Space Address: 5D - Blossom/Flower
Word Count: 670
Challenges: In a Flash; Click-Bait It; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC
WARNING: This contains spoilers for my multi-chap story Because Why Not. It also might not consistently follow plot but we'll just consider it a separate story, eh? It's mostly for Spring Bingo anyway. I got the idea in my head and had to run with it.
The first time Viktor saw Esperanza Sanchez was actually at a summer charity concert when he was ten. His mother's two favorite things as a socialite were charity and opera. His father, brother, and sister didn't care much for it, and while it wasn't Viktor's favorite either, he could appreciate it. Due this appreciation, he was often his mother's plus one.
They had seats in the front and had seen a number of singers when a girl around his age entered the stage. She was thin and frail, as if a strong wind would blow her away and the only thing holding her up in the antique court gown was sheer will power. He couldn't remember the charity name, but he was certain it was for a Girls' Home in her country. The audience seemed to find it cute that a young girl was following several strong acts.
And then she opened her mouth and sang the most beautiful aria of the night. Viktor sat up and stared at her in awe. He had no idea what she was singing, but it sent goosepimples up his spine. Her high note could have shattered glass, yet it was still pleasing to the ear. Her next two songs were just as beautiful. Viktor was entranced to the point where he didn't hear the rest of the show and barely registered his mother taking him to the table where the Sanchezes were selling records and had a box for their donations. Esperanza was standing there seeming to stare at nothing in particular while a woman who he assumed was her mother handled the transactions.
"Viktor," Mother whispered, "give Miss Esperanza the rose."
"Mamo." His ears grew hot and he became self-conscious. Valko had made the determination that girls were still gross. He would never let his twin hear the end of it.
"Go on."
She pushed Viktor towards the table. In his nervousness, he stuck the rose out, nearly hitting the girl in the nose. She stared down at the single purple rose cross-eyed for a moment before taking it and giving Viktor a small smile.
He hoped he would see her again.
1994
The second time Viktor saw Esperanza Sanchez, he didn't realize it was her. She had changed from a sickly child who held herself as if shadows were going to come out of the walls and grab her to someone healthy and unafraid. He didn't realize it was her until she broke the glass inside the portrait to the Gryffindor Common Room, but it didn't matter. He was head-over-heels for the girl who fixed his nose and talked to him as if he were a friend and not a celebrity.
Which was why he was set on asking her to the Yule Ball.
He planned on asking her after the Hufflepuff vs. Castelobruxo game and had even put together a bouquet. Grandmother taught him the language of flowers, and a bouquet of forget-me-nots and rose buds would tell her exactly how he felt.
Despite the snow, Viktor could feel his palms sweating as he approached the locker room. He could wait just outside and catch Esperanza as she was leaving. The other Hufflepuffs had left so Esperanza would be along shortly. As he approached, he could hear her speaking to someone.
"It's going to be a magical evening!" she said and switched to Spanish.
He chanced a look and saw her holding the hands of Cedric Diggory. They danced around the locker room, chatting and laughing. Viktor felt his heart lodge in his throat.
Completely crushed, Viktor left the Pitch and slammed the bouquet into the snow. Moments later, he bumped into Hermione and got an idea. If he were going to ask anyone it might as well be her. She also treated him like a person and might be more willing to go to the ball with him as a friend than if he were to ask anyone else.
"I want to ask you something," he said.