Fleur enjoyed the lesson from Perenelle Flamel immensely. After they'd finished discussing the Elixir of Life, Perenelle had showed Fleur the basics of using runic arrays to rearrange molecular structures, as opposed to atomic ones (which were significantly harder), and Fleur was practically bouncing as they left the castle.

"It is a lot of work, but I understand it!" Fleur crowed. "Alchemy is a challenge, but I feel like I have taken the first step into learning."

Fleur's excitement and joy were contagious, and Hermione smiled, her heart warm.

"Does it really?" Hermione asked. "It all seems so overwhelming, even just at the start."

"I know how to turn charcoal into diamonds," Fleur informed her, eyes sparkling. "How can I not feel like I am on my way to becoming a master?"

Hermione laughed.

"You shall become a master jeweler," she praised Fleur, teasing. "All the goblins will be jealous of your flawless gems."

Fleur raised an eyebrow, giving her a curious look.

"We have few goblins, here," Fleur said, tossing her head. "Vicious creatures. They prefer to stay in the west, alone."

"Really?" Hermione was curious. "Who runs your banks?"

Fleur blinked. "People…? Who else?"

Hermione was startled. "Really? The goblins run the Wizarding bank in Britain."

Fleur was startled into laughing.

"The banks employ a few goblins, certainly, to help with the carrying of mass amounts of gold. But run it entirely?" She couldn't stop laughing. "Hermione, goblins are vicious creatures. They will rebel against any affront to their honor or independence. And your Ministry has them holding everyone's gold?"

Hermione paused. "…um. Yes."

"That is spectacularly stupid," Fleur declared. "No matter the state of subservience your Ministry currently holds over them, goblins never forget an offense. It is only a matter of time before they rebel."

"There have been a lot of Goblin Rebellions," Hermione admitted. "But if the government is suppressing them, they should rebel, really!"

"I do not disagree," Fleur hummed. "Creatures deserve to govern themselves. The Veela, they govern themselves on L'Île d'Yeu, and the French Ministry leaves them be. The hags in the north, near Normandie, they govern themselves, and the Ministry only intervenes when they become aggressive in whom they eat." She looked down at Hermione, giving her a quirked smile. "I only mean to say that a Goblin Rebellion will occur, Hermione. And such a rebellion would be very, very violent. It is better to leave their entire civilization alone."

"What would you do, then?" Hermione shrugged helplessly. "They run the whole banking system."

"Take part of your gold and hide it in your house, perhaps?" Fleur's eyes twinkled. "We could put gold in a chest and bury it. Or take it with us, and we could sail the world as pirates. We could meet the Sirens and learn their enchanting ways."

Hermione laughed, playfully shoving Fleur.

"You can't be a pirate; you'll be too busy being a master jeweler," she teased.

"I shall be a master of everything," Fleur declared, her eyes alight. "I dare anyone to stop me."

When they were outside the security wards of the castle, Fleur activated the Portkey, transporting them back to Beauxbatons, tugging them through the French countryside to the Pyrénées in a whirlwind. Hermione crashed into the ground as they landed, while Fleur remained standing on wobbly legs.

"You 'ad a good excursion, I 'ope?"

Madame Maxime was looking down on them expectantly, arms folded. Hermione scrambled to her feet as Fleur nodded, answering the Headmistress in French. Madame Maxime settled back, looking pleased, and she asked Fleur another question, which she answered, before they were dismissed. They left the Headmistress' office, and Fleur sighed, closing the door behind her.

"I did not notice as much with Perenelle, as I was distracted," Fleur said, "but I am terribly hungry. And we have missed lunch."

"Luckily," Hermione said, lips quirking, "we can fix that rather easily."

A brief trip into an alcove, surprised exclamation from Fleur, and three turns of the Time-Turner resolved that issue, and Fleur stole a kiss as Hermione hastily shoved the hourglass back down her robes.

"Brilliant," she praised, and Hermione flushed. "Come. Let us go to eat."

The dining hall in Beauxbatons was very different than Hermione expected. Instead of grand tables set up, there were dozens of small tables scattered around, with groups of four to twelve around them. Fleur headed directly towards one on the left side of the hall, and Hermione recognized Manon, Léa, and Juliette from a while ago. There was a boy with them, though, who Hermione didn't know.

"Fleur?" Léa said, confused. "I thought you had your excursion now."

"Oh," Fleur said. She paused, considering how to explain, before dismissing it. "Do not worry about it. We have come to lunch."

"Mademoiselle Delacour, who is this?" the boy purred, his eyes on Hermione, and Hermione blinked. His tone of voice seemed suggestive and odd, only… not? Was he teasing Fleur, somehow? He didn't seem actually interested in Hermione. And how would he be interested in her, anyway, with Hermione next to Fleur?

"This is Hermione, ma petite amie," Fleur said, pulling out a chair for Hermione to sit in. "You are not to bother her."

The girls all laughed at this, while Fleur sat down primly next to Hermione. The boy put his hand to his chest, giving Fleur a pained look.

"And you will not introduce me?" he said. "Am I so unimportant that you would neglect to recognize my existence to your lover?"

Fleur huffed and rolled her eyes, folding her arms, and the girls giggled again.

"Hermione," Fleur said, gesturing haphazardly. "Meet Jules. He is… fine."

Jules gave Fleur a hurt look, before fixing his sight on Hermione, eyes glittering.

"Enchanté, Hermione," he purred. "Aren't you a pretty little thing?"

Hermione shot a confused look at Fleur, who was rolling her eyes and huffing. Juliette seemed to intercept the look and laughed.

"Jules is… immune. To Fleur. One of few," she said, amused. "He is… comment dit-on en anglais…"

"It is the same," Léa supplied. "Il est homosexuel. He is gay."

"Ahh," Hermione said, relaxing. "I see."

Feeling less threatened, Hermione gave Jules an examining eye. Jules had short, curly dark hair and dark eyes that glittered with mischief. He had a dusting of freckles across his nose, and, rather interestingly, a long, ghastly looking scar on his neck. It started right under his chin and ran down and around the side of his neck before vanishing into his shirt, and Hermione wondered what had happened to him that had scarred badly enough that magic couldn't heal.

"And now, with Fleur, I am not the only one," Jules said wickedly. "I am no longer alone in my den of sin."

"Leave me out of your weirdness," Fleur said, giving him a look.

Jules gasped. "Fleur! You wound me!"

"Jules is… tout est toujours compliqué avec Jules," Juliette said to Hermione, amused. "Quoi qu'il arrive, il en fait tout un fromage."

Hermione nodded wisely, though she had only made out half of what was said. Jules was always overdramatic, and… he was always making cheese…?

Out of nowhere, two plates laden with food suddenly appeared, catching Hermione off-guard. She tried to play off her reflexive reach for her wand as brushing out her robes, but Manon gave her a smirk.

"Not the same at Hogwarts?" she asked. "Do the 'ouse Elves come out and serve you in person?"

"No," Hermione objected. "I just… wasn't expecting it."

There was a mixed salad, a piece of fish, lightly seasoned rice, and couple cheeses on her plate. It all smelled delicious, and Hermione was happy to tuck in while Fleur and Jules bickered in mixed French and English off to the side.

"I am just happy," Jules was saying emphatically. "Everyone sneers at me. With you, they will not sneer so much now, I think."

"I am not a lesbian," Fleur declared. "I am not like you."

"How can you say that? You are in love with a woman," Jules objected. "That does not make sense."

Hermione felt her face flame at the blatant declaration from Jules. Even more, Fleur didn't attempt to correct him or deny it.

"I am not homosexual," Fleur declared. She looked over at Hermione slyly. "I am Hermionesexual. That is that."

Jules huffed, falling back in his chair with folded arms and pouting. Fleur rolled her eyes dramatically, and the other girls giggled.

"And I thought Fleur wanted to be friends because she thought I was beautiful," Manon said, sighing wistfully. Her eyes glinted, betraying her humor. "Only no, it's not all girls; it's just one girl."

"You would be more beautiful if you weren't such a cow," Fleur snarked, and Manon cackled.

"Says the harpy," she shot back, but she seemed amused.

Conversation settled down into something more sedate and companionable as they ate, in mixed French and English as a courtesy to Hermione, so she could follow along. The teachers had been hinting that there would be a study abroad opportunity the next year, and the student body was filled with whispers about it.

"Only for the older years," Léa said, frowning. "Is that because the teachers are advanced, or because the location is dangerous?"

"Pourquoi pas les deux?" Juliette said, shrugging. "They are not giving details. It may not even come to be."

"I am not going if it is cold," Manon declared. She shivered overdramatically. "Imagine if it is in Russia. I should freeze."

"I would go if it was Hogwarts or Durmstrang," Léa said. "Nowhere too far from home. Except perhaps Mahoutokoro, but only there."

"I might go to Ilvermony," Juliette said. "I should like to play Quadpot."

"What about you, Fleur?" Hermione glanced up at Fleur. "Would you go to study abroad?"

Fleur looked down at Hermione and shrugged, smiling.

"I might," she said. "It would depend on the details. Where are we going? What will we learn there? How far is it from home?" She smiled wryly. "Certain places I would need to avoid."

"Like Forathmire?" Jules teased.

"I was thinking to avoid Koldovstoretz," Fleur shot back, "but absolutely, I would avoid Forathmire."

"They would only recognize schools from the registered eleven," Léa said, a hand going to her mouth in horror. "They would not send us to Forathmire, surely."

"Can you imagine?" Manon snorted. "Attending Forathmire. Or Clortho. Or Korumoch. I would rather perish."

"I would go to Korumoch's," Jules sighed wistfully. "Or to the Drakkellian Guild."

"You just want to be in an all-boy's school," Juliette teased, smacking Jules' arm. "You wouldn't really go. Think of your education."

"Sarribella's is seeking… umm…" Léa paused. "To become official. Recognized."

"Accreditation?" Hermione supplied.

"Yes!" Léa looked relieved. "It was in Le Cri de la Gargouille. I read it."

"I've never even heard of these schools," Hermione admitted. "I know there's eleven registered with the International Confederation of Wizards. Are there really more?"

"It depends on how you define 'school', I think," Fleur said. "Sarribella's House for Seers… it is only Divination, really. Very good if you have Seer blood in your family, but utterly useless in all other matters."

"You could read fortunes, but not charm your 'ouse clean," Manon said. She made a face.

"There are some like that, and some that are simple schools for people with less magic," Fleur said. "Ornisem's Academy, for example, in Spain. But others are more." She grinned.

"More?" Hermione questioned. "Better than Beauxbatons or Hogwarts?"

"Of a sort," Manon snorted.

"Take the Hall of Tomes. The Hall of Tomes is not a school because there are no true exams," Fleur said. "It is more of a university. You go and study alone, and then you present to your peers your research to 'graduate'. There are no formal exams to prove what you have learned."

"Most are just bad," Jules said, smiling wryly. "I may tease about going to the Drakkellian Guild of Sorcery, but I would not. All I would learn would be Charms and Transfiguration. They cannot do anything without a wand."

"I thought your Ministry 'ad one," Juliette said, surprised. "Blackwell. Do you not?"

Hermione blinked. "Blackwell?"

"Blackwell's School of Spells," Juliette said. "Iz it not?"

"I've never heard of them," Hermione said. "I'll have to look into it."

"It will be Durmstrang or 'ogwarts," Manon declared. "Professor Bernard implied we would not leave Europe."

"Fleur hopes for Hogwarts, I am sure," Jules teased. "She could spend her last year with her paramour."

Fleur gave Hermione a soft look, and Hermione blushed.

"Maybe," Fleur said, eyes shining. "We shall see if it is meant to be."