A/N - Hi, guys! Long time, no see. Just dropping another chapter for you out of nowhere. Hope you enjoy!

Fourth Year - Part Three

Hermione checked the time on her watch. She still had fifteen minutes before she would have to leave the library in order to make it to the spare classroom on time to meet Nott. The prospect excited and upset her. She loved rehearsing and trying out new ideas with Nott but she absolutely hated lying to Harry about it, particularly given everything that had happened recently.

"Do you need to go?" Harry asked her across the table, having noticed her movement.

"Soon," she replied, "but not yet. I've got time to check through your transfiguration essay if you finish it in the next couple of minutes."

He looked surprised, as well he might - it normally took a lot of wheedling on Harry or Ron's parts to get her to glance over their homework so that she could ensure they hadn't made any glaring errors. Obviously her guilt was affecting her decisions. "Really?" he asked eagerly and she nodded. "That would be great. Thanks, Hermione." He smiled at her gratefully and she tried to ignore another guilty lurch in her stomach.

Of course, she had lied to her friends about her private ballet rehearsals many times before: if they'd known that she was spending time alone with Slytherins, they would have completely overreacted and destroyed her emerging friendships with Tam and Nott, she was certain about that. So, the only reason that she felt guilty about lying to Harry now was because she seemed to be the only person he could bear to spend time with since his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire.

Looking back on it, it was amazing how contrasting her emotions had been on those consecutive evenings at the end of October. After the reel, she'd felt like she was on cloud nine. The performance had gone about as well as she could have hoped and she had absolutely loved dancing on that stage. Throughout the next day, many people had complimented her on the reel, and a feeling of contentment had settled in her chest as she'd watched people enter their names into the Goblet with Harry and Ron. But then, when Dumbledore read out Harry's name, all her previous happiness had been washed away in an instant. She could tell by Harry's reaction that he hadn't entered his own name and she immediately became concerned for him - whoever had tricked the Goblet would not have innocent reasons for doing so. It seemed that not a single year would go by when she wouldn't have serious concerns for her best friend's safety. And, to make matters worse, Ron had let jealousy eat away at his gut, causing him to turn his back on his friendship with Harry. Hermione had tried her best to repair the relationship between the boys but she'd made no progress in the last two weeks. Harry still had the support of the rest of Gryffindor House, but Hermione could see that their loud applause and enquiries about how he tricked his way into the competition very quickly annoyed him. For that reason, Harry often joined her in the library to get away from all the attention, even though she could tell he often got bored. On the weekends, they'd go on long walks around the lake and Hermione could see a little of the tension seeping out of him. If it had been summer, Hermione would have walked around the grounds with him on the weekdays after classes too, but the days were quickly getting shorter and the students weren't supposed to be out of the castle after dark. Quidditch training would've been a great distraction for Harry but, of course, that had been cancelled for the year to make way for the Triwizard Tournament. She didn't particularly like the idea of leaving Harry on his own when he needed her friendship and support, but she couldn't and wouldn't give up her friendship with Nott either - it was too important to her. She'd already put all future boat trips with Nott on hold indefinitely because Harry would surely notice if she disappeared for a few hours one weekend. She'd only managed to see Nott for an hour last week and she was determined to make their practice tonight.

Harry put his quill down and passed her the parchment, pushing his glasses up his nose with his free hand. She read in silence for a couple of minutes but then Harry's voice interrupted her. "I see the fan club is back."

Hermione glanced up and then averted her gaze to what he was looking at. She tutted automatically at the sight of a gaggle of girls lurking between the shelves, whispering and giggling as they spied on Viktor Krum, who was a few tables away from herself and Harry. Her disapproval was more for their disturbance to legitimate users of the library than the fanatic behaviour itself (though she wasn't particularly impressed by the latter either). She glanced over at the famous quidditch player to see whether he had noticed the girls. Perhaps he enjoyed the attention - she was sure that many young men would. However, instead of preening, Krum was either unaware of the attention (which was unlikely because the girls weren't being subtle or quiet) or, more likely, he was doing his best to ignore it. Maybe he was shy? At that moment, Krum glanced up - not at the girls, but straight at her. She looked away instantly, her cheeks heating up at the mortification of being caught staring. She stared blankly at Harry's essay, unable to take in any of the words.

"Is it bad?" Harry asked a few seconds later. "You're frowning."

Hermione shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll give it another read when I get back from rehearsal. Are you still going to be here?"

"How long is your class?"

"About an hour," she replied, handing his parchment back. "It's not a real class - just a practice between friends. Hannah, Susan and I are working on improving our pointe work."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm pretty much done. I can walk with you to rehearsal if you want?"

Hermione tried not to let her inner alarm show, forcing herself to pack away her belongings calmly. "No, it's OK. Thanks, Harry. You should probably read over the theory of the summoning charm again before Charms tomorrow. We can also go over that when I get back." Harry's posture tightened and Hermione felt awful for bringing up the difficulties he was having with the spell just so that he wouldn't walk with her to the Fourth Floor.

"Great," he said dully. "I guess I'll see you later then."

She stood up, pulling the heavy strap of her bag over her shoulder. "See you later." She had to walk past Krum's table to leave and she told herself not to look at him, but at the last moment her eyes involuntarily glanced in his direction. To her surprise, her eyes met his. He'd obviously been watching her approach. For a moment, she was worried that he was going to confront her about staring at him, but he quickly looked away, his head bowed low over the book he was reading. He was definitely shy, she decided. At least when it came to interacting with people, because she'd seen for herself how confident and daring he was on a broom and the Goblet of Fire had obviously chosen him to represent Durmstrang for a reason.

Thankfully, she was soon able to put her embarrassing encounters with Krum out of her head as her thoughts turned towards her practice with Nott. She lamented the fact that they'd spent so little time together over the last couple of weeks - even forgoing studying in the library due to Harry's frequent presence or the fans searching through the aisles for a sight of Krum. Hermione and Nott knew it wasn't worth the risk of being spotted so the weekly session was all they had.

Next month they would have an examination in front of the Vittozzis. All the fourth-years would be graded on their ability in performing the weekly dance-class (barre, centre work and a couple of solo variations) and their partner work, with the girls also facing further scrutiny on their pointe dancing. Hermione knew she had made good progress in all areas during the term and was confident that she wasn't in danger of failing - the hard work she'd put in last year with Tam and over the summer with the muggles had put her in good stead to continue to progress well. Terry Boot was also a much better dancer than Neville had been so she wasn't worried about performing any of the set pas de deux (the ballet term for a duet) with him - their partnership worked well but she would be kidding herself if she denied that it lacked the connection that she had with Nott. Everything just flowed much better when she danced with the Slytherin - there were times when they were no longer going through a series of moves, but telling a story with their bodies. The feeling it created within her was almost indescribable and she knew Theo Nott well enough now to sense that he felt it too. She was a much too pragmatic person to believe in fate or destiny, yet she couldn't help but feel like she and Nott were meant to dance together. It was such a shame that their school houses - let alone their different magical lineages - would prevent that from ever happening publicly at Hogwarts.

He was already waiting for her in the spare classroom, and had levitated the desks and chairs out of the way so that they had room to dance. He turned when he heard her open the door and smiled. The only time she ever saw Nott smile was when he was with her. Was it odd that she had noticed that?

"Hi. Are you all right?" he asked, looking genuinely concerned for her health.

"Yes - why wouldn't I be?" she asked in confusion.

"Draco's curse," he replied.

"Oh, that," Hermione said with a shrug of her shoulders. Despite her attempt at casualness, she felt her cheeks heat up when she recalled how her two front teeth had grown far past her chin a few days ago. She and Nott hadn't had the chance to talk since the incident. "It wasn't painful, just rather embarrassing. I'm fine, honestly." She smiled at him. "See?"

His head cocked to the side slightly as his gaze narrowed on her smile. "Your teeth look smaller than before Draco hexed you," he murmured.

"That's because they are," she replied, grinning more confidently. She considered telling him about how her parents had wanted her to continue wearing her brace, but there was a good chance that it would only confuse him so she didn't. "I should let Malfoy jinx me more often - something good always seems to come out of it in the end."

"Well, I actually hope we don't find out whether the third time turns out to be unlucky," he told her and she laughed.

"Yes, you're probably right," she agreed, moving to put her bag at the side of the classroom. She took off her outer robe to reveal her dancewear underneath.

"I, er, also wasn't sure how you'd be after the article came out," Nott said awkwardly. "I know that it was mostly about Potter, but I could see Pansy whispering something to you in ballet class yesterday."

Hermione sighed. "Honestly, Nott, I'm so used to Parkinson making snide comments to me that I tend to automatically tune out her voice the moment she opens her mouth. That Daily Prophet article about Harry might have given her new ammunition but I find it quite easy to ignore her and the rest of your house." She was glossing over her experiences a bit because of course it was unpleasant to have people taunt and heckle you - particularly about your appearance - but she refused to let Parkinson and the others bring her down. "I don't know how that Skeeter woman is allowed to get away with publishing things about Harry that he never said." She noticed that Nott was looking at her sceptically. "What? He didn't. He loathes being the centre of attention - "

Nott snorted derisively at that. "Potter doesn't like attention?" he repeated. "You can't be serious. It's obvious that he loves the spotlight. Why else did he enter himself into the tournament?"

"He didn't!" Hermione insisted, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not lying to you - I promised you I never would. Harry didn't put his name in. We don't know who did, but I doubt they were trying to do him any favours."

He watched her for a long time and then shook his head. "If you say so then I guess I believe you. I mean, he'd tell you the truth, wouldn't he? Seeing as he's your boyfriend."

Hermione was too busy rolling her eyes to notice the taut expression on Nott's face. "Ha, ha," she said sarcastically. "Harry and I are just close friends, you know that. Come on, let's get started, I don't want to spend all our time talking."

They spent a few minutes warming up and then practised the four different pas de deux the Vittozzis had taught the fourth-years in preparation for their exam. The female dancer was supposed to complete the first three on flat shoes, but the fourth could be done on pointe if the ballerina was competent and Hermione was determined to be good enough to be able to have the fourth pas de deux in her repertoire. She was so close to mastering it with Nott and she knew that she could transfer that to her partnership with Boot if she could convince the Ravenclaw to have a couple of extra rehearsals with her.

There was one particular section that they always struggled with. Hermione had to bourrée towards Nott, which looked like a series of quick, low steps that were supposed to look like she was gliding. When she met him, she was immediately required to raise her left leg into an attitude position behind her with a single hand on his shoulder. Her other hand was to be grasped in his and then he would walk around in a circle while she tried to maintain both her balance and a strong attitude position with her leg. It was an incredibly difficult move in one of their first ever pas de deux, but she was getting better at completing the moves smoothly and linking it into the next part of the dance. She was lucky that her pointe shoes were bewitched to take away a lot of the pain. If she were learning with normal muggle shoes, she knew that everything would be so much more testing. Her muscles still felt the strain of holding her arms and legs in various positions but the burning pain of putting her full weight on the very tips of her toes wasn't there, just the pressure. It was quite an unusual sensation.

The door suddenly banged against the wall as it was thrown open forcefully, and Harry appeared in front of them, his wand raised at Nott. "Get away from her," Harry demanded, seeing Hermione and Nott standing so close together.

"Harry, stop," Hermione said quickly when she found her voice after the initial shock of his entrance.

"I said get away from her," Harry said angrily when Nott remained by Hermione's side.

She took a step in front of the Slytherin, meaning she was standing between Nott and Harry's wand. "Everything's fine, I swear," she insisted, trying to sound soothing.

"How can it possibly be fine?" Harry asked, shaking his head. "Has he hurt you?"

"Of course not," she said. "You don't understand - "

"Of course I don't understand," Harry replied, shifting his position so that he could continue pointing his wand at Nott. "Why would you be on your own with a Slytherin?"

"Look at what we're wearing, Potter," Nott sneered. "Surely even you can figure it out."

Harry blinked and for the first time he seemed to notice their dance clothes and Hermione's pointe shoes. His face creased in further confusion. "You're dancing with him?" he asked her in disbelief. "Why?"

Hermione resisted the urge to sigh. "I know this is going to be very strange for you to hear, Harry, but Theo's my friend."

Harry shook his head. "That's not possible. He's a Slytherin."

"She knows that, you idiot," Nott said contemptuously. Harry glared at him but Hermione sent Nott a flat look too. His antagonistic words weren't helping.

"A Slytherin, Hermione," Harry pressed. "What are you thinking? They can't be trusted."

"Well, I've been dancing with Theo in secret for nearly a year and he hasn't tried to curse me yet," Hermione told him coolly. "So I think I'm in safe hands."

"Safe hands?" Harry repeated incredulously. "You know what the people in his house think about muggleborns - they insult you every chance they get!"

Hermione opened her mouth to defend Nott but he beat her to it. "That's not me anymore," he stated stiffly. "I don't believe in pureblood supremacy."

Harry stared at Nott with an expression of dislike, but Hermione could see disbelief and confusion within him too.

"Do you honestly think I'd be anywhere near Theo if I didn't believe him?" she asked her best friend. Harry stayed silent. "I know this has come as a shock to you but there's nothing for you to worry about, Harry."

She looked at Nott expectantly. The Slytherin was matching Harry's unfriendly expression but he felt the weight of her stare. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt Granger," he told Harry tightly. "I swear it."

Harry slowly lowered the wand and turned to Hermione with a look of great confusion. "I just don't understand how this happened."

"I know," she told him. She could imagine that her reaction would be the same if she found out that Harry was secretly good pals with Pansy Parkinson or Millicent Bulstrode. "I didn't want you to find out this way, not when you've already got so much on your mind. Let me change my shoes and we can go, OK?" After a pause, he nodded, and then looked at Nott with mistrust.

"You're going with him?" Nott asked lowly when she turned to him to say goodbye. "He looks pretty worked up."

"He'll be fine," Hermione replied. "I'll make sure he doesn't tell anyone about us, don't worry."

"Right," he murmured. "I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Hermione nodded, hating the feeling of awkwardness that Harry's abrupt entrance had created between them. "See you."

Hermione changed as fast as she could just to get out of the stilted atmosphere. When she was ready, she called goodbye to Nott once more and then exited the classroom with an unnervingly quiet Harry. The door clicked shut behind them and Hermione tried to ignore the sense that she was shutting the door on a significant chapter of her life.

In the end, Hermione was selfishly grateful that Harry and Ron currently weren't on speaking terms. If they had been, Hermione was sure that Harry would've insisted that they tell Ron about Nott, which undoubtedly would have been a disaster. She had made Harry promise that he wouldn't tell a single soul about Nott and, though she could tell that he didn't want to agree to the promise, he eventually relented in the face of her solemnity. The Gryffindor Common Room wasn't the ideal place to have a private discussion with a Triwizard champion so they had stopped in a small room on the Seventh Floor to have a heart to heart. Her decision to deceive him for months had obviously hurt him but she had pain of her own buried deep in the origins of her relationship with Nott. The months when Harry and Ron had turned their backs on her after she'd just been looking out for Harry's welfare had left a wound in her heart that she hadn't realised was still there, unhealed. To her embarrassment and Harry's clear mortification, she became teary as she described her low points in those months which had been brought about by her loneliness and immense workload. She could've glossed over it all but Harry had asked her to be honest with him, and so he was going to hear the whole truth whether it hurt him or not: in a time when she'd felt like she had nothing, two Slytherins stepped in and saved her.

"I don't know what to say," Harry murmured, looking aghast. "I should never have let that happen to you. I'm sorry that I was such an idiot." He shuffled forwards slightly and it was all the cue Hermione needed to wrap her arms around him tightly. She knew that he didn't much like being hugged but she couldn't help it. This was the most personal discussion they had ever had and they both needed some comfort.

"I forgive you for being an idiot," she told him thickly when they parted.

"Thanks," he said, dragging a hand through his hair. "I still can't quite believe all of this. I mean - Nott, he's a Slytherin, one of Malfoy's best friends. It doesn't make any sense that he would want to be friends with you. Er, no offence."

"None taken," she said dryly. "Look, I'm not suddenly a fan of Slytherins. My experiences with Tam and Theo haven't changed my mind about the majority of the house being full of bigoted, arrogant jerks."

"Good."

"But maybe I won't be so quick to judge them all," she added. "There might be more to a very small minority than meets the eye."

Harry still looked sceptical. "I guess I'll have to take your word for it."

A sudden recollection came to Hermione's mind. "He won't want me telling you this but Theo helped with Buckbeak's appeal."

Harry's mouth dropped open in shock. "What?"

"He made notes from past dangerous animal cases for Hagrid when I was too busy," Hermione revealed. She didn't explain about the boat trips yet because she knew Harry would think she was a moron for sailing off with a Slytherin she barely knew, let alone sleeping next to him. "And he figured out about my time-turner months before you did but he never told anyone. And he's been helping me with the house-elves this year - it was his idea to change the name to SPHERE."

Harry's face was so distorted with bewilderment at these revelations that he looked to be in danger of giving himself a headache. He reached up a hand to rub his eyes under his glasses. "The world's gone mad," he said, his voice distorted by the hand in front of his face. "Don't tell me anymore - I don't want to hear about the virtues of any Slytherins. I don't want to like Theodore Nott."

Hermione laughed, relieved to hear that her opinion of Nott was starting to shift Harry's view. "That's all right, I don't think he wants to be your friend either."

This was proven true as they made their way to the Potions dungeon the next afternoon for their class with the Slytherins. Harry had convinced Hermione to arrive at the class at the last minute so as to avoid any further unpleasant encounters with the snakes after she had ended up getting hexed last week. The corridor was nearly empty as the last few students were filing through the door and they had hurried forward, knowing they were pushing their luck by turning up to Snape's class on the cusp of being late, especially when they had both been absent last week thanks to press interviews and Hospital Wing visits. Hermione was a nervous wreck - she loathed being in trouble. The student last in the line turned around to face them and, seeing that it was Nott, they unconsciously halted. His expression was more haughty than Hermione had ever seen it as he regarded Harry. With a flamboyant gesture, Nott pressed a familiar badge on his chest and the words 'POTTER STINKS' shone into Harry's face.

Harry glared at him and Hermione scoffed, half-amused and half-annoyed at the display. With a final arrogant arch of an eyebrow, Nott followed the others into the classroom.

Harry turned to Hermione, looking deeply unimpressed. "Really?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "You said you didn't want to like him."

"Fat chance of that happening," Harry muttered.

Snape suddenly loomed up out of the darkness before them. "How nice of you both to grace us with your presence in Potions class this week, presuming that you both intend to step over the threshold, of course. Ten points from Gryffindor for keeping us waiting whilst you two decide you'd rather socialise in the corridor, and it'll be twenty if you don't step inside this instant."

"Prat," Harry muttered under his breath as they took their places beside their cauldrons but Hermione wasn't sure whether the comment was directed towards Snape or Nott.

Three weeks had passed since Harry had walked in on her rehearsal with Nott and she'd been so distracted by him discovering her secret that it had taken her a few days to wonder how he'd known she'd been there at all.

"Susan and Hannah came into the library about twenty minutes after you left and when I asked them about your rehearsal, they looked very confused," Harry had explained, and Hermione's cheeks had reddened at her lies being exposed. "I went back to the Tower and checked the map to see where you were and, well, you know the rest."

It had felt so good to stop lying to Harry, and her friendship with Nott had proved a good distraction for him from the upcoming task. She shivered as she recalled her terror at seeing Harry take on an actual dragon. The tournament organisers were out of their minds. Still, she was proud of him for getting through such a trying time and the best thing was that Ron and Harry were friends once again. Hermione had been able to spend more time rehearsing with Nott and Boot, and she felt quietly confident about the dance exam she was set to take in two weeks' time. Ron had not been told about her friendship with Nott, and Harry had agreed to keep her secret until she felt ready to tell him on the condition that Ron would be told soon. 'Soon' was such a vague term that Hermione was happy to agree, but she had absolutely no intention to reveal the truth to Ron in the coming days, weeks or even months if she could get away with it. She just knew that he would overreact and if others (particularly the Slytherins) found out, then she was sure that it would make things difficult for her and Nott. No, it was better that Ron was kept in the dark for now - she had enough on her plate with her school work, ballet and SPHERE campaign.

Things were progressing well on the house-elf front. With Nott's help, she had written a letter to the Headmaster outlining SPHERE's aims and requesting an audience with the school's elves to discuss their views on their working conditions. Professor Dumbledore had stopped her in the corridor a few days ago to inform her that the elves had agreed to her request and would be most pleased to receive their guest at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon. She was very excited and had talked to Nott about the proposed meeting at length during a study session the previous evening. She couldn't wait for him to see that she was right about how her proposed changes would be positively received by the castle's elves.

A shadow fell across the parchment on which she was writing her questions for the elves. She glanced up and was more than a little surprised to see Viktor Krum standing beside her table. "Um, hi," she said, already feeling her face flush. "Can I help you? You're, um, Viktor, right?"

His stance was a little awkward and he seemed reluctant to meet her eyes, but he nodded. "Yes, that's right. I came over to introduce myself. I have seen you often working here in library."

"Oh, yes, I've seen you too," she replied. "I'm Hermione Granger." She held out her hand and he shook it. "Do - do you want to sit down?" she asked, indicating the free chair at her table.

"Thank you but no," he declined. "I do not wish to distract you from your work anymore than I have already done so."

"Oh, all right." She was a little puzzled about why he had come over at all. He really came over just to introduce himself?

"You see, the reason that I have come to library every day is to try and talk to you," he admitted quickly, avoiding her eyes again. "It has taken me this long to pluck up courage."

Hermione tried very hard not to gape at him. Viktor Krum had been nervous to come and talk to her. Had she heard that correctly? "Oh," she said. "Well, I'm, yes, I'm glad that you did. This tournament is about making new friends, isn't it?"

Krum nodded, still somewhat stiff and awkward. "I was hoping you would like to attend Yule Ball with me."

The Yule Ball! Everywhere she went in the school at the moment people were gossiping about the dance that would take place on Christmas evening. Hermione was looking forward to it - not with the same, frankly terrifying, intensity of some of the other girls, but she had never expected in a million years to be asked to go by Viktor Krum. Most boys didn't know that she existed as anything other than a uniform with a brain, and here he was admitting that he had wanted to talk to her for weeks; had come to the library every day just to see her. She was quite sure that her face was as red as a beetroot.

"Um, yes," she said in a voice that was far more squeaky than normal. "Thank you, Viktor. I would like to go to the ball with you."

He visibly relaxed at her answer and some colour came into his pale face. He left not long afterwards so that he wouldn't impose on her work, but her mind was so distracted afterwards that she soon gave up and packed her quill and parchment away. She was still in mild-disbelief that the conversation had actually happened. The only reason she knew she hadn't fantasised the whole thing was that her imagination wasn't quite so fanciful. She was going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. How astonishing! In all honesty, she'd expected she would probably end up accompanying Harry or Ron because they'd be too embarrassed to ask anyone else.

She paused in the act of slinging her bag over her shoulder as she recalled the only other Yule Ball scenario she had let play out in her head: going with Theo. Her cheeks flushed at the thought and she reconsidered her previous claim that she wasn't overly imaginative. Yes, in a world where blood prejudice wasn't a thing and nor was interhouse rivalries, she would want to go to the Yule Ball with Theo. He was intelligent, surprisingly compassionate, quite handsome, and the connection they had when they danced sometimes felt like the most powerful thing in the world. He respected her and, even though she didn't always like it, he challenged her in a way that made her grow as a person. It would be fair to say that she had feelings for him that extended beyond friendship.

How tragic.

Even if their different houses and lineages could be accepted by everyone else (which Hermione knew wouldn't be happening any time soon), she didn't know if he felt the same way about her. She doubted it - a year ago he thought she was disgusting vermin after all. Obviously, he had come a long way since then and she knew that he liked her, but whether it went further than that she couldn't tell. He kept his feelings close to his chest a lot of the time. She would never ask him about it though because the last thing she wanted was to ruin their friendship. He was too important to her for that. She hoped that her feelings would just turn out to be a silly schoolgirl crush. Perhaps going to the Ball with Viktor would help her to get over Nott. The backs of her knees tingled with excitement at the prospect of the upcoming Ball. She would have to tell someone about Viktor - it was too exciting. Harry and Ron would only tease and make fun of her so she ruled them out straight away. Ginny! Yes, she'd tell Ginny and swear her to secrecy. On that thought, Hermione hurried out of the library, feeling faintly giddy.

A/N Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it :)