AN: This one is a little dark and a little twisted. Please review

AN2: Edited to fix formatting

Chapter 1 - Conflicted

Fleur sat at the kitchen table, mending Hermione's favourite jumper. She could have used magic, but she took a certain amount of satisfaction from doing it by hand, her mother had taught her to be proud of the things she could without magic just as much as those she could do with magic. She glanced up at the clock and sighed, it was almost four in the morning. She set her sewing down and rubbed her eyes then got up and walked to the door leading out of her small cottage and checked the garden. Fleur knew it was futile, had someone apparated in she would have known it, the wards around her home would have given her some sort of indication, and she would have heard the loud crack that accompanied an apparating witch or wizard.

Her home was her sanctuary, and as such it had been built like a fortress. To the passing muggle it looked like an ordinary country cottage, two windows and a door downstairs, and three windows upstairs in the front and a small chimney poking out the roof. The cottage was on a small protrusion of land whose only access was a narrow single lane road, one point of entry meant only one area needing defence. The ocean surrounded the land, with a small private beach at the back of the property and rocks on the sides.

Fleur imagined that her mother would have scowled if she had seen it, saying that it had looked unsightly, Fleur had told her mother in her mind that that had been the idea, but then she knew her mother would approve of the inside of the cottage which was much more to her mother's tastes. Her sister Gabrielle would have loved it, but then, Gabrielle looked at every building she entered as a base to be defended, putting her muggle and wizarding military skills to the test at every opportunity. Fleur smiled as she thought of her father who would have smiled at her and simply said that if she liked it then he loved it.

She surveyed the garden in the moonlight proud of the work that had been done there by her family, each flower, every rock and every blade of grass had been laid by hand, by them. The night air was warm and she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer to all the merciful Gods, in case one of them might look down and see the worry lines on her face. Her eyes shot open when she heard movement upstairs and she turned and stepped back into the cottage. She could hear bare footsteps padding across the floor and braced herself as the stairs creaked. Fleur slipped back into her seat at the table and resumed her sewing as the Hermione appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Hermione cast a cursory look at Fleur, the sewing and then the clock, "He is not back yet?" she asked.

"Non," Fleur answered and she set her sewing down and got up to the kitchen, unable to bear the worry on Hermione's face or the judgement in her eyes whenever the younger witch looked at her.

Hermione sighed and slumped down in one of the other kitchen chairs, absentmindedly chewing on her nails as she watched Fleur, who was busy boiling water. Hermione tsked as Fleur made tea for them both. Tea seemed to be the Veela's answer to everything, when Hermione thought about it, it was a very British trait and she wondered how the French witch had come about it. Dismissing the thought Hermione realised that she didn't care, at that moment in time she was more worried about her father who was now 5 hours late.

She looked at Fleur as the blonde witch set tea on the table in front of Hermione and sat back down. Hermione looked at the tea and tried to resist the scent of the chamomile, she did love chamomile tea but she would not give an inch to this woman.

"Is that the best you can do? A cup of tea?" Hermione said her tone making her contempt for Fleur very clear.

Fleur parted her lips to respond but found she could not. She gave herself a moment and then took a deep breath, "'Ermione, must you always be angry wiz me?" Fleur asked, "I made you tea because I know zat et is your favourite and I 'ope zat et will quiet your mind so zat you can get some sleep zat is all." She explained. She did not know how to get through to Hermione that she did not intentionally set out to disrupt her life, but simply that a series of circumstances beyond her control led to this point.

Hermione stubbornly pushed the tea away and got up from her seat, "Just because you are married to my father does not mean that you can take the place of my mother!" she spat at Fleur and stormed into the living room, throwing herself down on the couch sulkily.

Fleur didn't react, she knew that Hermione's anger while directed at her, was due to the fact that her mother had died and she was worried about her father. Fleur knew that once Waylan was home, the worry would be gone and then she and Hermione would go back to the stony civility that they maintained for her husband's benefit and so she continued sewing. An hour later she got up and went to check the garden, there was still no sign of him, she re-entered the house and tip toed into the living room on the premise of going to the bathroom so that she could check on Hermione.

The younger witch had fallen asleep on the couch and Fleur pulled a blanket from the back of the couch over her sleeping form. She stared at Hermione and found her emotions stirring at her fondness of the bushy haired witch. She immediately pushed them away, she could not do this, she had chosen her path.

Fleur straightened up and left the room going through to the study. She closed the door, leaned against it and focused on her breathing for a moment.

"Difficult night Mrs Granger?" a voice came from a painting on the wall.

Fleur looked up at the painting of Dumbledore in scorn, "Waylan has not returned, 'Ermione 'ates me and I 'ave more secrets zan I do strands of 'air, 'ow do you ink my night is going?" she said in a whisper, though her tone left no illusion as to how upset she was.

"Mrs Granger, this was never going to be an easy path..." The Dumbledore in the painting began.

"Spare me your platitudes Dumbledore!" Fleur interrupted him, "I do not need to 'ear zem right now. I know zat I chose zis path, I know it is for ze greater good, and I know eet iz 'ard! Zat does not 'elp me right now. My 'eart is a confused ball of wool! Even knowing wat I do, knowing zat 'ad I not taken zis action zen zey would be dead, does not make ze path ahead any easier to travel, but zis task you 'ave given me et iz impossible!" Fleur choked back tears as she let all her venom out on the portrait of the man who had once asked too much of her.

"Mrs Granger smooth seas do not make skillful sailors," Dumbledore told her, as though this one phrase would make her realise that the greater good was a worthy cause and she was being selfish. Fleur ignored Dumbledore and pulled out her wand, aiming it at the portrait, The Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at her, "What is it you intend to do Mrs Granger," he asked as Fleur kept the wand aimed at him and took out the key she wore around her neck. Fleur looked at the locked drawer then back at the painting. "Mrs Granger I do not think that wise," Dumbledore said to her as though he could read her mind. Ignoring him Fleur sat in the chair, placed her wand on the desk and took the chain that held the key around her neck off. She unlocked the drawer, and taking a deep breath pulled it open. "Mrs Granger, Hermione and Harry are dead in that other timeline, the Wizarding World does not have a hope." Dumbledore told her in a soft tone. Fleur grabbed her wand and spun around, aiming keenly at the portrait, "Be silent Dumbledore, you said yourself, zis is my decision, and I will burn you out of zis frame if I 'ave to, now give me some peace so zat I can think!" The emotion was raw in her voice as the turmoil ate away at her. In her mind she turned over the facts, in that reality Hermione was dead, but she was not alone in what she had to endure. In this reality, Hermione was alive but hated her with every fibre of her being and Fleur had no one save a babbling portrait to share her heart with, and his default setting was 'disregard your heart and do the right thing' every single time. Fleur reached into the drawer and pulled the top layer of papers and notepads out then took out her leather bound journal. She set the journal on the desk and unbound the cord that kept it fastened and opened the journal up, going to the back page she tapped the inside of the cover with her wand and the seal came away to reveal a photograph and a necklace than had previously been concealed.

For a moment Fleur just stared at the two items, even though she had known they would be there she found herself surprised to see them, as if she had almost convinced herself that they had simply been a part of an elaborate dream and this hell she was in was the life she had always lived. Ignoring the necklace for a moment she took out the photograph, she could see herself 5 years younger, she was whispering something into Hermione's ear and Hermione in turn was giggling. Fleur cast her mind back to that night, she remembered it as though it had been only yesterday, though she knew it had been over five years ago, at least for her it had. For everyone else it had never and will never happen. It had been Harry and Ginny's wedding, Fleur and Hermione had both been bridesmaids and Fleur was commenting on Ron and Lavender who were trying to subtly sneak off for what could only be a quickie. One of the twins had captured the moment for the couple thinking that Fleur was kissing Hermione and the brunette had been blushing. Fleur and Hermione had been seeing each other for four years at that point and supported each other right through the second wizarding war. The pair had fallen in love at the tri wizard tournament and that love had grown stronger each moment since. After the war everyone of their generation was making up for the time they had lost in the war in getting their lives together in 'normal' times, focusing on settling down and starting families. Hermione and Fleur had gotten married a year before Ginny and Harry, as soon as the war had ended in actual fact, not wanting to spend another moment apart.

Five years to the day since Harry and Ginny's wedding, the post war world that everyone had built up came crashing down around them in the space of one evening. They had been gathered at the Burrow, celebrating a birthday, when Arthur Weasley had come stumbling into the kitchen, broken and bleeding and collapsed on the floor. Everyone sprang to action checking on Arthur or checking the garden to see if Arthur's attackers had followed him. They had, the fields were ablaze within seconds, hex's and curses were flying everywhere. Harry was the first out of the door, followed closely by Ron and Hermione. The three were now trained aurors in the service of the Ministry of Magic. By the time that Fleur had got to the kitchen door, Harry and Hermione had been killed by the attacking Death Eaters. Fleur fell to her knees, pulling her lovers body into her lap and let her anguish out in the form of a wail as the Death Eater's advanced on them.

As she had cradled Hermione's body a hex exploded on the ground beside her and Fleur's rage was instant. She felt herself slip her skin as the beast within her took control firing balls of flame at every Death Eater she could see as she got to her feet and let out an almighty screech. Her fury consumed her much like the flames that were consuming her enemies as she surveyed the open area around her for sign of more, the Veela willed the enemy to attack as though battle would somehow unleash the pain she was feeling from within her to the world at large. The Veela roared in defiance as three Death Eaters approached her on one side and she recognised one as Bellatrix Lestrange. Her fury raged a new at the sight of the woman who would never know the lasting impact that her torture had had on Fleur's wife. The Veela struck out with all the hurt, rage and sorrow that she felt and Bellatrix looked a little stunned when she caught fire, but as quick as the flames broke out, they were doused. The Veela turned to see who had dared and came face to beak with Vodemort himself. For that moment she found that she was too stunned to react and Voldemort just laughed and signalled the Death Eaters to retreat.

Fleur shivered at the desk as she remembered the shell shocked look on the survivors faces as she slipped back into her own skin. Their numbers had been dwindled down to a fraction of what they had been, they had never before felt so defeated. She remembered having the feeling that she should do something but did not know what that something should have been leaving her feeling absolutely powerless. She had received the owl not even ten minutes later asking her to urgently attend a meeting with Minerva McGonagall at Hogwarts. It was at this meeting that she had first met with the portrait of Dumbledore and he and Minerva McGonagall had confided in her their plan. One of the unique qualities of the Veela was that, from time to time, magical items did not react as they were meant to with the Veela, for example broomsticks did not fly unless specifically designed for Veela.

Time Turners were no exception to this rule. As though temporal physics was not hard enough to understand, when a Veela entered into the equation, temporal physics became out right impossible to understand, unless your name was Minerva McGonagall or Albus Dumbledore. They needed someone to not just go back in time but to go back in time on a different time line, and the only way they could accomplish this feat was to enlist the help of a Veela. Dumbledore had explained that Fleur needed to travel back to the year of the Tri Wizard tournament, but the tournament would not take place. He told her that in the time line she would travel to, Tom Riddle's Diary had been found by Bellatrix Lestrange, and Voldemort had been released from it. He had successfully taken over the wizarding world and had been in control of it for over a year so things would be very different to the life she knew. Fleur had been on the edge of her seat listening to Dumbledore as he told her that Harry would be in hiding with the Order and he did not have the same relationship with Hermione and Ron as he had in her timeline and he made it clear that her task would be to bring the three together. When she had asked why, Dumbledore had looked at her over the rim of his spectacles and explained to her as though he was teaching a first year Wingardium Leviosa that in all the time lines that he had visited Voldemort had not been defeated unless the three were friends.

It was Minerva who pointed out to Fleur that she would be going back to a time when Hermione was 14 and she would be 26 and so it would be 'inappropriate' for Fleur to pursue a relationship with Hermione. At the time Fleur had not been concerned, she thought that she could care for Hermione from a distance, as long as they were both alive, that was all that mattered to her. That had been 2 years ago, she had spent a gruelling couple of months finding Hermione, Ron and Harry and trying to get a way into their lives, but the teens she found had been quite different to the ones she knew.

Hermione was cold, closed off and automatically suspicious of everyone, which was not all to surprising given the loss of her Mother when Ministry 'officials' had broken into their home and kidnapped Hermione one night. Hermione had never spoken of what had happened in the 72 hours she spent with the ministry, she had simply returned to school at the beginning of the next year with a certificate that pronounced her blood status to be 'half blood' explained that her father was in fact a squib. She had been transferred to Ravenclaw house for some reason best known to the Ministry, who had taken over the running of the school, and chose to speak very little.

The only good thing to come from Hermione's abduction had been that her father, Waylan, recognised that there was a great danger to his daughter and having lost his wife, he wanted to do everything he could to ensure that his daughter remained safe. Fleur had bumped into him in Diagon Alley, where he appeared to be wandering around aimlessly, when she invited him for a coffee. She became friends with him quickly and then invited him to join the Order of the Phoenix over the coming weeks. The Order had argued the value of having another muggle, or in this case a squib, in the Order, but Ted Tonks was able to explain the value to them and they reluctantly agreed. Fleur had used her Veela charms to make Waylan Granger fall in love with her and they were engaged to marry within a year of meeting. From that moment on Hermione had hated her, suspicious that she had used her Veela charms on her father for some surreptitious reasoning only known to Fleur herself and Hermione was determined to find out why. Of course Hermione was right, but Fleur could not let her find that small detail out.

Fleur reached out and stroked Hermione's face on the picture a single tear slipping from her eye at the memories of a lifetime that had flowed through her head in just a few seconds. What struck her most was how vivid and wrenching it was to remember the feeling of Hermione's death, even now years later, even though Hermione was alive and well in this reality. Fleur wiped off the tear that had escaped and touched the necklace. She could do it, Fleur thought to herself, she could slip the chain around her neck and go who knows when, and things would be different than they were now. Thing May even be better than they were here. She turned to the portrait of Dumbledore that she had brought back in time with her, "You are certain zat zis is ze only reality where You-Know-Oo can be defeated and never return?" she asked him with the time turner in one hand and the photograph in the other. Dumbledore nodded solemnly in response, yet somehow he appeared to look apologetic at the same time. Fleur let out a sigh and replaced the time turner necklace and the photograph in the journal, sealed it shut, placed the journal in the drawer, put everything back on top of it and closed and locked the drawer. Dumbledore seemed to let out a sigh of relief but still held his tongue has he glanced at a scorch mark on the corner of his portrait and knew that on nights like tonight Fleur was not to be trifled with. Fleur left the study and crept back through to the kitchen, picking up the jumper she was mending and was determined to finish the job as she glanced at the clock, five am.

Fleur was woken with a start at the feel of a hand gently shaking her shoulder. She blinked once, realising that she had fallen asleep at the kitchen table, mended jumper in her hand and looked up to find Hermione, tears streaming down her face, "Fleur, it's almost eight and he's not back yet, something's wrong." Hermione said quietly. Fleur looked to the clock and then to the window and right enough the sun had risen and it was eight o'clock. She looked back to Hermione who, for the first time since she had met her father's new partner, was looking at Fleur pleadingly for help and got to her feet, wrapping her arms around Hermione. Fleur felt her heart soar for just a moment at this breakthrough in their relationship and then immediately felt it plummet as Hermione began to sob out of worry. After a few moments Fleur pushed Hermione into a seat at the table, and then made the younger witch a cup of chamomile tea, she sat it in front of Hermione, "Drink Zis, I am going to floo call Molly and Arthur Weasley to see if zey know anyzing." Fleur told Hermione, then squeezed her shoulder reassuringly then went through to the living room. Arthur had agreed to side along apparate Waylan home after each Order meeting or mission, it could simply be that he had stayed at the Weasley's for the night for some reason.

Before Fleur could get to the fireplace however, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, "ze wards!" she said to herself as she turned and went back to the kitchen, "'Ermione we 'ave visitors." She said as she withdrew her wand. This one statement was enough to snap Hermione out of her fear; she pulled her wand from her jeans pocket and slipped it up her sleeve as she was underage. There was a loud pounding at the front door and Fleur met Hermione's gaze, Hermione nodded at her and Fleur went and opened the door.

Two men stood on the other side of the front door and the first pushed past Fleur when she opened it, using sheer force to thrust her against the wall. "We are Rowle and McNair with the Ministry!" The second one shouted as he stepped over Fleur and entered the house. "Waylan Granger, SQUIB! I have a warrant for your arrest here!" the first man shouted.

Fleur scrambled to her feet, thrusting her own wand up her sleeve "'E is not 'ere!" she called after them as they went through the house knocking furniture over and searching each room. Fleur went into the kitchen to join Hermione, she was now certain that something had gone very wrong with Waylan's mission last night, he was only supposed to have been a look out. Fleur stood behind the chair that Hermione was sitting in and placed a hand on each of her shoulders in comfort as they listened to the two men pull more and more of their furniture over. Apparently searching for Waylan Granger in the china cabinet, Hermione flinched as the good dishes that her mother had bought were smashed to pieces on the floor. Fleur squeezed her shoulders again reminding her not to provoke the men as she prayed to the Gods that these thugs would realise that her husband was not here and leave.

One of the men came into the kitchen holding a photograph of Moira Granger, he looked at Fleur, "This ain't you." He said and Fleur bit back a sarcastic remark.

"Non, zat is not me." She replied instead. "That is my mother!" Hermione said then got to her feet and tried to grab the picture from the man who raised his hand to hit her. Fleur quickly pulled Hermione out of the way earning herself a slap across the face.

"Now, now Half Breed, don't interrupt its rude!" the thug said to Fleur and then he punched her hard enough to knock her off her feet for the second time in the space of five minutes. "Your mother is very pretty Miss, just like you," the thug said and his tone had more than a hint of deviance in it as he stepped towards Hermione and grabbed her by the ear pulling her close to him. Hermione froze, she recognised him and the look in his eyes, went very pale and started to shake.

Fleur got to her feet, wand in hand and aimed it at the thug, "Stupify!" she yelled, the hex left her wand and collided with the thugs chest. He instantly released Hermione who leapt away from him and he crumpled in a heap to the floor.

"Rowle?" the other thug called from the next room, when he did not get a response he entered the kitchen cautiously. He saw Rowle on the floor unconscious and spun towards Fleur who was crouching down trying to soothe Hermione who was having a panic attack on the floor. "Expelliarmus" McNair shouted disarming Fleur and before she could recover he had grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the wall. "Do you know what the punishment is for attacking a snatcher Half Breed bitch?" McNair hissed at her as he squeezed her throat cutting off her oxygen. McNair leaned forward and whispered something vile in Fleur ear causing her eyes to go wide as he opened his hand a little, allowing her oxygen. Fleur focused on the man who had her pinned to the wall, not wanting to remind him that Hermione was even in the room, she had seen her move in the corner of her eye and hoped that she had the sense to get out.

She feigned fear and shook her head whispering, "Please, non." at him.

McNair laughed, "Please non!" he mocked her with mirth, "The more you struggle the more I enjoy, Hermione knows that!" he said to her in almost a sing song voice then leaned forward and licked her face as his free hand roamed her body over her clothes his intention plain. Fleur almost wretched at the feeling as he thrust his hips against her letting her see just how excited he was, realising what his implication about Hermione had meant she could not help but look at Hermione, what had he done to her?

Hermione was standing her wand aimed at McNair's back and she looked as though she could not find the right spell to cast, Fleur could see the internal battle in Hermione's eyes and started to panic, what if Hermione couldn't do the cast? "McNair, please forgive my STUPIDITY" she begged, but Hermione seemed to catch the emphasis that Fleur had put on the one word.

"STUPIFY" she yelled before McNair could respond to Fleur's comment and the second thug fell to the floor.

Fleur gasped for breath as her throat burned, she took a moment leaning forward, trying to force her windpipe to open up and fill her lungs with oxygen, after a few attempts her body began to comply with her need and she straightened up. Hermione had dropped her wand and was staring at McNair's stunned body, shock setting in. Fleur bent down and retrieved her own wand and aimed at Rowle, "Petrificus totalus" she cast somewhat croakily before repeating the spell on McNair, thus ensuring that they would not wake up any time soon.

Fleur looked at the scene before her, the immediate concern for her was not the fact that there was a warrant out for her husband's arrest, nor the fact that she had almost been raped, she was not concerned about the two petrified Snatchers laying on her Kitchen floor either, though that would need to be dealt with relatively soon. Fleur's biggest concern was that Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age, had frozen up and forgotten which spell to cast, and was now somewhere inside her mind as her body sat crouched on the floor shaking.

Fleur cast her patronus and glanced nervously at Hermione, but the younger witch was in too much shock to notice. Fleur croaked out her message and sent the otter patronus on its way. She then went over to Hermione, she had never seen her this way, defenceless, traumatised and in shock. Then Fleur realised that she had seen Hermione this way, in her reality, when Hermione had escaped Malfoy Manor this was exactly how she had reacted. Fleur knew then that this was the result of her abduction two years prior, she needed to find out what they had done to Hermione, and why it had not affected her until this moment. But that was a task for later, for now she had to prepare Hermione for the next few hours.

"'Ermione, I 'ave sent a message to ze Order, I imagine zey will send someone over any minute now." Fleur said softly, though her words did not seem to register with Hermione. Fleur tentatively reached out and very lightly placed her hand on Hermione's arm, "'Ermione?" she asked.

Hermione jumped at the touch and looked at Fleur, "They were going to..." she could not seem to finish the sentence.

"Oui zey were but zey did not." Fleur answered softly. Hermione nodded, "'Ermione ze Order are on zere way." Fleur told her again, and this time Hermione seemed to hear her. Fleur stood and offered Hermione her hand, which the younger witch accepted and Fleur pulled her gently to her feet.

Fleur studied Hermione and noticed a scratch on her face from where Rowle had grabbed her, "Mon Cher you are bleeding, I will 'eal you," Fleur said and she raised her wand, Hermione flinched a little but held her ground as Fleur healed the scratch on her face. Hermione then turned and went to one of the kitchen cupboards, removing a tin and opening it up. She rummaged through the tin until she found what she was looking for and handed Fleur the bruise paste but before the Veela could apply it to her face or throat there was the sound of several more cracks outside and again the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

She shot to her feet and went over to the kitchen window, but in the garden she saw Nymphadora Tonks , Remus Lupin , Harry Potter and Andromeda Tonks, all approaching the house with wands drawn. With a sigh of relief at the fact that help had arrived Fleur threw open the door to let them in. Hermione stayed by Fleur's side and as the Order entered their cottage Hermione began to apply the bruise paste to Fleur's face while Fleur prepared herself for the questions she was about to get.

"Please don't tell." Hermione said and the fear and guilt in her voice almost broke Fleur's heart.

"Don't tell what 'Ermione." Fleur asked confused and Andromeda and Lupin secured a perimeter while Harry and Nymphadora checked on the the two petrified snatchers.

Hermione lowered her gaze, "Please don't tell what you know, what he said, please." she begged in a whisper so that the other could not hear.

Fleur nodded "I promise," and then turned her attention to Tonks who had spoken to her but she had not heard.