Chapter 6

"Hermione! Wake up!"

The girl in question sat up quickly in her bed while trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"What? What happened?" She finally got her eyes into focus and she saw a very exited looking her female best friend sitting on the bed. "Ginny? What happened? What time is it now?"

"Neville asked me to the Ball! Isn't that exiting?"

At the news the older girl stopped looking for her watch.

"Neville? Really? Ha! I knew it! He got more guts that rest of them taken together. I am so happy for you." Hermione was sincerely happy for her friend. At least someone was satisfied with the upcoming event.

"Yes, I know. So how about you? Still no valid choice?"

Hermione blinked sleepily. Yesterday evening. The library. Her heart skipped a beat. Krum... he... he... asked her to the ball... and she said yes!

WHY?! What on this God's green earth possessed her to agree to go to the Ball with the Champion of Dumstrang? What was she thinking? Was she thinking at all?!

'What have I gotten myself into? Why me?' all she could think of was Krum standing in the library last night and her not being able to say a coherent sentence. She was mortified now. He asked her to a Yule Ball and all she could say after it was that it was time to go back to her dorm!

Hermione felt like crawling under the bed and not coming out till the end of the Tournament. All the excitement of yesterday evaporated somewhere as she started to think about the situation she has gotten herself into. It was nice that someone besides Flint asked her. Why she could not say. But that was not the point.

The point was that the guy that asked her was Viktor Krum. That was not very good having in mind that he was a Champion for another school, for Dumstrang, and she was a best friend of another Champion. Now that she thought of Harry let's not forget about Ron... who ... whom...

Hermione's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a rude shake on a shoulder.

"Hermione! You ok? You complete spaced out on me."

The older girl gave a forced smile to her friend.

"I am sorry. I just... I just had a bad dream. Just remembered it. Sorry."

Ginny looked weirdly at her and shrugged.

"Don't let it get to you. What were you dreaming of? Flint?"

Hermione gave Ginny a dirty look and hit with a pillow over the head which earned surprised yelp from the red head.

"No. It was Malfoy that I was dreaming of, Ginny. And now off my bed!"

"You are avoiding him, aren't you?"

"Flint?"

"No. Santa. Of course Flint! Don't roll your eyes at me, Hermione Granger. I won. Pay up."

Hermione snorted swatting the extended hand away. She was not going to admit to defeat till there was a chance that Flint boy was going to back off. She tried not to have in mind the fact that he was looking for her yesterday. Ginny was already walking all day every day around her with that look on her face.

"Dream on, Ginny."

"Oh, just admit it. Come on. We both know I am right."

"No."

Ginny gave her a wicked smile.

"You would be such a lovely couple."

Hermione almost slipped on Parvati's sock that somehow managed to find itself on the floor by her bed. Luckily its owner was nowhere to be seen along with her second roommate.

"Ginevra, don't you have anything better to do than annoy me?"

"Oh, but it's so much fun." This time Ginny ducked the pillow that was aimed at her from another side of the room.

"Ginny, I am glad that Neville asked you and all, but stop pushing your luck. Now run along, spread the good news and let me take a shower."

"Ok, Ok. I get it. I am out. But still... I won." Not waiting for a replay Ginny headed out shutting the door behind quickly.

"You did not!" Hermione was standing red faced by her trunk feeling stupid for shouting at someone that was already gone.

Why her life had to always be so damn complicated?

Hermione grabbed a towel and headed for the shower hoping that it was not occupied.

Hermione's shower was cut short as Lavender showed up looking for something and just had to find it right away. After quickly dressing Hermione left before her roommates have returned and could try to involve her into another session of the latest gossips. Usually She liked to be up to date with what was going in school as it often proved useful, but right now she had some important things (the Gryffindor cringed, never in her life she would have thought that she was going to consider Krum or anything related to him as something of great importance) to think about.

The morning was unusually sunny for late autumn as Hermione made her way through the empty halls. The air smelled of rain and fallen leaves. Hermione took a deep breath as she sat in one of the alcoves facing the lake and a path leading to it. She brought her knees to her chin and put the book she took along beside. There was a slight breeze from the Dark Lake and she tucked the robe around her.

The view was amazing. Magical one could say and Hermione loved it. It seemed she liked it more and more every year even if it looked exactly the same.

A frown crossed her face. The view was not exactly the same this year. Her eyes were fixed on the ghostly looking ship that stood out like a sore thumb.

Everything was not the same this year. This year there was a Tri-Wizard tournament. Hermione wrinkled her nose. Why couldn't it happen after they have graduated? In this way Harry wouldn't have to be a part of it. There also would be no stupid Ball. She wouldn't have the face question of what to do next?

The ship seemed to mock her from the distance.

What was she going to do?

She needed to concentrate. Why was she panicking by the way? Was she going to die? No. Be expelled? No.

'Why the hell did I say yes?' The answer was very clear and simple. Hermione bit her lip. 'Because he asked and... and...' and it felt nice. It felt good to be addressed like that. To be looked at like that. Nice to be the girl for a change.

Hermione bit the lip again. Being the girl was more trouble than she have expected.

What was she going to do? She couldn't go to the Ball with Krum of all wizards. It would be just wrong. Everybody would think that she is doing that just to get close to him as a celebrity or they would think that he is doing that just to get to Harry's tactics for the next task. Both of the suggestions were ridiculous. She didn't care that he plays in the professional league, he didn't even hint about Harry when they have met.

Harry. Her best friend Harry. Hermione's expression softened thinking about the boy. He had enough to worry about. She really didn't want him to be worried about her also. He was already looking peaky when ever Flint was around. She grimaced. Harry had noticed the Slytherin's interest in her, but hasn't commented on it. Yet. She had a feeling Harry was going to play the overprotective older brother when she finally were going to start dating. The idea was not at all encouraging.

There was also that rat of a Skeeter woman that would write something nasty about her again with great delight. Then she would get more hate mail for supposedly chasing the rich and famous.

A headache was slowly creeping up her temples.

She didn't even want to think what Ron would say. On the other hand she had no idea what he could say. She was not even a girl in his eyes, just a friend and Krum... well Krum most likely stood next to God on Ron's list.

There was no way the satisfaction of going with someone instead of going alone could be worth this much trouble.

Hermione looked aimlessly around the empty corridor. Not a living soul. Was everyone going through the same? All those girls that were now carelessly having breakfast in the Great Hall. Were they wishing for someone to go with so badly and then considering saying no? Most likely not. They either got the nice guys to choose from or were going to go with whoever asked. It was ironically funny and so painfully real that it made Hermione smile to herself.

She was not every girl. It was decided. For her own peace of mind she will inform Mr. Krum that she had a change of hearts. It was not that he had a shortage of girls to choose from. Maybe he was already regretting asking her anyway.

'Besides it will be the logical thing to do.'

Hermione jumped from the window sill and stretched. If it was the God's way of punishing her for all those school rules... and ministry's laws (All of them for a good reason of course!) she had broken than she was not amused.

She could hear people coming her way and looked at the lake again. The school was up. She better go before somebody saw her looking into space like some kind of lunatic. Her stomach rumbled loudly reminding that it would be time to eat something. With a one more look at the Dumstrang ship she turned to the direction of the Great Hall.

The Hall was still mostly empty when Hermione sat down in her usual place by the Gryffindor table and helped herself to some scrambled eggs and juice. After taking couple of bites she finally forced herself to look at the Slytherin table, her eyes slowly drifting over it as if looking there just by the way while her heart was filled with something close to regret and guilt. For some reason the eggs in her mouth turned tasteless and Hermione stopped chewing them. Amber eyes were going over the opposite table for the third time. Something was clearly missing. The Dumstrang students, including Krum, were not there.

Hermione turned her eyes to her plate and wanted to bang her head on it a couple of times for letting this rubbish Ball business to mess up her brain. On weekends, at least one meal (usually the Sunday breakfast) the guest schools' students were having at their own living quarters. She has pointed out that to Ron and Harry couple of dozen times so far. So looking there on Sunday expecting to see him there was a really stupid thing to do.

A chill ran down her spine from a sudden understanding.

'Oh shit, the puberty has finally reached my brain' She had seen it enough times to recognize the symptoms. Those hormones that made her body change and swell in some places (Not that anybody noticed if they asked her) have reached the only part of her anatomy that seemed invincible: her head.

Hermione had a nagging feeling that these changes were not going to bring anything good.

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