As the arrival of the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang loomed closer, the air around Hogwarts held a nearly palpable tension. Hermione had never seen the school looking so clean before.
Malfoy took her presence next to him in Arithmancy as a matter of course now. They still hadn't spoken directly since that first day. Hermione was close to breaking the silence, but she could never seem to decide on the right thing to say. Luckily, she didn't have to.
Hermione was furiously taking notes as Professor Vector spoke when the end of her quill snapped loudly. Vexed, she clicked her tongue in frustration and began rummaging through her bag for another quill. She always kept spare supplies at hand. Always.
Except, maybe she had forgotten to restock when her last quill broke in Transfiguration the other day?
She cursed under her breath and began turning out the pockets of her robes. Finding nothing, she pulled open the drawer under her table to see if someone had left a spare quill inside. The seldom-used drawer squeaked loudly in its tracks. Malfoy sighed heavily and gave her an exasperated look before turning back to his own notes.
Hermione was starting to get anxious. Today's lesson on the comparative differences between the Pythagorean and Chaldean methods was too important to fall behind. Maybe she could transfigure something in her bag into a quill? She might be able to work that out. She bent to dig through her bag once more.
Professor Vector cleared her throat and Hermione bumped her head under the table as she hurriedly straightened. Only when she was upright again did she notice an eagle-feather quill lying in front of her as if it had appeared out of thin air.
"Do you need anything, Miss Granger?" inquired Professor Vector.
Hermione flushed with embarrassment. "No, Professor, sorry. I found what I was looking for."
Professor Vector turned around and continued the lesson. Hermione looked between Malfoy and Nott, trying to determine who had come to her rescue. Both were busily taking notes, giving no sign that they noticed her.
At the end of class, Hermione decided to pack up slowly instead of rushing for the door. Malfoy and Nott were discussing the upcoming Triwizard Tournament, taking bets on who would enter from Slytherin. As they packed up their own materials, Hermione noticed Malfoy tucking away an eagle-feather quill suspiciously similar to the one she now held.
Most other students had already left the classroom, and Malfoy and Nott got up to follow suit. They were almost out of the room when Hermione bit her lip and plucked up her courage.
"Malfoy, wait—"
He half-turned and raised an eyebrow at her, waiting as requested. Ahead of Malfoy, Nott also stopped, turning back to watch.
Hermione continued in a rush. "Thank you. I know it was you. That lent me the quill, I mean. So… thank you."
"I don't know what you're on about, Granger." Malfoy replied coolly. He turned to leave again before Hermione spoke up.
"Well, in any case, you should have it back." She held out the hand still gripping the quill.
Malfoy paused once more. After a few moments, he spoke without looking back.
"Keep it."
He and Nott left the room. Hermione tucked the eagle-feather quill carefully in her bag, a small smile touching her lips, before leaving to find Harry and Ron for dinner.
The day that the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students were set to arrive, the feeling in the air changed to one of anticipation. Everyone at Hogwarts gathered their cloaks against the cold and stood waiting out on the castle lawn in orderly lines by House.
Malfoy was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle in the line of Slytherins. Nott and another boy, Blaise Zabini, stood a little further away. She shared Ancient Runes class with Nott and Zabini. Malfoy seemed on good enough terms with Nott, but she wasn't sure if he was friendly with Zabini. Still, maybe there was an opportunity to learn more by changing up her usual seating arrangement in Ancient Runes, too.
The delegations finally arrived, Beauxbatons by an enormous carriage and Durmstrang by a magnificent ship. Both means of arrival were outdone by the people within them, though.
Madame Maxime, the headmaster of Beauxbatons, was a handsome woman, looking nearly as tall as Hagrid. She caused much comment among the Hogwarts students who had only ever seen Hagrid as being, well, Hagrid-sized. Even Madame Maxime was forgotten, though, when the Durmstrang students disembarked and the Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum, came into view.
Ron could hardly contain his excitement. Even Harry seemed a little bit impressed since having seen Krum at the World Cup. They filed into the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table to await the welcome feast. When the Durmstrang students came in looking about for a place to sit, Ron nearly elbowed Hermione in the ribs trying to make enough room. To his chagrin, they sat at the Slytherin table, and Krum was right next to Malfoy. Malfoy looked rather smug at his good fortune, and bent to speak to Krum.
"Smarmy git," Ron muttered. Then he brightened. "Harry, d'you think they'll need somewhere to sleep? We could make room in our dormitory…" Harry looked doubtful. Hermione snorted softly but made no comment.
After Dumbledore made his welcoming remarks, the tables filled with a variety of unusual dishes, many obviously prepared to help their foreign guests feel more at-home. She even recognized a few from her holidays in France.
The Beauxbatons students had ended up sitting with the Ravenclaws. Hermione thought they seemed rather unimpressed with Hogwarts overall, and quite unnecessarily uppity about it. One girl in particular had Ron's eyes about to fall out of his head when she asked to borrow a bowl of stew that sat untouched on the Gryffindor table. Ron claimed she must be a veela, but that was preposterous, and Hermione told him so.
Although… Harry, Ron, and most of the other students nearby seemed almost entranced by her. Neville's face went beet red as she passed, and he looked like he might have forgotten how to breathe. Parvati's spoon slowly dripped its contents on the table from where it was frozen halfway to her mouth. Over at the Slytherin table, Pansy Parkinson was waving a hand in front of Malfoy's face.
Well, maybe there was something to Ron's theory.
Soon Dumbledore introduced Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman, and the Goblet of Fire was brought out of its chest. Potential champions would have one day to submit their names to the Goblet before the choosing ceremony at dinner tomorrow. Ron, Fred, George, and several others muttered mutinously under their breath when Dumbledore repeated the bit about placing an Age Line to prevent underage students from entering. After Dumbledore bid them goodnight, Ron was disappointed once more to learn that the Durmstrang people would be sleeping on their ship.
"Ah cheer up, mate," Harry said as he, Hermione, and Ron made for the doors to the Entrance Hall. "If you want, we can hang around the Goblet during our free periods tomorrow. I'll bet he's going to—" Harry broke off as they reached the doorway at the same time as Krum and the headmaster for Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff.
Karkaroff did a double-take, freezing when he noticed Harry's scar. Krum looked around wondering why they had stopped before he, too, noticed Harry. The other Durmstrang students began murmuring excitedly, a few of them even pointing.
Out of nowhere, Professor Moody came up and began speaking in a low voice to Karkaroff, who for some reason now looked terribly frightened.
Hermione looked back over at Viktor Krum and was startled to find him watching her. Their eyes met briefly, before Karkaroff put a hand on his shoulder to steer him out of the Hall. Krum gave her a short nod, then went willingly with his headmaster.
Harry and Ron continued into the Entrance Hall after them. Hermione started to follow, but glanced halfway over her shoulder, noticing Malfoy in the front of a group of Slytherins just behind them. He was staring at Krum with an unreadable expression.
"Care to move, Granger?" came Pansy Parkinson's nasally voice. "I don't fancy the idea of standing here looking at the back of your bushy head all night."
Hermione rolled her eyes at Pansy while the other Slytherins chuckled appreciatively at the insult. Smiling in satisfaction, Pansy glanced up at Malfoy to share the joke with him, but frowned when she realised he was still staring after Krum. Malfoy quickly caught up and put on a smile, laughing with everyone else. He didn't look at Hermione.
By the time they arrived for breakfast the next day, the Goblet of Fire had been set up in the Entrance Hall. Hermione, Harry, and Ron could see it from Gryffindor's table in the Great Hall. Ron watched eagerly to see if Viktor Krum would be coming back to submit his name this morning, and when some sort of commotion started up near the Goblet, he practically shoved the last bit of Hermione's toast into her hands to drag her and Harry out of their seats and into the Entrance Hall.
It turned out to be caused by Fred, George, and their friend Lee Jordan. They had each apparently taken an Ageing Potion and were just about to submit their names for the tournament, as if Dumbledore wouldn't have thought to ward against something so simple.
Hermione even went so far as to warn them that it wouldn't work, but they listened just about as well to her as they did to their own mum. After the fact, she had to admit that the beards were rather funny. Even Dumbledore seemed amused.
Due to it being Halloween and the day for the choosing ceremony, classes had been cancelled. With their free time, Hermione, Harry, and Ron decided to pay an afternoon visit to Hagrid.
Hermione was momentarily taken aback when Hagrid opened the door to his hut.
"Good ter see you lot again!" Hagrid boomed, smiling as if he weren't wearing the most hideous suit and tie ensemble Hermione had ever had the misfortune to see. His hair fared no better, slicked down into two matted bunches. An odd sort of musky smell floated out in front of him.
Harry and Ron goggled at him, obviously at a loss for words. Hermione didn't have the heart to say anything either.
Settled in Hagrid's cosy, overlarge armchairs, they discussed all manner of things, from the first task of the Triwizard Tournament to house-elf rights. On that last point, Hagrid was discouragingly adamant that the Hogwarts house-elves were happy with the way things were. At Hermione's insistence, he at least grudgingly agreed to let Professor Dumbledore know that she wanted to discuss it with him.
As dusk fell and the time for the Halloween feast approached, the reason for Hagrid's suit became clear. They were walking up to the castle when Hagrid spotted Madame Maxime. He forgot all about them as he hurried to catch up to her.
"Bloody hell, Hagrid fancies her!" Ron said, shaking his head at Hagrid, whose arms swung wildly as he gestured in conversation with Madame Maxime.
Harry suddenly nudged Ron and pointed discreetly across the lawn. "Look, it's the Durmstrang students. Krum's next to Karkaroff up front there."
Hermione, Ron, and Harry once more reached the doors to the castle at the same time as Karkaroff and Krum. Karkaroff was studiously not looking at Harry at all this time. Ron gave a little half wave at Krum, then turned pink when he realised what he had done. Krum opened one of the doors and, keeping eye contact with Hermione, gestured for her to enter ahead of him.
"After you, please," said Krum in a thick Bulgarian accent.
"Thanks," Harry replied and started through first. Hermione gave Krum a smile and also murmured her thanks. Seeing him close up, she regretted having called him grumpy-looking before. He looked intense, yes, but his eyes were kind.
After a delicious feast and increasingly impatient remarks from Harry and Ron about getting on with it, Dumbledore stood to announce the school champions.
Viktor Krum was to be champion for Durmstrang. Krum rose to tumultuous applause and walked the Hall to disappear into an antechamber next to the staff table. Malfoy was cheering as hard as any of the Durmstrang students.
Fleur Delacour, the maybe-veela-girl, would represent Beauxbatons. She glided surreally after Krum to enter the antechamber.
And finally, Cedric Diggory, the handsome sixth-year Hufflepuff, would compete for Hogwarts.
Dumbledore was wrapping up his speech when without warning, the Goblet of Fire flared, spitting out another piece of parchment. Hermione was not alone in craning her neck to peer over her classmates at Dumbledore, wondering what was happening.
Dumbledore was just staring at the slip in his hands. Had something gone wrong?
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Harry Potter."
Yes, something was most definitely wrong.
Hermione's insides churned. She looked at Harry's dumbstruck face and quickly realised that he was just as shocked as anyone else. Ron's mouth was hanging open. Everyone in the Hall was staring silently at Harry, but Harry looked between Ron and Hermione.
"You know I didn't put my name in," Harry mumbled quickly, trying to gather himself. "I swear I didn't."
Hermione couldn't think of anything to say. The silence in the Great Hall was deafening.
Dumbledore called again for Harry to come up to the staff table. Hermione reached to give Harry a slight push out of his seat, and he started off for the room the other champions had disappeared into, stumbling slightly over his own feet as he went. Everyone's eyes followed his progress.
When Harry shut the door behind him, there was a moment of stillness before the headmasters, much of the staff, and the Ministry officials present scrambled to follow, the door shutting quickly behind them as well.
As if on cue, a cacophony of chatter burst out in the Great Hall. Ron's eyes held a blank, unfocused look and his mouth was still hanging open. It seemed he couldn't think of anything to say either.
Over Ron's shoulder, she saw Malfoy talking emphatically with Nott and Zabini. So they were friendly. She looked away quickly when his eyes swept the room.
The prefects were attempting to get their Houses in order without much success. Eventually Professor Moody cast an amplifying charm and shouted at them all to get to bed, and there was a great scurrying for the door. Satisfied, Moody then left to join the other professors in the antechamber.
Fred and George were already discussing the set up for a huge party in the Gryffindor common room tonight. She and Ron walked together slowly, not getting caught up in the excitement. Ron's expression was carefully neutral now, and Hermione had a feeling of foreboding.
After a moment, Ron cleared his throat. "How'd he do it, do you reckon?"
"Ron…" Hermione said carefully, "did you see Harry's face? He was gobsmacked. I don't think he expected it any more than we did."
Ron acted as if he hadn't heard her. "I mean, Harry did say he would have done it overnight. And he's got his dad's invisibility cloak. But I mean come on, he's got to be barking…"
"Ron…" Hermione tried again as they climbed through the portrait hole.
But Ron kept on, the words now spilling from his mouth. "But you would think he'd tell his best mates, wouldn't you? I mean, what's he playing at? I'm not stupid, he did say he'd do it last night. We could have had a chance, too."
"Ron, let's just go to bed. You, Harry, and I can all talk this over in the morning. I really think that would be best."
Ron had on a painful-looking smile now and didn't seem like he was really paying attention. "Alright, Hermione. See you."
Hermione watched Ron walk stiffly up the staircase to the boys' dormitories. In contrast, the Gryffindors were growing rowdy, celebrating having a champion from their House, and the noise in the common room crept ever louder. Hermione continued to stare towards the boys' dormitories, feeling unable to move.
"Alright, Hermione?" Ginny said at her elbow.
Hermione looked over into Ginny's anxious brown eyes and realised she wasn't the only one worried.
"No, Ginny. I don't think I am."
"What d'you reckon they'll do?" Ginny asked, drawing Hermione to sit at a table by the window, out of the way of the revelry. "Dumbledore and the other staff, I mean. They won't let Harry compete, will they?"
"I'm not sure," Hermione replied. "Crouch said that having your name come out of the Goblet is a binding magical contract, but I can't see any of the staff or Ministry people being okay with this."
"How does Harry always manage to get into so much trouble?" Ginny mused, more to herself than anything.
Hermione answered anyway. "I don't think it's entirely his fault. Danger seems to find him no matter what he does. And I'm definitely worried about the intentions behind whoever submitted his name into that Goblet."
Ginny sighed. "Yeah, I saw his face. Yours and Ron's, too. I was sure you two and Harry wouldn't have been so surprised if he had put it in himself."
Hermione bit her lip. "Unfortunately, I don't think anyone else is really going to believe Harry didn't put in his own name. Not even Ron," she added after a moment.
Ginny's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Ron can't be that thick."
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow," Hermione sighed.
"What?" Ginny practically shouted, as the noise level in the common room had risen to somewhere between a heavy thunderstorm and an aircraft lifting off.
"I guess we— never mind! I'm going to bed!" shouted Hermione.
Ginny waved, gesturing that she was going to hang around a bit, and Hermione gave her a half-hearted smile before taking the staircase up to the girls' dormitories.
The next morning, Hermione met Harry as he was leaving the common room. She had already been down to the Great Hall for breakfast and carried back a stack of toast for him, figuring he would be in no mood to face most of the student body so soon.
She also wasn't sure how to tell him about Ron, who was stubbornly believing Harry had entered himself into the tournament. She didn't think that Ron truly believed it deep down, but his jealousy of Harry was finally winning out. Hermione and Harry walked out on the grounds and around by the lake while Harry told her everything that happened after his name came out of the Goblet.
Unfortunately, Harry and Ron had already exchanged words last night, as Ron had still been awake when Harry finally made it up to bed. She'd hoped that Ron would cool off overnight and come to his senses, but it now seemed unlikely to happen anytime soon.
They still had some time before Transfiguration that morning, so Hermione convinced Harry to write to Sirius. It was best that Sirius found out the news straightaway from Harry before reading it in the paper. Harry reluctantly agreed, and they stopped off at the Owlery.
Throughout classes that day, Hermione noticed that the Hufflepuffs in particular seemed quite cold towards Harry, and by extension, towards the entirety of Gryffindor house. She supposed she understood; Hufflepuff hadn't received many accolades in the past few years, and the fact that the original Hogwarts champion came from Hufflepuff was overshadowed by Harry's entrance. Between that and having to make forcible conversation between Harry and Ron, though, Hermione was beginning to feel a bit frazzled.
After dinner, Hermione, Harry, and Ron made their way unwillingly, and silently, down to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid had assigned their class to come down to his hut one evening a week to observe and make notes on the skrewts due to their rapid growth. On seeing a white-blonde head flanked by two hulking figures already down near the cabin, Ron and Harry groaned at the same time, then pointedly looked away from each other. Hermione felt the familiar fluttering behind her navel that accompanied seeing Malfoy unexpectedly.
Hermione and the boys purposely walked to the opposite side of the lawn from Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, but when Malfoy spotted Harry, his face contorted into a sneer and it seemed he couldn't help himself this time. He came over with a deliberate stride. Hermione chewed her bottom lip anxiously.
"Look, boys, it's the champion," he said to Crabbe and Goyle. "Want an autograph? No? Better get it now. Half the Triwizard champions die, so they say."
Crabbe and Goyle snickered.
"Shove off, Malfoy," Harry replied, his hands balled into fists at his side. "We're minding our own business, so how about you do the same."
Malfoy's eyes flicked to Hermione and back so quickly she wasn't sure it had actually happened.
"Fine, Potter. Have it your way. We're done here, anyway."
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle turned to leave, but Malfoy hesitated, looking over his shoulder.
"My advice, Potter?" Malfoy began, smirking. "Deflate that big head of yours and drop out. Let the real champions have a go. You'll only embarrass yourself more than you already have."
Ron, standing on the other side of Hermione, let out an unmistakable snort of laughter. All eyes swivelled to him and he looked down at his feet, heat suffusing his cheeks.
Malfoy regarded him with open confusion. Crabbe and Goyle also looked confused, which was to say they looked perfectly usual.
Harry recovered first, his eyes tight with anger as he looked back to Malfoy. "Again, sod off Malfoy. When I want your opinion, you'll be the first to know."
Malfoy had recovered his smirk and pushed between Crabbe and Goyle to start his way back to the castle. They turned to follow him and Hermione, Ron, and Harry were left alone. They completed the rest of their notes on the skrewts in utter silence. The trek back through the castle and up to their dormitory was also quiet, the tension between her two best friends so thick it was smothering. Even Hermione couldn't think of anything to salvage that night