1994 – Fourth Year

Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room mulling over his Divination homework, Harry would swear that he could physically hear the cogs turning in his friends head, even the crash as they all stopped working and he pushed his homework to one side.

"I give up. It just doesn't make sense, why do we have to take this ridiculous subject anyways." Ron said through a long sigh as he raked his fingers through his hear. Harry shrugged his shoulders in response and turned to his own homework that made just as much sense to him as it did to Ron.

Both heads turned towards the entrance to the common room as Hermione barged through with a box in her hands. Harry and Ron turned to one another with matching confused expressions before they turned back to their friend, who wore a grin from ear to ear as she placed the large box down on the table with a thud.

"What've you got there Mione?" Ron asked as he edged towards the box to try and get a peak.

"Badges!" She said excitedly.

Hermione reached into the box and pulled out one of the pins to show her friends, both of their expressions remained confused as they read the word 'SPEW' over the badge.

"Spew?" Harry dared to asked.

"S.P.E.W – It stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."

"Jee Whizz Hermione, that's a bit of a mouthful." Ron chuckled, Hermione shook her head and reached in the another badge.

"That's why I shortened it. One for you – one for you." She said as she handed Harry and Ron a badge each.

Harry picked up his robe from the back of his chair and attached the badge without hesitation, where as Ron looked quizzingly at it before he turned back to Hermione.

"You want us to where these?"

"Ron-" Harry began, trying to avoid more arguments.

"It's a badge that says spew on it, you cant say you feel comfortable wearing this."

"I'll take one." Fred said as he approached the table and took a badge from the box, "How does it work?" he asked as he looked dumbly at the mechanism behind the pin.

Hermione took the badge out of his hand and pulled forward his jumper, Fred took a step closer to her and looked down as she attached the badge to his jumper. She could feel his breath against her as she tried to avoid stabbing herself with the pin behind the badge.

She turned to look up at Fred as she finished and clasped the badge close before releasing his jumper. Fred winked at her before taking a handful of badges and pocketing a few, throwing one to George who was distracted by a piece of parchment laid out across the table, the badge his him in the side of his head, causing him to finally look up and pick it up off the floor. With a quick nod at Hermione as he raised the badge, he turned back to the parchment and attached the badge to his jumper, easily enough by himself.

Ron scowled at his older brother as he witnessed the wink he had given to Hermione, uncomfortable by the exchange before him. He turned back to the badge and placed it on the table in front of him before staring at his homework in a grump.

"If you don't feel comfortable Ronald, then don't wear it." Hermione said in a huff before grabbing the box and leaving the common room.

Ron turned to Harry who was shaking his head at his friend, he rolled his eyes at Harry and shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"Why do you fight it so much, she's our friend. We are supposed to support her, it doesn't cause you any pain to do that, so why don't you?" Harry asked, leaning back in his chair as he waited to hear Ron's explanation, curious as to why he had such an issue with Hermione's battle against Elf slavery.

Harry agreed with Hermione that the use of House Elves as servants was wrong, but he didn't share the same passions to eradicate the law binding them to this fate. However, he cared about Hermione deeply, she was just one of a few people he considered the closest thing to family that he had, and so because of this, he supported her completely.

She was also someone who had grown up believing magic wasn't real, she had learnt at the same time he had just how wrong that was. For this he felt like he could connect to Hermione in a way that Ron never could. He had grown up in a household of one of the oldest pureblood families to be recorded and could never understand how different growing up in the muggle world could be.

"It has always been the norm for me Harry, House Elves working for wizards, taking care of them. Yes some wizarding families do not treat them well, but that shouldn't mean that those that do should have to be punished for using them."

"I don't think she would have an issue if they were being paid for their time."

"Paid? Harry do you hear yourself? Can you ever imagine a Wizard paying a House Elf to do work?"

"And that's the problem. Could you ever imagine a Wizard doing the same work as a House Elf and not being paid?" When Ron didn't respond, Harry continued, "Exactly, it wouldn't happen. This is the point she is trying to make. They are living, breathing, intelligent creatures, why shouldn't they be treated the same as us? You don't have to agree with her completely, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but she feels passionately enough about this that she's fighting for it."

"And I admire that about her, that's one of the many things I love about her but I just don't see why we have to be involved."

"One of the many things you love about her," Harry said as he raised his eye brown and smirked at his friend.

Ron's cheeks started to turn pink as he groaned and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"You know what I mean."

"I'm not sure I do?" Harry said through his smirk.

"The same as you, you love Hermione too."

"Yes, but I've never heard you say 'as a sister'. So its not the same as me is it?" Harry continued as he rolled up his parchment. Ron groaned once more and buried his head in his folded arms across the table.

"If her passion is something you love about her mate, then I think you should stop causing arguments with her." Harry said as he stood from his chair and pulled on his robe.

"I'm going to go and find her, I'm sure she's fine but I should image you're not the only person who has pulled their face at these badges."

Ron nodded from his arms but didn't lift his head, Harry chuckled once more before grabbing his bag and leaving the common room in search for Hermione

~X~

Hermione sat on the bottom step opposite a deserted corridor, deflated from her journey around the castle. After being laughed at and ridiculed by a handful of students when presented with her badges, she decided to finish up for the night and take herself away from everyone. She had considered returning to the common room, but decided against it when she thought about how Ron had reacted in a similar way to the other students and no longer wanted to deal with that kind of negativity.

The box of badges remained full and placed at the centre of Hermione's feet on the floor. She stared into the box and watched the different patterns twist around before they spelled out S.P.E.W. She sighed to herself and rested her elbows on her knees before she dropped her head into the palms of her hands, it wasn't the end of her protest, but for now she'd had enough.

"What do we have here then?" The sound of Draco's voice startled Hermione, her eyes flicked upwards and landed on him. He stood a few feet before her, looking down on her with concern.

Draco looked down into her deep brown eyes and noticed how they were glistening as they began to fill with tears. He stepped forward and knelt down before her so that his face was now level with hers and looked into the box she stared so intently at.

He reached into the box and picked up a badge, holding it in his hands for a few seconds before looking up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"It stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare." Hermione's voice shook as she spoke, "I know you don't share the same opinions, but it breaks my heart how Elves are treated."

Draco looked back at the badge and inspected it further before he closed his hand around it and looked back up at her.

"It doesn't matter if we have different opinions. We arn't going to agree on everything, it would be boring if we did." Hermione didn't look any more positive from his words, so he continued, "However, It's something you feel quite passionately about, it's a cause your fighting for, so you have my full support."

Hermione blinked and caused a tear to roll down her cheek, it wasn't entirely caused by sadness, she felt touched that Draco would support her. She knew he had grown up to believe that Elves soul purpose in life was nothing more than to serve the family they were with, and yet he was willing to work through that confliction and support her because its what she felt was right.

"Hermione!" Harry's voice caused the pair to jump slightly.

Draco stood quickly and turned to face Harry as he ran towards them, the tears Hermione wiped away from her eyes did not go unnoticed by Harry. He immediately scowled at Draco as his eyes moved towards the badge he held in his hand.

"Are you finished tormenting Hermione?"

"Harry-"

"I don't know what you mean Potter?" Draco interrupted her and smirked at Harry.

"You're not as thick as your friends Crabbe and Goyle, so don't play stupid. I know you, you're an arrogant prick that takes pleasure in making those you think are lesser than you feel bad about themselves. So I suggest you fuck off and leave Hermione alone!"

Draco scoffed and turned towards Hermione, his smirk remained on his face, but Hermione knew there was nothing snide about the look he gave her, she could only offer an apologetic look in return. He dropped the coin back into her box and turned to Harry once more.

"Just because people think you're some sort of saint, doesn't give you the right to speak to people however you wish. You're an insufferable jerk that believes the world revolves around him. Well it doesn't. Your luck will run out one day Potter." Draco hissed before he wandered off down the corridor.

Harry scowled at his back as he watched Draco walk away before he turned to Hermione and joined her on the step.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, honestly." She gave him a small smile of reassurance before she turned to pick up her box.

"I don't like him."

"I know."

"I mean I really don't like him."

"I know." Hermione sighed before standing up. "Come on, lets go back to the common room, I have homework to do and I should Imagine Ron is still staring at the same piece of homework he was working on before I left."

"Are you going to fight with him again?"

"Honestly Harry, I don't have anymore fight let in me tonight."

"He does support you y'know, in a weird sort of way, in his own way. He just doesn't know how to word himself properly sometimes."

Hermione nodded and hummed at him, she didn't entirely believe him, but she knew somewhere deep down Ron did want to support her, in some way.

~X~

Classes were getting busier as the weeks went by, various students from each of the schools were entering the names in the Goblet, each were rewarded with a cheer from their peers.

Hermione had discovered that despite the location of the goblet being sometimes over crowded, it was actually the best place to read. Students came and went, they never stayed for long once they had entered their name, where as the rest of the school was filled to the brim now that it was the temporary residence of two other school.

She had taken her book to the great hall and tucked herself away in the corner of the room, occasionally looking up when the cheers became to distracting and watched as a new student placed their name into the Goblet. She noticed Cedric Digory, a Hufflepuff and somewhat attractive young man, had gained a substantial amount of cheers after placing his name into the goblet. She remembered him as the boy who they had travelled to the Quidditch world cup with, his father was a cheerful soul, very polite and welcoming. Much like his son, however, he wore it a little differently on his face.

She turned back to her book and read a few more lines before a familiar cheer from two boys echoed through the hall. Hermione glanced up from her book and spotted Fred and George Weasley running through the hall, waving a vial of something in the air as they cheered, students from Hogwarts clapped on their arrival.

The twins turned to their friends as Harry and Ron joined them, smiling and with intrigue as they waiting for the twins to explain their success.

"Well Lads, we did it!" George said excitedly.

"Cooked it up this morning." Fred added.

"It's not going to work." Hermione mumbled, apparently not quiet enough as Fred turned and skipped towards her.

He took a seat on her left, whilst George took the one vacant on her right, their smiles never fading.

"Oh yeah?" Fred breathed, much closer to her than George was.

"And whys that, Granger?" George asked.

"You see this?" Hermione asked the twins as she pointed towards the ground of Goblet of Fire, "This is an age line, Dumbledore drew it himself."

"So?" Fred asked, twisting in his seat on the opposite side of the bench to her so that he was now facing her.

"A wizard as intelligent and powerful as Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something as pathetically dim witted as an aging potion."

"But that's why its so brilliant, Mione."

"Because its so pathetically dim witted." George said as his smile grew thicker.

The twins stood and walked away from Hermione, taking their places in front of the goblet before they both began shaking the vials they held in their hands.

"Ready Fred?"

"Ready George."

"Bottoms up." They said in unison, before they both clinked their vials together and drank the potion in one.

After which, the twins took a step forward into the circle. When nothing happened, they both cheered, students started clapping at their success. Fred reached into his pocked and held up the small piece of parchment with his name written across it, he glanced over at George who held his in the air too before he nodded and they both dropped them into the goblet.

Nothing happened still and the twins erupted into further cheers, along with most of the great hall. Hermione rolled her eyes at them, waiting for the potion to back fire and the reproductions of Dumbledore's spell to take place.

The twins celebrated prematurely which became obvious when the flames from inside of the goblet grew wild before spitting out the two pieces of parchment that had just been placed in their. The fireballs surrounding the parchments flew towards Fred and George and pushed them backwards and out of the circle, causing them to land on the floor on their backsides.

Very quickly, the twins appearances began to change when what once was bright auburn hair that rested on their heads started to turn white as matching long beards grew on their face also.

"You said-"

"You said-" The twins began to argue, placing the blame on one another as they began to tumble on the floor as they fought through their frustrations at their failed plan, rolling towards the corner of the room.

Hermione sighed and shook her head, smirking to herself before turning back to her book. Most students where gathered to the side of the hall, watching as Fred and George fought, causing most to miss the next submission into the Goblet.

Hermione heard thick and heavy foot steps entering the hall, they weren't surrounded by cheers like the other potential contestants had been and this is what intrigued her enough to look up once more from her page. That was when she spotted Victor Krum entering the great hall, his headmaster Igor Karkroff following closely behind.

Hermione observed as Krum made his way towards the goblet, determination evident on his face. He was a serious boy, that much was obvious, but Hermione could tell there was something about him that he didn't like to show, perhaps he was soft at heart, but grew up in a school that supported the Dark Arts and in an ancient pureblood house hold that didn't allow him to be who he wanted to be.

She quickly shook her heard when she realised she had been over thinking someone she knew nothing about and she continued to look up through her lashes and watched as he reached for the Goblet and dropped his name into the fire. Just as the piece of parchment fell from his finger tips, he glanced over at her and stared at her intently. For a few short seconds his eyes remained transfixed on hers before he pulled his hand away from the fire and made for his exit from the great hall.

Hermione glanced around at her peers, positive he hadn't been looking at her, but surely someone else, when she realised there was nobody stood around her. Her brow furrowed with confusion before she turned back to the book and tried not to think about why Victor Krum would glance her way when she felt someone sit beside her, the smell of vanilla and strawberries filled her nose instantly and she knew Ginny Weasley had just joined her.

"Well well well." Ginny said, Hermione turned to her and noticed her friend was smiling from ear to ear, which she didn't take as a very good sign.

"What?" She asked Ginny so innocently.

"Don't what me! I just saw that! Why was Victor Krum giving you the eyes!?" Ginny squealed.

"He was not giving me the eyes! He just looked at me, probably wandered why I was sat on my own when everyone else is surrounded by groups."

"Wow." Ginny looked at her friend in astonishment, "You really don't see it do you."

"See what?" Hermione asked confused, finally giving up on her book and closing it.

"Hermione, you're a beautiful girl! You're crazy smart and a powerful witch, any boy would be lucky to call you their girl. Boys like Krum don't look at just any girl, he was looking at you. There are plenty of people he could've looked at in here, loads of people are sat on their own." Ginny said as she pointed around the room, she was right of course, Hermione spotted a few students sat on their own doing their studies.

"She's right y'know. I've seen him quite a few times since he's been here, girls throw themselves at him. Its quite shameful really, and embarrassing. But he's never looked at one in the eye, not since he's been here anyway." Luna Lovegood announced as she took a seat next to Hermione.

"See, even Luna agrees." Ginny said, her smile returning.

"Perhaps he has taken a fancy to you, Hermione." Luna deducted, causing Ginny to nod excitedly.

Hermione sighed at her friends, glancing between them both, it was then that she noticed Luna was wearing one of her S.P.E.W badges. Hermione had never considered herself as a close friend of Lunas, she had always been around and in the background in almost every group scenario, but because Luna was placed into a different house, she supposed that created a small barrier when the Gryffindors spent so much time in their own common room. She never appreciated how much she actually liked having Luna around, even if she didn't speak up and say anything, she had a warm presence Hermione found very settling, however in this moment neither of her friends were making her feel that way, in fact she was starting to feel more uncomfortable the longer she stayed seated.

"Thanks, both of you, but I don't see it myself. I'm going to go and get some more studying done." Hermione said as she stood up and moved away from the table, "And thanks Luna, for the badge." She said as she pointed at her chest to mirror where Luna was wearing hers.

Luna smiled back in return and gave her a soft nod as Hermione continued to walk backwards a few steps before turning around and heading out of the great hall without further hesitation.

"Your friends are right." Hermione jumped at the sound of Draco's voice as she turned a corner and stopped on a thankfully deserted corridor.

"About what?" Hermione asked, glancing round to make sure they were alone.

"About their theory on Krum, he's spent most of his free time in the Dungeons and he hasn't once looked at a girl, but you… he certainly looked your way." Draco said with a clear bitterness in his tone.

"How would you know?"

"I was stood in the hall when those twits made a poor attempt to enter their name into the goblet. I watched Krum put his name in and even though I couldn't see his face, I could see that he was facing your direction and you were alone. Besides, Ginny came along and started gushing and that's when I knew."

"How do you know what Ginny said if you were that far away?" Hemione asked with a raised eyebrow. Draco simply tapped his right temple a few times with is index finger before it clicked with Hermione what he meant.

"I don't think that your mother is teaching you Legilimency so that you can eaves drop in my head when someone is making a false accusation about a boy, jealousy isn't enough reason to invade my mind!" She hissed at him, causing him to take a step backwards.

"It would have to be life of death to invade your mind Hermione, I promise you that now." He said sternly, she believed the sincerity in his voice and her face softened.

"Then who?"

"Weaslette." He said before taking a step backwards and leaning against the wall.

"Still not great Draco, and besides. So what if he was looking at me, it was nothing more than curiosity, there's nothing to look at."

"I stand by my earlier statement; your friends are right." He chuckled before using the foot he had propped up slightly against the wall to push forward. He moved in front of Hermione, leaving little to no space between them as he placed his hand against the wall beside her head and leant his face further down towards hers.

Hermione let out a slight squeal at his forwardness, aside from dragging her into a broom cupboard where they shared their first kiss, he had never been so close to her in public. Her eyes flickered around the corridors and she felt her heart begin to face and beat against her chest, the grip she held on her book tightened until finally she looked up at him, her eyes landing on his.

"Nobody is here Hermione," Draco whispered, her eyes moved to his lips as he spoke, her own parting as she felt his breath against her.

"Someone could appear at any moment," she whispered back, her voice shaking as her eyes remained transfixed on his lips.

"I don't care." He said before he closed the gap between them and placed his lips against hers.

Hermione used her free hand to pull at his shirt, bringing him closer to her until his body pressed her against the wall, causing him to let out a slight moan in the process. She wasn't sure what was compelling her to act so foolishly as to kiss Draco Malfoy so openly in the corridor, she knew if anyone were to catch them, the news would spread like wildfire and she wasn't sure who would have worse consequences, but in that moment, she couldn't think of anything else but his lips on hers.

"Yeah let's just go back to the Dungeons." Hermione heard a voice loudly echoing through the corridors.

She used her hand that was gripping his shirt to push him slightly, to which he reluctantly pulled away from her, both panting as their lips begrudgingly parted ways. Draco looked down into her soft eyes and felt himself melt, he wanted more, he wanted it all, but he could hear the footsteps gaining and he had registered immediately who the voice had belonged to.

"Go." Draco told her. Nodding quickly, Hermione turned and ran down the corridor and out of site.

He remained leant against the wall and continued to pant as his friends Theo and Blaise turned the corner, stopping the second they spotted him.

"What're you doing here mate?" Blaise said as he glanced around the corridor, as if to find someone hiding.

"Heading back to the common room, I heard Theo's voice and thought I'd wait for you." Draco said coolly, brushing down his crinkled robes.

"Yeah, he did shout incredibly loud for some reason." Blaise said as he looked at his friend quizzingly, like he was missing something.

"I didn't shout, the acoustics is just something else in this place." Theo said before he took off down the corridor towards the Slytherin common room.

Draco shrugged at Blaise who stared after their friend before they both headed after him.

"Can you believe those idiots tried to put their names into the Goblet." Blaise said once they had caught up and were walking at a steady pace together.

First years scurried past them and dodged the three boys who were now walking in a line. It was plainly obvious, to at the very least Draco, that the years below and even some above were intimidate by the three Slytherins and avoided them as they moved swiftly through the corridors.

Draco's long strides caused his robe to glide behind him, something he resented wearing and looked forward to the day he was no longer required to wear it as part of his uniform, but he hated the idea of wearing a jumper of sweater vest even more. His hair was getting longer and becoming more difficult to maintain as several strands fell over his eyes that he did not care to move.

Blaise dressed a little more casually and didn't wear his robe, instead he worse he wore an elegantly knitted jumper with the Hogwarts crest on, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the neatly tied knot of his tie presenting its self ever so slightly. He cared greatly about his appearance, his clean cut hair style was enough evidence if not for his pristine unwrinkled uniform.

Theo on the other hand, did not care much for his uniform and instead of a robe or jumper, wore only his shirt that he didn't care much to even tuck into his trousers. His tie was loose around his neck and his sleeves were, much like Blaise, rolled up to his elbows. His shirt sat loosely on his shoulders and fell baggy over his chest, however over his arms the shirt pulled tight and was almost at risk of bursting at the seems every time he cracked his knuckles or stretched. His unruly curled hair that was tied back added to the messy look he was so evidently going for.

"I wouldn't expect anything less for them, of course it was never going to work." Theo responded to Blaise as they entered the Slytherin common room.

"I wonder who is going to get selected from Hogwarts, I don't think any of the people I've watched put their names in even stand a chance." Blaise said as he cracked open a new box of sweets.

"If Potter was old enough, I would put money on it being his name they pulled out." Blaise added.

"I wouldn't completely rule that one out, he always has a way of becoming the centre of attention." Draco responded, gaining hums of approval from his friends.

"Has Karkroff said much to you?" Theo asked Draco.

"He collard me on the first night they got here, wandered how much I knew of my fathers plans for this year. I told him very little and he tried to make some sort of dig as to how I wasn't that high of a rank if I didn't know."

"Did he really?" Blaise asked, putting down the sweets as he became more interested in their current topic.

"He did. I basically told him that father doesn't want me to get too distracted as not to effect my school work, I told him that given his job title I should imagine he would be inclined to agree. Which he didn't like of course, but the conversation fizzled out there really." Blaise laughed as Draco finished.

"Brilliant, I bet he was seething, he clearly went into that conversation with the intention of belittling you because he obviously doesn't agree with your involvement, which from the sounds of things, is more than his as he doesn't appear to have been at any of these meetings you've attended. Yet, he came out feeling worse off about himself." Blaise said as he laughed some more.

"I still can't believe the ministry let him get away with everything, I mean, I'm of course happy that they believed the likes of your father, but him. He's a fucking moron, how he is a head master of a school is beyond me. Father said he's had quite a few dealings with him in the past, the guy sounds like an absolute drip." Theo said, causing both of his friends to chuckle.

"Like you then?" Blaise added, quickly dodging a cushion that flew his way via Theo.

"As I was saying, he's lucky to have not been locked up. Maybe he shouldn't be pissing off the only side that give a rats arse about him because one more suspicious thing and I reckon he'll be having a snogging session with a dementor." Theo finished, right as Blaise erupted with laughter.

"I don't think a Dementors Kiss is an actual kiss Theo," Blaise said through laughter.

"Oh yeah, then what is it?!" Theo said defensively, causing Blaise to quieten down as he thought about the answer to his friends question when they both started laughing.

"It's where a Dementor sucks the soul from a living body. They never make contact, but the soul of the victim is drained and the Dementor consumes it, leaving the victim to live out the rest of there days completely lifeless, but still living." Draco spoke clearly, both of his friends stopped laughing suddenly and turned to him with blank expressions.

Blaise bit his lip to hold back his laughter when Theo erupted once more, unable to take Draco's words so seriously before Draco too joined in and not before long, the three Slytherin boys were laughing without being able to pin point exactly what about.