We've hit the 200 review mark! The last chapter I wrote was my most popular yet, with 29 reviews. Thank you for those who reviewed, I appreciate it!

We're heading towards the First Task, and I would like to say one thing. I will not rehash GoF tasks. You won't see Hermione battling a dragon, or saving Harry from the lake. I hope you enjoy the ride as I have some really awesome things planned for the three tasks. I won't give anything away, you'll just have to wait and see.

O.o.O.o.O

The day had started out like normal. Besides going to eat breakfast and lunch, Harry and Hermione had spent it rather easily, relaxing a bit with a nice walk around the lake, and a tiny bit of homework. However, it all changed when Harry suggested something...

Hermione shook her head as she clung desperately to Harry in the Gryffindor common room. What happened to the easy Saturday afternoon that they were going to enjoy. The one that most, if not all of the Gryffindors were enjoying, relaxing, lounging around or just having fun and mucking around. Only a few were around the common room to see the drama unfold. The easy going day, filled with a bit of study was about to become tougher for a certain bushy-haired bookworm. Hermione wasn't even sure why she was clinging so desperately at Harry, but she enjoyed the closeness nonetheless. Not that she would let him know.

"Please don't make me" she exclaimed wildly, grabbing onto Harry tighter.

Harry couldn't contain his smile at her antics, shaking his head at his lovely friend. "You need to do this Hermione. Come on! I've let you put it off for weeks since I suggested we practice flying in the great hall, but not anymore. The First Task is coming up, you need to learn!"

"I'm fine with my two feet on the ground Potter" snapped Hermione.

Harry looked at her, giving him the puppy dog eyes. Hermione's resistance held, for several moments.

"Damn those eyes of your Potter! Fine! I'll try" she snapped and was rewarded by a heart stopping smile from Harry.

"That's my girl" he said, looking extremely proud of Hermione. "Give me one second, I'll grab my broom."

Hermione watched Harry jog up the stairs of the boys dormitory and sigh. She really didn't want to fly. However, her eyes widened as Harry came down, with not just one broom. Besides holding his revered Firebolt, he held another finely wrapped package in his hand in a shape of a broom. Hermione froze in shock. She wasn't expecting this.

"No! You didn't!" exclaimed Hermione at the sight of Harry's cheeky grin. "How dare you!"

Harry laughed at her reaction and wiggled his eyebrows. "How dare I? For your information it was Professor Lupin who got it for you. I simply paid for it."

Hermione stared as Harry passed the package over to her, stunned. She wasn't sure what to say.

"Now you have no excuse not to fly, come on!" exclaimed Harry excitedly, taking advantage of her stunned silence.

With child-like exuberance, Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her out of the common room. Neville watched them go with a distant smile. While he was too shy to openly support Hermione like Harry was, he enjoyed watching the two grow closer, and he may have also entered into the betting pot run by the Weasley twins on when Harry and Hermione got together. Neville saw how happy the two of them were in each other's presence, and hoped that a certain red-haired girl would feel the same way when he approached her. Neville turned back to his Herbology book and sighed. Perhaps one day he would work up the courage to ask the pretty Gryffindor on a date.

O.o.O.o.O

They made their way to the Quidditch pitch, which was relatively empty. With the Tri-Wizard tournament, the Quidditch season over, the teams didn't practice. However, there were friends or individuals that would fly for fun or train in anticipation of next year. Harry was just happy Wood had graduated. Wood wouldn't last a minute in Hogwarts without his Quidditch. Reaching the grounds, Hermione pulled out the package, unwrapping it gently. She gasped to see a brand new Cleansweep Seven, with silver engraving of 'Hermione Granger' on the very edge of the broom, where a rider would hold it. Hermione turned and jumped at Harry. Harry however was made of sterner stuff, and managed to keep his balance and hold his friend whose arms were wrapped snugly around his neck. She was rather excited to own her very own broom, even if she didn't like flying too much.

"Thank you Harry!" exclaimed Hermione, her eyes shining full of excitement. "I'm also very glad you didn't get me a Nimbus 2000 or something."

Harry laughed as he spun his friend around playfully and set her on the ground.

"I thought you hated flying" he teased.

Hermione stared at the Cleansweep, holding it gently.

"But it's my very own broom! This is so cool!"

Harry grinned as he pulled out his Firebolt, mounting it.

"Let's begin!"

O.o.O.o.O

At the end of two hours, Hermione had made excellent progress. Although she still had a strong fear of heights, she had enjoyed flying around the Quidditch pitch with Harry slowly, getting the hang of being in the air. She had even gone relatively fast and looped around Harry, who adored her with compliments and advice. As she scanned around the Quidditch pitch, she could see why Harry loved it up here. The air was crisp, just cold enough to keep the sun at bay, and the wind blew her air softly. It was almost serenity up here, and with the evening beginning to set in, the sun was beginning to set, bringing forth a brilliant hue of orange and gold across the horizon. The trees of the Dark Forest loomed in the background, and Hogwarts stood majestically tall in her regal bearing from Hermione's position on the broom. Slowly, she made her way down and dismounted, Harry floating next to her. She placed the Cleansweeper against the edge of the stands,

"I'll make you into a fine quidditch player yet" boasted Harry, who grinned at Hermione's eyeroll.

"That was fun actually" remarked Hermione. "It's so calm and clear up there. And well, I guess learning something new was okay.

Harry hummed in agreement, before holding out his hand to her. "Want to really try flying?" he asked.

Hermione gulped, knowing how crazy Harry could be when flying, but nodded. She loved the exhilaration of the time they had flown on Buckbeak, and in some ways wanted to have a similar experience. Harry floated down further, allowing Hermione to hop on the broom, her arms wrapping around Harry's waist.

"Brace yourself!" exclaimed Harry, shooting off the ground with a burst of speed.

Hermione screamed in shock for a moment, shutting her eyes and clinging on desperately to Harry. Harry's firebolt was far more power in terms of speed and maneuverability than her Cleansweeper, something she realized straight away, even with the added weight of a second person. She gripped on even tighter as Harry twirled in the air once, before zigzagging across the sky in a haphazard fashion.

"Open your eyes Hermione!" encouraged Harry, as he pushed his Firebolt faster.

Hermione gritted her teeth as she opened her eyes, clutching desperately to Harry. Her eyes widened as she saw Harry's cheeky grin staring at her.

"Oh no! No-no-NOOOO" screamed Hermione, as Harry instantly dropped, the broom shooting straight for the ground.

Harry grinned as pushed the Firebolt to its absolute limit, before at the last second pulling up, shifting his body weight back as his feet skimmed the grass. Hermione's scream just drove him even more recklessly, skimming across the grass before picking up altitude back into the sky.

Hermione began to stop screaming as her throat began to really hurt, and then had she an epiphany. That this was actually really fun! Scary, but fun! And her heart was beating, full of adrenaline. It was like a rush she had rarely ever experienced before. So she gripped onto her Harry and put all her trust in him, to keep her safe.

Her eyes grew wide as Harry headed for the forest, zipping in between tree trunks at a ridiculous speed, somehow keeping up with his amazing reflexes and barely missing the trunks and slithering through the narrow gaps. Hermione gripped him tightly, and began to enjoy the ride. Harry sensed, or more heard Hermione's screams stopping and smiled with the knowledge that she was beginning to enjoy it. He shot out of the trees, twirling several times in the air and pulling out all the tricks he could muster. They stayed up there together for about twenty minutes, Harry pulling out all the stops to impress his ladyfriend clinging onto him. Finally, he slowed down, coming to a stop next to the stands, Hermione hopping off the broom and standing on the ground shakily. Harry turned to her and his heart stopped.

She was flushed from the wind, cheeks pink from the cold air. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she had a brilliant smile on her face. She looked lovely, clad in a pink sweater, jeans and her hair tied up behind her in a ponytail but strands framed her face which had snuck away from her elastic band that she used. She was a vision of loveliness, like an autumn sprite.

"Harry! That was amazing! We have to do that again someday!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

Harry looked at her with a smile. "Now you know why I love flying."

Harry's smile disappeared as he spotted three Slitherens walking out of the entrance to the pitch, brooms with them. Malfoy at the head of Goyle and Crabbe, Malfoy with his customary sneer on his face. Hermione saw Harry's expression change and turned to look, and frowned as well. She picked up her broom and tugged on Harry's hand. She had a perfect day, and she didn't want Malfoy to spoil it.

"Come on, let's go" she muttered darkly.

Harry followed her as they made a wide berth to pass the Slitherins. Malfoy kept up his sneer as Harry stared down Malfoy as they passed.

"Having fun with your filthy mudblood-" began Malfoy, but wasn't able to finish.

Harry had whipped out his wand, pointed it straight at Malfoy.

"Want to say that again ferret boy?" asked Harry, his voice cold.

Malfoy's eyes flashed with fear, but Goyle and Crabbe took a step forward, their wands out as well. Malfoy's afraid demeanor disappeared at the sight of his two goons backing him up. Malfoy would never fight when the odds weren't in his favor, and his self-confidence reappeared.

"Potter, you really think you can take all three of us?" he asked smugly.

Hermione stepped forward, her wand out as well and stepping next to Harry. "Not alone."

Malfoy shot her a hateful glare. "Don't talk to me you disgusting mudblo-"

Malfoy was cut off as Harry's controlled bludgeoning hex slammed into his stomach, Harry's verbal incantation and wand movement crisp, precise and fast. His extra study and practical lessons had helped. However Harry also carefully put how much power he put into it, toning it down so it wouldn't badly injure the blonde ponce, only severely wind him. Goyle and Crabbe moved into action.

"Stupefy!"

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!" exclaimed both Harry and Hermione, blocking the stunners.

Hermione went on the offensive quickly, her wand work far more precise than Goyle's.

"Stupefy!"

Her stunner hit Goyle before he could muster a defense. Meanwhile Harry used brute force to break through Crabbe's poorly formed Protego shield with a bludgeoning curse and then a stunner. Harry turned to Malfoy who was wincing on the floor.

"Don't make me teach you another lesson Malfoy" muttered Harry, letting Hermione pull him back and lead him towards the exit.

But Malfoy, for some reason suddenly had a spark of courage, that he wouldn't let Potter beat him. He prepared a hex just for Potter.

"Mudblood" taunted Malfoy from the ground and Harry spun around with Hermione, Harry's eyes full of fury.

The hex missed Harry by a centimeter, slamming right into Hermione's mouth with a bang. Harry retaliated instantly, disarming Malfoy with a Expelliarmus, sending Malfoy's wand flying away to the side. Immediately Hermione began to whimper at her front two teeth begin to grow. Harry glanced at Hermione's predicament and turned back to Malfoy, revenge on his mind. Harry stalked towards Malfoy, emerald eyes erupting with rage. Malfoy's sneer turned to fear as he tried to scramble back. It was to no avail, as Harry's fist slammed into Malfoy's nose, breaking it and sending blood gushing all over Malfoy's robes.

"You hex Hermione one more time, and not even daddy dearest can protect you from me. You got that? You call her mudblood or any other insult your puny little mind thinks of and I'll hurt you...bad" hissed Harry, pushing a dazed Malfoy to the ground and heading towards Hermione.

He wrapped an arm around the whimpering girl and led her back towards Hogwarts, his arm carrying their brooms. Their perfect afternoon was ruined.

O.o.O.o.O

"Oh my" muttered Madam Pomfrey as she spotted Harry and Hermione enter through to her medical ward.

She muttered to herself as she strode over, shaking her head. One way or another, it was always Harry Potter, or one of his friends being sent to the hospital. She was just glad it wasn't the young lad, it was as if he attracted trouble. In fact, she was tempted to keep a bed just open for Mr Potter.

"An enlargement hex no doubt" muttered Pomfrey as she stood examining the two massive teeth.

Hermione whimpered in pain and Pomfrey nodded.

"I know what to do, please follow me Miss Granger. Potter, you stay put" instructed Madam Pomfrey.

Harry nodded and sat down at a nearby chair to wait patiently.

Hermione sighed in relief as her front two teeth shrank to their normal size. The weight of her head ached on her neck, and seeing her front two teeth so large had made a dent in her confidence, especially with everyone watching and staring at her. Some had even laughed but Harry had strode on, ignoring them and helping Hermione. Hermione smiled at how protective Harry was of her. She didn't condone violence, but it was nice to know he wouldn't let anyone say anything bad about her.

Madam Pomfrey handed her a mirror. "See if it is to your approval Miss Granger" she said.

Hermione pulled up the mirror and smiled in it, gasping at her normal sized front teeth. Madam Pomfrey had shrunk them slightly so that they matched with her other teeth, instead of being slightly enlarged. Madam Pomfrey just winked at her, and ushered her off.

"Don't leave that strapping young man waiting Miss Granger. If I was twenty younger" she said wistfully, waving off Hermione's thanks.

"Oh, and Miss Granger, do be careful in the Tri-Wizard Cup," remarked Madam Pomfrey as she walked away.

Hermione just stared at the matron of the hospital ward. She really had opened her eyes to a hint of a personality, instead of always being nagging or professional as she had always been. Hermione sighed at the thought of the first task looming over her head. She really didn't want to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, as she had hoped to start a crusade for creature rights, which she would have called S.P.E.W, or short for Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare. The Tri-wizard tournament had put a halt to that.

Hermione shook the negative feelings away and smiled. She was young, she was in love, she was having an amazing time just spending with the one she loved and the teenager she loved was waiting for her. With a spring in her step, Hermione headed to meet Harry. She spotted him lazing in the chair, looking extremely comfortable. He flashed her a smile and stood up to greet her.

"We'll change it you know" said Harry, nodding his head in affirmation of his thought.

"Eh?"

"Wizarding Society. We'll change it one day Hermione," continued Harry. "We'll make it a better place, one where goblins, house elves, sprites, all magical creatures are treated equally. And where muggle-born and half-bloods are as well, where there is none of this pure-blood prejudice. So that gits like Malfoy won't exist."

Hermione stared wide eyed at Harry. "Harry..."

Hermione really wanted to kiss him now, but barely...just barely restrained herself. It didn't stop her from basically throwing herself at Harry, jumping into his arms. Harry caught her and held her tightly.

"One day Hermione, Malfoy or any other pure-blood git will be able to call you a mudblood. And then perhaps I won't need to keep defending your honor" grinned Harry.

Hermione pulled back from the hug and swatted him on the arm. "I can defend myself" she declared hotly.

Harry laughed and wrapped an around her shoulders. Sometimes he found it hard not to touch Hermione, she was so beautiful. He really enjoyed having her close by as well, the walls he put around himself at not enjoying physical contact had melted the moment the brown haired missile became his friend. However, later he found solace, an inner peace in Hermione's arms and now thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Of course Hermione, but sometimes it's nice to be the knight in shining armor."

"Knight in shining armor? I see no mighty stallion, nor shining plate mail," teased Hermione.

They began to walk back towards the common room.

"My mighty stallion is the Firebolt, and well...my armor...I'll ask Sirius for some."

Hermione laughed as she imagined Harry in a full set of plate armor. "It would be pretty interesting to see whether your mighty stallion is able to even take all of that weight."

Harry began chuckling at the sight of him doing just that. "Fattest seeker in a century, see if I could catch the snitch wearing seventy kilograms of armor."

The pair continued on their way down the hallway, laughing.

"Nice teeth by the way" winked Harry.

Hermione just smiled at her Harry, and then began to tease him. They bumped against each other playfully, enjoying the rest of their afternoon. Both were too caught up in their own world to see a sulking Malfoy and his two buddies as they trotted up to see Madam Pomfrey. Malfoy glared at their backs as he held his nose, wincing slightly.

"One day I'll get you Potter" he said savagely and turned to head into the hospital ward.

O.o.O.o.O

Harry and Hermione were in the room of requirement, where Harry and Hermione were both training hard. Hermione for the first task, Harry to better equip himself for when he had to fight Voldeshorts again. They were currently going through an exercise where they were to physically dodge hexes, relying on their movement instead of a Protego shield charm. The purpose (according to the Auror handbook that Sirius had given Harry) was to teach the wizard to dodge instinctively, as spells such as the Unforgivables were unblock able. This was the first time they were practicing the exercise, as Harry and Hermione had mainly been focusing on spell casting, casting spells quicker and faster, as well as pulling out your wand faster when taking a practical approach instead of theory. Harry also far enjoyed practical, putting theory into practice instead of sitting with books all the time. Hermione had made sure that they did a fair balance, so Harry wouldn't get too bored of books.

"Again!" barked out Harry, letting off three quick stinging hexes at Hermione.

Hermione threw herself to the side, dodging all three. She quickly rolled up into a crouched position and jumped over another hex, however as she was in mid-air she could do nothing to avoid the next hex which hit her. Hermione hissed slightly as she rubbed her arm where she had blocked the hex.

"Never jump unless it's a last resort" instructed Harry, his voice in instructor mode.

"When you jump," continued Harry, "you are completely helpless. You are a sitting duck in the air. Never jump unless you have no other choice."

Hermione nodded, and prepared herself.

"Ready? Begin!"

Afterwards, Hermione sat on a seat catching her breath and her thoughts wondered, to Harry and how he had changed while she waited for him to finish showering, as he had done some extra physical activity before finishing for the day.

When training practically for the tasks, she had found that Harry never joked or goofed around. He was dead serious and she quickly learnt to put in 110 percent and not slack off even one bit. He was ruthless, as it was his domain with Defense Against the Dark Arts. However she also enjoyed this side of Harry, as if it was a new side of him that was hidden behind his slacker attitude. She could see the determination in his eyes to improve as a wizard, and to help her to improve. She had learnt so much already in the short time that they had been together training, and was also beginning to see results in DADA classes where she was very near the top, whereas before she was in the upper tier only. In addition, her practical spell work for DADA had improved tremendously, and her speed in casting all spells had improved as well. However, she doubted that she could ever challenge Harry due to his seemingly natural talent in DADA, but she could certainly hold her own with the rest of them.

In fact, with her help Harry was beginning to succeed in all his classes. His Charms and Transfiguration especially were starting to reach an extremely high level and he was coming up to fifth in the class. And with him passing his exams for both Arithmancy and Ancient Rune, they had their entire timetables together which thrilled her to no end. Harry's marks across the board had improved and even the professors at Hogwarts had taken notice of the new Harry Potter which took his studies seriously. However he was still humble as ever, giving a lot of credit to Hermione as well, claiming that being the best friend of the brightest witch in the generation meant he couldn't slack off.

Hermione sighed to herself. With Harry's new attitude to work and studies, as well as his constantly improving physique by adding muscle and continuing to grow taller, Harry was becoming more and more desirable by the day. She just hoped that he would one day love her, the way she loved him.

The day came to an end, and another day closer to the First Task.

O.o.O.o.O

Undisclosed Location, 10:00 A.M.

"You are sure of this Crouch? That it is not too much? I know it is the Tri-Wizard Tournament but I think you have gone too fa-"

"No Ludo" said Crouch firmly, staring at the scene before him. "I don't think so at all. In fact, it may be enlightening. Perhaps even surprising. Although, I'm sure it will be rather exciting."

Ludo just turned and looked at the scene.

"Merlin have mercy..." he muttered quietly, shaking his head.

In the background, the clicking of gears echoed in the darkness, and Crouch smiled.

O.o.O.o.O