Title: It Could All Be So Simple

Rating: PG-13, will be R later

Pairing: Fleur/Hermione.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Summary: It's been normal for quite sometime in the magical world, but now things are about to change with the approach of a tournament. Hermione must deal with the changes life throws her direction and find a way to keep her friendships strong. Little did she know that life's biggest challenge was yet to come... Romance.

A/N: Regarding Questions and Suggestions: (Ch. 6)

Gaploon - I was tempted to do the very thing but I decided to store my evil side in a trunk!

raiatea1 - thank you so much for the great analytic comment on my story. It happens in life you know, a person can say one thing and its interpret in many other ways by different people. Hermione is smart but not a mind reader.

Sailor Natsuki - The next chapter will be more of Fleur =]

Thank you to all the old and new readers. I appreciate your comments, story alert adds, PMs, and favorite author tags. I've had the worst writer's block and it seemed I would never have the feeling to write again. I promised a couple of readers that I would update 3 stories and I will do just as I promised. I'm still looking for a beta. So if you know any good betas or want to volunteer yourself. Please comment or PM me. Normally when I write a story a song was motivation. But no good songs have been catching my attention. So I decided on a Sum41 song called "With Me". Enjoy.

It Could All Be So Simple

Ch 7. The Show Must Go On

Everything has been figured out, except how to live.

--

"Fleur, can you please slow down?" An exasperated Gabrielle barely keeping pace with her older sister as she made her way down another shelf of books. It was a Friday night and they were the only students in the library to keep Madam Pince company.

With a burst of speed the youngest Delacour rushed ahead and stepped in front of Fleur. "For the last time, what is ze probleme?"

"What does he have that I do not possess?" Fleur could not stare into the eyes of her little sister. She decided to scan the books surrounding them in the hopes of gaining the essence of her lover. A lover or was was that a lost cause? "So what if he's a superstar quidditch player. I know for a fact I am smarter and more good looking than he'll ever be."

Gabrielle stared helplessly as Fleur paced back and forward while rummaging through books. She didn't understand why love had to be so complicated. It seemed as if fairy tales lacked all the necessary truth about the growth of relationships along with the pain caused by unrequited love. Shaking her head from those thoughts, Gabrielle decided to take action.

The small young woman reached up and grabbed the chin of the taller woman in order to force eye contact. "Do you love her, Fleur?"

"More than I can explain nor understand. I loved her since the day I took my first breath of life. I've loved her everyday since then and even after when there is no breath left in my body." On that note, Fleur sunk down to the floor and stared at the ground with a lifeless expression as if to prove her point.

Bending down, Gabrielle took one look at the broken form of her sister and walked away. It pained her to see that much weight on the shoulders of the person she looked up to the most.

Walking as fast as she could through the hallways of Hogwarts, Gabrielle had no clue what she was about to do. All she knew was that she had to take action before all was lost.

The stars were shining brightly through the blanket of deep dark blue skies but it went unnotice to one person in particular. Hermione Granger was back at her favorite place, the Astronomy tower, and had a menacing scowl upon her face.

Over an over the scene of Fleur leaving kept replaying in her mind. The brunette could not understand what happened from breakfast to the end of it. She was trying to be logical and every thought she had could not justify the reaction Fleur held with Viktor.

"What did I miss this time?" She yelled up to the stars knowing she would not get the response she was desperately seeking.

"Everything." A confident yet fragile voice spoke up in answer to Hermione's question.

The brunette quickly spun on her heels to face whomever that answered. With a hand to her chest she hadn't realize she was holding her breath until she let out a gasp when her eyes came into contact with a piercing blue pair. For a moment she thought it was Fleur.

A playful smirk graced the lips of the intruder as she spoke, "I thought you was so smart and yet here you are lost beyond saving."

Hermione let a nervous chuckle slip through her lips and she turned back around to stare at the beauty of the grounds. "Yes in book knowledge I try my hardest to excel. But as you can see in the matters of life I am inadequate for the task."

"Why do you insist on hurting my sister?" Gabrielle took a confident step forward in order for the light of the stars to reveal her completely.

Slowly Hermione turned around and took a closer look at the voice that is behind her. A look recognition passed through the pair as she responded, "Gabrielle I do not understand how I could have ever hurt, Fleur. She is a great friend to me. I have so very few. All she ever had to do was tell me the problem. We could fix it.." Tears were now threatening to fall and yet they refused to spill over onto her cheeks.

"You both are so foolish."

---

"Hey mate, your tie is crooked." Ron couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped his lips as he watched his best friend struggle to put a tie on straight.

Harry was in front of the mirror with a determine expression on his face set from the task of getting ready for the champions' ball. He let out a frustrated sigh, "I rather face a hundred dragons then to dance tonight in front of all these people."

"Well, at least you'll be dancing with someone. Poor Hermione will not have anyone to dance with at the ball." Ron raised up from his seat to stand in front of Harry in the mirror and to ruffle his red hair. "If she wasn't so proud she could have asked me to the ball and I would've said yes."

A snort broke the moment as Harry turned around to face Ron with a grin. "You can't be serious. You and Hermione...dancing? Very funny and unbelievable."

An indignant look crossed the features of the red haired boy as he stared at his best friend. "Ey, whatdoyah mean by that, mate?"

"I mean Hermione would rather dance with a buldger before dancing with you." Harry faced was now fully red from the withheld laughter caused by the moment.

"Come on guys, we are going to be late!" The shrill voice of Parvati was heard deep within the boys chambers.

The boys rushed to put the finishing touches on their attire before rushing out of the chambers to meet their dates. The stairways was packed with couples heading down to the Great Hall.

"Hey have you spotted Hermione yet?" Ron bent low to whisper to Harry as they made their way closer to the ball.

"Nothing yet, but knowing Hermione she's on time and already inside." Harry looked ahead as he spoke to spot Professor McGonagall motioning for him to move to where the other champions were suppose to be waiting. "I got to go, have fun and see you soon."

Ron nodded and moved forward quickly while a dragged Padma followed closely at his heels looking disgruntled. "I wonder."

As Harry walked closer to the champions he was blown away by the sight of so many of his fellow competitors looking well dressed, he suddenly felt out of place.

"'Ello 'Arry." A touch on the shoulder alerted Harry that someone was behind him.

Harry turned around to see a stunning Fleur beside a shell shocked Roger Davies as her date. "Well hey Fleur! You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you very much. You look very 'Andsome 'Arry." Fleur leaned in a bit to straighten Harry's tie as she flashed him a grin.

For the second time tonight Harry turned red. He cleared his throat and spoke, "I guess we are just waiting on Viktor and his date so we can go inside."

A pain expression flashed through the beautiful features on the blonde Veela as a forced grin covered it up. Harry couldn't understand what he could have possibly had said that could have caused such a reaction.

No soon as he opened his mouth to ask the sound of heavy boots approaching caused everyone to look in the direction of it. Viktor Krum was walking with a stunning brunnette on his arms as his date. All the guys standing around could not take their eyes off of this captivating creature dressed in a pink and silver gown.

As the couple approached closer to Harry, his mouth began to open wider and wider as he started to notice who it was the Bulgarian brought to the dance as his date. "Hermione is that you?"

A blushing Hermione stared at her best friend for a moment taking in his appearance as well before busting out into a wide smile. "Of course Harry!"

Harry shook his head out of the daze and turned to face Fleur quickly but noticed she was nowhere in sight. 'I was just talking to her, wasn't I?' Harry thought.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, "All champions and their date line up together for the champions march."

As the doors of the Great Hall opened the band stopped their current tune and began to play an opener for the champions to make their entrace. All eyes were now on them as they made their way to the front of the crowd.

Harry couldn't help looking into the crowd as he spotted Ron with the most sour expression on his face as if he swallow a bunch of vomit flavored beans. 'He must have spotted Hermione with Viktor,' Harry thought with an inner chuckle.

The introduction of the champions was made and the party began. Everyone was having a good time except a certain blonde Veela.

"Fleur did you hear a word of what I just said?"

The blonde young woman snapped out of stare and looked at her date who was standing beside her holding a glass of punch.

Quickly she turned on her Veela thrall and smiled seductively, "Of course."

Right at that moment Hermione turned around to see the couple staring into each other eyes as if no one else was in the room. She turned back around to look at a dancing Viktor, "Do you mind if we stop to get a drink of punch."

"Vell of course," Viktor flashed his best smile at her that he had known to melt plenty of young girls' hearts.

Hermione paid no attention to the smile as she grabbed his hand tightly and pushed them through the crowd towards the drinks. As she approached the table she took the moment to speak to Fleur. "Hey, how are you enjoying the party Fleur?"

The Veela snapped out of the eye contact with her date to direct her attention towards Hermione. "The party 'As been wonderful. Especially since accompanied with such a great person."

Fleur made it a point by grasping Davies' hand tightly and flashing a quick smile at him. The brunette was heart broken but she refused to show any signs of it.

"That's just great." Afterward, Hermione turned around and spoke to the Bulgarian who quickly went to get their drinks.

Gabrielle took the moment to appear into the circle without her date. "'Ermione and Fleur."

They both smiled at the young Veela but neither sign of happiness reached their eyes. It was a time for awkward silence but Gabrielle wouldn't allow it. "They decorated this place pretty well."

Both Hermione and Fleur stared at the people and objects around them, but refused to make direct eye contact.

"Oh forget it." Gabrielle let out a frustrated sigh then grabbed the hand of her sister and brunette before walking them to the balcony for privacy.

She faced the both of them and with a firm voice declared, "You two better talk out here and if you leave this place before being finished I will hex you."

Hermione had an incredulous look, "You can't be serious."

"Try me." And with that the young Veela left and covered the view of the pair with a silk curtain.

The young brunette spared a side glance at the stunning Veela before moving closer to the balcony to stare at the splendor of the Hogwarts' grounds."Fleur, whatever it is that's bothering you please tell me."

"It is nothing." The stubborn Veela refused to budge an inch on this topic.

Hermione turned back around with unshed tears glistening in her eyes as stared at her friend. "Is it because I went to the ball with Viktor? Do you like him that much that it has caused our new friendship to suffer?"

Fleur's heart began to melt as she stared into the soft brown eyes of her lover. She whispered in response, "Something to that effect."

The soft brown eyed woman rushed to the side of her friend and grabbed her hand gently. "I didn't know he meant that much to you. He was just a last minute date to me."

Fleur looked down at her lover and smiled softly before cupping her cheek. "It is you that means more to me."

The shocked expression on Hermione was lost as the blonde woman bent down to brush a chaste kiss onto Hermione's lips.

At the ball, Gabrielle had a content smile on her face as she watched her older sister finally get what belonged to her, Hermione. But her expression was quickly replaced with annoyance as the Bulgarian champion was making his way to the balcony in search of his date.

The young Veela took a quick sweep with her eyes at the crowd and spotted the one person she did not want to see, Rita Skeeter. Throughout this who tournament, this reporter has been trying to dig up a juicy story on all of the champions. A love triangle is the last thing that Fleur needed to publish as a distraction to detract her attention away from winning.

Quickly, Gabrielle made her through the crowd to stop Viktor from opening the curtain but she was a half of a second too late.

What can you say, when the curtain has been drawn back and the stage is set with it's players? It's show time!

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You've reached the end of this chapter. Now feed me reviews! Please. -Lynn Ps. I wonder what the headlines of the newspaper will read on this one.