Actions

Work Header

Fighting is our form of Flirting

Summary:

After Hermione witnesses her sort-of-girlfriend/sort-of-best-friend kissing somebody else, she immediately applies for a transfer away from Hogwarts. She thinks that she's lucky to get accepted into Beauxbatons only to find out that her new roommate is a total princess...as in, like an actual princess...of France
OR
A fleurmione Her Royal Highness inspired by the book by Rachel Hawkins

Chapter 1

Notes:

So, I changed around everybody's ages so now they are all the same age and they are all about to begin their sixth year

Chapter Text

Hermione supposed that the best part of the Summer wasn't the heat (which wasn't even a thing considering that she lived in London) or the break from school (Hermione always found that she got horribly bored without work to do). No, the best part of Summer was this.

"This has a Nundu on it."

Hermione turned her head to the side and smiled at what she saw. Her sort-of-girlfriend/ sort-of-best-friend, Padma Patil, was grinning at her - shaking the letter in her hand tauntingly. The pair of them had been lying in a tent in Hermione's garden for nearly four hours now. The sun had long set and the only light was from the lamp that Hermione had set up at the entrance of the tent.

Padma and Hermione had known each other since they were four. Wizarding Law around the globe had changed in the last fifty years or so and now made it mandatory for the Ministries to contact Muggleborns before they started primary school. As such, Hermione had been placed into a Magical primary school where she had met her best friends.

She plucked the letter out of Padma's hands and stuck her finger out childishly.

"Now you see why I wanted to go," She said as she slid the letter back into the envelope," Any school that has a Nundu on its official correspondence is good enough for me."

"Obviously," Padma replied fondly, leaning back into her sleeping bag and pulling Hermione down with her.

They hadn't had a campout since their last year in primary school but, for once, it was warm and both girls were feeling particularly lazy. Ergo, they set up a tent in Hermione's garden and were planning to sleep in it until Padma had to go home tomorrow morning.

Propping herself up on her elbow again, Padma stared down at Hermione - leaning forward to press a kiss against her lips. "And you got in!"

Nodding and reciprocating the grin, Hermione allowed her eyes to flicker to the envelope that she had stashed in her backpack. She had reread it many times since it had arrived a few weeks ago via owl. She had applied on a whim, just to see if the school would accept her. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was one of the only magical schools in the entire world that required you to pay to attend. France had four magic schools - Beauxbatons, two others, which were both free to attend, and a fourth school that was private but was a lot less expensive than Beauxbatons. However, Beauxbatons had some of the best NEWT results in the whole world and was famous for accepting French Wizarding Nobility.

The acceptance letter had been sitting in Hermione's backpack for a while now. She hadn't even told her father about her application and wasn't going to tell Padma about it either. It was just her luck though, that the girl went rummaging through her back in the hopes of finding some Muggle lip balm that Hermione knew she loved.

"So why aren't you going?" Padma asked, dipping down for another kiss," You've been talking about this school since fourth year."

Hermione shrugged.

The tent flap flew open and carried in the light breeze of the outside world - freshly cut grass and the flowers that Hermione's step-mother liked to grow.

"What, so now that you've gotten in, you're not going to go?" Padma pressed, a frown on her face as she mulled it over in her mind.

Hermione shrugged again before sighing, rolling over onto her side so that she could face her girlfriend/best friend. "It's super expensive," She said - it was the truth after all," So I'd have to apply for a loan at Gringotts and you knew that the goblins would con me out of money and, well, you know."

"No, I don't know."

"It's in a different country, Pads."

Also true...but that hadn't stopped Hermione from dreaming about the rolling hills and the nice, warm French weather instead of the cold, wet weather in Scotland, all throughout last year. But, then again, she realised as she glanced at Padma again, things had been different last year.

"You're not turning it down because of me, right?" Padma asked as she scooted closer. The last time that they had done this was the year before they started Hogwarts together. Padma still had the same, ratty, old sleeping bag. A lot of things had changed since then.

This thing...between the pair of them had only started this Summer and Hermione still wasn't used to it - her heart thumping in her chest at how close they were.

"What?" Hermione huffed out a laugh but she had never been the best liar and it came out more like a squeak than anything else.

"It's okay to admit that you can't stand being away from me," Padma teased. Hermione moved to shove the other girl away but Padma caught her wrist easily with her Merlin damned Quidditch reflexes and pulled Hermione in for another kiss.

Hermione melted into it. Padma's lips tasted like cherry flavoured lip balm and, in that moment, it was just Hermione and Padma, sitting in a tent together, kissing like nothing else in the world mattered. When they pulled apart, they were both smiling at each other with pick cheeks. "I'm not going because it's too expensive," Hermione said softly," Like I said."

"They'd give you a scholarship," Padma pointed out," You're the smartest person in the school. Doesn't the 'brightest witch of her age' ring a bell?"

"It's not like its difficult!" Hermione laughed back, pulling Padma down so they were both resting on their backs, staring up at the ceiling of the tent," I swear, with the amount of inbreeding going around with the Purebloods, they're getting dumber and dumber every year."

They both laughed at that but Hermione paled slightly when she noticed Padma still watching her. She knew that face - that exact Padma face that screamed 'we're not done speaking about this and I will argue about this to the bitter end'. 

"I'm serious though, Mione," Padma continued," If this is about 'us'-"

"It's not," Hermione said again," And we're not really an 'us', anyway. Well we are as in the fact that I'm a person and you're a person and, together, that makes two people which makes us an 'us' per the Oxford Dictionary definition of 'us' but really-"

Padma silenced her with a kiss. "We are an us," She said," I've never felt more like an 'us' with anybody but you."

"More us then when you and Terry were an us?"

Hermione clamped her hands over her mouth in horror. It was an unspoken rule between the pair of them - not to mention Terry Boot. He was Padma's ex-boyfriend and he was biggest dick Hermione had ever met. He was in their year at school and a Ravenclaw just like Padma was. The pair had started dating in fifth year but broke up after OWLs - before Hermione and Padma became...whatever they were now. He lived in London just like Hermione did and she was glad that she hadn't bumped into him since the Summer had began - which was a feat in and of itself because he lived a few streets away from where Hermione's pseudo-aunt and her family lived.

Padma frowned before turning to gaze at the ceiling again. "Weren't we kind of an 'us' even before Terry?"

"Maybe," Hermione shrugged and inwardly grinned when Padma turned on her side again and grabbed Hermione by the back of the neck and pulled her into a kiss.

All thoughts of Terry and France and Beauxbatons with their Nundu crest vanished into thin air as Hermione kissed back.


"Terry is back."

Hermione tore her eyes away from the TV screen in front of her. Currently, she was sat in Lavender Brown's games room, slouched against her bed with her eyes trained on the screen with an Xbox controller in her hands. All Muggle technology used by Muggleborns had been taken in by the Ministry to modify so it could withstand magic usage and Lavender was one of the only ones who had a gaming system and Hermione didn't have to money to pay the Ministry to do the same for her own technology - minus her phone and laptop.

On the screen, her character died.

"That was my last life," She said sourly. She reached for her drink - a cream soda from a knockoff brand that Hermione loved because it was so cheap. From sitting atop her bed, Lavender poked the older girl with her foot.

"Did you hear what I just said?"

On her other side, Luna Lovegood sat up and pulled the Xbox controller out of Hermione's hands. "She heard you," Luna mused," But I don't think that she cares."

"I do care," Hermione insisted," Because I like Terry and, genuinely, I had no idea that he had left London."

"Mione," Lavender said with a warning tone.

"They're done," Hermione said as she watched Luna storm through the level with little difficulty," And me and Padma are-"

"A summer fling," Lavender said bluntly," She's going to break your heart."

Hermione sighed and scowled. Lavender had been saying the exact same thing since the start of Summer.

"Padma is kind of flaky," Luna said softly, flicking her hair over her shoulder when it got in the way of her gaming," I don't see that making her a good girlfriend."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved Luna fondly. "Luna, I love you," She said with the utmost seriousness," But your Ace nature doesn't make you the best source on girlfriends."

Silence descended on the trio as Luna rolled her eyes and continued to button mash.

"Padma said that you got into Beauxbatons," Lavender said after a while and Luna spat out the drink that she was sipping from. "She said that you weren't planning to attend."

Hermione's heart dropped and she groaned loudly. This was exactly why she didn't tell anybody. Hermione reached for her cheap fizzy drink - not because she was thirsty or anything but just so she had something to do and it was better than the alternative.

"Are you not going because of her?" Luna asked.

"I'm not going because it's expensive," Hermione replied, sighing and downing her drink in one swig.

"Right, because a scholarship is so out of your reach, Miss Brightest Witch Of Her Age," Lavender said.

"It's probably too late to apply for a scholarship," Hermione said sourly," And it was a stupid idea to apply anyway."

"Calling major BS on that one, Mione," Lavender shrugged.

"You know what? I'm not having this conversation," Hermione replied before grabbing her jacket from where she had flung it over Lavender's desk chair," Oh - and look at the time! I'm going to head out."

She ignored the shouting of her friends behind her.

With what happened next, Hermione wondered if it would have been better if she had stayed at Lavender's house.


Hermione walked to the store with a huff. She wasn't in the mood to be told what to do by Lavender Brown of all people. Sometimes she regretted befriending the girl in their second year. Maybe it was better to be at each other's throats all of the time rather than being friends and getting unwanted advice. The last time that Lavender had advised Hermione on anything, both of them had ended up in the Black Lake in nothing but a pair of shorts and on a Muggle floatation device as Grindylows tried to attack them. Suffice to say, Hermione knew better than to take Lavender Brown's advice.

She sighed in annoyance as she entered the store. She didn't particularly want to go home so resolved herself to turning up at her Aunt's house and chill out there before going home for dinner. Her shopping was done on autopilot, grabbing some cheese and bread before heading into the chocolate aisle - intent on eating away her feelings of annoyance. She had just picked up a chocolate bar when she turned and noticed that she wasn't alone.

The bar slipped from her hand in shock as she watched Padma grab Terry Boot by the back of the collar and pull him into a needy kiss. The thud of the chocolate hitting the ground shocked all three of them. Padma whirled around in shock before opening and closing her mouth like she didn't know what to say - like she didn't mean to get caught. Terry Boot, on the other hand, didn't seem to recognise the tension between the two girls as he sauntered down the aisle and clapped Hermione on the back.

"Good to see you, Granger," He said with a grin," You doing good?"

"I've been better," Hermione said through clenched teeth, still staring at Padma, who looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up," I should, er, get going." She held up her groceries and picked the chocolate bar up from the floor. "My aunt is expecting me."

"Ah, right," Boot nodded at her before running a hand through his floppy hair," See you at school, then, right Granger?"

The mention of Hogwarts sent a sudden jerk of pain through Hermione's heart. School. She would have to see them both at school in two weeks, have to live with Lavender's gloating and Padma's twin sister. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as she straightened her smile and put on the fakest smile that she could muster.

"Of course," She said before allowing the tiniest bit of her annoyance show," I have to beat somebody in Potions, don't I?"

Terry flushed at that before coughing slightly and going back to Padma, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into another kiss.


"You want to what?"

Hermione nearly flinched at her father's tone when she explained her plan. That alone made her want to laugh. She had felt numb since, what she had dubbed, the 'Incident' so the guilty feeling in her stomach was a welcome surprise.

She hadn't contacted anybody since, practically falling off the grid and not replying to the messages that her friends had sent her. Padma's 'I'm sorry' was still sitting on read for nearly two weeks. Lavender's 'I told you so' was given the same treatment and Hermione hadn't even opened the messages from Luna just yet.

"France," Hermione replied as she looked at her father," Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, to be exact. It's one of the best magic schools in the world and-"

"Hermy," Her father said and she did flinch this time. He only called her that when he felt out of his depth. He only called her that when she reminded him of her mother which happened to be most of the time. Hermione inherited her looks from her mother. Helen Granger was a beautiful woman from one of the Greek islands that moved to England once she had completed school. Hermione had gained her olive skin and untameable brown hair as well as her facial structure. The only thing that she had gained from her father was his deep brown eyes. "We don't have the money for this."

"I know," Hermione said," Dad, I promise that I know. It's just- listen, right. Beauxbatons offers a bunch of scholarships and, well, I thought that-"

"What brought this on?"

Hermione thought about coming clean, about how after witnessing Padma and Terry wrapped up in each other, she had ran to Auntie Andromeda's house (who, technically speaking, wasn't actually related to her but they had gotten close when the witch had come to Hogwarts to help out Madam Pomfrey after Hermione's unfortunate accident) and told her everything. She thought about explaining how Andromeda had found out about the letter from Beauxbatons when Hermione had spilled everything to her, about how Andi had pushed her into accepting it.

"I just," Hermione said instead," I want a fresh start and, Dad, look-" She thrust the leaflet into his hands," The main language is English because they want to not only teach their students magic but real world skills as well. Please, Dad? Mum would let me." Hermione knew that was a low blow the moment that she said it.

Mr Granger slowly turned around from where he had been cooking on the stove. His eyes flicked towards where Hermione's little brother was sat in his high chair. Alexander giggled as he reached forward and chewed on his bib without a care in the world.

"Is that what this is about?" Mr Granger asked quietly," Hermy, I know-"

"Dad!" Hermione cut him off quickly," It's not about Alex or Hayley! There's no tragic backstory or anything! I just want a fresh start!"

Hermione's father had married Hayley a year before his daughter had started at Hogwarts but they had only had Alexander a year ago. Now, Hermione really like Hayley, loved her even and she was a good fit for Hermione's dad. But...She had come too late in Hermione's life for them to bond as much as Mr Granger had wanted them to. He was still absolutely convinced that Hermione still held some ill will towards this woman that had appeared out of nowhere to take the role of her mother.

Hermione sighed at her father's frown. Moving to the kitchen cupboards as he tried to compute the information that he had been given, Hermione pulled down a box of cereal and handfed a few to her brother - who gurgled happily and reached for more.

"Evening all!" Hayley Granger chirped as she entered the kitchen in a flurry of movement. She pulled Hermione into a hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead before taking Alex out of his high chair and dragging Mr Granger into a fierce lip lock.

"Evening Hayley," Hermione said as she hopped onto the kitchen counters and began to eat out of the cereal box as well," How was work?"

"Wonderful as always, sweetheart," Hayley said as she pulled away from Mr Granger and headed back to Hermione for another hug. She was a touchy-feely kind of person and, for once, Hermione didn't seem to mind. "How was your day?"

"Well-"

"Hermione wants to go to France for her sixth and seventh year," Mr Granger blurted out before his daughter can respond.

"Oh," Hayley raised an eyebrow in confusion," Okay? When are we seeing her off?"

"Hayley!" Dr Granger yelled, exasperated as his daughter hopped off of the counter to give her step-mother a massive hug that almost toppled both girls over.

"What?" Hayley raised an eyebrow and Hermione suppressed her snicker. She knew that face, the Hayley face that screams 'why the hell can't Hermione do something? She's a responsible teenager'. Hermione loved that look. "What is wrong with her going to France?"

"Honey, the school is incredibly expensive and I'm sure that all of the scholarships are-"

"She'll get a scholarship," Hayley crossed her arms over her chest and gave her husband a pointed look.

"Hayley!" He said again but relented when he saw the look on his wife's face and turned to face his daughter," Fine, apply for one of the scholarships, Hermy."

Hermione flashed him an apologetic smile and reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out the second letter she received from Beauxbatons a few days ago, complete with the Nundu crest.

"I already did."