The Harry Potter series and anything in it doesn't belong to me (:
Just keep going, she thought to herself as she paraded up and down the raised aisle. Jane was part siren and, naturally, was swept into the business of modeling. She fell into what she was told was the 'perfect' generation of sirens; one fourth, so she was not reliant on water (although had an abnormal thirst) but still retained the beauty and charisma of her ancestors. However, unlike most sirens, she did not have a quick temper, but rather was more of a people pleaser.
Jane felt the weight of this almost every day as she did her job, modeling in both the Muggle and wizarding communities. She bent over slightly behind stage as people swarmed her, fixing hair and make-up. Another hunger pang went through her. During wizarding jobs it wasn't so bad; they weren't as fixated on skinniness. But when she had Muggle jobs, she usually was starved until they could clearly see her cheekbones, collarbones, sometimes even her hipbones and ribs.
Being wrapped in another inappropriately short and tight dress and ushered out onto the catwalk, she sighed and put her face blank as she yet again tried not to pass out.
The next morning Jane awoke, seeing an owl on her windowsill. Thankfully, it was her paycheck from the Muggle modeling agency. She smiled, finally able to have at least three meals a day for a bit. She fed the owl a treat and roamed into her kitchen.
Opening cupboards, she realized there wasn't much there, so she settled on a grapefruit, eating both halves for once. Satisfied, although sadly realizing her stomach hurt from just that small amount of food, she got ready to head out to her preferred side of life, the wizarding modeling.
The biggest difference between modeling for Muggles and wizards is that Muggles model to show off the product. Wizards, however, model the reaction of the product, preferably wanting the model to look healthy and happy. That is why Jane is fed at work every day but has to exercise a certain amount. Women are preferred in the wizarding community as well fed but also fit.
Jane didn't mind this whatsoever. Hopping on a treadmill after having a protein shake (with an extra dose to restore lost nutrients), she popped in ear buds and watched as she could slightly see the tip of her black hair swing back in forth towards her face in a ponytail.
Jane was still running when a group of males, all appearing to be athletes, walked in to the building. There was a glass wall to the gym area of the agency to allow those working out to see what was going on, and Jane would happily people-watch. There were three younger males, all rather large—Quidditch players, Jane thought—with an older gentleman at the front, probably a coach. Her agent, Lisa, was talking to them, motioning to Jane. Maybe I'm getting a new job, she thought.
Her thoughts were answered as Lisa walked towards the gym, the coach holding open the door. Lisa smiled her thanks then introduced Jane to the men as she got off the treadmill.
"Jane, these men are from the Bulgarian quidditch team," Lisa began as Jane toweled her face off, hoping she wasn't too sweaty. "A chaser, a beater, the coach, and the famous seeker, Viktor Krum," she smiled. "They're creating a promotional for their team for the season and would like you to model."
Jane smiled at all of them. "I'm Jane, nice to meet all of you," she began. "And yes, I'd be interested in doing that, even if I am more of an Irish fan…" she grinned.
The coach gave a booming laugh. "Hopefully that will change by the end of the season, dear!" he said, shaking her hand. "I'm the coach, everyone calls me Coach. I assume you've at least seen my boys, Vasily Dimitrov a chaser and the captain, Ivan Volkov a beater, and Viktor Krum, the seeker."
Jane nodded, observing the three as they were introduced. All seemed well-mannered, in nice jeans and dress shirts for the meeting. Vasily was tall with blonde hair and brown eyes, although he was shorter than Ivan and Viktor. He nodded and gave a small smile at his introduction.
Ivan had light brown hair and blue eyes, an inch or two taller than Vasily, and a slightly larger build. He nodded his head, giving a slightly larger smile than Vasily.
Finally, there was Viktor. He was taller than Ivan by about two inches, giving him a final height of about 6'6", which is significant to Jane standing at a height 5'11"-6'0". He had dark hair and dark eyes, and looked at Jane with a quizzical and observing look, although still giving a polite bow known to the Durmstrang students, of whom Jane knew him to have been.
Coach began talking again. "We've seen your work, knowing you to be very successful, especially with athletics, and are interested in bringing you along with us to tour and model. You would come with us due to possible live modelings."
Jane looked at Lisa, who was smiling and nodding. She walked over to her. "They are offering great pay, it's a great team, and no demeaning work," Lisa said. "It'd be a wise move to make."
Jane smiled, turning her gaze back to Coach. "I'd be honored to travel with your team," she smiled.
Coach smiled, raising his hands and wrapping Jane in a hug. "Wonderful! You'll begin tomorrow," he said, turning to walk away with Lisa.
"So soon?" Jane asked Lisa.
Lisa nodded. "I'll send someone to pack your things. Keep eating and running, I hate those Muggles starving you!" Lisa walked out with Coach at the players. As Jane returned to the treadmill, she stopped and saw Viktor turn to look back at her, clearly meaning to hold her gaze. Jane paused, waiting. Viktor simply smiled, a small movement at the corner of his mouth, and bowed. With that, he turned and left with his group. Jane felt it was going to be an interesting tour.
Jane arrived the next day to the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team headquarters. The headquarters was situated in Bulgaria, of course, and consisted of the team's dorms and training quarters. Walking up to the building, it appeared to be formerly some sort of small school, transformed into a living place.
The inside of the building was extremely homey. The large wooden doors opened into a common room of sorts, with a fireplace off to the right and a large staircase winding along the left wall to upstairs. In front of the fireplace was a rug with a few lounge chairs and a doorway leading into presumably the kitchen. Jane was greeted by Coach walking in from the possible kitchen area.
"There's the Bulgaria girl!" he laughed. Jane smiled. Coach motioned for her to follow him. "You'll be upstairs and have your own room and bathroom, the same as everyone else," he said, walking up the stairs.
Jane followed, admiring the warm feeling of the headquarters, observing some of the paintings along the walls. Upstairs they arrived at a long hallway filled with dorms, taking a right turn at the end. The right turn revealed more dorms and some sort of a library area. Jane passed the doors leading into the library, and saw to her delight that it was the second level of a huge library. She saw a familiar dark form roaming the aisles of books, and had to continue on to her room.
Coach led her to the final room in the hall. Opening the door, he chuckled saying, "You get a room next to Viktor. Don't let his reading disturb you…" Jane smiled, walking in behind Coach.
She smiled, looking about the room. It had a high ceiling, a four-poster bed with a canopy and very thick and comfortable-looking bed sheets and pillows. There was a large bay window looking out towards the quidditch pitch, the shelves around, above, and below it and the padded bench inside empty. There was a fireplace on the wall in front of the bed, a small television on the wall above it. The bathroom was behind a door to the left of the fireplace.
After looking around the room, Jane smiled. "It's wonderful. Thank you," she told Coach.
He smiled. "We always spoil our players and staff. Although my boys seem polite during meetings, I'll let you know they're rowdy during House time. We refer to this place as the House instead of headquarters. Help yourself to the training room, kitchen, library, everything. I've gotta go settle some things for practice in a few days. You can decorate your room, roam, whatever. Enjoy!" With that, Coach walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Jane just changed a few things. Pulling out her wand, she altered the walls and bed coverings to be similar to the ones at her home, made to change colors and tones according to her mood. Right now they turned to a calming green, trying to calm her anxiety down. Sitting down and sprawling out on the bed, having set out her clothes in drawers and a few others choice items out, she felt her stomach growl. Taking off her shoes, Jane decided to get something to eat.
Jane already felt comfortable, wandering the House in her socks, jeans, and simple t-shirt. Since she was off duty, she could wear what she wanted, and Jane always took advantage of it. Her socks were short and black, her dark washed jeans bootcut, and her t-shirt what she felt to be a flattering shade of blue, bringing out the color of her gray eyes and black hair. She had her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, her bangs sweeping over the side of her face. She went through the doorway on the first floor, finding that it was the kitchen.
Looking through the cupboards and fridge of the extremely large kitchen, she was pleased to see there was no shortage of food. She had been raised in foster care and had been taken out early, but was happy to find a house so welcoming to people and packed with so much food again. She finally decided on a small package of pumpkin seeds she had found and wandered towards the library.
It turned out that under the staircase was another doorway leading into another wing of the House, the ginormous library. Jane had no clue why the library wasn't to proportion with the rest of the house, but she quite frankly didn't care and happily grabbed a book she found interesting and holed herself up in a corner, surrounded by bookshelves and by a small window, sitting in a lounge chair while eating pumpkin seeds.
Jane didn't lift her head out of the book until she was about half way through the 2-inch novel and heard a noise from the aisle in front of her. She looked up, long done with her pumpkin seeds and putting a book mark in the book. She stood up, walking towards the noise.
Turning into the aisle, she saw Viktor Krum bending over, picking up a few books that had fallen from a wobbly shelf farther down the aisle. She walked down the path, bending down to help him. He looked up in surprise at her arrival. She smiled, greeting him with a nod.
They both bent down to pick up the books. Jane rose with two, Viktor with another four. She piled her two on a safe-looking shelf with a few empty slots. Viktor did the same, returning his gaze back to her. Jane stood there, afraid to say anything. Finally she smiled slightly again, turning to walk away.
"I apologize," Viktor began. "No von visits here often," he explained.
Jane turned back around. "It's fine. I'm probably going to be here a lot in my free time," she warned him.
He didn't smile, but his hard gaze looked slightly softer now. "You enjoy reading?" he asked.
She nodded. "Very much. I saw you in here when I first arrived. You like reading, too?"
He returned the nod. "Vould you mind if I sat vith you?"
She shook her head. "Feel free to." Jane turned around, plodding back to her seat.
Viktor arrived, a book on history in his hand. He brought out his wand, summoning a maroon easy chair to sit at a right angle to her own. She curled back up on her own chair, returning to her story of fairies trying to save their forest. After a while, Jane had to stop to stretch her neck and yawn. She looked up to see Viktor grinning slightly.
"What's so funny?" she asked, curious.
He shrugged. "In the book, a stupid man from France… It is a pleasure to haff the priv-e-ledge to look back on mistakes," he observed.
Jane grinned slightly. "That's a way to look at it."
Viktor looked up, an air of concentration around him. "You are part… Veela?" he asked.
Jane shook her head. "No. Siren," she said.
He nodded. "That explains vhy my teammates vere odd around you," he half-smiled.
Jane smiled sadly. "Probably."
Viktor frowned, turning his body towards Jane. "Do not be sad. Sirens are vonderful, not just because of their beauty. You haff a vonderful heritage and a unique part of you because of it," he told her. "Some may vant you because of your Siren, but it doesn't mean you are just a Siren. You are still a vitch."
Jane looked up at him, absolutely puzzled by his behavior. "But think of how you are feeling right now. More likely than not you are saying all of this sweet, poetic stuff because the Siren's 'song' is making you all extra-romantic. It may not change who I am, but it changes others," she said, getting up and grabbing her book. "Thank you for the kind words Viktor, but think of whether or not they're your own." She walked out, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Why did she have to be part Siren? Yes, it helped in her line of work, but she was more of an introvert for a reason: So people would leave her alone and let her be away from her own heritage.
Viktor was puzzled by Jane's storming out. He understood what she meant, but had he not said the right things? He was worried deeply, reminded of what his father had told him once before. If your soulmate refuses you, a broken heart can be deadly. Viktor sighed, thinking once again of the power behind being a Krum male. Many years ago, a witch had been broken hearted when the man she loved left her for his soulmate. The witch realized the other woman was the man's soulmate, but ridden with spite cast a curse upon the man. From then on the Krum males could always tell who his soulmate would be, but if he couldn't find her or win her over, the results could be horrible, even deadly.
Viktor realized Jane was his soulmate when he had walked into the modeling agency. A certain scent had left a path towards her that only he could smell. He knew it was the scent of a soulmate because he could hardly control himself upon meeting Jane. Along with being part Siren, he had almost uncontrollable desires to claim her for himself. So instead he adapted a facial expression he knew probably looked negative, if not uncomfortable, to prevent her from thinking less of him.
Sitting in the library, he had wanted nothing more than to talk to her as much as possible, to have her sit on his lap and lean on his shoulder as they ready, but he knew better. But now, sitting in his bedroom—unfortunately and thankfully next to hers—he was going crazy. He had hardly slept the previous night, kept up by thoughts of Jane and the scent of her. He immediately had owled his parents. They responded with congratulations and, as usual, warnings. Don't get violent when others go after her, his father told him, knowing she was a Siren. Don't come on too strong, his mother had said, giving him the woman's point of view.
Viktor sighed, tossing and turning. What really stuck in his mind was when they were talking about Sirens and she looked so ashamed. No, sad. She was sad that others wouldn't treat her normally. He wanted to tell her that his poetic words weren't because she was a Siren but because she was his soulmate, the woman he was meant to be with forever.
Looking at the time, Viktor saw it was late. Everyone would be showing up in the next few days, so he figured tomorrow was his last day alone. With Jane, he couldn't help but think. He was able to fall asleep imagining the what if's of the next day.
Jane awoke to the sound of yelling and banging next door. She woke up, turning on a light next to her bed as she realized it was coming from Viktor's room. Coach burst open through her door, calling for her to come out and help him.
Running to the next room, her hair flying and her flannel pj pants dragging on the ground, she arrived to find Coach pacing and Viktor thrashing in his sleep. It was not a seizure but a severe night terror.
"Can you wake him?" Coach yelled.
Jane shrugged, walking over to Viktor. "Viktor?" Jane asked.
Viktor stopped yelling for a moment, cocking his head, then continued his thrashing.
"Viktor!" Jane said again, this time louder and walking closer.
Viktor reached out, grabbing her by the waist and dragging her into the bed next to him. She gave a yelp of surprise, Viktor's embrace extremely strong but surprisingly gentle. Jane felt his panting slow down as he tucked her head under his chin, rubbing her back. Jane had her hands on his chest, still taken by surprise.
Coach was staring, stupefied. "Oh," he said. "Oh!" He walked away, muttering about how Viktor hadn't told him something. Before walking out the door, Coach turned to her. "Don't try getting out. It won't work. I'll tell you more in the morning. Good night!" With that, he left Jane in the bed of Viktor.
She sighed, catching a hint of his scent. She had to admit, it smelled nice. Really good, actually… She smiled, nuzzling closer to Viktor. I can get used to this, she thought.
Jane woke the next morning to Viktor playing with her hair, smiling openly for the first time.
"I vake up to a vonderful girl in my bed. I am vone lucky guy," he chuckled. She liked his laugh. It was deep and rumbled in his chest.
"Yes, you're lucky. Can I go back to sleep?" she asked, snuggling in closer to him and shivering.
He pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. "If you vant."
She smiled, breathing his scent in again. She didn't know if it was because she slept with him overnight—Oh my gosh, I slept with Viktor Krum. At least it wasn't that way… -but his scent was rather addicting now.
Viktor moved from playing with her hair to trailing his fingers along her back, the upper part exposed since she was wearing a tank top. She smiled, giggling occasionally. "That tickles," she muttered.
She could feel him smile as he continued doing it. She wriggled closer to him, shoving him in the chest with her head. "Stoooooop," she muttered. When he didn't, she finally poked her head up to look at him. "So first you steal me away into your bed during the middle of the night after Coach drags me in here, now you won't let me sleep in? Some guy you are," she said.
He looked at her with a smile, shrugging. "I vant you avake. You haff vonderful eyes, and I've been enjoying you sleep for half an hour already," he said.
Jane sighed, rubbing her eye. "Alright, I'll get up I guess. But I'm gonna take a shower, find you, then expect an explanation." She sat up, stretching, and hopped out of his bed, plodding into her bedroom.
As she walked in, the bed and walls took on a light red tint, signifying love. She blushed. "Oh, shut up," she muttered as the walls returned to a pale green color, her favorite.
Walking downstairs after her shower, she wore her hair down in their natural waves, her favorite pair of blue jeans, and a black long-sleeved cashmere sweater. The weather was cold, but not quite cold enough for the fireplaces to be on. She walked into the kitchen, expecting Viktor to be there, and was right.
He had taken a shower too, and was walking around without a shirt to her delight. He had on blue jeans and socks, his hair still slightly wet. He ran a hand through it as he walked to the cabinet, droplets spraying. Jane silently walked in, hopping on the counter to watch him.
He grabbed a large box of cereal, a large bowl, and a jug of milk. When he finally turned around and saw her, he jumped then smiled.
"Good morning," he said, setting everything down.
Jane smiled. "Morning. Do you have cereal every morning?" she asked him.
He shrugged, nodding his head and opening the box. "Basically."
Jane got down, going to the fridge and pulling out eggs, ham, and bacon, then moving to the cupboards to get pans. "Well, this morning you're getting something else.
Viktor put his things up, hopping up on her old place on the counter, watching as she bustled around to the stove, mixing eggs, putting in bacon and cheese and cooking it while making bacon that sizzled.
"Lisa will kill me if she hears I had bacon, but it's one of my favorites," she said, piling the meat onto a place on the center island. Next to it were two plates, both with scrambled eggs and ham on them. One had more eggs, made for Viktor. When Jane was done, she waved her wand to get the dishes cleaned and grabbed some bacon for herself, beginning to eat.
Viktor had hopped down, smiling and smelling the air. "I have not had a meal that smelled this good and vas home cooked in a long time," he said, reaching for a piece of bacon. He bit into it, making a satisfied sound. "It is cooked perfectly," he said, moving onto the eggs. Jane assumed they were good, because he didn't speak again until he was done.
Jane took her time, chewing slowly and stopping to get some juice. She was standing at the island counter, eating, as Viktor put his dishes away. When he was done, Jane jumped at the surprise of feeling his arms snake slowly down her back, finding their way to cross over her stomach. She leaned back into him as he pulled her gently towards him. He simply placed his chin on her shoulder, breathing deeply and slowly with closed eyes.
Jane felt her heart flutter, and she smiled. She placed her hands over his, intertwining their fingers and she closed her eyes, swaying gently with him. She heard him take a deep breath, and he began to tell a story.
"There vas vonce a vitch who fell in loff with a man. The man fell in loff vith another voman, and the vitch vas heartbroken, but the vitch knew the voman vas the man's soulmate. But the vitch vas still heartbroken, and out of anger, cast a spell on the man's family. Every man in the family vill know his soulmate similar to how a Veela does, by going almost crazy in loff. The downfall to this is if the man does not find his soulmate, or she rejects him, there are horrible consequences, even death. That vas in my family. Every Krum man knows who his soulmate is, and that is vhat happened. Jane, you are my soulmate. I vould say that I am sorry you are dragged in to this, but to be honest, I'm not sorry at all, unless you do not feel the same," he finished. He turned his head to the left slightly, kissing Jane's neck.
She shivered. "Viktor, I will fully accept this. I can't guarantee I'll fall madly in love with you, but if I'm your soulmate and magic can tell it, maybe it's true. I won't hurt you," she said, speaking softly.
Viktor squeezed her gently, pressing his forehead to her neck. "I know this is sudden and big, but it vill be fine. I promise."
Jane smiled. "If you promise, that's enough for me."
Viktor was willing to try to let Jane sleep alone at first, since this was all sudden. Coach understood the circumstances and gave him the blessing, but Viktor still wanted Jane to be comfortable, not locked in his embrace. He was sitting in his bed reading, about to go to sleep, when there was a light knock on the door. He turned to see Jane walking in through the door, her hair still down and messy, wearing pj pants and a baggy t-shirt. Her gray eyes and tan, freckled face revealed her shy eagerness.
He set his book on the bedside table. Thankfully he no longer could wear his summer sleepwear of just underwear, and was in baggy shorts and a t-shirt. He watched as Jane silently climbed into bed beside him, under the covers, and lay down, her back resting against his leg and a pillow already claimed. She snuggled into the fluffy pillow and took a deep breath in and out, muttering something along the lines of 'Night.' Viktor smiled and turned off the light, leaning down and wrapping his arm around her waist, tracing a few delicate lines up and down her stomach. At her giggle, he finally rested and had the best sleep of his life.