Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry Potter, but I don't. Seriously, I don't own any of it.

Breakup and Quidditch

~o0o~

It was the middle of January.

Snow still covered the grounds of Hogwarts and the cold winds of winter rendered plenty of corridors useless. The construction the castle had been under for several months didn't hinder students being taught, though. There were always more than enough classrooms to hold the young witches and wizards.

However, it was an unusual sight to see anyone willing to venture into the cold this time of year.

Then again, Hermione Granger was anything but usual.

It wasn't too bad, she mused. The sun was up, and a simple warming charm let her occupy one of the intact benches in the courtyard without freezing her bum off. For all intents and purposes, Hermione seemed to be content reading her book alone in the cold. If anyone walked by, they would have no visible indication hinting at her inner turmoil.

It had been several weeks since she'd last spoken to Ronald Weasley, her ex-boyfriend.

A fact which Hermione herself tried to ignore but the wizarding media made near impossible. Everyone seemed eager to learn the reason behind the 'Golden Trio's Golden Couple' split.

One thing was obvious though; Ron had not taken the breakup well.

And as to why? Now that was information only Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny were privy to.

They'd argued for what felt like hours.

Her plan had merely involved calmly explaining to Ron that while she did love him, and that he was her best friend, she didn't have any romantic feelings towards him anymore.

But apparently that had been the wrong thing to say.

And so the breakup of the century had begun.

A lot came up in the midst of the fight, things that Hermione hadn't even realized until she regretfully spat them out.

They really had nothing in common, she'd thought, and during a particularly nasty moment she'd told him as much; he was too immature for her, and she needed someone that would be on her level intellectually and emotionally.

In retaliation, he had unleashed all the petty comments she'd already heard uttered by others, including Ron himself, doing nothing but proving her point further.

The worst hadn't been the anger, though. The worst had been towards the end, when he'd broken down on his couch and asked her if she was seeing someone else. Hermione's heart broke, and wanted nothing more than for him to know that that wasn't the case.

"I just want you to be happy. And…I want me to be happy too. Surely you understand that we don't really work, Ron? This is for the best."

He'd refused to look at her and she'd sworn she'd seen a teardrop slide down his cheek.

"Just leave, Hermione."

And she did. It was the least she could do.

When arriving back home she'd felt horrible about ending their relationship, but even worse when she discovered how a weight was lifted off her chest. As if she was relieved.

I am despicable, she'd thought.

Nevertheless, there was an undeniable feeling of respite in knowing she wouldn't have to pretend it didn't hurt whenever Ron complained about her reading or having to deal with his jealousy whenever she talked to a boy who wasn't him, Harry or her own father. Not having to let her sentences fade whenever she began discussing something she found interesting while her boyfriend rolled his eyes in a mocking manner.

Or that she would kiss him and it never felt quite right.

Hermione found herself feeling relieved, on that bench in the courtyard. She closed her eyes at the clear sky and let the sunbeams warm her.

It helped to have Harry still talk to her. And of course, Ginny never cared if her brother told her to do something (apparently Ron had ordered his sister to stay clear from 'traitors).The girl had been an immense help. She assured Hermione, during those awful first days when the press and she herself questioned her sanity, that she had made the right choice. Ron only needed time to realize it as well.

Hermione hadn't met any of the other Weasley's since the breakup, and it made her afraid that her biggest fear might come true, but Ginny was once again there to reassure her, explaining that no one blamed Hermione. Except maybe Mrs. Weasley.

That stung.

But Joan Granger's words gave her courage. Her mother was right, she wouldn't lose everything. And even if the wizard family decided to abandon her, then… good riddance.

She flinched at the thought, but immediately shook it away. No, if the Weasley's decided to turn their backs on her then…

"…to hell with them," she mumbled aloud.

"To hell with who?"

Hermione dropped her book and turned to where the voice came from.

Draco Malfoy was staring down at her, eyebrows raised in amusement. Fred's voice echoed in her mind, "All right, I'll wait it out and see. Probably not more than being impressed over her slapping Malfoy, anyway."

A smile tugged at her lips.

"Just cursing the Weasley family, Malfoy. And don't look so pleased about it or I'll slap you again."

The pale haired boy couldn't help himself and let a smirk escape on his thin lips. "Finally, you see reason."

Hermione huffed. "I wasn't really damning all of them," she continued, picking up her fallen book and charmed it to be dry again.

Malfoy scoffed. "Yeah, I heard about you and Weaselbee. Broke your heart, did he, Granger?"

Hermione rose, rolling her eyes. "Not that it matters, but I broke up with him, Malfoy."

One of his pale eyebrows quirked in surprise, but the Slytherin didn't investigate further. No one at school seemed to, and those who tried were first years who didn't know better. It was as if there'd been a silent agreement to not pester her with questions about personal matters. Or that's what she'd thought until a couple of day ago.

"It's because you're a war hero, and loads of the students saw you fight alongside them at the battle of Hogwarts," Neville'd said. "People respect you here."

"And we might have threatened some people who would try to bother you as well," said Luna. "It was Ginny's idea."

The redheaded witch had smiled at her wickedly. "My bat-bogey's also demand a certain respect around here."

Malfoy nodded for Hermione to follow him to their next class.

As they walked in silence, Hermione added another thing in her mental list of reasons why she did right by terminating her relationship with Ron.

After returning to school, Draco had been less of an arse than in the past. He would nod when their eyes met, being polite and considerate. No more slurs, no more condescending glares.

At first she'd been vary, but Hermione quickly understood Malfoy felt remorse and guilt for everything that had happened.

Whenever he stood nearby, his gaze traveled to her arm; looking equally pained every single time.

One afternoon she had enough and pulled him aside after class to explain once and for all how she didn't blame him for what his demented aunt had done.

He'd looked embarrassed and avoided her for a few days before, apparently, deciding he trusted she'd meant it. He'd swallowed his pride and the two of them had been on speaking terms ever since.

They weren't friends, but they shared an understanding. Something which had been bound to happen, seeing as how they both would catch the other rubbing their own forearm regularly.

When Hermione left the train on Platform Nine and Three-quarters to meet Ron and Harry for the winter holidays a few weeks prior, she had, however, made the mistake of speaking to Malfoy in front of her two best friends.

They hadn't hugged, Merlin, they'd barely talked. Simply wishing the other a pleasant Christmas and waved good bye.

Ron immediately sulked at the sight. Harry just looked confused.

"What are you doing talking to Malfoy, 'Mione?"

"I just told him to have a happy Christmas, Ronald. What's so hard to believe about that?"

"Malfoy? Christmas? Happy? Hermione, are you hearing yourself?"

"Yes, Ronald. Again; what's the problem?"

"He's Malfoy. He's an evil git."

"Ronald, have you learned nothing since the war? People change."

Hermione glanced at the pureblood next to her. Yes, people changed. But Ron was stuck in his ways, refusing to admit that, more often than not, things were grey.

And sometimes, your view on people can change even after they're gone…

~o0o~

When her last lesson of the day ended, Hermione decided to skip dinner and head straight for Gryffindor tower.

She passed through the portrait ("Laudatores temporis acti") and hopped to her dormitory.

Under her bed laid her trunk, which she pulled out and opened after settling her schoolbag on the floor.

Last time she dived into her Pensieve, she'd been upset, needing a distraction. This time Hermione felt happier.

Let's see what's inside vial number four, shall we, Fred?

Some guilt surfaced for having neglected Fred's gift, but the breakup had diverted her attention elsewhere the past few weeks. It was proper to wait until she was focused, Hermione'd reasoned. Today, she felt ready, and anticipation rose inside.

She wanted to continue getting to know the person Fred Weasley had been. She wanted to notice what she hadn't before.

With this in mind, she made herself comfortable on her bed, hovering the Pensieve in front of her.

When diving into the first memory, she laughed.

Of course it would be the Burrow, now that she was sure she would be banned from there for life.

Hermione made a closer inspection of her surroundings.

The room was cleaner than she had ever seen it. The twins' beds had been tidied and the whole area was clear of the knickknacks usually covering the floor.

On the right side of the room stood Fred, sporting a muggle t-shirt and jeans. At his side was George, dressed similarly, and helping his twin throw clothes into their cupboard.

After stuffing some sweaters in there and turning to face the entire bedroom, Fred surveyed his and his brother's work. "This ought to be enough. Bill and Charlie aren't too picky."

"But you know mum is," said George.

He waved him off. "She's got enough to worry about. The Boy Wonder will be staying here, after all. She'd have Ron perform all the spells in those Lockhart books of hers if he wasn't underage."

Hermione's stomach lurched a bit. Not even five minutes into it and already Ron was mentioned, along with his mother.

She forced herself to calm her nerves. What happened between them was done. There was no point in being anxious. This had nothing to do with Ron. Hermione was doing this for Fred. To honor his memory.

With renewed determination, she returned her focus to the scene at hand.

The ginger in question had sat down by the desk facing the window. Hermione saw George join him, seating himself on one of the beds.

"Speaking of Harry, I hope you haven't forgotten about our other guest?" George asked, wiggling his eyebrows while slightly bouncing on the bed.

Fred sighed. "No, I haven't, but I don't understand why you're getting all excited, George."

George was grinning. "You admitted to being interested in the girl, Fred."

"Exactly. Interested. That's all."

George stopped bouncing, but didn't give up. "You'll be under the same roof this summer. You'll be going to the World Cup together. You'll be around each other almost twenty-four-seven. Honestly, nothing?"

"First of all," said Fred. "we spend our whole year at school being under the same roof. Second, Hermione doesn't even really like Quidditch; I doubt we'll be able to share the cheer. And third," Fred looked his twin in the eyes, "I don't understand why you keep pushing this, brother."

George shrugged. "Just don't want it to take you longer than necessary to figure your feelings out is all." A smirk suddenly spread across his face. "But I underestimated how daft you can be."

"What are you saying?"

"You didn't even realize you called Granger by her first name, did you?"

Fred stopped and his eyes glazed as he replayed their conversation in his mind. "No, but…I've…Big deal, so I called her Herm-"Fred's voice caught. "-mione."

Adorable…

"See, a bloke simply being interested in a girl wouldn't be blushing like Dumbledore did on Christmas our second year, when he was kissed on the cheek by a very drunk Flitwick," said George. "You, mate, have got it bad."

"So you're saying Dumbledore's interested in Flitwick?"

"No, I'm saying you should get a proper grip on your feelings."

Fred didn't answer. Then, a Lumos seemed to have been lit over his head. "You want to distract me," he said, lips extending wide when spotting his brother's confused expression.

"What?"

"No worries, I won't be in your way. And I'll keep playing this game of yours if it makes you feel better."

"I honestly have no clue what you're on about."

Then Mr. Weasley shouted from downstairs, "Anyone who wants to help me fetch Hermione, come downstairs now."

George rose to his feet. "Despite that pile of denial you're buried under, I still think you'd want to be a proper gentleman and help Granger with her trunk. Shall we?"

The familiar bedroom turned into a familiar living room.

"It's a very lovely home you have here, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," said Fred.

Hermione's mother smiled. "Thank you, dear. Would you like a tour of the house, Arthur?" She and her father turned to Mr. Weasley. "We have a wide range Muggle appliances you might be interested in getting a closer inspection of."

Mr. Weasley looked as if Christmas had come early. "I'd be delighted." He turned to his sons. "Help Hermione get her trunk and we'll be on our way soon."

Ron, Fred and George looked at each other. With their father let loose in a Muggle home, they'd be waiting more than a few minutes.

Hurried footsteps on the staircase sounded and then a bushy haired girl arrived in the sitting area. "I'm so sorry! The books refused to fit into my trunk!"

"Hello, Granger," said Fred.

"Hello!" She scanned the room. "Where's mum and dad?"

"They're showing our dad around your house," said Ron.

"Oh, well, that won't take too long, I hope," she said, biting her lip.

Ron snorted. "Let's just get your trunk so he won't have an excuse to stay until nightfall."

Hermione smiled. "Right. It's just up this way," she said and began leading them up the stairs.

With her back turned, she missed the way Ron and Fred started going after her at the same time, making it cramped in the staircase. George shook his head exhaustedly behind them.

Real Hermione chuckled.

The scene shifted.

"And with the O.W.L.s you got, you might want to focus on school rather than this prank business," Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

The twins were receiving a nasty scolding session from their mother. Luckily, it seemed Hermione only had to relive the last part. The first time had been horrible enough; she, Ron and Ginny had been in Ginny's room, hearing everything.

After having been yelled at, the twins departed and Hermione followed them up the stairs. They wound up sulking in Ron's room, Bill and Charlie already having taken theirs. They lay on their beds, staring up at the ceiling, the air of defeat hanging heavily in the room.

Hermione felt bad for them.

"She doesn't believe in us," George stated.

Fred scoffed. "Why should she, when comparing us to Percy? Great ministry worker that he is…"

"Wish she'd understand this is a good idea."

"I know…and not only her…"

"If you're talking about Granger-"

Fred lifted himself to a sitting position. "Did you see how impressed she was with Percy? It's worse than when she found out he got made Prefect." Fred shook his head. "Forget about being interested in her, George. She wants blokes like him, not guys like me who can barely scrape up a decent amount of O.W.L.s."

This took Hermione by surprise. She'd never thought Fred cared about his grades, and certainly not enough to feel bad about them because of her.

"Since when have either of us cared about grades?" said George, mirroring her thoughts.

His brother didn't answer.

"You're being utterly depressing," George continued.

Fred rubbed his neck. "Yeah."

It was silent for a moment, but then George spoke up. "We'll get to see Harry's git of a cousin tomorrow. How about I let you have the honors of giving him the Ton-Tongue-Toffees?"

Fred brightened. "That would be amazing."

The Burrow disappeared then, and was replaced by the great outdoors.

It was still early in the morning, the dark sky turning slightly blue as the sun made its way up. Hermione just arrived at the top of a hill, which she recognized as Stoatshead Hill, and a group were waiting to take the Portkey to the Quidditch World Cup.

Fred and George, though panting slightly, were nowhere near as exhausted as Hermione remembered she had been. She supposed, being Quidditch players, they were bound to be more athletic than the girl who spent all her free time reading.

She saw Fred looking over his shoulder once he reached the top, not stopping until he spotted her younger self arriving. She was the last one there.

They began searching for the Portkey, and after a few minutes, Amos Diggory announced himself by shouting he'd found it.

The bearded wizard and his son were introduced by Mr. Weasley.

The pang of sadness that usually accompanied Cedric's name, made its way through Hermione.

Cedric looked at them. "Hi," he said, his grey eyes shining bright despite having to get up at two in the morning.

She remembered thinking how handsome he looked-

What the hippogriff…

Sure enough, mini 'Mione had allowed a small appreciative smile at the Hufflepuff's appearance, and even exchanged a knowing look with Ginny. What caught Hermione off guard, however, was that she now noticed Fred had glanced her way and seen it.

When everyone greeted Cedric back, Fred and George remained silent.

Odd…

Mr. Diggory had just realized Harry was there and began boasting about his son.

"Told us all about playing against you last year…I said to him, I said- Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will…You beat Harry Potter!"

Harry didn't look like he knew what to say, while Fred hissed under his breath, so low that only his twin (and real Hermione, of course) could hear him, "Only because a Dementor made him fall off his broom…"

Fred and George scowled.

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," Cedric muttered, embarrassed. "I told you…it was an accident…"

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" Amos continued, seemingly oblivious to the awkward mood growing between the Gryffindor team members and Cedric. The latter appeared keen for the others to know he didn't think himself better than Harry. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman…but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!"

"…obviously," Fred snorted sarcastically, causing real Hermione to chortle slightly. George, who once again was the only one who heard, fought a grin.

They placed themselves around the Portkey- a manky old boot- every one of the nine people clutching a tiny piece of it each. Harry squeezed himself between Ron and mini 'Mione.

Hermione saw Fred standing on 'Mione's other side, awkwardly trying to not brush any of his body parts against her, but failing utterly, his arm lying almost on top of hers.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. She was getting the impression that this vial would provide equally adorable memories, and looked forward to it. She had never truly noticed this part of Fred before, the part that wasn't all confident, and it truly was like getting to know him all over again. Not to mention, his blushing was one of the most endearing things she'd ever seen.

"Three…two…one…"

They were transported immediately. When they arrived, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory and Cedric were the only ones standing; the rest fell to the ground.

Ron and Harry staggered into one another and 'Mione was on her back, eyes closed, grunting in pain. Fred lost his balance and almost fell on top of her but at the last second managed to steer himself the other way when his knee hit the grass, pushing into his twin.

"Oy, g'eroff," came George's muffled bark.

"That was too close," Fred panted.

Everything dematerialized, and another memory started playing.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were approaching the campsite, carrying buckets of water.

"You've been ages," said George.

"Met a few people," said Ron, setting the water down. "You've not got that fire started yet?"

"Dad's having fun with the matches," said Fred who, Hermione observed, seemed to be torn between enjoyment and frustration.

There was a pile of splintered matches all around Mr. Weasley.

He managed to light one at last, only to drop it in surprise.

"Come here, Mr. Weasley," said her younger self kindly and showed him how to light the matches properly.

All of Fred's annoyance faded from his face, and he was now all amused…and looking at the witch fondly.

Heat rose to Hermione's cheeks.

Oh, get a grip on yourself, woman…he's not even looking at you, he's looking at…well…younger you…

He continued smiling at 'Mione teaching his father the trick of lighting matches, until a small kick from his brother put him out of his daze. "You might want to wipe that dopey grin off your face, unless you want her to know you're planning your wedding already," George whispered, barely suppressing a snicker.

"Shut it."

The surroundings shifted from being outside to inside.

They were loud in the tent, going over the match between Ireland and Bulgaria and discussing the parts they enjoyed. Even Hermione's fourteen year old self joined in.

"I really thought they were going to crash," she said, when they began talking about the last moments. She set aside her hot cocoa.

"And I told you they wouldn't, I mean Lynch did, but Krum is the greatest Seeker in the world!" Ron explained, an awestruck look painted all over his face.

Ginny giggled. "I think you're in love, Ron."

Everyone laughed and Ron's ears turned red. He told them to bugger off, but continued praising Krum just the same.

Fred returned from the bathroom and picked up one of the cups, sipping the warm drink. "What've I missed?"

Harry grinned. "Just Ron's undying flame for Viktor Krum."

Fred smirked. "Ah, yes, everyone's favorite Bulgarian bon-bon. You would make quite the couple," he said and winked at his brother.

"Yeah, yeah," Ron grumbled.

Fred took another sip and noticed 'Mione looking at him strangely. "What's the matter, Granger?"

"Ehrm…it's just that…well, that's my cup, Fred." She pointed to the mug he was holding.

He let his eyes grow wide for a second, but then quickly caught himself. "You don't say?" He held it up, observing, and then looked back at her. "I'm sorry for robbing you, Granger. Tell you what, I'll get you a new one! Or you can just have mine, that's only fair."

She smiled. "No, that's fine. Thank you, though."

George, having heard the exchange, said, loud enough for others to hear, "Oh, Fred, you only took her cup to get an indirect kiss from her, didn't ya?"

Most of them laughed good-naturedly, Bill looking as if he found the youngsters adorable, while memory Hermione and Fred turned slightly pink.

Ron looked as if someone had smeared dragon dung on his face. "That's not even remotely funny, George."

The chuckles faded, and a slight tension began to grow, until there was a loud crash, and chocolate dribbled all over the floor.

"Gracious! Your sister's fallen asleep," said Mr. Weasley. "No, I think that just about confirms it; it's late, you should get off to bed, all of you."

There were some small groans but no one objected.

"Scourgify", said Charlie, and the mess disappeared.

They began clearing the table before heading off to bed.

Ginny woke to the sounds, yawned, and blinked her eyes. She looked around, then walked up to Fred, grabbed his arm and whispered, "You owe me."

"What?" he asked, astonished, but Ginny had already skipped away to join 'Mione, looking surprisingly alert for someone who supposedly just woke up. The girls left for their tent.

Hermione gasped.

Did Ginny know? Has she known this whole time and never told me?

Before this new revelation could really set into her mind, it went dark.

They were in a forest, it was close to pitch-black and screams and explosions were heard in the background. Occasional flashes of light showed Hermione the terrified faces of Fred, George and Ginny. After stumbling a little, Fred lit his wand and they continued to rush through the trees, until Ginny suddenly came to a stop.

"Fred! Fred! Let go of my hand!"

"We have to get you to safety, Ginny! Stop being difficult!"

"No, but you don't understand! The others…they're gone!"

Fred and George both halted and turned around.

"We have to go back!"

The twins looked at each other.

"Ginny, those hooded people were most likely Death Eaters," said George, his tone soft. He wasn't being condescending, Hermione gathered that he probably only tried to make his sister understand the danger they were in. "They are old followers of You-Know-Who."

Ginny looked like she was about to cry. "Exactly. And what do you think they'll do if they see Harry?" She turned to Fred, her eyes watery, but her voice never wavered. "And you saw what they did to those muggles. Imagine what they'll do to Hermione? She's muggleborn!"

Fred flinched, as if his sister just slapped him.

George seemed scared both of his siblings were about to lose their calm. "Look, they are more than capable to fend for themselves. And besides," he continued when Ginny opened her mouth to argue. "I'm sure they reached the forest with us; they'll be safe from the masses."

Ginny glared at her older brother, who in turn kept his expression strict.

There was a strong gust of wind and the trees rustled.

"I…" said Fred, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "I think we should go back."

"What?" George and Ginny said. He, in a disbelieving tone, while their sister nearly smiled in triumph.

Fred shook his head. "Not now, though. It's still too much of a danger. Don't look at me like that, Gin, you know it's true. We'll wait for a few minutes and then try to get back to the tent. Harry, Ron and Hermione will probably be waiting there."

"But-"

"We can look around for them here in the woods in the meantime."

"Fine."

They began searching, but after twenty minutes all they'd encountered were grumpy Durmstrang students, and they clearly began losing hope.

"Where are they?" Ginny said, nearing tears again.

"We might as well head back now. C'mon." said Fred, looking no better himself.

When they reached the tent, unharmed, they hastily searched it.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" Ginny ran from corner to corner.

"They're not here," said George, sinking onto the floor.

"They're okay, they have to be," Fred muttered, pacing.

Someone stepped inside and all three snapped their heads towards the entrance.

Ginny gasped.

"Oh, Merlin! Bill, what happened to your arm?" She hurried to grab a bedsheet from one of the bunks, handing it to her eldest brother, who pressed it against his bleeding arm. He sat down at the kitchen table.

"Thanks, Ginny. Ouch, that stings." He caught his siblings' worried stares. "Don't worry, you should see the other guy," he joked.

They smiled slightly, but continued wearing grave expressions.

"You really should let me do it," said another voice, entering the tent. Charlie was holding his wand against a struggling Percy.

"I'm perfectly capable of healing my own nose, thank you very much, brother," protested Percy, clutching his bloody nose.

Bill sighed. "Perce, just let Charlie do it. He's had the most broken bones out of all of us."

Percy glanced around, thinking hard, weighing his options. "Fine," he relented.

He let go of his nose.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Episkey!"

"Ouch!" Percy's nose snapped back into place and the bleeding stopped.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Charlie turned to Fred, George and Ginny and his small smile faltered. "Where are the others?"

Ginny pulled her eyebrows close, her lower lip trembling. "We lost them on our way to the woods."

Bill, still holding the bedsheet, which now was stained red, swore.

Fred clutched his head in his hands.

"Hang on, I think I hear something outside," said Charlie suddenly and poked his head out of the tent. The rest of them saw him jump. "Dad, what's going on?"

The Weasleys started at the mention of their father and focused their attention to the conversation outside.

"Fred, George and Ginny got back okay, but the others-"Charlie continued, but was cut off by his father.

"I've got them here," said Mr. Weasley and there was a collective sigh of relief in the tent.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Mr. Weasley entered. There was a lengthy explanation of what had happened whilst they were away in the woods. When they finished, Percy began coming to Mr. Crouch's defense.

"Well. Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" he said, and real Hermione scoffed. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to…embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry…how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control-"

"She didn't do anything- she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Mini 'Mione snapped at him.

Percy's jaw went slack, never having disagreed with Hermione on anything before. She remembered this being the first step in her respect for Percy disappearing. The final one had naturally been the moment he'd decided to turn his back on his family in favor of the Ministry's lies.

After a short silence, the former Head Boy recovered and held his chin high, opting to deal with her like he did many others. "Hermione, a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!"

"She didn't run amok!" 'Mione shouted." She just picked it off the ground!"

Most of the people in the tent looked just as confused as Percy, which wasn't too strange. Prior to this argument, she had been one of the few who got along well with the bespectacled Weasley.

Hermione, as usual, turned to observe Fred's reaction. As with the time right before Malfoy called her 'mudblood', Fred looked stunned, but in that good way of his. He wasn't smiling, but his eyes shone with something she hadn't seen there a second ago.

If someone had asked her to label that look, she would have told them it was 'hope'.

~o0o~

A/N: Hello, everybody!

I hope the holidays and the new year has been treating you well. I had a pleasant Christmas/birthday (I was born December 24th, which is when we celebrate here) and the New Year was spent watching fireworks with friends.
I want to thank you for being so patient, and hope the news of my rather successful break from updating made the waiting worth it? Oh, and as well as this new, looong chapter.

Speaking of; you might wonder why I didn't write Hermione and Ron's breakup in detail. The explanation is rather simple: I kinda didn't want to.
Most of us can agree that their relationship wouldn't have lasted long and the reasons as to why are mostly obvious. Therefore, a full on breakup chapter would have been boring and repetitive and full of crying... I think.
* Whispers * Also, there's enough angst when half of your ship is dead...(Oh, no, she didn't! Yes she did!...Please don't stop following this story haha)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that you keep reading.
Thank you for the comments on the last chapter, and thank you so much to everyone who favorited and followed!

Until next time!
/Primrue