Flower of the Heart

Flower of the Heart

"What?" Ron's mouth was hanging open, and the peas he had just placed there were rolling onto his lap.

"I'm afraid so, Ron," Hermione told him matter-of-factly. It hurt her to see him so hurt so she went into her well-I-know-what-I'm- talking-about-better-than-you mode so that she could distract herself from his face. "It's just not working out."

"The hell it's not!" thought Ron angrily. "She wasn't complaining last night...."

He tried valiantly not to look at Hermione. Instead, he looked around the high table at is fellow teachers. On Ron's other side was Harry, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Sitting beside Harry was the new Charms teacher, Fleur Delacour. At this point in time she was staring unblinkingly at Ron. Everyone knew she had been smitten with Ron since her first day when she was giving her acceptance speech, saw Ron, stopped, and placed both her elbows in her plate without noticing. He turned his gaze to the other side of Hermione. There sat Snape, still working, since he had started taking this Stay-Young potion he discovered so that he could hang around the school for even longer. Sitting next to him was the Quidditch teacher Alicia Spinnet. Harry was gazing at her now, in fact. He had dumped Cho two years ago because he wanted to be with her so badly. There were more teachers, but Ron had given up and turned to talk to the Arithmancy teacher.

"Hermione..." he trailed off. What could he say? "Hermione, can you tell me just why it isn't working out?"

"It just isn't Ron," she told him. "We're just not right for each other."

"Whatever, Hermione," Ron said, quite unsatisfied with Hermione's answer. "Harry, can we trade seats?"

"Hmm?!" Harry replied. (He had been spacing over Alicia.) "Oh, of course."

The second Ron sat down Fleur began talking to him. "Why deed you trade seats with Harry?" she asked. She tried to look concerned, but she still looked quite hopeful. "Is there something wrong with you and Hermione?"

"Yeah," Ron explained. "We just broke up."

"Oh no!" Fleur exclaimed, her face working hard not to burst into a smile. "Do you want to discuss it over coffee?"

Ron thought about that for a little. Coffee wasn't going to kill him, right? Then another thought crawled into his head. "Maybe," the thought said, "you can make it obvious that you and Fleur are dating to Hermione. Then you can make Hermione jealous and come back to you!" "Sure," Ron said aloud to Fleur, making his final decision. "Sure Fleur, I'd love to."

Fleur beamed so much it looked like the sun was sitting on her shoulders. "Great!" Fleur practically squealed. "Then we can meet in your classroom after class is over!"

*~*~*

Later on that evening Ron was waiting in his now-empty classroom for Fleur. He didn't understand what was taking her so long; her classroom was only a floor above his Transfiguration one. When Fleur arrived however, he understood why.

Fleur looked spectacular. She had not gone straight to his room like he had assumed she would. She was wearing red robes that fit not-so-modestly around her that were made of a silky, flowing material. It was, of course scoop-necked, just like everything else she owned. There was silver lace around the cuffs and neckline. Her hair was nicer than ever. It still flowed behind her, but she had curled up the ends and sides around her face.

All Ron was able to do was stare. Fleur always looked good (She was part Veela, after all) but never like this. She didn't even look this good for the Yule Ball in their fourth year. I mean, Ron knew she liked him, but she really out did herself for him. If he could think, he would have been quite complimented.

"Are you ready to go, Ron?" she asked, smiling inwardly at the look on his face.

"Y-yeah," Ron managed to stutter through his tight throat. "Le-let's go n-now."

As they were walking through Hogsmeade, people stared a lot at Fleur. She hardly noticed. Her mind was fixed completely on Ron, memorizing every freckle, every lock of satiny red hair...everything. She'd loved him since he'd "saved her sister from the lake" during the second task. Ahh, she'd give anything just to kiss him again-

"Fleur?" Ron asked as they reached the door and he held it open for her as she simply gazed at him. "Fleur, we're here."

She jerked her head gracefully from it's dazed position. "Oh, thank you for 'olding ze door, Ron."

She replied, feeling herself beginning to blush. That surprised her. Veelas don't blush....

She walked in, seeming just to glide. When she entered, everything went quiet. Fleur, feeling even more embarrassed, sat down at the nearest table and flicked her hair as Ron joined her.

"So," she said, almost businesslike."What is the deal with you and Hermione?"

He began explaining everything to her, feeling she should know all. (Except, of course, the part about the making Hermione jealous part.) She listened very seriously with rapt attention.

"Seems to me," Fleur said when he had finished, "That your problem was that you didn't communicate enough if she wouldn't give a reason. It is all on her part, of course."

Ron thought he heard her mumble, "That wouldn't happen with me...."

The rest of the night they had a great time. Fleur had finally gotten Ron to dance with her, (after much nagging and charm releasing) and now he wouldn't let go of her. She had successfully gotten him to stop thinking about Hermione. Once she had, everything else was smooth sailing.

*~*~*

While Ron was saying good night to Fleur, Hermione just happened to pass. He said very loudly,"I had a great time tonight!" and he kissed Fleur a little more intense then he meant to, but that was ok: Hermione would get more jealous the closer they became.

But did he still want to make Hermione jealous? He did miss Hermione, her soft curls, her gentle smile, her courteous laugh....But then there was Fleur. He really had had a great time tonight. And he wouldn't soon forget her deep sapphire eyes, that silvery hair, that fun-loving attitude...the way he had felt when he kissed her.... Arriving at his office he decided not to worry about it now, he needed some sleep.

*~*~*

At lunch the next day he tried to tell Harry what was going on. He sat with him.

"Harry?" Ron asked. Harry jerked out of his Alicia gaze to see what Ron had to say and hoping it was short. "Harry, I think I have a problem."

"Your Hermione problem?" he said disgruntedly. "Yes, I think we all know." And with that Ron couldn't get another word from him.

"Ron?" Hermione asked. "I saw you kissing Fleur last night-" Ron perked up. "Why didn't you tell me you might get together with her? Just because we broke up doesn't mean we're not still friends."

Ron smiled. "I know it doesn't Hermione. I just didn't wanna' tell anyone until I was sure I liked her. I'm still not sure. Should I ask her to dinner?"

"Sure," came Fleur's voice from behind him. She had just walked by when he said that. "Well, are you going to, Ronnie?" Ron spun around in his seat, smiling.

"Of course. Fleur, do you want to go to dinner tonight?"

"Let me think about it," Fleur replied. Then, laughing at the look on Ron's face she said,"Joking, joking, of course I'll come!"

*~*~*

While Ron was walking to Fleur's office to pick her up, he heard Hermione's voice from an ajar door.

"...Ove you," was all he caught. To his surprise Snape's voice answered.

"Hermione, I can't do this with you."

Ron peered inside the ajar door and the scene that met his eyes surprised him. Snape appeared to be pushing Hermione away, her lips puckered out in font of her. Snape looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Why not?" Hermione pleaded.

"Many reasons. One, I don't like you like that. Two, I hardly know you, and three I'm way too old for you-"

"Aaah...."Hermione pointed out. "But you've been taking a Stay-Young potion that-"

"Only makes me look young. Under it all I'm still old. Very old. And you're just too young for me."