AN: I wanted to thank all of the recent reviewers, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!
Chapter 23
Ginny POV
A few days later, all that anybody could talk about was the upcoming First Task of the Triwizard Tournament that afternoon. All anyone knew was that a small arena was being built up in the mountains up above the Quidditch stadium. Ginny couldn't wait and was hoping Cedric would win, although she wouldn't mind Krum winning either after the interaction they'd had in the library.
The day seemed to drag on forever, but eventually it was time to head out for the First Task. Ginny, Demelza, Ritchie, and Colin all bundled up and began the trek up past the Quidditch stadium. As they arrived, they spotted a group of Gryffindor supporters in the stands and filed in behind them. Ginny could see Harry, Hermione, Ron and Lavender a few rows below them, but it was so crowded she didn't try to get their attention. The arena had stands completely surrounding the outside with a small tunnel leading through the rock wall that lined the inside of the arena. There were rocks and boulders of different heights and sizes, and in the very center of the arena was a small clearing with a single golden object tucked away in a pile of darker looking rocks.
More and more students filed in to the stands, and as it was nearly time to for the First Task to start, Ginny felt a gentle squeeze on her waist. She whipped around to find Juliette standing just above her.
"'ello Little Ginny," she smirked as Ginny immediately turned red.
"Juliette… You're not sitting in the Beauxbatons section?" Ginny asked between gritted teeth, hating that Juliette's touch had caused her to blush so deeply.
"Oh, we will 'ave to see where I end up," Juliette smiled at the girl, "I was just making sure zat we are still on for our little Quidditch training session?"
Demelza, Ritchie, and Colin all turned around at this, staring at Ginny with confused looks.
"Uh, yes, why wouldn't we be?" Ginny muttered.
"Great. I will see you sometime zis next week, yes?" Juliette asked grinning broadly.
"Yes… We'll let you know what day and time. I'm sure you'll pop up somewhere before then..."
"I am sure I will. Enjoy ze first task Little Ginny. Demelza…" Juliette sent Demelza a slightly seductive nod as she left, heading towards the aisle.
"What was that about? She's going to train with us?" Demelza asked, her cheeks still red from Juliette's look.
"Yes… I asked her if she would be willing to train with us. We can talk about it more later, but I just figured this might be a good way to get over my issue with her and maybe learn a thing or two from her at the same time. I mean she nearly made the French National Team, I'd be a fool not to want to train with her, right?"
"She nearly made the French National Team? She can't be much older than us, she must be brilliant!" Ritchie exclaimed.
"Yeah, we'll see…" Ginny mumbled.
"And bloody hell is she fit! Don't you think Colin?"
"I'll say!" Colin squeaked.
The two girls sent the boys disapproving looks.
Ginny tracked Juliette as she walked down the stairs and cut into a row just a few rows below them. Ginny rolled her eyes as she realized Juliette had chosen Hermione's row and was now talking to the brunette with that same smug look on her face. Suddenly she felt Demelza slip her hand down her side and intertwine it with her own. She squeezed it gently, causing Ginny to look at her.
"It's okay, Hermione can take care of herself. Let's just enjoy the First Task, okay?" Demelza said reassuringly, nudging the redhead.
"Yeah, okay…" Ginny responded reluctantly, trying to refocus on the center of the arena.
Hermione POV
"Come on let's go or we won't get good seats!" Hermione shouted up the staircase leading to the boys' dormitories.
"Alright, alright, keep your pants on!" Ron said as he and Harry hustled down the stairs, "We've got to wait for Lav anyways. She'll kill me if I leave without her."
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Hermione huffed as she ran up the girls' staircase to her dormitory door, banging on it hard, "Lavender, get a move on! We're going to be late and all of the good spots will have gone!"
Lavender whipped open the door, frantically wrapping a scarf around her neck, "I'm coming! Do you always have to be so high strung and bossy Hermione?"
"I wouldn't have to be if you weren't running late, now let's go!"
The four finally made it through the portrait hole and headed towards the arena for the First Task. Once they arrived, they realized they would have perfectly fine seats, as they were some of the first people there.
"Hermione, are you kidding me?" Ron whined as Lavender clung to his arm.
"Oh, shut up, we've got great seats now, you should be thanking me!" Hermione snapped.
"Thank you, Hermione," Harry said earnestly.
"Oh, shut up Harry," Ron laughed as Harry flashed him a grin.
They settled into one of the first few rows and got comfortable. More and more students filed in behind them, filling the stands. Had they shown up about ten minutes later, they probably wouldn't have had nearly as good seats as they were in. About a minute or two until the First Task was supposed to start, Hermione felt a gentle squeeze on her waist. She turned to find Juliette standing right next to her.
"Oh!" Hermione said in shock.
"Surprised to see me 'ere in zis section? Or surprised zat I am standing so close to you?" Juliette lowered her voice so only Hermione could hear the second question.
"Uh…"
Hermione was at a loss for words. Last time she was this close to Juliette, she was reminding her that she was more than willing to help her forget her feelings for a certain redhead and kissing her cheek…
"Hi, I'm Harry. I'm not sure if you remember me from the Quidditch World Cup," Harry had reached across Hermione to offer his hand to Juliette.
Juliette looked at him briefly before shaking his hand slowly.
"Yes, I do remember you, 'ello 'Arry," Juliette said skeptically, "I remember 'im from ze corridor also…" she whispered to Hermione, causing the brunette to blush.
"Joining us in the Hogwarts section, are you? Good to have you!" Harry said as he grinned at Juliette.
Juliette raised her eyebrows and Hermione turned to shoot him an incredulous look.
"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed at him as quietly as she could.
"Supporting my best friend," Harry whispered back before gently nudging her back towards Juliette.
"So… Are you going to watch the First Task from here, then?" Hermione asked slowly.
"If you are willing to 'ave me, zen yes, I will stay. Evidently your friend is more zan 'appy to 'ave me 'ere…" Juliette said shooting a slightly entertained look at Harry, who was now chatting with Ron.
"Yes, he's… He's very friendly…" Hermione said awkwardly.
"So… 'ow 'ave you been?" Juliette asked.
"How have I been? Are you making small talk right now?" Hermione asked, smiling a little.
"I guess I am, yes," Juliette said, frowning slightly.
"Well… I've been okay. Yeah, I've been okay. How have you been?"
"I 'ave been good…" Juliette said slowly, seemingly thrown off by the question.
"What?" Hermione looked at the girl, suddenly taken by her beauty and how close she was to her.
"I am not sure when ze last time was zat someone asked me 'ow I was," Juliette shrugged.
"Oh… Well, I guess you can remember this as a moment in which someone asked you how you are," Hermione smiled at the girl.
Harry leaned towards Hermione and whispered, "No offense Hermione, but I don't think I'll be asking you for tips on how to get girls anytime soon…"
Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. She knew he was right, this wasn't a very alluring conversation.
"So, I assume that you're rooting for Fleur to come in first today?" Hermione asked.
"Zat is not a bad assumption. I am not 'er biggest fan, but I do 'ave to show some loyalty to my school. And you? Are you cheering for ze 'Ogwarts Champion?"
"Yes, I am. Cedric is a good representation of Hogwarts. He is hard-working and humble and kind."
Juliette smirked at this.
"What?"
"Your Champion sounds boring."
"Boring isn't always a bad thing."
"Boring is safe… Are you looking for somezing zat is boring and safe?" Juliette asked.
It wasn't the tone of arrogance or seduction that she usually had in her voice. Hermione noted that it sounded like Juliette was genuinely asking the question. Hermione took a moment to answer.
"No…" she said slowly, "I don't think I am…"
Hermione looked Juliette straight in the eyes when she said this, and she thought for a moment she saw a tiny crack in Juliette's bravado. Juliette started to say something, but was interrupted by a sudden roar and a drastic increase in heat. Everyone immediately looked to the center of the stadium and saw that there was a dragon now in the arena, fiercely protecting the dark rocks that surrounded the gold object.
Dragons? Hopefully everyone is able to deal with this… Hermione thought, hoping she wouldn't witness anything too horrific.
Cedric entered first at the sound of a cannon. Everyone in the entire stadium collectively held their breaths as he slowly and cautiously walked out of the tunnel. He quickly transfigured a rock into a dog that began to climb and jump across the arena. The dragon fixated on the dog, and started to track and move with it. Cedric saw his opening and as stealthily as possible ran out to retrieve what everyone realized was a golden egg. As he grabbed it, the dragon turned its attention back to Cedric and sent out an angry blast of fire his way. Cedric dove with the egg, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid the burn that was now forming across his face. Despite the injury, he managed to get out of the arena with a very fast time.
Fleur was second. She entered the arena confidently, and worked quickly to put her dragon into a deep sleep. As she ran to grab the egg, she made the mistake of moving in front of her dragon, who let out a jet of fire when it snored, lighting Fleur's skirt on fire. She managed to extinguish the flames quickly, and retrieved the egg.
Krum was the last champion to enter the arena. He strode in with the same uninterested look that he had when he entered the Great Hall for the first time. He used the Conjunctivitis Curse on his dragon, rendering it blind. The dragon began to stomp around the arena, trying to protect its eggs the best it could. This proved to cause issues for Krum who, even as fast and agile as he is, couldn't maneuver past the dragon's legs. He made a move for the golden egg at the same time that the dragon swung its tail around, and Krum narrowly avoided it by flattening himself against the ground. The entire crowd gasped at this close call, and Hermione grabbed Juliette's arm, quickly letting go after realizing what she'd done. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could see that Juliette had a faint smile on her face. Hermione smiled at this herself, then made a calculated decision and scooted a tiny bit closer to her, and leant into Juliette. Juliette reacted to this by adjusting how she was standing to accept Hermione's presence. Hermione was immediately transported back to the evening in the corridor as she could feel the toned muscles beneath Juliette's clothes. She looked up briefly at the girl, again, nearly mesmerized by her beauty, especially up close. Her attention was brought back to the arena as everyone around her cheered, and she saw that Krum had managed to collect the golden egg, despite all of the other eggs being crushed.
After the judges deliberated, they announced that Krum had earned first place, Cedric had earned second, and Fleur had earned third. Once the placements had been revealed, the stadium started to empty quickly. It had gotten dark, cold, and buggy, and everyone was ready to be back inside. Juliette walked with Harry and Hermione back down to the Beauxbatons carriage.
"Well, that was exciting! Would've been cool had Krum flown out of the tunnel to scoop up the egg, but even so, it was all pretty entertaining!" Harry exclaimed.
"Yes, zat would 'ave been somezing to see…" Juliette said unimpressed.
"Not a Krum fan?" Harry asked.
"I am not as big of a fan as most uzzers are," Juliette shrugged, "I 'ave seen better Seekers."
"Well, you would know, I guess. I'm going to catch up with Ron and Lavender. It was nice seeing you again, Juliette," he said as he gave Hermione a knowing look and left the two of them to continue the journey to the carriage on their own.
Juliette looked at Hermione, "You are different now, why?"
"What… What do you mean?" Hermione asked nervously.
"You are not resisting my presence as much, what 'as changed?"
"Well I… I've given your offer a considerable amount of thought and…" Hermione paused.
They continued walking. Juliette didn't push her to respond, but instead waited patiently.
"And… I think I might like to take you up on it…" Hermione tried her best not to blush, but was unsuccessful at keeping the color from her cheeks.
"You zink you might like to take me up on it…" Juliette repeated slowly, chuckling lightly.
"What? Is the offer not on the table anymore?" Hermione asked, a hint of panic and embarrassment in her voice.
"No, it is very much still on ze table. I am not trying to sound conceited 'ere, but usually girls jump at ze chance to be with me. You are zinking so much about it," Juliette said with a laugh.
"Well, I do my best to think things through most of the time. I like to be rational and logical, if I can. What happened in the corridor was just… That was…"
"I believe ze word you are looking for would be lust," Juliette said, smirking.
Hermione's red cheeks could rival Ginny's deepest blush as she looked down at the ground, "Yes, I believe you're right. It was lust. And I know that you understand the situation and still offered yourself to me, I just…"
"You just what?"
"I just wouldn't want to use you…" Hermione kept her head down as she said this.
Juliette paused, then swiftly guided Hermione off the path behind a clump of thick tree branches, bushes, and ferns, scaring up some birds and bugs in the sudden process.
"Zat is exactly what I am offering to you, 'Ermione. You do not 'ave to feel bad about it," Juliette said seriously.
Hermione looked up into Juliette's hazel eyes, noting how intensely and genuinely they were looking at her.
"You do not 'ave to worry about me or my feelings. I can take care of myself. I can take care of you too, if you would be willing to let me."
"Why? You barely know me. We've run into each other, what, a handful of times over the past few months? I'm fairly confident that you could have anyone you want, why me?"
Juliette paused, pursing her lips, "After ze Quidditch World Cup, I could not stop zinking about 'ow you stood up to me. You told me I could use some 'umility," a soft smile spread across Juliette's face at the memory.
Hermione shook her head and laughed lightly, "I can't believe I said that after having just met you."
"You were not wrong. I am lacking in 'umility, I know zis. I could not stop zinking about you, ze girl 'oo stood up to me. Usually when I turn on my charm it melts girls, but you fought through it to put me in my place. I was impressed with your strength. And I zink zat you are beautiful, 'Ermione," Juliette reached out to gently place her hand on Hermione's cheek that was now burning red from the compliment, "I can take care of myself and my feelings. I can 'elp you work through your feelings if you are wanting to. Zere is no risk 'ere."
Hermione looked up into Juliette's eyes again. They had maintained their steady intensity, but the gold and green flecks seemed to be sparkling now, drawing her in.
"This isn't some game you're playing? I can trust you?" Hermione asked softly.
"It is not a game. You can trust me," Juliette said genuinely.
She gently stroked Hermione's cheek with her thumb, and Hermione leant into the touch and kissed Juliette's palm. Juliette then moved her hand to the back of Hermione's head, lacing her fingers gently through the brunette curls, and pulled the girl close to her. They brought their lips together softly, and Hermione again noted how thoughtful she felt Juliette being when she kissed her. She remembered the genuine smile Juliette gave her the night in the corridor, and then she smiled into the kiss.
"What?" Juliette murmured, her lips still on Hermione's.
"Nothing, you're just a good kisser," Hermione smiled into the kiss again, spurring Juliette to wrap her arms firmly around Hermione's waist, now smiling into the kiss as well.