Im not own any of the characters.
I apologize beforehand, english is not my first lenguage, so sorry if there some mistakes. Also! Thanks to Alora Blench, for the help they are giving me to correct the chapters.

Thanks for your follows, favorites and reviews. Your support really give me energy to continiu this crazy story.

Im also posting this story on ao3.

Also:

-Bold-: creature dialogue

'Italic': thoughts.

CHAPTER 7

The following day became a roller coaster of reactions for Hermione. All the Gryffindors she cross path with on her way to the Great Hall cheer her and congratulate her just like the night prior. The Slytherins' insults were totally expected by the lioness, but she felt a little bad when the Hufflepuffs gave her the cold shoulder. Hermione assumed it was because they felt betrayed for Cedric.

'I would step down from the tournament just for Cedric if I could.' She thought.

To Hermione surprise, the oddest reaction had come from the Ravenclaws. The blue and bronze house had split reactions towards her. On the one side some students had allied themselves with the puffs and the serpents as they stood against her for being a champion. The other half of the Ravenclaws however had formed some sort of a fan club for her. The knowledge-thirsty students were eager to learn how the Gryffindor succeeded in passing the Age line and how she was going to prepare for the upcoming task. They even declare their support for her since anyone that was able to do what she did deserved their respect.

By the time the Drakarys finally reach a seat by the Gryffindor table the morning after her head was spinning and she was strongly considering just going back to her dorm room.

"I told you, she was obviously lying when she said she didn't…" Hermione's sensitive ears picked up the annoying voice of Lavender Brown almost on the other end of the table. When the brunette gave a quick glance that way she found Lavender talking to Ronald. "The night before the goblet revealed the champions she came back to the dorms late, probably from the library. Then by the time I am up the next morning she was already up and ready to leave the room and what did she have to say about it when I asked? Nothing, she just shrugged and left the room. I just know she came down early to put her name into the goblet. She obviously did it to get into the spot light and to get attention from the boys, because that's the only way they would look at her."

Hermione never got along too well with Lavender. Their personalities and interests were just too different, so they just stayed away from each other and respect the fact they had to live together in the girl's dorm. Nothing less, nothing more, but in that moment, Hermione was doing everything in her power to not stand up and go to smash Lavender's ugly face against the table for spreading all those lies about her and what was worse, it looked like Ronald believe her! How could he!

"Just ignore them." Ginny said, sitting down beside her while Harry sat down in front of them. "They are just being jealous gits and I think she's doing it just to get into his pants."

"Uhg." Hermione sneered making a face of disgust as she slammed down the empty cup she had in her hand. Finger indents deform the cup from the deadly grip she had on it due to her anger. "Thanks for the horrendous image, Ginny." Hermione complained, but it only made her two friends burst into laughter.

-o-

The days pass with Hermione ignoring Ronald's childish attitude, taking deep breaths as to not set Draco on fire for his constant insults, taking longer runs to relieve some of her stress and study in the library. She was trying to prepare and find out as much about the Triwizard Tournament as she could. The clue of 'Fight the unexpected' became 'Fight a creature' almost instantly as she read about what had been done in the tournaments years pass and if they kept with traditions the champions were going to get some big beast to fight.

As Hermione studied the history of the tournament she learned that in years past the champions had to get pass a beast or get something from it. Now she only had to discover what they would be going up against. To date they had used Cerberus, Manticores, Hydras and even cockatrice, among others things.

'This tournament is a thing of madness. Does the wizarding world have zero self-preservation skills!' Hermione kept repeat that thought with every new fact she learns about the Triwizard Tournament. Maybe she should print it on a shirt and start selling them.

When she made a commented about it to Harry on their way to a Double Potions class the boy doubled over in laughter. "Oh Merlin, yes! I would buy one in every color." He said while still laughing.

"Maybe I could start a small business and use it to fund S.P.E.W." Hermione joked.

When she and Harry arrived at Snape's dungeon, they found the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of their robes. For one wild moment Hermione thought they were S.P.E.W. badges, but that couldn't be because she hadn't sold one to anyone of them. Then she saw that they all bore the same message, in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage: 'Support CEDRIC DIGGORY. The REAL Hogwarts Champion.'

"Like them, Mudblood?" said Malfoy loudly as she and Harry approached. "And this isn't all they do — look!"

He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green: 'GRANGER STINKS'

The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message GRANGER STINKS was shining brightly all-around Hermione. She felt the heat rise in her face and neck as her anger started to boil.

"Oh, very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls, who were laughing the hardest of the whole group. "Really witty. Tell me Malfoy, did you do it by yourself or did you have to owl your father to help you think for an insult?"

Harry took her arm trying to calm her down. Hermione had told him that controlling her temper had become more difficult lately with everything that was happening. She had even told him about her transformation, which until that point only Ginny and Snape knew about, because she was scared of losing control and transforming when her temper became too much. After he learned about her form he made it his personal mission to help Hermione keep calm since he couldn't really help her study for the tournament.

"Come on 'Mione. Let's go in and prepare our things. They aren't worth it." Harry said as he glared at the group. The little group that had formed round them even included Ron amongst them. Hermione let out a low growl in acknowledgment and turn to enter the dungeon with him.

"That's right Granger, go and hide with your boyfriend." Draco continued taunting. "Tell me Potter, don't you feel sick when your dick gets dirty from fucking your Mudblood girlfriend?"

"THAT'S IT MALFOY! I'M GOING TO CURSE YOU UNTIL YOU FORGET YOUR OWN NAME!" Hermione growled loudly. Her wand was already in her hand and her eyes had changed to bright purple with slit pupils. Harry reached for his wand as Draco did the same each of them aiming it at the other. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing away down the corridor.

"Go on, then, Granger!" Malfoy said loudly as he sneered at her. "Moody's not here to look after you now. Do it, if you've got the guts."

Fortunately, before any of them could cast the dungeon door burst open and Snape step out into the corridor. "What is the meaning of all this shouting?" he said in a soft, but deadly voice.

"Granger was going to attack me, sir-"

"He was insulting Hermione and was going to attack her!" Harry shouted in his friend's defense.

The man looked at the girl who was now resting against the wall, pinching the bridge of her nose with her eyes close and breathing deep. She showed him her eyes for a moment before closing them again. Hermione knew he would understand the implication of her purple eyes.

"Let's see," He said in his silkiest voice. "Twenty-five points each of you."

"But sir- "Malfoy started to complain.

"And detention. Don't act like a fool Mr. Malfoy, I heard what you said to provoked her." Snape said with a cold glare at the silly boy. "Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions. Granger you stay here."

The rest of the students enter the lab, leaving Snape and Hermione in the silences after the door closed. "You have to control your temper if you don't want everyone to discover that you are a Drakarys. What if I hadn't intervened just now?" He scolded in a low tone. His voice was firm but soft. He only used that tone of voice when he was talking to her and she called it his 'Alpha voice' in her head.

"He would be in the medical wing for at least a week." She murmured under hear breath.

-We should have set him on fire! - Her dragon growled.

They looked at each other for a couple of seconds. Hermione could feel herself starting to calm and in no time at all her eyes had changed back to their normal brown color.

"I'm sorry Alpha. Things have been difficult since the champions were announced, the school either taunting or praising me and my dragon constantly reminding me about my ma-" Hermione cut herself off, she almost slipped up about the fact that she had found her mate in Fleur.

Snape raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smirk. "Now that you are calm again go inside." He ordered. "But we will continue this conversation in your detention."

The brunette swallowed hard. 'Shit! He knows.'

-o-

After an hour of class Colin came to take Hermione to the Weighing of the Wands ceremony. Snape let her go and she followed Colin to a classroom where the judges, other champions, Dumbledore, Ollivander and a witch with magenta robes besides a man with a camera were waiting.

"Ah, here she is! Champion number four! Come in, Ms. Granger, come in. Nothing to worry about it's just the wand weighing ceremony." Bagman said. "And then there's going to be a little photo shoot and interview. This is Rita Skeeter," he added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. "She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet..."

"Maybe not that small, Ludo," Rita Skeeter said, her eyes on Hermione. The Drakarys instantly knew that woman was going to be a problem for her.

"Let's get the ceremony over first." Dumbledore said with a small frown. "May I introduce Mr. Ollivander. He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."

The ceremony started with Victor and Cedric their wands working perfectly. Then Ollivander proceeded with Fleur's. Hermione make a mental note to read more about the Veelas since the blond witch's wand had her grandmother's hair as a core which confirmed that she was a Veela. Hermione was next so she got to her feet and gave Mr. Ollivander her wand.

"Aaaah, yes," Mr. Ollivander said his pale eyes suddenly gleaming. "Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember. This is a very peculiar wand."

Hermione remembered the day she got it, the day she truly felt like a witch for the first time. Professor McGonagall had taken her to Diagon Alley to get her First-Year supplies. The rush of excitement and emotion she felt that day was one of her most precious memories.

She entered the wand shop only to test wand after wand until the old man went to the back of his shop to get a small box made of stone, that Hermione swore to this day she could hear and feel a heartbeat from the wand inside the box. The heartbeat continued to pulse until she had summoned a small fire butterfly from the tip. Amazed by that and all the emotions she was feeling that day she barely caught the description the wand maker gave her about her wand. Now that she thought about it, maybe she should have asked about that heartbeat, but she hadn't said a thing about it to anyone and had almost completely forgotten about it.

"Ten and three-quarter inches… vine… with a beautiful rose carving… it has a particular core, yes… a heartstring of the eldest dragon of a flock who was the alpha for a race now extinct… the alpha gave me the heart when her dragon died… she told me to make a good wand with it, so her dragon would guide a good and powerful soul…" The old wand maker said with a nostalgic smile.

Hermione's eyes went wide. 'It couldn't be, could it? An alpha of a dragon flock… a race now extinct… he talked to the alpha?" she thought.

"Branddyr" Ollivander cast summoning a blue-fire fox from the tip of the wand. It danced around Hermione and then disappear in the air. "I'm happy to see I upheld that promise." The old wand maker said as he gave Hermione her wand back.

-o-

"Now we are going to have an interview with each champion and take some photos." Bagman said when the ceremony ended.

"Let's start with the youngest." Rita said, looking at Hermione. "Let's go to a place a little more private."

"Why don't we do it here?" Hermione asked with her arms crossed over her chest in defiance.

'I came from the muggle world, sweetie.' Hermione though in her head. 'I know how the media can twist anything in their favor to sell. I'm already in a hole I don't need you to dig my hole any deeper.'

"Well you don´t want your competition to hear what you are going to say, do you?" Rita asked with a little tick from her left brow.

'I'm not stupid love, try again.' The young witch jabbed mentally fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the plastic blond.

"They are going to read it in the paper anyways so it doesn't matter if they hear it first." Hermione said as unsarcastically as she could.

After a moment of silence Skeeter agreed and sat down in front of the champions. Rita Skeeter's smile widened as she reached into her crocodile bag and drew out a long acid green quill and a roll of parchment.

"So, Hermione. What made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?" She asked.

"I didn't," Hermione said. "I don't know how my name got into the Goblet of Fire and I didn't put it in there." She deadpanned as she looked over to the judges for a second. Dumbledore gave her a reassuring smile, Karkaroff seemed bored, Bagman and Crouch were smiling at her like it was the best thing that could have happened that she was taking part and Maxime looked ready to attack Hermione at any given opportunity.

"How do you feel about the tasks ahead?" Rita Skeeter continued. "Excited? Nervous?"

"My life is going to be in danger. What do you think?" Hermione said with a sarcastic tone which made Fleur chuckle lowly behind her hand. Hermione gave her dragon a mental high-five for making her mate laugh.

-One point for the alpha mate.- it said.

The reporter let the comment slide, but didn't look to pleased. 'Oh, it was on. If the insolent little witch with ugly hair wanted to play, then let's play. She wasn't going to lose at her own game.' The reporter thought as she started to smirk again.

"Oh, but you had face many dangers before from what I've heard. It is well knowing that you have been glued to Harry Potter's side since the two of you enter school. Meaning you've been through all the adventures that he has."

"Well… Yeah. That doesn't mean I like to putting myself in any kind of dange-"

"Speaking of Harry Potter," The woman said cutting her off. "What is the nature of your relationship with him? Maybe there is something more than just friendship there?" Rita pried with a sickening grin.

"W-what?! No! No, no, no, no, no! Harry is like a brother to me. There's not and never will be anything romantic between the two of us." Hermione said quickly shooting any further notion down.

"Maybe you entered the tournament to get out from under his shadow?"

"I don't need to get out from under anyone's shadow." Hermione growled lowly. This woman was getting on her nerves.

"Tell me more about you. Who is Hermione Granger?"

"I'm a witch and a student at Hogwarts." Hermione answered coldly.

"You are a muggleborn, aren't you? What do your parents think about all of this? Did you tell them you entered into a deadly tournament? Are they worried? Proud? Angry?" Rita pushed.

"I'm…"

The question took the Drakarys by surprise and she didn't know how to answer. If they hadn't kick her out, what would they have thought about all this? Since that day at the beginning of August she had burry herself with training and studying to stop thinking about the Grangers. Even when Mr. and Ms. Weasley interacted with their kids during the summer or when Harry said something about Sirius she tries to ignore the pang in her chest. The ache was a constant reminder that she didn't have a home to go back to come summer.

"I'm waiting for their answer…" Hermione finally lied. "They went to Australia for work, so it takes a while to communicate via owl."

It looks like Rita Skeeter was going to ask another question when Dumbledore cut her off. "I think that is enough questions for Ms. Granger. We don't have too much time and you still need to interview the other champions before we take pictures."

Skeeter pursed her lips, but didn't complain. Hermione went to the back of the room while the others did their interviews. She was deeply in thought as the other champions spoke about their goals for the tournament and their family's reactions. The rest of the interviews finished quickly after that, but Hermione was so lost in her own thoughts that it was only when the melodious voice with a French accent addressed her did she come back to herself. Hermione was floored by how the French witch's voice could haunt her dreams.

"'Ermione. We are going to take a photo now. Come." The Drakarys blushed and her dragon jumped happily when the Veela took her hand and drag her to sit on the chair next to her. The boys stood behind them as the photo was taken, but Hermione hardly noticed it.

Hermione manage to tear away from the blond and look towards the camera just in time for the photo to be taken. The scent of mowed grass, vanilla and parchment reach Hermione's nose as she sat waiting for the photographer to finish. She remembered the last time she caught that scent at the Great Hall and how addictive it was.

-o-

"Thank you all," said Dumbledore, standing up from the judges' table. "You may go back to your lessons now — or perhaps it would be better to just go down to dinner as they are about to finish lessons for the day."

Everyone got up from their seats and Fleur was about to follow when the young brunet by her side took her hand to stop her from leaving. "Can I talk with you for a second?" Hermione managed to ask using all the Gryffindor bravery she could find.

"S-sure, just… just give me a minute." The blonde answered and her heart started racing as she told Madame Maxim she would go to the Hall in a bit. The tall woman wasn't happy about that, but because she didn't have a good argument for the French champion to go with her she had to accept it, even if it was with a sour frown. Fleur and her Veela couldn't care less about her headmistress reaction though, they were too eager because their mate wanted to speak to them!

"I want to apologize for my attitude on Hallowing." The lioness started when they were left alone. "I shouldn't have treat you the way I did. I know it's no excuse but this entire tournament thing is overwhelming. I hope we can still become friends even if we are competition for each other."

'Oh, Merlin! I won the lottery. This girl is not just intelligent and talented she is also thoughtful of her actions.' Fleur thought and her Veela nodded in agreement.

"Of course, 'Ermione. I understand." The blonde said as she gave her mate a reassuring smile. "I would be 'appy to be your friend and get to know you bezer. My offer for training togezer ez still open too. It could be our little secret since we are opponents." Fleur gave the young witch a smirk and put a finger over her lips to emphasize her point.

Hermione's eyes followed the motion and she bit her own lip. Merlin, she wanted to kiss those pink lips, she had it bad for this woman.

-Just one little step and we can take our mate.- her dragon purred temptingly.

She shook her head trying to focus her thoughts. 'This is not the time for that, horny creature. Keep it cool.'

"T-that would be wonderful." Hermione managed to say with some calm.

Fleur gave her a big smile as she got closer to the brunette and took her hand. Hermione's cheeks could have put a Weasley's hair to shame in that moment and just like when they had first met in the Great Hall Fleur lifted Hermione's hand to her full lips and place a soft kiss upon her knuckles.

"I 'ave to go, ma chéri." Fleur almost whisper. "Look for me tomorrow nigz at ze lake, I will be waizing."

The Drakarys could only managed to nod and no sooner did she confirm their meeting before the blonde turn away and started to leave the flustered Gryffindor behind. Hermione nearly groaned as she watched the French witch walk away. She couldn't stop looking at the woman's swaying hips. Fleur chuckled as she left the room where they had their wand weighing, she knew the girl had been looking at her hips as she left and she had purposefully put an extra sway in her step just for her mate.

-One point for the sexy Veela.- Fleur's inner creature said and she couldn't agree more.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm going to be honest with you guys.
I'm working the best I can on the next chapter because it's really hard for me to write fluff to start the relationship (I'm most a flirting and direct person at the begining, for me all the sweet and cute gay stuff come after being a gentlewoman and charming the girl) so start with sweet and slow burn part first has being a stuggle for me, but is the way this story has to be on my head so... here I am hitting my head on the desk trying to write chapter 8.

On another note:
I would like to know your opinion on some things, like how you find Snape character (I'm trying to keep him on character but be a little caring for his flock at the same time) and also the Drakarys in general with what I show you so far. And things like that, this is my first full fanfic so I like your coments very mutch.

I'm also updating some chapters with some corrections like the French part you send me. (thank you very much for that)

See you next chapter people.