with a purple tie. Her curly hair had been somewhat tamed and flowed over her shoulders and the heals she wore gave her a few inches over Fleur.Fleur had never seen her look so beautiful. She was jolted out of her thoughts and back to present when Luna cleared her throat.Ignoring the knowing smirk on the blond's face Fleur spoke."Hermione, Luna come on in."
"Thank you."Once inside Hermione handed the flowers Luna had recommended she get to Fleur."These are for you as a thank you for throwing the party."
Fleur took the flowers and smiled brightly."These are lovely thank you Hermione."
"It's the least I could do."Hermione said.
"Well it was a lovely gesture."If getting flowers from her mate was the result of throwing a party then Fleur would have to plan more in the future.
"So how was your day?"Luna asked getting the conversation started.Her plan was to stay with the pair long enough to get them comfortable with each other then leave them on their own.
"Madame Maxine decided to wake myself and Matilda up before sunrise to start our training for the tournament."Fleur told them.
"What type of training are you going to be doing?"Hermione herself hadn't started any specific training for the tournament and wondered if it was a good idea to start soon.
"Well this morning we ran and tomorrow we are going to be working on dueling."Fleur was looking forward to being able to practice her skills.
"Are you a talented dueler?"Hermione asked.
Fleur nodded."I am the top of my class."
"Maybe Hermione could join you one morning."Luna suggested.
"That would be wonderful."Fleur easily had been planning on asking Hermione to train with them already plus she wasn't going to pass up the chance to see her mate in action.
"I am busy tomorrow and Monday but I will be available Tuesday."Hermione told her.
"Then we will plan for Tuesday."Fleur knew Madame Maxine wouldn't mind as she had a great respect for Hermione. The fact that Hermione was Fleur's mate would also sway the headmistress.
"I'm going to go get a drink.Hermione let me know if you need me."Luna was confident that her cousin would be fine alone with Fleur.It was obvious to those who knew Hermione that she felt comfortable around the Veela.Well as comfortable as Hermione could be around someone she didn't know that well.
"I should have already offered."Fleur was kicking herself for being a bad hostess."Did you want something Hermione?"
Hermione shook her head."No I'm fine for now."
"That's good.So..."Now that they were alone Fleur was at loss to what they should talk about.
"I want to apologize for my mother.She sent me a letter saying that she warned your clan to behave around me.That usually is code for her threatening someone.So I am sorry about that."Hermione knew that Aart most likely threatened severe repercussions if the Delacours wronged her in any way.
Fleur was taken aback by the apology."If it's any consolation my grandmother said she was very polite with her threat."
"My mother is over protective.Now that she knows about me being entered into the tournament she is insisting that she send guards for my protection."Hermione actually expected that they would be showing up the next day.
"She's sending you protection?"Fleur wished that she had already thought of that.It would have gone a long way in earning the Laasko matriarch's respect if she showed interest in her mate's protection.
"It's either accepting the guards or going to the Laasko compound."Hermione told her.
"And you chose the guards?"Fleur hoped Hermione did because if not it would be impossible to spend time with her mate if she wasn't at Hogwarts.
Hermione nodded."I don't mind staying at the compound but I'm in the middle of a few things that need my personal attention that make staying with the flock impossible."
"What exactly are you working on?"Fleur was beyond relieved that Hermione was picking having guards.Although she suspected that with those guards having access to Hermione was going to be a struggle.
"Now that the werewolf cure is done I am going to begin the research faze of how to cure blood malediction."Hermione had wanted to start that project before the werewolf cure but the hospital wasn't interested as blood malediction didn't affect that many wizard and witches.
"Your are going to try and cure blood malediction?"Fleur was beyond surprised to hear that.
"Curses that can pass through decedents and can skip generations fascinate me.As there will never be a universal cure to all curses that fit that criteria I am starting with blood malediction."Hermione told her.
"Do you honestly believe you can cure it?"Fleur asked.
"I had started working on it a while ago and think I have a chance to cure it.I would have dedicated more time to it but the hospital didn't want to sponsor it.They wanted the werewolf cure first.I legally needed to be attached to the hospital so they had to approve any cure I was working but when I brought it up they rejected it."Hermione explained.
"The hospital refused to sponsor your work?"Fleur was outraged on Hermione's behalf.
"Now that I am a legal adult Phyllis is encouraging me to go out on my own and forget about any sponsorships.I don't need the grant money or anything so I really don't have a reason to continue with the hospital.Phyllis' point was that I could finally work on the projects I want instead of the projects other people want."Hermione told her.
"I think Phyllis is right.I'm sure if you truly wanted you could get the grants independently."Fleur knew that her own flock would be more than willing to sponsor Hermione's research.
"Grants come with conditions and I don't want to be beholden to anyone anymore."Hermione said.
"That's a good point and if you don't need the money then you should definitely go out on your own."If it was Fleur in Hermione's position then she would.
"It's a decision I need to think more about.There are pros to working in the hospital but I'm not sure they are worth the cons."Hermione knew that she needed to sit down with Severus and Minerva before she made a final decision. They would be the ones to speak to the hospital director about her leaving if that's what she decided.
"So when you work on projects do you get help from others?"Fleur wondered if Hermione had a partner she worked with and if not if she would be willing to take on Fleur. The chance to collaborate with her mate would be exciting and the respect Fleur could bring to her flock if they were successful would be immense.
"I like to work by myself.Most people usually have a hard time understanding my thought process."Hermione told her.
"Maybe this time I could help you out."Fleur offered.
Hermione thought about how it would be if she worked with Fleur. She liked the girl and spending more time with her was a pleasing thought.Plus if they didn't work well together than she could always ask Fleur to leave."I am willing to work with you but I'm not sure how much time you will be able to give to the project."
"I have an independent study period I can dedicate to it.Then there is after school and the weekends.Madame Maxine is set on us training before classes so that would take care of the tournament.The only thing I would really have to worry about is school work but I'm sure I can keep up."Fleur wasn't sure how much sleep she would be able to get but for the opportunity to work with Hermione on something this important was worth being tired.
"I promise you won't have to spend all your free time on it.I just worry that the extra work could overwhelm you.I don't want you jeopardizing your school work."Hermione didn't want Fleur to burnout.
Fleur waved away her concern."I'll be fine."
"Then why don't we get together Saturday and I can show you what I have so we can work out a plan with how to go forward."That would give Hermione time to organize her notes well enough to present them to Fleur.
"Perfect."Fleur was beyond excited.Not only was she going to be spending more time with her mate but she was going to be working on something groundbreaking.Her grandmother was definitely going to be happy when Fleur told her about it."So beside all the work you do what is it you do for fun?"
"Fun?"Hermione asked.
"Yes I mean you must not spend all your time working on projects."Fleur said.
Hermione tried to think about what she did when she wasn't working."When I am not working on projects I read a lot.I like to learn new things.I also spend time with my friends and family."
"Do you have any hobbies?"Fleur knew that Hermione had to do something not academic.
"My main hobby is creating new things.Be it new spells, charms, potions or random inventions I like to find a way to do things better."Hermione told her.
"I see."Fleur wondered if she would have a chance to introduce Hermione to some of the things she liked to do.
"How about you?What do you do for fun?"Hermione asked.
"Well when I'm not in school I spend a lot of time with my flock.As you know Veela are really competitive so we play a lot of games. Quidditch is a big deal for us.We even how our own mini league."Fleur was of course captain of her team.
"Do you like to watch the sport?"Hermione didn't really pay attention to the game herself.
"I take advantage of any opportunity to watch games."Fleur said.
"Well I recently became the owner of a VIP box for the World Cup.You are more than welcome to use it."Hermione had inherited it from the Weasleys.The family used the Rosier family name to register it and by taking the title of head of household it now belonged to her.
"You were able to get a VIP box for the World Cup?"Even Fleur's clan hadn't been able to get a box. They had been barely able to get tickets.Boxes were grandfathered in and the price to rent one from the owners was astronomical.
"I got it as a part of an investment deal."Hermione wasn't going to tell Fleur how she really got it as she didn't want anyone to know of her new title."I wasn't planning on using it so it's yours if you want it."
"What kind of investment had someone selling their box?"Fleur asked.
"I purchased an estate that included the box."Hermione told her.
Fleur had a feeling there was more to the story than just buying an estate but she wasn't going to push."If you are really not going to use the box then I am more than happy to take it off your hands.I must insist that you come to the games as well though."
"I don't know much about the game."Hermione didn't even know the rules.The one time she had watched a match she left very confused and couldn't understand how someone found chasing a small golden ball fun.
"If you come I'll teach you."Fleur would more than enjoy the opportunity to teach Hermione something.
"I'll be there."Phyllis said it was a good idea to be friends with Fleur so Hermione would do as she recommended and put her herself out there.
"That's great!Do you want to go for the full week?"Fleur knew her friends were going to want to watch every game and hoped Hermione would join them.
"I don't know about that.I will have to wait to see how busy I am."Hermione would not be able to make plans that far out.
"You're right it's during the summer.We will have to plan closer to the event."And if Fleur had it her way she and Hermione would be in the later stages of their courtship by then."I'm already very excited about going."
"I'm glad that the box will get some use."Hermione wondered if the Weasleys would try and claim it back. She wasn't going to allow it though. The family had spend a large portion of the Rosier fortune and if they continued spending the way they had been they would have been bankrupt in less than ten years.As it was Hermione had to go through the estate portfolio to figure out a way to bring in more income to save the family businesses. The Weasleys had caused the Rosier family to become a shell of what it once was and Hermione was going to have to fight to get them back to their former glory.
"Any time you don't want to use your box let me know.I would gladly take it off your hands."Fleur said.
"I have other season tickets and VIP boxes that I inherited for different leagues that you are more than welcome to have."Hermione told her.
"What estate did you buy that you got so many tickets?"Fleur asked.
"I would rather not say."Hermione said.
Fleur wanted to know but wouldn't push Hermione if she didn't want to tell her."Well I would definitely look over the tickets."
"I'll get you a list."Hermione would have to send letter to the goblins. They probably wouldn't happy about her giving the tickets away but Hermione liked Fleur well enough to offer them to her.
"Thank you."Fleur would have to spend the school year getting Hermione interested in the game.Then it would be easier to convince her to come to games with Fleur.
"Like I said no problem.If you didn't use them they would go to waste."Hermione told her.
"I'm surprised your own clan wouldn't want them."Fleur said.
"I didn't even think of that."Hermione hadn't really thought to bring them up with her mother.
"You offered the box and tickets to me before you offered the Laaskos."Fleur would have thought that they would have already claimed them.
"Well they are mine.It's not like they automatically get the option of using them."Hermione may be a part of the clan but her mother didn't get involved with her business and house affairs unless Hermione asked her to.
"So your mother doesn't control things like that?"In Fleur's flock someone in Hermione's position would have their assets closely managed by the clan. Especially since she was so young.
"Why would she?"Hermione asked.
"Well you are her daughter."Fleur said.
"My mother gives me advice about things but she doesn't control my life."Hermione told her.
"I just thought that because she adopted you that you would have a traditional Veela parent child relationship."Fleur explained.
Hermione instantly understood what Fleur was thinking."Although I'm sure Aart would prefer otherwise she isn't my sole guardian.I didn't become involved with her until I was 12 yrs old.By then I had numerous other people in my life that had more of a claim than she did."
"Who raised you?"Fleur knew that Hermione grew up at Hogwarts but didn't know who actually raised the girl.
"Albus adopted me when I was a child.He, Prof Snape and Prof McGonagall raised me.All decisions that needed to be made for me the three of them made them together."Hermione said.
"Why did Albus adopt you?"Fleur instantly regretted asking when she saw the look of sadness cross Hermione's face.
"My parents and I were in a very bad car accident when I was 5 yrs old. They died instantly but I used magic to protect myself.Being underage the ministry was alerted. They placed me with Albus because they didn't think I would be safe anywhere else because of how powerful and unpredictable my magic was."Hermione wasn't telling the whole truth but it was close enough to being true that she wasn't exactly lying.
That answered one of Fleur's questions about Hermione's past but brought up another."Were your parents muggles?"
"They weren't magical."Hermione told her.
"I see."Fleur had a feeling that she was not getting the whole story on yet another topic.Her mate had a lot of secrets and Fleur wasn't sure how to go about learning what they were without being insensitive.
"So what is your family like?"Hermione asked.
"They are great.My grandmother is very dedicated to the flock of course but still takes takes the time to make sure that every clan member knows how much she appreciates all of us.My mother Apolline is very much a free spirit. She never wanted to be the heir so she was allowed to have a lot more freedom to do what she wanted growing up.Now she is the clans Genealogist and spends her time trying to trace our ancestry as far back as she can."Fleur told her.
"I found genealogy very interesting.Maybe I could discuss the topic with your mother at some point."Hermione's own family history was very complicated and she found the way all the suib marriages and offspring converging into making her the heir to the four households fascinating.
"She would love that."Fleur knew that her mother would be more than excited to have someone to talk to about her job."It's her opinion that everyone should know where and who they come from."
"I have to agree with that sediment."Hermione said.
"Then I'm sure the pair of you will get along famously."Fleur was actually excited to see Hermione interact with her mother. The fact that they had a common interest would go along way in them having a good relationship in the future.
"What are the other members of your family like?"Hermione asked.
"Well my other mother Celeste works at the ministry as a Veela ambassador. She's actually been quite successful in furthering the rights of magical creatures in France."Fleur was quite proud of the achievements her mother had made.
"That's very commendable."Hermione was of the hope that she could help magical creatures gain more rights in Britain with her newly acquired seats in the ministry.
"She brings a lot of pride to our clan."Fleur said.
"Hermione it's getting late.We should head back now."Luna said as she approached the pair.
Fleur looked around in surprise when she noticed that room was actually quite empty of people."I didn't realize it had gotten so late."
"Me neither."Hermione had been enjoying talking to Fleur and hadn't realized how much time had passed.
"Well not only do you both have plans to go to the hospital Fleur has training in the morning."Luna reminded them.
Fleur winced thinking about her early morning training."What time do you want to meet to leave for the hospital?"
"How about we meet at 8 o'clock in Albus' office."Hermione said.
"That will work out just fine."It would give Fleur enough time to get ready and eat breakfast.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening."Hermione wasn't lying.She did have a nice time spending time with Fleur.
Fleur walked the pair to the door."I'm glad you had a good time.I did as well."
"See you tomorrow."Hermione said as she made her way out of the carriage with Luna.
"Good night."Fleur called after them.Once the the door closed she sighed in relief. The night had gone well and even though she had monopolized Hermione's time it seemed like the curly haired girl hadn't minded.If Fleur wasn't mistaken it seemed that Hermione at least now saw her as a friend.It was a nice step in forming a more romantic relationship.Hopefully Hermione would accept her invitation to have lunch together the next day.Fleur had gotten not only permission from her mothers but tips from Apolline on how to whoo her mate.Not that Fleur was going to ever admit it to her mother but she was grateful for the help.She had thought having a relationship with her mate would be easy and they would both have feelings for each other right away and a relationship would immediately form.That was not what had happen and Fleur hated that she was almost at a loss on how to let Hermione know of her interests without scaring her off.It was something she was sure she would be struggling with for a while and the thought filled her with both dread and a bit of excitement.