One week later

Hermione and Zacharias hadn't spoken in a week, and it worried her to think that she may have hurt him in some way . She honestly didn't know what had prompted her to eventually lead them to eat with Viktor Krum. Maybe it was because she had been too tired to think about the consequences. But then again, she should have thought through properly and clearly as she always usually did before having done so. It made her feel bad about what had happened. Zacharias didn't deserve to be treated like that.

Viktor had called three days ago to ask her when she was free so that she could take Aleks out with her to get him his 'pussy', as he liked to call cats or kittens. Hermione hadn't been too keen on meeting up with him after hurting Zacharias like that, but Aleks had been talking to her about his new 'pussy' over the past week so often, she didn't want to leave him disappointed. So she had called Viktor yesterday, him having left his number through an owl he had sent on the same day and had told him that today was a good time to meet. So Hermione had spent the past thirty minutes preparing both Aleks and herself for the long day ahead that she knew she was going to regret.

"Hello Sacha." Viktor greeted Aleksander, as soon as Hermione placed him on the ground when she got to the Serpentine at Hyde Park where she'd said she'd meet Viktor. It was a Muggle infested part of London so she thought she'd be safe here with Aleks.

Aleks ran over to Viktor to give him a hug, who had a young kitten, who looked scarily like Hermione's late cat Crookshanks. Aleks plopped himself onto the ground as soon as Viktor passed him the kitten and looked at his new friend curiously. Hermione soon got to them and stood with her arms crossed as Viktor looked at her.

"Why did you call him Sacha?" Hermione asked, curiously. "Forgotten his name already?"

"Oh, it's just a diminutive. Kind of like a nickname for Aleksander but in my language where I come from." Viktor said, before adding. "Do I not get a hug for a greeting?"

Hermione rolled her eyes before noticing that Viktor was looking around.

"What?" she asked.

He gave her a look as if she were supposed to know. "Where is your husband?" he asked. "He's always with you."

"He didn't come."

Viktor looked at her curiously, probably because she didn't deny whether Zacharias was or not. "Something bad must have happened? It's written all over your face. Broke up?"

"Shut up. Stop trying to concern yourself into my life."

Hermione knew that she was very well lying to him, since he had been part of how Aleks came to be.

"Yeah right."

"No fighting." Aleks suddenly interrupted. "No fighting."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at her little boy. Sometimes, some of the things he said just made her day. She could hear Viktor chuckling at him, muttering something about how cute he was.

Viktor then bent down to his level and asked him what he wanted to call his new friend.

"Pussy!" Aleks squealed.

Hermione frowned. "No Aleks, that's not- a very good name. Think of a more unique name that is easy to remember." she turned to Viktor, who had since stood back up. "I don't know where he learnt that word."

"He probably learnt it the day I said it. How old is he? They catch up a lot on this by the time they're two or three."

Hermione gave Viktor a look. "I know that. He's just turned two, intelligent but so quiet. He can come up with surprising sentences sometimes... He's begun to talk a lot more ever since that dinner we had together." Hermione paused when she realised she was telling Viktor a little bit too much. Feeling annoyed at herself she decided to poke at him a little bit. "But I wonder how you know all of these things. Have you got any kids of your own?"

"Not that I know of." he said with a smirk.

This made Hermione feel uneasy. It didn't help when he suddenly gave her a wink.

"Alfieeeeee." Aleks then said.

"You want to name your kitten, Alfie?" Hermione asked.

He nodded then shook his head, then nodded again.

"That's an interesting name." Viktor muttered.

Five minutes later, Viktor and Hermione were sitting on the grass, watching Aleks, who was five metres away from them, playing with Alfie. They didn't say anything to each other and just watched as a gentle breeze past by. The sky was in its usual cloudy appearance and Hermione had a feeling it was going to rain sometime soon.

"So... what have you been up to over the past week?" Viktor asked her, suddenly closer than she remembered.

"Looking after Aleks." Hermione said, trying to keep her answers short and simple.

"That Zacharias guy not part of your schedule? Surely you two must have done something."

"Viktor. I told you, he's none of your business."

"All right. I'm sorry. Do you want to know what I did?"

Hermione shrugged, knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"Women, drinks, dancing, women and more women." he began, giving his manhood a little pat. "I've had a lot of fun."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I played a Quidditch game- my team lost," he then said, beginning to sulk. "but that's because I was suspended half way through for sticking the finger at the opposing seeker who I'm sure I heard said something horrible about you. We lost because our team had no proper seeker playing. I can't play for the next five games because a bunch of fucking kids saw me."

"Well, you shouldn't have done it in the first place, you are a very famous person who many see as a role model to kids," Hermione told him, she pretended to have not heard the bit about her since she thought she had misheard herself.

"But you aren't being a role model either by saying shit behind other people's backs or stuff about them right? He flew by me and told me how he wanted to fuck you here and there. The stuff he said were really graphic." he said. "I wasn't very happy when that fucking Norwegia seeker said stuff like that, you don't deserve any of it."

Hermione blushed, though faintly. "It's Norwegian, Viktor, not Norwegia." Hermione muttered, trying to replay what he had said to made sure she had heard things clearly. Had Viktor done something nice for her for once?

"Has Sacha flown before?" Viktor suddenly asked, changing the topic. "Not on the muggle flying thing that makes terrible noises in the sky but on a broom."

Hermione shook her head worriedly. "No, he hasn't. I'm scared of flying so I wouldn't be able to bring him flying anyway. And even if I could fly on a broom, I wouldn't allow Aleks any of it. He's only two!"

Viktor chuckled. "I started flying on a broom when I was one."

"I don't believe you."

"Actually, even before that." he said beginning to smile genuinely for the first time ever. "Most people don't know this but my mum was on a broom flying when she was pregnant with me when her water broke."

Hermione laughed as the image came to her head.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I just find it hilarious. I wonder if anybody below was hit with the water that fell from her."

Viktor laughed. "I never thought about it that way."

There was a sudden eye contact between Viktor and herself and she saw happiness and a sense of belonging in his eyes. She suddenly stiffened when she noticed that he was beginning to lean forward. Hermione didn't know what to do or why she was closing her eyes in anticipation as he neared her. She could smell his scent, a mixture of broom polish, grass and alcohol and his stubble on the left side of her cheek. What stopped the kiss from happening was when Aleks began to cry. Hermione bolted up, knocking Viktor in the chin with her elbow as she did so.

"Aleks!"

She ran over and found him lying on the floor, crying ballistically.

"What happened Aleks? Are you all right?" she asked, as she bent down to his level to cradle him. "Did you fall over? Aleks? Look at mummy, Aleks, look at mummy." She rubbed at his sore knee, where his tiny hands were placed.

"Hurt." he said, now sniffling. "Aleks fell over and hurt."

"You mean 'I hurt myself when I fell over'." Hermione corrected.

By this time, Viktor had gotten to them and had Alfie in his hand. He bent down to their level.

"Hey Sacha, be a big boy." he told him. "Because only big boys can fly on brooms."

Oh no... Hermione thought. Please Viktor... don't talk about brooms...

"Voom... broom?" Aleks asked, his tears slowing.

"Yes, you fly on them. But I can't let you fly with me if you are going to cry like that."

Aleks stopped crying. "Sacha can be Superman?"

Hermione noticed the sudden change. Aleks wasn't calling himself 'Aleks' now but 'Sacha'.

Viktor raised an eyebrow and looked at Hermione. "What's that?"

"It's this muggle superhero." Hermione told him.

He turned back to Aleks with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, like Superman."

"But we can't fly today, Aleks." Hermione intervened. "You've played enough for today. You have Alfie too who is just as tired as you are."

Aleks began to sulk, looking much like Viktor from earlier.

"But you can fly with me next time," Viktor told him, pulling Aleks' dark brown curls behind his ears. Hermione had noticed how Aleks' hair was getting darker. "If your mother lets me that is."

Hermione glared at Viktor before quickly morphing her face into a grin when Aleks looked at her pleadingly. Why does Viktor always have to do this to me? she thought. "Yes, you may fly next time when we meet Mr. Krum. But Vik- Mr. Krum has to go now," she turned to Viktor and gave him a menacing look. "Don't you."

Viktor shook his head as he realised what Hermione was intending to do and chuckled. "Yes I do, however, I will be seeing you very soon, Sacha."

He leant down and gave Aleks a kiss on the forehead before passing Alfie to him. He gave Hermione his usual sizzling look before making his way away from them. Hermione looked at Aleks and could tell that he really enjoyed today. Hermione frowned. She was beginning to feel confused. She had intended to be extra mean to Viktor today but actually managed a decent conversation with him. She then picked Aleks up and cradled him in her arms as he stroked Alfie's head who was wrapped around his arms.

"Did you enjoy today, Aleks?" she asked.

"I wan be like Superman! Can I mummy?"

"Of course."