Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story. If I did, it wouldn't be called fan fiction.

Chapter 4: Others

Krum opened the door to his room, thankful he was alone at his home and dropped on his bed. He ran his hand on his face and took a deep breath letting his mind wander back to the game...

Viktor walked into the lockers, his head feeling like it was going to burst. As he heard the rest of his team come in, grumbling. He could feel them staring at him as they set down their brooms. He had missed it, he had not seen the Snitch until he saw Marrero go for it. He felt a presence behind himself and turned around. Dimitrov was standing there, arms crossed and an unreadable look on his face.

"I am not even going to ask what happened...I don't care...you have one responsibility...just one! What ever is keeping your mind busy...it better be gone when we start training for the next match." he said before turning around and leaving, not even bothering to change. The rest of the team just remained silent. They had been ahead by very little and the Snitch had been the deciding factor. Krum couldn't take the silence and decided to leave himself. But once he apparated in his room he instantly regretted it. At first glance nothing seem out of place beyond the messy baggage he had. But one look at the lace curtains around the bed was all he needed to be back in that night. He held tightly to one of the wood and leather chair in front of the offending bed. Why had he let himself do that? She was even engaged! Not that she had said anything but the ring on her finger said as much. And still he had let his body overtake his mind. His fingers dug into the chair. Viktor could still feel her, hear her, see her on the red sheets that had so willingly given in to their passion. Before he could stop himself Viktor threw the chair across the room, a loud frustrated scream coming from the deepest reaches of his soul. He heard wood shatter, probably a broken leg. He let himself sit down on the chair that still remained and buried his face in his hands.

He sighed sitting up and looked out the window. The sun was out, the rose bushes flowering. Maybe a short flight would help him clear his mind.

It was warm, safe, comforting and having not rested a full night in a some days now Padma was more than tempted to stay in her bed. But the smells coming from the kitchen told her she would be awoken soon to help and avoiding the confrontation with her mother she got up walking down the stairs. She was surprised to find her sister rushing around the kitchen as the smell of spices filled the air. Looking at the clock on the wall she realized it was barely seven and sighed. Parvarti had probably not slept as well. In fact she was sure of it. Silently she walked to her and began stirring the soup her sister had been preparing. Neither was sure how long they were there, one silently stirring the other silently adding ingredients. She knew what Parvarti was thinking about. That night she was finally introducing their parents to the man she had been seeing. It was not that their parents disapproved of her dating or that there was some wizard somewhere who already had been engaged to her. Just that most parents would not agree with their daughter being with a man who had been convicted of such crimes...not that Parvarti had to feel guilty about her choice...

"It's called a system Ron, perhaps you should adopt it."

Ron just laughed as he grabbed another large stack of papers to spread them on the files they were organizing.

"I don't believe shoving them in the files by not even reading them is a system Padma."

He sat down besides her looking at the large pile of work in front of them and ran his hand in his bright red hair. She would not let herself accept she had always loved it. She turned and stroked his back.

"Go home Ron, you look exhausted..."

"There is nothing but a cat that hates me waiting for me...company is much better here." as he said that he smiled to her softly. He stretched his hand slowly and brushed her hair slowly, pushing it behind her ear. He was so warm, she was not sure if he felt it, if it was just the very bad ventilation that made the air feel heavy in the small office. As his hand moved away she felt it stroke her cheek and she could not hold back a shiver. The list of reasons why she should hold back could stretch back to their school days. Like a mantra she repeated them in her head as she moved to him to help him loosen the tie he had so badly tied and had been choking him all day. She recounted them as he moved closer to her and tied her hair back when she commented about the heat. She focused on them as he took off his coat and stayed only on his work shirt, bent over the table reading the files of those who were accused of crimes during the war. She mentally screamed them when she caught him looking at her with an expression that betrayed his feelings and told her he was thinking about the same things she was. She told them to stay quiet when she moved towards him and he kissed her. No one had kissed her like that and she was sure no one would again unless it was him. Pulling him to the desk where the meticulous order they had given the papers was disregarded and shoved to the floor. He pulled her up, sitting her on the edge and she could feel the same internal fight coming from him. But he must of quited what ever voice screamed at him from his own mind as he pushed the pencil skirt she was wearing up her thigh. As she opened his shirt she had completely forgotten where she was or even who they were. All that mattered in her head was that she was finally giving in to what she wanted. As she pulled on his belt he whispered her name in her ear, his voice rather raspy as he moved his hand moved up her thigh. For that moment...Padma felt happy...

Her mother snapped her finger next to her to wake her up from the reverie. She kissed Padma's cheek and told her to sit down she would finish cooking. Not feeling up to questioning any orders given that day she simply joined Parvarti on the kitchen table. As she did she felt her sister put a hand over hers. A double pair of black eyes looked into each other and with a mirrored small smiled both squeezed each other's hand.

Viktor loved staying in Hayredin. He wasn't Viktor Krum Quidditch star here, he was little Viktor, Sofia and Oskar's boy. His family had lived in the small village for years. Being so small must Muggles saw the few wizarding families who lived around as merely eccentric. To them Viktor was of traveling the world, probably playing football. The wizards all felt proud of him but never crowded him or his parents and even made sure to defend the Krum family when unwelcome reporters came around. Sitting on the balcony of his parents two floor home he chuckled to himself when he saw the neighbors children kicking a ball around. He looked behind when he felt his father walking up to him. He always knew which of his parents was coming his way, his mother's steps were always loud clacks from her heels on the wooden floors that would get muted when she walked on the carpets. His father never made a sound, he tended to slide his feet something Viktor had inherited along with the duck footed stance he always had when not on a broom. Oskar sat down handing his son a cup of coffee and taking the chair next to him.

"What do you say to a trip to the lake later? Your mother is not coming until a lot latter, we can go down to the tavern afterwards." said the older man after a moment of silence. Viktor could tell his father was trying to cheer him up. He tried hard to not let his son see that. Viktor smiled at him and modded.

"It would be nice..."

Oskar patted him on the shoulder and sipped from his cup. Both stayed quiet for a time. It was something else they had in common, his father was not much of a talker either...at least when he was not around his wife, in those cases none would stop talking...

"France will go better Viktor...after that you could probably defeat Spain of you both end up in finals. The loss is not that big of a deal." said Oskar finally after the silence was too long. Viktor just sighed and looked down. If there was someone whom he could trust, whom he had told everything and anything, it was his father. He had seen him through thick and thin. He could tell him of meeting with Hermione, of their walk around the town. Of dinner and how they danced and how back in the hotel he had let himself completely go...Viktor looked down, biting his lower lip. After some silence Oskar knew his son would not say anything. He felt something was held back, something that grabbed on to the younger man's heart like a dragon to its hoard. He knew Viktor would not say anything,but his face said enough. He smiled at Viktor. Perhaps the lake could be skipped and a good drink would do him more good than some fishing.

Of the several definitions for "awkward" one was an uncomfortable situation where one does not know how to act. To describe what had happened the previous night in the Patil household as awkward was not even scratching the surface. As Padma walked down the stair she felt her sister relax back in their room. Parvarti had been so angry she barely slept. As she entered the kitchen and heard her mother singing softly she could tell she had not slept either. Padma rested on the kitchen door listening. Lalita Patil had arrived in England twenty two years ago and had made a vow she would teach her children the spells and songs she had grown with. She loved her husband and had gone against her family's wishes when she married Adhir. They worried that him having learned magic in England her children would only follow that magic. Padma wondered if her mother was thinking about all this. Of how her father had threatened to hold back her dowry. How her mother had cried and told her she was on her own now. The scene must of replayed in her mind when her husband yelled at her daughter telling her to stay away from the man whom she had invited to dinner. When she heard her stop singing she walked in.

"How long had you known?" she asked Padma softly handing her some of the bread she had been toasting. Padma just walked and rested against the counter next to her.

"A bit...she mentioned it but not by name...I confirmed it when I had to interview him...Blaise has changed a lot mum."

Lalita sighed and turned back to keep toasting the pieces of bread. When she saw her mother's hands tremble she took over it. Padma could only try to imagine what was going on in her head. They stood there for a long time, only the sound of butter being sizzled away interrupting the silence. Without a warning Lalita turned to Padma and placed a hand on her daughter's cheek softly. He did not know why but the younger woman felt her heart beat even faster. Her mother looked directly into her eyes.

"Padma...is there something you want to tell me?..." she said with her voice breaking slightly. For a moment her heart froze. Did her mother know? No..but she suspected. Secrets had never been only from one side in this family. Swallowing hard Padma looked back into her mother's eyes.

"No...nothing."

Lalita leaned in and kissed her daughter's forehead. Padma had never felt so low in her life.

Hark! An update! I am so sorry it has taken this long. I had this fully done by April but a very personal loss in that month altered my priorities and pushed back a lot of things. How ever I am back, writing is helping and hopefully the next one will not take as long. I am floored by how well this story has been received and I hope you all continue to love it and read it. I hope it makes up for the wait. Thank you all.