"Hello. It is very nice to meet you." Krum said a bit uncertainly, then looked towards Hermione who was smiling and nodding. The others all said hello to Krum and the two champions shook his hand.
"That was great, Viktor!" Hermione said proudly. "English isn't his first language, but he is getting much better at it." Krum nodded then turned towards Harry with a very serious look on his face.
"Potter," he began, "I vant you to know that I vould never use Herm-eye-ninny's friendship against you in the tournament." It took Krum a while to get the sentence out completely, especially when he came to Hermione's name. Harry nodded, understanding what the Bulgarian was trying to say.
"Thank you, but I didn't think Hermione would tell you anything I wouldn't want her to." Harry answered. Hermione rushed over and hugged Harry, having obviously been worried about how he would react. Krum looked happy that Harry wasn't angry at Hermione, but a little upset that she was hugging him. Harry inwardly laughed a little and guided Hermione back to Krum's side.
"So Harry, now you know who my date is. Where is yours?" Hermione asked.
"I thought she would be here by now. She's -" Harry paused, seeing the door begin to open. "Here."
At this everyone turned to look towards the door as Daphne walked in. Her dress was black and silver, made from the finest materials, and fit her perfectly. Harry rushed towards the door to meet her, the whole time wearing a silly grin on his face. As he led Daphne over to the group Hermione let out a small gasp when she finally recognized who Harry's date was. Harry's eyes had not left Daphne since she came in, and she was also smiling brightly at her date.
"You look amazing. I mean, really… uhh… wow." Harry stammered, trying to think of the right thing to say. Apparently what he said was close enough because she gave him a small hug and took his hand as they approached the group. "Everybody, this is Daphne Greengrass…" Harry said and began introducing everyone. The whole time Hermione was looking back and forth at Harry and Daphne with a look of suspicion on her face.
"I wasn't aware that you two knew each other." Hermione stated, practically begging them to explain what was going on.
"Oh yes," Daphne answered, "we've known each other since first year. Isn't that right?" She looked at Harry who nodded in agreement, causing Hermione's look of suspicion to deepen. Harry, seeing what Daphne was doing to Hermione, was trying not to laugh. The rest of the group could feel the tension in the air and was looking at the three a bit nervously.
"That's right. She's been a good friend to me when I've needed it, Hermione, especially this year." Harry replied. Hermione grimaced a bit at his comment, but nodded anyway. Harry was watching her, trying to judge how his friend would react to the revelation. Hermione seemed to be processing the new information, unsure of what to do. Finally, she made her decision.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Hermione said, turning to look directly at Daphne. "I hope that any friend of Harry's could be a friend of mine." Harry smiled, breathing a small sigh of relief. The tension in the room relaxed a little.
"Of course." Daphne answered. "We both know he needs all the friends looking out for him he can get." Harry's smile dropped a little as he noticed the two girls turn his attention towards him and wondered when he had become the focus of the conversation. He looked to Cedric, hoping for a little help but his fellow champion was laughing.
"Right, I tend to do crazy things." Harry said with a shrug. He sensed that though Hermione had accepted his relationship with Daphne, she still wasn't entirely comfortable with it. Daphne, on the other hand, was trying to be friendly because she knew it would make the situation easier on the both of them. He would just have to hope things turned out for the best.
"So you're the one who has been helping Harry with the tournament this whole time." Hermione realized. "He accidently let it slip that someone other than Neville or myself was helping him but would never say who."
"Yeah, she is even the one who suggested trying to talk to the dragon. I thought the idea was nuts." Harry replied.
"But you were the one who went through with it and even let the dragon get close enough to lick you." Daphne reminded him. Harry shrugged and didn't argue with her point. Hermione was watching them interact with each other, trying to determine how close they actually were to each other.
"Harry, what did you say to that dragon?" Cedric asked. "Everyone wanted to know but you never really said anything about it." The question had gotten Krum's attention as well.
....
Join my P*atreon to enjoy 60+ advanced chapters.
Link: p*atreon.com/ScarletRosee (Remove the *)
Free members can get 2+ advanced chapters FOR FREE.