My response to a challenge from addicted2draco on lj. The guidelines are as follows:

You've go to write a fic (one-shot, short story, whatever) that begins with this:

"You're a good guy Viktor but i don't think it's going to work"


"You're a good guy Viktor, but I don't think it's going to work." Hermione wrote and subsequently scratched out on the already 3 foot parchment full of ways she couldn't break off her relationship with Viktor Krum. It was getting frustrating. All they did was write letters back and forth. She never saw him, never had any way to see if her feelings for him were real or just what she wished them to be. That was why she had decided, after seeing how happy Harry and Ron were, that she had to end it and find someone she could see on a regular basis. All of their snogging was driving her crazy… it was pointless to have a boyfriend you couldn't be intimate with, especially when your two best friends were unknowingly rubbing their love in your face.

She still wasn't completely sure how Harry and Ron had decided that they wanted to be more than just friends. The last thing she remembered was Ron having a slight crush on her, then after Harry killed Voldemort, all of a sudden his feelings for her were gone. He had talked to Hermione about it first, wanting to know what she thought Harry was likely to say. Of course, Hermione had no idea. How could she? Fortunately, Harry had overheard their conversation, and the two had been sickeningly inseparable ever since.

Finally feeling that her letter was finished, having rewritten it 3 times to get it perfect, Hermione set out toward the Hogwarts owlery. It was around 8 in the evening by this time. She was still allowed out, but it was getting close to being too late for speculation by teachers, so she tried to take paths least likely to be patrolled. She was just passing a statue of a gargoyle wielding a sword much too large for his body when she heard voices in the corridor ahead of her. She quickly ducked behind a tapestry and waited for them to pass.

"Come on, Sev. You know I won the bet. Now fork over the galleons!" Professor McGonagall was saying. Was Hermione hearing things right?

"Minerva, it remains to be seen who has truly won our little bet. There is still time for the girl to see what's right in front of her, and if she is as smart as you say she is, it will happen soon enough."

"Please, don't insult my intelligence Severus, the boy has been doing absolutely nothing to win her affections! I doubt she has even realized yet that he doesn't still hate her, much less that he is harboring a fondness for her."

"He is merely biding his time! He has to get her used to the idea, he can't just jump from one extreme to the other! I'm telling you to give him some time. I'm not one for sappy love stories, Minnie, but I think this one may just help mend some bridges now that the Dark Lord is gone. Someone has to be the first pureblood to marry a muggleborn, and who could be better, honestly? Could you have even conspired to make a better pair yourself?"

"I suppose you're right there, the union would possibly be monumental, but I still don't think she'll ever believe he really likes her. If anything, she'll see it as a trap or a play for the purebloods."

"Exactly why we must give them time." Professor Snape said as they finally proceeded out of the hallway Hermione was hidden in. As she stepped out, she noticed that she had not been alone in hiding in her particular corridor.

Draco Malfoy stepped awkwardly forward from his hiding place across the hall. He had not known that Hermione was there, or he would have never stepped out at all. Upon seeing each other, given that they both had an inkling of what their professors were talking about, as well as an inkling that the other did as well, they stopped short. Just when it seemed that Malfoy was going to pretend he didn't see her altogether, Hermione got up the nerve to ask him about the conversation they had both just overheard.

"Um… Malfoy… Professor Snape… what he was saying…" But the words wouldn't all come out. She had just overheard that Malfoy was possibly in love with her and was holding a letter breaking up with her boyfriend. Logical thought could not be expected of anyone right now.

"Fine, Granger, you know now. You know how I feel. I mocked you for six years, now it's your turn. Let's get it over with." Malfoy spat.

"What would make you think that I would mock you? I'm not you, Malfoy, I'm not going to use something you can't control to cause you pain." Hermione responded, genuinely hurt that he thought she would stoop so low. Malfoy looked completely confused at the thought that someone would not do just what he would have. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Well it's not so easy when someone realizes that they've fallen in love with the enemy Granger! I've hated you since I met you just because of what you are, and all of a sudden I have all these feelings about you I can't control. Who in their right minds would think that the person they tormented could do anything but take those feelings and turn them into pain?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, that's not how I work."

"I guess not. After all, you're one of the good guys, right?"

"Yep. The goodest." Malfoy actually smiled a genuine smile at this.

"So, er… what do you think? About my feelings, I mean."

"Well, it's not like I've been harboring the same feelings, but now that I know, maybe I can think about it." Malfoy looked completely crestfallen. "I'm not saying no! I'm just saying… I've never really thought about it."

"Oh."

"Aww, come on, cheer up, insult me or one of my friends!" They both laughed. "Would it make you feel better if I said that I like you more than I like blast-ended skrewts?" And she kissed him, a slight peck on the lips, but possibly the beginning of so much more.


Hear ye, hear ye... my life has been threatened (more than once, which makes me feel special) unless I continue this fic. I wrote it because of a challenge and it was the first challenge I've ever done... I found that challenges inspire me, because instead of having to think up everything by myself, I already know a little bit about what I'm going to write and I can shape accordingly. Anyway, the point is that I have decided I will continue writing in the following manner: readers will submit via review or PM a "challenge" for the next chapter (see the challenge at the beginning of this chapter for an idea of what one looks like). I will choose one of the challenges, or combine some of them, to write the chapter. As long as I continue getting new chapter challenges, I will continue writing chapters. Sound fair? I think I'm gonna enjoy it. :)