�How about you get us some drinks and I�ll go and say hello to my friends,� she said, out of breath.
�Sure,� said Krum, shortly and disappeared into the crowd. Hermione took a deep breath and went to sit down at Harry and Ron�s table.
�Hi!� said Harry, who wasn�t looking particularly happy to be there. Hermione noticed that Parvati was not there, and thought that Harry�s interest in a certain Chinese girl, who was near by had something to do with it. She decided to make converstaion with the two quiet boys.
�It�s hot, isn�t it?� she said. �Viktor�s just gone to get some drinks.�
To her surprise, Ron looked at her in a very unfriendly way.
�Viktor?� he said. �Hasn�t he asked you to call him Vicky yet?�
Hermione stared at him, wondering what she had said to make him so scathing.
�What�s up with you?� she asked.
�If you don�t know,� said Ron in a very childish way. �I�m not going to tell you.�
Hermione frowned, completely puzzled. She knew that he wasn�t exactly enjoying himself, but why was he taking it out on her?
All she could think of to say was: �Ron, what-?�
�He�s from Durmstrang!� shouted Ron. �He�s competing against Harry! You�re � you�re fraternising with the enemy, that�s what you�re doing!�
Hermione stared at him. His red hair was ruffled and bits were falling over his narrowed, angry eyes. Hermione had never seen him like this before and she didn�t understand it. He was the one who LOVED Krum! He even had a model of him! She made a point of telling him this, now.
But he ignored this point. �I suppose he asked you to come with him while you were both in the library?�
How did he know that, thought Hermione. It was true, Krum had said that he�d been coming to the library every day to try and talk to her � he was so sweet! She told Ron this, but he didn�t care.
�That�s his story� he said, coldly. She stared at him. She had never known him to be so nasty.
�What�s that supposed to mean?� she said, her eyes narrowing. He replied that Krum was trying to get at Harry � and using her to do it.
Hermione�s jaw dropped. He had gone too far this time. The ONLY person who happened to like her was a fraud, according to Ron, because of course, no-one could ever fancy her, she thought, tears filling her eyes.
�He hasn�t asked me one single thing about Harry, not one-�
But Ron wasn�t listening. He then claimed that Hermione was helping Krum work out his egg! As if Hermione would deliberately go against Harry like that?! What was Ron thinking?
�I�d never help him work on that egg!� she tried but she knew Ron didn�t believe her.
�This whole tournament�s supposed to be about getting to know foreign wizards and making friends with them!� she shouted.
�No it isn�t!� he shouted back. �It�s about winning!�
Hermione didn�t know what to say. She could feel peoples� gazes on the back of her neck, but she didn�t care. Why was Ron acting like this? Harry tried to convince Ron that he didn�t mind about Krum, but he wouldn�t listen.
�Why don�t you go and find Vicky, he�ll be wondering where you are!�
This was the last straw. She didn�t care any more � he could be a stupid little boy if he wanted. She wasn�t going to stick around to watch.
�Don�t call him Vicky!� she spat and, pusing her chair back, she stormed into the crowd. She could feel tears filling her eyes, and all she wanted to do was be on her own, away from the staring students. She ran up to Gryffindor Common roon and slumped into a chair, tears pouring down her face. All she could think of was Ron�s angry face, his horrible comments aimed directly at�her! What has she done wrong? Of course her going to the ball with Vicktor would not mean that she was against Harry! She didn�t think about Krum being the enemy for a second! And neither did Harry for that matter. So why was it such a problem for Ron? Maybe it was just that he was having such a rotton time with Padma and when he saw Hermione enjoying herself he felt annoyed. But Ron had never been that childish before! And now he hated her. Tears fiiled her eyes as she thought of losing Ron. She couldn�t bear it, and over something as stupid as this! If he had only asked her to the ball sooner, then she wouldn�t have gone with Krum and none of this would have ever happened.
Hermione stopped crying suddenly. What had she just wished? That she had gone to the ball with�Ron?! Did�did she have feelings for Ron? No, she answered herself immediately. He�s just a friend, someone she gets on with really well, someone who defends her when malfoy�s being horrible and someone she can argue as much as she liked with, who wouldn�t take it the wrong way. She had once thought about Ron feeling something for her�.but she dismissed that idea last year, when she had gone to hug him after the Scabbers crisis, and he hadn�t hugged back. In fact he seemed really uncomfortable with being so close to her. No, he definitely did not feel anything more than friendship for her.
Just then. She heard a voice at the portrait hole. �Herm-own-ninny?�
Hermione smiled, wiping away her tears. Krum had come to find her. She opened the portrait door and let him in. He looked concerned as they sat down together on a sofa.
�You haff been crying, Herm-own-ninny?�
�Yes�no..well not really. It doesn�t matter any more.�
Krum paused for a moment, thinking. The he said: �Is it�someone else�a boy you like?�
Hermione looked down at the floor. �He doesn�t like me, not any more,� she said quietly.
�Then he doesn�t deserve you.� Krum said gently.
Hermione looked back up at him, smiling. She then frowned. �Viktor�why didn�t you ask me out earlier?�
Krum looked embarrassed. �It is silly�.� He drifted off.
�No, tell me,� prompted Hermione.
�I thought�that�well..you had someone else, who you liked more than me.�
Hermione looked into his eyes. �Who?�
�It doesn�t matter,� he repeated. �I know you don�t like him in that way. I was just being stupid.�
�Please tell me. Do you mean Harry � because we�re just ��
�No. I meant Ron. Ron Weasley.�