Chapter 8
Ginny POV
Nearly six weeks had passed since Ginny and Demelza first got together, and ever since, the two had been inseparable. That is, except for the bi-weekly studying sessions that Ginny made sure to get in with Hermione. Two evenings a week after dinner, the two would meet up in the library and study together. Not much talking was done, but Ginny of course enjoyed being in Hermione's comforting and easy company, and it allowed her to actually get some studying and schoolwork done. Curiously enough, any studying she did with Demelza didn't seem to be particularly efficient.
Ginny was walking back to the Gryffindor common room with Hermione after one of their studying sessions late in October when they came across a notice.
Triwizard Tournament Welcome Feast
The Great Hall
October 30th – 6:00 pm
They read the notice, then looked at each other. Ginny felt as though the peace and happiness she'd experienced over the past six weeks may be at risk of disappearing once Juliette arrived with the Beauxbatons. She didn't know why she felt so uneasy about the girl, she just knew that there was something about her that didn't feel quite right.
Hermione nudged her gently. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah…"
"Ginny, she might not even be coming. Maybe she's off doing some special training for Quidditch somewhere? Don't worry about it until you know for sure that she's here, okay?"
"Yeah… Okay. Thanks, Hermione." Ginny offered Hermione a small smile and Hermione returned it as they started walking again.
Once they arrived at the portrait hole, Ginny motioned for Hermione to go through first, as she always did, and once she stepped through, she stopped when she saw that Demelza and Ron were in a heated game of Wizard's Chess. This made her smile, as she did appreciate the effort the two of them were going through to get to know one another. At first, Ron was a bit protective of Ginny regarding her relationship with Demelza, but once Ginny laid into him about it and reminded him that she didn't need any protection, he backed off quite a bit. They had bonded over their love of Quidditch initially, but once Ron realized that Demelza was above average at Wizard's Chess, they really hit it off. Harry seemed to appreciate this as well, as it gave Ron someone else to play with which meant he didn't have to continue getting steamrolled by Ron every time he wanted to play.
"Checkmate!" Demelza declared proudly. Ron stared blankly at the board, then begrudgingly offered his hand to Demelza to concede defeat.
"Congrats… Well played, well played," he stated a bit glumly.
"Thanks!" Demelza beamed. "Same time next week?"
"Sure, sure…"
"Oh, come on mate, you can't win them all!" Harry clapped Ron on the back and they headed upstairs to their dormitory. Demelza had almost completely cleaned up the chess board before she spotted Ginny watching her from the portrait hole.
"Hey! Did you see me beat Ron? First time for everything I suppose!" Demelza grinned at Ginny, clearly proud of her victory.
"I did see that, congrats! I honestly don't remember the last time I witnessed Ron lose to someone in Wizard's Chess – I'm very impressed."
Ginny made her way across the common room to Demelza and gave her a brief kiss before helping her clean up the rest of the chess board. Once they'd put it away, they headed upstairs to their dormitory.
"So… I heard that the Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs are arriving in a few days. How are you feeling about that?" Demelza asked as they got ready for bed.
"Yeah, I saw the notice tonight… I'm nervous about it for sure, about seeing Juliette again. She definitely didn't make me feel good the last time I saw her. I guess it doesn't matter though, I don't necessarily have to interact with her if she does in fact show up. Hermione said there's no reason to get all worked up about it before I even know that she's here."
"That's a really good point, she might not even show up. And you're right, if she is here, you don't have to interact with her if you don't want to. Although, I am a bit interested in seeing this girl, based on how you described her…" Demelza shot a sly look Ginny's way. "I believe the phrase you used was 'the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen'?"
"I said one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever seen…" Ginny said as she rounded on Demelza, closing the gap between the two and wrapping her arms around her.
"And who would another one of those beautiful girls be, hmm?" Demelza asked, lifting her eyebrows knowingly.
"Hmmm… It might just be someone I know… Someone who has the most beautiful light grey eyes… And the softest lips…" Ginny pressed her lips to Demelza's briefly before resting her forehead on Demelza's. "And might just be the best Wizard's Chess player in Gryffindor, at least for tonight."
They smiled at each other before kissing again, this time just a bit deeper, before breaking apart. They had been making sure to keep things moving relatively slow, despite kissing on the very first day they got together. They didn't want to rush things, and Ginny was appreciative that Demelza was on the same page for that.
They each got into their respective beds as the rest of their dormmates came in and began getting ready for bed. Ginny locked eyes with Demelza and mouthed "goodnight", a ritual they did every night before they fell asleep. Demelza grinned and mouthed it back before rolling over. Ginny rolled over as well, and her thoughts began to run.
Best case scenario, both Hermione and Demelza are right and Juliette doesn't even show… But why is this such a big deal in the first place? Ginny knew she certainly didn't like Juliette calling her "little Ginny", but that can't have elicited such strong feelings of anxiety, right? And when they spoke about Quidditch, Juliette was giving her genuine valuable advice, so it wasn't that either. Besides, Hermione really was the one with the issue with that. Speaking of Hermione, there was certainly something weird between them at the Quidditch World Cup… Maybe that's the cause for the anxiety, the fact that Juliette got under Hermione's skin? Regardless, hopefully the girl just doesn't make an appearance and none of this would factor in to the rest of Ginny's third year.
As she tried to cling to the hope that Juliette just simply didn't show up to Hogwarts, Ginny drifted off to sleep.
Hermione POV
The past six weeks had been nothing short of difficult for Hermione, but she also felt that they were necessary. The evening before her 15th birthday, Hermione had pushed Ginny directly into Demelza's arms, and it worked. Since that night, the two had been inseparable, and Hermione found that to be excruciatingly painful. While that was her plan all along, and Hermione was hoping that seeing Ginny with someone else would help her move on, or at least break her heart quickly and snap her out of her feelings for the girl, the process was being drawn out much longer than Hermione had anticipated. Even six weeks in, seeing the two of them together still stung immensely, and Hermione was left wondering when the pain would stop.
As she and Ginny were coming back from one of their study sessions – Hermione had allowed herself to study with the girl twice a week to help keep the younger girl's marks up and to continue working on maintaining theirfriendship – Hermione climbed through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room to find Ron playing Wizard's Chess with Demelza. Hermione worked very hard to not let any emotion show on her face, and headed immediately upstairs to her dormitory. She understood that her feelings of frustration with Ron were invalid as she'd never let on that she didn't like Demelza, nor did she really have any good reason to dislike the girl. The whole situation was just proving to be very… Difficult… For Hermione, and what was worse was that she had no one to talk to about it either.
Stopping outside her dormitory, Hermione took a deep breath and reminded herself that there was a reason she was putting herself through it, and that it'd be worth it if she can get over these feelings for Ginny. Another deep, calming breath, then she entered her dormitory.
"Did you see Ron is down there playing Wizard's Chess with Demelza again?" Lavender asked, clearly annoyed.
"Yes, I did," Hermione answered calmly.
"Well, she's just moving through all of them, isn't she?" Lavender's voice became more shrill as she became more elevated by the situation.
"Lavender, I don't think that Demelza is interested in Ron. I believe she is very much in a relationship with Ginny. Why wouldn't she want to spend time getting to know her girlfriend's brother?" Hermione rationalized, trying to keep her voice even while inside she was seething.
"She's monopolizing the Weasleys!" Lavender shrieked.
"Lavender, don't be ridiculous! Demelza is very clearly only into Ginny, and they seem perfectly content to be together! If you want to be with Ron, then pluck up the courage and go ask him out! Whining to me about it isn't going to help!" Hermione had completely lost her patience, as this was not the first instance in which she'd had to talk Lavender off the ledge about an already uncomfortable topic.
Lavender stared at her with wide, hurt eyes. "Well, excuse me for wanting to talk about my feelings. It's a perfectly normal thing for teenage girls to do. We're not all as emotionless as you are, Hermione."
Hermione raised her eyebrows at Lavender, trying to show that she was unscathed by the comment, then turned her back on her to get ready for bed. She could feel her heart aching in her chest, and she hoped that it wouldn't work her way up into her throat and eyes, as she didn't want to show any weakness to Lavender. It was far too big of a risk of possibly revealing her secret if she was unable to keep her emotions in check.
As she climbed into her four-poster bed, she apologized to Lavender for being insensitive, and closed the curtains tight. To push her thoughts away from the Ginny situation, she focused on the notice that she saw this evening about the other schools arriving for the Triwizard Tournament.
There's no way that Juliette doesn't show up, right? Maybe she really will be off on some special Quidditch training assignment for the French National Team? Maybe she doesn't care much about school? She doesn't exactly seem like someone who would be into the whole "school spirit" thing, maybe she really won't be here?
Even as she tried to rationalize that Juliette wouldn't be at Hogwarts in a matter of days, Hermione knew deep down that she was wrong, and that the beautiful French girl would be there soon.
Hermione paused and furrowed her brow aggressively. Since when did she think of Juliette that way? As beautiful? Obviously she was conventionally attractive, but the way she treated Ginny made her much less attractive… Anyone who treated someone as incredible as Ginny badly clearly had poor taste… Ginny…
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands, urging herself to for one moment stop thinking about Ginny Weasley. Eventually, she managed to fight her way to sleep.
Ginny POV
The morning of October 30th came quickly, and at breakfast Ginny was feeling more than a bit nervous about the impending arrival of the two schools.
"Ginny, it's going to be okay, really," Demelza said reassuringly as she tucked a piece of hair behind Ginny's ear.
"Oi! Enough with the PDA at breakfast, alright?" Ron called down the table, his mouth full of food.
"You count moving a piece of hair as PDA, do you? Fascinating…" Harry said with a grin as Ron turned red.
"You know what I mean! They don't always need to be touching…" Ron grumbled defensively.
"You know Ron, if you had someone to touch, you wouldn't be so concerned about what I'm doing all of the time," Ginny said, shooting a glare at her older brother.
"This isn't about me, it's about you and – "
"Ron, just let it go!" Hermione interrupted forcefully. "Ginny can do what she wants, she's not – she's not hurting anyone. Just let them be!"
Ginny and Demelza both gave Hermione an appreciative smile, and Hermione gave them a small smile in a return. Ginny turned back to Demelza to continue their conversation.
"I know it's going to be okay. I'm just feeling a bit anxious, that's all. Thank you for being here for me."
"Of course. Whatever you need from me today, I've got you." Demelza smiled supportively at Ginny before turning back to her food.
Ginny took in Demelza's appearance. She really was quite cute. She was Ginny's height with a slightly more slender build, which allowed her to be particularly agile when on her broom. She had dark blonde hair that she often had pulled back in a loose plait, had those light grey eyes that Ginny was absolutely mad for, and soft, full lips that… Ginny stared at Demelza's lips for a moment before looking up into her eyes to find Demelza smirking at her.
"Oh, is that what you need from me today?" she teased, laughing gently as Ginny blushed as red as her hair.
"No, I – I was just…" Ginny stammered, getting lost in her embarrassment.
"You're so cute, you know that?" Demelza laughed as she gave Ginny a brief peck on the cheek. "I've got some work to get done before class, but I'll see you there, okay?"
Ginny nodded and watched her walk away before turning to her brother.
"Alright, out with it – what's got your wand in a knot? I thought you liked Demelza? And I thought we had an understanding on whether or not I needed protecting?" Ginny demanded.
"I do like Demelza and I know you don't need protection, but you don't need to be putting your relationship on display like that. It's – "
"Ron, she tucked a piece of hair behind my ear! Harry could do the same thing to you and no one would bat an eye!" Ginny exclaimed angrily, her patience wearing thin.
"Ron, I can be on the lookout for stray hairs from now on, if you'd like…" Harry offered, trying to keep from laughing.
"Shut up, Harry," Ron muttered, giving him a glare before turning back to Ginny. "She also kissed your cheek just now! Honestly, it's just unnecessary, is what it is!"
"Ron, you are not in control of my relationship nor are you in control of me. If you don't like it, then don't look!"
"It's not about me! It's about – "
"Ron, enough! Leave her alone!" Hermione exclaimed. "You've got better things to do than micro-manage your sister! She's right – if you had your own relationship, you wouldn't be so concerned with what she's doing, so maybe you should go and get yourself a girlfriend!"
Harry, Ron, and Ginny all stared at Hermione, shocked at the outburst.
"Well Hermione, you're a girl – " Ron started.
"NOT ME!" Hermione shouted furiously.
Harry and Ginny laughed as Ron sat there dumbstruck as to what he could've possibly done wrong. Hermione shoved her books into her bag and left the table angrily. Ginny got up to follow her.
"Hey Hermione – "
"What?!"
Ginny put her hands up. "Don't bite my head off! I was just going to thank you for shutting Ron up for me. I don't know why he was on one this morning, but thank you for knocking some sense into him."
"Clearly not too much sense, as he had the brilliant idea to ask me out," Hermione huffed as she continued walking aggressively towards the library.
"What, you don't want to date my brother?" Ginny chuckled.
This made Hermione stop in her tracks.
"Hermione, I was kidding. I know from the summer that he's not your type."
"What..?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Remember? You were describing attraction to me? It was all about how someone treats people and their passion and work ethic… Doesn't exactly scream Ron Weasley," Ginny recalled.
"Yeah… You're right. Ron is not anywhere near the top of my list of those I'd like to date," Hermione tried to state as casually as possible.
"Oh, so there's a list, huh?" Ginny teased. "And who would be at the top of that list?"
Hermione stared at Ginny, dark brown eyes looking into bright brown eyes, before they were interrupted.
"Oi, Ginny! Want to get in a quick Quidditch training session before class?" Ritchie shouted down the corridor.
"Yeah, sure thing!" Ginny returned. She looked back towards Hermione. "We'll continue this conversation later. Say hello to Madam Pince for me!"
And with that, she jogged towards Ritchie, leaving a speechless Hermione behind her.
Hermione POV
"And who would be at the top of that list?"
Hermione couldn't believe she had gotten herself into that situation. She had been so efficient at maneuvering her way around Ginny asking if she was interested in anyone, and suddenly, because of Ron's inability to leave Ginny well enough alone about her relationship and Hermione's inability to not protect Ginny, they'd arrived there.
"You, Ginny. You are at the top of the one-person list of people that I fancy..." Hermione muttered under her breath as she walked towards the library. As much as she hoped that tonight would be a big enough distraction that Ginny would forget all about this conversation, she knew that wouldn't be the case. Ginny remembered everything, especially when it came to her, it seemed.
Hermione arrived at the library and sat at her usual table, unloaded her books, and threw herself into her studies. One hour and a few rolls of filled parchment later, her mind felt much clearer, and she headed back up to her dormitory so she could drop some of her books off before her class. She could hear some sort of commotion coming from her dormitory before she even opened the door. As she entered, she saw Lavender jumping up and down in excitement, and Parvati laughing as she took in the scene her best friend was causing.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked Parvati.
"He's asked me out! Ron Weasley! Just now in the common room!" Lavender squealed.
Hermione looked between them, let out a laugh, and congratulated Lavender. "That's great Lavender! I'm happy for you."
Lavender ran up and hugged Hermione tightly before running back to jump into Parvati's arms to continue her celebration. Hermione laughed gently to herself as she unloaded some of her books on her bedside table. It was an interesting choice, but good for Ron on actually acting on something for once. And good for Lavender, who'd been pining after Ron since they got back from summer holiday.
Once Hermione was done sorting through her books, she headed off to class, still smiling to herself at the thought of Ron and Lavender, who she was sure would end up to be quite the interesting pair.
Ginny POV
That evening, all of the staff and students of Hogwarts had congregated in the Great Hall, anxiously awaiting their guests. Ginny was sitting with Demelza, Colin, and Ritchie, just a few people away from Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Lavender. Ginny looked down the table at Ron and Lavender, and sent an inquisitive look to Hermione. Hermione shook her head and laughed, before mouthing "I'll tell you later."
There had been mumblings that each school would arrive in a unique way, and that turned out to be exactly the case. The Beauxbatons arrived in a flying carriage pulled by Abraxons, while the Durmstrangs emerged from beneath the Black Lake in a giant ship. Each school entered the Great Hall with a sort of presentation as well. The oldest students and headmaster or headmistress entered first, followed by the few younger students that came along as well. The Durmstrang presentation was aggressive and intimidating, while the Beauxbatons entrance was something entirely different. The Beauxbatons students seemingly floated in, wearing beautiful uniforms of pale blue silk. Each student was well put together and undeniably gorgeous, and they seemed to know it. Unlike the Durmstrangs, who had kept their attention forward toward the staff table and Professor Dumbledore as they entered, the Beauxbatons were making eye contact with as many Hogwarts students as possible, and offering smiles to everyone who would return the eye contact. Boys and girls alike were seemingly mesmerized by the Beauxbatons students, and as they passed, Ginny became more and more optimistic that Juliette in fact had not made the trip to Hogwarts. That is, until her bright brown eyes came across beautiful hazel eyes that were very obviously searching for hers.
Juliette was at Hogwarts, and she was already smirking at Ginny.
"Is that her?" Demelza asked, nudging Ginny.
"Yes, that would be Juliette," Ginny answered flatly, trying to even out her breathing.
"Wow… Ginny, you're right. She might actually be the most beautiful girl ever," Demelza admitted.
"You know… Now that I'm seeing her again, I'm not sure of what I saw in her. At least, not when you're around to compare to." Ginny tore her eyes from Juliette's to look at Demelza, giving her a reassuring smile before placing a lingering kiss on her cheek.
Juliette's eyes flickered with surprise for a brief moment, before she refocused her attention further down the Gryffindor table. Ginny followed Juliette's confident gaze to Hermione, who was staring right back at Juliette. She wasn't backing down. Instead, she was looking at Juliette with determination, almost as if to prove that the girl's presence had no effect on her. Ginny looked between the two girls, curiously taking in the interaction, before turning back to Demelza and watching the remaining Beauxbatons students enter the Great Hall.
Both schools filed in and stood at attention at the front of the Great Hall, one school on either side of the room. Professor Dumbledore rose and stood at his podium, waiting for the Great Hall to quiet down.
"Good evening, everyone. I would like to welcome our dear friends from The Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, as well as the Durmstrang Institute. It is our pleasure to share our home with you for the remainder of the year. We welcome you with open arms, and hope that you will embrace us in the same way."
Professor Dumbledore smiled around at each group as an applause broke out from the Hogwarts students and staff. The two schools looked out into the crowd, the Durmstrangs maintaining their stony faces and the Beauxbatons smiling confidently, almost smugly. Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and in stepped a familiar figure, tall and thin in stature, with dark features and a dissatisfied look on his face.
"Bloody hell, it's Viktor Krum!" Ron cried out, not being able to contain his shock.
Krum continued walking slowly through the center of the Great Hall, completely unaffected by the eyes on him, until he reached the podium at which Professor Dumbledore stood.
"I vant to offer my apologies, Professor Dumbledore. I vos making sure our ship vos properly closed up from the rain. Do you accept?" Krum spoke slowly and deeply.
"I do Viktor, thank you." Professor Dumbledore accepted the apology with a gracious nod.
Krum nodded too before joining the rest of the Durmstrang students.
"Quiet… Quiet…" Professor Dumbledore spoke calmly, yet authoritatively.
The Great Hall had been filled with whispers and excitement once Krum had entered the room. At Professor Dumbledore's request, the whispers slowed to a halt and all eyes were on him once more.
"This year, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been given the distinct honor of hosting the Triwizard Tournament. Each school will be represented by a single Champion over the age of 17 – "
"WHAT?!" shouted Fred and George. Many other students cried out in anger as well. Professor Dumbledore continued as if he hadn't heard them.
"Due to the difficult and dangerous nature of the Triwizard Tournament, the Ministry of Magic saw it fit to instill an age minimum within the pre-requisites of becoming a School Champion, and the headmasters and headmistress of each school agreed… The Triwizard Tournament will test the Champions beyond what could ever be expected of them in a school setting, and we want to make sure that those who apply are appropriately vetted and prepared… Therefore, all those who are interested and are at least 17 years of age, may submit their name into the Goblet of Fire…"
Professor Dumbledore waved his wand and a giant goblet appeared beside him, lit with blue flames.
"Names will be drawn tomorrow evening at 7 o'clock. All those interested in competing for eternal glory have 24 hours to submit their names… Goodnight, and good luck."