Fourth Year

_-_-_

"I can't wait! Do you know who you're going to ask?" Hermione gushed to the compartment while they were sitting together on the train with Harry, Weasel and Lavender.

" I know! I've already got my dress picked out and everything, If they hadn't sent an owl telling us about the Championship, eh hm, Yule Ball, I would have never gotten a dress." Lavender said.

"What color?" Hermione asked.

"Red. Obviously." Lavender said rolling her eyes.

"That'll look gorgeous on you, what's it cut?"

"Strapless and floor length. It has glitter around my-" Lavender casually, or so she must have thought referred to her cleavage. Hermione laughed and so did Harry as he saw what she was indicating.

"Well I got a few that I want, green for me and my mother wants me to wear pink." Hermione prickled her nose. She really had a thing against pink.

"I think that with that dark brown hair I'd go with a green, it'd contrast better." Lavender said knowingly. Hermione had her choices between her mom's fluttery pink dress or the strapless green one that bunched up with rhinestones. It was beautiful.

There was a knock on the door.

"Granger, come on." Blaise said looking in on her. Even after 4 years of being friends he still called her Granger.

"Guess I'll see you guys when we reach the school." Hermione said jumping off of her seat to follow Blaise to his compartment. Draco was there with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hello guys." Hermione said to the room. Draco and her had made up in 3rd year after she was with the trio she was just with, watching Buckbeak's death sentence. Lavender and her couldn't watch and both had gone into the guy's shoulders. Draco had laughed and Hermione punched him in his nose at that. But later that night in the common room he apologized for everything.

Parkinson had used him and broken up with him in second year when she found other guys who she liked better. None of the guys in this compartment liked her now.

"Hey Hermione." Everyone replied.

"What did you want? We were just discussing the Yule Ball." Hermione said dropping down next to Blaise. She'd never admit it but she was hoping that Blaise would ask her to the ball.

"What did you already get a date?" Draco asked sarcastically. In fact Theodore Nott had already asked her, but she had declined. There was something about him that just mad her feel to vulnerable for her out too much to go to a dance with him.

"Uh." Yeah, brilliant comeback to that, especially when she had someone she was hoping to ask her in that very compartment. "No I don't have a date. Do you?" Hermione asked back.

"Keeping my options open, I mean I do have until December." He said.

"How about you Blaise?" Hermione asked him.

"I was thinking of asking Daphne Greengrass." He said. All hope of going to the ball with Blaise went down the drain. Daphne had a huge crush on him and if he asked her she would defiantly say yes.

"Cool." Hermione said indifferent. Draco looked at her and raise a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"How was your summer?" Draco asked me.

"Same old same old. I got to catch up on my reading. I read this book called Burning Brightly and it goes with my favorite book called Arrows Queen." Hermione said excitedly. Draco looked bored.

"Sounds boring." He stated. They were almost at the school now so Hermione excused herself and changed into her school robes.

-_-_-_-

Dinner went by like normal. The first years were sorted and Dumbledore started one of his long speeches.

"…Those two schools will be housed this year as we host the Tri-wizard tournament." Hermione looked up as he said this, but then the door burst open and Filtch came in rushing down the aisle to the headmaster.

They discussed something for a minute and Filtch ran back down the aisle. A minute after he disappeared through the doors the opened again to reveal a flock of beautiful girls.

Hermione gasped, she would have that much more competition for the boys now. Not that her chances were high to begin with but now that those girls were here Hermione's hope plummeted.

In the midst of the girls was a giant. She was beautiful in and of herself but she was huge, bigger than Hagrid when she was a first year and he toward over her.

All the boys seemed to be struck by their beauty. Hermione snuck a look over at Blaise and Draco. Blaise seemed to be admiring them with an indifferent expression while Draco took them in hungrily. Draco could be such a pig. Hermione sighed again.

Then as they took seats through out the house tables a bunch of boys came in. They were gorgeous. There was one near the back that looked vaguely familiar…Victor Krum. The Victor Krum. She had heard about him from Lavender while she dished his good looks. Hermione wouldn't lie Victor Krum was absolutely hot.

At that moment his eyes seemed to seek her out and their eyes connected, she blushed and looked away.

Then they were done and he came and sat next to Blaise and Draco at their table. Hermione kept trying to keep her eyes from staying on him for to long but she failed miserably.

"Ello, my name is Victor." He said with a beautiful accent to Hermione. She looked up and blushed.

"Hi, my name is Hermione." She said looking up. At that moment something passed in Draco's eyes and if Hermione had been looking at him she would have known exactly what it was.

"Er'mione? Such a beautiful name." Victor said smiling. Hermione blushed again and looked away. They had started to serve the food so she started eating.

That night when she fell asleep it was full of boys with short brown hair and beautiful accents. Victor Krum.

_-_-_-_

"Morning Hermione." Draco said as Hermione made her way to the bathroom when she woke up. She was up early so she hadn't bothered to put on anything more than a pair of short booty shorts and a white tank top. She blushed a light pink and nodded looking down at her outfit.

"Morning Draco." She said and continued her way towards the bathroom.

Hermione's hair had calmed down since her first year. It was no longer the bushy haired mess that it had once been but sleek brown curls that hung to the middle of her back. She took a shower and got dressed in her robes. This morning she even applied a little of the mascara her mom had gotten for the Yule Ball.

She put her hair up into a loose ponytail that left the curls just brushing her shoulders. Her lashes were defined and long and she was ready to go to breakfast.

Hermione walked out of the bathroom surprised to see Draco sitting on the common room couch, she would have thought that by this time he would have gone to breakfast.

"Hey Draco." Hermione said going and sitting down next to him, then Hermione noticed that his eyes looked different. Haunted.

"Draco what's wrong?" Hermione asked concerned. He looked at her and a mask settled over his face.

"Nothing Hermione, what would be wrong?" He asked trying to sound like his normal lazy self but failed.

"Please tell me?" She pouted giving him the puppy dog eyes which brought a role of the eyes and a smirk to his face. Hermione smiled knowing that her job was done.

"Ready for breakfast?" She asked hopping up from the couch, but he just sat there looking up at her with an even bigger smirk than before.

"Naw you go ahead."

"Draco you are not making me go alone." Hermione demanded glaring at him but there was a playful edge to her glare, making it softer.

"Well if you don't want to go alone then you'll have to make me go with you."

"Oh I have to make the great Slytherin Prince go to breakfast? What a task." She said with a plan forming in her mind.

"That's a new one Slytherin Prince, I rather like the sound of that." He mused.

"Breakfast?" She asked.

"Make me." He said looking directly at her with a challenge in his eyes.

"Just remember you asked for this." She warned and Draco scoffed at her.

"Levicorpus!" Hermione said at the same time that Draco screamed. He flew into the air by his ankle and laughter erupted from Hermione.

Seconds later most of the Slytherins were downstairs in the dormitory laughing with Hermione at Draco's predicament. Blaise's booming laughter was heard even above all of Draco's profanities.

"Hermione Granger you get me the h*** down this instant!" He yelled emitting another round of laughter from said Hermione Granger.

"Fine I'll go to d*** breakfast with you if you just get me down!" He yelled again and Hermione released the spell.

Draco's already red face became even redder at being laughed at by the entire Slytherin house.

"Well come now Draky won't you come to breakfast with me?" Hermione asked with amusement making her eyes glitter.

"I'll come to breakfast with you Granger even if Draco doesn't. I can't wait to see what you do next." Blaise laughed.

"But I need Draco to come, Blaise should I show him the way out?" Hermione asked Blaise because Draco was still lying sprawled out on the couch the way he landed.

"I'm coming Hermione." Draco said scrambling off the couch and effectively landing in a heap on the floor. Hermione started another fit of laughter.

"Come on, I've sure worked up a appetite." Hermione said walking towards the door, knowing that both boys were following.

The three made it down to the Great Hall, much to Hermione's displeasure, with seeing almost every Beauxbaton girl in the school. Blaise and Draco drooled over every single one of them.

They went and sat at their usual spot when Hermione saw Victor Krum where they sat. She blushed remembering her dreams from the night before.

"Ello there Er'mione." Victor said when she sat down.

"Hello Victor." She replied and looked away.

"Did you sleep vell?" He asked.

"Pleasantly, how about you?"

"Very vonderful." He replied.

"Hermione, scar head's coming over." Draco said interrupting Hermione and Victor's conversation.

"His name is Harry, Draco." She said exasperated and looked up to see Harry standing in front of her looking very uncomfortable with all of the Slytherins around.

"Hermione can I talk to you?" He asked quietly.

"Course Harry." She said standing up, she could tell that he wanted to talk alone.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Well…I was wondering….well maybe if…you-uh…would like to go to the Y-Yule Ball with me?" He asked looking at his feet, then as an after thought, "I mean as friends." He said rushed.

"Oh Harry." She said surprised.

"I understand if you don't want to go to the ball with a scar-head." He said still looking down.

"Harry why don't you ask the Weasel's sister, I mean I've seen you goggling at her for a few years now." Hermione said awkwardly. She really didn't want to go to the dance with Harry romantically, but as a friend and maybe if they both didn't find dates then sure but not as a date.

"Ginny? She wouldn't go with me."

"How about Cho then? I've seen you staring at her too." She said.

"You know I've never considered that. Thanks for the idea Hermione." He said and ran off. Hermione letting out a breath at 'the bullet she just dodged' as he parents would say.

Now that was an interesting topic to think about. Hermione Lestrange…it just didn't sound right to her. She was wondering how her real parents died, all her foster parents had said was that the lady at the orphanage said a lady with dark brown hair came in saying she was a neighbor who went over to ask them for dinner but they were all dead.

"Hermione!" Hermione heard Lavender yell across the hall that she was in.

"Hey Lavender." She said.

"Guess what?" She practically screamed.

"What?" Hermione said her intreast level increasing.

"My dress just came in an owl! Do you want to see it?" She asked. Hermione was elated that Lavender had actually come to her and asked to see the dress.

"Come on." She said and they ran back to where Parvati was waiting holding a giant box in her hands.

They ran outside to the beach and spread out their robes on the ground so that when they took out the dress it wouldn't get dirty.

Lavender pulled out one of the most beautiful dresses that Hermione had ever seen. It was a deep red with a tight bodice with a flowing skirt that barely brushed the floor. There were rhinestones along the strapless cleavage area and at the edge of the skirt. It would look amazing on Lavender.

"Lav that will look beautiful on you!" Parvati squealed.

"It will!" Hermione added. Lavender just beamed.

"Now I just got to find a date." She said and all the girls laughed.

"Lavender, with your looks it won't be hard to get yourself a date." Hermione said. She looked at her watch.

"We've got to get to classes! I got to go. Bye!" Hermione said and ran off just making it to herbology on time. Draco gave her a quizzical look and she just shook her head.

"Find a partner today we will be pairing up with Professor Hagrid to learn the dangers of Blast-ended Skwerts." Professor Sprout said and the class groaned.

"Draco, be my partner?" Hermione asked.

"If we live that long." He joked.

"Good point." She said and they made their way to the edge of the greenhouse.