Bartemius Crouch
Bellatrix: I have finally done it! Bring the Master to me, he will regain his strength faster here than in his father's rotten house.
Bartemius: The Dark Lord is most pleased, Trixie. I will brew him another dose, then bring him to you.
Bellatrix: Make haste, there is much to be done. Do you remember the location?
Bartemius: Yes. I'll be there as soon as I can. Is there anything else I can do?
Bellatrix: As soon as you get there, we'll need a Fidelius.
Bartemius: Good. I'll take care of it.
Bellatrix levitated the parchment onto a dresser and grinned at her new wand, with which every spell still felt like she was walking on raw eggs. A wand from Ollivander would certainly be of better quality, but for her current circumstances, she wasn't complaining about a second-rate wand from Nocturn Alley. A snort escaped her as she thought back to when she had also met her cousin again after her little trip to Nocturn Alley with Polyjuice Potion. It had been hard for her not to inaugurate her new wand with a Death Curse when she had been standing just over a metre away from Sirius in front of the counter in his shop in Diagon Alley. But she had managed to restrain herself because there was only one thing that mattered. The Dark Lord.
She rose from the ornate wooden chair in which the Lestranges' crest was carved. It had taken her three days to break the seal that had lain over the estate, which now belonged to her husband. Four times she had escaped curses by the skin of her teeth, which had gone off when she had only looked at objects or entered rooms. The Lestranges had always been paranoid. She had hated visiting her husband's parents' house for even more than an hour.
She snorted again, this time snidely, as she thought of what had become of her once loyal and steadfast husband in Azkaban. The top level of the fortress had been uncomfortable, but thinking of her master had warmed her bones and steeled her spirit. The cries from the neighbouring cells had done her no harm until one night the voice of Rodolphus had joined them. His feeble plea for forgiveness, his betrayal of his master, had stirred hatred in her that she felt pulsing in every vein in her body as she looked around the former Lestrange mansion. Yet there was no better place. Sure, one of the Blacks' mansions would have been more welcoming to them all, but she was sure that Sirius, as head of House Black, would notice if anyone forced their way in.
She spat on the dark ebony floorboards of the salon as she thought of her noble house now being under the control of a blood traitor like him. She resisted the urge to set fire to the room in which she stood and recalled what her goal was. She had to support Bartemius. He was her silver lining, the one she had always been waiting for. She had known that the Dark Lord had not been defeated, but that Barty of all people would save her was the last thing she had expected. She sharpened her senses as she strode down the long corridor. She would surely encounter new curses and traps that would try to deny her entry into the heart of the mansion. The library had been the sanctuary of Rodolphus' father. Surely it was here that protection was greatest. If there was a way to restore the Dark Lord to his former strength, she would find it here.
"Bonjour, you didn't expect it to be so cold here, did you?", Hermione greeted the girl who had led the Beauxbatons students straight into the Great Hall after their arrival in a pompous carriage pulled by flying horses, in French.
"Oh là là! You're from France?" the blonde girl replied. Hermione thought she felt a magical attraction from her, as had happened once before at the Quidditch World Cup, and tried to fight it off.
"No, but I spent almost two months in France last year," she said with a smile, letting her eyes wander over the rest of the French students. Some wrinkled their noses and looked around with a snide glance, but Hermione's attention was quickly drawn back to the pretty blonde girl.
"Oh, but your French is really fantastique. I am Fleur," she said, pulling Hermione into a typical French kiss where their cheeks touched. Hermione introduced herself as well and just managed to keep herself from blushing at the unfamiliar touch. "Do you have houses here at Hogwarts too?"
"Yes, I'm in Ravenclaw. That's our house table there, would you like to sit with us at the welcome party?" asked Hermione and Fleur nodded with a smile. She turned and called out to her schoolmates that they would sit at the Ravenclaw table later. "Are you coming out? The Durmstrang students should be arriving soon."
"It's so cold here in Scotland, we're not dressed for it," Fleur said, and Hermione glanced briefly down at the thin, blue silk robe, but tried not to linger too long on the young Frenchwoman's beautiful curves. She frowned for a second, wondering if they were deliberately omitting a spell, or had simply forgotten because of all the impressions.
"No problem, I can warm you with a spell. Come along," Hermione said, drawing her wand with a smile. With a wave, she placed a heat sphere over the group of Beauxbatons students and all heads turned in confusion as they felt the warmth.
"Oh! You're Hermione Gragner!" exclaimed Fleur.
"It's Granger, but yes," she said, giggling as Fleur blushed.
"Sorry, I guess the reporter misspelt your name. You made up the Black Mail, didn't you? I didn't recognise you at first."
"Indeed," Hermione said with a smile and waved for the French to follow her out onto the castle grounds. Chattering, the crowd followed her and it seemed they were in a better mood since Hermione warmed them with her magic.
"If you're competing in the tournament, I might as well go home, I think," Fleur said as they stepped through the castle doorway and Hermione shook her head with a laugh.
"I'm not even allowed to enter, participation is only for those over seventeen, but I also don't want to enter."
"Oh, I didn't know you were younger," Fleur said in surprise, smiling in relief. Hermione led her to her friends who were sitting together on an elevated part of the castle grounds. Luna had also provided Susan and Ginny with a heat-sphere, which Hermione recognised by a circular ring in the frost-covered grass around them. She introduced them to Fleur and giggled as Susan and Ginny both blushed when Fleur greeted them with French kisses as well.
Fleur let her eyes wander over the scenery of the castle grounds and the countryside beyond, losing herself for a moment in the snowy Highlands that loomed behind the expansive Forbidden Forest.
"Is your school in the mountains too?" asked Luna, and Fleur shook her head with a smile.
"It is an island in the Atlantic. Do you know Mont-Saint-Michel?" she asked and all but Hermione shook their heads.
"It's a small town on a rock in Normandy, it looks like a castle in the sea and it's beautiful," Hermione said and Fleur nodded.
"Mont-Saint-Michel is the NonMagique part of the school. The island is actually three times bigger, but for NonMagiques and wizards who don't know the entrance, only Mont-Saint-Michel can be seen," Fleur explained and the four girls' eyes lit up. Hermione in particular began to yearn for France, imagining what Beauxbatons must look like if Mont-Saint-Michel was already so breathtakingly beautiful.
"Look!" exclaimed Ginny, pointing to the Black Lake, where the mast of a ship emerged from a vast sea of bubbles. The great ship of Durmstrang sent a great circular wave sloshing across the lake, which a few Hogwarts students who had been waiting on the shore of the lake fled from.
Hermione giggled as she watched the students, wrapped in thick woollen cloaks, remove almost all their clothes before they disembarked and Igor Karkaroff greeted Professor Dumbledore and Madame Maxime. The students from the two host schools could not have been more different.
As previously agreed, the Beauxbatons students sat down with the Ravenclaws. However, most of the students had trouble communicating because the French spoke very broken English and the English students had never learned a foreign language. Hermione translated a little for Luna when Fleur reached the limit of her English. The Durmstrang students had gathered at the Slytherin table and Professor Dumbledore, as usual, wasted very few words before the feast.
"Oh là là!" exclaimed Fleur when she caught sight of the feast, among the hundreds of dishes Hermione saw today were French specialities and some dishes she was unfamiliar with, which had a very Nordic feel to them. "Oh, this is wonderful!" said Fleur, her eyes shining, as she tasted a roast on Hermione's recommendation. Hermione relished the French dishes, which now actually triggered wanderlust in her. She resolved to write a letter to Amelie in the evening to inquire how she and Philippe were doing.
"What a pity, the bouillabaisse is already empty," said Fleur, who had walked along the table to look for more dishes. Hermione stretched her neck and recognised the same cauldron on the neighbouring table with the Gryffindors.
"Look over at that table there. See that boy with black, dishevelled hair? There's another bouillabaisse there, I think," Hermione said, looking after Fleur, who immediately went on her way. Hermione giggled as Harry and his friends turned scarlet when Fleur asked them about the soup. When they were all full and satisfied, Dumbledore once again explained the rules of the Triwizard Tournament and introduced them to the Goblet of Fire, which was responsible for selecting the champions. Hermione looked with interest at the ancient artefact standing in the middle of the hall, surrounded by a circular, silvery line. Dumbledore explained the age line and warned students not to try to sign up for the tournament if they were under the age of majority.
"In addition, there will be a ball in the winter for the annual Yule Feast. I'm sure the students of Hogwarts will have wondered what the dress robes on their shopping list are for. Well, as this ball is a dance, students in Year Four and above are encouraged to find a dance partner. Younger students must find an older companion if they wish to attend the ball. So let your charms work," Dumbledore said with a smile and Hermione cast a sideways glance at Luna, who had been following Dumbledore's words with wide eyes.
"So you want to enter the tournament?" asked Hermione after Dumbledore had finished his explanation and with a wave of his wand had turned the hall into a huge common room with dozens of seating areas with comfortable armchairs inviting conversations around the numerous fireplaces. Fleur nodded and confidently told Hermione that she was the best student in Beauxbatons and firmly expected to be chosen by the Goblet of Fire.
"Be right back," Luna said, who had been shifting restlessly in her seat for the last five minutes. Hermione watched the blonde witch walk straight towards a group of seats where several Gryffindors were sitting with a few Durmstrang students, all of them transfixed listening to Viktor Krum. Grinning, she watched as Luna spoke to Harry, pulling him a few steps away with a flushed head. Fleur followed her gaze and giggled when she saw Harry and Luna smiling shyly at each other.
"Is she asking him for the ball?"
"I think so," Hermione said and they both giggled. Harry blushed a bright red when Luna said something and finally nodded. Luna did a leap in the air and hugged Harry before skipping back to Hermione and Fleur, smiling happily.
"That looked successful," Hermione said and Luna nodded, beaming, still red in the face. She pulled Luna to her in the armchair and hugged her tightly. "That was really brave," she said and Fleur agreed with her.
"Whew, I was really afraid he was going to say no," Luna said, resting her head on Hermione's shoulder.
"I think the fear was unjustified, he's still looking over at you," Hermione said, winking at Harry, who seemed to notice that he was staring over at them and quickly turned his red head to Neville.
"A cute boy," Fleur said, smiling at Luna. She told Hermione and Luna a lot about France's wizarding world and was also very inquisitive about the British wizarding world. She grinned at Hermione as she suddenly pulled out a green parchment and wrote something on it. "We need to get back to the carriage, thanks for the great reception!"
"You're welcome, see you tomorrow," Hermione said, waving at Fleur who walked down the hall and collected her classmates before they walked together to their huge carriage.
"Sirius is doing a really good job," Hermione said quietly as she thought about how Black Mail had also hit like a bomb internationally. Luna nodded and waved to Susan and Ginny, who also made their way to the Hufflepuffs' common room. Hermione and Luna joined the Gryffindors for a bit, where they were treated like air by Ron, but greeted warmly by Neville.
"The champion for Durmstrang is..." shouted Professor Dumbledore as the Goblet of Fire blazed 24 hours later. "Viktor Krum!" The Great Hall was filled with thunderous applause from the three schools, which only died down when the Goblet of Fire flared blue a second time.
"Beauxbatons also found their champion! It's Fleur Delacour!" he shouted, and Hermione cheered loudly as Fleur took a breath and stood up, smiling. She walked over to the teacher's desk, as Viktor Krum had done earlier, and disappeared into the trophy room behind Hagrid.
"Now for the Champion of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said and a tense silence spread through the Great Hall. Hermione cast a sidelong glance at Harry, who returned her gaze nervously. He had written to her that morning, telling her of his worries that he might be smuggled into the tournament by someone. He had referred to the date of October 31, which had been the date of events at Hogwarts for the past three years that had always had something to do with him. Hermione had tried to reassure him, pointing out the numerous protective spells that were placed on the goblet to prevent such things from happening.
"Cedric Diggory!" exclaimed Dumbledore, and Hermione exhaled in relief. She joined in the cheering and glanced at Harry again. He still didn't seem convinced. She could also tell her principal didn't consider the selection of champions finished yet. Did he expect the Goblet of Fire to be tampered with? After shaking Cedric's hand, he turned with an interested look to the Goblet of Fire, which was still blazing red.
It took a few more seconds, then the flame went out and Hermione exhaled again in relief. Dumbledore looked a little surprised, but a moment later walked into the trophy room with the other principals, Bartemius Crouch and Ludo Bagman to meet the champions. Hermione nodded to Harry, who dropped into his bench with relief. She let her eyes wander around the hall and realized that several teachers, including Severus and Professor Moody, were also eyeing Harry.
"Diggory, huh? Do you think he's any good?", Hermione asked Susan a little later as they walked out of the Great Hall, and they both laughed.
"I should hope so. Hopefully, he'll finally stop bugging everyone about how he would have been a better choice for Hogwarts Seeker."
"He did? Huh, wouldn't have thought of him that way at all," Hermione said.
"I get the feeling he's only nice and even-tempered when he gets enough attention. A little prince."
"Must be an only child," Ginny said, laughing as Hermione and Susan looked at her with narrowed eyes. She raised her hands laughingly, as if threatened with weapons, and went ahead to the stairs that led down to the kitchen and the Hufflepuffs' common room.
"Hermione, a moment," Susan said, pulling her slightly away to a knight's armour in an alcove.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I - I just wanted to apologize for neglecting you lately."
"No problem, Susan."
"No, we made a deal that I'm not holding up," she said, and Hermione recognized Susan's eyes glaze over. She pulled her into a hug and gently stroked her back.
"Really, Susan, it's not a problem. Does Ginny know about this?"
"No, I haven't had the heart to tell her yet. It's really nice that everything is moving slowly, but I'm starting to feel guilty," Susan whispered and Hermione grabbed her by the shoulders so she could look her in the eye.
"Stop it! I mean it. Ginny should be your first priority and I'm so happy you found each other," Hermione said, taking Susan in her arms again, who now had a tear running down her cheek. "You don't even have to tell her if you don't want to. We made that agreement two years ago. We don't have to go on with it for all I care," she said, thinking about how it wasn't really fair either, since she had Severus.
"No! I'll tell her when it's a good time. Thank you, Hermione, but you're just as important to me as Ginny is. If she can't understand that, then she's not the one."
"Okay, but promise me you'll wait for the right time. By the way, did you..."
"No," Susan said with a smile. "It hasn't really come up yet. But I think it's great. It really sparks when we kiss."
"That's wonderful," Hermione said, pulling Susan into a long hug. They both lost themselves in the familiar touch for a moment and Hermione again encouraged Susan to take as much time as she needed. Susan nodded and kissed Hermione's cheeks goodbye, as Fleur always did, which made her giggle.
"Good evening, Professor," Hermione said, grinning as Severus playfully raised an eyebrow. He let her into the classroom and hugged her after closing the door with a spell. Hermione sighed and pressed her ear to his chest, where she could hear the rhythmic pounding of his heart.
"Madam Pomfrey has requested if I can replenish her supply of Skele-Grow. Do you know the recipe?"
"Not by heart, but I've read through it before," she said, looking up at Severus without letting go of him. He gave her a long look with his black eyes and returned her smile.
"Your eyes are beautiful," he said, and Hermione smiled in flattery.
"I like your eyes too, dark eyes like a teddy," she said and grinned as he gave her a pained look. "Don't worry, I won't call you that," she said, chuckling.
"Good," Severus replied, giving her a kiss on the forehead. Once they had broken free of their embrace, he waved his wand, whereupon the ingredients and the first step of preparation appeared on the board. It was not particularly difficult for the two of them to make the healing potion that regrew bones. They were a well-rehearsed team after more than a year of brewing potions together.
"Has anyone asked you to be their dance partner yet?" asked Severus sarcastically, grinning when Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Only half Ravenclaw and Gryffindor," she replied, grinning. "I wish we could go to the ball together."
"Me too, but we can't. We can't even have a dance, do you understand me? No one is to associate us with each other."
"I know," Hermione sighed, circling her finger to stir the potion counter-clockwise. "But there's just no one I'd like to dance with, apart from my friends."
"What about Mademoiselle Delacour?" said Severus, pronouncing the name with such an exaggerated French accent that Hermione laughed out loud.
"She's not into women, I've already had a look," she said, turning pink around the nose as Severus gave her an amused sideways glance. "What, she's related to a Veela. Don't pretend you don't think she's sexy too!"
"She's indeed pleasant to the eye, but I appreciate what I have," he said, leaning towards Hermione, whose stomach did a somersault as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"That was cute," she said, allowing her cheeks to blush.
"Back to the subject at hand. You can't let yourself be asked too long. You're beautiful, famous and popular. Probably even Malfoy would go to the ball with you, even if he would never admit it," Severus said and Hermione snorted at the idea of her standing on the dance floor with Malfoy.
"I'll find someone who doesn't look too much like you," she said with a grin and giggled when Severus snorted.
"Do you think you can make me jealous?"
"Yes," she said with a smile, and with a flick of her fingers, made the fire disappear under the cauldron so the potion could cool. She grinned mischievously at Severus, who shook his head with a smile. "Now, about you, has Professor Vektor asked you to go to the ball with her yet?" she asked with a sly grin.
"No, why would she?"
"Because she thinks you look cute with that short hair."
"You read her mind?"
"She was gazing at you incessantly during the selection ceremony this year. I was just confirming what was visible from the outside," Hermione said, winking at him as he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"She hasn't acted any different towards me this year."
"Don't get your hopes up, she's not madly in love with you."
"Don't put words in my mouth!" said Severus, smiling in the face of Hermione's obvious sarcasm. "Would it be a problem, then, if she asked me?"
"As long as you keep your hands to yourself! If I have to do without, so does she!" she said, giggling when Severus rolled his eyes. "You don't have to say anything, I'll wait as long as you want and I trust you," she said, putting her hand to his cheek. Smiling, he nodded and put an arm around her as she snuggled against him. He gently massaged her scalp with his fingertips and Hermione lost herself in the pleasant sensation for a few moments. "May I stay with you a little longer? I haven't had tea in a while."
"Oh, it must have been two days. We wouldn't want you to go into withdrawal," Severus said wryly and began to bottle the potion and cork the bottles. Giggling, Hermione made the cauldron disappear and cleaned her workspace with a wave of her hand. She then walked through the private door at the back of the classroom, which led directly to his chambers for Severus and her only. She waited for him to return from the hospital wing and snuggled next to him as he settled on his couch.
"Any news on the Death Eaters?" she asked after taking a sip of her beloved ginger tea.
"No, there's been radio silence for two months. I have no idea what's going on."
"Do you think that's a good sign? Harry hasn't had any more visions either."
"If you ask me, he's just gone into hiding. The signs before were so strong that it doesn't make sense that he got weaker after the unknown servant came back to him."
"Any signs of who that might be?"
"I have no idea and it frightens me a little."
"I understand. The unknown is scary. Dumbledore still hasn't found out anything about the other Horcruxes. Apparently, he's hidden the other ones better," Hermione said, sighing at her situation. It made her uncomfortable that they were sitting here, helplessly waiting for the first stone to start rolling.
"Dumbledore is a little disillusioned. He was hoping the Dark Lord would try to rig the tournament to get to Harry."
"Pretty irresponsible if you ask me," Hermione replied and Severus nodded.
"I'm getting the feeling more and more that he only has the goal in mind and is losing touch with reality. He rarely seems to realise that he's playing with people's lives," he said and Hermione rested her head against his arm, sighing. They lingered quietly in their thoughts for some time and Hermione enjoyed being close to Severus.
"It's time," Severus finally said, glancing at the wall clock, and Hermione reluctantly rose. Yawning, she stretched and let her bag fly into her hand with a spell.
"I'm going to miss you."
"You'll survive," Severus said, chuckling, and gave her a soft kiss goodbye, which sent a pleasant tingle through Hermione's face.
Hermione was frustrated. For the third time, she had scoured the archived Daily Prophets in the library for just a hint of a lead, but with no results. At least she would be able to hop on her Firebolt in a few minutes and take her frustration out on McFinley, along with Susan and Ginny, by bombarding him with the Quaffle. She flinched as she felt a touch on her shoulder and wheeled around.
"Sorry. Hermione, right?" said Viktor Krum, who had left the library behind her.
"Hello, I'm sorry, I just got a fright. What can I do for you?" she asked, smiling as he stepped sheepishly from one leg to the other for a moment.
"I noticed you when we first arrived. You are a truly exceptional witch. I would be very happy if you would accompany me to the ball."
"Oh!" retorted Hermione, blushing when she noticed Krum looking at her expectantly. "I didn't know you didn't have anyone yet," she replied as she considered whether it was a good idea to go to the ball with Viktor Krum. He shook his head with a barely visible smile and Hermione was momentarily surprised at how shy the usually confident Quidditch star seemed. "I'd be happy to go to the ball with you, Viktor," she finally said, smiling when she saw the relief on his face.
"I'm very pleased to hear that. I'm looking forward to seeing you play against Beauxbatons," he said and the two of them talked a little about Quidditch as he escorted her to the stadium. She was immediately quizzed by Susan and Ginny when they saw her arrive with Viktor and they both congratulated her on her dance partner, giggling.
"You know what that means, don't you?" asked Susan and Hermione looked at her questioningly. "Krum is a champion, you'll open the ball with your dance."
"Oh Merlin! I forgot about that," Hermione said, joining in the laughter of the others. She could feel the excitement building inside her. Apart from a few rollicking evenings at Tonks', she had never really danced before. "Who's going to give me dance lessons?" she asked, smiling broadly when Susan and Ginny both volunteered to practice with her.
"You could ask Tonks tomorrow, of course, but you probably wouldn't be dancing much," Ginny said with a grin.
"Quite cheeky, but probably very close to the truth," Hermione said, winking at her with a laugh. "Enough already, I don't want to be late for practice or I'll be listening to this in the common room all evening!"
The final practice before the first leg against Beauxbatons went extremely well and Hermione was eagerly anticipating Sunday's game. They had watched the French team on a few occasions and quickly realised that they would have to work hard to compete against them. The Beauxbatons team also looked a lot more balanced than the Durmstrangs, who kept their focus 100% on Viktor Krum.
The Durmstrang beaters trained exclusively with him and seemed intent on giving him as clear a field of vision as possible. The Chasers were also much more passive than Hermione, Ginny and Susan. Unlike the three of them, they were not focused on scoring goals, but on intercepting passes and goal throws. McFinley had immediately developed match plans to suit their opponents. Since there would be a first and second leg against both schools, they practised very specific and also risky tactics, which could be adjusted in the second leg if necessary.
However, she was just as excited to meet Tonks in Hogsmeade the day before the game. The Black Mail group set off together for Hogsmeade after lunch on Saturday, after Harry had had yet another argument with Ron. Hermione had probed into his feelings after the evening of the champions' announcement and had indeed discovered mostly envy in him, which he acted out very spitefully.
On top of his envy that Harry now had much better living and housing conditions, no longer considered only him a best friend and had found a dance partner only minutes after the announcement of the ball, there was also the article in the Daily Prophet by Rita Kimmkorn, which after a few short paragraphs about the three champions had mainly dealt with Harry's current and past life.
Hermione couldn't understand why the Daily Prophet was suddenly feasting on Harry's private life when the main focus this year was clearly on the tournament. She tried to distract Harry from it as best she could and was glad that with Neville he had someone in Gryffindor who saw him not as the famous person but as a friend.
"Oh my God! Come here, all of you!" chanted Tonks, spreading her arms radiantly as she met them on the meandering path towards Hogsmeade. Hermione giggled as she got a shove from Susan and hugged Tonks tightly. Tonks' hair changed colour rapidly with joy and she didn't let any of the group get away without a long hug. They strolled over to the Three Broomsticks and sat down at a large table in the corner of the pub where Tonks bought them a round of butterbeer.
"It's so good to see you guys! Here's to us!" exclaimed Tonks and they toasted with their pints. They exchanged the latest stories and Tonks beamingly told them that she would also be attending the Quidditch match the next day. "But more importantly, do you have a dance partner yet?" said Tonks, twitching her eyebrows.
"Yes!" said Luna smiling and giving Harry a glowing look, who blushed when Tonks held out her hand for a high-five.
"Good choice! You're lucky I'm not at Hogwarts anymore or we would have been duelling over him," Tonks said, winking at Luna who giggled. "You two are obvious anyway," she said, pointing at Susan and Ginny, who nodded with a grin. Tonks let her finger continue theatrically at Hermione.
"Viktor Krum," Hermione said, winking at Tonks as her eyes nearly popped out at the news.
"Sure, why would you settle for anyone other than the biggest Quidditch superstar in a decade?" asked Tonks teasingly and they all laughed.
"Actually, he was quite shy when he asked me. That's why I said yes. If he'd gone all big Quidditch international, he'd only have seen me from behind."
"Not a bad sight either," Tonks said with a grin and Hermione rolled her eyes as the others snickered. "That leaves one," she said, finally pointing at Neville, who blushed and took a sip of butterbeer.
"I haven't asked her yet. Didn't have the courage," he finally said, when he realised that the strategy was having no effect on Tonks.
"Oh, sweetie! Any girl at Hogwarts is absolutely lucky if she gets to go to the ball with you," Tonks said seriously, taking Neville's hand on the table. "Promise me you'll ask her before it's too late," she said and Neville looked around sheepishly. Tonks smiled and playfully put her free hand to her mouth so Harry couldn't see what she was saying. "You're even better looking than Harry, but don't tell him," she whispered deliberately far too loudly and everyone present laughed.
Hermione enjoyed having Tonks around. She also had to agree with her that Neville had grown into a handsome boy over the past few years. He had lost his baby fat a year ago and his cheekbones made him look really good. It was obvious to Neville that although he didn't take Tonks' words entirely seriously, he took confidence from them. He nodded resolutely and Tonks raised her hand to him for a high-five as well.
She jumped up as Mad-Eye Moody announced himself with a rhythmic clonk of his wooden leg and greeted her former instructor stormily, which to Hermione's surprise he complied with. He seemed genuinely pleased to see her and the two sat down at the bar with a firewhiskey after Tonks had excused herself briefly.
"Alright, greetings from Mad Eye!" she said cheerfully as she rejoined them half an hour later with a round of butterbeer floating in the air in front of her. "What have I missed? I hope you haven't talked about your dress robes yet, I want to know everything!"
"Then you're in luck, I was just about to ask Hermione about it," Ginny said and Hermione looked at her, puzzled.
"Me? Why me?"
"Because you're going to open the ball with Krum. Didn't you tell me last week that you hadn't bought a dress yet?" said Susan and Hermione's eyes widened. She had completely forgotten to ask Dumbledore for permission to go to Diagon Alley for shopping this weekend. She could simply fly there unseen as a raven, but she would definitely be recognised.
"You haven't got a dress yet?! This is my lucky day!" exclaimed Tonks and everyone looked at her in confusion. Tonks, however, finished her butterbeer in one huge gulp and beamed at Hermione. "Drink up, we're going shopping!"
"Now? But..."
"No buts! Drink up," Tonks said with a sweet grin and stood up. "And don't make any excuses, you're out with an Auror."
"That's blackmail!" said Hermione in mock outrage, forcing herself to at least half drink the fresh butterbeer. She put on her puppy-dog eyes at Susan, who nodded with a laugh and accepted the half pint.
"Have fun!", Ginny cooed and Tonks winked at her before pulling Hermione by the hand out of the pub and onto the street that half of Hogwarts was roaming.
"Let's at least go down a side alley before we disapparate," Hermione said and Tonks nodded after looking around for a moment.
"Is it okay if I stay like this?"
"Of course, what do you mean?"
"I don't know, I wanted to check before I stroll down Diagon Alley with you hand in hand," Tonks said and Hermione could tell by her grin that she wasn't serious.
"I'd love to, really, but then you'd probably be reading about yourself in Witch Weekly tomorrow. Have you read what that Kimmkorn woman is spreading about Harry?"
"Yeah," Tonks said with a serious expression now on her face and took Hermione by the hand. "I'll be careful, okay?" she added and Hermione tried for a second to interpret her words and look, but she felt like she was being squeezed through a narrow tunnel just a blink later and subsequently felt the cobblestones of Diagon Alley beneath her feet. Tonks let go of her hand and started walking towards Madam Malkin's Clothing Shop.
Hermione followed her through the sparsely visited Diagon Alley, where the lamps and candles in the shops were just being lit. She had never been here in the dark before and once again she thought that there probably couldn't be a more magical place in England, apart from Hogwarts. Tonks seemed to take a childish delight in picking out a dress for Hermione and made her try on over twenty ball dresses until they had chosen one.
"This is really good, but somehow... I don't know," she said as Hermione put the dress on for the second time to present it to Tonks again. After a while, she too had enjoyed trying on so many dresses and looking at herself in the mirror, even if she had found it hard to ignore her old complexes at first. "Okay, I have an idea. We'll have this one reserved and if we can't find anything else, we'll take that one."
"We've been here half an hour, I'm starting to need to get back, Tonks," Hermione said, but couldn't help a giggle when Tonks made a pout. "Okay, where else do you want to go?"
"You'll see when we get there. The dresses here are really nice, but we need something to set you apart from the others. Especially if this Fleur is as hot as Ginny says she is," Tonks said with a twitch of her eyebrow and Hermione could feel herself blushing, preventing the blood from getting to her head.
"Ready?" asked Tonks and Hermione choked as without waiting for her answer she grabbed her arm and disapparated them. She coughed heavily as she regained her footing and Tonks patted her guiltily on the back. "Sorry," she whispered and looked around. Hermione, too, briefly let her eyes wander over her surroundings and was surprised to realise that they had arrived in the Muggle world, the streets of which were much more brightly lit.
"It's alright, you apparated me mid-breath," Hermione said after her coughing fit had subsided and smiled at Tonks who was looking at her worriedly.
"I guess I got a bit carried away there."
"You want me to try on a dress here? But I don't have any pounds on me."
"Let me worry about that," Tonks said with a smile, and this time she grabbed Hermione's hand. She didn't know how to interpret all this, so she read the young witch's emotions for a moment. The butterflies in her stomach announced themselves as she felt the attraction she had read in her emotions back in the summer holidays, only this time it was much stronger. Only a moment later, her conscience spoke up. It was unfair to keep Tonks in the dark about her relationship with Severus, even though she could sense that she returned the young witch's feelings.
When she realised that she had instinctively squeezed Tonks' hand and entwined their fingers, she also felt guilty towards Severus. What was she doing here? Shouldn't she see him as the only person she needed? He had impressed upon her several times that he wasn't jealous, but was it wrong to send Tonks such signals? Hermione remembered the words the young Auror had used to make it clear to her that she wasn't interested in a relationship, but the feelings she had just sensed from her spoke a different language.
"Hello," a distant voice said against her ear and Hermione noticed a hand waving in front of her eyes. Puzzled, she looked at Tonks, who was eyeing her with a smile. "We're here."
"Sorry, I was a bit lost in thought."
"I noticed," Tonks said with a chuckle. "We're outside Princes Arcade. I'm sure we'll find something for you here," she added and Hermione's eyes widened. The boutiques here were mostly known for their exorbitant prices. "Don't argue, we'll look for a dress for you here," she said, pulling Hermione with her through the arcade entrance. It wasn't long before Hermione and Tonks had picked out about a dozen dresses for her to try on.
"This is fantastic!" exclaimed Tonks, ignoring the somewhat snooty shop assistant's annoyed look as Hermione stepped out of the dressing room in a beige and grey dress.
"But this is far too tight."
"Bullshit, it's perfect!" said Tonks and Hermione felt herself blush as Tonks' gaze travelled up and down her body. "The festive dresses from our world are far too old-fashioned anyway. You'll definitely stand out in this," she added quietly and Hermione giggled as Tonks herself blushed after their eyes met. Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and spun once on the spot. The dress fit like a glove and felt like a second skin, but was still airy enough not to show everything on the outside. She had to admit that she also liked the dress a lot, but her conscience spoke up when she remembered the price that was written on the label.
"Don't argue, this is your ball dress," Tonks said before Hermione could even open her mouth. "Fuck, you have to take that off or I'll come with you to the changing room and then I can't guarantee anything," she whispered and Hermione giggled.
"If that shop assistant wasn't watching us with her hawk eyes, I wouldn't mind," Hermione whispered back, driven by the butterflies in her stomach that had started dancing violently again at Tonks' words. Tonks winked at her and Hermione walked back into the changing room, pausing for a moment to look at herself in the mirror.
"Why is this so hard? Severus should be the only one I have such feelings for," she thought, feeling a twinge in her nose. She thought of her visit to Severus during the holidays. In his mind, she had seen in black and white that he had not lied when he had said he had no problem with it. But was her guilty conscience actually dedicated towards him? It was Tonks who didn't know that Hermione had someone she wasn't allowed to know about. It wasn't fair. She wiped a tear from her cheek and hastily changed when she realised she had kept Tonks waiting.
"Thanks for the dress, but I'll definitely return the favour," she said as the two of them walked through the streets of Muggle London again, on their way to where they had arrived.
"Seeing you in that dress was enough of a gift, but I'll accept presents of any kind," Tonks said with a mischievous grin and Hermione had to laugh, though her mind was still reeling. "Okay, ready?" asked Tonks, this time waiting for Hermione to nod before apparating them both to Hogsmeade.
"Thanks for everything, will you join us for one last butterbeer?"
"Sure," Tonks said and Hermione was already about to leave when she was grabbed by her arm and pulled into a soft kiss that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Without thinking, she pulled Tonks close to her body and let herself fall fully into her lips. A muffled moan escaped her as Tonks placed a hand on her bum and gripped it. No thought managed to come into focus anymore and she enjoyed the sensation that electrified her whole body.
"Thank you," she whispered as Tonks broke away from her and looked into her eyes, smiling, in the shadows of the alley behind the Three Broomsticks.
"No, thank you," she said, stroking her thumb over Hermione's cheek, which had taken on a rosy tinge from the chill of Scottish November. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment longer, then Hermione pulled Tonks into the warm parlour of the Three Broomsticks, where she smiled at her friends and ordered a final round of butterbeer from Madame Rosmerta.
"Wow, so you guys really bought a dress?" asked Ginny and everyone laughed. Hermione looked into Harry's eyes, who blushed slightly and could guess what theories the girls must have been throwing around. She raised her pint with a grin and enjoyed the last hour before they had to make their way back to the castle.
"Okay, out with it, who do you want to ask?" asked Hermione Neville as they finally strolled up the winding path to the castle.
"I won't say until she says yes," Neville said with a grin and Hermione laughed.
"I can't think of a girl who wouldn't say yes. If Viktor hadn't asked me, I'm sure I would have said yes if you'd asked me," Hermione said and Neville looked at her smiling.
"If you want, we can go for a dance if Viktor will let you go," he said and Hermione nodded with a smile. She had already worked out the same deal already with Harry, Luna and the other girls. This way, maybe she would be able to distract herself long enough from the fact that she would actually rather dance with Severus.
"Dear spectators, welcome with thunderous applause the best that the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons schools have to offer when it comes to Quidditch! On the Beauxbatons side, we have Durand, Petit, Martin, Flamant, Grosjeans, Moreau and the lovely Fleur Delacour! Will you go to the ball with me, Fleur?"
"JORDAN!" the enraged voice of Professor McGonagall could be heard bellowing through the magically amplified microphone.
"It was worth a try. Stop laughing! On the Hogwarts side, the audience will have to help me because I got caught by a nasty memory charm. Our Keeper, from Ravenclaw, EDDIE?"
"MCFINLEY!" the audience shouted in response to Lee Jordan's call.
"Probably the most identical beaters in the world. From Gryffindor, Fred and George?"
"WEASLEY!"
"The first part of the famous dynamic duo. From Hufflepuff, first chaser, Susan?"
"BONES!"
"The second part of the dynamic duo? From Hufflepuff, Ginnyyyy?"
"WEASLEY!"
"The third chaser, also known as the Flying Cannonball! From Ravenclaw, Hermione?"
"GRANGER!"
"And finally, the boy who can catch the Snitch with every part of his body except his hand. The youngest Gryffindor Seeker ever! HARRY!"
"POTTER!"
"Thank you!"
"YOU'RE WELCOME!" the audience replied and Hermione had to take a few breaths after wiping the tears of laughter from her face. As always, Lee Jordan had provided an exhilarated atmosphere and Hermione had got goosebumps every time her name had echoed loudly through the stadium.
"The teams take their places and wait for the whistle from Ludo Bagman, who I heard had to take some unbreakable vows to remain neutral."
"Jordan!"
"Just kidding, of course. Don't hold it against me, Ludo! And there it is, the whistle, and immediately Granger grabs the Quaffle! Her Firebolt can't be followed by any of the other chasers! She won't, will she? GOOOOAL! Goal for Hogwarts by Granger, who immediately lives up to her name, flying through the middle goal ring with the Quaffle in her incomparable way!"
Hermione spread her arms and, beaming, flew a half circle behind the goal rings to celebrate her goal. McFinley's plan had worked immediately. Unlike the Durmstrangs, the Beauxbatons students had not watched them in any training and had been completely blindsided by Hermione's trademark.
"The toss-up from Beaxbatons! Grosjeans to Martin, Martin to Petit. A lovely passing sequence from the Beauxbatons chasers, but Weasley manages to snatch the quaffle from under Martin's nose with a lovely roll. Weasley is up and away and gracefully dodges a bludger that misses her head by a hair's breadth! She passes to Bones, who immediately gets ready to throw! AAAND OH! Held by Flamant! A real brute of a throw, but it is caught in front of his chest by the brave Beauxbatons keeper."
A closely contested game broke out between the chasers, with both sides producing goals like a conveyor belt, despite good catch rates by the keepers. The Snitch made a few appearances but disappeared each time in the turmoil of the chasers, who criss-crossed the pitch like lightning bolts.
"Granger has the quaffle and we all know that move! The cannonball goes into round three! But there, on the same course, a bludger! Granger dodges the bludger and flies on, but what is this? She doesn't have the quaffle anymore? Where is it? Bones has the Quaffle! She nimbly passes to Weasley, who flies around the completely overwhelmed Flamant and pushes the Quaffle through the goal ring without any problems! 110 to 100 for Hogwarts! Dear viewers, I hope you don't have any more plans tonight, this can go on forever!"
Sure enough, the Snitch took a long time to reappear and Hermione, Susan and Ginny slowly but surely managed to build up a lead so that it was 270 to 190 when Lee Jordan suddenly shifted gears and commented passionately as Harry and Fleur engaged in a close battle for the Snitch. As Fleur was the only other player besides Harry and Hermione with a Firebolt, it was a completely open duel. Hermione and Ginny dashed forward when they saw that the French Chasers were following the Seekers as if spellbound and effortlessly managed to outplay the opposing Keeper.
As the chasers flew to the centre ring, they continued to watch the seekers, which were barely visible to the naked eye and slightly blurred. As the Snitch dived downwards, Harry reacted a touch of a second faster and managed to grab it. Hermione simultaneously threw her arms in the air with the rest of the stadium and flew to Susan and Ginny, pulling them into a hug while still in the air. The Potter name resounded through the stadium and Hermione let the wave of euphoria carry her as she flew a lap of honour around the stadium with her team. She beamed at Severus as they passed the spectator tower of teachers and high-ranking Ministry officials and she knew of his joy, even if he couldn't show it outwardly. She also recognised the neon pink glowing mane of Tonks who was cheering and waving at her.
"Good game!" said Hermione as she hugged Fleur. Fleur was the only player from Beauxbatons who had come to congratulate them.
"You played really well, Hermione! I'm sorry the others have already left," she said with an apologetic look because, in fact, her teammates had already left the court.
"No problem, you played great too, it's very rare for Harry to be that close!" said Hermione, pleased to see Fleur also congratulating the other members of the Hogwarts team before joining her team in the dressing room.
To celebrate the victory, the Great Hall was transformed after dinner and a huge party broke out, with students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang also joining them and joining in the good cheer.
"Hermione, do you have a second?" asked Fleur, coming towards them with two bottles of butterbeer. Hermione nodded and toasted with Fleur after they had settled down on a couch slightly off to the side in the Great Hall. "I was wondering if you could help me."
"Sure, what do you need help with?" asked Hermione, taking a sip of butterbeer.
"I'm not doing so well in your library. Speaking English is easier for me than reading it. I'd like to do some research for the first task in the tournament, but I'm making very slow progress, would you..."
"Of course I'll help you! The library is sort of my second home!" said Hermione, arranging to meet Fleur in the library the next evening. They talked a little about the afternoon's game and Hermione also learned that Fleur already knew what was coming up in the first task. She just smiled mysteriously, though, when Hermione inquired where she got the information. After sharing a little of her knowledge about dragons with Fleur, she saw someone approach them out of the corner of her eye.
"Hey, Hermione. Harry's looking for you," Neville said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. Hermione said goodbye and stopped short for a moment as she passed Neville. Their eyes met for a tiny moment and she could see great tension in them. As she walked to the seating area where Harry sat with the rest of the Hogwarts team, she cast a curious glance over her shoulder. Neville had taken a seat next to Fleur.
"Harry, you'll have to wait a moment," she said to Harry, who looked at her in confusion.
"For what?" he replied, looking with a furrowed brow at Hermione, who eyed him for a moment and then began to giggle. She nudged Susan and Ginny and pointed to the couch where Neville and Fleur were still sitting and talking.
"He won't, will he?" asked Ginny, looking at Susan and Hermione with wide eyes.
"I think so!" said Hermione, looking over at the two of them, spellbound. The three girls turned away abruptly and giggled as Fleur gave them a sideways glance and grinned.
"They've been talking for a really long time, looks like they're getting on really well," Hermione said hopefully as she furtively glanced over at the two for what felt like the tenth time.
"Tonks will freak out if she says yes," Ginny said with a smile and the three of them giggled as they imagined their chirpy friend's reaction. They abruptly averted their eyes again as Neville finally rose and walked towards them. He dropped down beside Harry and smiled shyly as Susan, Ginny and Hermione looked at him expectantly.
"Spit it out already!" said Harry finally, giving Neville a gentle nudge in the ribs.
"I'm going to the ball with Fleur," Neville said and the entire Great Hall looked up as the three girls let out high-pitched cheers. Neville blushed, but in the next moment smirked as Fred, George and Harry congratulated him.
"What did I miss?" asked Luna, who joined them, drawn by the commotion.
"Neville's going to the Yule Ball with Fleur!" exclaimed Ginny and Luna smiled broadly at Neville.
"I'm very happy for you, Neville," Luna said in her inimitable sweet nature.
"Thank you!" he replied with a sheepish grin and sank a little deeper into the couch, relaxing as the girls continued to giggle and whisper. Ginny pulled a Black Mail parchment from her pocket and immediately began writing on it.
It was actually very surprising that Neville had not only mustered up the courage to ask her but hadn't made an idiot of himself in Fleur's presence. Many of the students, including Ron to Hermione's amusement, who had tried Fleur before had succumbed to her Veela Charm and hadn't been able to get a straight sentence out or had embarrassed themselves badly by shouting at Fleur or just drooling.
"Greetings from Tonks! She's proud of you," Ginny said with a grin, writing some more with Tonks in the group before the party was broken up by Dumbledore and the students headed off to their dormitories.
"Here you go!" said Hermione, levitating the pile of books towards Fleur, who had been waiting outside the library and was now looking at her with wide eyes. "That should do it. Come on, let's find a classroom, there's no talking in the library," she said, walking with Fleur through the secret passage on the third floor that led to the seventh, saving them the Grand Staircase.
"Hogwarts is so mysterious!" said Fleur when she realised they had reached a higher floor through the secret passage which was downhill.
"Yes, there's something to discover at every turn if you look carefully," Hermione said, leading Fleur down to the sixth floor. "I'm so glad you're going to the ball with Neville, by the way," Hermione said, beaming as Fleur flashed her captivating smile.
"Oh yes, he's a very nice boy. I was surprised because he seemed so shy, but he spoke to me normally, not many guys can do that," she said and Hermione could hear a spark of wistfulness in her statement. "And he's tall and good-looking," she said and Hermione nodded with a smile. They found an empty classroom and Hermione conjured cosy wing chairs for the two of them.
"You're really good at magic, Hermione," Fleur said with a smile and dropped into her chair. Hermione smiled and picked up one of the books from the pile, hoping to find information on dragons that could help Fleur.
"There really are many types of dragons," Hermione said in amazement after flicking through the tome. In Europe alone, there were over fifty different types of dragon, each with distinctly different characteristics. Some spat fire, others acid or ice, while their scales also had different levels of hardness and resistance. "I don't think you should speculate on a particular species. You don't happen to know what your task will be by any chance either?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, but Fleur shook her head, chuckling.
"No, Madame Maxim only told me that she saw the dragons. Nothing more."
Hermione nodded and read another chapter until one of her Black Mail parchments, which she had placed beside her on the back of the armchair, turned green. She pulled it out of the small pile and read the message.
"Luna is asking if she can join us," she said and Fleur nodded with a smile.
"She's such a sweet girl! She reminds me a lot of my little sister," Fleur said and Hermione smiled broadly as she replied to Luna. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door and Luna joined them. She grabbed a book from the pile as well and dropped into Hermione's chair where she rested her head on her shoulder and skimmed the book, humming softly.
"I think I got something, but I didn't understand all of it," Fleur said, coming over to the two of them so Hermione could translate the paragraph to her in French.
"Dragons are vulnerable to sedatives and hallucinogens, which is why they're usually sedated before a transport to reduce their stress," Hermione summarised the paragraph. "That might actually help you, provided you don't have to kill the dragon," Hermione said and Fleur looked at her with wide eyes.
"I'm not killing a dragon! If that's the assignment, I get zero points!" she said firmly, crossing her arms.
"I don't think that's the task either. What I meant to say is that you can probably do the task more easily if your dragon is asleep."
"That sounds good. Do you know of a spell or potion for it?"
"Yes, but we have no idea what dose of sleeping potion you'd need, we don't even know what kind of dragon it is. So I would suggest a spell. I use it every night to fall asleep," Hermione explained, smiling at the interested and amazed looks from Luna and Fleur. "The spell puts the enchanted person into a trance, a sleep-like state where the body recovers but the mind is not subject to dreams."
"Wow, you seem to have experience with this! Is the spell difficult?" asked Fleur and Hermione shook her head. She drew her wand and instructed Fleur to mimic her movement with it. When they had practised the movement dryly a few times, she performed the spell out loud once on herself and waited a few moments to show that she was really asleep before waking up.
"Now you try it," she prompted Fleur, nodding when Fleur looked at her uncertainly. "Don't worry, I can wake up from this on my own."
"But what if the dragon can also do it then?" asked Fleur, and Hermione smiled at the fair question.
"I have experience with trances and know how to end them on my own. The dragon will have no idea what hit it."
"Okay. Ready? Meditatus!" said Fleur and Hermione was immediately pulled into the white nothingness of her mind. She landed softly in her library and waited a few moments, as before, for Fleur to realise that she had successfully enchanted her.
"Very good!" she exclaimed when she had opened her eyes again and Fleur beamed at her. They practiced the spell a few times and Luna also volunteered to be the test subject, to experience a trance for once. Hermione had to wake her up as she couldn't do it on her own, but she thanked Fleur for the experience. They practised some more of the spells Luna was learning in class and later headed off to Ravenclaw Tower together after escorting Fleur to her carriage.
The first task of the Triwizard Tournament took place on the first of Advent. Hermione made her way to the spectator stand of the stadium that Dumbledore and some helpers had built for the task with the help of magic, after wishing Fleur good luck in the Champion tent. As Dumbledore had requested, she had already spent the whole day reading the minds and feelings of the spectators and looking out for uninvited guests. She couldn't find anything suspicious, though.
"Are you excited?" asked Luna as she sat down next to her and Hermione nodded. She was indeed nervous, though not because the three champions were up against a dragon, but because she had a queasy feeling in her stomach, despite the array of Aurors and security personnel. It was still suspiciously quiet around Voldemort and Hermione, like Severus, felt that they should be paying attention just when it seemed that the greatest security was supposedly assured.
She exchanged a quick glance with Harry, who seemed relaxed, however, and whistled through his fingers as the cannon sounded and Cedric Diggory was the first to face the Swedish Short-Snout, who had been transported into the arena moments before. Cedric made a skilful stand and distracted the dragon with a clever transformation, turning a boulder into a dog. However, he got a point deduction because his cape had caught fire at the beginning.
Then it was Fleur's turn and Hermione's heart began to beat faster, as before, as the dragon was carried into the arena in its cage with a levitation spell. She recognised the Common Welsh Green and exhaled a little, for the dragon was not really aggressive towards humans. However, as the task was to obtain a golden egg hidden under the female's eggs, it was not going to be easy for Fleur, as the dragon refused to leave its nest.
Fleur finally decided to put the dragon in a trance on his nest. Hermione held her breath as Fleur just managed to avoid the stinging flame that poured from the dragon's nostrils as it fell asleep. Fleur extinguished her skirt with an Aguamenti and then managed to use a levitation spell to gently lay the dragon down beside his nest. Hermione cheered along with her friends, knowing how difficult a levitation spell was on such a large magical creature. It took several wizards to levitate the dragons in their cages and Fleur had done it completely alone.
She also got a slight point deduction because an item of clothing had caught fire, but Hermione was glad that the plan they had worked out had been a complete success. Hermione was outraged a little later when Igor Karkaroff gave Viktor Krum full points even though the Chinese Fireball had trampled one of his own eggs after his Conjunctivitis Curse. The unfair scoring gave Viktor Krum the lead in the scoring and Hermione had to hold back heavily to avoid joining in the boos from the Hogwarts audience.
"You did really well!" said Hermione as Fleur embraced her later.
"Thank you so much for your help, Hermione! And even though I'm from the rival school," Fleur said, giving Hermione a soft kiss on the cheek that made her blush.
"The tournament is not only about competition but also about international cooperation. I think we did a good job of that," she said and they both grinned. They spent the rest of the evening speculating about how to use the egg, which made a horrible sound when opened at the twist-top. Fleur also invited Hermione to see the carriage in which the Beauxbatons students resided. Hermione was fascinated by the carriage which pulsated with magic and resembled a small mansion including a garden from the inside.
After saying her goodbyes, she looked around at the twilight and disillusioned herself at the edge of the Forbidden Forest before transforming into her raven form and seeking out the knothole where Lancelot resided with his partner. The two were delighted to see her and joined Hermione on a short night flight into the Highlands, allowing Hermione to completely relax as the cool night air slipped through her feathers. It was these moments when she forgot everything around her and simply enjoyed the beauty of life for which she would be eternally grateful to the Elder.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you are doing great and that you liked this Chapter! I know I'm taking a bit of time at the moment. Also, I'm not going down the path of the 4th book, but I think I have had some good Ideas to make up for it in the coming chapters.
As always, thank you for reading and also thank you to all the people that already left favorites, follows and reviews!
See you next time!
Kasing