A/N: I wanted to post this on Saturday morning but the server was down. Instead, I'm posting it on Sunday, as usual. I even had a clever comment about getting this up before the Arsenal match. But they lost. To be fair, Tottenham played brilliantly and it was a joy to watch. Except that Arsenal lost.

A quick thanks to all who reviewed, and to all of you who are reading.


Hermione


Impossible things can happen. John explained this to me. Not that he had to. After all, how many people do you know lived a thousand years in the course of five minutes. The thing about impossible things is they are possible if they do happen. The impossibility results from not understanding the why of it.

Here is an example. John is a Time Lord. Even though he is no longer the Doctor. Should someone, me, change the past, John will know the new past (being friends with Captain Kangaroo). He will also be aware of the old past (a travesty known as Miracle Day). Ordinary people wouldn't notice. Clara Oswald knew all about impossible.


"Good Luck," Hermione said as they walked into the Great Hall.

"I do not need luck," Viktor told her. "If I am not the best, I do not deserve it."

As they parted to go to their separate tables, Hermione could only think about their afternoon. Viktor talked to her about how beautiful his home was. The mountains where he lived. He said almost nothing about himself, unless asked. She had to frown when asked where she grew up. She said Surrey was nice, but nowhere as beautiful as what he described.

She sat next to John, who grinned and asked her if she enjoyed her conversation. Hermione admitted that Viktor was nothing like she expected. He was more interesting than any other boy she had met. He enjoyed playing Quidditch but he didn't let it control his life. He put as much effort into his studies as he did into his practice,

"You saw him at our practice sessions, John. He's an excellent spell caster. And he was ready to give help and advice to the first and second years. He even helped Harry."

"And Ron," John reminded her,

They both laughed at how Ron stood awestruck as the Bulgarian tried to explain something to him. Viktor had to give up once he realized that Ron was doing nothing more than staring at him the entire time.

Draco sat down on her other side with Colin next to him. They were both smiling. She had to ask why and found out that Draco and Colin crossed the age line to the cup. Apparently, he was old enough to confuse the warding spells that they didn't notice Colin. "As a result, neither of us has detention."

Hermione laughed as she heard the full story, then groaned at the idea that Colin's name could come out of the cup. She agreed to help if the worst managed to happen. Harry, across from them, offered his help as well. He told Colin he would cross his fingers. It would be great if the school champion was a Gryffindor.

The feast began. Everyone ate heartily. The conversations were all the same. Who would be chosen? The Hogwarts favorites were Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Seeker and Oliver Wood, Gryffindor's Keeper. Harry said if Oliver didn't make it, he hoped it would be Diggory. After all, he was a Seeker. And Krum was almost guaranteed to be the Durmstrang champion, and he was a Seeker as well. Hermione told him that they should find out who was a Seeker in Beaubatons and make sure they were chosen as well. Harry agreed.

As the feast ended, the Goblet of Fire was brought in. Ludo Bagman made a short speech about how wonderful it all was and that everyone who entered should be proud, even if they weren't chosen. Hermione noted that his gaze seemed to linger on the Gryffindor table, specifically where she was sitting. She assumed it was because of Harry. As popular as John was within the school, the Boy-Who-Lived was still the major attraction for visitors. She smirked as she remembered their first class in DADA.

Professor Umbridge gave a syrupy speech that seemed to go on forever. After that, she read of each person's name so that she would know their faces. When she reached Harry's name she asked him to stand up and then announced that his adventures as a 'mere babe' were legendary and she hoped he would be an inspiration to the rest of the class. The best part was when Harry blushed as he said, 'thank you'.

The speech ended and Albus Dumbledore took the floor. He waited by the goblet until the flames above it turned red. A parchment came out. He grabbed it as it floated down and opened it.

"The champion for Durmstrang is . . . Viktor Krum."

Most of the hall applauded. Hermione most of all. Then she felt herself blushing as Viktor stood up. And looked directly at her. He walked to the front of the Great Hall, shook the headmaster's hand, then followed Ludo Bagman to a room behind the Teachers table.

Everyone paused as the flames on the Goblet went red a second time. A parchment came out and was caught. Dumbledore read it and announced the champion for Beaubatons.

"Fleur Delacour."

The process was repeated. Attention was diverted slightly as one of the other Beaubatons students began to cry because she was not chosen. Once Fleur Delacour entered the same room that Viktor Krum entered, the hall grew quiet. It was time for the third champion, the Hogwarts champion to be chosen.

Hermione looked around. Oliver Wood was getting some last minute wishes of good luck, as was Cedric Diggory. Percy Weasley was almost standing as he gave his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, a raised thumb. The others who put their names in were obvious by their nervous looks.

The flames turned red. The parchment came out. Dumbledore grabbed it deftly and opened it. An eyebrow raised, he announced, "the champion for Hogwarts is . . . Adrian Pucey."

"The dark horse," John smirked as the applause began, strongest from the Slytherin table. Hermione applauded but her heart wasn't in it. She was confused because of some things John had told her. Times changed he told her. Cedric Diggory was the champion the first time, the time he remembered reading about. But John wasn't there that first time. (The first time that was also this time, as John explained it.) But this time he was. Did his being here have that much of an effect? None of the guesses mentioned his name. As she watched Adrian walk to the front, she realized that none of the guesses included any Slytherin.

John was looking at her. "I know what you're thinking. I blame it on Marcus Flint. Pucey spent three years without his influence."

Hermione remembered Marcus Flint from that first day, on the train. He was ostracized from the wizarding community and ended up leaving England altogether for parts unknown. She wished, now, she had learned more about the Slytherins.

As Dumbledore began to make his short speech, and announce the desserts, the Flames over the Goblet turned red once again. Everyone fell silent. Except for a very short first year student at the Gryffindor table. He was shouting, gleefully, "IT'S COLIN. IT'S MY BROTHER COLIN."

Dumbledore grabbed the parchment that came out, glaring at Colin and Draco as he opened it. Then his face shown surprise, which followed into his voice. "Harry Potter?"

"I thought you put my name in," Colin hissed accusingly.

"I did," Draco acknowledged.

Hermione could only look at Harry. He looked stunned. Dumbledore called Harry's name again. Harry turned his head. "Mister Potter?"

Harry stood up to near silence. The only sounds were the hissed whispers from the heads of the other two schools. He walked up to the headmaster who led him to the room where the champions were gathered. Two angry people followed them. The door slammed shut behind them.

Without fanfare, the desserts appeared. Rumours were already flying, helped by the earlier shouts of a first year by the name of Dennis Creevey. Hermione looked to John and asked about Harry.

"Oh, they're all screaming at him and demanding he tell them how he did it. Draco's name is sure to come up and he might be talking to Dumbledore again." He paused as Professor McGonagall walked up and told Draco and Colin to accompany her. As they left the Great Hall, John smirked. "I think he has detention after all."

"You know who put his name in," Hermione accused in a low whisper.

"And why," John whispered back. "Do you want to be part of a conspiracy?"

Hermione was surprised. John knew. He admitted it. He admitted to being part of it. And he asked, casually, if she wanted to be part of it. This was a part of John she had never seen. He was being DEVIOUS. John could be clever, subtle, abrupt. Any number of things. But always in a good way. Her response was emotional. "How could you?"

John smirked, again. It was now annoying instead of amusing. "You've heard about the Malfoys. How they were supposed to be?"

"How they were supposed to be," Hermione admitted.

"We're still like that. Only our priorities have changed. Priorities that most people like."

"But you're not a real Malfoy. You're only . . ." She understood. Completely. The regeneration. John was a real Malfoy. He regenerated into Draco Malfoy. The same personality. She hesitated. Malfoys always did things for a reason. John and Harry were friends. What reason could he possibly have?

A head appeared between them. A second year. Clara Oswald. She was looking at John. And Clara asked the obvious question in a low whisper that Hermione barely heard. Obvious now that she heard it.

"Is Harry going to be hurt?"

John's voice became serious. He answered in the same low whisper. "He's not going to die." Clara suddenly threw her arms around him. John shouted. "NOT THE HUGGING."

Hermione laughed as Clara happily ran back to her seat. When she stopped, she wiped her eyes. That was when she noticed. Everyone was staring at her. Her and John.

"It WAS funny," she said, and quickly grabbed a raspberry tart. Hopefully, no one would demand a clearer explanation. At least, not until she thought one up. She was helped by Draco's timely return.

He smiled at her. He winked at her. He asked if John asked her, yet. She asked him if he knew. Draco shrugged. He then pointed out that everyone was staring at them. She should ask the expected question.

"Expected? OH. What did McGonagall say to you?"

"I'm glad you asked," he said loudly. Hermione noticed that the staring people were now listening intently. "She wanted to know if it was really Colin's name I put in. I told her I put in the parchment that Colin gave me. Colin is still trying to convince her that he wrote his own name on the parchment."

"Did he?"

"Why wouldn't he? Why use up your one chance to get into the tournament on someone else? He should be back in another ten minutes. Five if she already dragged Dennis into the hallway."

"They're satisfied, now," Draco said in a low tone. "I gave them a reasonable excuse for your maniacal whispering." He glanced around. "Why are they still staring?"

"John yelled at Clara Oswald for hugging him."

Draco leaned to look past her at his brother. John sneered. Draco smiled and nodded his head. "That's good enough for me." He reached over and put a slice of apple pie on his plate. "Do you see any cheese?"


"I don't believe this?" Hermione was muttering.

"What don't you believe?" Lavender Brown said. "Tell us so we can all go to sleep."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."

"Did you do it to bother me?" Parvati asked from her bed. "What is the problem?"

"I . . . I . . . Everyone wants to know why Clara hugged John. I thought . . . never mind. I'm going to sleep in the common room."

As Hermione left, she heard Lavender ask, "why did Clara hug John?"


They had finished their weekly practice session. The hardest part was telling Viktor she needed to talk to John. Viktor said it was fine. He wanted to talk to Harry, anyway.

Once they were alone, Hermione asked, "What is the conspiracy?"

"Viktor believes Harry."

"You're changing the subject."

"No. It's all about Harry. I know Adrian Pucey believes Harry as well. He won't admit it. It'll take away from him."

"I heard his speech. How he wants to represent the entire school, not one group. He wants to prove that Slytherins are not evil, only ambitious. And everyone has ambitions."

"Harry represents that one group. Clever don't you think? For years, everyone looked sideways at Slytherins as being untrustworthy. It only took one week to change that to the Gryffindors. Because of what Draco and Colin did. Harry must have had his own scheme. And his scheme worked."

"And you're not changing the subject."

"I'm talking about the changes. The last time, Harry was attacked. You were hit by a stray spell, but used that to straighten your teeth, mostly so you wouldn't have to wear that . . . metal thing for three more years."

"But I did that last September. After coming back from . . ."

"I know. And your parents agreed. With help from friends."

"Your line about all that magic does is correct the problem faster."

"Exactly. And I didn't help put Harry's name in. I simply didn't do anything to stop it."

"Clara's Question! Harry doesn't die." Hermione paused. "Her question was if he gets hurt."

"Yes. That was her question."

"Does he?"

"Probably. Harry isn't living the life I read about. Too many things have changed. Mostly for the better. Hopefully, he won't be hurt any worse than if I wasn't here."

"But Harry doesn't die?"

"Harry doesn't definitely die. There is now the chance that he will live. The future will determine how large a chance."

She lowered her head. She felt John's hand on her chin and looked at him.

"Hermione. Sometimes, there are no easy choices. No right choices. Only the best we can do. You remember that Harry was put with the Dursleys. He was put with them for the same reason. He wouldn't die. He would be hurt. Inside, he still has the scars. You can see them if you know to look. But he is alive because he was put with people who abused him physically, verbally and emotionally. It wasn't the right choice. It was the best choice available."

"This isn't the right choice, either."

"By far, no. But, again, it's the best choice we have."

"He still might die."

"Definitely better than 'he will die'." He put his arm around her shoulder. "Why don't I walk you to the Great Hall? We haven't done that in a while."

Hermione smiled, or tried to. She had too many sad thoughts running around in her head. He accepted his offer. It wasn't a long walk but she was surprised, when they reached the staircase, at the crowd of people in the Main Hall.

"Something happened."

"Two Galleons says Harry was involved," John whispered. He saw Colin running up the stairs and waved. Colin stopped when he reached them.

"You missed it?" Colin gasped.

"You didn't have to run. What happened?"

"Theodore Nott."

Hermione smirked as John frowned. It was a typical Colin answer. "There was a fight?" she asked.

"A duel. Yeah. Theodore Nott said that since nobody liked him they wouldn't care if he did the honours. He said he was sick of the Gryffindors and their nasty tricks. Then he told Harry to draw his wand."

"And Harry did?"

"He started to. But Nott and his two Goons started casting spells at Harry." Colin grinned. "This is the best part. Viktor Krum was with Harry and cast a shielding spell before a single spell came close." His grin grew in size. "And it deflected the spells."

John was now grinning. "What happened and who did it happen to?"

"Millicent Bulstrode fell over when her nose grew too big. Some kid from Hufflepuff went stiff and began to float away, and Dennis was turned into a corn flake. He wants me to take his picture before they cure him." Colin ran away, presumably to the dorm to get his camera.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione dared to ask.

"Dumbledore's office is my first guess," John said. He had a grin that matched Colin's. "Do you want to go to the infirmary to see Dennis?"

"Definitely."


Hermione was curious. She overheard Dennis say, "at least my picture will be in the paper." She decided to ask Colin. Colin admitted he made a deal with the reporter from the Daily Prophet. He would get credit for the picture he took of his brother. He was worried about the story that went with it. He admitted that the woman didn't say anything bad until after she had a copy of the picture.

The next morning, she went down to breakfast and waited for the post. When her copy of the Daily Prophet arrived, she knew there was trouble.

SCHOOL TRICKSTER HEXES FIRST YEAR

Hermione read the article. How Harry challenged one of the Slytherins to a duel. Then he began to cast curses on anyone else. Until he was stopped by Durmstrang's champion, Viktor Krum. She turned to page two. There stood Viktor, holding his wand. The champions had their professional portraits taken. This one was his.

The story went on to blame almost everything on Harry. There was even the Great Revelation of how Harry put his name in. A befuddlement charm on some unlucky seventh year. Apparently Harry was good at something. Dark Magic. Probably from the influence of You-Know-Who. The question the reporter wanted to know was if Harry was learning the Dark Arts for revenge or one-upmanship.

Harry sat down next to her. "Morning, Hermione. Anything interesting."

"It seems the reason you attacked everyone the other day was so you could practice your evil spells."

Harry gave a furious glance at the newspaper. "I attacked everyone?"

Hermione tried to use her most sarcastic voice. "We can only be thankful that the brave and valiant Viktor Krum stopped you before you actually killed someone."

"Like the reporter who wrote that story," Harry growled.

"Exactly." Hermione smiled. "How was your detention, last night?"

Harry started to say something but saw the look on her face. She knew he didn't want another lecture that since he drew his wand he was just as guilty of dueling as Nott was. "It was with Professor Snape."

"You don't seem happy."

"It's my fault. I thought he would go easy but he started off by telling me that I had to be careful, that," He tried, and failed amusingly, to imitate Snape's voice, "other hands are involved than the ones we see." He went back to his regular voice. "He had me practice drawing my wand and casting a shielding spell." He groaned. "I cast shielding spells at least three hundred times. And he taught me variations. I now know two dozen ways to shield."

Hermione knew that Harry could see the look in her eyes. He even managed to smile as he agreed to show her at their next practice session. She asked eagerly, "do you have detention again tonight?"

"You don't have to sound so happy about it." Harry smirked. "You could join me," he said in jest.


Professor Snape glared at Hermione. "This is a punishment."

"For him." Hermione hoped she had gauged her response correctly. She became nervous when the Potions professor smiled at her.

"An excellent point. If you wish to stay, you have to help." He pointed to a spot near the wall. "Stand there. Harry will stand where he is." They were now ten feet apart.

"Are we going to duel?" Harry asked.

"You are half correct. Miss Granger is going to cast any hex or curse that she knows. You will cast only shielding spells." Snape turned to look at her. "You, Miss Granger, will receive one point for every spell that strikes Mister Potter. If you do not reach ten points before the allotted time, you will spend the next week washing bottles because you dared to disrupt my schedule."

"And what is the allotted time, Sir?" Hermione dared to ask.

Severus Snape smiled again. "I'm not going to tell you. You may begin." He stepped back. The smile stayed in place.

Hermione pulled out her wand and said, "Sorry, Harry."

She cast a spell. Harry blocked it. She cast another spell. Then she tried to cast two different spells in rapid succession. One struck Harry. Instantly, Snape cancelled the spell and cast the Rennervate spell. Three seconds later, Harry was ready. And so it went. What made it harder than it should have been was that she and Harry often practiced casting spells at each other. They knew what to expect from each other. Now that she knew that Harry wouldn't be hurt by anything she did, she stepped up her efforts. Later, she would guess that she cast an average of 12 spells a minute.

The Professor called that the time was up. Hermione looked at him in disbelief. She still had an adrenaline rush. Harry, on the other hand, walked over to a chair and sat down, exhausted.

"How long have we been dueling?" Hermione asked. "An hour?"

"Twenty minutes." Professor Snape waved his wand. A glass of water appeared on a table near Hermione. Another glass appeared next to Harry. They both drank greedily. Then the Professor asked if they were ready.

The next hour was more relaxed. The professor patiently went through all the shielding spells that he had taught Harry, and pointed out where he had failed to stop spells. And why. As the end of detention neared, Hermione was happy. She knew the shielding spells, what each could protect from, what the weakness of each was. She thanked the Professor when he announced the end of the lessons.

"The detention isn't over." Snape said as the smile returned to his face. Hermione became nervous. "You only struck Harry five times. You still have to reach him with five spells." The smile grew slightly. "You have twenty minutes."

Hermione did her best. Four times she succeeded in the first ten minutes. But Harry was learning to compensate. It was near time, now, and she hadn't succeeded in landing the last spell. A quick glance saw the Professor looking at his watch. She decided to change tactics and lowered her wand.

"Well, that was twenty minutes. Good work, Harry."

Harry lowered his wand. "You made it a real workout, Hermione. Sorry about . . ."

Hermione raised her wand. "INCARCEROUS."

As Harry, with a surprised look, was wrapped up in ropes, Severus Snape raised his hand.

"Time is up. NOW." He glared at Harry. "When fighting an opponent, don't expect them to be honest with you. The purpose is to win."


"I don't care," John was saying. He was angry. The rest of the students in the common room were amused.

"It was only a matter of time," Hermione insisted.

"What was?" Ron asked as he joined them at the table.

"Dennis called John something?"

"Really?" Draco asked as he walked up and pulled out a chair to sit down. "Is it because of who he was?"

"When he was a Professor or a Doctor?" Ron asked.

"The second one," Hermione told them. "And you know that John understands animals."

"Except for the female ones," Draco joked. Ron snickered. Hermione and John scowled.

"What did Dennis call him?"

Hermione tried not to grin.

"Doctor Dolittle."

Hermione tried not to frown as Draco asked, "How does doing little relate to talking to animals."

"It must be a muggle thing," Ron added helpfully. "That's why John's angry. I would be."

"Well, it is a muggle thing," Hermione admitted.

"Told you," Ron said, not giving Hermione a chance to finish. He rubbed his stomach. "There's still an hour to curfew. I'm thinking of going to the, uh, library."

Draco licked his lips. "I think I'll join you. I still feel a bit hungry . . . for knowledge." He smiled at Hermione as he and Ron stood up.

"Aren't you going to take your books?" Hermione asked scornfully.

"Don't need to," Ron smiled. "There's plenty in the library."

"Bring me back a raspberry tart," John called out. He managed a small smile when Hermione turned to look at him. "A book on raspberry tarts. Make that two . . . volumes."


It had been two weeks since the champions were chosen. Hermione noticed the changes. Gryffindors were snubbed or avoided. Existing friendships did not end but the rule was: if you don't know them, don't give them the time of day. After the incident with Harry, it was almost as though someone threw a switch. Since then, there had been at least two incidents a day. Not counting the acts of retaliation.

Sabotaged homework was the mildest incident. Booby traps were more common. Mostly doors. Sometimes a chair. In the case of the Great Hall, one of the benches usually used by first years.

Yesterday, everything became quiet. Someone pulled a prank on the Weasley twins. And the twins claimed they knew who it was. There was a sense of impending. Who was it? What would the Weasleys do? It was only a stink bomb. True, the smell wouldn't wash off and they needed to go to the infirmary. Still. What would they do?

"Nothing," Ginny told her as they walked to breakfast.

"What?"

"Think about it. It's been almost a day and a half. No one's done anything to anyone."

"But . . . That doesn't make sense. Why do nothing?" She had an idea. "They're getting back at whoever did this by using psychology?"

"Fred and George? You've got to be kidding. I only know the word from talking to you. They're not going to do anything because," Ginny grinned, "no one did anything to them."

Hermione was confused. "But I even smelled them."

"You know they talk about opening up a joke shop once they graduate." Ginny looked at her as though she should be able to figure it out. She huffed at Hermione. "You do know that they're always experimenting?"

Hermione apologized. She should have figured it out. "They only said that as a joke." After a few steps she added. "It is funny."

"Yeah. I love looking at people and smirking."


Harry sat down next to Hermione. They were both early to breakfast. She smirked. "How was your detention last night?"

Harry frowned. "Professor Umbridge made me sneak into the forbidden forest last night."

Hermione frowned. Everyone knew Professor Umbridge. She loved to talk. All her homework was reading. In two months, she had not performed one spell in class. When questioned, she referred to the reading in the books she assigned. She then emphasized the need to understand how the Ministry handles Dark Wizards. She noted that when they were finished with her class, they would be well versed in theory.

"Why, Harry? That is not a normal detention."

"Dragons," Harry whispered. "She had me take a specific course, with instructions not to be seen."

"Good think you had your cloak."

Harry was surprised. "You know about that?"

"Parvati told me."

"Ron told me he wouldn't tell anyone."

"He only told Parvati. She only told me." She frowned again. Her breakfast forgotten. Her hands on the table on either side of her plate. "She told me because everyone tells me. That's what she said."

Harry managed a smile as he put a hand on hers. "I blame John."

"And pray tell why."

"Everyone knows how he feels about you. And his friends know his secret. If something happens to him . . . He wants someone to remember who he was and what he did."

"Let's talk about dragons. It's a happier subject. They're the next task." Harry nodded. "And you know. Isn't that an unfair advantage?"

"I saw Karkaroff out there, the Durmstrang headmaster. I wouldn't have seen him if it weren't for my cloak. He's VERY good at sneaking around." Harry frowned. "I didn't see anyone else. I guess it's only Viktor and me that have the advantage."

Hermione knew what to do. She smiled. He best fake smile. "I promise you. I won't tell anyone."

Harry grinned. She could see the relief in his face. She kept from laughing. Harry was the strange one in their group. Not John. Harry would've kept it a secret if he was the only one to know. But someone else knew. That made the unfair advantage, in Harry's mind, to be no longer fair.

She deliberately dawdled over her breakfast. It was Sunday. There were no classes. Her excuse was that she was waiting for her mail. Harry stayed for a while, surrendering his seat to John when he arrived. John smiled at her when she said she was waiting for the mail. He asked how she knew.

"Knew what?"

"Oh. It's an excuse. Why are you waiting?"

"I know," Draco said from the other side.

"How do you know?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy. I know everything."

"Then why am I here?"

Draco smiled at her. "You're madly in love with John and wanted to sit with him at breakfast. You were also hungry. That was why you came early."

"That is completely stupid answer," John said.

"Adrian Pucey is leaving," Draco said.

"How did you know?" Hermione was surprised.

"I was curious if it would be Dragons again," John said.

"I . . . felt them," Draco admitted. "And Harry . . . and Karkaroff." He smiled. "Sarah Jane has more of an influence on him than she knows. And if you run out of the Great Hall right now, you can bump into Adrian as though it was an accident."

Hermione looked up, Pucey was already leaving with his friends. She hesitated, then started to run as though she was in a hurry. But Pucey had walked faster than she thought. He had already turned away to the dungeons before she could catch up. She stopped in the main hall. It would be too obvious if she ran after him.

A first year Slytherin, passed them on his way to the Great Hall. He eyed Hermione with suspicion. Hermione smiled when she recognized him. Another plan formed in her mind.

"Adam, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Suspicion was in his voice as well.

"I'm . . ."

"I know. And you want something."

"You're very astute."

The boy hesitated. "You mean I understood?"

"I need you to give Adrian Pucey a message."

"What message?"

"Dragons. The first task."

"You know?" Adam was surprised.

"That's not the point. ALL the champions need to know."

"And why trust me?" Adam made it clear he was still suspicious.

Hermione smiled as she thought of what to say. "We're the same, you know. Orphaned magical children raised by muggles so that we would be safe."

"But . . . you're the reason everyone thinks . . ." Adam smiled as understanding filled him. Hermione read him like a book. The fact that people thought he was 'better' because he was Slytherin could be useful. "Is it important or can I have breakfast first?"

Hermione waved him into the Great Hall. She headed outside to look for a familiar foreign student who would be doing his morning exercises. She waited until he was near the end of his regimen to approach him, waiting at a polite distance once he saw her. A glance to one side revealed angry and/or jealous looks in her direction. Viktor finished his exercises and walked up to her.

"A favour," he asked as she explained why she was there. "A favour that reflects vell on me?"

"I can't get close enough to be discrete. You're also a champion. You can make an excuse."

"I agree. But I have condition. Come the Solstice, there is to be the Yule Ball. I need a date." Viktor grinned at her. "Agreed?"

Hermione gaped. A Ball? And he was asking her. No. Not asking. Telling. She told him how she honestly felt about that.

"I'm . . . flattered . . . honoured . . . I don't know what to say."

"Say Yes."

"YES."

Viktor kissed her hand. He promised her he would take care of the problem. After he changed and had breakfast. He grinned a bit too much for someone who was only being polite. Hermione wondered if he thought there was a possibility she would say no.

She walked back to the castle. It was going to be a wonderful day. And it was. The proof was in the Great Hall. Fleur Delacour deliberately looked at Harry and smiled when he looked up. Shortly after, Adrian Pucey stopped by their table.

"Potter. Harry."

"Adrian?"

"It's obvious that you didn't plan to be in the competition. I wanted you to know that I know that."

"Thanks. I mean that."

Adrian glanced toward Fred and George Weasley. "We DO have our suspicions." Then he patted John on the shoulder. "You still have the advantage, though."

Harry looked confused. "What advantage?"

"John Malfoy. He can share his experience with you. You know what happens to this boy when . . . he has an accident?"

"I was there at the last . . . accident."

"He was John Smith back then. When he won the Tri-Wizard Tournament. One of those past lives." Adrian was grinning at Harry's surprise. "You should know. He was in Slytherin at the time."

"What?" Harry asked as Adrian walked away.

"John's a former champion," Draco said from across the table. "Honestly, Harry. You should try to pay attention."