Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Harry Potter. They're owned by Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling, respectively.

AN: Err… nothing to say really.

Chapter 17: Sapphire Teardrops

"Severus, administer the Veritiserum," Dumbledore commanded. Moody smirked as the potions master came up and forced the liquid down his throat. He spluttered and coughed before regaining himself again. "Who am I?" Instead of answering, he looked around the defense office, away from Dumbledore's eyes as he groaned and hissed. "Who am I?"

"Albus Dumbledore!"

"Are you Alastor Moody? Are you?!"

The man began trying to force himself out of Emmett's and Jasper's grip but Carlisle stepped forward and pushed him back down, a subtle glare in his eyes. "You might want to answer. We could continue with the questioning and you could go to Azkaban or I could just kill you, slowly, for endangering the life of my son. So answer… are you Alastor Moody?"

"No," the grumbled response came.

Carlisle smiled and stepped back to his wife. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Who are you?" Albus asked calmly. He opened his mouth to respond but a sudden jolt in his body caused him to laugh madly. Emmett and Jasper looked at each other in confusion as the man's arms grew smaller until a skinny man was sitting in Moody's place. Fleur gasped as Viktor straightened and pulled his wand out. Cedric raised his wand as well and looked to his left when he saw Edward quickly step before his brother. The two gave each other an odd look before turning back to the man. "Barty Crouch Jr.," Albus stated.

The man licked his lips and shifted forward with a growl. Emmett let out a ferocious bark as he threw the man back down. "Potter," he hissed. "If you're meddling family hadn't interfered, you know what would have happened?" He laughed maniacally. "You'd be DEAD tonight! You will be dead tonight!"

"No he won't," Edward stated. "It's all right in your mind right now. You turned the cup into a portkey, didn't you? Was it going to lead to the graveyard? Ah… the graveyard of that maniac's father." Crouch growled as he tried to lunge for Edward once more. "What were you going to do? Give a spectacle, strike fear into the hearts of the students, and then portkey out of the stadium to the graveyard to raise the scum? How were you even sure that Harry was going to win?"

"Oh please!" Crouch snorted. "Did you think I wasn't manipulating the contest in some way? Who do you think put his name into the cup? And like your idiot boy could figure out anything by himself. His godfather," he spat, looking Sirius up and down, "may have helped him with the first task, but who do you think told Hagrid he should show Potter the dragons? Who gave Diggory the hint about the egg? I knew he would pass it along. It was the only noble thing to do when Potter told him about the first task."

Cedric snorted. "Except, Harry had already figured out the egg. He didn't need your help at all."

"Well I sent him Longbottom, didn't I?" he sneered.

"You gave him that book after your horrid defense class," Harry realized. "You knew he loved herbology and that he'd read anything about it. That's probably where he got the idea from!"

"Oh, you're a smart one after all, aren't you?" he answered sarcastically before he glared. "Too smart for my liking. You would have been at the graveyard, Potter. You would have been kneeling before the Dark Lord and he would have shown your mercy by killing you as fast as he could."

"Shut up!" Rosalie hissed as she pulled Harry close to her.

"Who was the spare?" Harry muttered. "Who was there with me in my dreams? You were planning to have someone else with me! Who was it?!"

Crouch chuckled as he threw his head back. "Now that wasn't part of my plan. Why would I need anyone else to raise the Dark Lord when all the blood that needed to be sacrificed was yours?" His eyes suddenly widened as he laughed loudly. "Why Potter! You must have been gracious enough to share your glory with someone!"

His breath caught in his throat as he looked at the other champions. "I… if I didn't stop you, then I would have taken someone with me? It would have been my fault?"

Fleur and Viktor looked at each other while Cedric raised a hand and rubbed Harry's shoulder. "Don't look at it that way, Harry. You saved us too. We're entering that maze without that threat anymore. They'll fix the cup and it's nothing to worry about. It didn't even happen." Edward nodded in agreement before the two looked at each other again before quickly glancing away again.

"What is the matter with you?" Alice hissed.

"Does he look really familiar to you?" Edward whispered.

"What?"

~*~

The champions watched the curse breakers leave as Dumbledore tested the cup cautiously. They heard him mutter a few counts before touching the cup again. They sighed in relief when nothing happened. "Well," Dumbledore said with a cheerful grin. "It is safe to continue the competition. No harm will be done to you with this Cup… however do be careful in the maze tonight!" Fleur frowned while Viktor smirked and chuckled under his breath.

"Albus," Harry said softly. "What will happen to Crouch?"

The old man gave a tired sigh and sat down at his desk. The champions crowded around him, anxious for an answer. "As you know, that man didn't just endanger the life of you four, but he also killed his own father. With the records he has from earlier in his life, they will surly give him the kiss." Harry gulped and stepped back slightly as Fleur gasped and Cedric helped steady her. "This news has been taking a toll on everyone and I would have liked to stop the competition, but we all know that the contract is binding. I wish you all good luck tonight. Do your best."

"Thank you, sir," They all said before leaving. They reached the bottom of the Headmaster's steps before they all looked at each other. Fleur lunged forward and gave Harry a tight hug.

"You 'ave saved us again, mon petit chou." Harry blushed as he hugged her back, the two boys smirking at him from behind her. She kissed his cheek and pulled back. "Good luck, 'arry."

"You too, Fleur."

She gave him one last kiss before walking away. They waited for Fleur to disappear, and when she did, the two older boys began teasing Harry mercilessly.

"Vhy did you not kiss her back, Harry?" Viktor laughed as he made smacking noses with his lips.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Let's just say that I'm not just ignoring your accent, Viktor. I'm just ignoring you as a whole."

"Aw, come on, Harry!" Cedric grinned. "You should have dipped her and kissed her for all it was worth."

"Would you two stop?" He glared. "She has a boyfriend!"

"Ah, vas that vhat vas stopping you?" Viktor asked smugly.

"No! She has her boyfriend and I have… well I don't-"

"Oh I know!" Cedric laughed as they began walking down the hall together. "You have Luna Lovegood!"

"Merlin," he exclaimed. "Just leave me alone!"

"Oo is this Luna?" the Bulgarian asked.

"His date to the Yule Ball," Cedric answered before Harry could. "Harry's completely in love with her."

Harry sighed in exasperation and started to answer but a gasp behind them stopped the three. They turned around and saw Esme, Rosalie and Alice standing there with their hands on their cheeks. "Oh no," he groaned.

"AWWW!" The three chimed.

"Harry!" Esme smiled. "That is so wonderful! You know we love Luna so-"

Whatever his mother was saying was drawled out by Cedric and Viktor's laughter. He twitched and glared at the two. "I'll kill the both of you!" He shouted. Cedric's eyes widened as he pulled Viktor by the arm and began running.

"Harry Cullen, apologize!" Esme demanded, but he wasn't listening anymore.

The younger boy was quickly chasing the two older seekers. "Viktor, run faster! He's a lot quicker than I thought!"

Night had fallen and the stadium was filled. The champions were down in the center, waiting to enter the maze, but to everyone's surprise, they weren't waiting with their separate headmasters. They were all together, fooling around.

Viktor was dancing around with Fleur and whenever he turned to Harry and Cedric, he'd make a kissy face that would send Cedric into laughter. Harry glared at the boy and pushed Cedric over, making the seventh year fall into the grass. "Oh look, Harry!" He exclaimed, pointing at someone behind the raven-haired boy. Harry turned and looked up into the stands to see Luna waving at him. He blushed and turned to glare at Cedric.

"Would you stop?"

"Harry, my boy!" He heard.

"Dad," Cedric groaned. "Would you just leave him alone?"

Amos laughed as he threw an arm around the fourth year. "Am I that much of a bother, Harry?"

"Of course not," Harry answered.

"Well good! Now where's the family?"

"Well my parents are right there," He said, pointing at Esme and Carlisle who were talking to Madame Maxime. "My brothers and sisters are up in the stands and all the Weasleys are here too."

"Oh are they?" He asked with a kind smile. "I've wanted to see how Arthur and Molly were."

"Well your luck is great, Mr. Diggory," Harry grinned. "They're coming down the stands with Charlie and Bill right now." Amos gave the boy one last smile before walking over to Arthur. The two parents stopped to speak to him but Bill and Charlie continued on.

"Well if it isn't the youngest everything in the world," they teased. Charlie took him by the legs as Bill took his arms. The two brothers lifted him up and began rocking him back and forth.

"You guys!" he shouted.

"Don't worry, Harry," Bill started. "What we're going to do is rocket you into the maze when the task starts. There will be a good chance that you'll actually end up hurt and not near the cup, but that's okay!"

"Actually, there's a good chance that he'll end up smashing against the bush," Charlie frowned. The two looked at each other and shrugged.

"Oh well!" They sounded together. "Put me down!" Charlie laughed as he dropped his legs and allowed the boy to gain his balance again. "You know when you were coming down here I thought it was for some support, not to hurt me before the task even began!"

"Aw, Bill," Charlie laughed. "We've hurt his feelings. Come on then! Let's lift him up again!" Harry groaned when he knew they weren't talking about lifting his spirit. The two oldest Weasleys hoisted him up onto their shoulders and walked over to the Gryffindor side of the stands. The house began cheering as they saw their Champion laughing and waving to them. "Hey Ron!" He yelled. From the top of the stands, Ron grinned and waved back at him.

"Bill! Charlie!" Esme nearly screeched. "Put him down, now!"

"Oh you two!" Molly scolded when she finally noticed them. "Put Harry down! You'll hurt him!"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Mum we wont-BILL!" Harry's eyes widened as he fell off of Charlie's shoulder when Bill stepped out from underneath him. "Bill, you stupid berk! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Mom, I'm fine," Harry said as she began fussing over him. Doctor Cullen kneeled down and began checking him over for and scrapes or cuts. "Dad, really!"

"William Arthur Weasley!" Molly smacked him on the back of the head. "You could have killed Harry before he even entered that maze! What do you have to say for yourself?! William!" The boy snapped out of it and looked at his mother.

"What?" He asked before his eyes widened and he looked behind him. "Cor! Harry! I'm so sorry! I was just-"

"Hey guys," Harry interrupted. The Champions looked at him. "Come over here, I want you to meet my family." Cedric smiled as he walked over. "These are my parents, Esme and Carlisle. These are the parents of my best friend, Ron, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley." He paused as he looked at Fleur. "And these two are Ron's brothers, Charlie and Bill." He leaned in and whispered. "You owe me, you nutter."

Bill grinned as Fleur looked at him with a shy smile.

"How'd you like those dragons?" Charlie asked with a grin.

"I'm sorry?" Viktor responded.

"Oh those were my dragons. How'd you like them?"

The three male champions laughed. Fleur was too busy talking with Bill.

Mrs. Weasley watched them suspiciously.

~*~

All of Hogwarts' Houses cheered as Harry and Cedric held up the Cup in triumph. Viktor smiled and clapped behind them while Fleur was grinning, waving at the two. "I can't believe we did it!" Cedric said in disbelief. "We won, Harry! We won!"

Harry shrugged sheepishly. "Only because you told me to grab it at the same time, Ced!"

"Who cares! We're the winners!"

Harry laughed when Cedric gave him the trophy as his Hufflepuff friends came down and hoisted him up on their shoulders. They cheered Cedric's name and Amos was following behind, teary-eyed and proud. Harry's eyes widened when he himself was picked up. "You better not drop me this time, Bill!" He warned. The oldest Weasley laughed as they bounced him up and down.

"CEDRIC! HARRY! CEDRIC! HARRY!"

For once, Harry loved the attention he was getting.

It was finally summer and the only work Harry had to worry about he had already finished. The boy took one last stretch before he looked around his room. Ron and Draco were sleeping soundlessly while Cedric was stirring in his spot. Harry grinned at their new friend. After the Triwizard Tournament, Cedric became quite close to their group. Esme had even baked him a graduation cake and Alice bought him a wand holster as a gift from the Cullen Family.

He turned to his bed and looked and his snake. "Are you sure you don't want to come, Malinda?" he whispered, not noticing that Cedric was fully awake. The snake hissed and turned her head away. "What an attitude," he teased. The snake gave another hiss before burrowing under the covers. Harry sighed as he snapped his fingers. "Come on, Faolan."

The two trotted down the stairs, making sure they didn't wake any other humans up. He smiled when he entered the kitchen as he gave his mother a peck on the cheek. "Morning mom," he greeted.

"Good morning, darling," Esme answered cheerfully. "Are any of the boys awake? Wait don't answer that. It was silly of me to ask," She joked.

Harry laughed as he grabbed an apple and took a bite of it. "Yea, they're still asleep."

"Not me," the heard. Cedric smiled at them. "Morning. I just wanted to know if I can go on your walk with you today, Harry."

The raven-haired boy nodded. "Of course. If you don't have any sweats, you can grab some from Edward's room. You two are the same size, don't you think, mother?"

Esme nodded before turning back to the breakfast she was cooking. "Go ahead, Cedric dear. Edward won't mind."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen." He gave her a charming grin before running up the stairs so he wouldn't keep Harry waiting.

"He's going to wake the girls up," Harry noted as he popped a grape into his mouth.

She glanced at him questioningly. "Are you eating our entire stock of fruit?"

"Hmm?" He asked as he began peeling a banana.

"Harry! Save some for the guests!"

"Oh but mum, you know I love fruit."

"Take the banana, but that's it, Harold!"

"Mom, you know that's not my name," he said with a roll of his eyes. Faolan barked in agreement as he stood on his hind legs and placed his paws on the kitchen island. The hungry wolf looked around for some meat but fell back in disappointment.

"Aw," Esme cooed. "Faolan you know your food is over by your dog bowl." Faolan growled at the thought of dog food, even though he knew he wouldn't ever be forced to eat anything that a domestic pet would eat.

"Here, Fao," Harry said as Cedric came back. "Take some berries and we're off." He tossed a few berries into Faolan's mouth and the wolf barked in appreciation. He nuzzled his master's leg before running out before them. "Ready?" he asked. Cedric nodded and the two followed Faolan's lead. "So why did you decide to come on the walk this morning? You guys usually sleep in until noon," he teased.

Cedric laughed as he shrugged his shoulders. "I just wanted to talk to you is all."

"Oh, what about?"

The two watch Faolan prance around the trees.

Cedric gave the younger boy a hesitant look. "It's just… since after our celebration at the end of the tournament you've been acting a little tense around me."

Harry straightened and looked up at him. "Have I?" He asked nervously.

"Don't try to trick me with that, Harry. I may not have known you as long as Draco or Ron, but I can still see something's wrong."

He rubbed the back of his neck and the two noticed that Faolan stilled when he felt Harry was uncomfortable. The wolf whined and lay down on the grass, waiting for Harry to feel better. "It's nothing, Ced, really. I'm fine."

"Would you tell me the truth," Cedric laughed. "Come on, I wont tease you."

Harry sighed and looked down at his feet. "If… If we hadn't stopped Crouch… I was just thinking that we were the ones to get to the cup and-"

"And?" he asked gently.

A tearful haze covered Harry's eyes and he looked away shamefully. "What if it was you? What if you were the one that could have gotten killed because of me?"

"Oh, Harry," the older boy said softly. "I thought we told you not to worry about that anymore."

"But, Ced if I hadn't stopped Crouch you might have-"

"First of all, Harry it could have been any of us with you there," he said firmly, "and second, it isn't important anymore, remember? You stopped him! We don't have to worry about that! No resurrecting dark lords and no dead bodies. We're all fine and if I was the one to be there with you well then…" Cedric paused and gave him a friendly smiled. "I would have been proud to die to protect you."

"Please don't say that," Harry chuckled darkly.

"I'll keep it to myself if you forget about this, Harry," he said sadly. "Promise you'll stop thinking about this."

He looked up at the older boy and nodded. "I promise."

Cedric left a few weeks ago. It was only two days away until fifth year for Harry and he couldn't help but feel a little excited. He was finally an upperclassman.

However, the day wasn't going very well so far.

Alice flinched as Rosalie rolled her eyes at the noise overhead. Jasper and Emmett were placing bets on who would win the argument while Draco and Harry were trying to ignore the sound. Another shout and clash was heard and Harry nearly fainted when he heard something smash against his piano keys. "Why do they have to be in my room?" he groaned. Ginny plopped down next to him and patted his back. Luna smile up at him from where she was sitting on the ground, in between Draco's legs.

"WOULD YOU JUST TELL ME WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS, RONALD?!"

"WOULD YOU STOP PESTERING ME, HERMIONE?!"

Esme sighed as she sat on Carlisle's lap. "You'd think they were a married couple," she said quietly. Edward chuckled as he flipped through the channels.

"STUPID, ARROGANT GIT!"

"OBNOXIOUS, KNOW-IT-ALL CHIT!"

A resounding slap echoed that even the humans could hear. Remus took a sharp intake of breath while Sirius let out a loud "uhoh."

Edward slowly raised the remote and turned the TV off while Alice and Rosalie glanced at each other worriedly when they heard Hermione start sobbing. "Come on," the blond whispered as they went up the stairs. Esme sighed as she followed them.

"We should go too," she said, motioning to Ginny and Luna. A few minutes after the girls disappeared, a furious red-cheeked Ron stormed down the stairs with a glare in his eyes.

"I hate girls," he growled as he threw down the box he was holding. He grabbed his jacket and ran out.

"Ron!" Harry shouted, running out after him, Draco hot on their tails as well.

"Are you sure you want to give it to her so early? Her birthday isn't for another two weeks," Draco said.

Ron nodded. "If I wait forever then I'll never be able to tell her," he said.

He opened the box and looked at the gifts he got for Hermione's birthday. He was extremely excited to give them to her, but nervous at the same time. What if she rejected him? Well that wouldn't really be so entirely shocking to him. It was only a few months since she saw Krum after all, but the letters were getting fewer, so he figured why not give it a try. Harry nodded as he looked at them once more. "She'll love them."

Ginny giggled. "Just look at this. My brother in love! Mum was so pleased when he asked for the necklace…whichever necklace it was."

Luna smiled dreamily as she fell onto Harry's bed, next to the raven-haired boy. "I'm sure she'll love it, Ronald."

Just on cue, Hermione came into the room with a grin on her face. Ron quickly hid the box behind his back, closing the lid while doing so. "Guys look!" She laughed. "Viktor sent me an early birthday gift! Isn't that thoughtful of him?" She pointed to a beautiful diamond necklace that was hugging her gracefully. In between each diamond were a line of 3 small sapphire stones. Her birthstone. Ron looked down in horror.

Viktor had beaten him again.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she sighed. "I told him not to get me anything but… gosh, I can't believe he actually got this for me."

"Yea it must have cost a fortune," Ron said bitterly.

Hermione frowned. "What's got your wand in a twist?"

"Oh nothing," he said sarcastically. "He's known you for what, five minutes and he's already showering you with presents? What exactly does he want from you?"

"Oh here we go," Draco mumbled. Harry shook his head as Hermione glared at Ron.

"Maybe he just wants friendship, Ronald. Is that so hard to understand? Does every boy have to be trying to steal my innocence?"

"Oh he's trying to steal your innocence now, is he?!" Ron shouted furiously. Ginny groaned, hiding her face in Luna's stomach. "That's probably why he got you an early gift anyway! He just wants to get on your good side!"

"I don't see any of you giving me early gifts but that doesn't mean you like me any less!"

"Oh jeez," Harry muttered, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"OH YOU DON'T SEE US GIVING YOU ANY EARLY GIFTS! I'M SORRY! MAYBE WE SHOULD GIVE YOU YOUR GIFTS EARLY EVERY YEAR NOW! LET'S ALL JUST STEAL MY IDEA, RIGHT?!"

"What are you even talking about, Ronald?!"

"We should leave," Draco whispered. The four nodded and quickly made their way out of the room.

"Why do you even like Krum so much?! He's ugly and weird!"

"He isn't ugly at all, Ronald! He's rather handsome and he isn't weird! He's very nice to me! He has a wonderful personality!"

"WELL LADEE-FRICKEN- DA!"

"UGH!" Hermione growled as tears poured down her cheeks. Her fists pounded against the mattress as she kicked her feet up and down. "What. IS. HIS. PROBLEM!"

Esme looked at the other girls, knowing exactly why Ron overreacted. "I don't know, darling. Boys are just boys. Do you want me to floo Narcissa? She told me she went through something like this with Lucius back in Hogwarts."

Alice scurried over towards the fireplace for her in the guest room and stuck her head in after she called out 'Malfoy Manor.'

A few minutes later, Narcissa stepped through with a caring smile on her face. "Oh, darling," she laughed. "What's happened this time?"

"He's being an absolute jerk!" Hermione scowled. "I don't even know what his problem is! He was such a big fan of Viktor and all of a sudden he became a Triwizard Champion and he's hated his guts!"

Narcissa glanced at Esme knowingly.

Rosalie patted the crying girl's hair down before clearing her throat. "Sweetie… did you probably think that maybe… Ron has a crush on you?" Alice nodded in agreement.

She laughed at the idea. "That's ridiculous! He's screaming at me too much to have any other emotion but annoyance for me!" Ginny looked around, trying to avoid Hermione's glare. "Gin?" The redhead cleared her throat and looked at Luna. "It's not true, right?"

"Uhm, well…"

Luna swayed her head to the side with a smile on her face. "Ronald was going to ask you to the Yule Ball."

"What?" Hermione asked in surprise. Esme looked satisfied, slightly proud that she was right about her suspicions of the ball.

"Mhmm," the eccentric blonde hummed. "He went off to ask you but you had already said yes to Viktor just moments before."

"What?!"

"Ginny told me so."

Hermione glared at the redhead. "Is she lying?!"

Ginny frowned. "No. He realized he had a crush on you and figured he would ask you to the ball as a way to tell you the truth. In fact, he figured that he would try and tell you again so…" She trailed off when she realized what she was saying. "Never mind."

"No what were you going to say?"

Esme glanced at Narcissa with a hesitant look on her face. The Malfoy raised a brow in question, waiting for a response. "Did you hear what Ronald wanted to do, Esme?" Alice and Rosalie shook their heads, warning her not to say anything.

She cleared her throat and looked away uncomfortably. "It's not really my place to say."

"Oh please, Esme, I need to know," Hermione pleaded.

A knock on the door interrupted them and with a quick turn of the knob, the door swung open. Draco stood there with a sour look on his face, his arms crossed. Harry was behind him, warning the blond not to be rude. "Here," the Malfoy heir said stiffly. He threw a box at the bed and it landed right at Hermione's feet. "Eat it up, heartbreaker," he sneered before pushing Harry out of his way and walking down the hallway.

"Draco Malfoy," Narcissa said in horror. She got up and followed him quickly. "Young man, you get back here and apologize!" Harry ran a hand through his hair and gave Hermione a friendly smile.

"Sorry, Mione," he said. "You know, Draco. He's very protective of Ron and me. We're like the brothers he's always wanted. He'll start thinking clearly in a few days. He's just upset at seeing Ron so-" he stopped abruptly before he could say more than he should. "Uhm, yea I'm gonna go try and help Narcissa."

Hermione shakily picked the box up that was decorated in chicken-scratch written "Happy Birthday!" all over. She pulled the lid up and looked in to see a smaller, wrapped box sitting next to a smiling doll. An ugly, fierce, but smiling troll doll. She let out a laugh as she picked it up and placed it on her lap. "Do you know what this is?" Hermione asked when she pulled out the wrapped present.

Ginny shook her head before giving her a thoughtful look. "I mean… I know what it is but I don't know which one it is."

Hermione tore the paper and tilted her head to examine the slim, felt case. "What is-" she gasped when opened it.

Her gift from Viktor was truly divine. No matter how the sun hit it, the diamonds shone vividly and made her eyes light up. Viktor probably had to pay so much and take a lot of his time up to find such an ideal necklace.

But this.

This was a simple sapphire stone shaped as a teardrop, hanging from a plain, black necklace band.

And for some inexplicable reason, Hermione knew Viktor's gift couldn't compare.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"Hermione," Ginny breathed. They all looked at the youngest Weasley who was staring at the necklace in shock. "That necklace… that's the necklace my dad gave mum on one mother's day. No wonder mum was crying!" She snorted. "And why she gave him a talk about giving this to you."

She shook her head, horrified. "I can't keep this. This must be so special to your family."

"It's obvious," she said firmly, "that you're important to Ron, making you important to us."

She blushed. "We're only fifteen. Even if Ronald and I do-"

"Ah, you're thinking about it, are you?" Luna asked slyly.

Her blush grew darker. "This is all so sudden. I didn't even know he liked me, how do I know what I feel about him? I mean sure, I feel something… a little…"

"Darling," Esme said, pacing an arm around her shoulders. "If Ron is the kind of boy that we know he is, I'm sure he can wait until you're very sure about this."

"What if I'm not sure about this," she asked desperately.

"Well then Ronald will understand," Ginny said with a roll of her eyes. "And if he doesn't, I'll beat him up until he does."

~*~

Harry, Ron and Draco walked into the Great Hall behind the other fifth years. The morning after the fight, Hermione had to leave because of a family emergency and when they got back to school, the girls were swarming around her, asking if she heard from Viktor. This gave them a zero percent chance of seeing her until everything settled down. Ron was fidgeting nervously while Harry looked around for her excitedly. Draco let out an irritated sigh as he crossed his arms. "Where is she?" He asked impatiently. "I can't just stand here. I have to go to my table."

"Just sit with us," Ron said with a shrug.

Draco gave him a look of disgust. "There are only so many Gryffindors I can take."

"You're always in our common room," Harry scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

"That doesn't mean I sleep in the same dorm rooms."

"You're not making sense."

"You're not making sense!"

"Oh, I missed this," they heard someone laugh behind them.

"Hey, Nev," Ron grinned.

"Hey guys! Sorry I couldn't come this summer, Har," the boy apologized. "I was, um," he blushed and rubbed his neck sadly, "volunteering at St. Mungo's."

The three smiled kindly at him. "I have to go to my table," Draco said. "Tell Hermione I said hello and that… just hello."

Neville frowned as he watched the blond walk away. "What's wrong with him?"

Harry grimaced while Ron looked away guiltily. "Err… Draco acted a bit mean to her."

"What? Why? Draco is always so protective of you guys."

"Of us, Neville," Harry said softly, including Neville in their group. The boy blushed and gave him a hesitant smile. "And that's just the thing. He's known Ron, you and me longer so he couldn't help it when…"

Ron's shoulders slumped. "Hermione and I got into a fight again. Krum sent her an early birthday gift the same day I was planning to give her my gift."

"Oh jeez," Nev said slowly. "You just have horrible luck, don't you?"

"Shut up!" the redhead scowled. He rubbed his face tiredly. "I didn't even give her the gift. I don't even remember where I threw it! It's probably lost in your garbage now, Harry," he groaned. "I really wish I just gave it to her. That necklace meant so much to mum and I managed to lose it."

Harry began coughing as he looked away nervously. Neville's eyebrow rose as he stared at his friend. "Are you okay?" Harry waved his hand and sat down.

"Let's just sit! The sorting must be starting soon!"

Ron glared at him as he plopped down on the bench. "Look at this berk! He's supposed to be my best friend and he completely ignores me when I pour my heart out!"

"Hermione!" they heard the girls gasp.

"That's such a pretty necklace!"

"Are you kidding?" Ron muttered. "There are people who haven't seen Krum's gift yet? She shouldn't be wearing that. Someone might try to steal it."

"Where did you get it from?" Lavender Brown asked slyly. "Was it Viktor? It's your birthstone too, isn't it?"

Ron looked over and saw Hermione blush. "No, actually. It came from someone much more special than Viktor."

Ron frowned and leaned forward to look at the necklace. Hermione was holding the gem between her thumb and forefinger. "Mione," he said softly.

The girl looked up at him with a shy smile. "Hi, Ronald."

"You… you're wearing the necklace."

She nodded with a blush. "I hope you don't mind."

His eyes widened. "No, no! Of course I don't mind, I just thought… I thought that Viktor's necklace was…"

She smiled and shook her head. "I loved the troll, Ronald."

"Yea, he stole my idea," Harry joked.

Ron sent a glare his way and he held his hands up in surrender. He turned back to Hermione and he quickly softened. Her blush darkened even further. "Wait," Lavender said, holding her hand up. "The necklace is from Ronnie?"

"Ronnie?" Harry asked with a snort.

"Yes it is," Hermione said with a beaming smile. "And I'm sure it'll be my favorite this year."

Lavender frowned and shook her head. "But I- I mean-"

"Shut your gob and move over, Brown," Draco drawled. Blaise was standing behind him with his arms crossed.

"Oh right," Ron said. "Draco said hi."

"A little too late, don't you think? Are you going to move or what, Brown?!" He snapped.

"Now, now, Draco, be civil," Blaise said nonchalantly. "Don't worry, Lavender. Although Draco is pushing you away from this pretty little group, I'm sure you can still stare at Ronnie from wherever you're sitting."

The girl turned red and looked around in horror. "No! I never-" Hermione frowned as the girl glared at her. "Never mind," she muttered before shifting away slowly. Parvati patted her back.

Draco gave her a smirk before sitting down next to Harry. Blaise pushed his robe out as he sat down gracefully and gave Ginny a friendly smile. The Weasley blushed and looked down at her hands. "Why are you sitting here?" Ron asked in irritation. He knew that Lavender was pining after him, but he didn't want everyone to know. "Shouldn't you be sitting with the other snakes? I thought you didn't want to sit with us anyway."

He shrugged and looked away. "Dumbledore wouldn't mind. Besides, Blaise and I couldn't help but overhear-"

"Eavesdropping," Harry coughed.

Draco glared. "We couldn't help but overhear this merry little gathering. We figured to hell with it."

"What if no one wants you here?" Lavender asked bitterly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, already thoroughly annoyed. "Grow up, Lavender."

She sneered and looked away. "I don't even know why Ron would like you. You're ugly and all you ever do is study. Don't you have a life?"

Hermione flinched, looking as if she'd been slapped. Draco snorted at the murderous look on Ron's face. "Well we know one thing for sure, and it's why Ron doesn't like you, Brown," he ridiculed.

Parvati pulled Lavender away and began scolding her for her behavior. "Really, don't listen to her, Mione," Ron pleaded.

She shrugged and looked down at her lap. "I guess."

The redhead bit back a growl. If he could've kill Lavender without getting in trouble, he would have.