A/N: Fixed this chapter. When I first published it, I chose the document for the original version of the story, which didn't make senses (Chapter 7 of the original story is the time turner adventure, which is in Chapter 6 of this story)

CHAPTER 7: THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP

"Harry Potter."

Harry gaped toward the staff table. Today was Halloween 1994, the day where the champions for the first edition of the revived Tri-Wizard Tournament were chosen. Harry had never entered his name and yet, his name came out of the Goblet of Fire. He should have seen it coming. He really should have. After all, today was Halloween. Something bad had always happened on Halloween since he had come to Hogwarts.

And yet, he hadn't seen it coming.

Harry sat there, barely aware that the entirety of the Great Hall was looking at him. A very silent Great Hall.

He glanced at his friends. Both were looking at him with a blank expression. Still, Harry could see in Ron's eyes that anger was slowly starting to build up. Anger directed at him. He could see where it was going and ignored him. Hermione's feelings about the situation were what he wanted, no, needed to know. Unlike Ron, Harry couldn't discern anything in Hermione's eyes except shock.

"I didn't put my name in! You know I didn't... right?" he whispered to them. Neither reacted.

"Harry Potter!" repeated the voice of Dumbledore.

Ron started scowling while Hermione just pushed him on his feet. "Go on." she said.

"Hermione..."

"Go!"

The atmosphere around him was heavy. Harry felt like he was slowly walking to his death. Everyone was looking at him and Harry saw the stares that came all around the Great Hall. More than one was an angry one.

After what felt like an eternity, Harry entered the smaller room adjacent to the Great Hall. The other three selected Champions were standing around the fireplace. "What is it?" said Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons Champion. "Do they want us back in the Hall?"

A debate soon started when the teachers joined in. Understandably, the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons Headmasters and Champions were angry that Harry's name had come out of the Goblet and that Hogwarts now had two Champions. Harry had quickly tuned out the conversation once he had answered Dumbledore's questions.

Harry was worried about the reactions of his friends. While he was disappointed about the direction Ron was heading toward, he wasn't really surprised. He knew that Ron's deepest desire was to make a name for himself, to not be in someone else's shadow and having your already world-famous best mate suddenly being entered in a Tournament which you wanted to join in yourself — well, let's just say that it wouldn't be a surprise if Ron refused to speak to him in the following days, nor that it wouldn't hurt him if he did.

What he was worried about was Hermione's seeming lack of reaction. Harry knew that Hermione had been shocked, but she also looked at him blankly. It didn't make him comfortable and he feared that Hermione would believe that he had entered his name in the Goblet. That scared him. Losing Hermione... Harry didn't know what he would do without Hermione in his life. He just knew his life would become a lot more miserable if Hermione ended up not speaking to him. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

After nearly an hour of talks between the Professors, the Champions were let go. Harry left nearly trembling. Professor Moody had come up with the theory that Harry had been entered as an assassination attempt! Even after sharing that theory, the officials and Headmasters still forced him to compete in the Tournament! When Harry arrived at the entrance of Gryffindor Tower, he stopped in front of the Fat Lady before taking a deep, relaxing breath.

"Well, well, well..." said the Fat Lady. "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion then?"

"Balderdash." said Harry, not wanting to hear the gossip from the portraits.

"It most certainly isn't!" said the second woman in the portrait.

"No, no, no, Vi. It's the password." said the Fat Lady before opening the entrance. He was surprised when he was met with a blast of noise. It didn't take long for people to notice him, nor for people to drag him into the common room. Harry looked around and was disappointed when he saw that both Hermione and Ron were missing. Ron was probably in their dorm room so he would be able to talk to him but Hermione would be in hers and boys weren't allowed up there. He would have to wait until tomorrow to talk to Hermione. Hopefully, she would believe him...

"Why wasn't Mum there?" asked Rose with sadness.

"Because your mother was in the library, of course!" said Harry with a grin. "She told me the following day that after the students were forced to leave the Great Hall, she went there in an attempt to find a way out of the Tournament. By the time she came back to Gryffindor Tower, I was already in my dorm."

"You talked the next day then?" asked Rose.

"Yes." said Harry. "That morning, I had woken up still tired of the evening. I hadn't slept well that night because of what had happened and Ron's reaction. You might remember that I had mentioned once that in the first few months of our first year, I had a nightmare that Hermione was turning her back on me again after something bad happened to me. I had it again that night and feared that I would be completely alone. Thankfully, one look at your mother and I knew I wasn't..." he said, smiling fondly.

Harry dressed up for the day. He felt miserable about what had happened with Ron the previous night and was scared that Hermione felt the same way. When he entered the common room, the whispers started again. Harry quickly walked toward the exit but before he could push it open, the Fat Lady opened the entrance and Harry found himself face-to-face with Hermione.

Hermione was surprised and even shocked when she saw Harry flinch at her presence. That was until she remembered Ron had looked angry after Harry's name had come out and had refused to talk. She had the suspicion that Ron had believed that Harry had entered his name, something Hermione felt was confirmed by the small look of fear in Harry's bright green eyes. He feared that she would reject him as well.

"I believe you." she blurted out, right away.

"You... You do?" said Harry, shocked.

"Of course, I do!" she answered back. "I know that you never cared about fame, money or glory and that you weren't interested in risking your life in a dangerous Tournament. Honestly, your face yesterday sealed the deal. You looked more shocked than everyone else around us."

Harry let out a breath of relief. "Thank god." he said before taking Hermione in a strong hug. "Ron didn't believe me and I feared that you wouldn't either." Suddenly realising what he was doing, Harry let go of Hermione, blushing. Hermione wasn't much better.

"I- I brought you this." she said, showing the small stack of buttered toasts she had been holding the whole time. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Good idea." said Harry. "Thanks."

"No problem." she said, smiling back. Her smile made him feel lighter, as if some weight had been removed from his shoulders.

Harry quickly found out in the following weeks that, apart from Hermione, no one else believed in his innocence. It seemed that only the Professors and a few students didn't believe that Harry had entered his name in the Goblet of Fire. The only students that truly believed him — and not just said so because they liked Harry, like the Creevey brothers — were Neville, Ginny and the Weasley Twins.

Harry had come to learn just how much Hermione's presence meant to him during the preparation for the First Task. He knew that, had she not believed him, Harry would have been left heartbroken, feeling utterly alone. But since she was there with him, he didn't. The girl had taken to a library frenzy, trying to look for every useful spell imaginable that they could teach each other. Most of the time, Harry was there and helping her simply because he liked spending time with her.

Hermione had found many useful spells and had received the permission from Professor McGonagall to use an unused classroom as their own practice room for the duration of the Tournament. Here, the duo learned many useful spells. While life inside the castle became slowly worse over time, time spent with Hermione became better and better. Harry's feelings slowly for his best friend slowly refined over time until it came to a clash just before the first task.

After eating a small breakfast, an anxious Professor McGonagall led Harry toward the Champion's tent just outside of the arena. "You're to go in here with the other champions and wait for your turn." she said. "Mr. Bagman is in there... he'll be telling you the... the procedure... Good luck, Potter."

"Thanks." he said in a flat, distant voice. Harry was trying very hard to hide his fear and nervousness. He half-listened to Mr. Bagman's instructions and he wasn't even surprised when he ended up with the most dangerous dragon of the lot. Harry took a seat on a bench and closed his eyes. As time approached, and his fellow Champions took their turn in the arena, the unforgettable truth became more and more invasive.

"I'm going to die..."

There was no other way around it. He was going to die for people's entertainment. He knew that he would be missed by few but he didn't really care. All that mattered was what Hermione would feel like. Merlin, she would be devastated. He knew he would be if the girl he loved died.

Harry suddenly gasped. 'The girl he loved...' It suddenly clicked in his mind. Harry finally knew what his feelings toward his best friend meant. He was in love with Hermione!

While Harry was thick, he wasn't stupid enough to think that he wasn't attracted toward Hermione nor that he didn't have feelings toward her. He knew he liked her but he never realized that he was completely in love with her. Not until now at least. Not right before he had to go up against a bloody dragon.

"Pssst!" he suddenly heard from behind. Harry turned around and Hermione look around the tent before entering it. Harry instantly raised to his feet.

"Hermione?" asked Harry, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Come to see you, of course." she said, biting her lower lip. Merlin, it made him want to kiss her. "Are you alright?"

Knowing he couldn't lie to her, he said "No." which came out as a terrified whisper. Hermione let out a sob before she jumped in Harry's arms. They stayed in their embrace for a few minutes before Harry talked again. "Hermione... there is something I need to tell you."

"Harry?" asked Hermione, suddenly nervous.

"In case something happens to me today... I want you to know that... that I love you, Hermione Granger."

Hermione burst out crying and held Harry in an even stronger hold. "I love you too but listen here Harry James Potter..." she started before looking straight into his eyes. "You better come back to me or I will be very angry!"

"I'll try my best." he whispered and before he could think about what he was doing, Harry kissed her on the lips. Hermione let a small gasp in shock before she kissed him back. Harry was pleased when Hermione let a small moan of pleasure. Harry knew that kissing Hermione would be good, but he never expected how great it would be.

Hermione felt like something had just lit up in her heart when Harry kissed her. She had been pleasantly shocked when Harry had kissed her. Harry loved her! Her! Hermione Granger! The bookworm with bushy hair and large front teeth! 'Okay, the last one isn't the case anymore but still!'

The new couple separated when they heard a whistle. Both looked pained by their separation but they knew that they couldn't do anything. Harry had to go participate in the First Task and Hermione would be forced to watch while unable to help him.

Harry walked toward the entrance of the arena before stopping and looking back at Hermione one last time. He memorised every detail of her beautiful face in case he wouldn't see her again. While he would do his absolute best to survive, especially now that he knew Hermione loved him back, he had prepared for the worst-case scenario.

A scenario where he wouldn't see Hermione again.

Rose looked horrified, realising what her father was implying. "You thought you would die?" she said as her eyes turned moist.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah... I even wrote a Last Will and Testament to be sure Hermione would get everything I owned if something happened to me." he explained, taking his now sniffling daughter in his arms. "I love Hermione, she was the only one that had stuck with me through everything and I believed that she deserved it."

"You survived?" asked Rose. Harry raised an amused eyebrow.

"I wouldn't be there if I hadn't, would I?"

Rose let out a small giggle, realising what she had just said.

"Hermione later told me that the First Task was one of the worst times in her life. After the task was great though? It was great." he grinned.

He had done it! Harry had not only survived but gotten the Golden Egg! He hadn't died and hadn't made Hermione angry. He knew that he didn't want Hermione angry at him, even after death. Considering it was Hermione, she would find a way to call his spirit just to give him a piece of her mind. Maybe she would build something like a stone that you turned three times in your hand, something like that...

"Harry!" heard Harry, the delighted shout of Hermione coming from the other side of the tent.

"Hermione!" said Harry before running toward her. Hermione jumped in his open arms and kissed him senseless. Hermione needed reassurance that he was safe and Harry was happy to grant as much reassurance as she needed. He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. Harry felt Hermione's tongue rub against his lips and he opened his mouth, happily granting her entrance. Their tongues fought like sword fighters in their mouth while both moaned in pleasure.

"Hem, hem." The couple didn't hear it. "Hem, Hem!" came another, louder throat-clearing.

Harry and Hermione froze, remembering where they were before they separated. Both flushed faces turned toward Ronald Weasley.

"It was about time." he said, smirking at the couple.

"W-What?"

"That you two got together." he said. "Honestly, I saw it happening back in first year!"

"Ah." said Harry. Hermione looked with narrowed eyes at Ron, something the boy didn't miss.

"Listen... I'm sorry for how I acted. I was..."

"Jealous?" asked Hermione.

"Yes." sighed Ron. "I was jealous that you were getting even more fame and recognition that you already had and that you had a shot at a one-thousand galleon price and I never really thought about how you felt about the whole situation. I'm ashamed that it took me seeing you go against the dragon to realise that I wouldn't want to be in your shoes so — well — I'm sorry." said Ron, looking down.

Harry glanced at Hermione and when she saw her smile and nod, he said "It's okay. I accept your apology." he said before grinning. Both Ron and Hermione grinned as well. The 'Golden Trio' was back!

"And that's how your mother and I got together!" said Harry proudly.

"Yay!" said Rose happily. This made her father chuckle.

"From what I learned later, many students in Hogwarts and even some of the teachers were betting on when Hermione and I would start dating, including Professor McGonagall. Apparently, they saw something in us before we even realized ourselves." he said with an amused smile. "I think Professor Dumbledore once told me that he won enough on the bet to buy himself a few years' worth of Lemon Drops."

"Dumbledore bet on you?"

"He did!" laughed Harry. "Told me in passing a few days after the First Task. I know that your Uncles Fred and George also did a bet but they had predicted that Hermione and I would get together in our Sixth Year. They lost."

"Of course, they would!" said Rose. "It's Uncles Gred and Forge!"

Harry laughed. "Gred and Forge? I believe you spend too much time with the twins, young lady!"

Rose grinned sheepishly. Harry shook his head fondly.

"The First Task signalled the beginning of our relationship." said Harry with a more serious tone. "Because of the Triwizard Tournament, we weren't able to really go on dates. Unfortunately, Rita Skeeter — that annoying reporter — managed to learn about us and began publishing a lot of articles, implying that Hermione was somehow using me to get money and fame while seeing someone else on the side." said Harry angrily. "Because of that — that... because of her, Hermione received a lot of bad mail from bad people who believed Skeeter's articles."

"That's horrible!" said Rose.

Harry nodded. "I know. It wasn't a great start to our relationship. We didn't blame each other, of course. We knew we weren't at fault. However, I hated the fact that your mother was being attacked for simply dating me and I almost decided to push her away in a stupid attempt to be noble." said Harry with a chuckle. "Your mother slapped me when she realized what I had in mind. Let's just say that I never tried that again."

"Why would you push Mum away? That's stupid!"

"Oh, I know that now." said Harry with a small laugh. "But back then? Remember, I had been raised by the Dursleys. I didn't think I was worthy of someone like Hermione so when she began receiving hate mail from others, it scared me. What if your mother was injured? What if something bad happened? What if a fellow student who believed the Prophet decided to hex her in the back? I was convinced that if something like that happened, it would be my fault. Not Rita Skeeter's fault for writing the article — not the fault of the attacker because of what they did — my fault, simply for dating her. Like I said, I was stupid. That's a life lesson for you, Rose. Don't push those you love away. It just brings pain to everyone." finished Harry.

"Okay." said Rose. "I'll remember not to be stupid like you, Dad."

"Ouch!" said Harry dramatically, putting the palm of his hand on his heart. "Called stupid by my own daughter!" he cried, his arms in the air. Rose giggled and Harry laughed alongside her, happy that he could make her laugh.

After both calmed down, Harry continued. "A week after the First Task, I had the shock of my life when Professor McGonagall announced there would be a Ball on Yule. Before I could even process what she had said, I was ordered to stay behind while everyone else left the class. Minerva then told me that I had to attend and had open the Ball as one of the Champions! I was terrified. I had never danced in my life and had no idea what to do. I knew I wanted to go with your mother but I feared I would embarrass her in front of everyone.

"Your mother knew I had a dilemma when I left McGonagall's class. Being as bright as she was, she managed to guess what I was thinking about. So, I told her what I felt. Hermione was delighted I wanted to go with her. She also looked slightly surprised, now that I think of it. Not really sure why she was..." said Harry with a frown.

"From what you told me about Mum, she probably didn't think she was good enough for you." said Rose. Harry was startled. She was right!

"It's the first time I heard a five-year-old capable of saying something so wise." said Harry with a grin. "You really are your mother's daughter."

Rose beamed at the praise. Harry continued his story.

"What was I saying? Oh, right. I told Hermione about my dilemma and she proposed to teach me how to dance. I was delighted. Dancing ended up being the thing we did the most in our free time in the month before the Yule Ball. At the end of it, I was capable of doing a few types of dances without stepping on your mother's toes. Your mother was supportive all the way." said Harry with a fond smile.

"On the evening of Christmas, we attended the Yule Ball. I can remember the day as if it happened yesterday. Hermione, Ron and I spend the day messing around and celebrating Christmas. That afternoon, we began a huge snowball fight in the courtyard. We laughed, we had fun. About three hours before the beginning of the Yule Ball, your mother left to her dorm to begin dressing. I was a bit surprised at first but I figured that it was the type of things that took women more time to do. Really, as a boy, I had it easy. All I needed to do was to put on my robes, make sure I didn't smell bad, maybe attempt to tame my mop of hair and I was fine to go. Your mother, as a girl, needed to put a dress, put makeup, make her hair, put on jewellery and do some other things I probably don't even know."

"Why can't I do like you once I'm old? Dressing is boring." said Rose with a huff.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Wait and see until you are older, okay? You never know, you might enjoy it later." he said with a chuckle. "I remember when your mother walked down the stairs." said Harry with a faraway look. "While I had always thought Hermione beautiful, I was utterly shocked at how she looked. She was the perfect vision of beauty. I remember thinking how sexy she was..."

"What does 'sexy' mean?" asked Rose. Harry jumped. Crap! He hadn't meant to say that out loud in front of Rose!

"Uh..." hesitated a flushed looking Harry. "Sorry, Rose. It's not a word you should learn until you are older."

Rose pouted in a cute way. "What did Mum look like then?"

Harry smiled. "She had — actually, I'll show you. Come." said Harry. Rose climbed down her bed and Harry took her hand. Harry led his daughter toward the attic. "Wait here." he said before climbing up the ladder. Rose waited at the foot of the ladder for a few minutes before she heard her father come back.

Harry climbed down the ladder, a white box in hand. "What is inside?" asked Rose, curious.

"Let's go to the parlour first." said her father. "Let's just grab the Hogwarts photo album along the way." he said.

"Okay." said Rose, confused.

Harry and Rose slowly walked down the stairs. Harry went to his room for a few seconds to quickly grab the albums — which he had left on his desk — before leading his daughter to the parlour.

When they arrived, Rose sat down on one of the sofas. Harry sat down alongside her. He noticed her shivering slightly. "Are you cold?" he asked. His daughter nodded.

"Winky!" he called.

"Yes, Harry?" asked Winky.

"Can you bring Rose a blanket? And..." he started before turning toward his daughter. "Are you hungry?" he asked. Rose nodded again. "Bring us two cups of hot chocolate and a bowl of green grapes, please." he asked to the house-elf. Rose perked up instantly.

Winky popped away with a "Right away, Harry!"

"Hot chocolate?" said Rose with undisguised longing. Harry smiled.

"I figured it had been a long time since we last drank some together. Since I'm telling you a story, I thought we could do that now too."

Rose grinned. "Thank you, Daddy!" she said, snuggling in her father. Harry put an arm around his daughter's shoulders and held on to her. Winky popped back, holding two small cups of hot chocolate and levitating a small bowl of green grapes. Harry conjured a table in front of them and Winky put the cups and the bowl on it.

"Thank you, Winky." said Harry as she popped away. Rose repeated after him after taking her first sip of the chocolate drink. Harry grabbed a grape and ate it.

"What is in the box?" asked Rose.

"Right." said Harry. "Let's be careful with the hot chocolate. Your mother wouldn't be happy with us if we accidentally dropped a liquid on it..." he said to himself. He grabbed the white box and put it on his lap. Harry opened it, revealing a periwinkle blue dress.

Rose looked at the dress with awe. "Is that the dress Mummy had during the Ball?"

"Yes." confirmed Harry as he drew it out of the box. "Your mother wore that dress when we went to the Ball together." he said before grabbing the photo album. Harry turned the pages rapidly until he arrived toward the middle. There, he stopped and showed the album to his daughter.

Rose looked at the picture of her parents. Her father and mother looked so happy! Her father was wearing an emerald green pair of robes while her mother had a periwinkle blue dress, the same dress her father was currently holding in his lap. Both looked at each other with love in their eyes.

"Each couple was offered to have their picture taken at the Ball. When I learned of that, I dragged Hermione there. I had been so happy that night, I wanted our picture taken so that we would have something to remember. This one is my copy. We both received one. Your mother later told me she sent her copy of the picture to her parents the next morning. If I'm right, it's currently framed and displayed in their home.

"I've never seen it before." said Rose.

"I think it's in your grandfather's office. It's a magical photo, they couldn't have shown it to everyone. It would have broken the Statute of Secrecy.

"Anyway, that was the Yule Ball." said Harry with a tear. "I will always remember that night. It was one of the most important moments in my life, next to our wedding and your birth."

Rose drew her hand to her father's face and wiped the lone tear on his cheek. Harry smiled sadly at her.

"What happened next, then?" asked Rose. Harry sighed. "A lot happened but in term of our relationship, we would have to wait until right after the death of my godfather Sirius Black. That is when I learned exactly what happened when Hermione said 'No!'"