Hermione's 4th Year, Part 11

Author's Note: None of this belongs to me. This story is based on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling and will feature "offstage scenes" as well as scenes from the book reinterpreted from Hermione's point of view.

Hermione's 4th Year

Part 11: "You are a girl…"

By Elanor Gamgee

Hermione still could not quite believe that she was going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum, though she found that she was gradually getting used to the idea. She had spent the rest of Wednesday lunch time in the library, chatting with Viktor about nothing in particular. Once she had accepted his invitation, he had seemed to grow more comfortable in her presence. He had told her about the Advanced Transfiguration he had been studying, and Hermione had listened avidly. It was so odd to talk with a boy who was interested in schoolwork; she realized that she hadn't had a conversation like this since Percy Weasley had graduated last year.

"So that's why you've been spending so much time in the library," Hermione had said, to fill a pause in the conversation.

Viktor had looked up at her intensely. "Yes," he had said, "But I also vas vanting to talk to you. I vas coming here every day, but…I did not have the courage to approach you."

Hermione had looked back at him, once again wondering if he might be joking. She had felt an odd, fluttery sensation as she saw the seriousness in his expression. She had given him another nervous smile, but had only said, "Well…I'm glad you did."

Hermione spent the next few days trying not to notice the fear that registered on Ron's and Harry's faces whenever the ball was mentioned. Privately, she was relieved that she already had a partner, as the whole school seemed to find the prospect of the ball a cause for endless gossip and giggling.

On Friday morning, as Hermione was finishing her porridge, Neville Longbottom approached.

"Hermione," he said, glancing nervously at Ron and Harry, who were sitting across the table from her, "Can you—come help me with something?"

"Of course, Neville," replied Hermione. "Do you want to go over poison antidotes one more time before the test?"

"Er…yeah," said Neville, knocking over a pitcher of pumpkin juice. Harry caught the pitcher and righted it before it spilled. "Could we go to Charms early and look at them?" His round face was now white. I knew Snape frightened him, thought Hermione, but this is getting ridiculous.

"Alright," said Hermione kindly, getting to her feet. She shot a look across the table at Ron and Harry as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "You know, it wouldn't hurt you two to go over it again either."

Neville uttered a squeak of protest from behind her. Ron, who was looking distractedly across the Great Hall, waved his hand at her. "No, you go on. We'll catch you up in a bit."

Hermione shrugged. "Fine. Come on, Neville." She turned and headed out of the Great Hall, followed by Neville, who, for some reason, looked relieved. As she left the table she heard Ron saying in a pessimistic tone, "Harry, we've just got to grit our teeth and do it…"

Hermione found herself gritting her own teeth at this, but continued out of the Great Hall, determined to ignore it. As she emerged into the empty Entrance Hall, Neville stopped behind her.

"Hermione," he said, causing her to stop and look around at him.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

Neville was standing stock-still, looking at her strangely. "Hermione…I was wondering if…I mean, you've always been so nice to me, and you… I thought maybe…well, would you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Hermione looked at him standing there so nervously, and her heart went out to him. "Oh, Neville," she said, almost apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I'm already going with someone else."

Neville's face fell. "Oh," he said, looking down at his shoes.

"But thank you for asking me," said Hermione, wishing she could do something to cheer him up.

Neville smiled weakly at her. "Who are you going with? Is it Ron? Or Harry?"

Hermione grimaced inwardly. "No," she said with forced calm, "Just someone else who asked me."

Neville didn't even seem to hear her answer. His eyes had just gone wide as though he had remembered something. "Hermione?" he said again, this time in a voice of controlled panic.

"What is it?" asked Hermione in alarm.

"Will you still show me those poison antidotes?"

Hermione grinned. "Of course," she said. "Let's go."

Classes seemed to go by quickly that day, possibly because most of the teachers had given up on trying to teach while the students were so distracted. However, Hermione's last class of the day was Potions, which seemed to drag on interminably as Professor Snape tested them on poison antidote potions. Hermione was quite pleased with hers, and was even more pleased that Neville seemed to have remembered all the key ingredients in his, even if he didn't proportion them correctly. Ron and Harry didn't fare so well; both were extremely distracted, and Ron's potion came out far too runny, while Harry forgot to put the essential bezoar in his.

They really should have come with us to study, thought Hermione, as she packed up her bag at the end of class.

Harry hurried past her toward the door. "I'll meet you at dinner," he called over his shoulder to Ron and Hermione.

Hermione watched him depart in surprise, but Ron just nodded as if he had expected this. Hermione shouldered her bag as she and Ron left the classroom. Ron grumbled about Snape and told her about his abysmal antidote. Hermione tried to refrain from saying "I told you so", but was finding it difficult. As they reached the Entrance Hall, Ron turned to Hermione abruptly. "Er…I'll see you later. I…have some things to do before dinner."

Hermione looked at him curiously. "Alright," she said. He merely nodded back at her distractedly, so Hermione just shrugged and headed up to the common room alone.

After she had put her bag in her dormitory, Hermione went back down to the common room with her copy of Wonders of the Wizarding World, to do a bit of light reading before dinner. She had just settled in on the sofa when the Portrait Hole opened and Ginny entered the common room, looking slightly winded. Ginny saw Hermione and hurried over to her.

"I'm going to the Yule Ball!" she said. "Neville just asked me."

Hermione felt a twinge of guilt, but she smiled. "That's wonderful, Ginny."

Ginny paused, then went on, watching Hermione carefully. "You know, I thought I heard him telling Dean that he was going to ask you to the ball."

Hermione's unease must have shown on her face, because Ginny said, "He did ask you, didn't he? Why did you say no?"

Hermione smiled slightly. "Because someone else asked me first."

Ginny's eyes grew wide and she sat down on the sofa right next to Hermione. "Don't tell me that my brother—"

"No," interrupted Hermione, suddenly irritated.

Ginny looked at her uncertainly. "Harry?" she asked quietly.

Hermione smiled again, answering more kindly this time. "No…"

Ginny cocked her head to one side. "Who then?"

"Well…if you must know…Viktor Krum."

Ginny's eyes grew wide again. "Viktor Krum? Wow, Hermione…"

"Only, Ginny," said Hermione, "please don't tell Ron. Or Harry," she added as an afterthought. "Or Lavender and Parvati…"

Ginny grinned. "I get the point: don't tell anyone."

Hermione gave Ginny a grateful smile. "They'll only tease me, and I really don't want to deal with that."

Ginny nodded. "I understand. But Viktor Krum…Ron's eyes will pop, you know that, don't you?"

Hermione felt something suspiciously like a giggle rising in her throat, but stifled it. "I know," she said, "won't he be jealous when he finds out I've actually talked to Viktor Krum, his hero?"

Ginny gave Hermione an odd smile. "Oh, he'll be jealous alright…" she muttered.

Hermione was about to ask her exactly what she meant by that when the Portrait Hole opened and Parvati and Lavender came in, followed by Dean and Seamus. Hermione and Ginny exchanged a quick glance and Hermione knew that her secret was safe.

At dinnertime, Hermione went down to the Great Hall and wound up eating with Neville, since Ron and Harry were not there. Neville didn't seem to hold her refusal of his invitation against her, and was just as friendly as ever.

By the time she finished eating, Hermione was starting to worry. It wasn't like Ron or Harry to miss a meal. She went back to the Gryffindor common room only to find them sitting in the farthest corner. Ron was slumped in a large armchair with Ginny perched on the armrest, and Harry was sitting at a table across from them. Ron and Harry were both laughing hysterically about something, while Ginny was looking extremely irritated.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?" Hermione called as she walked over to them.

"Because—oh, shut up laughing, you two—because they've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!" said Ginny.

Both Ron and Harry immediately stopped laughing, and Ron scowled at the floor. "Thanks a bunch, Ginny," he said sarcastically.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron, surprised at the sense of satisfaction she felt at Ginny's news. "All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" she said an icy voice. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she?" Hermione knew she was being a bit petty, but she didn't care. "I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you," she finished, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

When she looked back at Ron, he was staring at her as if in amazement. "Hermione," he said in a strange voice, "Neville's right—you are a girl…"

Hermione stared back at him in disbelief. Where was this realization a week ago? she thought. "Oh, well spotted," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ron suddenly looked happy and relieved, as though he had found the answer to his problems. "Well—you can come with one of us!"

Hermione felt a mix of several emotions at that moment, but the overriding one was indignation. "No, I can't," she said shortly.

"Oh, come on," said Ron, "we need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has…"

Hermione felt her face flush. "I can't go with you," she said in a would-be calm sort of voice, "because I'm already going with someone."

She looked at Ron carefully to see what his reaction to this would be. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't the reaction he gave.

Ron paused for a moment, looking uncertain. Then his face broke into a grin, and he said, "No, you're not! You just said that to get rid of Neville."

Hermione felt a huge wave of anger rising in her chest. "Oh, did I? Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!" She was glaring at Ron furiously now.

Ron stared at her, then grinned again. "OK, OK, we know you're a girl," he said in a falsely placating voice. "That do? Will you come now?" He was smiling at her in what he clearly thought was a winning way.

"I've already told you!" Hermione practically shouted, wanting to smack that smile right off his face. "I'm going with someone else!" Unable to take a moment more, she turned and stormed up the stairs to her dormitory.

She slammed the door to her dormitory, glad that it was empty. Throwing herself down on her bed, Hermione tried to take several calm, steadying breaths. How was it that Ron Weasley could get her so worked up? He could be so infuriating sometimes. How could she have ever thought she wanted to go to the ball with him? More than ever, she was glad she had accepted Viktor's invitation.

Hermione went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, then went back to her room and tried to take her mind off the argument by working on some Arithmancy homework. She had been working at it for some time when she heard a timid knock at her door.

"Who is it?" Hermione called.

"It's me," said Ginny's muffled voice.

"Come in," said Hermione, and Ginny came in and stood next to Hermione's bed.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," said Ginny, looking a little worried.

Hermione smiled at her. "Thanks, Ginny, but I'm fine."

Ginny looked at her uncertainly. "I'm sorry Ron acted like that."

Hermione looked up at her in surprise. "Ginny! That's not your fault!"

Ginny smiled weakly. "I know…I just wanted you to know that Ron was in a really bad mood before you came in because he got turned down and all…"

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Ginny," she said suddenly, trying to keep her voice casual, "who did Ron ask, anyway?"

Ginny's mouth twitched. "Fleur Delacour."

Hermione pursed her lips. "Hmmm," she said.

At that moment, the dormitory door burst open and Parvati and Lavender fell into the room. Both were giggling furiously.

"What's so funny?" asked Hermione.

Lavender burst into another fit of giggles as Parvati fell onto her bed in a sort of swoon. "Parvati's going to the Yule Ball with Harry Potter! He just asked her a little while ago!"

Hermione looked quickly over at Ginny, whose face had turned scarlet. "Er…I'll talk to you later Hermione…I'm going to go do some homework," she muttered, and hurried from the room.

Hermione was looking after Ginny, feeling desperately sorry for her, when Parvati's next words made her look up sharply.

"Lavender, don't let me forget to talk to Padma about going with Ron."

This seemed to remind Lavender of something. She eyed Hermione suspiciously. "Why aren't you going with Ron?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" said Hermione, her face growing warm.

Parvati sat up suddenly. "That's right. Harry said you were already going with someone else. Who is it?"

The two of them stared at Hermione, waiting for an answer, but she avoided their eyes. "Someone else asked me first," she said in what she hoped was an offhand voice. "What's wrong with that?"

Parvati's eyes had grown very round. This, combined with the fact that she then said, "Who?" in a drawling voice, reminded Hermione of a very large owl.

"No one you would know," said Hermione, trying to maintain her casual tone. "Have either of you seen my Rune Dictionary? I haven't seen it since Tuesday…"

As she turned back to her work, Hermione saw Parvati and Lavender exchanging doubtful looks out of the corner of her eye. She smiled inwardly, knowing that she shouldn't be enjoying this but unable to help it.

Then, unbidden, an image of Ron's awestruck face staring at her came into her her head. Hermione, Neville's right—you are a girl… Hermione pressed down so hard with her quill that she blotched the parchment she was writing on. She scowled, unable to find the enjoyment she had felt just moments ago and wondering once again why Ron could get to her so easily.