Chapter 10

Ginny POV

A few weeks had passed since the night of the Champion selection. As the excitement of the arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students waned, it allowed for the majority of Hogwarts students to fall back into their usual routines. Ginny, unfortunately, had yet to find any sort of comfort or peace since the arrival of one specific Beauxbatons student. She had been on high alert since her run in with Juliette in the Great Hall, and had done her best to avoid her at all costs. This even included peaking down corridors and scoping out rooms before entering. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted, but she felt it was worth it to avoid another interaction with the girl. She was excited for the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade, her first trip to the wizarding village ever, because she'd heard that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students would not be permitted to enter Hogsmeade, making it a safe and stress-free place for her to go and hopefully take a moment to breathe.

"Just one more day, Ginny, and then we can just relax for a bit, okay?" Demelza encouraged as they walked to class. "What do you want to see first? Zonko's Joke Shop? Honeydukes? The Three Broomsticks?"

"What, no Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

Demelza gave her a knowing look and laughed. "I think you and I both know that even though it's for couples, it wouldn't quite be our scene."

"It wouldn't quite be our scene? Is romance not our scene? Am I not romantic?" Ginny asked with a hint of fake hurt in her voice as she rounded on the girl, guiding her off to the side of the corridor and pulling her close, their noses nearly touching. "Am I not romantic enough for you, Demelza?"

Demelza giggled at this, trying to keep a straight face. "Miss Weasley, you just haven't ever been the romantic type! I barely even know that you have feelings for me, the way you never touch me or kiss me or make me feel special… It's as if we're just friends…" She grinned innocently at Ginny, awaiting a reply.

Ginny smiled back, then leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Well then, I'll just have to do much better in that department. I'll make sure to touch and kiss you more, and I'll make sure you never doubt the feelings that I have for you…"

Ginny kissed Demelza's lips, gently at first, before deepening the kiss. Ten weeks into their relationship, and they were still taking it slow, but it had gotten a bit more difficult the more comfortable they'd gotten with each other. Ginny brought her hand up into Demelza's dark blonde hair as Demelza put both hands on Ginny's hips, pulling her in to her closer, when someone cleared their throat.

Both girls looked up wildly and saw Hermione standing down the corridor aways.

"Oh, hey Hermione!" Ginny greeted as Demelza smoothed her uniform top.

"I need to talk to you about our plans to study tonight," Hermione said plainly before turning to Demelza. "Do you mind?" she kindly asked.

"Of course not! I'll see you in class Ginny." Demelza walked off, leaving Ginny and Hermione alone.

"So, are we still on for tonight, or…?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, of course. I just wanted to let you know that… Well… Someone has been joining me in the library since we last studied together…" Hermione said slowly.

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Viktor Krum."

Ginny stared at Hermione for a moment, then laughed. "C'mon Hermione, seriously, who is it?"

"Ginny, I am being serious. Viktor Krum has been joining me in the library the past few days."

Ginny's jaw dropped. "To do what?"

"What do you mean? It's the library, Ginny, he's been reading. He very politely asked if he could join me at my table, and I said that he could. So, for the past few days, we've been sitting together. He reads quietly while I study. I just wanted to give you a heads up because, well, I know it may have been quite a shock if you had just walked in and spotted Viktor at our table with me," Hermione stated casually, as if she wasn't telling Ginny the most shocking thing she'd heard in weeks, or quite frankly, ever.

"So let me get this straight… I'm going to be studying with you… And Viktor Krum tonight…?"

"Well, he won't be studying with us. Like I said, he just sits there and reads. Honestly, I think it's just a good excuse for him to not be bombarded by Quidditch fans or girls pining after him," Hermione said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "So, you can't be either of those tonight, okay?"

Ginny laughed. "Well, I can certainly guarantee I won't be one of those…" Hermione gave her a small smile. "But I do promise that I'll do my best to keep the Quidditch-obsessed part of my brain under control."

"Thank you."

"So… Does anyone else know about this? Do Ron and Harry – "

"They absolutely do not know, especially not your brother. Can you imagine the scene he'd create coming in to look for Viktor? No, this has to remain our secret, okay Ginny?" Hermione looked at her very seriously.

Ginny nodded. "Okay Hermione, our little secret." She held out her pinky to Hermione.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a pinky swear. Come on, don't you remember?"

"Yes, of course I remember, Ginny, seeing as I was that one who taught it to you this summer. I just don't think that this warrants – "

"Well, okay then! Then it'll just be a normal secret, and I can't possibly be held responsible if something slips out because you opted not to do a pinky swear!" Ginny declared dramatically.

Hermione frowned at her, clearly unimpressed. "Ginny…"

"Come on, Hermione," Ginny said seriously as she offered her pinky again. "We can't risk Ron finding out about this and embarrassing you in the library, of all places…"

Hermione sighed as she rolled her eyes and wrapped her pinky around Ginny's. Ginny leaned forward, putting her lips to her own hand. Hermione hesitated.

"Come on, Hermione. You were the one that said it wasn't binding if both people didn't kiss their hands at the same time…"

Hermione paused, then quickly pressed her lips to her hand, and Ginny leaned forward again to do the same. As soon as Ginny had made contact, Hermione pulled away as quickly as possible.

"Alright then, contract bound! I promise I won't say anything. Pinky promise, pinky swear!"

Ginny was smiling at Hermione with her best crooked smile, and Hermione was reluctantly smiling back. Ginny noticed that a hint of color was climbing into Hermione's cheeks, when a voice rang out from just a few feet behind them.

"Well zat might just be ze cutest zing I 'ave ever seen…"

Both Ginny and Hermione turned to see Juliette, leaning casually against the stone wall of the corridor. She stood upright and walked towards them.

"Where 'ave you two been? I 'ave not seen eizzer of you since ze evening ze champions were selected. 'ave you been avoiding me?"

Juliette was smirking at them. Both Hermione and Ginny remained silent, color fully flushing Hermione's face now, and Ginny glaring at Juliette.

"Tell me, 'ow 'as Quidditch training been going, little Ginny?"

Ginny glared harder at Juliette at the word "little", but reluctantly answered. "There are no official trainings scheduled or a season this year due to the Triwizard Tournament, but some of the more dedicated Quidditch players have been getting together a few times a week to train. It's mostly just pick-up matches, but sometimes we do some loosely organized trainings…"

"Mmm…"

"What? I don't suppose you brought your broom with you all the way from France?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

Juliette looked at her seriously. "Of course I brought my broom with me. I do not go anywhere without my Firebolt."

Ginny's jaw dropped, and she hated that it did. Of course Juliette had a Firebolt.

"Are you impressed, little Ginny?"

Juliette smirked at Ginny again, and Ginny glared back. She was so tired of how Juliette was treating her, and she didn't want to continue trying to avoid her and looking around every really thinking it through, Ginny made a decision.

"Yes, actually, I am impressed. Juliette, will you come train with me?"

Hermione whipped her head around to stare at Ginny incredulously, and Juliette as well appeared to be shocked initially, until she settled into that smug smile of hers.

"Well, but of course, little Ginny – it would be my pleasure."

"Just Ginny…"

"Of course, just Ginny…"

Juliette smiled at Ginny, then glanced at Hermione, who was still staring at Ginny looking exasperated.

"Okay… Well… Great. I have to get to class, but that sounds good. Maybe sometime next week you can join us on the pitch?" Ginny asked as she started backing away towards her class.

"It will be ze 'ighlight of my week, I am sure."

Ginny took one last look at Hermione and Juliette before she turned the corner of the corridor and headed off to there a chance that she completely embarrassed herself out on the pitch in front of Juliette? Yes, of course. But was there also a chance that she impressed her and hopefully shut her up for once? Absolutely. This is what Ginny was best at – all she had to do was be confident and brave and maybe she could get Juliette to stop treating her this way… Maybe…

Hermione POV

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Hermione rounded on Juliette furiously once Ginny was out of earshot.

Juliette gave her a sly look, frustrating Hermione further. "'ello 'Ermione. I was not sure zat you were speaking to me, with 'ow silent you were during zat conversation."

"Why can't you just leave us alone?"

Juliette raised her eyebrows, her smug smile still on her lips. "I am sorry, but zis is a corridor in which anyone is allowed to walk, yes? It is not my fault zat ze two of you were kissing in ze middle of a wide-open 'allway."

"First of all, we were not kissing. She was making me do a ridiculous pinky swear. Our lips were nowhere near each other. And… And second…"

Hermione drifted off, distracted as she looked into Juliette's eyes. She was suddenly consumed with the memory of the night in the corridor a few weeks ago when the two of them were kissing in the middle of a wide-open hallway, where anyone could have seen them. Where someone did see them.

"Second, yes?" Juliette prompted as she took a step towards Hermione, her eyebrows still raised expectantly, the smirk growing on her lips.

"Second, I…" Hermione drifted off again, she couldn't get herself to focus on anything but the sensation of the kiss from a few weeks ago.

Juliette chuckled. "I will leave you for now 'Ermione, as I can see zat you are 'aving a 'ard time with your words." She took another step forward, leaned into Hermione's ear, and whispered, "I saw ze color rising in your cheeks when ze two of you kissed hands… I am pretty sure zat Little Ginny saw it too… I am still available if you are interested in 'elp with forgetting your feelings for ze girl… It seems zat you are still struggling with zat…"

Juliette kissed Hermione's cheek, lingering only for a moment, before walking away and leaving her in the middle of the corridor, speechless.

Later that evening, Hermione was seated at her usual table in the library after dinner, trying to focus on studying, but struggling to get her mind off of both Ginny and Juliette and what had happened earlier that day. Krum quietly walked up and stood behind the seat across from her.

"Good evening, Herm-own-ninny. It is okay if I sit vith you again?" Krum asked.

"Yes Viktor, of course." Hermione nodded towards the seat, inviting him to sit down.

About fifteen minutes went by as they worked in silence – Hermione studying, Krum reading a book about dragons. A few girls walked by, eyeing Krum, but neither Krum nor Hermione paid them any attention. Then, Ginny appeared.

"Um, hi," she said cautiously.

Both Hermione and Krum looked up. It seemed as if Ginny was trying desperately to control her excitement, and Hermione gave her a small, thankful smile to show that she appreciated Ginny's efforts to not lose her cool in front of Krum.

"Viktor, this is my friend, Ginny. She studies with me twice a week. Ginny, this is Viktor," Hermione introduced the two, and Krum stood up to shake Ginny's hand.

"It is a pleasure to be meeting you, Ginny."

Krum sat back down and returned to his reading. Ginny nodded at Krum, then sat down next to Hermione.

"So," she started quietly to Hermione. "How was the rest of your day?"

"How was the rest of my day? Ginny, what were you thinking?" Hermione snapped, trying to keep her voice down.

"Wha- What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about you asking Juliette Marat to train with you!" Hermione hissed.

Ginny stared at her in shock. "Why are you so upset?"

"Ginny, she cannot be trusted! She is condescending and rude and – "

"I know that, but something has to change. I can't stand the anxiety I have just wondering when I'll run into her. At least this way I'll know when I'll see her, and maybe I can shut her up with my flying abilities. I've got to do something to get her to stop calling me "little Ginny", Hermione, I can't stand it!"

Ginny's face was turning red with anger. Hermione paused for a moment before responding.

"Ginny, that does make sense, but I don't know if this is the right way to go about the situation. You really want to be in the air with her? Flying? If she's as good as she says she is – "

"Juliette Marat is a very good Quidditch player…" Krum muttered softly. "She is arrogant, yes… But she is good at vot she does… There is no denying how vell she can fly…"

Hermione and Ginny stared at Krum in shock.

"You know her?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"I do not know her vell, but yes, I know her and her sister Josephine. They are some of the best female Quidditch players in Europe right now. Her sister vos trying to seduce me at the Quidditch World Cup, but I vos not having time for it." Krum frowned at the memory.

"Viktor, I asked her to come train with me and some of the other Hogwarts Quidditch players. Do you think that was a bad idea?" Ginny asked genuinely.

Krum's brow furrowed a bit into more of a thoughtful frown.

"I am thinking that if you are vonting to improve, she is someone who anyone, even myself, can learn from… Even vith her being so young…" He paused briefly before he continued. "I am not thinking that it vill be enjoyable…"

Ginny glanced over at Hermione who shot her a look that said "I told you so".

"I mean, it doesn't have to necessarily be enjoyable," Ginny reasoned. "I want to get better. I also think that I can impress her, and – "

"Ginny, I know that you're a great flyer, but she is just… I just don't know if she is the right person to help you or build your confidence up… Even if you did impress her, I don't think she'd let you have any satisfaction from it, and I'm worried that – "

"Stop worrying so much, you're not my mum!" Ginny snapped. "I can take care of myself! You don't have to worry about me and treat me like I'm some child making a silly little mistake! If it's a bad decision, I'll know, and I won't train with her again. It's not that big of a deal, can we just drop it?"

"Fine!" Hermione snapped back.

Hermione didn't know why she was having such a hard time letting this go, but she did know that she felt extremely uneasy at the thought of Ginny and Juliette being together. What if Juliette told Ginny about their kiss in the corridor the night the champions were picked? What if she told Ginny that Hermione had been harboring feelings for her for months now? Juliette certainly seemed like the type to get a lot of joy out of doing something like that, so why wouldn't Hermione worry about her doing those things?

Hermione glanced over at Ginny. Her brow was deeply furrowed and she was aggressively scribbling down notes. Krum had returned to reading his book, seemingly unbothered by the whole thing.

"Ginny…" Hermione said softly.

Ginny looked up, her expression not softening at all.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. You're right. I don't know why I got so involved. You are more than capable of making your own decisions and knowing what's best for you. I'm sorry…"

Ginny stared at her, then her face relaxed. "I'm sorry too. I don't know why I got so worked up. She just… She bugs me. I need to do something to change it."

"I understand…"

"Ginny, how are you at disguising your thoughts ven you are flying?" Krum muttered, again softly and slowly.

"Um… I guess I'm pretty good, why?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Juliette and her arrogance… She is always vonting to underestimate her opponents…"

Krum paused, and the girls exchanged confused looks before looking back at him.

"Make sure that she is underestimating you more than vot she should be… And surprise her… Her arrogance is her veakness..."

Ginny nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Viktor."

"You are velcome, Ginny."

He gave a very mild smile to them both before returning to his reading. Both Ginny and Hermione began quietly studying, and they continued that way until Madam Pince came to usher them out of the library.

"It vos nice to be meeting you, Ginny. Herm-own-ninny, thank you for letting me read at your table once again. Goodnight."

He gave them each a nod before turning and slowly walking away, headed towards the Black Lake where the Durmstrang ship was anchored. Hermione and Ginny headed in the opposite direction, towards Gryffindor Tower.

"I thought you said he just quietly sat and read?" Ginny asked.

"Honestly Ginny, that is the most he has spoken all week. So, what did you think of him?"

"I thought he had great insight. It's fascinating that he knows Juliette and her sister. Makes sense though, seeing as they're all Quidditch superstars…"

"Juliette is not a Quidditch superstar, Ginny."

"She will be, though. And I know how you feel about it, but I do want to get better, and after what Viktor said, it sounds like Juliette could actually help me. I understand the risks that are associated with it, but I also grew up with six older brothers – my skin is plenty thick," Ginny reassured Hermione.

"I just don't want you to get hurt…" Hermione said softly, looking down at the ground.

"I won't," Ginny said firmly.

Hermione looked up at Ginny as they walked, taking in the seriousness of Ginny's expression.

"I have to change something here Hermione. I can't keep walking around the castle scared to turn a corner. I need to get her right in front of me, and I need to face my fear. Can you support that?"

Hermione stared at her reluctantly, then answered. "Yes Ginny, I will support that. Just… Don't let her get to you."

"I won't Hermione, I promise." Ginny gave Hermione a small soft smile. "And don't worry, I won't make you pinky swear this time. I know I got a little too close to you earlier during the first one."

Hermione looked into Ginny's eyes just in time to see that mischievous glint that she'd seen the first night of the term.

"I – No, Ginny, don't be silly, I – "

"I'm only joking Hermione, come on," Ginny said as she motioned for Hermione to enter the portrait hole before her. As they entered, they saw Demelza and Ron, heavily entrenched in a game of Wizard's Chess. Hermione saw this as her opportunity to escape.

"Well, I'm sure that'll keep you busy." She motioned to the two glued to the chess board. "I'm going to call it a night. Goodnight, Ginny".

"Sure thing. G'night, Hermione."

Hermione climbed the spiral staircase towards the girls' dormitories, walked down the hall and entered her room. Thankfully, her dormmates were already asleep. She changed out of her school uniform and into joggers and a t-shirt and climbed into bed, irritating Crookshanks in the process, who shot her a very displeased look.

"Oh, you're fine Crookshanks. Come here."

Crookshanks crept up to lay on Hermione's chest and allowed her to pet him for a bit before he returned to his spot at the foot of the four-poster bed. Hermione closed the curtains around them, settling into her bed as she replayed the events from earlier in the day.

First she sees Ginny in the corridor practically snogging Demelza, which was much more painful than she thought it would be… Then Ginny made her do a pinky swear, which of course would have to happen in front of Juliette…

Hermione blushed furiously as she touched both her pinky and then the cheek that Juliette had kissed.

What was she going to do about Ginny and Juliette training together? Just let it happen? She could be there to watch and make sure nothing happens… Maybe it would just be a straight-forward training session? But of course, with Juliette there, it obviously won't be…

Hermione pulled her covers up around her, rolling over to try to get comfortable.

That glint in Ginny's eyes… It was the same one from when she complimented her for punching Malfoy in the face… It couldn't have been flirting… Or could it…? No, of course it wasn't… Ginny's obviously crazy about Demelza, them snogging in the corridor is proof of that.

Hermione closed her eyes tight in both frustration and confusion, covering them with her hands. She just needed to go to sleep. Then tomorrow she could hide away at Scrivenshaft's or Tomes and Scroll. That way she could avoid both Ginny and Juliette and hopefully that would allow her to clear her head of thoughts of either them, if only just for the day.

Hermione pulled her hands from her eyes and relaxed her face, trying her best to fall asleep. Her racing mind made it difficult, but eventually, she drifted off to sleep.