Title: Fraternizing with the Enemy
Fandom:Harry Potter
Characters: Hermione Granger and Victor Krum
Prompt:25 Strangers
Word Count:3285
Rating:K+
Summary:Missing Moment Entire Victor Krum arc from Hermione's pov. She knows she has feelings for Ron but is flattered by Victor's attention.
Author's Notes: I've always been a big fan of people being in love/involved with the wrong people. Not that I like them ending up together but when Elizabeth Bennet is infatuated with George Wickham for example, it's just wonderfully fun because you know he's all wrong for her. I am still a die hard R/Hr shipper but people were requesting earlier missing moments... what's that saying? 'Be careful what you wish for.' I am working on sequels but this can stand alone as it is and so if I abandon it or don't get back to it for months I won't feel bad posting it now.
Fraternizing with the Enemy
Hermione felt her eyebrows furrow in frustration as she rapped her fingernails on the worn, wooden surface. This used to be a great place, her favorite actually, whether it be to think, to study, or to contemplate the vast stupidity of her clueless best friend and her unnerving infatuation for him. Not any more though, not when he was just sitting there pretending to be all harmless and innocent all the while knowing full well the disruptive horde of bumbling bints would soon be stalking him and disturbing the solitude of everyone else who was attempting to be studious.
Any second now they'd come sneaking in with their snickering and their gossip making it completely impossible to concentrate on the ancient runes translation she had to get done. They weren't even there yet and they were making it impossible to study just on the knowledge she would get wrenched out of her focus at any time. She let out a 'humph' of frustration and blew a wild curl that was tickling her forehead out of her face as she tried to focus on the symbols in her book.
"Is anyvne sitting 'ere?" An unfamiliar deep voice asked. Hermione looked up from her book to see a thick set of eyebrows knitted together above a set of startlingly dark brown eyes. She glanced around in confusion, sure that she was mistaken; he wasn't speaking to her was he? After seeing several rows of empty tables around her she was forced to conclude that he was in fact addressing her.
"No." Was all she said, unsure as to what the particulars behind the situation were, convinced that she was missing something. She looked back down at the paragraph on the meaning behind the salamander fire rune. Hermione heard the scraping of a chair against stone floor and felt the table shake as he sat down. Neither of them said anything for several minutes and Hermione felt her mind finally able to internalize the text in front of her.
"You must be very smart, I am guessing, vhat vith you alvays studying." Viktor said after several moments of companionable silence. She didn't quite know what to make of his comment. Was she suppose to agree? Simply respond with a 'Yes, in fact I'm often told I'm the most brilliant witch of my generation'?
"That or I'm particularly dimwitted but extremely determined never the less." Hermione couldn't resist the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"Vhy vould so many ask for help if you veren't smart, eh?" He asked. She couldn't argue with his reasoning, so instead just shrugged, still not looking up from her book being unable to interpret the situation she found herself in.
"So, vhat are reading?" She looked up at Viktor for the first time; he was across from her sitting with perfect posture without anything in front of him. Instantly she felt very discourteous for having not had the consideration of paying him any attention. He obviously wasn't there to study. Hermione gazed into his intoxicating dark eyes, surprised at how mesmerized she was by them and it was a long moment before she answered.
"Advanced Rune Interpretation." She felt uncivil to answer him again without helping out the conversation at all. "It's not as comprehensive as Spellman's Syllabary though, it leaves out too much of the history behind the meanings which I find useful in retaining the information in the long term, although it does have a better grammatical index which I find particularly useful when deciphering the undertone of certain passages." Hermione smiled weakly and was relieved to see his eyes didn't glaze over as she spoke as was the usual reaction when she spoke of her textbooks.
"I too vonder vhy it seems impossible to find a comprehensive book on any subject. I too often have to references many texts to feel as though it's all been covered." 'Marry me' Hermione thought as she let out a deep sigh. "I'm must apologize for my rudeness at once, I am Viktor," and he stretched out his hand, she reached out gingerly and couldn't stop a smile at how small her hand felt in his, making her feel feminine.
"Hermione," shoe offered her hand "though I must confess I am already aware of who you are." Viktor leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles and she felt her cheeks flush at the unfamiliar gesture. He didn't let go of her hand when he pulled back, instead he held on to it in his own warm grasp in the middle of their shared table.
"Vell, I too must confess Hermy-own," she winced as he butchered her name, "I already knew your name." She looked at him with bewilderment at the confession but before he could say anything he went on. "I remember you from the vorld cup actually." This dumbfounded Hermione. They had been several feet away for only moments in a crowded box filled with important dignitaries, not to mention that she was sitting by the infamous Harry Potter the boy who lived and he remembered her? This couldn't be real.
"You were bleeding profusely and meeting two different Ministers of Magic yet you recollect me?" It was Viktor's turn to color.
"It cannot be denied das a man's attention is often drawn to a beautiful young lady." Hermione felt her face fall as his words triggered a memory of just the night before.
'So basically, you're going to take the best-looking girl who'll have you, even if she's completely horrible?'
'Er --- yeah, that sounds about right."
She knew he'd meant it as a compliment and admittedly, part of her was thrilled that he'd been referring to her as the beautiful lady in the equation but this was overshadowed by disappointment as it only seemed to reiterate a point that it's always the surface stuff that boys were interested in.
Viktor continued on as after she didn't answer for a long time.
"I followed you to the library one day, and 'ave been coming here since to try and vork up the courage to talk to you." Hermione was perplexed by his revelation. Her first thought process was a listing of colorful vulgarities she'd have scolded Ron for saying out loud. Blast, her thoughts always seemed to circle back to him didn't it? She blushed, from a mix of his words as well as the mental admission that her thoughts always seemed to come back to her oblivious best friend.
"Oh," was all she could manage. She chewed on her lip as she attempted to think of something more sophisticated to say in response to such a brave admission. Instead, she blurted out the real question she was focusing on. "You've been a regular library patron for the past month, since you've first arrived. Am I to believe that you've been attempting to work up the courage to talk to me this whole time even though you have a fan club of willing girls stalking you?" Viktor finally released her, and rubbed his hands along his face.
"I should 'ave known, smart girl vould ask smart question." She watched him as he creased his brow in concentration as he chose his words carefully. "Vhen I saw you in the top box you were so lovely, like Angel, but there are many beautiful voman in vorld. You looked so concerned for me, not excited to meet me. Then vhen I saw you here I remember you. You don't follow me around like кученце either so das good."
"So what your saying is your into pretty girls who play hard to get?" she snapped as she slammed her book closed. Hermione wasn't sure exactly why she felt annoyed by this, perhaps he was just more of the same. Another boy saying he wanted a pretty girl who played games she wasn't willing to play. It didn't matter that he was calling her lovely, it was just the same as not wanting an off centered nose or a nice girl with acne. At her words Victors face fell and he leaned across the table toward her.
"No, not at all! A gentleman can not help who he is first attracted to. It's hardly fair to hold it against me that you are beautiful. As for the 'hard to get' as you say, in that ve have a miscommunication. While I have no doubt you are vorth the effort to 'get', though das is not my reason.
"You have an honest smile. There are too many in this vorld who lie with smiles. It is truly a joy to vatch your lovely face light up a room. It is that you vork so hard for things that you vant, studying for many hours. Yet you are still kind to those whom ask for your help, and s'here are very many who ask."
Hermione felt her cheeks tint with color at his all to forward confession. Never before had she been told she was beautiful, let alone in a way that seemed almost like a reprimand. But this boy, no man, that she had felt nothing but frustration and annoyance for had opened up to her in a way her closest friends didn't, she didn't even.
He'd noticed her, not just noticed her, but watched her and saw her for who she was and it thrilled her. She couldn't look at anything but the open book on the table, the honesty was an overwhelming onslaught of raw emotion and was rendered speechless by it. Her mind grappled for the use of her extensive vocabulary.
"Thank you, Viktor. I appreciate the clarification on that particular point." As she met Viktor's disappointed eyes she groaned internally at how stiff she sounded. He'd just said the most beautiful things to her, yet if you were to judge off her reaction it was as though he'd just explained a difficult portion of her rune translation. She was saved from having to come up with something better to say when she heard the sounds of his fan club making their way into the library. She couldn't suppress a smile as he moaned out loud and dropped his head onto the desk forcefully.
"Само моята съдба!" he muttered to himself in Bulgarian. Her smile faltered as his sad eyes met hers.
"Would you like my help escaping the gaggle of giggling girls that just walked through the door?" she asked sympathetically. Then without waiting for an answer, she shoved her book into her bag and grabbed his hand in hers, pulling him toward the little used eastern wing of the library.
"You are saving my life if you can find a place no one can locate me." Hermione looked back at him and saw that for the first time a genuine smile on his face. She spotted a girl with blonde hair leading the pack that was looking towards the tables they'd just left from and she shoved Viktor into the tall stacks unceremoniously.
He bumped his foot against the shelves at the unexpected turn and let out a loud 'oof' which caused the girl to look in their direction. Hermione leaned against the end of the long row and opened a book at random. She felt her heart thundering in her chest, she knew she was in a library and that she wasn't breaking any rules yet she felt a rush of adrenaline at the deception. The girls face fell with disappointment at only finding the library bookworm instead of the Bulgarian bon bon and after a momentary exchanged of annoyed looks the group walked back toward the entrance presumably to wait out their quarry.
Once they turned their backs, Hermione let out a sigh of relief and replaced the book before pulling him back to her favorite spot, the secluded Muggle literature section of the library. They walked 38 rows down and 15 shelves deep before she stopped.
"You should be safe back here for a while; very rarely do I encounter anyone else while I'm here. There's no required text for any classes in the classic English literature section the only exception being a 6th year essay that Professor Burbage only assigns in the spring." Her voice was a little shaky from the excitement. There was an awkward silence as Viktor leaned against the stacks they were hidden in, and let out a sigh of relief.
"It seems you are my hero." He said with his thick accent as he leaned forward to sweep a loose curl that from her forehead. She felt her stomach flip at the contact and she unconsciously breathed in his woodsy aroma.
"Well you make a spectacular damsel in distress so I can not accept all the credit." They shared a smile and she felt a shiver run down her as his intense gaze held her captive. She blushed and looked away, unsure of what to say next.
"Vould you stay vith me, to hide out from the silly girls vithout companionship vould hardly be any fun." He whispered softly as the corner of his lips turned upward and his eyebrows raised just slightly, his thumb tracing delicate circles along her hand that still holding his.
"Alright," she answered breathlessly. A wide smile once again broke across his face, banishing the surly disposition he usually carried with him. He dropped her hand and turned to study the vast array behind him. After a few moments of searching he pulled a maroon colored, worn leather bound book and sat down, keeping the title hidden from her.
"Let me read to you my любимец." At his words Hermione decided she loved his native tongue, even if she didn't understand a word of it. She set her satchel on the floor and sat across from him with her back to the row of books as she nodded her agreement.
She found his rich baritone voice hypnotic. He spoke slowly as he carefully pronounced each word. She quickly realized it was a book of poetry and she couldn't hold back a blush as he spoke to her words of deep love.
"Come now, and let me dream it truth. And part my hair and kiss my brow." Hermione rested her head on the shelf behind her, letting the tone of his voice fill her. She had always loved being read to. It was wonderful to just close your eyes and let words paint vivid images in her mind. Though her parents bed time stories never painted these sorts of apparitions for her.
As he spoke she let her mind conjure a myriad of warm embraces and gentle kisses. She felt a small smile play along her lips as she dreamed of soft skin and ginger hair. The harsh realization hit her and guilt ebbed into her serenity. Hermione banished the thoughts of her unrequited feelings away. Viktor had dark eyes, they were not blue and so, in a concentrated attempted, she did her best to think of deep chocolate eyes. She quickly gave up her efforts and had to open her eyes to look at Viktor. It wasn't right to let his sultry voice accompany her unrequited affection.
"For then the night vill more than pay, the hopeless longing of the day." He looked up at her as he turned the page but didn't look back at the book. Viktor's eyes mirrored the hopeless longing he'd just read to her. "Hermyown, vould you please allow me to be your escort to the Yule Ball?" Hermione felt her heart drop into her stomach.
"You really had me going there for a moment," she muttered as she grabbed her bag and scrambled to her feet. "I can't believe I am such a foolish girl." her chastisement was uttered to herself as she stalked off as quickly as she could without breaking into a run. She felt angry tears prickling at her eyes. How could she be so gullible? An intelligent, handsome, older guy interested in her? What was she thinking? Hermione felt his large hand wrap around her arm, effectively stopping her from walking away. She turned and glowered at him with as much hatred and betrayal as she could.
"Release me, now." She commanded in an even forceful tone.
"Tell me vhy you are leaving like this?" It was a plea, he was begging her but she couldn't trust his desperation. It was all just too much a fairytale. The handsome stranger falls in love at first sight and then opens up his heart to her. Things that were too good to be true usually weren't true at all.
"Let go." Hermione asked again and he did, but as she began walking off again he followed after her.
"Hermyown, please vhat have I done to upset you?" The continuation of playing dumb did it for Hermione and without thinking she had arm stretched out covering the gap between them. She felt a ball of betrayal festering in her chest and a shiver of power danced between her hand and her wand. She stepped toward him and he stepped back until he ran into the book laden shelves behind him. She squared her shoulders as she dug the tip of her wand into his throat.
"Who put you up to it?" His only response was a whining guttural noise. She stepped closer to him, keeping her eyes locked on his. She felt the wand digging into his throat move with his adams apple as he swallowed his panic. "You're always sitting with those nasty pureblood fanatics; did they tell you the harmless mudblood would be fun for a laugh? I can guarantee that the only sort of fun you'll be able to report back to your little friends will after months in the hospital wing and several advanced healing techniques to re familiarize your body with what I'm sure are you favorite parts."
As angry as she was, she could still curse the irrational female connection between blind rage and secretions from the tear ducts. She could feel the traitorous drops staining her cheeks but was too proud to acknowledge it by wiping them away with the clinched fist at her side.
"I svear to you, my intentions are only honorable." The sincerity in his enchanting eyes made her doubt her initial assumption that he was beguiling her into a display of public mortification. Hermione's wand hand slowly retreated from it's offensive position as shame began to roll over her. She dropped her eyes and began to straighten her skirt self consciously.
"Well, alright then," she said unable to look him in the eyes as she adjusted the bag draped over her shoulder. "I should be going, it's almost curfew." Hermione turned on her heels and began to walk away again. She'd only gone down two long book filled shelves before he called after her.
"Is that a yes?" She bit her lip unsure of what to say. She'd been holding out hope of being asked by her extremely uninterested best friend, she'd indulged fantasies of walking down the steps on his arm, of his hand enveloping hers as he steered her gracefully around the dance floor. A freckle faced lopsided grin as they gazed into each others eyes.
Hermione closed her eyes unwilling to commit either way. She knew it was wrong not to say yes to him. It would only be polite to agree to go with the first young man to ask her, but as much as she wanted to she couldn't give up that harbored hope that he'd take her aside and ask if they could go together, even if it was just as friends she would be over joyed at the prospect.
She turned her head half way to him, so her face was only in profile from his vantage point.
"That's a 'perhaps'," and with that said, Hermione walked swiftly the rest of the way down the aisle and out the library without looking back to see the dumb struck half smile playing across his face or the hand he was placing at his throat where her wand had been.