Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Harry Potter Franchise or its characters. All characters used are the property of their respective owners.

Rated M for violence, language, & sexual themes.

Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll to decide which story I would write next. The results, in order from least votes to most, were:

Modern Crusaders: 11 votes

12 Grimmauld Place: 18 votes

Heart-Shaped Box: 40 votes

Untitled Harry/Hermione/Emma: 44 votes

Untitled Story Prompt (winner): 55 votes

So, from here, I will publish the top three place getters one at a time and the two lowest will be sent back to the shop for fine-tuning.

This is a Horcrux free zone.

Warning: Manipulative Dumbledore & Weasley Bashing (Ron, Molly, & Ginny.)

Where the Wild Roses Grow 1

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Scotland

December 10, 1994

Harry emerged from his meeting with Professor McGonagall in a sort of daze, he'd just been informed that he needed a date for the Yule Ball, which he was required to attend as a Champion. He was averse to attention at the best of times but making a fool of himself in front of three schools and embarrassing his date wasn't Harry Potter's idea of a good night.

Harry's idea of a good night was curled up with a book in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, preferably with Hermione by his side. Harry paused mid-step in the corridor, he'd had the thought about reading a book in front of the fire before, but this was the first time Hermione had accompanied that thought. Not that he was opposed to it, quite the opposite, he liked the idea of cud… sitting with Hermione. "I meant sitting," He muttered admonishingly.

"Sitting where Harry?" A voice asked from behind him.

Harry looked up and around to find himself staring into the pretty brown eyes of Ginny Weasley. Harry had to blink, since when did he consider Ginny's eyes pretty. How much time had he to consider whether she was pretty or not, given that in the three years she'd known him Ginny had fled from any room he was in due to her crush. Harry rubbed the side of his head as he felt a headache coming on.

"Uh, its nothing, can I help you, Ginny?" Harry asked wanting more than anything to get out of there and get a pain relief potion from Madam Pomfrey.

"Well, McGonagall…"

"Professor McGonagall, Ginny," Harry reminded.

"Oh, sure, well, Professor McGonagall said there was going to a Ball to go along with the Tournament. I was wondering since Ron will probably be going with Hermione…"

Harry frowned. "Why would Ron be going with Hermione?"

"He fancies her, I thought you knew that, besides, it's not like anyone else will want to go with her…" Ginny explained, muttering the last part.

Harry's disposition darkened at this comment. "Firstly, if Ron fancies Hermione, you'd think he'd treat her better. Also, I think you'd be surprised at how many people would want to go with Hermione."

"Oh yeah, like who?" Ginny challenged.

"Me."

Ginny's eyes widened. "B-but you're going with me, right?"

Harry scowled. "I think that's for me to decide, don't you? You're a nice girl, most of the time, but you have this creepy fixation with me, and I'm sorry if that sounds rude, but it is creepy. You see me as the Boy-Who-Lived and not Harry. Hermione sees me as Harry and just Harry, and that's what I want."

"For a date?"

"For a relationship!" Harry yelled, then quickly snapped his mouth shut. "You didn't hear that Ginny…"

"Whatever…" Ginny replied in a huff walking away, knocking into Harry as she left.

Harry shook his head and rubbed it again, Ginny was doing something different with her perfume, it smelled of treacle tart and something else. It was two competing smells, but the dominant one was old parchment.

Harry took a breath as his head began to clear and he resumed his path to the library, he was determined to talk to Hermione before someone else did. Unfortunately, as he cut through the stacks to reach her table, he heard something that made him stop and his blood run cold.

"You are Her-my-ninny?"

"It's Hermione, how can I help you, Mister Krum?"

"Please call me Viktor, there is to be a Yule Ball, I would like you to accompany me."

"Are you asking me?" Hermione asked Harry could see over the books that Hermione was blushing.

"Da."

Harry could see that Hermione was weighing up the options in her head, it was that cute expression she would get where her eyebrows would knit together, and she'd bite her lower lip. He loved that expression, it meant she was thinking. Harry crossed his fingers and hoped the next thing Hermione said was no.

"Ok, I think that could be fun," Harry's heart sank as he walked away. "but only as friends, right?"

"Da."

"Well, I'm looking forward to it."

"As am I."

Hermione glanced in the direction of the stacks, she'd been almost sure someone had been watching them during her exchange with Viktor, but no one was there.

Harry wandered around the castle until it was about an hour before curfew. He'd missed dinner but he didn't much care, he spent the entire walk berating himself for not reaching Hermione sooner. As he'd told Ginny, plenty of guys wanted to ask Hermione to the Ball, he'd just never anticipated it wouldn't be him she would say yes too. Now he was caught in two minds, he was at first worried why a Seventeen-year-old boy would ask a Fifteen-year-old girl to be his date. But there was another part of him that was intensely jealous, and he couldn't decide if his concern about Hermione going with someone two years older than her was genuine or just an excuse so he could convince her to go with him.

Harry gave Hermione a weak smile as they entered the Gryffindor Common Room, Hermione turned to say something to Harry when Ron walked up. "Hey, Hermione, did you hear about the Ball?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry before she turned around. "Yes, Ronald, I have heard about the Ball, I was there in class with you when Professor McGonagall announced it, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I guess I'd tuned the old bat out by then," Ron replied, ploughing on before Hermione could respond. "Anyway, since I figured you wouldn't have a date, I'd let you go with me!"

Harry facepalmed at this as Hermione gaped in shock. "You'd let me go with you?"

"Yeah, I mean who else is going to ask you," Ron replied.

Hermione smirked at this. "Well, actually, Ronald, I've agreed to be Viktor Krum's date."

Harry winced and looked away, he caught Ginny's shocked but smug expression but chose to ignore it. Ron laughed. "Pull the other one Herms."

"Don't call her that Ron, besides she's telling the truth, I was there…" Harry added making Hermione turn around to face him.

"I could feel someone watching, but I didn't know who," She commented.

Harry shrugged. "You were busy, I didn't want to interrupt."

"But you didn't come over and join me after he left…" Hermione observed, sounding slightly dejected.

Harry wanted to respond but Ron cut into their conversation, grabbing Hermione by the arm. "What the hell are you doing going with Krum?!"

Harry reached out but Hermione was able to shake Ron off before he got to them. "What do you mean, why am I going with him?"

"He's the enemy! He's going up against Harry in the tournament!"

"A tournament you thought I'd cheated my way into a few weeks ago," Harry observed.

Ron's ears went pink at Harry's observation. "Y-yeah, well, it's not right, you shouldn't go with him. Everyone knows you're Harry Potter's friend, he's probably just going with you to pump you for info on what Harry's figured out for the second task!"

Hermione scowled. "Did you think that someone might want to go with me because they like me?"

Harry winced and looked down at the ground at this point. Ron scoffed. "Oh yeah, because a famous Quidditch player would so want to go with a bu…"

Harry was in front of Ron in a flash, putting himself between Hermione and Ron. "For the sake of our friendship, I'm going to ask you not to say what you're about to say."

"Or what?"

"Or I'm going to punch you in the face," Harry replied quietly.

Ron simply glared at Harry, then at Hermione and stalked away angrily, while Harry led Hermione to the other side of the Common Room, to a seat near the fire. "I can't believe him; how dare he accuse me of telling Viktor anything about what you're doing?"

"I know you wouldn't do that Hermione, but Ron is right in one sense."

"Oh?" Hermione asked icily.

"Well, it's just a bit weird that a Seventeen-Year-Old famous Quidditch Player would ask a Fifteen-Year-Old girl to be his date…"

"Is it, did you consider that maybe he asked me because he doesn't want to ask one of his vapid fangirls, that maybe he finds me interesting or beautiful?" Hermione asked angrily, ignoring the derisive snort from across the room.

"Those could be the reasons, but it's still weird and I think you should turn him down?"

"Do you, what gives you the right to tell me what to do, you're not my father!"

"But I am trying to look out for you, and I'm telling you not to go with Viktor Krum!"

"You don't get to tell me what to do Harry Potter, and until you realize that, don't talk to me!"

As Hermione stormed up to bed Harry scowled and looked down at the floor. He felt a slap on the arm and looked up into Ron's smiling face. "I knew you agreed with me."

Harry just glared at Ron. "Fuck off," He replied before going to bed himself.

December 11, 1994

Harry was up very early the next morning, he sat on the chair closest to the girl's dorm stairway. He knew Hermione was always an early riser, she liked to go over her homework before starting the day. He was right as a few minutes after he arrived, Hermione walked down the stairs. When she spotted him, she turned to walk back up, but Harry ran from his seat to the base of the stairs. "Hermione, can we talk, please?"

Hermione huffed and nodded reluctantly walking down to join him in the Common Room. It hurt him to see the redness of her eyes, and it hurt worse to know that he was the cause of her crying. Harry reached out and gathered her hands in his, partly to make sure she wouldn't run away. "First, I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Everything I said, specifically that Viktor Krum wouldn't want to go with you because you're not pretty or smart, you're both. I was and am genuinely worried about you, but… there was something else that made me not want you to go with him."

"Oh?"

Harry blushed. "I was jealous… I am jealous, I wanted to go with you, but Viktor beat me to it."

Hermione smiled and blushed. "I would have liked that, but I've already said yes…"

"I-I know, and you should go with him. I just hope you're ok with who I'm going to ask instead…"

"Depends on who it is."

Harry smiled rubbing the back of his head. "I'm going to ask, Fleur Delacour."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Harry shrugged. "I mean, if I can't ask the most beautiful girl in the castle to the dance, I should ask the second most beautiful girl."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Very smooth, shall we go to breakfast?"

"Sure, um…" Harry stopped, tugging Hermione back towards him. "Listen, n-next Hogsmeade weekend, would you like to go with me, o-on a date, u-unless, y-you know you and K-Krum…"

Hermione smiled and gave Harry a peck on the cheek. "I would love to go on a date to Hogsmeade with you."

Harry's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yes, Harry, I made it clear to Viktor that we're just friends, nothing more. It's like I said last night, I don't think he wants to give his fangirls any encouragement. He saw me and asked, that's all there is to it."

Harry nodded. "Ok, I'm glad."

Hermione giggled. "You are jealous."

Harry blushed. "Maybe…"

As Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall, he felt a tug on his arm. He turned to look at Hermione who nodded over to the Ravenclaw table. Fleur Delacour was sitting with a petite blonde with oversized eyes, she smiled serenely as her companion animatedly explained something to her.

"Now?!" Harry asked sounding nervous and slightly alarmed.

"If you don't do it now someone else is going to swoop in and ask, again." Hermione insisted.

Harry nodded and squared his shoulders marching up the Ravenclaw table with Hermione following a short distance behind as the eyes of the half-empty hall watched. "Good Morning Miss Delacour."

"Good Morning Mister…" Fleur began but stopped when Harry was elbowed out of the way by Roger Davies.

"Hey babe, go to the…" Roger began before stopping as a frowning Fleur let her Allure flare. Once she was certain Roger would be a drooling mess for the next few minutes, she returned her gaze to the girl sitting opposite.

"Um, Miss Delacour?" Harry asked again nervously.

Fleur turned around and raised a manicured eyebrow observing the boys around Harry who all had a vacant drooling expression about them. "Oui, how can I help you, Mister Potter?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Would you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Fleur regraded him for a full minute before nodding. "Oui, I think that would be acceptable."

Harry let out a sigh of relief, then blushed. "Sorry, I was very nervous coming over here to ask."

"As you should be," Fleur replied with a smirk. "Would you like to sit with us, oh, my companion, Luna Lovegood."

"I know who you are, Harry Potter, the wrackspurts have told me all about you," Luna replied when Harry reached over to shake her hand.

Harry paused for a moment, eyeing Fleur's companion hesitantly. Luna continued to smile. "It's ok Harry Potter, I know I say strange things. My Housemates call me Loony."

Both Fleur and Harry frowned. "That's not very nice, have you told Professor Flitwick?"

"He didn't do anything about it…" Luna mumbled.

"I see…" Harry replied looking up at the head table, where he spotted Professor Flitwick chatting to Professor McGonagall. His eyes wandered up the table to where Professor Dumbledore was sitting eating breakfast while reading the Daily Prophet. While he would never be able to prove it, he guessed that it was Dumbledore who had prevented Flitwick from stopping people harassing Luna. Dumbledore's standing in Harry's eyes had fallen significantly over the past few months after Sirius was forced back on the run, Harry had re-examined his interaction with the Headmaster, making a list of all the times he could have stepped in and stopped something happening and didn't. The results did not make for happy reading.

Harry shook his head. "If people keep harassing you, you can come to talk to Hermione or me, we'll try to help if we can."

Luna looked down at her plate. "Thank you."

"Luna, look at me?" Harry asked and Luna reluctantly complied. "You never need to thank me for being a friend."

"You want to be my friend?" Luna asked.

"I do if you want that?"

Luna nodded enthusiastically, which brought smiles to Fleur, Harry, and Hermione's faces. Harry gave the two girls a short bow. "Good day ladies."

Harry was about to walk back to Hermione when Fleur's voice drew him back. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?"

"As long as Hermione can join us too?"

Fleur smiled and nodded. "Oui, I would like that, I have heard many good things about her since I got to the castle."

Hermione returned Fleur's smile as the two sat down with Fleur and Luna. As they ate Harry glanced up, he could feel the hairs on his neck standing up, as if warning him that something was wrong, but when he looked around, he couldn't see anything amiss.

What Harry didn't see was the Headmaster observing him over his copy of the Daily Prophet. The paper also hid the frown that crossed his lips when he heard Harry invite the French Champion to the Yule Ball. Dumbledore could already feel the Molly Weasley induced headache developing behind his eyes, he was aware of Molly's plans for her daughter and the Boy-Who-Lived and none of those plans involved a beautiful French Veela. But Dumbledore would sit back and wait, nothing would be gained by alienating Harry and it was only the Yule Ball. Molly Weasley would have a son-in-law, she would just have to practice her rarely used patience, he decided.

Dumbledore groaned and shifted his paper further to hide from view when he caught sight of Ron Weasley entering the Great Hall. He sometimes wondered if the youngest Weasley boy was dropped on his head as a baby, it would explain many things. Regardless, while Ronald hadn't inherited his mother's shrewdness, he had inherited her temper, something he was making full use of at this moment.

"What the hell, you bloody traitor! I thought you sided with me!" Ron roared as he marched over to the Ravenclaw table.

Harry sighed as he rubbed his face. "The keyword there is you thought I agreed with you, Ron, I don't. I was being a prat to Hermione, she's allowed to go with anyone she wants and if she wants to go with Viktor Krum then I'll support her decision because she's my best friend."

Ron spluttered and glared at Hermione. "I know she's your best female friend Harry, but us guys…"

Harry stood up and put himself between Hermione and Ron. "No, I said my best friend, my best friend stood by me when my name came out of the Goblet, my best friend helped me research the best way to survive facing a Dragon. My best friend was there for me when everyone else in the castle turned on me. You did none of those things Ron, you've been a prat to both of us you've been a prat to Hermione for four years and you've never apologised. So I'm done with you, maybe one day, if you grow up and apologise for your behaviour we might be friends again until then you can piss off."

Harry held his hand out for Hermione. "We should go, we don't want to be late for class."

Hermione nodded and took his hand, the two-bid farewell to Fleur and Luna and walked out of the Great Hall. A couple of minutes later they stopped in an empty classroom and Harry sat down at one of the desks, burying his face in his hands. Hermione sat beside him, rubbing his shoulders gently. "Are you ok?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think so, he's been such a jerk recently I couldn't let it slide anymore."

"I know, but he was your first friend, are you sure…"

Harry turned in his chair to face Hermione, taking her hand in his. "I'm very sure, all you've done for three years is supported me and I've been a total prat about it. But not having Ron around gave me a lot of time to think, and I realised you're my best friend, not him, you act as a best friend should. So, I'm sorry for being a complete jerk when I got the Firebolt, I should have trusted you."

"Harry, you already apologised for that."

"I know, but I'm apologising again, I should have listened to you and not Ron. He's always been a jerk to you, and I was a coward for not saying something before now. I hope I can be a better friend from now on."

Hermione smiled and nodded, squeezing his hand gently. "You already are, and it's not cowardly to want to keep a friend. Ron knew he was your first friend and he used it so he could be horrible to people and get away with it. He's the bad person here, not you."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Hermione."

"You're welcome, now we need to get to class."

As Harry and Hermione exited their last class for the day, Harry heard someone calling his name. "Oh, hello Ginny."

Ginny stopped in the middle of the corridor, smiling brightly at Harry. "Could we talk, alone?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow glancing at Harry, who nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I'll meet you back in the Common room."

Harry followed Ginny down the corridor and quickly found an empty classroom, Harry reflected that it was only because of Voldemort that so many of these classrooms were empty. Before the first blood war there used to be many more magical children in the United Kingdom. Harry sat on a desk facing Ginny, the headache from the day before returning full force.

"So, are you going to ask me now?"

Harry blinked in confusion. "Ask you what?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ask me to go to the Yule Ball with you! Granger is going with Viktor Krum, so you missed your chance, but you still have a chance to go with me, but only if you ask first!"

Harry's eyes widened and he barked out a laugh which confused Ginny. "What's funny?"

"I'm just amazed what happened this morning hasn't reached every corner of the castle by now, Ginny, I asked Fleur Delacour to go with me at breakfast, I'm not and I don't want to go with you to the Yule Ball, or any ball. I don't like you that way."

"B-but why not!" Ginny demanded angrily.

Harry sighed rubbing the back of his head. "I told you this already, you like the Boy-Who-Lived, the one in those stupid books. That's not me, I'm just Harry Potter."

"But Harry Potter is the Boy-Who-Lived!" Ginny protested.

Harry shook his head. "No Ginny, the Boy-Who-Lived is a Dragon slaying, damsel saving fantasy, he's a character in a book. Harry Potter is a fourth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who must watch the girl he likes go to a Christmas ball with someone else because he wasn't quick enough to ask her first. The only thing we have in common is that Halloween night in nineteen eighty-one we lost our parents."

Harry gave Ginny a hard stare as he walked out of the classroom and back up to the Gryffindor Common Room. He sighed and shook his head as he dropped into a chair opposite Hermione who was already pouring over her homework. "Girl trouble?"

"Ginny trouble, she's convinced we should go to the Yule Ball together, I've turned her down twice now, but she doesn't seem to get it."

"She has a crush on you Harry, you've known that since you met her."

"She has a crush on the Boy-Who-Lived, there's a difference," Harry replied.

Hermione tapped her bottom lip with the end of her quill and nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right."

The two looked up when Ginny noisily entered the Common Room, she threw a glare in Harry's direction as she walked upstairs to the girl's dorm. Hermione sighed and looked down at her notes. "You should probably steer clear of the Twins for a while, they adore their little sister."

Harry groaned in response. "Where's a Dragon when you need one…"

To Be Continued…

Not sure I'm completely happy with how this started but it's a start none the less. I just wanted to get this out because I did promise I would get this published soon. There are a few other fandoms I want to jump back into this year, but I won't be straying far from Harry Potter.

Since I didn't get to thank everyone who left a review for the final chapter of Dangerous, I will do it here. So, thanks for the reviews:

Yaw6113, BMS, Chaos Snow Kitsune, IWantABetterWebsite, zenbone7 (x3), beccasullivanwrites1, Vanadir, AlphaPrime1, sykartracer, gamer85, firebird-fenix, mwinter1, aidansidhe, hpreader1974.