Chapter 27: Eggs and Potatoes

Saturday 10th December 1994.

Harry sat heavily next to Hermione in the practically empty common room. "She said no."

"No?" Hermione responded. "Why?"

"She thinks it's unfair for us to work together on the tasks. I guess she wants to figure it out for herself."

"Nym knows I'm helping you? Why is she refusing to get help herself?"

"She's stubborn?" Harry replied, looking at her as if the answer were obvious.

Hermione huffed, knowing from long experience how stubborn all three of them could be once they made their minds up on a topic. She just wished this particular one hadn't popped up in regards to the tasks. She still hadn't found a way to get around the pact the two had made regarding their elf magic. "Fine... then, shall we?"

Harry nodded and Hermione waved her wand in a circle about the pair, casting every sound-dampening spell she could to prevent the cacophony that was about to occur from disturbing the handful of others milling about the comfortable common room on a Saturday morning. "Ready."

Harry opened the golden egg once more and immediately a horrible screeching sound emitted from the insides. Hermione couldn't make the slightest sense of the sound and after a few moments, Harry closed it once again. "It almost hurts to listen to."

Hermione nodded as she considered the solid-looking egg. "What do we know about sound? Intensity dropoff? Maybe being further away might help? But it seems unlikely. Sound propagates differently through various states of mass. Through a gas, it's awful screeching. Maybe we should try solids and liquids to see if it changes?"

"Sounds sensible. Though I'm not sure how we'd test solids. If the item we put it in is solid, how do we open it?"

"Well let's hope liquids work better first." Hermione joked, the second twirl of her wand conjuring a small wooden half-barrel on the table in front of them. A tight flick had water shooting from the tip of her wand and she had soon filled the container enough to submerge the egg. "Shall we?"

Harry carefully placed the egg in the water, taking care not to slosh the water over the sides. With a glance at Hermione, he twisted the clasp and the egg fell open again, but this time, there was no horrid screeching. What little sound escaped the water's surface sounded almost melodic.

"I'm never complaining about physics class again." Harry smiled at her.

"Agreed, though it's possible magic has more to do with it in this case. Can you make anything out? It sounds almost like music."

"Not from out here," Harry replied. He tucked his hair back and before Hermione could stop him had half his head submerged in the small space around the egg. A click of his fingers had a quill in his hand and without looking, he began writing crookedly across the piece of parchment laid out next to the bucket. As Harry wrote, Hermione read the words aloud.

"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this;
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And recover what we took,
But past an hour — the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back. *

"Curious. Come seek us where our voices sound… Do you think maybe it's the Humdinger Luna was following? No… can't be that was above the ground. What can…"

"Hermione?" Harry interrupted, drawing her eye and nearly her laughter as he sat dripping from half his head. "Little help?"

He bowed his head downward and Hermione quickly siphoned the water away and back into the container on the table. "Sorry, you know how I get when I have a puzzle to solve." Hermione blushed.

"I do, and it's one of my favourite things about you. You're my little nerd." Harry teased and she gave him a gentle nudge to the shoulder.

Hermione quickly found herself getting lost in the deep green eyes locked on her own and she leaned in and kissed her boyfriend soundly for several moments, savouring the feeling of his lips on her own as she did every single time they kissed. Though they'd been doing it for months now, it never lost that spark of the first one that he had sprung on her, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Stop distracting me. This is important. We probably won't have much time to study over the break, and the Ball is in a few weeks' time. We need to focus. We need to go to the library and research magical languages. We need..."

"Hermione, the Task is over two months away. I'd much rather sit in this nearly empty room kissing my girlfriend for a bit than worry about it. We have the clue and it's been less than a month since we got the egg. Relax, and have some fun to celebrate."

Hermione blushed again as Harry leaned in and resumed kissing her, all other concerns temporarily falling away.

ϟ

Wednesday 14th December 1994.

Albus Dumbledore smiled as he looked over the paperwork spread over his desk. Most of it works he had avoided a lot in the past decade, to the detriment of the school.

He glanced over the reports from the teachers. Filius had uncovered a rather serious case of bullying in his house and was now dealing with it accordingly. Almost a dozen detentions had been given out and several of his students were facing far worse punishment should he learn of any repeat offences.

Albus knew his wee friend had a temper when riled, but not a person in the school had seen it show since he started teaching at the school. The language used in the note before him told Albus just how upset Filius was over the situation.

The next set was less amusing, but just as important. Most of it was a stack of messages from Severus complaining about the wasted time spent travelling he could be using for brewing. Albus thought this greatly exaggerated. He had only moved the potions classes to the first floor of the castle after all.

Given the number of unused spaces on that floor, he had asked the other staff if they would prefer to move their classrooms as well, but all had declined. As they weren't as inherently unsafe as the former potions classroom had been shown to be, he was not overly concerned.

He sighed as he recalled the six separate meetings Severus had forced his way into following the altercation over the state of his classroom. Albus was furious with his former self for his lack of focus. Twelve years students had been forced to practice in unideal lodgings for the class as he allowed Severus far too much autonomy.

He was fairly certain that, were it not for the obvious signs they had both identified, this could have been enough to drive Severus from the school altogether.

Albus would regret it should such come to pass, but his commitment to the school had to come first. If the worst should come to pass, he needed to know this school at least was a true safe haven for those at risk.

This turned his mind once more to Sirius and their own altercation in the halls. The man still stalked the halls in his animagus form, something the children of the school had come to greatly enjoy after the first few cases of panic over a Grim being in the school. But he was utterly refusing to respond to any messages sent to him. Remus had returned his messages, unopened with a giant NO written on the front.

He pondered this dilemma for a short span, but no new options came to him. He would honour the bargain Minerva had wrought. Time was not yet so short that he needed to risk what tiny fragile amount of trust he may have built up.

Dumbledore placed aside these messages and looked at one of the true issues facing the school. He couldn't help but grin at the next task asked of him. Ranty had taken to sending messages highlighting her frustration.

Albus knew that the elves managed the greatest burden the school had to offer. Feeding and cleaning up after hundreds of children was no easy feat. And food shortages made their work even more difficult.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do in this instance to relieve the strange disease affecting their local source of potatoes. The ailment had halved the harvest of their farmers over the past few months. He made several notes to try and find some alternate sources until the disease was resolved.

It would not do for the children to go without their chips and mash. He would also dip into his own personal vault to continue funding their usual sources during their hardship. He had little need for money for himself these days, and certainly had enough to spare for those enduring such troubles.

Pomona's messages were far more enjoyable. Her classes were almost all excelling. The young Longbottom still received particular praise from the amiable woman in nearly every note. Albus was certainly glad the boy had found an area in which he shined.

His first few years at the school had not been the best, but he was certainly coming into his own in Herbology. Were Pomona herself not such a recent addition to the school, he thought they may be looking at their upcoming Herbology professor in the making.

She had nothing but glowing reviews for how her badgers were handling their newest additions. The fact that what was often seen as the least loved house of the school had managed to house two of the four champions of the Tournament had set their morale to an all-time high. And for the house that usually had the cheeriest temperament of the school, that was saying something.

The worst issue she had to highlight for her house was the handful of slightly snootier members who had taken the dual champion situation as a chance to form an air of superiority over the other houses. It had not yet come to a point where they would need to truly step in, but she'd had words with one or two members of the Puffs in private all the same.

Minerva's communication was mostly general administrative matters that simply required his signature to approve. He shifted them into a stack to read through in detail before he signed off on them as well. Nothing was signed these days before he was certain of its contents, even though he had absolute trust in Minerva's work, the buck stopped with him now, as it always should have.

Her few other messages were the same as usual, classes were efficient and progressing as expected, with one exception. Albus gave a hearty chuckle as the veneer came down whenever Minerva began to talk about the progress of one Hermione Granger. Apparently, the girl had a skill for the class she had not seen since Harry's late father's time at the school. The girl was a sponge for information. Irma had made several comments about her constant searching of the library.

It seemed Harry had found someone as ravenous to learn as his mother had once been. And he kept pace with her at the very least in every report placed in front of Albus. He sighed once more as he considered how badly his mishandling of the entire matter could have left things, but felt a small glimmer of relief that the boy was hale and hearty and keen to learn.

While he was eager to talk to the boy and speak with his 'Uncles' about certain matters, he was glad to be kept at a distance for the time being. It seemed Harry Potter was far better off without his interference at this stage.

Poor Septima had nearly had a breakdown after the first few classes with their new students. He had a feeling the woman would be taking a short break in the Muggle world over the summer holiday.

Dumbledore moved on and quickly worked through the remaining staff reports that amounted to mostly the same. He was very happy with the way the school itself was managing. If only the Tournament could proceed so smoothly.

He pondered for a moment before he set that aside as well. Alastor was investigating, and there was no one he trusted to handle it more. The first task had gone off well, despite the late addition of a fourth champion and dragon. He would simply have to hope the remainder went to plan as well.

Albus grabbed the pile of approvals he had set aside a few minutes earlier and began to read over the requisitions for the upcoming Ball.

Hopefully, the event would bring a little extra levity into the castle and help to quell some of his remaining disquiet over the Tournament.

ϟ

Saturday 17th December 1994.

Fleur looked about with curiosity as she sat in the slightly swaying room.

Just arriving in it had already been an experience. While the Beauxbatons carriage was light and airy, just like their school, the Durmstrang ship had an air of menace to it. Or perhaps it was simply the lack of light in the cabin given the overcast Scottish morning and the tiny porthole windows.

Madame Maxine had been hesitant to allow her to attend the meeting. While she had no issue with the Champions meeting up, she didn't like the idea of sending her champion alone into the belly of the dark ship her rival school had arrived in.

But her hesitation was nothing compared to the heavy scowl worn by Viktor's headmaster. He stood atop the forecastle and glared ferociously. It appeared he was not at all pleased to be housing 'the enemy' aboard his vessel.

Viktor's simple smile at the foul man as they boarded and entered the cabin was priceless in her opinion. The brooding face he showed to the world belied the amiable man underneath, and she was very much enjoying getting to know her opposition as more than simply a challenger to defeat.

She cast her eyes about the room curiously, having never actually been on a ship of this sort before. The solid timber walls had a worn look to them, which she assumed was due to the abuses of the sea and its weather. Several small portholes allowed a view out to the Scottish countryside, but it was hard to see anything of merit sitting as far from them as she was currently.

There was very little in the way of decoration in the ship, it appeared to be mostly utilitarian in design. Where function trumped all. It made her wonder if the students had the kinds of accommodation the ships she had read about in stories were known for, or something more akin to the softer bunks of her own lodgings. Though a hammock might be easier to ride out the gentle swaying at night than a fixed bed would.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Nym landed heavily in the seat beside her. "Wotcher, Fleur."

"'Ello, Nym." Fleur returned with a bright smile.

If Viktor was a contradiction of appearance versus personality, Nym was the polar opposite. Her entire body screamed acceptance and friendship. Her oft restyled hair gave a window into her mood of the hour and her ever-present smile was so contagious it should come with a warning label.

"'Ow are you?"

"Alright, I guess. I think I slept the wrong way last night. Got a crick in my back this morning." The bubbly girl closed her eyes and breathed softly for a moment before her smile returned and she wiggled in her seat. "There, that'll hold it til it goes away."

Fleur smiled in return. "I am very jealous of you for zat."

"You're jealous of me?" The other girl's eyes bulged slightly at the idea. "Shall I fetch you a mirror? Not a guy in this school can keep his eyes off you when you walk past. Or many of the girls."

Fleur sighed dramatically. "'Ow I wish zey would. I cannot help 'ow I was born. Zough it did come in handy for dealing wiz ze dragon."

"True. I've been meaning to ask you about that. How did you send it to sleep like that? If it's not some family secret that is."

"Non, is no secret. If you recall at ze Weighing, I said my wand contains a hair from my grandmuzzer. She is a Veela. Zey have much magic zat works on ze concepts of emotion and control. I simply choose sleep razzer than arousal or aggression for ze dragon."

"Good choice. The latter would have made for quite the different sort of spectacle. And I doubt it would have gotten you any higher a score off of those judges." Harry greeted, joining the two at the table, Viktor sitting a moment later.

"Says man sitting in first place." The Bulgarian boy gently mocked Harry in reply.

Harry blushed heavily and his eyes flicked to Nym before down at the table. "Oui, 'Arry. 'Ow did you manage to acquire your egg? Seems we are sharing tactics." Fleur gave him a soft smile and the boy's blush deepened.

"I, er… got very lucky. The dragon mustn't have liked how the organisers had set out her eggs. She was moving them to a fresh nest she had created. Gave me an opening."

"Lucky…" Nym scoffed from her side, but Fleur kept her eyes on the younger boy. Something in his tale wasn't adding up.

"Yet, you had ze egg already when you approached ze dragon."

The boy was refusing to make eye contact with anyone around the table and Fleur began to feel as though she was pushing too hard. The silence about the table was growing increasingly uncomfortable but none of the four seemed willing to break it.

"Viktor!" A cheery voice broke the tension as another Durmstrang student approached the table. His thick dark hair nearly brushed the low ceiling of the room as he stepped behind Viktor and gave him a solid clap on the shoulder. "You've brought friends today!"

"Da, Ilian. I think you do not need introduction."

"Nyet. Who doesn't know the names of you all right now? You made impressive spectacle of the task. An honour to meet you all."

Harry blushed brighter still at the praise, and Fleur noted the elder boy's eyes seemed to linger on her as he swept them over the group. Nym, however, met the boy's searching gaze right back. A cheeky smile on her face as she leaned forward.

"Enjoyed the show then, did you?" She added a glimmer to her eye that made the boy look away from Fleur, and he suddenly seemed to realize he was leering.

"Ah, da. But you are busy. I shall leave you be." His eyes flicked back to Fleur once more, to which she gave her typical shallow smile, trying to seem ok with it when inside she hated the way her skin constantly drew her unwanted attention.

"So," Nym asked, breaking the silence as Ilian disappeared out the doorway, "how is everyone coming with their egg?"

Harry looked at her in surprise. "You said you didn't want to work on it together!"

"No, I said I wasn't going to work on it with just us. I don't see any harm in puzzling things out as a group. If everyone is involved it's not unfair."

Harry's head hit the table hard and Fleur looked at him in surprise. "'Arry?"

"You can be the most stubborn and difficult git," He growled, looking back up at the smiling metamorph, "you know that!"

"And you love me for it." Nym winked.

Fleur looked to Viktor who was smiling, though she could see in his eyes he was just as surprised by the easy familiarity between their two fellow champions.

"Ignoring my pain in the butt of a cousin for five minutes," Harry said as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead, "Hermione and I sorted the clue out of the thing last week. How did you all get along with it?"

Fleur swept her eyes back to the youngest of their group in surprise. "Impressive. Did you recognize ze merfolk language, too?"

Harry glanced at her sideways. "Er, no. We simply figured that sound travels differently through certain materials. What was screaming in the air sounded totally different once you dumped it in a bucket. That's merfolk language?"

Fleur nodded. It fascinated her that the boy had come to the same result through such a different approach. While the merfolk language was well known to her grandmother's people, she realized that most other magicals don't have cause to hear it out of the water.

"Oui. My grandmuzzer made sure Gabrielle and I both knew all ze old stories. I recognized ze sound ze moment I opened ze egg."

The two glanced at Viktor who was looking away bashfully. "I… Da. Dmitri knocked it into bath."

The quartet all laughed aloud at the idea of Viktor reclining in the bath mulling over his egg. It helped to further lighten the mood of the group.

"Nym?" Harry asked cheekily, his eyes fixed on his cousin. "How did you do?"

The girl scowled at him in response and crossed her arms over her chest. "I was still working on it." She mumbled.

"HA!" Harry sang as he pointed across the table. "Knew it!"

"Oh, pipe down, shorty. I'd have figured it out eventually." She crowed in response, huffing in her chair as she leaned back heavily.

"So, we all know where ze task will take place?" Fleur asked the group, moving the topic back to the upcoming challenge.

Viktor nodded and pointed downward with two fingers. "Unless organisers plan to ship us elsevere, it vill be in lake."

"And we have to retrieve whatever trinket the organisers decide we'll miss the most," Harry added.

"Oui, zis was my belief as well."

"I was this close, I swear," Nym grumbled to herself again.

"Nym, cheer up. We're working on it together now, just like you wanted." Harry prodded from across the table.

"Yeah, sure. In the lake, something taken. I'm listening."

"The hour-long concerns me. Do you really think your Ministry vould take the item forever should ve fail to succeed in hour?"

"I zink not." Fleur pondered. She hadn't really given the clue much thought past the initial obvious points. Swimming had never been a preferred pastime of hers. "Surely it is just extra motivation. Zat Barty man seems to want ze Tournament to run a very particular way, non?"

"He's a real jerk," Harry grumbled quietly.

"He acts like you put your name in the Goblet just to spite him personally." Nym chirped, looking at her cousin softly. "Like you'd want to be in this Tournament for some mental reason. I mean, had I known all the details going in, I don't think I would have put my name in."

"Da. Dragons vas a surprise ven Headmaster told me."

Both Nym and Harry's eyes shot up and locked on the Bulgarian student, naked shock on their faces. "You knew?"

He cocked his head in confusion. "Headmaster informed me three days before the task. On the night the dragons apparently arrived here."

Fleur realized what their shock meant. "Do you mean… Nobody told you what ze task would be?"

"No, not a one. Harry?"

He shook his head in response. "No. But I think they knew. Remember how shaken Professor Sprout looked?"

"Bloody hell. Who told you?" Nym asked her.

"Madame Maxine told me ze same night as Viktor found out. I assume zey both witnessed ze arrival. Surely your Headmaster would tell you?"

"Seems not. Not that he's allowed to talk to me anyway." Harry mumbled the last and Fleur was once more confused at the enigma of a boy.

She moved to ask a question but felt a gentle hand on her left arm. She turned to see Nym looking at Harry, but her fingers were resting gently on her arm, clearly advising her not to ask. She gave a slight nod in return.

"So," Viktor called, drawing attention to himself as Harry moped. "No Miss Granger joining us today?"

Harry looked up once more at the mention of the girl he spent the majority of his time with. "Ah, no. She said we needed time to bond as a group. Without any interference. She's in the library."

"Hermione alone in a library? We'll never get her back now." Nym joked and Harry's eyes lit up with mirth once more. "Any advances on the snogging front?"

And with that, his mirth vanished to be replaced once more with embarrassment and flushed cheeks. "Nym!"

"What? We're all friends here. Share the goss! I want details, shorty."

"I'm not discussing my relationship with Hermione in public, Nym. Drop it."

Fleur laughed at the easy camaraderie around the table. She was most grateful for her decision to join the Tournament with friends like these as her reward.

"I was unsure about joining ze Tournament, but I am glad I 'ave. Meeting you all 'as been a delight. I 'ave made more friends in ze past month zan in ze year before it."

Nym gave her a soft slap on the back and smirked. "Friends is what I do, missy. It's good to have you. Both of you." She smiled deeply at the three champions around the table and they all smiled in return.

ϟ

Hermione wandered aimlessly as she continued reading the book in her hand.

She had searched all over the library and found very little on the subject of house-elves so far. It was annoying her greatly that she couldn't find some way to undo the deal Nym and Harry had made, but she would not give up trying, even if it took until June, she would find what she was looking for.

Her supersensory charm pinged and she looked up to find herself at a dead end. The charm was particularly useful in the ever-changing school, preventing her from walking into walls or off a missing staircase as she walked and read. But this time there was something additional in the notification.

She turned around to find half a dozen girls of various houses standing behind her, all with their wands drawn. She had expected something like this, but it still annoyed her that people needed to learn this lesson the hard way.

"Afternoon." She greeted them, tucking the book into the bag at her hip.

"Granger. You know why we're here?" The tallest of the group, a Gryffindor, asked.

"I have an idea, but why don't you spell it out for me?"

"We want to know what you've done and how to reverse it." A Slytherin girl who couldn't be more than twelve practically shouted.

"Then one of us can take Potter to the Ball, as is proper," Hermione smirked at this, given it was the tall Ravenclaw girl who had been creeping Harry out with her weird looks since the day they arrived.

"What I've done?" She questioned, intending to play dumb for as long as possible. It had been a while since she'd had the opportunity for a good pranking. Despite Sirius's presence in the school most days.

"Clearly you have got Potter under some sort of enchantment. Is it spellwork or potion?" The sole Hufflepuff asked, making Hermione's smile fall slightly. She had considered everyone in that house to be quite friendly.

She shook her head in response. "None that I am aware of."

"Stop playing dumb." The young Slytherin girl shouted again.

"Looks like she wants to play things the hard way, girls." An elder Slytherin offered the group. "This ought to be fun, as well as rewarding. Ready, Mudblood?"

Hermione saw red at the comment. Not only was it a foul term in its own right, but Hermione had also learned the story from Lily of how her once friend had said it to her. Hermione hated people who thought they were superior for such stupid reasons, and now she had cause to act.

"Alright," she feigned, "you want to know why Harry is with me?" The girls all looked at her and several nodded. "Very well. All it takes to date Harry Potter is nine years of close and committed friendship and love."

All the girls facing her looked stunned and she couldn't help but laugh at their faces.

"You stupid snot. I'll teach you a bloody lesson you won't forget."

Hermione's wand was in hand in an instant and she shot forward, wand digging into the underside of the tall girl's jaw, a look of fear on her face replacing the anger from a moment earlier.

The other girls quickly moved to surround her and she realized just how loosely this group held together. Not one of them was hesitating to attack, despite her position.

She shook her head slightly as she felt the first spell leave its wand and she popped out of the circle of girls, leaving behind a slight afterimage of herself in place, a trick Remus had figured out how to do when they popped during their defence tutoring, but that she was still having trouble getting right.

Not that it mattered in this case as a dozen spells quickly flew across the tight circle, passing right through the illusory image and smacking into walls and the girls on the opposing sides, sending several of them tumbling to the floor and others howling out in pain.

One had boils all over her visible skin, some of them looking ready to burst already, such was the vile intent behind the casting. Another had two black eyes and her nose looked as though she'd been in the ring with a boxer. Two more were out cold on the floor, most likely stunned. While the other two were quickly trying to reverse their extremely fast-growing teeth and hair.

"Idiots. The lot of you." The four standing girls all spun to see her now standing beyond them in the corridor, most looking afraid that they had no idea how she had managed to get there without them seeing.

"How did you…?"

"Quiet," Hermione growled, silencing them as they pulled back from her anger. "You had your chance to be smart. Now I'm talking. Harry is not bewitched in any way, but even if he were, he'd never look twice at people like you. Harry despises bullying. The Ravenclaws above all should know this." She directed this at the tall ringleader of the group. "Just ask Professor Flitwick how Harry treated the last lot he found running about the school.

"Harry is free to choose to be with whomever he likes, and if he decided to go with someone else to the Ball, I'd happily let him..."

"That's not going to happen." A familiar voice called out behind her and Hermione smiled. "You lot should pick yourselves up and head to the Hospital Wing before I really give you a reason to need it."

Harry stepped forward, a look of fury in his eyes as he looked at the girls before him. Hermione gave him a soft smile, and his expression softened slightly when he looked at her, but hardened instantly upon returning to the girls before him. He gave two quick jabs with his wand and the two passed out girls woke as well.

"I'll say this once. So listen carefully. Attack Hermione again, or any of my friends, and I will not be merciful as she was. Run."

His growling voice echoed through the corridor, magically enhanced and every girl gave a shout of surprise. They all tried their best to shuffle around the pair in the middle of the corridor before darting off out of the dead end.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she felt one last spell shoot out from behind the corner and rush at her back. She glanced sideways at Harry before she twirled on the spot, catching the mustard-coloured spell with her wand and launching it back into the face of the elder Slytherin girl, knocking her off her feet once more.

The girl screamed in pain as she twitched on the floor, Hermione was unsure what spell she had used but was definitely glad she hadn't gone with Harry's preferred power move of simply taking the hit and growling at his attacker in response. Something that Sirius and Remus found both amusing and terrifying in equal measure.

"You are a stupid one aren't you." Hermione laid her hand on a now furious Harry's arm and stepped forward herself.

"You really are. Do you honestly think I need Harry Potter to protect me?" The girl looked up at Hermione in fear despite her obvious pain. "You surely take Defence here. Ask Alastor Moody what he would consider your chances were in a fight between the two of us. Maybe then you'll understand how out of your depth you are. Finite."

Hermione cast the spell with extra power and was surprised to find nasty acne flared up over the girl's previously perfect face and her hair lost its sheen. Her spell had removed all existing spell effects on the girl and she couldn't help but laugh at the vanity of the girl before her. She turned away, no longer caring what the fool decided to do.

"And you! You were meant to be having a nice talk with the other Champions. I don't need you to come to my rescue like a knight in shining armour."

Harry smiled at her in reply. "I didn't. The meeting ended an hour ago. I was coming looking for you in the library when a new friend told me you were this way. I just happened to arrive in time to see you hand them their own arses. Which is very cute by the way. I really want to kiss you right now."

Hermione gave a slight huff as she looked at the boy, but she soon softened. She walked toward him and his smile broadened. Hermione made a show of puckering her lips, but as Harry leant in to meet her, she ducked to the side and their lips both met cheek.

"Mwah. There's your kiss." She smirked at the hurt look on his face before she broke out laughing. "Don't try the kicked puppy routine with me, mister, I'm still in a bit of a mood."

"Ok, ok. Later, maybe."

She chuckled again at her boyfriend's inability to get enough of her. It certainly helped to keep her buoyed throughout the day. "You said something about new friends?"

"Yes, she was in the library talking to Luna. It seems they have several classes together. Though she seems a bit of a quiet type."

"Hmmm, I look forward to meeting her then." Hermione smiled as she took Harry's hand and led him away from the corridor.

* Clue taken from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.