2. Try Me...

I might be too hard for your teeth...

or too sour for your liking...but...

Just try me and tell me what you think...


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The clanking of utensils against plates as well as chattering could be heard at the scrubby dinner table. Fleur was next to Bill, eating with as much grace as she possessed, ignoring the glares from Hermione who was approaching the table. They were both trying hard to forget about the events moments ago in Hermione and Ginny's room. Hermione was trying so hard and taking so much time to reach her destination that the only seat available to take was next to Ron...and directly across from Fleur. She grunted and sat down.

"So Fleur, how'd it go?" Bill mumbled in Fleur's ear while most others were congratulating Ron and Hermione.

"Let us not talk about eet 'ere. Or, better yet, let us not talk about eet at all," Fleur hissed. Bill frowned and nodded.

"Tomorrow, we'll be escorting you to King's Cross," Sirius said to Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry.

"Who's 'we'?" Ron asked blankly.

"Myself, Bill, Sirius, and Fleur," Tonks interjected.

'Why Fleur? Everyone will be gawking at her on the way there, let alone think to try and harm anyone.'

Hermione couldn't help but scowl at the part Veela in front of her. Fleur noticed and promptly shot her nose in the air and continued eating gracefully. Hermione sniffed at Fleur's reaction and began stabbing angrily at her food, taking rather large bites of everything. Fleur also began eating faster than normal.

Fleur knew Hermione felt...strange about what just happened. If anything even happened at all, actually. It was just a normal conversation, after all. A very normal one in which they were alone in a dark room, staring at one another with very unorthodox expressions considering their past experiences with one another...

She chanced a glance at Hermione, and her eyes settled upon her chin where a dab of stew was dripping down her shirt...down there. This shirt also happened to be a V-neck. Fleur's eyes followed its course and she felt a rush to her head. She knew she shouldn't have been staring there, but her eyes were frozen in place. Hermione was never this messy, and it was intriguing to see her with her guard down. A little too intriguing...

There was never any reason for Fleur to notice Hermione like this before. And coupled with what happened minutes ago, Fleur felt flushed.

Hermione noticed Fleur staring in her direction. She looked down to find where her eyes were locked on to... She blushed, and darted her eyes to Fleur's. Was she staring at the food, or... Wait, why is Fleur doing this? She'd expect this kind of behavior from someone like Ron. Hermione frowned, but Fleur was still staring. She noticed the woman's blank expression, and her face turned a darker shade of crimson. Her heart sped up, and she couldn't think of anything to say...

"Here, let me get that for you, Hermione," Ron suggested. He wiped her chin rather forcefully and looked down to where the food had fallen. He began to wipe there, but then he realized what he was doing. He, too, was frozen.

The room fell silent once everyone began to notice what was going on. Fleur was staring at Hermione (no one knew exactly where she was staring), Hermione had stew dripping from her mouth and was glaring at Fleur, too furious at her to acknowledge Ron's actions. Everyone clearly noticed where Ron was staring, as he had his hand there.

"RON!" Molly hit him with her spoon. Ron snapped out of his reverie and stood up, muttering something about the toilet.

Everyone went back to their meals except Hermione, Fleur, and Bill. Fleur was still staring, and Hermione was boiling. Not at Ron, but at Fleur for staring at her. Bill was glancing nervously between the two, wondering if he should say something.

"Uh...Fleur, honey? Are you alright?" Bill asked tentatively.

Fleur came back to earth and grew furious with herself, realizing what she was doing. She looked up at Hermione and both of their jaws clenched. They both bolted up from their seats and continued to glare at each other. Fleur scoffed and began making her way to the kitchen, and Bill followed her. Hermione automatically went in the opposite direction, but came to a dead end. She played it off and also went to the kitchen, not knowing that Fleur and Bill were already in there.

She was about to walk in, but she heard Bill's voice. She stopped just outside the doorway and decided to listen.

"Fleur, what's the matter?" Bill cooed.

"I cannot stand beeing around zat fuzzy-'aired girl of a brat. Next you're going to tell me we got ze job at ze Ministry with 'Ogwarts, aren't you?"

"Yes, m'love. We did," Bill smiled. Fleur sighed.

"What 'zactly are we supposed to do zere? We are not teechers."

"No, but we're supposed to help oversee the place with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The Order also needs us there to help Dumbledore," Bill explained.

"Yes, I remember ze Order's concerns. I have to watch over ze stubborn one," Fleur sighed once again. Bill held her hands.

"Right. Plus, there's no excuse to not help Ron now," he grinned. Fleur nodded disdainfully.

Hermione climbed back upstairs to finish packing. She wondered why Fleur was to be her guard. Why did she need a guard in the first place? Why are they going to Hogwarts to help the new Professor...? Was her hair really so atrocious?

And why was Fleur staring at her chest?


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"Right, off we go then. We'll split up and meet at Platform 9 3/4. If you get there early, go ahead and board," Sirius instructed the group as they left Twelve Grimmauld Place.

"I'll get the luggage," Tonks smiled. She took everyone's luggage as carefully as she could, then apparated.

Sirius transformed into his black shaggy dog form, and Harry began to follow him down the street. Bill, Ginny, and Ron took another path, and Fleur began walking opposite them. Hermione followed her.

It was a very silent walk. Fleur had a hooded jacket on with the hood covering a large majority of her face so as to not attract any stray men. Hermione was a yard behind her, arms folded in front of her. Fleur didn't bother to turn around to check on the girl.

Hermione had actually thought to do something with her hair this morning, and it wasn't as frizzy anymore. Even while she was using the potion to tame her hair, she wondered why Fleur's comment about her hair had bothered her so. She shrugged it off in a vain attempt to convince herself that the comment had nothing to do with her decision.

But, she couldn't explain away Fleur's eyes contantly popping up in her thoughts all night. How she stared at her in the room last night, how her eyes locked on to her breasts, how they stared fiercely at her own eyes when they stood up at the dinner table...

"Stop fantasizing and pay attention," Fleur ordered.

"Huh?"

"I know I am good lookeeng, but keep to yourself, oui?" she said slyly.

Hermione had walked right into Fleur without noticing. She blinked, wondering what she meant by her comments. Fleur brushed herself off and extended her wand hand out at the curb.

The violet bus came in an instant, and the two boarded. Fleur payed her fees, and Hermione felt around for her money. She left it in with the rest of her luggage...

"Here," Fleur muttered, handing Stan the money Hermione should have paid. "To King's Cross."

Stan smiled and let the two girls sit down. They sat down opposite each other, and the bus took off immediately.

'That was...nice of her.'

Yet another gesture of Fleur's that didn't seem to quite fit her. Hermione was starting to become interested in where all of this was coming from. In twelve hours, she had seen so much more of Fleur than all of last year during the Triwizard Tournament. Granted, she still had her stuck up side, but perhaps Bill's kindness was rubbing off on her. It honestly did intrigue her...

"You didn't have to pay for me, you know," Hermione said solemnly. Fleur arched an eyebrow at her.

"What, and let you walk all ze way to ze station? Oh, dear me, I should 'ave just let you go eef zat ees ze case," Fleur said airily. Hermione frowned in irritation.

"What's with you? I was trying to be nice and you're still being a..."

"A what, leetle girl?"

'A two-faced bitch...'

"Nothing," Hermione said casually. Fleur shook her head.

"Zis ees why Ron ees having such a 'ard time wiz you," Fleur mused, narrowing her eyes at her.

"Excuse me?"

"You 'eard me," Fleur said through pursed lips. Hermione looked down.

Even with the bus moving madly, Fleur still kept her pristine composure. She stared at Hermione starkly, but Hermione suddenly couldn't be angry at her anymore. She spoke her mind, and there was some appreciation to be found in that.

"Do you even like Ronald?" Fleur asked, still looking at her. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Why on earth would I like Ron? There are better people out there..." she lied. Well, half lied, anyway. Fleur seemed to sense this and surpressed a laugh.

"Ingenue. You are very well learned een ze art of lying, non? You wouldn't be so annoyed by 'eem eef you didn't like 'eem at leest a leetle," Fleur bit back another chuckle.

"You're insane. Stop being so childish and mind your own business, won't you?" Hermione said loudly.

"Non. You're ze one beeing childeesh. Y'can't eeven answer a seemple question wi'zout lyeeng," Fleur shrugged, pulling her hood over her head a little more snugly. Hermione grew irritated once more.

Hermione stood up and advanced towards Fleur, ignoring how hard it was to keep her footing on the bus. Every time Fleur showed her she could be nice, she'd turn around and do something completely obnoxious for no reason at all. She didn't understand the woman, and it was annoying her to no end.

"How dare you... Why can't you just make up your mind and decide if you're going to be--"

The rest of the words were cut off by her less than graceful fall into Fleur's arms. Hermione tried to get up, but the bus seemed to move even more sporadically still the more she tried. Fleur couldn't throw the girl off of her...she was supposed to be guarding her. They both clenched their jaws...

Fleur was indeed surprised by this. But she was even more surprised that the first thing she told herself not to do was throw Hermione off of her. This was yet another event that made her seriously wonder what she actually thought of the Prefect. Not even Bill made her feel this way...But she was afraid to doubt her love for Bill. He loved her, and she loved him. That's all there was to it. She was also aware that she was possibly going to be spending the next year or two...or three...guarding this girl in her arms. As much as it pained her to do so...

She wrapped her arms around Hermione to keep her safe from falling off. Hermione was obviously gaping, but Fleur paid her no mind. She would try her hardest to make Bill happy and do her job without feeling the need to rip Hermione's hair out. In fact, Hermione's hair happened to smell, and look, great.

'What am I theenking? I need to stop...'

Hermione was in an equal state of disarray. She didn't understand why Fleur had her arms around her. Could this have anything to do with Fleur staring at her chest? Her heart skipped a beat and she inhaled deeply, basking in Fleur's scent. It made her head fuzzy and she closed her eyes.

'She smells nice...some kind of berry scent...mmm...'

Both Fleur and Hermione were still in a state of drugged shock when the bus came to a stop at King's Cross. Stan went over to the two, grinning from ear to ear.

"C'mon now, sir, this is your stop! Up y'get!" he said animatedly, poking Fleur.

Fleur stopped inhaling Hermione's hair and immediately stood up and let go of her, hurrying off the Knight bus. Hermione blushed and scurried after her, ignoring Stan's odd stares.


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The Hogwarts Express was there, waiting for them to board. Fleur found Tonks with all of their luggage, and she took hers and got on the red steamer without a word of thanks. Hermione's eyes followed Fleur as she boarded, filled with confusion and anger. She put her worries aside and retrieved her bags from Tonks.

"Thank you, Tonks," Hermione smiled.

"No problem, Hermy! Now be good," she smiled back, hugging Hermione.

"I will, don't worry."

Hermione waved goodbye to Tonks and made her way to the Prefects' cabin to put her luggage down. The train was quite empty, as everyone was still outside saying goodbye to family and friends.

She reached the cabin and put her bags in their respective compartments, then left to see if any of the others had arrived. The clump of red hair told her that Bill, Ron, and Ginny had found their way to the station. Following them was a mane of shaggy black hair followed by Harry. She smiled and went over to them.

"Hey Hermione, I see you got here okay," Bill smiled.

"Yeah...I did," she said, her mind wandering back to Fleur.

"Good, good," Bill beamed, not noticing the tone of Hermione's voice. "Well, we'd best be off. Take care, Snuffles," he said to Sirius.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.

"Oh, I didn't tell you. Fleur and I are going to Hogwarts with you all. We got a job with the Ministry to help oversee the school."

"Uhh...why's the Ministry trying to oversee Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out. The Order wants us to guard you, as well."

"Oh...okay," Harry shrugged.

They all took turns to pet Sirius goodbye, then boarded the Hogwarts Express. Sirius ran to the edge of the platform, and Harry continued to wave goodbye to him as the train took off.


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"Hermione, where's Fleur?" Bill asked.

"Um...I'm not sure. She went on without me."

"Oh, alright then. I'll go find her. See you at the feast," he smiled, waving goodbye to her.

Ron and Hermione said goodbye to Harry and Ginny, and proceeded to the Prefects' cabin. On the way there, Hermione saw Fleur and Bill sitting in a cabin, alone. Fleur saw Hermione and they immediately glared at each other. Their eyes seemed to relax a bit after a few seconds of unbroken eye contact, and they quickly turned their attentions elsewhere.

"Don't they look great together, hun?" Bill prodded Fleur.

"I suppose," Fleur sighed.

"Well, just remember I'm here to help if you think of any ingenous plan to get them together."

Fleur nodded absent-mindedly and began to let Bill's words reel in her mind. She felt a slight pang of guilt at the prospect of having Hermione be practically forced to date Ron...but there was a bit of amusement in the idea at the same time. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation...