So, maybe the past week hadn't gone exactly as planned. Ron had been increasingly infuriating (did he think her so pathetic that she would reject him and just make up a date), Harry was upset because Cedric had asked out Cho first (Hermione felt sorry for the Patil twins, really she did) and Fred had asked out Angelina in front of them all. Hermione scolded herself because she should not be sad about that. She should not care that Fred Weasley was going to the Yule Ball with someone else. Hermione was going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. International Quidditch star, Tri-Wizard Champion, decidedly handsome and fairly quiet.

"Damn!" Lavender broke through Hermione's slowly spreading smile. "Holy... Hermione you look..."

Hermione smiled, showing off her shrunken teeth. Her parents might just kill her yes, but it was entirely worth it. At least she would not get an angry letter if her father ever saw a picture of her dress, it was already approved. Just... modified to be slightly more revealing than he may recall.

"Who're you going with?" Lavender demanded, more curious than anything else.

"Seamus is taking you right?" Hermione muttered, grabbing her pair of heels from the corner of her trunk.

"Just as friends," shrugged Lavender. "But whoever is taking you- you're looking for more than friendship."

"Cooperation between the schools-" Hermione stopped, covering her big fat mouth with her hands. She'd said too much.

"He's foreign!" squealed Lavender. "Do you- omigod! We're going to be late!"

Lavender ran out of the dormitory without another word. Hermione grabbed her lip gloss and applied one last coat nervously before wobbling out after her. How the hell had Lavender run in these? Sure, Hermione had broken in these shoes and hobbled around the dormitory in them once or twice but running? Running was for trainers!

The halls were virtually empty the entire way down to the Great Hall. She saw the 4 champions, Harry looking forlornly after Cho as she smiled and laughed at something Cedric had said.

But beyond the champions was, if Hermione had to guess, about half of Hogwarts and a majority of the foreign students. Her eyes found him without even trying; he stood out from the crowd as always. He was barely taller than Ron, and therefore taller than a majority of the student population. His bright red hair and ever present twin didn't hurt either.

Nor did his persistent stare. And his wink, visible across almost the entire entrance hall, that was pretty telltale, as such things go.

Hermione dragged her gaze from one devishly attractive Quidditch player to another, and finished her descent down the steps, taking Viktor Krum's arm. Hermione tried her very best to ignore Ron's awed and angry glare, instead proceeding with as much grace as she could muster into the Great Hall.

Hermione danced the night away with Krum. Her attempts at communication were generally stumped by his noncommital grunting or a low chuckle and brutal mispronunciation of her name. At least when Fred-

No. This night was not about Fred, or how he seemed to have disappeared, leaving a still ecstatic Angelina to dance with George.

This night was not about Ron and his childish- Angelina really didn't seem troubled at all, and Hermione couldn't help but wonder if Fred asked Angelina out for the sole purpose of pushing her onto George. She couldn't help but wonder if George had been too shy to ask her. Though a shy Weasley twin was difficult indeed to imagine.

So where had Fred gone to? Hermione huffed, leaving Harry and Ron in search of him. Had she asked Krum to get drinks for them? Hermione wandered by the food, couldn't stop herself snatching a chocolate covered strawberry or two. Then she spun in a circle, looking for Fred and Viktor. She slowed slightly, finding herself stared at. These looks only worsened when Viktor came back, staggering slightly. He took her hand a bit roughly, a dim smile stretching his lips as he pulled her away from the Great Hall.

For the first time, Hermione felt like every girl absolutely hated her. Or the shallow ones anyway. They sent glares after her like hexes, following her progress as Viktor lead her out away from the noise of the party. Glancing back, she saw Harry looking miserable. She felt bad that he hadn't had the nerve to ask Cho out but honestly, what did he expect, waiting to the last minute? And Ron? Hermione didn't even want to think about that particular red head. Or his brother.

She caught sight of George out on the dance floor with Angelina. She wondered if Fred was feeling alright.

By the way Viktor was stumbling, he'd had a few too many beverages. Hermione hadn't touched the stuff, she didn't need it to have a good time. Perhaps he'd drunk them while she had slipped off...

When they were out of sight of most the prying eyes, Viktor stopped, pushing Hermione against the ancient stone walls outside the Great Hall. The way he looked down at Hermione made her shiver, but not in a good way. His gaze had become almost hungry. Hermione knew that if she let him, Viktor would ruin her memories of the night. She also knew Viktor would have no memories after his 4th glass of the bubbly drink he'd downed about 9 of.

"I had a nice night," Hermione said quietly, "I think I'm going to head upstairs-"

"No," Viktor murmured, "Stay."

"Listen, Viktor-"

Viktor leaned down to try and kiss her, but Hermione tilted her head away. Viktor growled strangely, grabbing her face roughly and holding her in place. Hermione tried to push Viktor of as he kissed her forcefully, but she was not strong enough to budge the Quidditch player.

There was a streak of black and orange, and Viktor was gone, replaced by a second Quidditch player.

"Don't touch her!" Fred Weasley all but spat, glaring at the drunken international star, "Fuck off!"

Immediately there was a pack of girls surrounding Krum, though none had seen what had happened. Fred wrapped his arm protectively around Hermione's slim waist and guided her to an old, unused classroom.

"I didn't need your help," Hermione mumbled.

"I'm sorry, were you actually enjoying that?!" Fred pointed at the door, in the worst mood Hermione had ever seen the prankster. He shook his head, "You're not as smart as I thought."

"Isn't that just how snogging goes? The guy gets wasted and-"

"That's not how it's supposed to go," Fred said softly. Hermione closed her eyes briefly as her imagination soared off. This was how she had only dreamed her night would go, her ending up alone with Fred without either of their dates-

"Where is Angelina?" Hermione asked, forcing herself to recognize reality. Fred ran his hand through his hair, and Hermione almost laughed. His hair really was out of control right then, though it had been all year.

"She's with George," Fred shrugged, "We planned it; George wanted to ask but chickened out. Can't imagine why."

"So you don't care that she's out there with your twin," Hermione said, biting her lip.

"What is that smile for?" Fred asked, stepping closer to her, so close she could smell faint traces of... Gun powder and some kind of wood maybe? Fred grinned his heart shattering half smile, "He won't care that I'm in here with you."

Hermione tried to pull her eyes from his depthless brown ones with varying degrees of success. "Thanks for... um, with Vikt- Krum..."

She turned to leave, blushing profusely, but Fred gracefully grabbed her hand and spun her close to him, as if they were dancing. Fred rested both hands on either side of her waist and begun to sway slightly. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck loosely as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. After a short while, he bent down and kissed her softly, surprising her.

"That's how snogging should go," Fred said with a wink.

Hermione, unsure of what to say or do, backed away, eyes wide, hand touching her lips softly, and left Fred standing there, grinning. He couldn't remember how long he'd wanted to do that for. At least she hadn't smacked him.

Hermione was smiling faintly as she wandered back toward the Great Hall. She caught sight of Ron then, and though she wasn't all that found of Krum herself at the moment, she threw him a cold glare at rushed up the stairs.

"What'd you do?" Fred asked his little brother as he too left the classroom, slightly pissed, slightly amused.

"She was fraternizing with the enemy, she was," Ron said, which wasn't really much of an explanation. For a moment Fred was worried a ghost had already told the school about that Weasley boy and Granger. Then he remembered about Krum.

"She's allowed to snog who she wants," Fred shrugged. Ron trudged up the stairs, wearing a hilariously grumpy frown.

A few moments later, Harry followed, looking deep in thought and confused.

"Weasley!" Fred turned to see Cedric Diggory, who he hadn't yet forgiven for beating Gryffindor in Quidditch last year.

"Yes, Diggory?" Fred asked suspiciously.

"Is Granger all right?" He asked, "I saw you tackle Krum earlier."

"She went up to bed," Fred answered.

"Has she been... helping Krum? They're always in the library, I heard." Diggory said quietly.

Fred laughed off Diggory's suspicion, "I'd be more worried about her helping the giant squid. She's a Gryffindor, loyalty is kind of what we do."

Still laughing a little to himself, Fred went upstairs, finding the Fat Lady worse off than Krum.

If he ever decided to give up jokes, which he had vowed to never do, his next invention would be some sobering sweet. By morning, half the school was begging for a hang-over vanisher.