Betrothed
I was not happy. I was never happy. The closest I had come so far to being happy was when my parents told me I was betrothed to Cathy. However that was more of a resigned acceptance. Cathy was my best friend but she was just that. I had never thought of her in a romantic way but I suppose that doesn't matter. I had kissed her when our parents had announced the arrangements but quite honestly I did not love her. The kiss did nothing for me none of the mythical sparks flew and no fireworks went off. The kiss however did seem to please Cathy. At least one of us would be happy.
Thinking back now I must alter my statement I was never happy at home. At school with friends I smiled sometimes and I was happy when I played Quidditch too. But happy at home was something that never happened.
In my seventh year Karkaroff informed me that I would be traveling to England with him to a school called Hogwarts. Some of my classmates would go with us we would be entering the Triwizard Tournament. Cathy was distraught she had planned on visiting me a lot in my seventh year and now those plans were in ruins. I accepted Karkaroff's invitation and traveled to the school.
Upon arrival we quickly learned that our large fur coats and big wooly hats were not necessary. We sat surrounded by people dressed in black and green with a snake on their outer robes. I ate while staring at a girl who was being screeched at by a boy with bright red hair. She looked extremely annoyed and tried to tune him out while trying to eat. Finally she seemed to reach a breaking point as she spun on him, a fire in her eyes, and angrily said something. Afterwards she stood up and strolled out of the hall.
That night the goblet was open for names to be put in Karkaroff insisted I go that instant. So I set down my books in my large room and headed to the place where the goblet was. I walked in, my name already written on a paper I approached the goblet and placed it in. I turned and saw her sitting reading a book. I nodded to her and she smiled sweetly back at me.
The next morning at breakfast I led my friends from the Slytherin table to the one the lovely girl sat at. I tapped her shoulder and she turned with a glare on her face and her mouth open to say something. When she took in my appearance her mouth quickly shut and her eyes softened. A blush quickly rushed to her cheeks "Oh hello, I'm sorry for being so rude."
"Is not a problem," I said in my broken English.
She smiled sweetly "um would you like to sit?" she gestured to the empty bench next to her. My friends looked at me funny but I nodded and sat and they followed suit. I sat closest to the beautiful girl and my friends sat to the other side of me.
"Hermione!" a voice shrilled and loud clumsy footsteps could be heard on the floor.
She turned annoyance written on her face as she was about to say something. Why on earth did her name need to be so complicated? Why not something normal I would never be able to pronounce it.
"Hermione you have to help me!" the rude boy with red hair nearly toppled into her. "I couldn't find any of the potion ingredients," he confessed quickly.
Her face turned into one of livid anger as she stared up at him "I am not finding all seven things for you in one day you've had two weeks Ronald and I am not your nanny."
"I'm sorry Hermione," he said pathetically "I know it was irresponsible but you know where everything is." She sighed and a tired mature look settled on her young face.
"Fine Ronald but this is the last time I'm helping you." I silently wondered how many times she had said that.
She got up to be leaving with him. I stood grabbing a slice of toast and some bacon "perhaps I could be coming with you," I winced as I tried to say her name "Herm-io-ninny?" I heard my friends stifling a laugh by shoving something in their mouth. I felt slightly smug when Niko shoved eggs into his mouth, which he happened to hate.
She turned to me blushing lightly she opened her mouth to respond when the bumbling boy answered instead. "Hermione when did you become friends with Viktor Krum? And why didn't you tell us!"
She turned to him taking several deep breathes to calm herself "he just asked to sit with me this morning Ronald." She turned to me her face softening drastically "I have no idea why you would like to come hiking into the woods with us to find potion ingredients but I'd be happy for the company. Ron usually ditches me halfway through," she added the last part in a whisper.
I smiled triumphantly at her and bowed slightly and followed her outside. The boy was silent as we walked and had a worse staring problem than some of my fan girls. Hermione however talked comfortably with me. It was a bit obvious that she was shell shocked about my company but I suppose that I couldn't expect complete immunity to my fame.
After the trip into the woods to get everything for that forgetful and staring boy we returned to the castle. By that time Hermione and I had worked on some of my English. As a result I could now pronounce her name correctly, which relieved me to no end considering I had been so nervous about trying to pronounce it.
When I got out of my last period before lunch I walked with my friends down to the great hall. They nodded to her table and made kissy faces at me. I searched for her but I did not see her. I did however notice that her red haired friend sat there with the fourth champion. "Excuse," I said tapping his shoulder. He turned and his mouth nearly fell open. I looked to the other boy for help "vere is Hermione?"
"Oh she's in the library, if she's not here at meal time she's there," he smiled kindly at me.
I nodded my thanks grabbed a sandwich and headed for the library. I noticed that I already had a group of girls following me. Two to be clear. One full of girls from this school and another full of girls from the other foreign school. I sighed annoyed but continued without bothering to say anything to them. I reached the library and saw her buried by a table full of books. I debated for a moment about whether I should sit with her or not. I decided not and took a seat a little ways away from her and simply watched her. I noticed her look up a few times and glare at the giggling girls behind me.
When the class ended she put her books away quickly and then left for her next class. I left in a hurry as well to make it to my potions class. I sat next to Niko and one of his new friends from Bobaton, Lacy. I took my notebook out and began writing as Karkaroff's friend, Snape, began lecturing.
"The importance of this ingredient in the potion is what can I help you with Miss Granger?" His sentence flowed so perfectly that several of us wrote it before realizing that it did not fit the context at all. Several faces turned up to see whom he was addressing.
"Yes sorry to interrupt professor," it was Hermione's timid voice. "But Viktor left this in the library," she held out one of my textbooks that I had been pretending to read. He motioned towards me and she walked quickly towards me, head down towards the floor. "Here," she muttered blushing.
I took it gratefully from her hands "thank you," I whispered. She nodded and left. I was about to put it away when I saw a bookmark that was not mine marked on a page. I opened it curiously and noticed it was the page I had been on. On the book mark read 'by the way the book was upside down' after it she had drawn a small smile and put an 'H' on it. I blushed realizing she had caught me.
I repeated my routine a few times watching her in the library and then eating with her as well. I never got up too much courage to keep a full conversation with her. She made me nervous but when they announced that the ball was coming up I knew I had to ask her.
I walked up to her almost immediately after and bowed lightly. She smiled "Viktor, hello."
"Hi, Hermione," I nodded blushing nervous. "I vas vondering if you vould do me da honor of being my date to da ball?"
She stared at me in what could only be described as shell shock. I opened my mouth to tell her she did not have to feel obligated to when she suddenly answered. "Yes!" she yelled happily and hugged me tightly. I smiled to myself and settled my arms on her waist holding her small frame to me.
The night of the Yule ball I was very nervous waiting for her. I saw her walking down the stairs and my breathe stuck in my throat. I had been joking with some friends and when I stopped talking they all turned. "Wow," they all breathed.
"Back off," I said smiling and walked to greet her. I took her hand after smiling at her and kissed it lightly after bowing to her. She smiled excitedly as I held my arm out for her. We walked in and we danced. As I was dancing with her I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Cathy! "Cathy?" I questioned.
"Hello Viktor," she smiled flirtatiously at me and was wearing a tight black dress. I looked at her surprised "I was not avare you ver coming Cathy," I said.
"I know it's a surprise darling." She pushed Hermione away from me and I stared at Hermione longingly who was looking at me confused. Cathy took my face in her hands and tried to pull down. I pulled away though.
"I am on a date," I told her sternly.
"We're engaged you don't get to date anymore," her voice matched my own in strictness.
"That was never part of the betrothal," I clarified for her.
"We are still engaged and I won't have you whoring around."
"It is not whoring to have a nice night with a beautiful woman."
"You're right why don't you spend it with one," she said pulling my tie to her.
"I plan on it," I said yanking away violently and returning to Hermione.
"I-it's ok," Hermione spoke timidly. "You can spend the rest of the night with your fiancé," she had barely gotten the words out before she was walking away in tears.
I chased after her but the red headed boy had reached her first. "Told you Hermione now didn't I? You're just a toy to guys like him."
She didn't even bother fighting back she only tried to get past him. "Did he already take you Hermione is that why he's dumped you here?" She turned on him in a rage but my fist flew past her face and collided with his.
"She is no whore," I said "my past is my past none of this is on Hermione."
"That was a lovely speech Viktor," she said "but he's unconscious."
I took her face in my hands "Hermione I can fix this I can. I do not love her it vas arranged. But I had no one I did love so I vent along vith it. She is my best friend so I figured it vas da best I could do. But then I saw you sitting at da table and you stole my breathe Hermione. Please please don't go please let me fix dis."
She looked at Harry where he was standing next to Ron and listening. Harry shrugged and she looked back at me, she bit her lip but then smiled. "Ok," I smiled widely at her "you can have a chance," I kissed her sweetly and shewed Cathy away.