When Harry became conscious again he found himself in the gryffindor dormitory. He was much shorter than the last time he'd been there on all those months before when he had been finishing out sixth year. When he looked in the mirror he could see that he was in fact, no older than fourteen years old again.

"How strange" He muttered to himself even though he knew it had been coming. He wondered when exactly he had been sent back to drying his fourth year. It was clearly late at night as evidenced by the night sky outside his window and his fellow dorm mates fast asleep in their beds.

Harry slipped down the stairs into the common room and found the calendar that was included in the bulletin board hung there.

He surprised to find that it was the very night his name had come out of the goblet. He had thought he was to be sent back to the beginning of fourth year rather than a month or two into it, but decided it might be better that way. Ron would have already started the row with him and Harry wouldn't have to pretend to be amiable towards him.

And Sirius will be coming down to meet me soon, he thought to himself, feeling his heart rise hopefully in his chest. Which meant he'd have until then to decide whose memories to restore, Sirius or Hermione.

On the one hand with Sirius, he would be able to tell him about the horcruxes and he would likely know a bit more about finding and destroying cursed objects such as those, given his family history and all.

But on the other hand, Harry would only be able to see Sirius on the occasional Hogsmeade visit, and he longed to have someone to confide in. It was going to hard enough to act normal around Hermione after everything that had happened. And how would he be able to explain his refusal to patch things up with Ron? This Hermione would find it very out of character for him, not having knowledge of the circumstances behind his behavior.

Head swimming with so many thoughts and indecisiveness on how he was going to accomplish everything he had set out to do, he decided he would have no chance of sleep tonight.

He threw on his invisibility cloak and took a walk around the castle to clear his mind. It was so strange to be back here and yet so comfortingly familiar too. To think Hedwig was alive again here in the castle and Dumbledore too, with Sirius on his way back to Hogwarts right at this very moment. It almost felt too good to be true. Like if he closed his eyes and opened them again he'd be back in that tent with Hermione on the run.

When early morning came, he went back to the dormitory, took off his cloak, and slipped into bed just before the others awoke so as not to draw suspicion.

Harry ignored Ron, not even glancing back at his former best friend when he headed down into the common room with everyone else. At first he scanned the room looking for Hermione only to remember that she had gone down early to get toast for the two of them. At least that was how it had gone the first time around.

So Harry took a moment to compose himself, trying not to act of the ordinary. But it was very hard for him with so many emotions stirring inside of him.

He exited the common room via the portrait and suddenly there she was, with her frizzy brown curls and large front teeth.

"Hermione" He breathed softly.

"Hello," She said, holding up a stack of toast. "I brought you this…want to go for a walk?"

It took everything in him not to throw his arms around her and he didn't trust himself to speak so he only nodded.

Harry wasn't even really sure why he was so happy to see her. It hadn't been that long since he'd said good night to her in the tent the night he had drowned in the lake. And yet so much had happened it felt like a lifetime and everything was irrevocably changed.

Hermione asked him what happened after his name came out of the goblet as they walked around the lake, it was all happening just like before. Finally he spoke and explained to the best of his memory (it had been three years since then from his perspective after all) including what Moody had said about someone out to get him.

"It has to be Voldemort" Harry concluded, knowing with certainty that it was him but of course he couldn't tell her that.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, her big brown eyes filled with concern.

"Who else could it be? Besides don't remember Trelawney's prophecy last year about his servant returning to him. It was talking about Pettigrew. By now he's probably found him and they've come up with some kind of plan for me."

"Oh Harry" She said with some exasperation. "You know Trelawney's nothing but a fraud. It was only a coincidence that so called 'prophecy' alluded to some of the events that happened with Sirius and Pettigrew in the shrieking shack."

Harry didn't argue with her further on this, he knew how strongly she felt about divination and he didn't have any proof of his claims right now.

Changing the subject back to the goblet of fire, Hermione said, "I knew you hadn't entered yourself. The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name-" Her sentence was cut short by surprise as Harry found he couldn't stand it any longer and swept her up in a hug.

"Thanks Hermione" He said, voice filled with emotion. It wasn't a thanks for believing him, not really anyway. He'd already known she would say that. In truth it was more than that, an expression of gratitude for everything she'd ever done for him in all their years of friendship. Harry silently vowed to himself that he would be a better friend to her this time around and do as much for her as she had done for him.

"O-of course" She replied, looking a little dazed when he let go of her. The two of them then continued on their walk around the lake, neither speaking for some time.

"I spoke to Ron this morning" She said a few minutes later.

"Oh?" Harry replied casually. He could tell where the conversation was heading but didn't know how to avoid it.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "I know about your row last night and I think you're both being very stupid about it, well Ron more so but still-"

"I'm not making up with him" He said firmly. "One good thing came out of that goblet last night and it was the realization of who my real friends are. Ron's not one of them" he explained, hoping she would leave it at that.

"Harry listen to me. Ron doesn't think you're a liar, not really. He's just jealousy, you know how it is for him growing up with all those brothers."

"That's his problem then. I'm not responsible for his insecurities. I've got enough to worry about already, I don't need friend drama on top of it. If he's willing to ditch me over this, right when I need all the support I can get…who's to say he won't do it again? I don't want my fame, I never have! And if he can't see that-"

"I know you don't" She answered softly. "All right then, I'll drop the subject…for now anyway."

"Thank you. We'd better head inside, class will be starting soon." Hermione agreed to this and thus things returned to normal between them.