Hermione walked through the many rows of books. When she had asked the librarian what needed to be done she had just smiled and handed her a key.

"What's this?" Hermione asked looking down at it.

"It's the key to the library." Hermione's eyes brightened. "The head master let me make a spare, just for you. We all know how hard you work when you're here and how much you help out we thought it only fair to give the privilege of being able to come here even when it's not open." She smiled. "Now you don't have to sneak in." Hermione was about to deny it when the librarians eyes sparkled letting her know she wasn't mad.

"Thank you…" Hermione said softly as she looked down at the key like it was her new best friend.

"It's no trouble at all but in thanks you can lock up for tonight."

"Of course." Hermione said with a smile. "If someone comes in though what should I do?"

"Do what you usually do help them out if they need it and make sure that they return their books. But no one other than you ever comes here on the first night so it should be empty."

"Alright have a good time." Hermione said waving as the older woman headed out. Hermione smiled as she headed into the back of the library to grab a book to read until closing. She arrived at the muggle section of the library a few minutes later. It always took longer to get there because it was in the very back. She looked over the shelves and saw a red velvet binding sticking out. "Oh that's no good." She said getting on the ladder.

The only thing she didn't like about the section was not only were the books muggle but everything was. She couldn't just reach for a book and by her sheer will it would present its self to her. Instead she had to climb to get it. Hermione was never fond of heights and she didn't trust the old ladder which she now stood on. Hermione with a small breath climbed to the very top and pushed the book back into place. She heard something scuffle at the top of the shelf and froze. She looked up swearing to herself that she had just seen something move. Hermione looked around before heading up the ladder to the very top. A loud snarl sounded while open jaws flew at her.

"Oh!" Hermione fell backward off the ladder. She took a small breath as her body slammed against the stone ground. She hissed in pain as she rolled onto her stomach and slowly pushed herself up. "Owe owe…" she whispered, her back felt like it was on fire.

"Are you alright?" she heard a thick accented voice ask as someone quickly helped her to a standing position.

"Oh yes…" Hermione said putting on a brave face. "I'm fine thank you." She leaned back against a table and examined herself. "Nothing feels broken…"

"That was quite a fall." He said.

"I've taken worse." She said with a smile as she brushed herself off and slowly looked up at the top of the shelf.

"Vwat happened?" he watched Hermione take out her wand.

"Accio the monster book of monsters." the book flew off the top of the shelf snarling and landed in her hands. As it snapped and snarled she rubbed the spine. An almost inaudible purr sounded and Hermione smiled. "There you go…" she said as she wrapped the buckle around it to make sure it stayed closed. "This little book can be quite mean if you don't pet it once in a while." She said looking to the young man who had helped her. "It knocked me off the ladder you see." Her eyes registered the person in front of her. "Oh it's you." She said with a tilt of her head. Standing before her was the boy she had saved the night of the world cup.

"I was unsure if you vould recognize me." Viktor said with a smile and she only shrugged.

"I was unsure myself when it came to you recognizing me." Hermione said. "So what can I help you with?" She asked starting to walk off not so much as giving him another look. He smiled as he watched her walk away indifferent towards him; it was refreshing it hadn't just been a fluke she really didn't care who he was.

"I was looking for an interesting read." He said as he quickly walked to catch up to her. "Somefing to pass time. What do you recommend?"

"Me?" she asked turning. "Hmm… Well everything…" She said with an honest smile as she looked around. "I haven't read a boring book here yet. That is except for the goblin wars of 1812."

"I like history." He said with a smile.

"Oh really? Hmm… Wait I know." She said looking around and then smiling as her hand reached up into the air. He frowned knowing full well she was going to give him a book on Quidditch. "Here I think this would be perfect for you." She walked up to him and handed it over. He smiled when he saw the title.

Great Bulgarian Wizards 1200-1532

"If you're interested in history then that should be good. It's one of my favorites." With that she headed off. Viktor looked up from the book to see she was half way down the aisle. He jogged slightly to catch up. Hermione looked over her shoulder wondering why he was following her.

"How do I check out?" he asked.

"Here." She brought him over to the front desk where there was a large leather bound book laying open. "You'll be the first to check out a book for the year other than me." Hermione said pointing to her name at the top of the first page.

"Hogwarts history folume twelve." He read. "Sounds interesting."

"It really is." She said with a smile. "Now just put your name down here… and then the title here." He did as she said, while she smiled, he had really elegant handwriting. It swirled across the page in perfect penmanship. "I Hope you enjoy the book." She said as she began to walk off.

"Miss Granger?"

"Hermione." she said turning. "Miss Granger is for professors or old women." She had a pleasant smile playing her lips.

"I never got chance to thank you." He said walking up to her.

"Oh no need for thanks I kind of work here now." He tilted his head before his mind snapped with realization.

"No not for book." He said quickly and she tilted her head. "For the world cup."

"Oh…" she said catching on. "It was no problem your wounds were easy to heal." She said walking off again. He sighed, she really didn't understand what he was trying to thank her for.

"Not for healing me." He said grabbing her hand and pulling her back. "You saved my life, I owe you much." Hermione looked down at their entwined hands before looking up at Viktor.

"No no no you don't owe me anything." Hermione said a little uncomfortable with the formal physical contact. "You would have done the same, I'm sure."

"I am not sure of this." He said. "You were very brave."

"Well I'm a Gryffindor it's kind of what we do." He smiled and then looked down to see her hand still held firmly in his. He let it go, the hand dropping to her side as she smiled. "Tell me how the book is, I find it quite interesting, but I always like to hear others opinions." With that she left leaving Viktor to watch her head off into the back of the library. He smiled at the retreating form before looking down at the book and flipping it open.

"There you Are." He turned to see Jamous with three girls around him all batting their eyelashes. "We haf work." He said winking at his friend. Viktor just shook his head before heading past him. "Vere are you going?" Jamous asked watching his friend head away.

"Reading!" he called over his shoulder.

"Read-reading… seriously? Reading!?" he shook his head before looking to the women. "That's alright we can still haf good time." The girls looked at each other before looking him up and down and walking away giggling as they did. "No beautiful ladies don't do this." He dropped to his knees and reached for them. "My heart breaks as you walk!" they looked over their shoulders before giggling and rushing back to his extended arms and charming smile.

-o-

That night Viktor lay awake in his cabin. Being the potential and most likely Champion his head master had set him up in an old cabin by the lake. He had wanted to stay with his comrades, but the headmaster had insisted that he have solitude and complete privacy. When he had told him privacy the sick old man had winked at him. Obviously his head master thought he would be having the company of a different woman every night.

Viktor reached over to his night stand and picked up the book Hermione had given to him. He was sure she would have pulled out a Quidditch book. He had been surprised when she had pulled this one instead. She didn't think of him as an athlete at all, just another person. He loved how she looked to him with barely any interest it was refreshing. She was refreshing. He had cursed at himself when he had come around the corner to find her lying on the ground. He would have loved to have been there to catch her. To save her just like she had saved him. His eyes closed as his mind drifted back to the night he had met the brave Hermione Granger.

He had been running his feet connecting to the ground like an ax upon fresh wood. Every step had echoed through his body shaking his bones to the core. It had been painful as he tried to escape the death eaters that came towards him. He had battled them at first but when ten showed up out of nowhere he knew it was time to run. He shot curses and hexes anything he could think of over his shoulder but nothing stopped them they just kept coming.

Then when the forest had been in his line of sight he had felt the greatest pain he had ever experienced hit his body followed by three other curses. He had buckled to his knees feeling pain radiate through his back and shoulders. He had found himself unable to move unable to hardly breathe as he tried to crawl away. There was no doubt in his mind that there on the forest floor was where he was going to die, and he wasn't ready not in the least bit.

"Get away from him!" he heard someone shout and then jump in front of him. "Incendio!" a great wall of fire rushed out from her wand and blocked the death eaters from getting to him. "Come on we have to get out of here!" she pulled him to his feet blindly and carried most of his weight while diving into the forest. "Come on we have to keep moving they'll be coming after us come on!" her voice had been pleading, the desperation and worry kept him going as he clung to her small frame. He stole peeks at her face as her eyes darted around looking for any threats. "They're coming… Come on just a few more feet come on you can make it!" she whispered hastily. She pulled him into the dark and pulled him further into the caves darkness. She neared the front of the cave and when the footsteps that had been sounding ceased she moved back to him the tip of her wand fully lit. All fear in her eyes was gone as she looked over him with worry.

"Ah…" he had groaned the bleeding in his shoulder was intense while the pain in his leg was mind blowing. She moved towards it and looked it over her wand pointing to it

"Farula." She whispered bandages flew from her wand and wrapped themselves around the injured leg. She looked up to see his shoulder still bleeding. Her eyes had somewhat been relieved as she reached to him and tried to tug his hand from it. He didn't want to let go afraid she was just going to put bandages on it instead of helping. He didn't understand at the time why she wasn't just fully helping him. "Please…" she said to him. He hadn't been sure at first she looked young and not at all old enough to know proper healing spells. "I can help you…" she said. He looked at her closely, the kindness in her eyes making his hand drop from his shoulder. "Thank you…" she said softly. He only nodded while watching her point her wand to his shoulder. "Episky…" she said her wand flicking towards the wound.

"Ah!" he groaned as he felt a snap in his shoulder fallowed by a searing sizzling feeling from the wound cleaning and healing itself.

"Sorry… Sorry…" she looked over her shoulder towards the entrance of the cave. He was sorry as well, he hoped to all the great wizards that he hadn't just given up their hiding spot.

"What was that!?" she heard someone call from outside.

"Oh god… finite." She muttered her wand going dark.

"Is anybody in here!" she looked up slightly. "Is anyone here! We're looking for survivors!" He went to call only to have her hand fly over his mouth he looked to her in question she covered her mouth with one finger her eyes wide with fear as she slowly shook her head.

"Lumos!" the cave lit up revealing the mask of a death eater. "Flipendo!" she had aimed perfectly the death eater flying back. She turned to him with fierce eyes. "Stay here." She said before rushing off. He had been afraid for a moment, when he heard an exchange of words and then a bright flash of light. But when she came back he had felt relief like never before. "We have to move." She said. "Can you walk?" he nodded. "Alright come on." They moved out of the cave slowly only to hear movement to their right. The girl had jumped in front of him her wand raised and ready to defend him. If she was just a fan girl she was going beyond the call of duty. "Who goes there!?" she shouted her voice full of nothing but strength. That's when it happened they had been found and they were safe though Viktor knew full well that if she hadn't come along he would be dead and buried in the cold Bulgarian ground.

Viktor lay back on his bed and looked up at the wood ceiling. He owed the young witch so much. He wondered how he could ever repay her for her actions. Though he had said thank you to her, he felt as though he needed to do much more. He didn't just feel as though he needed to, he wanted to. Deep down there was nothing he wanted more then to repay her for her bravery.

"Her…mi…nanee…" he frowned. "That vill not do…" he groaned. "Her…My…Onananee…" he shook his head. "Ahk!" he groaned disgusted with his English. "Her…Mi…naninini… zis is going to be a very long…" he searched for the word. "Courtship?"