Hola, como estas? So. Not dead, just really, really, unmotivated to write. I apologise to everyone still following this story, a year between updates is normally indicative of fic abandonment, but I made a promise ages ago that I have every intention of finishing this story - even if it takes me literal years to do so. I desperately hope that for those of you who are still reading that this that it isn't a waste of an update, even if there is a distinct lack of Fleur/Hermione interaction, something the next chapter should rectify (and tie up the Yule Ball as well). But that's enough from me, please enjoy this humble offering.
While Gabrielle's presence had been enough to calm Hermione down to actually reach the Great Hall, walking in on Viktor's arm was enough to bring her nerves back to the surface. Viktor simply smiled reassuringly at the increased pressure of Hermione's hand on his arm, pearly-white knuckles standing out against the deep red of his dress robes, subtly pulling her closer in an attempt to soothe her sudden surge of panic. She managed a shaky smile at the sweet gesture, pretending to ignore the goggling looks from her peers as the line of Champions passed them, each student whispering furtively to their neighbour as they tried to figure out who Hermione was.
Although when her dorm mates finally recognised her, she took a certain gleeful delight in their unhinged jaws. Serves them right for being so rude.
As the three of them approached their assigned table near the staff, Hermione was surprised to note that there were already nine chairs waiting for them, as if they knew an extra would be needed. Catching Professor McGonagall's eye, Hermione saw the older woman smiling knowingly at her, before she nodded her thanks, as Viktor pulled out chairs for both herself and Gabby.
It could always be worse, Hermione thought to herself after the Champions and their guests had settled at their assigned table. What with the filthy looks Fleur was directing towards their end of the table (though that was probably directed at Gabrielle for the way she was devouring her chicken nuggets), Rodger Davies drooling into his stew, and Parvati's lack-lustre attempts to get Harry to focus on her rather than smothering his laughter at Krum's, Viktor's, pronunciation of her name.
And really, free-flying battered chicken crumbs were the least of her problems. No, her main concern right now was trying to convince Harry, that yes, he was holding his utensils in the wrong hands.
"Honestly, Harry," Hermione sighed, raising her own hands to demonstrate her point, "Your knife goes in your right hand, the fork or spoon in the left."
Casting his own gaze around the table, Harry looks unconvinced, so with some subtle foot shuffling, and a murmured apology to Gabby who somehow managed to look affronted at being caught in the crossfire with her cheeks stuffed full of chicken pieces and batter smeared across her face, she nudged Viktor, only to be met with a soft smile and the sight of him having already switched his utensils around.
"I… That's not," Harry huffed in frustration as his steak went sliding across his plate again, not noticing the sly smile pulling at Hermione's lips, hidden behind her glass. Viktor, however, seemed to be relying mostly on brute strength to prevent his own meal dancing across the table in a similar fashion.
A particularly aggressive stab sent a pile of green beans across the table, landing on Gabby's plate, raising a squawk of protest at the potential contamination of her nuggets, forcing her to hurriedly swallow to stop Harry's dinner from performing a similar trick. "'Ermione, she eez left 'anded, of course she 'olds 'er coutellerie differently."
Glaring at the younger girl's betrayal, Hermione tried to hide her growing smile behind an overly large mouthful of potato. Harry looked incredibly unamused, and a little pink around the ears, at being played for a fool, eyes flickering towards Cedric and Cho, hoping they hadn't been paying too much attention to the nonsense taking place on their side of the table.
If the shy smile and lowered gaze was anything to go by, then at least one of them had noticed the low-key food fight (in that the food was fighting back, not being used as a weapon of mass destruction).
Viktor simply switched his fork back to his dominant hand, a soft smile on his face as he watched the two friends interact.
Hermione can't hide her smile for long, watching as Harry gallantly swept the vegetables from Gabby's plate, with Viktor gently scrubbing the crumbs from her cheeks. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, spending the night with her best friend and two people who were quickly becoming good friends.
She made the mistake however, of looking towards the other side of the table, brushing over a sulking Parvati only to be met with deceptively blank blue eyes. If the way Fleur turned back to her own date, highlighting the sharp line of her jaw as she did so, was any indication, the older girl's mood was only decaying further as the meal wore on.
Hermione had thought they were making progress, heading from acquaintances towards friendly, what with the rose, and the invite to the Ball. Evidently, she had been mistaken.
Turning back to her friends, she had to muffle another burst of laughter at the sight of Gabby constructing a fort out of the abandoned green beans, Harry contributing a stack of carrots for the watch towers. Just as Gabrielle made a move to steal the remains of Hermione's potato for the roof, everyone's dishes were wiped clear, along with the partially constructed fort much to Gabrielle's disappointment.
And just like that the nerves came swarming back, only this time they had a stomach full of lamb and steamed vegetables to fight with.
As Dumbledore asked the students to move away from their tables Hermione swallowed heavily. She had almost forgotten that the Champions were expected to perform the opening dance, and from the sudden paleness of Harry's face, he had too.
The pair exchanged wide-eyed looks as a small hand slipped into her own, drawing a shaky smile from Hermione as Viktor offered her his arm. Exhaling an equally shaky breath, Hermione slipped her free hand into the proffered arm, allowing herself to be drawn into the centre of the room.
As the other Champions, including a rather sweaty Harry, assumed their positions for a waltz, Gabby pushed herself between Viktor and Hermione, standing on his toes, both hands gripping the front of his red robes, pulling one of Hermione's hands onto her shoulder, while Viktor gently grasped her upper arm and free hand.
It was a little awkward, with a lot of fumbling and missed steps, but Hermione couldn't quite contain her soft laughter at Gabby attempting to lead from her position on Viktor's toes, the little firecracker pushing and pulling the older boy in the direction she wanted them to go. Hermione exchanged fond looks with Viktor over Gabby's head, but Hermione could safely say that they were not the worst dancers on the floor, with Harry and Parvati swaying awkwardly on the spot.
Harry offered a small wave as the trio swung past them, heading on a collision course for Fleur and Rodger (and judging by the look of intense concentration on Gabby's face it was entirely deliberate), Hermione only just managed to direct Viktor away from the scowling blonde with inches to spare (and really, did she have to look so attractive all the time?! No one should look that breathtaking while frowning).
As the song finally faded, Hermione was sure that Harry's wasn't the only relieved face as he all but fled the dance floor, Parvati in tow (and judging by the glare on her face, it wasn't by choice). Pressing a soft kiss to Gabby's hair, she pulled the younger girl off of Viktor, pretending not to notice the soft exhalation at her removal from his toes, spinning her into a proper waltz position.
"I vill get us some drinks, yes?"
At Hermione's murmured agreement, he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand, offering a gentle squeeze to Gabby's shoulder before leaving the pair to sway desperately out of tune to the up-beat song filling the Hall.
"Zis eez not so bad, non?" Hermione didn't even try to fight the fond smile pulling at her lips, just shook her head in agreement. Undeterred by the lack of response, Gabby continued, "Eet would be even better eef eet was just us, but 'e eez not terrible."
Poking her gently in the side at that comment, Hermione just pulled her closer, resting her chin on soft blonde waves, eyes drifting lazily over the rest of the room. She caught sight of Harry and Ron slumped over a table to the side of the room, well back from the dance floor, neither of their dates looking particularly pleased to be seated rather than enjoying the night, only to be distracted by a flurry of moving limbs in her periphery that she immediately recognised as Fred and Angelina.
"I suppose it could always be worse," biting her lip at Gabby's sharp poke to her ribs, pulling back enough to gently pinch her cheeks, "I could be stuck dancing with a very attractive young man, rather zan ze most adorable girl in ze room."
Gabrielle scrunched her nose delicately at Hermione's botched attempt at a French accent but was prevented from making a comment as Viktor returned with two Butterbeers and a glass of juice for Gabby. Distracted by the return of her original date, Hermione missed the wide-eyed panic that suddenly spread across Gabrielle's face.
"'ere, I will take zose."
Pushing Hermione into Viktor's arms as she took all three drinks, ignoring Hermione's look of surprise, giving her an over-exaggerated wink as she did so, having caught sight of a very angry looking Fleur.
Viktor was a big boy, he was more than capable of handling a Veela's rage, and Fleur was less likely to make a scene with someone who wasn't her baby sister. Leaving the pair behind, Gabrielle ducked into the swarm of moving limbs, inserting herself into a group of Gryffindor's who had decided that Fred and Angelina had the right idea about what dancing really was, drinks forgotten on the floor in her wake.
Several songs later, breathless and feeling incredibly flushed, Hermione separated herself from Viktor and Gabby (who had quickly returned after one of her abandoned bottles went flying, splattering Pansy Parkinson's dress with its contents.
Also, Fleur had left the Hall, making it safe to come out of hiding.)
Waving off Viktor's concern, pointing towards the nearest rest room, she blushed softly as he pressed yet another kiss to the back of her hand, before twirling Gabby towards the drinks table. Smiling at the pair before ducking into the washroom, Hermione was startled by her own appearance in the mirror as she washed her hands. Cheeks red, hair starting to fall out of the up-do Gabby had so carefully styled it into, but most of all smiling so hard she barely even registered that her face was starting to hurt.
Yes, Gabby definitely deserved something nice for convincing her to come tonight. Something from Zonko's or Honeydukes would probably be most appropriate, as long as Fleur never found out (she doubted she would appreciate anyone arming the little mischief-maker with dung-bombs or the like).
She had barely stepped back into the Great Hall when Viktor and a yawning Gabby appeared before her.
"I am thinking that I vill escort her back to your room, vould you like me to bring to you a drink vhen I return?" Smiling at the blushing boy, Hermione nodded, checking her watch, surprised to see it was much later than she thought, the enchantment on Gabby's dress due to wear off soon.
"Yes, please, just a Butterbeer will do." Viktor nodded sharply, offering Gabby his arm after she released Hermione from a sleepy hug. "I'll see you shortly, okay?"
Rubbing at tired eyes, Gabby slipped her hand into Viktor's waiting arm, waving goodnight as Hermione pressed one last kiss to the top of her head. Really, Viktor had been nothing but a gentleman all night, she should probably find a way to say thank you properly for his willingness to include a third party in what was obviously intended to be a date-date.
With both her dates gone Hermione found herself at a slight loss as to what to do with herself. The dancefloor was still in full-swing, although many couples had already departed in search of private nooks around the castle and the grounds.
Catching sight of Harry and Ron still sulking at their table, she made her way towards them, nodding in greeting to Padma who was sitting there with an especially disgruntled look on her face. Harry offered her a small smile as she took the seat next to him, stealing a sip from his drink before replying to his soft hello.
"It's gotten quite hot, hasn't it?" Harry offered a half shrug in response, handing her his drink again, while Ron continued to glare at the floor in front of him.
"Gabrielle retired for the night then?" He asked conversationally, noting the distinct absence of her dates, as Hermione nodded in response, mouth full of Butterbeer.
"Yes, Viktor's gone to drop her off at the dormitories, I only hope she gets there before the charm on her dress wears off…" Hermione frowned at the thought of the enchantment coming undone on the way up to Gryffindor Tower. It would undoubtedly prove to be a very embarrassing experience for her if it did. Harry, however, just looked surprised.
"You mean you made her dress?" Incredulity colouring his tone. Hermione tried not to take it personally, creationist magic was very advanced, and even she had to admit it didn't exactly resemble the Beauxbatons uniform, even if the colour was an obvious indicator of the original garment.
"Well, sort of, I-" only to be cut off by Ron's snort of annoyance.
"Do you have something to say, Ronald?" Glaring at the scowling boy, who refused to even look at her.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" The comment had Hermione freezing in place, Butterbeer hovering in the air, halfway back to Harry's grasp, as she just gaped at her friend.
"Excuse me?" It came out as little more than a squeak, Harry gently tugging the bottle out of her grasp, fighting her white-knuckled grip.
Ron just scoffed as Harry looked increasingly uncomfortable, "You know why."
"No, I most certainly do not!" How had her night turned into this? She had just wanted to spend some time with her friends on Christmas Eve, was that too much to ask?
"They're from competing schools! They're the enemy!" Ron spat, leaning across Harry to emphasise his point, "How long until they start using you to get dirt on Harry, huh?"
"What? How dare - I cannot believe that you," Hermione spluttered in anger at Ron's accusation, standing suddenly, towering over the two boys, "I would never, never, betray Harry! The whole point of this competition is international magical cooperation! We're supposed to be making friends with students from other schools!"
Ron just shook his head in denial, slouching further in his seat, "While she may be just a kid, Vicky is Karkaroff's student, I bet you anything that he's just using this whole thing as a way to get closer to Harry, close enough to jinx him, take out the competition. Merlin only knows that Fleur and Diggory won't pose any real threat to him."
Seeing the tears gathering in Hermione's eyes, Harry leaned forward, placing a placating hand on Ron's shoulder, "Ron, don't-"
Ron just shook him off, looking Hermione directly in the eye, "Why don't you get back to your little threesome, yeah? Unless you want to get your claws into Diggory as well? Might as well seeing as-"
Hermione had no idea what came over her, and by the looks of it, neither did Harry or Ron, several nearby students turning in their direction at the resounding crack.
"How dare you," Hermione was no longer shouting, fingers curled into her stinging palm. "She is nine for God's sake!"
Cheeks red with more than just anger, Ron turned back to Hermione, eyes narrowed, "At least I'm supporting Harry."
Hermione just shook her head, storming off, leaving the pair sitting at their little table. Damnit! She had been having such a good night too. How could he? How could he dare to question her loyalty to Harry like that?
She barely made it out of the Great Hall before the tears started to fall, blurring her vision. Hand pressed tightly over her mouth, Hermione tried to stifle the sobs wracking her frame.
"You shouldn't have said that," Harry muttered to Ron once Hermione had fled the Great Hall.
Judging by the look on the other boy's face, he knew it too, but the stubborn set of his jaw suggested that no apology would be forthcoming. With a sigh, Harry turned to follow Hermione, only to come face to face with Krum.
The older boy looked confused, two Butterbeers clutched in his hands, eyes darting around the Great Hall, "Vare is Herm-own-ninny?"
"No idea," Ron muttered, sinking lower into his seat, face turned to hide the red print on his cheek.
"I think she just went to powder her nose," Harry supplied, pointing over his shoulder at the door Hermione had left through.
Krum nodded, raising the bottles in his hands, "Vell, if you see her, tell her I haff drinks." Pausing once more to survey the room, he moved towards a congregation of Durmstrang students off to the side of the stage, obviously intending to wait for Hermione to return.
Running a hand through his hair, Harry turned to Ron, wincing slightly at the discoloration on his cheek even if he had deserved it.
"I'll be back," Ron just grunted in acknowledgment, turning his burning gaze back to the floor.
Making his way towards the door Hermione had exited through, Harry didn't know what he expected to find; Hermione crying, possibly, maybe even having retreated back to Gryffindor Tower.
What he found instead was much, much different.
He may not know the other Champions very well, but he felt like he knew enough to know that the sight of a softly smiling Fleur, hand wrapped loosely around Hermione's wrist, tugging her gently through one of the arches into the small courtyard beyond, was not typical behaviour for the aloof girl.
Even with tear tracks down her cheeks, the tremulous smile that Hermione gave the Beauxbatons Champion was enough to soothe his concerns about his best friend. With one last look at the slowly moving pair, Harry returned to the Great Hall to tell Krum that Hermione had retired for the evening.