L'Amour Toujour

C29: Ball Madness

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters

The morning of the Ball, Hermione woke up with her sister snuggled up to her, while Fleur was still pressed against her back and an arm wrapped securely around her waist, and it was the first time in a very long time that she felt some sense of normalcy returning, even though tonight would be anything but normal.

She knew very well that tonight would be just as big, if not bigger than last year, because now her heritage was known and her mothers were back and would be in attendance too, wanting to use tonight to properly announce their return, and at the same time proclaim her and Luna's parentage as well.

It had already been agreed upon that she and Luna would walk in with their mothers tonight, and that they just like they did last year would get ready together, as would Fleur and Gabrielle.

That was all for later however because they weren't expected downstairs for breakfast for at least another hour which left her plenty of time to spend with her three favorite ladies, because over the course over the last two weeks, Gabrielle had become very near and dear to her as well.

"Good morning, mon amour. 'ow did you sleep?" Fleur asked softly as she pressed a kiss to the brunette's neck.

Hermione smiled and gave her mate's hand a squeeze. "As amazing as I always do when I am in your arms, my love. I'm also very excited about tonight."

Fleur smiled at her love. "Since this will be your first Ball as a Black and in the presence of your mothers, I can completely understand that. I will admit that Gabi and I are also very excited to see exactly what happens tonight. It will be her first time too after all."

"I'm sure she'll do great baby, and it's not like we won't be able to keep an eye on her the entire night, and I am also pretty sure that Luna will be by her side for as long as she is able to, because I have a feeling that she and I are going to be busy for at least a part of the night." Hermione said softly.

"We know mon amour, and I promise that I will keep my sister occupied until such time you will find your way to us again. It's not like we don't have mountains of time afterwards." Fleur said with a loving smile.

Hermione nodded as Luna stirred against her. "Good morning sis. Did you sleep okay?"

Luna nodded and cuddled into her sister as she pulled Gabrielle close to her body. "Of course I did. I shared a bed with the one woman I can't be without and two women who mean almost as much to me and who I also love dearly."

Hermione smiled and pressed a kiss to her sister's neck. "We love you too Lu. Are you excited about tonight?"

The blonde nodded and smiled at her as Gabrielle also stirred awake. "Why do you all feel the need to talk so much in the early morning?" She asked as she snuggled into her mate.

Luna smiled at her as she too pressed a kiss to her mate's neck. "Sorry baby. I promise that this is the last early morning for a while, at least until we have to start our lessons again, and I have a feeling that my mothers and aunts will let us have at least a few more days of rest."

Gabrielle smiled at her. "I hope so, because there have been far too many early mornings in the past weeks."

"You overreact ma sœur. With the exception of Christmas, Narcissa has been very lenient with us, more so than Maman ever was around the holidays." Fleur said gently.

Gabrielle grumbled a little as she rolled out of bed to use the bathroom. "She's so adorable when she's grumpy. She kind of reminds me of you, Lu." Hermione said with a soft smile.

Luna stuck her tongue out at her sister as she stretched before following her mate into the bathroom. "What do you think love, shall we return to our room to take a quick shower before we show ourselves for breakfast?"

Fleur smiled and nodded as she scooped her mate in her arms and rolled out of bed in a smooth move, carrying her love out the door and into their bedroom so they could take a shower together, which hopefully would not escalate into something more amorous.

"You know baby, one of these days I might insist you carry me everywhere." Hermione said teasingly once they stepped under the spray.

Fleur smirked at her. "That might be a little extensive, wouldn't you agree, mon amour. I also don't think your Mama would be agreeable to that and that would lead to her telling me off about spoiling you and that I am usurping her spoiling privileges."

Hermione giggled at that. "We can't have that now can we, love?"

Fleur smiled and kissed her softly. "No, because I wouldn't want to upset your mother, because I know that would upset you too."

Hermione smiled and pressed herself against her lover. "I was teasing love. Of course I don't expect you to carry me everywhere, if only because I couldn't return the favor at some point, because despite your lithe frame I just don't have the physical strength to actually lift you."

Fleur smiled at that. "It is also very dangerous to carry and Heiress, mon amour, and despite my mother's views on that at the moment, I am still first in line to lead the Delacour clan."

Hermione smiled and kissed her. "I will admit that I am still a bit on the fence about that. Especially after everything we've learned recently."

"It is not a given that the clan has to be lead from France. If I so choose I could lead the Clan from here which is exactly what I am planning to do once I am required to take over, but that won't be for at least a few decades, but before I will take over my mother will have to pull her head out of her rear and apologize to me and Gabi." Fleur said with a soft smile.

Hermione only smiled and pressed herself close to her lover, the two mates spending nearly half an hour making sure they were properly cleaned for tonight.

…

After breakfast Bellatrix took her daughter to her personal library, because the raven-haired witch wanted to give her daughter a last bit of education before tonight's festivities, as well as a word of warning for her firstborn.

Hermione on her turn had already expected something like this and followed her mother with a smile, more excited about being allowed into her mother's private sanctum than the actual talk.

As they walked into the room, Hermione's eyes widened a little, because even after all of the exploring she did of the Manor with her sister they never found this room, and to once again see the look of awe on her eldest daughter's face brought a smile to Bellatrix's lips. "Am I right in assuming that you approve of my little sanctum, sweetie?"

"It's so peaceful and quiet here. I can easily see why you love this place." Hermione said softly.

Bellatrix smiled and pulled the brunette into her arms. "This is the one place in the house I can actually indulge in my love of knowledge freely. The big library is very much a product of our family's history and mostly catered to the Dark Arts. I long ago vowed that my own personal library would be very different. I believe I also have some children's books here that I am sure will find good use in the future."

Hermione smiled and relaxed against her mother. "I'm sure it will, even though I know you would've loved to be able to read for me and Luna."

Bellatrix smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You would be very right in that, and I am also sure that even without me there you were reading on your own far ahead of your peers."

Hermione giggled and nodded. "I was. I believe I read my first book completely on my own at age three, and I haven't looked back since, much to the annoyance of most people that knew me back then, especially those Muggles. In that sense I have learned more from you in just the past few months than I ever learned from them."

Bellatrix smiled sweetly at her daughter. "That means a lot to me sweetie. Thank you, but shall we go and take a seat so I can tell you exactly what you might expect from me tonight?"

Hermione nodded and joined her mother on the couch, not even resisting the urge to cuddle into her. "While I have a feeling that I know what to expect from tonight, I would hate to assume and be proven wrong."

Bellatrix smiled at that. "That wouldn't do, now would it sweetie? Tonight you'll see the side of me that I have to portray to the outside, and that side will not be a very pleasant side to witness, and while I know that you as holding a part of my soul might feel inclined to mirror that, I must ask you not to do that. It is a mask I have to wear with our Lord's most faithfuls in order to ensure that they remain in line because most of them still believe that we are still working to make a pure world. It is something we unfortunately will have to keep up for the time being, until such time our Lord will call the meeting where he once and for all instill what our true goals are."

Hermione nodded at her. "I understand Mama. Better than most I understand the necessity of wearing a mask around people. Does this also mean you won't be escorting me in?"

Bellatrix smiled at her. "Of course I will, that was always going to happen. The inner circle won't be here the entire night, but will arrive with the Dark Lord at a later point, when those that only come for the social part of the night will have left. Tonight will therefore be a bit longer than it probably was last year, so I hope you're prepared for that too."

Hermione nodded and smiled at her mother. "I am Mama, it is why we were a bit later for breakfast. We slept in a little."

Bellatrix smiled at that. "We figured as much sweetie, and it is a good thing too because you and your sister will once again be a big part of today's festivities, for both the social and the official part."

"We know, Mummy told us all about it, and we're ready to do our parts tonight. We've never been ashamed for who we are since we learned the truth, and we could never be. We're proud to have you as mothers and will be forever thankful for everything you've done for us and have shown us." Hermione said sweetly.

Bellatrix had to swallow back tears as she nuzzled her nose in her daughter's neck. "You're too sweet sometimes, Hermione. Your mother and I couldn't be more proud of you and your sister."

Hermione smiled and cuddled further into her mother's side. "That is all we ever wanted Mama, to make you both proud of us, whether we would be reunited before or after the war."

"You and Luna will always be our greatest treasures and we feel so blessed to have witnessed you grow into the confident young women you have become." Bellatrix said softly.

"We only followed our hearts Mama, just like we knew you and Mummy would. Ever since we learned the truth about our lineage we have tried to make you both proud." Hermione said softly.

Bellatrix smiled at her. "And we are sweetie, so very proud of you both, and I promise that once everything is said and done we will all take a nice long vacation together, just the four of us, and of course both of your mates too."

Hermione smiled and pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek before cuddling back up to her, content to stay pressed against her mother's side for a little while longer.

…

After an early dinner and a bit of a scolding from Narcissa to her eldest sister for sequestering them away for most of the day, Hermione and Luna were back in their bedroom relaxing on the bed, both of them still basking in the aftermath of the day they had spent with their mothers.

Since they had plenty of time before they had to present themselves to their aunt's scrutiny, the two sisters took a moment to relax before the tidal wave of the night would sweep them up. "So 'Mione, how was your time with Mama?" Luna asked softly.

"She mostly wanted to warn me that she would have to be the Death Eater tonight once the faithfuls are here, and that we shouldn't try to mirror her behavior. I think I reassured her that we'll do as she says and not do as she does, and for the rest it was quite the emotional afternoon, plus she promised me that once this is all over that we're going to go on holiday, just the four of us with Fleur and Gabi." Hermione said with a soft smile.

Luna smiled and cuddled into her sister. "Mummy basically said the same, with the addition that she'll be close by for the second part of the night."

Hermione nodded and smiled at the blonde. "I'm sure that has a reason besides her wanting to ensure we don't abscond to early with our mates, which honestly I could see happen otherwise."

Luna giggled at that. "Probably, since we are both sort of addicted to our mates, not to mention to each other. I don't think there is any going around that either anymore."

"I think we haven't been able to go around that for a long time now Lu and at this point I wouldn't want to anymore. We're connected on a far deeper level then we both realize and there probably won't ever be a time where we don't want to be together in some way." Hermione said softly.

Luna smiled and kissed the brunette softly. "Neither would I. Do you think we have time for a little fun before we need to get dressed?"

Hermione nodded and smiled at her sister. "Of course we do. That too has to become a tradition for us, and this year we don't have to hurry like we did last year. So, what are you in the mood for, my sweet baby sister?"

Luna smiled at her sister. "This may sound odd, but I really want to do something for you. You've been so selfless the last few times we had the chance to do this that I really want to do something for you."

Hermione smiled and kissed the blonde softly. "That's very sweet Luna, and if you're sure I would love it if instead of making love to each other, we could just lie here for a bit, like we used to do at school, when times were easier."

Luna smiled and cuddled in close to her sister, resting her head on her chest. "Are you sure that is what you want 'Mione?"

"Knowing us it'll escalate anyway, but to start with I just want to reconnect with you again, it's been far too long since we had any sort of alone time without anyone else there." Hermione said softly as she wrapped her arms around her sister.

Luna smiled and pressed a soft kiss to the brunette's collarbone. "That's true, and while I wouldn't change the things we've learned or have done over the last two weeks, I also kind of missed it being just the two of us."

Hermione smiled and let her hand trail down her sister's naked back. "I'll admit I sometimes miss it just being the two of us. Even before we discovered everything we had this special bond that was as unexplainable then as it is now."

Luna smiled and crawled on top of her sister. "I've always felt comfortable with you. My heart knew all along what my mind took a while to comprehend, and what we learned of our conception it made sense too. Our souls recognized each other as sisters long before we ever did and I think that certainly helped us bond much quicker than either of us were probably comfortable with."

Hermione nodded and wrapped her arms around the blonde while also giving that pert butt a generous squeeze. "Are you that eager to make me feel good before we have to go down tonight, Lu?"

The blonde nodded at her. "Of course I am. You know what being naked and close to you does to me."

Hermione smiled at that. "Then I have an idea that will scratch both of our itches, because I know you feel exactly the same as I am."

"And what might this idea be, my darling sister? We've got plenty of options to work with." Luna said with a sultry smile.

"I was thinking we do the thing we did the first time we felt comfortable enough to go beyond light petting. I've never felt closer to you than I did when we ground our pussies together." Hermione said softly.

Luna smiled and nodded as she kissed her way down Hermione's body before positioning herself against her sister. "I can only agree with you 'Mione. It's something that has been something quite uniquely us, I'd say."

Hermione nodded and intertwined her fingers with those of her sister as they started to move against each other. "I'll be honest and say that I've missed this tremendously. It feels as natural as when I am making love to Fleur."

Luna smiled at that. "I can honestly say that I feel the same now then when I am making love to Gabi. I honestly think it won't take long before the four of us will be sharing everything freely between each other. It is sort of inevitable at this point."

Hermione smiled and gave her sister's hand a squeeze. "I think so too, and I honestly am very excited to see what happens after the war and we get to live our lives the way we want to."

Luna smiled and leaned forward to kiss the brunette softly, the two focusing solely on each other as they brought each other to completion.

…

By the time the two sisters were dressed, they were just in time to present themselves to their aunt's scrutiny, which of course did not escape the elder blonde's keen eye. "You two were cutting it awfully close, but since you both look absolutely immaculate I will let it slide. I trust you two are ready for tonight?"

They smiled and nodded. "We are aunt Cissa. For the first part of the night we'll let ourselves be guided by our mothers and after that we'll keep to the side with Mummy until such time Mama calls us over." Hermione said with a soft smile.

Narcissa smiled at them and pulled them into a quick hug as she pressed a kiss to the top of their heads. "That's good to hear. Be careful tonight and please keep an eye out for each other and your friends. Three of them might be a bit wary of the second part of the night."

"Three? I thought only Ginny was coming tonight?" Luna said softly.

"The twins also accepted our invitation, and I'll be honest and say that they also ingratiated themselves to me with a plentiful batch of their newest sweets. I also figured you two might appreciate a few more friendly faces." Narcissa said with a soft smile.

The girls laughed lightly at that as Narcissa led them to Bellatrix and Pandora, who were patiently, or as patiently as Bellatrix could, waiting for their daughters to arrive. "You two took your sweet time getting ready tonight. We were about to check what kept you." Pandora said with a smile.

"We wanted to make sure everything was perfect Mummy, we're still on time aren't we?" Hermione asked sweetly, making sure to bat her eyelashes a little in an attempt to appear cute.

Pandora smiled sweetly at her daughter. "Yes sweetie, you are both on time. I also regret to inform you that I'm quite immune for your puppy dog look. Your Mama used them so frequently I have built up resistance to that. It was a good try though. I'm sure I couldn't have resisted that early on, but we shouldn't keep our guests waiting much longer. Are you ready?"

They nodded as Bellatrix hooked her arm through that of Hermione while Pandora did the same to Luna and as Narcissa led them into the room all eyes were immediately on them, and just as they were taught, the two sisters straightened their shoulders and stood a little taller as they strode through the room.

From a corner of the room Fleur and Gabrielle watched as their mates were led through the throng of guests. "It is almost as if they were born to do this. I've never seen Luna look so regal before." Gabrielle said softly.

Fleur smiled at her sister. "You sound surprised ma sœur. Not only has their time with their mothers proven to complete them in multiple ways, they also have gotten the same etiquette lessons we did. I also believe that some part of this is innate to them both. They both share Bellatrix's blood after all."

Gabrielle smiled at that as she shot a loving look to her mate. "I know, I was just not prepared to see it for myself, especially after two weeks of having fun together."

Fleur smiled at her sister as Ginny and Nymphadora walked up to them. "I'm honestly more surprised that Dora voluntarily wore a dress today."

Dora grinned at the blonde. "Trust me that this dress is far from voluntarily, Fleur. This is the only time of year I agree to wear fancy clothes, on the condition that I don't have to wear heels, because heels and I don't really mix."

Fleur smiled at her as she observed how Ginny was already hanging on every word spoken by the Metamorphmagus. "So Ginny, how have you been? We haven't really talked since the Tournament."

The redhead smiled kindly at her. "I've been doing okay. Things have been a bit tense at home ever since I came out and I refused to break off contact with Hermione after her heritage became known. The twins are still firmly in my corner though, and I honestly couldn't be happier about that."

Fleur gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm glad that your brothers are still looking out for you. From everything Hermione has told me about you and your brothers, I get the impression that you share more with them than with your other brother I had the displeasure of meeting."

Ginny laughed lightly at that, not wanting to gather too much attention to herself. "You would be right in that, besides the temper at times I have very little in common with Ron. I've always gravitated towards Fred and George more, even more so ever since they opened up shop."

"I can imagine that, and from what I hear they're doing very good business too. Narcissa is a big fan of their sweets I've heard." Gabrielle said with a smile.

Ginny grinned at that, which was almost eerily similar to that of Dora. "It's hard not to be a fan of their sweets honestly. I honestly think that they will put Zonko's out of business just with those."

Fleur smiled at that as Hermione and Luna joined them, the two giving Ginny a big hug. "It's good to see you again Gin. I hope you've been well?" Hermione asked with a soft smile.

Ginny nodded at them. "I've been okay. Been staying with the twins for most of the holiday because the Burrow has become a bit volatile lately. With Mum and Ron pissed about me coming out as a lesbian and continuing to be your friend and Daddy still hurting over Percy turning his back on the family, I figured it would be best if I just wasn't home for the holidays."

Hermione smiled at her. "I can understand that, and we're glad that you and the twins are here. Have you been having fun so far?"

Ginny nodded at that. "Yes, I honestly thought that this would be a bit of a stuffy affair like the formal part of the Yule Ball a few years ago, but Dora has been trying her best to keep me distracted."

Dora grinned at her. "Like you, I often find these type of events a bit dull. I'm glad I am finally not the only one anymore."

Ginny just smiled at her as they all kept talking about the things they had missed in each other's lives, as well as Hermione and Luna informing Ginny of their decision not to return to school after the holidays.

…

As the night progressed and a portion of the guests left, Hermione could immediately notice the shift in her mother's demeanor, and as she had promised she stayed on the side with the others and Pandora, who had taken a seat close by.

Nymphadora and Ginny were on the other side of the room, talking quietly to each other and it was clear to everyone who observed them that there was a mutual attraction between the two.

"They look adorable together, don't they?" Luna asked softly.

Hermione nodded and smiled at her sister. "They fit well together, which I honestly had expected. Gin already confided in me how excited she was about meeting Dora and I know Dora has barely been able to stop talking about her ever since we got home."

Luna nodded at that. "That's putting it lightly. I just hope Gin will be able to accept the things she hears tonight as easily as she has accepted everything else we've told her so far."

"It'll also help that Dora will explain everything that is to happen tonight, and probably also what is going to happen within now and a year, hopefully." Hermione said softly.

Pandora smiled at them. "And you two are sure she is on your side, my sweets?"

They nodded at her. "Yes Mummy. She and the twins proclaimed their allegiance the moment my heritage became known. Ginny is one of the few people that we can truly call a friend."

Pandora smiled at them. "I'm glad that you two had someone that you could call a true friend, and of course I don't doubt your judgment, but you understand we're cautious."

"We know Mummy, we would do the same would our positions be reversed, but we honestly couldn't have completed our assignment without her, and she's been keeping her brother and Potter off Draco's back too." Luna said with a soft smile.

Pandora nodded at them as she took a critical look at the gathered faithfuls, looking for one in particular that she was going to have a serious conversation with, because no one disrespected their daughters if she had anything to say about it.

"Are you okay Mummy? You look so pensive." Hermione asked softly.

Pandora smiled at her. "I'm okay sweetie. I'm just looking for a specific someone that I am going to have a word with."

Luna smiled at her, knowing exactly who her mother was looking for. "I honestly don't think you'll have to Mummy. She's talking to Mama already, and I am sure she'll make her displeasure with her methods known."

Hermione looked over to where her mother and sister were now watching, and she could barely contain her scowl. "What is she even doing here?" She asked as she glared at Umbridge.

Pandora smiled and pulled the brunette into her arms. "Because as you might imagine she is a staunch supporter of our Lord and this part of the night is for them, so that they can see that our cause is still alive."

"I couldn't imagine her being okay with what we're trying to build, given how she hounded everyone that wasn't a Pureblood last year." Hermione muttered softly.

"Bella will set her straight sweetie, and I have a feeling you won't ever have to even see her again after tonight. She is not going to be a part of our new world in the capacity she is now. Her job has always been to rally supporters inside the Ministry and she knows that, no matter how power hungry she is." Pandora said sweetly.

Hermione smiled and relaxed in her mother's arms, not wanting to spare too much thought to the pink Toad that had made her life a living hell last year.

Not soon after Alecto and the Dark Lord appeared in the living room, and everyone immediately quieted down as he strode through the crowd, immediately making his way to the front of the room so he would have a good oversight. "Good evening my dear friends, it is good to see you all here in such numbers. I have come here tonight with news of us going forward. As many of you may have heard our goals have changed since my return and I realize that not all of you will agree with our new direction. I promise that once I have explained things, those that do not find themselves agreeing with my view anymore will be free to leave. In the years of my disembodied state I've had a lot of time to think, and I have come to the conclusion that our first crusade against the Order was fueled by hate. Now however I intend to change our world for the better. The status quo as it exists now is unsustainable, because if it does the Muggleborns will eventually rebel against us, which is a battle we cannot win. The world we are now trying to build will no longer rely on the status of one's blood, but rather on one's magical ability. It is ultimately the best way to ensure the continuation of the Magical World as a whole."

There were a few murmurs but it was clear that everyone seemed to be in agreeance with the new goals that were set out, which was honestly something most of the inner circle had not expected.

Soon after the speech most people split up in separate conversations, while Bellatrix made her way over to her wife and daughters, and she just couldn't resist pulling Hermione against her front. "Sorry I haven't been more attentive, but schmoozing is one of the things that unfortunately come with the evening. Did you despite that have fun?"

Hermione smiled at her. "We did Mama. We mostly spent our time watching you talk to Umbridge."

Bellatrix smiled at her. "Well that was going to happen whichever way tonight turned out, because there was no chance that I was going to let everything she has put you and your sister through slide, cover or not. I'll tell you two all about it tomorrow."

They nodded and smiled at their mother as they all relaxed a little, soon to be joined again by Fleur and Gabrielle, who had spent most of the night mingling with the various guests.