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Hermione had thought Viktor was a friend. A friend with no other motives for befriending her, other than perhaps her indifference to his fame. That had been fine. She'd been perfectly happy to befriend him, and learn about Durmstrang. That was all she'd wanted.
But then he'd asked her to the yule ball.
"Oh," Hermione said, looking around for any way out of the awkward conversation she wanted no part off.
"It would be fun," Viktor said. Hermione laughed slightly, a sort of tight laugh that betrayed her nerves. She glanced around the library, desperate for any way out. There was none.
"I already have a date," she lied. Now she would need to find a date. She hadn't wanted to go with anyone, she had just wanted to go alone, maybe with Harry and Ron as friends, but not with a date.
"Oh," Viktor said. "I understand, of course." Hermione nodded.
"I have to go," she said, standing suddenly. "I've just remembered I had plans, for right now. Yes. I have to go." The excuse sounded fake to her own ears, but she couldn't be around him for another moment. It was just too suffocating. As quick as she could, Hermione packed up all her things. Normally she would have put things away neatly, but she didn't have the time for that.
She briskly walked away from the table in the library her and Viktor had come to use as a meeting spot, and sped off for the exit. Even as she hit the halls of the castle her pace didn't slow. She needed to get away from everything, and think her way out of the problem she'd just given herself.
Hermione only slowed as she approached her tried and true panic classroom. No one was ever in it, it was left dusty and dark. Students assumed it was used for something, with it's prime position in the castle. Professor assumed it was abandoned for good reason. Hermione liked it for the peace it offered, and the view of the castle grounds it offered.
Except, it wasn't empty anymore. Of course, with two large classes worth of visiting schools a lot of the usual empty places weren't going to be empty anymore. Really, Hermione should have anticipated that, and maybe even prepared for it. Instead she'd gone charging into her usual empty spot, and come face to face with Fleur Delacour.
"Oh," she said in way of greeting or perhaps apology.
Fleur missed home. Home was nice! Of course, she'd been happy to sign up, but she hadn't realised how home sick she'd get. She was starting to think the whole thing hadn't been worth it. Really she tried not to take her annoyances and all out on the castle and the country, but she'd much prefer being at home. At Beauxbatons.
At least there the boys were perfectly capable of ignoring her subtle Veela allure without making complete and utter fools of themselves. At least back home she didn't have hundreds of pairs of eyes constantly searching her out. Back home she didn't have to worry about who the hell she'd take to a ball, or hide away in some dusty room from the many, many invitations.
If she wasn't Beauxbatons' champion she wouldn't bother at all with a date. Maybe she'd avoid the ball altogether, if she could. But no! Curse what the champions waned, they had to open the ball with a dance. If they wanted privacy, well they threw that away when they threw their names into the goblet and had them called out.
Well, the next person Fleur saw, she'd ask. That settled it. As long as they weren't some bumbling fool that fell well and truly under the charm of her veela blood. The next person she saw, that talked to her like a normal person, that was who she'd ask. It was better if she got it over and done with soon enough.
With her mind firmly made up, Fleur moved for the door.
It opened before she could in reach of the handle, and the bushy haired girl Krum had taken a fancy too stormed in.
"Oh," she said as she noticed her. She was also a friend of Potter, Fleur was sure of it. She tried to place her name, but it didn't come to it.
"Hello," Fleur said, stepping back slightly.
"I'm sorry, I can go somewhere else for some peace and quiet," she said, offering her a tight smile.
"No, this ez your home, I was leaving now anyway," Fleur said, offering her a soft smile in turn.
"Oh, right yes. Well, no need to leave on my account," she said, slipping past into the room. Fleur couldn't help but watch her. She moved through the room with a familiarity, before settling at the chair by the one desk left unstacked in the room.
"Hermione, isn't it?" Fleur asked, doing her best to pronounce it how she'd heard it in passing. She was certain that when she'd heard it, it had been used in reference to her.
"Oh, yes," Hermione said nodding at her. She watched as Hermione settled in and dug through her bag.
"'Ave you found a date to the ball?" Fleur asked. Hermione looked up from her bag. For a moment she didn't respond, but then she sighed.
"I haven't, and now I need to! I was happy not going, or or going with someone as a friend, or going alone. But now I've told someone I already have a date," Hermione let out. Fleur moved over to the table and took one of Hermione's hands into her own.
Hermione stared down at where Fleur had taken her hand and was now holding it. She wasn't used to such casual touch, not from someone that wasn't family and supporting her through a hard time. This was new.
"I 'ave found myself in a similar situation," Fleur confessed, gently caressing the back of Hermione's hand with her thumb. Hermione ducked her head, letting her thick hair hide her blushing cheeks from view. "In fact I 'ad decided zat, before you arrived, I would ask the next person I saw to the ball."
"What if they're one of those boys that gush all over you?" Hermione asked.
"I wouldn't 'ave asked them. Zey do not count as options," she said, huffing. As rude as it sounded, Hermione had to agree. It wouldn't exactly be nice to dance with someone so utterly obsessed with you for all the wrong reasons. "Besides," Fleur went on. "You are the first person I 'ave since making that promise to myself."
Hermione had thought she'd been blushing as much as possible from Fleur gently caressing her hand in such a casually affectionate way. But then, well. How could she not blush more? A pretty french girl had just asked her to the yule ball. Well, sort off.
"What do you say Hermione?" Fleur asked, taking care to pronounce her name. It made her heart flutter slightly in her chest. "Will you go to ze ball with me?"
"I," Hermione started. It would be brilliant. She couldn't deny that. But, she'd be centre of attention on the arm of Fleur. On the arm of a champion. Along with the three other champions her and Fleur would open the ball together. Hermione wasn't one to crave being the centre of attention.
Sure, her friendship with Harry had a habit of thrusting her into the school's spotlight. But it hadn't exactly expanded beyond that all that much, except for that year. She wasn't sure if she could take that many people watching her. Though it wouldn't be just her they were watching, would it?
Fleur was, well Hermione didn't really know Fleur. She seemed nice enough. Determined, strong willed. From the last few moments she'd spent in close proximity with her, kind.
She really was beautiful. Hermione couldn't deny that. But she didn't want to be shallow about it. She didn't want to be like the boys that fell under Fleur's unwitting veela charm, and threw themselves at her just because she was utterly stunning.
But, well Fleur had asked her. It wasn't like Hermione had gone up to Fleur and embarrassed herself stumbling over asking her to the ball. Fleur had stood by her, holding her hand, and asked Hermione to the ball.
Could she really say no? Did she really want to say no? Wouldn't it be nice to go to the ball with a woman? That was all she's wanted, when the Yule Ball had first been announced. She'd wanted to go with a girl. She'd wanted to dance with a girl.
This was her opportunity! Besides, who else was she going to go with? She needed someone.
Fleur tried not panic. Hermione had started talking, and then cut herself off with a hum. She hadn't spoken in a while, and the quiet was starting to grate at her.
"I," Hermione said again, snapping her head to meet Fleur's gaze. "Yeah," she said. "I'll go to the ball with you Fleur."
"It is decided then!" Fleur said, grinning at her easily. Hermione's cheeks heated up once more, a beautiful dusting of red taking over her cheeks. She raised Hermione's hand slightly, and dropped a kiss to her knuckles, just to watch Hermione blush some more.
The next time Fleur met Hermione, it was not an accident. They'd arranged to meet in the same classroom, to start on their plans for the ball. Their outfits couldn't clash, especially not with how much attention was on them. Plus, it made sense to practice dancing together.
"Who shall lead?" Fleur asked as she watched Hermione. She'd settled at the desk again, and from the books and parchment resting atop, had been doing homework while she'd waited for Fleur to get there.
"You," Hermione said with an almost commanding voice. "It makes more sense, you're the champion after all."
"I'll be happy to lead," she agreed, still watching Hermione. She wouldn't call her elegant as she sorted her things into neat piles, organising wasn't really a task suited to elegance. Still, she looked beautiful. Fleur had truly gotten lucky with her promise to herself.
If it hadn't been for the promise, she wasn't sure she'd have asked Hermione. There was nothing wrong with Hermione, she seemed nice enough. Kind, intelligent. Beautiful in her own way. But she wasn't the sort of girl Fleur would have approached without knowing first. She'd gotten lucky.
They met in the middle of the room, and with a flick of Hermione's wand a soft song started to play. Fleur took one hand into her own, and rested her other hand on Hermione's waist.
"Shall we begin?" Fleur asked. Hermione nodded slightly, and rested her free hand on Fleur's shoulder. It felt almost natural to fall into a gentle rhythm with her. It was easy to guide her around the dusty classroom in time with the music.
The classroom almost seemed to fade, and all Fleur's focus centred in on Hermione. On how she smiled just slightly, and a slight blush tinted her cheeks. It was hard to focus on anything else as she spun Hermione through the room.
Hermione was thankful for how distracting Fleur had proven to be. They'd spent the weeks leading up to the Yule Ball practising their dancing, just to make sure they were perfectly presentable come their opening dance. Then, when they were in the empty classroom, Hermione had wished it wasn't so easy to get lost in Fleur, in her presence, in her closeness, in her eyes.
Now though, with the majority of the halls eyes on her, Hermione was thankful for it. Thankful it was so easy to get lost in Fleur, in how she held her, how easy it was for her to guide her around the dance floor, in how nice it felt to have her undivided attention.
She knew, that outside of their little bubble, so many sets of eyes where on them. On her. Hermione had seen the shock on everyone's faces, her friends included, as she'd walked into the great hall all dressed up on Fleur's arm. She'd seen the wonder, and seen the stunned looks, she'd seen it all.
She'd heard whispers. Seen her classmates turn to each other to ask if they were seeing this. She'd seen it, and heard it. She could still faintly hear the whispers. It was so nice to be lost in Fleur's presence. Lost in her arms.
If Viktor hadn't shocked her so much by asking her to the ball, Hermione never would've ended up going to the ball with Fleur. She'd gotten lucky, she supposed. Right place, right time.
"Everyone's looking at us," Hermione whispered.
"No," Fleur whispered back. "Zey're looking at you."
"Do you think?" she asked. She knew it, from the few whispers she'd heard, they were looking at her. Long gone was the bushy haired nerd they'd all gotten used too. In her place, dancing with ease across the dance floor, was a young women with loose curls looking her best.
"You are beautiful Hermione," Fleur insisted. Hermione felt herself starting to blush, "If you were not my date, I'd be watching you too. You are captivating."
"Thank you," Hermione muttered, resisting the urge to tilt her head away as her face heated up more. Fleur continued to guide her through the dance floor, even as the song changed and more couples flooded the dance floor.