I don't own Harry Potter or anything involved with Harry Potter. That honour goes to JK Rowling and I make no money off my drabbles.

Hello all! This is a spontaneous story and it was supposed to be a quick one shot but apparently it's going to be a bit longer than that. I am still going to add onto Teaching and Learning but will be doing this one as well. This story came to me last night as I was trying to get to sleep and so I started to write it today. I have two and a half chapters written and ready to go. I just have to get the last bit done. It's lined out in my head though, so that's a good thing.

I seem to like dedications so this story goes to belladiggory, Kyria of Delphi, readerforlife, firefly and smithback. Those five people review my chapters and stories regularly and help push me to keep on going. If you think you need an account to review, you don't. You can just send in an anonymous review. I like those just as much as the signed reviews. Thanks to everyone who reads my stories, and without further ado, here is another one for you! Enjoy!

Hermione gathered her books, quill and ink pot and put them neatly in her school bag before turning to the door of her Transfiguration classroom. Everyone else was abuzz with the news that Professor McGonagall just told them about Hogwarts holding a ball on Christmas Eve and quite frankly, she couldn't give two hoots about it.

Hours later, after dinner had been served and cleared, she was sitting with Ron at their usual place in their common room. Harry was at some press thing for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Hermione could see Ron look up at her, open his mouth as if to say something before returning back to his school papers.

Finally, she got annoyed. "What is it, Ron?" she sighed, irritation plain in her voice.

Her irritation softened when she saw his whole face go as red as his hair before he replied, "Oh, um, well…"

"Spit it out Ron!" she jokingly said, with a slightly raised voice. She didn't mind talking with him but she really wanted to get her schoolwork done.

If it were possible, his face went even redder. "WillyougototheYuleBallwithme?" he asked so fast she struggled to understand.

She hadn't even considered going to the Yule Ball, never mind attending it with anyone. "Oh, well, I suppose I could. I think it would be fun," she responded almost guiltily. She had been trying to shake the image of the dark chestnut eyes of the Durmstrang champion out of her mind since he had stared at her so intently when placing his name in the cup.

Ron's embarrassment was quickly replaced with a huge smile, which only increased her guilt. But, she knew he would never ask her so, it would be best to go with her best friend instead.

Ron soon left to go meet up with Harry and Fred plunked down on the couch next to her, jarring her arm and messing up her usually tidy penmanship. "Hey there Hermione! How are you this fine, evening?"

Rolling her eyes at yet another interruption and his attempt at being suave, she calmly replied, "Pretty good Fred. I am just trying to get this essay done for Potions. How about you?" she finished, giving him a sweet but tense smile.

"I thought you would never ask! I am fantastic. I will be even better when you agree to go to the Yule Ball with me," Fred replied flashing his best 'dashing' smile.

"I'm sorry Fred, but your brother beat you to it already so I will have to decline your offer. Thank you."

"Oh, damn George…"

"Actually, it was Ron," she smiled back at him, sympathetically. She liked the twins, she really did but they, and also Ron, were brothers to her. The same went for Harry.

Fred's smile had already been replaced with his usual devious smirk as he leapt over the back of the couch to return to whatever he was doing beforehand.

Neville slowly made his way over and he was shaking like a leaf. 'Why is he so nervous?' Hermione thought to herself. "Hi Neville!" she greeted him cheerfully, hoping to subdue his nerves. "Did you need some help with our Potions homework? Snape was horrid to you today!"

Neville shook his head no before shakily handing her a note and stepping back quickly, finding his shoes VERY interesting.

His note said:

'Hermione,

Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?

Neville'

Sighing to herself, she looked sadly at poor Neville; he really was a sweet boy.

"I'm sorry Neville," she started sympathetically, "but Ron already asked me." She saw his expression drop further. "Why don't you ask Ginny? I am sure she would love to go with you," she finished, trying to sound encouraging.

"Uh, yea, okay, I will," he answered before skittering away.

Hermione had begun to pack her things to retreat to the quiet of the library when she was interrupted again. This time, it was by the only other Weasley boy in attendance at Hogwarts. Throwing down her quill in frustration, she turned to him quickly. "Hello George, what can I do for you?"

"Good evening Hermione! I came to see if you would go to the ball with me," he asked so very nonchalantly.

Hermione couldn't believe it. Four boy within ten minutes. She clenched her jaw tightly before yelling in frustration. "GAH! ARE THERE NO OTHER GIRLS IN HOGWARTS!" She grabbed her bag and stormed towards to tower entrance, ignoring the looks of surprise from the boys and the glares from the girls for even suggesting that they were not, themselves, girls.

"So I take that as a no then?" he shouted, jokingly to her retreating form before being shoved off the couch by his twin.

Upon entering the large library, Hermione reveled in the silence, the smell of old parchment and leather and the character of the aged stone and wood. It was already getting late and so the place was quite empty. She enjoyed her night of peace and quiet and decided that she would escape here instead of the common room from here on in.

The days went on and she kept true to her word, she would spend hours in the library, even if she wasn't studying or writing. She would just sit and read. Anything she could do to avoid all the talk of the dance she did. Sure, periodically another student would come in but more recently, it was the presence of those dark eyes that caused disturbance of her haven and the imbecilic twittering of his fans that were in constant attendance that had Hermione grinding her teeth in frustration.

"Would you all leave off please? He's just another student trying to study so leave him alone! If he was going to talk to you, he would have done so by now." She snarled directly to the groups of girls giggling in the stacks, without lowering her voice. They must have known she was serious or otherwise feared the wrath of her wand because they left immediately.

She was scowling so intently into her notes that she didn't notice the young man standing on the other side of the table until he cleared his throat in order to gain her attention. Startled at his unexpected disturbance, all she could manage to do was gape at him when she should have been saying something, anything.

Shifting his weight to his other foot uncomfortably, he cleared his throat again, which managed to wake Hermione from her confused state. He broke the silence with his thick Bulgarian accent. "Hello, I vanted to, uh, thank you for making them go avay. They get very…bothersome after avile, especially vhen I need to be studying."

"Oh, you're welcome. They were bothersome to me as well." Silence hung heavy between them with the exception of the thrumming of his fingers beating against the wood back of the chair he was leaning against. "Would you like to join me? I don't think those girls will be coming near me for a while," she commented, smirking to herself at how quickly the girls had dispersed.

"Yes, I vould, thank you," he said, quickly pulling the chair out and sitting in it. "I vant to introduce myself; my name is Viktor Krum."

"It's nice to meet you Viktor. My name is Hermione Granger," she replied, reaching her hand out to be shaken. She was taken aback when he gently took her hand in his and chivalrously kissed her knuckles. His hands were warm and softer than she had expected.

"It's a pleasure to meet you…Miss Granger. I'm afraid your first name is hard for me to say," he said, cringing at the thought of mangling her beautiful name.

"Oh, well, I can try and help you if you would like?" She had heard more than one person butcher it in her lifetime.

"Yes, please do." He was eager not to embarrass her by not being able to say her name.

"Alright, try breaking it down into its' syllables: 'Her'-'my'-'oh'-'nee'. Hermione"

Viktor focused his gaze on her lips as she slowly said each syllable individually and then repeated her name. He tried to say it several times in his head before trying it aloud: "Her-mo-ninny".

Hermione fought the desire to cringe but considered to herself that he had a better grasp of the English language than she had of the Bulgarian language, and so she forgave him for the mutilation. "We'll go bit by bit. Repeat after me: 'Her'"

"Her."

"My."

"My."

"Oh."

"Oh."

"Nee."

"Nee."

"Good! Now, slowly put them together."

This time he focused on the syllables as if they were the snitch in a Quiddich game. Again, he said them over and over in his head several times before saying them slowly aloud: "Her...Hermy...Hermin..." Viktor shook his head in frustration before trying one last time, very slowly, "Her-my-own-nee."

"You got it! I knew you could get it!" she exclaimed, reaching out and squeezing his arm affectionately.

His usually dark, gruff expression cleared at her excitement and was replaced by a shy smile and his eyes weren't quite so shadowy.

"You should be teacher. You vould be very good, I think," he complimented.

"Thank you, I used to tutor at my old school but I haven't had the time for it here," she replied, thinking about how much less free time she had now that she had to all but babysit Ron and Harry.

"Other school? You vent to school other than Hogvarts?" he asked with a puzzled expression.

Of course he would be confused. Wizard children in the wizarding world were often home-schooled until they turned eleven and went to the various academies'.

She wasn't sure what direction his moral compass pointed in regards to the whole pure-blood/muggle-born debate but she felt she had nothing shameful to hide in her lineage.

"Yes, I am a muggle-born witch. Both of my parents are muggles and muggle children start public school when they are around five years old so I went to a muggle school for six years before I came to Hogwarts," she explained to him, speaking slow enough that he didn't have to fight to translate everything in his head.

When he didn't say anything and merely nodded in response. Hermione felt her stomach drop. 'Great,' she thought, 'now will never talk to me again.' It had never bothered her before if someone didn't like her, like Draco Malfoy. She usually just ignored them but she didn't want to ignore Viktor and she really didn't want to be ignored by him.

Surprising her again, he spoke, "vhat vas muggle school like?"

And this started a long discussion between them about the differences between muggle education and wizarding education. He quickly learned that she was the top of her class and was capable of comprehending work intended for the older years. She quickly learned that although he could speak English very well, he couldn't it read it nearly as well and some of his classes were quite difficult for him. This was how she became his tutor.