Anything that rings a bell belongs to JK Rowling

A/N: Thank you for everyone who bookmarked, subscribed, kudos'd or commented! It is so appreciated! I've had a bit of time off so I've been writing so hope you enjoy this update :)

French to English translations

ma cherie - my darling

connard - asshole

Chapter Three: Broomcupboards and Breakups

"Malfoy!" Draco closed his eyes at the annoyingly familiar voice, hoping for some reservoir of patience to wash over him from internal depths unknown. "Don't close your eyes, I can still see you!"

He looked baffled at that statement, "What on earth are you going on about? If I wanted to be invisible, I'd put on a dissillusionment charm." He tilted his head up at Granger, the early morning sunlight bathing her brunette strands a honey-ish colour, "Wait, do you close your eyes when you want people to not notice you?"

"Of course not, that's ridiculous." She folded her arms, her lips jutting out stubbornly, and Draco abandoned his porridge, knowing that stance well. He wasn't in the mood for a Granger tantrum no matter how delightful she looked when delivering it, "I just read that sometimes people do that, when they don't want to be noticed."

"Well if I didn't want to be noticed I wouldn't be having breakfast in the Great Hall, now would I?"

She glanced around the practically empty hall, "You're earlier than usual."

He smirked, finishing his orange juice, "You got a little notebook with my schedule, do you Granger? Adding stalker to that ever growing repertoire of useless skills."

And there was the flaring nostrils, he was torturing himself at this point, really. "No, but, funny you should mention schedules. I wondered whether you knew what they are?" She glared down at him and he stood, enjoying that she was now having to look up to him.

"I'm not in the mood for whatever weird anecdote about the invention of schedules, or some 'fun fact' about calendars you simply must share." He stepped over the bench and made his way down their table.

"When have I ever told you a fun fact!" She snapped as she followed him, "Actually I've never said the words 'fun fact' before."

"Lie! Liar!" He pointed at her face and she stared at his finger as if she might bite it. "You just said that very phrase a moment ago." He shook his head, feigning dissapointment, "You see why I can't work with you. All the lies. The deceit."

"You are insufferable!" She actually stomped her foot at that, and he had to bite his lip not to smile at the act, why was this attractive to him?

"Better insufferable than dishonest."

She took a deep breath and Draco's eyes flickered down to her chest which wasn't really his fault, humans are predisposed by nature to look at enlarging objects lest it be a threat. Not that Granger's breasts were all that threatening…well… he could very easily suffocate on them. Now there's a way to go.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, you were admitting to being a liar."

Just then he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and spotted Professors McGonagall and Sprout entering for breakfast.

"You-"

"We should do this again, Granger." She went from fuming to confused, and Draco couldn't help but enjoy the rare sight of a befuddled Granger, "Discussing schedules and task assignments over breakfast was a good idea."

He was gesturing with his eyes to the professors and she followed his glance, catching on. She tucked a wild strand behind her ear, smiling up at him with warm chocolate orbs.

Well, that's a face he has never seen before.

"Well my mother always said pancakes make everything better, even boring admin." She laughed up at him and Draco was momentarily frozen, staring at her lips, something in the back of his head told him the laugh was fake, but he didn't care, it was directed at him, "Not that admin is unimportant." She quickly added, "I love admin." She proclaimed loudly, "I think we should do more! I was thinking we could ask the staff if they want prefects to help with detentions-"

He stepped back, unintentionally moving towards her in the last few minutes, "They're out of earshot, you can stop with your terrible ideas."

She gasped, "Helping with detentions will free up time that teachers can use on other things, like remedial classes, research, curriculum revisions!"

"Being a prefect isn't the same as being a teacher's assistant. How do you take something fun like bossing around our peers, and make it awful. You truly have a talent."

"Better than your talent of being a cad!"

There was a throat clearing nearby, and they turned to find both of their heads of houses staring at them threateningly from the doorway.

"Cad-ence of authority among our peers, Malfoy!" Draco had to bite his bottom lip to stifle his laugh, he honestly didn't know how she salvaged that one. He nodded a greeting at Snape and Flitwick, the smaller man smiling happily at them whilst the taller shook his head exasperated, clearly Granger's quick save wasn't fast enough for him.

Draco was surprised by a small hand on his elbow, and he was dragged out of the Great Hall into the broom cupboard underneath the grand staircase.

He exaggerated a sigh, trying not to be fazed at his body reacting to her touch, "I knew this would happen. You've fallen in love with me. Fine, I'll shag you. Didn't think you were one for broom cupboards though Granger, full of surprises." She threw a sponge at him and he dodged it, horrified, "That had dirt on it!"

"Well it's still cleaner for having missed you." She retorted, and he glowered at her, she really did have a response for everything. "Anyway, I brought you in here so we don't have to pretend to get along. To fight in peace, away from the teachers, not to…fornicate."

"Fornicate, ugh Granger, really, why can't you say fuck like a normal person. See, see what I mean. How does one ruin sex." He looked at the brooms in the corner as if they were his audience, waiting for them to chime in for support, "Again, you take perfectly pleasant things and make it awful."

The anger disappeared on her face and her expression conformed into one he hadn't seen before.

Did he just hurt her feelings?

"I was teasing." He muttered quickly, "I like that you don't swear."

"What?" Her brows dipping low now, confused.

"I mean, not that I care. Talk like an eighty year old woman all you want." He glanced at the spiders web in the corner, trying to not notice that her thigh was practically against his in the tiny space.

He looked back down to find her grimacing up at him, but seemed to remember why she dragged him in here in the first place, and she was angry by the next blink.

Merlin nobody could change their expressions faster than Granger.

Or wear them better.

"I know you think that your time is more important than everyone else's, but I can't keep covering for you! We said we'd share Age Line duty last night, and you never showed up."

"Oh shit." Draco completely forgot that he and Granger were meant to share watching over the Age Line surrounding the Goblet of Fire last night. After his fight with Daphne, he had gone to his dorm, hurt and angry and in no mood for anything or anyone, but not able to sleep, so he stayed up for hours working on their Charms essay for next week. He was positive she was still angry at him as well, which is why he woke up earlier to avoid seeing his cousin. He wasn't really sure how to fix the situation. He couldn't admit to what she was accusing him off, he didn't lie, but she was right, he did make a promise he knew was unlikely to come into effect. He wish she'd just listen to him, this wasn't about quidditch, it was about tradition. Slytherin House already had to compromise so much, this was the one rule they manage to keep for decades and the parents would be furious if they lost this battle. And his father would blame Draco for the rules changing, he could never be annoyed at his precious Daphne.

Why does she make life so hard for him.

"Now, I know you need your beauty sleep, but it's just one night, Malfoy! I haven't slept at all!"

"What!" That caught his attention, he didn't want Granger to lose a night's sleep over this, "Why didn't you send me a letter!" He took her in more carefully, she did look exhausted, he didn't know how he didn't spot it before, "Or send for me! Or ask someone else to cover for my absence?"

"I shouldn't have to run around looking for you and fixing your mistakes!"

"Oh, and having no sleep at all is a good answer! Why didn't you ask Goldstein to cover my shift?"

She folded her arms, and glanced to the floor, clearly not wanting to talk about her boyfriend.

What was going on there…

"How are you making you not showing up for duty my fault!"

"I'm not saying it's your fault! I'm saying you didn't find a good solution! How is your staying up all night the answer."

"It's my life, I can stay up all night if I want to!" She was gesturing emphatically with her hands, her soft fingers lightly stroking his chest and he stepped closer.

"Well that's stupid! You should take care of yourself! Why are you all like this!"

"What!" She snapped, "What do you mean by 'you all'." Those same warm chocolate hues from earlier now looked like vipers ready to strike him down.

Draco groaned, rolling his eyes and leaning against the back wall, she shifted to keep staring him down and that brought her even closer to him. "I don't mean muggleborns!" Her face softened at his admittance, "I mean women."

Blink. Fury. "What!"

But he was so used to this look it had no effect on him, "You all think doing everything by yourself is self-lessness, or self-reliance." He was surprised at his own mocking tone, "But really, it's self-harm."

"It's one night sleep, Malfoy. I'm not going to die for missing one night sleep."

He groaned, stepping towards her, standing over her and she stubbornly refused to step back, letting him take her space, "That's not the point! The point is that part of being a good leader is delegating, which you hate doing! You want to do everything by yourself so you can complain about it afterwards! You want to be a martyr!"

"How dare you! The only reason I have to do most of it by myself is because you're unreliable!" She smacked his chest! She actually smacked his chest! He grabbed her hand, stopping her from doing more damage.

"I'm unreliable! I didn't show up for duty one time!"

"The one time it mattered! What would happen if some kid snuck their name into the Goblet and some fourteen year old has to take part just because of your negligence!"

"Oh, a fourteen-year-old's not going to be picked as a champion! And there was an age line! They wouldn't be able to get passed!"

"It doesn't matter, Professor Dumbledore asked us to keep an eye. Both of us. I'm tired of feeling like I have to do the work for two, all the time!"

Draco reeled back, flabbergasted, pulling her hand at his chest with him, "That's just it Granger, you feel like it. I can't control your feelings! I haven't done anything to make you feel like you can't rely on me." She opened her mouth, "Before last night!" He added hastily, "Have I? Have I skivved anything else."

"No." She answered and Draco could tell the one word cost her plenty.

He took a deep breath through his nose, calming down, "I apologise for not showing up last night. I lost track of time with homework." Surprise on her face as if he admitted to having a secret love affair with Longbottom.

"Thank you." That looked a tad easier for her to say, and he was glad. She slowly pulled her hand out from his, avoiding eye contact and he wondered how much of her flushed cheeks was just from anger.

"Would you like some diluted Wide-Eye?"

"What?"

"Diluted Wide-Eye, it'll help if you're tired." He opened his bag, looking for the bottle he carried.

"You shouldn't be taking Wide Eye."

He made an exasperated gesture, letting his bag flap shut, "It's diluted. Why do I bother!" He made for the door, frustrated.

"Okay!" He turned, catching her large brown eyes looking at the spider web in the corner, not liking to accept help. He pulled out the bottle, and her attention moved back to him, "Why do you even have this?"

"We're in our NEWT year, how do you not have any?"

He unscrewed the bottle, squeezing the top to suck some liquid up, "Two drops should do." She was looking at the dropper skeptically and he rolled his eyes, squeezing a drop into his mouth. "There, see, it's not poison." She rolled her eyes as if he was the ridiculous one, and made for the bottle and he held it out of her reach, "Actually, I think I should do it. I'm more familiar with the dropper."

"Like hell I'm letting you...feed me." She frowned at the words, her nose wrinkling adorably.

"Fine." He shrugged, "If you're positive you won't be heavy handed."

She straightened up, her curls shifting, lips stubborn, chin high, "Fine."

She rolled her eyes and tilted her head back, and opened her mouth.

Why did he torture himself like this. Merlin, he was a complete masochist.

He didn't know how his hand stayed steady, he squeezed the dropper and watched two fat green drops hit her pink tongue. He never noticed before that she had slight freckles on her nose and that she smelled like jasmine.

She swallowed and then grimaced, "Did you brew this?"

"Yes…" He leaned against the wall again, unable to stop noticing things about her face. Her lips weren't symmetrical like he thought, but somehow he liked that more.

"Figures." She rolled her eyes, "you're heavy with the broccoli extract."

"I think the words you're looking for is 'Thank you'"

"Oh I can't say that to you twice in five minutes. I'll explode."

He snickered, and then let out a sigh, he needed to get a grip on himself, "Look, I'll cover duty for you tomorrow. You can have a special night with Goldstein. Build a jigsaw puzzle or whatever you two do for fun."

The small smile she had disappeared, and she mirrored his pose, leaning against the wall, "Anthony and I broke up last night."

He rose a brow at that, but his heart was suddenly beating an exhilirating tempo , "Hmmm… I owe Blaise ten galleons."

Blink. Confused. "What?"

"We had a bet about when you'd break up. He said before the year is over."

"And you?" She was very soft now, and her words seem to fall on his tie which she was quite near. Her blinks were heavy too, she was exhausted. This explained why her walls seemed lower. "Malfoy?"

"Doesn't matter now does it." He tilted his head to the side, enjoying the coolness of the wall against his left temple, "You didn't break up because I didn't show up for duty, right?"

"You are literally the most self-centred person on the planet." She shook her head a fraction, too tired, "Wait, yes!" Excitement in her eyes now, "It is your fault!"

"Me?" He grinned, "Nice! Blaise owes me twenty galleons, then."

"What?"

"Nothing." He wasn't about to tell her that he bet his friend he could get Granger and Goldstein to call it quits. She might take it the wrong way... it wasn't like he wanted to date Granger. They could never...sure, he found her attractive, but that couldn't be helped...but acting on that was something else entirely, "So, how did I unintentionally orchestrate this fortuitous event?"

She sighed, "I was on duty all night, and he arrived to put his name in the goblet."

"You didn't want him to enter?"

"Of course I wanted him to. I encouraged him, and he said he didn't want to. Was adamant about it. But then he waits for the moment I won't be there to sneak his name in? Why would he lie?"

"Because it's easier to say that you didn't apply, than to admit to losing to your girlfriend when she eventually gets picked?"

"Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds! I wouldn't mind if Anthony got picked. I'd be happy for him!"

"It's different, Granger."

"You're such a chauvinist!" The wide eye was kicking in it seemed, there's that Granger gusto.

"I'm not saying this because you're a girl and he's a boy. I'm saying it because you're Granger and he's Goldstein. He's so… boring."

"Anthony is not boring."

"Come on. That boy's the human equivalent of the missionary position."

She gaped at him, "Why is everything about sex with you people!"

"Purebloods?"

"Men!"

"Because everything is about fornicating."

She glared at him for teasing her with the word, "This conversation isn't about…well.. yes this is about sex, but this," She gestured between the two of them, "isn't about sex."

"If you say so."

"What response is that! This is not about sex!"

"Oh!" The room flooded with light as the door opened and they turned to find Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown in the entrance. "Oh." The idiot ginger looked between him and Granger like a confused orangutan, whilst the blonde at his side was already salivating at the this gossip.

Draco sighed, but before he could say anything Granger shot out of the cupboard making it look like they had been up to something.

She did herself no favours.

He leaned back against the wall, glad to be getting in the way of Weasel's morning shag, "I think I'll read in here until lessons start."

Weasley looked like he wanted to swing at him but his girlfriend dragged him away, and Draco left the broom cupboard a minute later, suddenly in a much better mood.

-x-x-x-

Hermione walked over to the Sabres and Harry Potter, "Can I join you?"

"Of course!" Selina patted the bench next to her with a flirty smile and Hermione sunk into the seat, feeling a bit like she was diving into shark infested water. But anything beat sitting with her friends right now.

She could punch Lavender Brown!

She spent all day trying to put out the fire she spread by saying she and Malfoy were making out in a broom cupboard!

Making out!

With Malfoy!

"You alright?" Harry frowned at her, clearly her face was giving too much away.

"No, but I'll be fine." It was the night of the announcement of the champions, and they were at the special Feast. The Ministry officials from the Welcoming feast were here, Minister Fudge, Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman. "How are you? Nervous?"

They all shook their heads, "Don't really care much who makes champion. Just wanted to come to Hogwarts really." Hermione watched Harry stare at a spot above her shoulder as he answered, and she turned to find Daphne Greengrass looking at them, she then spotted a fuming Parkinson who looked like she was trying to jinx her hair into worms, and she groaned, clearly the girl heard the rumour about she and her boyfriend. She turned back to heap her plate with potatoes. She skipped lunch to avoid all the inquisitive stares.

"You steal that girl's boyfriend or something?" Silvain smirked at Parkinson's glare.

"No!" Hermione snapped, and immediately felt guilty, "No. There's a stupid rumour going around."

"Oh I love stupid rumours! Tell!"

She rolled her eyes at Silvain, "I'm not spreading a rumour about myself."

"Ooooh, Hermione! What have you been up to!" Selina nudged her as she drizzled gravy all over her food, "Or what have you been down on."

"You are terrible!" She laughed at the girl, not meaning it at all, "How do you put up with them!"

"I don't." Harry grinned, shaking his head at his friends with warm eyes, "Anyway, I'm sure everyone will be talking about something else by tomorrow. People have just about stopped gawking at me."

"I don't really care about people talking about me." She glanced down the table at Anthony, who looked miserable. "I care if it's hurting people I care about."

"Trouble in paradise?" Harry caught her look, empathy on his face.

She cut into her chicken, thinking about how much to say, and then realising she wanted to tell him the truth, he didn't seem like he just wanted gossip, he seemed like he genuinely wanted to know what upset her, "Everyone's angry at me. Anthony thinks I was kissing Malfoy in a broom cupboard. So naturally his best friends are pissed as well, and all my friends are dating all of his friends." Hermione glanced down the table to where Padma and Mandy were trying to coax Anthony into eating something.

"Malfoy! You were kissing Malfoy!" Harry said with disgust, no longer in the mood to be sympathetic it would appear.

"Well I obviously wasn't!" Hermione snapped.

Selina shrugged, "I don't know, I wouldn't mind fucking him."

"Up." Harry and Hermione corrected together.

"No, I've been thinking about it. I'd fuck him. I've decided his good enough looking to compensate for his shit personality."

"He is not! You don't know how annoying he is!" Hermione really needed Selina to understand this so she turned, looming into the girls bright black eyes.

"I can see how hot he is though." She laughed.

"You actually think he is hot?" Harry glanced to Malfoy, catching him in conversation with Nott, "He's a right possessive berk!"

"He is?" Hermione frowned, she never thought of him as possessive. If anything people never could tell if he and Parkinson were on or off considering they were spotted together so infrequently.

"Yeah! Didn't I tell you he went all crazy boyfriend on her last night." Harry gestured over at the Slytherins and Hermione frowned, but then straightend in her seat.

"Wait! You saw Malfoy last night!"

"Yeah, on the quidditch pitch!"

"ON THE QUIDDITCH PITCH!" She shouted, turning to glare at the back of his annoying blonde head, so much for homework!

"Oooh, I love a screamer." Selina winked at her.

Just when she thought he was moderately tolerable, he flaked on her for quidditch! It wasn't even training! Flying for pleasure!

"So, you and Anthony broke up?" Silvain asked, lathering a piece of bread with butter.

"Yes." She mumbled, annoyed as well as sad now.

Selina grabbed her right arm, "You mean you're single! Want to go on a date?"

"What!" Hermione laughed.

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I don't know if you're joking!" She looked nervously at Harry and Silvain, but the former was glaring at Malfoy and the latter was contemplating if his bread had enough butter.

"I never joke about beautiful women!" Selina leaned into her with a wide grin.

"I'm flattered. Very. But, I don't…I'm… what!"

"Down." Harry chided Selina, just catching on to what she was doing, "Ignore her, we need to get her neutered." He seemed to remember that Hermione was not doing well, "I'm sorry about Anthony. You okay?"

She glanced down the table, "I don't know. We've been together since fourth year."

"Yikes." Harry frowned, a two and a half year relationship was fairly long for Hogwarts standards, and it seemed to be the case at Beauxbatons too.

"You don't think he's boring, right?"

"Which one's Anthony." Selina whispered and Hermione discretely pointed him out. "Hmmm… definitely not. Boy's definitely kinky."

"What, I don't mean, Raving Rowena Selina, is it always about sex with you. Also you're so wrong." She muttered quietly, just for her ears, feeling guilty for talking unkindly about her ex-boyfriend.

The blonde laughed, winking at her conspiratorially, " I see why you broke up now." She chewed on her broccoli, "And everything is about sex."

"You should date Draco Malfoy."

"Only if you join me on that date, ma cherie?" She winked playfully at her and she laughed. The girl was cheering her up.

"Look, don't listen to anybody else. If you found him interesting, then your friends opinions shouldn't matter." Harry stated this, staring intently at his two friends.

"Speaking from experience," Selina chimed in, pointedly staring at Harry, "If your friends hate your girlfriend, it probably means something."

"If they throw a party when you break up it shows something." Silvain added, diving into pudding.

"Yeah, that they're insensitive gits." Harry glared at the two of them.

"We waited a whole week." Silvain said defensively.

Hermione chuckled, "You had a recent break up too?"

He nodded, "A few months ago. Lilou."

"No, her name was Lily. He was dating a girl with his mother's name. Somebody write Freud." Selina rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"It was a weird coincedence, but everyone calls her Lilou. Which is a completely different name. And she looked nothing like my mother."

"Of course." Hermione stifled her grin, seeing that this was a point of contention in the group. She noticed Harry's eyes going back to the Slytherin table and she smiled, "So, I assume you found her?"

"Huh?"

"Daphne?"

"Oh yeah, I mean, yeah." He scratched the back of his neck and his face turned pink.

"You hooked up with her!" Selina gasped!

"No! No! Shhhh." He chided his friend, "I don't want Malfoy to come here swinging. Or maybe I do."

Hermione laughed at the contemplative look on Harry's face at fighting the blond, she heard Malfoy was a tad protective over his cousin, but she was surprised he thought he was that crazy.

"So?" Silvain's dark eyes urged his friend to spill the Daphne sized beans.

"Nothing, she was having a fly. I just..." He chewed on some treacle tart, "Gave her a massage."

"Is that what the kids call it these days." Silvain grinned, nudging his friend playfully in the side.

"You did not! Where?" Selina leaned forward eagerly.

"On the quidditch pitch." He added in deadpan.

"Connard! You know what I mean." The blonde was practically off her seat, so excited for information. Hermione smiled at the pair of them, they clearly adored Harry.

He sighed, "On her neck."

"She give you a tip for your service?" Selina smirked.

"Or did you give her a tip for the service?" Silvain snickered.

"How, how are you able to be disgusting in a foreign language." They all laughed, exasperated at the boy, "Anyway I didn't realise about her and Malfoy, so I've been a good boy and stayed away from her all day today. It was complete torture." Harry added dramatically.

"What?" Hermione looked at him confused, what did he realise about Daphne and Malfoy? She frowned, turning to the Slytherin table, catching Malfoy's silver stare turning confused at the look on her face.

Did Harry think Malfoy and Daphne were dating ?

Ewww!

"Harry-"

"Awww, Pote! You're in heat!" Silvain flung an arm around his friend happily.

"Can you not describe it like that. But… yes." He blushed as they laughed and Hermione leaned forward to give him the good news that Malfoy was Daphne's cousin, but just then the Headmaster stood up.

"Good evening! Now that you are all fed and watered, we shall start the Champion Naming Ceremony. But first! A surprise! It took a bit more time to settle the agreements, but thanks to impeccable negotiation from all ministries involved, for the first time in its history, the Triwizard tournament will have four schools competing."

"Four?" Hermione sat back in her chair at Silvain's question. This was news. Surely they should notify the head prefects of such a thing. She turned to see if Malfoy was surprised, and was glad that he was. She wondered whether he somehow was told and didn't tell her.

"Therefore, henceforth we will call this the Quadwizard Tournament with the inclusion of…" Professor Dumbledore gestured to the side and a group of students with dark blue and red robes stepped in from a room next to the high table, "Illvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

"NO!" Selina yelled and everyone turned to her wide eyed, and the Hall broke into titters of laughter as Hermione gawked at her, "Are you okay?"

Selina shook her head, for once, looking serious, the attention slowly moving away from her and back to the newest newcomers, "My Malfoy just arrived."

"Oh." Hermione looked at her sympathetically, watching as her friend's eyes narrowed at a particular figure.

"Lilou Rosier." She ground out the name.

"Lilou, like…" Hermione looked at Harry whose dark brows was fusing with his hairline as a girl with unruly dark hair and bright blue eyes walked towards the Gryffindor table, turning confidently to them, and winking at Harry.

He swallowed in response, his fork falling out of his hand.

Oh no. Selina and Silvain exhanged vexed glances.

This didn't bode well.

"Our American friends submitted their names into the goblet this afternoon, after arriving from the States via portkey. So, without further ado, The Durmstrang Champion is…"

A/N: I thought it best to stop there! I'm trying to make sure all four protagonists are getting their fair share of page time overall, but naturally there'll be chapters that will feature one couple more than the other depending on what's going on. Let me know what you think - feedback is always appreciated! Thank you for reading!