Pansy Parkinson had a face that resembled a pug's. Harry noticed this for the first time when he had reached the Great Hall for lunch with Ron and Hermione the following week.

"There they are, there they are!" She had giggled to Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent and their friends, a copy of Witch Weekly magazine in her hand,"You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!" Pansy said loudly, throwing the magazine at Hermione.

When they sat down, Hermione flipped through the first few pages before landing on the article Pansy had been talking about. Ron and Harry read over her shoulder.

HARRY POTTER'S SECRET HEARTACHE

A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggleborn Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss.

Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgaria Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him over the summer holidays, and insists that he has 'never felt this way about any other girl'. Miss Granger turned him down, for he 'had to get it into his head that she simply didn't like him'.

However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms which have captured these unfortunate boys' interest.

"She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student,"but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."

Love Potions are of course banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.

No one spoke.

"Bloody hell." Ron said after a while.

"I know." Hermione nodded.

"That's not...that's completely unfair!" Harry objected.

Hermione folded up the magazine,"Yes, well, it's Rita Skeeter. I just want to know how she heard Viktor asking me to visit him-"

"When was that?" Harry asked quickly,"What did you say?"

"Rita already told you what I said." Hermione sniffed,"I told him no. But how did she know that?"

The boys shrugged. Hermione turned to the Slytherin table and smiled sarcastically at Pansy. Unfortunately for Hermione, however, the ordeal did not end there.

The following morning at breakfast, Hermione received multiple letters from unknown senders. The first read:

You are a wicked girl. Harry Potter deserves better. Go back where you came from, Muggle.

The next read:

Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you.

Another read:

I read in Witch Weekly about how you are playing Harry Potter false and that boy has had enough hardship and I will be sending you a curse by next post as soon as I can find a big enough envelope.

Another particularly horrid one had sent her a gift with the message:

You deserve to be boiled in frog-spawn.

With that had been rather a lot of undiluted Bubotuber pus, a yellowish green liquid that smelt strongly of petrol and caused her hands to erupt in large, painful yellow boils. She had tried to rub it off to no avail. The following weeks got no better. Several of her ill-wishers sent her Howlers, which exploded at the Gryffindor table and shrieked insults at her for the whole Hall to hear.

"Hermione," Ron had said one breakfast after a particularly nasty Howler with some rather disrespectful language in it,"I can't believe you're still standing all this."

"Yes, well," Hermione had said matter-of-factly,"the insults don't bother me as much as how Rita Skeeter has been listening into my private conversations. I mean, she's suppose to be banned from the-"

Another owl swooped by, a fresh wad of hate mail and Howlers in his claws. With this, however, was the latest copy of Witch Weekly. At the Slytherin table, Pansy and Millicent were poring over their issue, sniggering at Hermione. Locating the article wasn't hard, as it was on the second page, and Hermione read it despite Harry's protests.

SCARLET WOMAN OF HOGWARTS: THE DEEPER TRUTH

An article in a recent issue of Witch Weekly gave readers input on romantic 'goings on' at Hogwarts involving a certain Miss Hermione Granger and her affairs with famous wizards. Inside reporter Rita Skeeter writes that Miss Granger has taken well to her newfound 'fame ' and has not let this stop her from toying with the hearts of many other boys, this time not so famous.

Dashing fourth-year student Ronald Weasley spoke on the matter of the school's recent Yule Ball,"Maybe there was someone else who - you know - actually liked her and wanted to ask Hermione to the Ball himself. Think what Harry'd have been doing to him. He could have asked anyone he wanted to the Ball. Someone who nobody else was going to ask. Someone he knew liked him and wasn't just going to say yes to him because she thought he was her only chance at getting a partner." Mister Weasley - a charming yet conventional boy - seems also very enamoured by Miss Granger and her recent publicity. He is often seen by her side - along with Harry Potter, of course - making sure she is all right after receiving hate mail.

"Ron!"

"I swear on Ginny's life I said nothing to that miserable sod of a woman!" Ron put his arms up, ears going startlingly pink,"And I am not conventional!"

Harry and Hermione didn't reply.

Charming Nigel Wolpert, a first-year student, says,"Goodness, Hermione Granger's great. Pity everyone hates her, at the minute, though. I still reckon she looks as pretty as she did on Christmas at the Ball. I didn't go myself, but I saw loads of pictures. I have to say, I'm extremely jealous of Harry and Viktor at the moment. They're right on her line of fire, so to speak." Broadening her horizons to younger boys won't go down well with Miss Granger's ill-wishers, I'll daresay.

Though it isn't just Hogwarts outsiders who have been against our infamous scarlet woman recently. Apparently, Miss Granger has been making many an enemy within Hogwarts.

Pansy Parkinson - a fourth-year student amongst these enemies - said,"She's the worst. Everyone likes her, but she's a complete fake, everyone knows that. At least my boyfriend hates her too. I don't know what I'd do if Draco fell in love with her."

Startlingly attractive fourth-year Draco Malfoy writes,"Hermione Granger's really ugly. She punched me in the face last year, and Dumbledore didn't care one bit. And now he isn't doing anything about the Love Potion claims! Ridiculous!"

Ravishing Lavender Brown has been wanting vengeance on Miss Granger for reasons she currently refuses to speak of. She was interviewed, but her words were most unbecoming and far too uncouth for this article.

All we can do is hope that Dumbledore opens his eyes and realises the potential danger our scarlet woman has been causing.

"That woman is ruining my life." Hermione moaned, stuffing the magazine into her bag.

Ron frowned,"How's she hearing all this stuff? I swear I said nothing against you." Harry and Hermione looked at him accusingly. "Not to Skeeter, anyway." He mumbled.

"Maybe she's got you bugged." Harry suggested. Whilst he was explaining to Ron what 'bugged' meant to Muggles, Hermione was gaping at him. "What?" Harry asked.

"Say that again."

"Maybe she's got you bugged." Harry repeated uneasily.

"Brilliant!" She breathed,"I've got to go to the library. I'll meet you in the common room later." Before the boys could say anything, she was off.

Harry felt sure that she was going to be okay in the end. He couldn't say the same for himself.

***********

"Could I haff a vord?" Krum appeared out of seemingly nowhere one evening.

"Um...sure." Harry said, suddenly dreading his death.

"Vill you valk vith me? Ve don't vant to be overheard."

"Okay."

"I vant to know," Krum started slowly, glowering,"vot there is between you and Herm-own-inny."

Harry nearly choked. "Nothing."

Krum bared his teeth,"Tell ve truth."

"I am!" Harry said exasperatedly,"We're friends. She's not my girlfriend and she never has been. It's just this Skeeter woman making things up."

"You spend time vith her lots, no?" Krum eyed him suspiciously.

"Yeah," Harry grimaced,"because we're friends."

"You haff never - you haff not...but you ask her to Ball after you give me permy-one to go vith her myself!"

"Well, maybe I do like her," Harry went very pink,"but she doesn't like me back, okay? There's nothing going on between us and there never will be. Just...get that into your head."

"I see. You likes her?"

Harry nodded,"You like her?"

Krum nodded,"But she does not like us."

"I know."

"Harry Potter," Krum sighed,"I do not like you very much."

"At the moment, neither do I."

Once he got back to the common room, Harry found Hermione and Ron on the sofa. Ron seemed to be showing Hermione something. When he looked closer, Harry could see that it was a napkin.

"...and she wrote her address on the napkin for me!" Ron gushed.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Ron!" Hermione snapped,"She's...how old is she?"

"Thirteen."

"She's thir-oh. So, she's not that much younger than you. Is she in second year or third?"

"Second."

"Who's this?" Harry sat down next to Hermione.

"Ron is interested in a certain Gabrielle Delacour. They shared croissants this morning and now Ronald is in love with her." She rolled her eyes.

Harry grinned,"Fleur's little sister? Mate, you really think she'd like you?"

"Yeah! She gave me her address and told me to write to her." Ron beamed.

"Right," Hermione laughed,"I've got to go back to the library. I found some old spells you could try for the third task, Harry. I may be a while, so meet me by the Quidditch pitch tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning." She ordered,"Don't be late. I'm going to teach you some good spells I've found. The third task is only a week away, and you haven't practiced anywhere near enough spells."

"Okay." Harry replied, smiling as she walked away.

Ron flicked Harry hard in the arm,"Stop doing what Hermione tells you to."

"When in doubt," Harry insisted, staring after Hermione,"I do - and will continue to do - whatever Hermione tells me to ."

"Mental." Ron sighed before heading up to his dorm.

An owl suddenly swooped into the common room, a letter in his claw. Harry opened it to find that it was another coded message from Sirius. Muttering angrily under his breath, Harry tried his best to decode the numbers and found that Sirius was telling Harry to ensure his own safety and concentrate on the tournament before focusing on how powerful Voldemort was getting. Sirius instructed Harry to keep his friends close and to try not to fall out with anyone until everything was over.

Bloody hell, Harry thought, before going upstairs to get some rest before what was sure to be a tiring few hours the next morning with Hermione.