Quick note to all my fans from different story genres, I'm back! I will most likely be continuing my other stories now that I was able to replace my poor laptop. I will however be leaving tomorrow for Ohayocon and I can't guarantee a date for my next upload. I'll try to make it quick!

I was rereading the Goblet of Fire when I had this idea for a fic. It won't be cannon obviously since the events of the next book waylay it a bit when Ron ends up with Lavender, and eventually Hermione in the long run. But I always like to think our favorite heroes have a bit of a soft spot for each other. This is my version of the Goblet of Fire if things had turned out a bit differently.

WARNING: SLASH, HARRY/RON PAIRING, EXPLICIT CONTENT, CURSING

Chapter 1. Hermione's Misgivngs

Somehow Harry had envisioned things a little differently. Laying on his four poster glaring up at the hangings, the Gryffindor banner still tied tightly around his waist despite his fruitless attempts to remove it. How could Ron of all people not believe him? His own best friend? He wondered vaguely if Hermione thought the same way… She hadn't been in the common room when their fellow Gryffindors were yelling themselves hoarse for a champion that clearly didn't want to be nominated. He hadn't expected her to be, but he doubted she thought he was putting himself on again. She must be able to see through this and figure out what actually happened. With a certain satisfied smirk on his face he had to think, 'She's definitely smarter than Ron.' Convincing himself on the matter, Harry made himself raise up off the mattress when he heard the dormitory door opening.

It was Neville.

"Congratulations Harry!" He said with a subdued smile as he saw Harry flinch at the words.

"Yeah…Thanks Neville. Can you, maybe, get this bloody thing off me?" He gestured limply to the rustling banner hanging down past his knees.

"Oh! Er- yeah, I think I can do that. I'm not the best with severing charms…"

A severing charm! Why hadn't he thought of that? Because he was so upset with Ron for being a prat? Or perhaps he was just thick? His stomach lurched when he thought that that might be just the kind of oversight that could get him killed in this tournament. He hadn't given much thought to the many deaths Hermione had mentioned before the selection. Then again, he was sure he wouldn't be chosen because he hadn't entered.

Neville approached Harry with his wand out.

"D-Diffindo!" Neville said a bit shakily, pointing at the banner. Unfortunately Neville's hand slipped a bit and slashed open the front shirt of his robes revealing a small expanse of white skin beneath. The banner however fell gracefully off of him. Despite the shirt Harry felt himself give a sigh of relief. It felt as though some of the stress of the night had come off too. Not near enough, but some.

"Harry, I'm so sorry! Did I cut you?!" Neville squeaked in shame, and before Harry could stop him reached through the small hole and felt around with concerned fingers.

"NO! No I-I'm fine. Just the shirt." He stammered quickly pulling away from Neville. "Thanks a lot Neville." Neville nodded his head, and moved forward to dress for bed.

Leaning back into his four poster Harry dearly hoped tomorrow would be a bit better. And maybe Ron would come to his senses and apologize. Drifting off into an uneasy sleep he realized this was the first time he'd ever actually seen Ron get upset with him. He didn't like the feeling very much at all.

"You should really talk to him, you know." Whipping around Ron saw Hermione sitting stonily in an armchair, her fuzzy pink bathrobe draped off one shoulder as she put the book she was reading on the small end table beside her cozy fireside chair in the common room.

"What are you doing up this early?" Ron asked hurriedly, and perhaps a little more snappish then he meant to as he saw Hermione's lips twitch into a frown resembling something like McGonagall's.

"I could ask you the same question." She retorted.

"I-I couldn't sleep anymore. I got hungry. Thought I might go ahead for some breakfast."

"Are you sure you're not trying to avoid Harry?" Hermione asked calmly, as she often did, to lead him to an answer he was unwilling to find himself.

"And so what if I am?! Don't think you can just butt into this Hemione!"

"Oh, like it won't concern me if you both suddenly stop talking over this nonsense? I'll be thrust in the middle and you know it!" She prickled dangerously, and Ron knew he'd get absolutely nowhere by shouting back at her.

"You don't actually think Harry put his name into the goblet do you?" She always spoke with the air of already knowing the answers before she got them. It irritated Ron to no end. Ron thought about last night after his name was called, and with a hard swallow realized it had been to him Harrry's face swiveled to meet first.

'I didn't do it. I didn't put my name in,' Harry whispered fervently. 'You know I didn't, Ron.' His face was stark white, beautiful green eyes pleading with him silently….

"No, I guess not. But how else-"

"That was an extremely powerful object to get past, even if he really wanted to Harry couldn't have. You'd have to make it think you were from a completely different school I expect… How else would him and Cedric both have been chosen?" Ron looked down at his shoes, dreading the onslaught he knew was coming.

Ron's POV

"So, why are you really mad at him?" Ron couldn't meet her gaze.

"It's just….always him, you know?" Ron said quietly to his shoes after a time.

"So you're jealous, because he gets all this attention you know very well he doesn't want. And for the most part, can't even control?" Hermione's temper was rising again, he was sure she was going to wake someone by shouting.

"I've been quiet about it for a long time! And it's not about him…" Ron trailed off into mumbles embarrassed that he'd said anything.

"What? What is it about then?" Hermione's voice was unusually soft. Ron looked back up to meet her gaze, and seeing her eyes sparkle with concern a bunch of words he hadn't even meant to say were tumbling out of him faster than he could catch them.

"Everyone already things he's so great because of… everything. And now they're going to pay even more attention to him.."

"Ron wha- Who?"

"Everyone! Just… girls giggling around corners at him, and guys staring at him. Everyone thinks he's so great, and I'm just Ron! Just…poor, and- and-" Ron gestured wildly. "And one day he's just going to forget I exist anyway…"

"You think Harry is going to forget you exist? Ron.. What exactly is going on?" Ron felt his hands tremble, he couldn't have this conversation with Hermione. He loved his friend very much, but how could he tell her any of his private…? Without a thought, he started backward.

"I can't talk about this. I- I'll be at breakfast." Hermione finally rose from her armchair and made a movement as if to stop him, but he darted around her and bustled out of the portrait hole and down the stairs.

Harry' POV

"Have you seen Ron?" Harry interrupted, Hermione thought she saw some hint of longing in his eyes as he questioned her.

Erm…yes…he was at breakfast," she said as evenly as possible, thinking back to the odd exchange with him this morning. Something definitely wasn't right about this whole thing, but she couldn't quite put the pieces into place. Ron was having some definite problems that he didn't seem keen on sharing with her. She thought she almost knew what was going on, if she could just think….

"Does he still think I entered myself?"

"Well…no, I don't think so… not really," said Hermione awkwardly, debating on how much information she should share. She wasn't even sure she understood it all to be honest. Until then she didn't think it a good idea to try to explain it.

"What's that supposed to mean, 'not really'?"

'Good question,' Hermione thought bracingly. She launched into the explanation she knew, that when people saw Harry they just sort of ignored Ron. At the sight of his face she apologized, but didn't know how to explain what she thought might be going on without jumbling up Ron's intentions. This would be so much better if she could get the two to talk. She implored him to speak Ron again, but nothing doing. Even the prospect of borrowing Pigwidgeon to write to Sirius wasn't getting any results. On the trek back to the castle she thought once again about Ron and his strange reaction. She'd never seen him that nervous before, it wasn't just concern for Harry though she was sure that was part of it.

She definitely understood Ron's need for a companion, especially being overshadowed by siblings when more often than not your only friends during childhood ARE your siblings. How must he have felt when Harry Potter befriended him, when he himself had felt nothing about him was friendship worthy…

But Ron had plenty of friends now that he was at school, of course she know that him and Harry and herself were exceptionally close. Ron was by no means unpopular however. Something about his face this morning when he was speaking of Harry rubbed Hermione in a weird way. She desperately wished she could look something up in the library.

"What are you looking like that for?" Jolting her back to her senses she looked at Harry.

"Nothing, I just want to get to the library."

"Is this about spew again?" Harry asked, somewhat exasperated.

"What? No!," she said a bit too loudly. Harry stared at her. "No, it's about Ron. I just need to figure something out." Harry's head snapped forward, convinced not to listen to another word about Ron.

"He was acting a bit strange this morning, I just need to look something up that I think might help him." She said offhand, knowing his curiosity was peeked, and despite himself was listening hard.

They walked in almost complete silence back up to the caste to send Sirius' letter and it wasn't until they were finally walking back down from the Owlery that he finally cracked.

"So, what's his problem do you think?" Harry said in a very fixed tone, not looking at her. Hermione paused, about to answer and instead changed her mind.

"How about you ask him? It might help his mood to know that you care." Harry's cheeks tinted slightly.

"Care?! I don't care…" But judging by his face, Hermione was willing to bet a large sack of galleons that he most certainly did.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

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