7
With some help from Harry, Hermione was able to get Ron into their front room; they sat Ron down on the couch. He was badly beaten by Viktor and was having trouble staying awake.
"Thank you Harry. How is Ginny doing?"
"Oh they drugs are wearing off fast and it's giving her a rather strong hangover, she's sitting on the steps outside."
"Well I think I can handle fixing Ron, you should go and take care of Ron."
"Okay…I'll see you at work tomorrow."
Harry kissed her cheek and walked out of the front door to retrieve his drugged girlfriend who was not looking the go happy person she was just about 20 minutes ago but instead she looked incredibly sick. Hermione heard the pop of the apparition and knew her two friends were gone now it was just her and a bloody beaten Ron.
"Well Ron you look like a mess."
"Easy for you to say, you didn't get jumped by a Bulgarian bastard!"
Hermione rolled her eyes; he would never accept that he helped in create the fight. Hermione walked over to the kitchen and retrieved a wet towel and some ice along with a potion to help with the pain.
"Here you need to ice your eye, and drink this potion it will help with the pain."
Ron drank the potion first and placed the ice wrapped in the towel over his swollen shut up. Hermione withdrew her wand and pointed it at his nose, instantly his nose was healed from being broken by Viktor. She looked at the cut on his cheek it wasn't that deep it, she tapped her wand on his cheek and watched as the wound healed and his cheekbone was no longer swollen and sticking out. The cut on his lip wasn't bad she didn't need to heal it.
"I can heal you eye but I need the ice to help with the swelling, I don't want to make a mistake and permanently injure you."
"I can't believe how you just let you him attack me!"
"What would you have me do Ron? Stand in front of you and take the hits? You always say you can take care of yourself and are always angry if I do help you so."
"I don't understand why that bastard is taking in interest in you! What are you doing to provoke it! I haven't done anything to deserve this!"
Hermione felt her hand twitch to her wand. How dare this bastard make this her fault!
"Don't play innocent! You were all over those girls on the dance floor! In public! You think that prophet picture was embarrassing for you? Try having hundreds of people seeing your boyfriend basically getting a lap dance with two women! Plus also dozens of reporters taking pictures of you getting your ass kicked! Because that's a pretty embarrassing night!"
Ron had jumped to his feet with her belittling him, he through the ice on the ground. It made a horrible sound, like the screeching of a nail on glass. Hermione was feeling fear creep up her spine. She was never afraid of Ron before, but he was taller and stronger than her.
"This isn't my fault Hermione! It's yours! You are throwing yourself at him! You just want attention! You just want to be noticed!"
"What the fuck are you talking about?! He is my friend Ron! I do not throw myself at him or any guy! You are fucking delusional!"
"Don't lie to me! I see the way you look at him!"
Ron was cornering her, she was realizes she was running out of options to leave the situation.
"Just admit it you've been whoring around with him!"
Hermione couldn't hold back, she slapped him on his cheek. She felt a slight confidence boost. But it soon disappeared with the look in his eyes. She had never seen him look so angry, she was terrified of him.
"You are a worthless whore Hermione! A poor one that because even I don't want you, I'm stuck with you, nobody would want you! Once they really get to know you and see all your flaws they would leave you. You should be happy I put up with you no else would. Look at you! You aren't anything special the only reason I put up with you is because you were so in love with me that I felt you were easy to bag."
Hermione felt her back hit the wall, Ron was right in front of her, degrading her, no humiliating her.
"Ron stop this isn't you!"
"Oh no this is me Mione, get used to it. I no longer will pretend to be gratefully for you. You should be grateful that you have me! I can do whatever I want and you will never leave me because deep down you know this is your fault!"
Hermione tried to push back Ron but he was too strong, she was fighting back tears, she hadn't been this humiliated since Snape taunted her buckteeth.
"Do you know how useless you are to me? I go out looking for women to please me because you are so awful at it. You can't even turn me on, whenever I have to sleep with you I think about someone else to even finish. I've been sleeping with other women for over 3 months on you, and I won't stop."
"How…how can you do this to me Ron, after everything we've been through together…"
Hermione saw a flicker of shame in his eyes, suddenly he wasn't cornering her anymore, it's like he realized what he had just said to her. He walked back over to the couch and sat down with such a force it seemed like he was carrying weights.
"Mione…I'm sorry…"
But Hermione was out of the room before he could even finish his apology; she ran up quickly to their bedroom and locked the door and warded it so no one could get in. She was shaking, how could he say that to her. How could he treat someone that badly, you didn't do that to someone you loved. Hermione curled up on the bed into a ball. She felt small and worthless, how could he say that to her? But Hermione couldn't shake the thought in the back of her head, was this really her fault? Yes, this was her fault.
Viktor had finally pulled himself away from all the reporters and was not back at his tent. It was still trashed from the other night. It was a good thing, because he was in the mood to break things but there was nothing to break in his tent.
"You idiot!"
Viktor yelled at himself, how could he be that stupid! How could he let the reporters see him like that? They wouldn't let this go for a long time. Viktor could see being asked "Why did you fight Ron Weasley an auror at the celebration of the first quidditch tournament?" Viktor kicked what looked like to be the remains of a shattered chair out of his way and lay down on his couch, the one thing he managed not to destroy. How could in just 3days he could find himself willing to do anything for her? How could she turn his heart back to her without even trying? It was like they were back at Hogwarts, trying to gain her attention, wanting her to just notice him not as the quidditch player but just as him. He was drawn back to the first time he actually talked to her.
Viktor couldn't stop himself, for the past couple of months he had been sitting in the library sneaking peeks every couple of minutes. The library was a sort of safe haven for him on campus. Everywhere he went he was followed by a group of girls, they wouldn't leave him alone in class or at meals. It was quite frustrating, he was here to win the Tri-Wizard cup but he also was attending school, the girls at Durmstrang didn't care about him. Bulgarian women are strong independent women who cared more about supporting their families then chasing him. Nobody gave him much thought at his school but once out he was considered a star. At Hogwarts it was intensified because of the quidditch World Cup, everybody seemed to want his attention. Constantly he was getting letters and gifts from girls. Some were stating their undying love for him and others were boxes of chocolate or alcohol no doubt mixed with a love potion. Usually he threw them away as soon as he got them. A reason he sought refuge in the library, the librarian for one was a tyrant, she would not put up with any sort of noise or goofing around. But the real reason he stayed in the library for countless hours was because of a certain witch. She was always in the library studying and doing homework it was amazing to watch her run across a problem and the enlightenment that would cross her face when she found the solution to her problem. She never looked at him like a love struck fan; if he was being honest she never really paid that much attention to her at all. She cared more about her work than his fame. But today was the day he was going to talk to her, he had practiced what he was going to say to her. 'Hello my name is Viktor, may I sit with you?' Seemed like a safe bet other than 'Hey it's me that guy that has been staring at you for the past couple of months can I sit with you?' Yeah best not go with creepy. He looked up from his book and saw her sitting a couple tables away from him; she was working on a paper it looked like, a long paper. She looked particularly beautiful today, uniform in perfect place, her hair was a crazy mess like always but it was pulled in a loose messy bun on top of her head. Strands from her unruly hair escaped for her bun and were cascading around her face. It surprised him to most boys at school that nobody saw her beauty like he did. They are stuck their noses up her because she had muggle parents and it also bothered a lot of students that a muggle born was smarter and better at magic than they were. But she wasn't just all brains she had beauty, she was growing into a women and he knew she would be a classic beauty when she was older. Okay you can do this. Viktor was about to stand up and walk his way over to her when about 5 girls were surrounding him before he knew it.
"Hi Viktor its Emma again, you met me last month, I was wondering if you got my last letter?"
Viktor remembered her, she was constantly following him from and to classes, she had written to him over a hundred times; most of her letters professing her love for him and explaining why they should be together.
"Da, Ive been uh busy…"
"Oh well no worries it would be amazing if you just wrote back or met with me one on one soon."
She was batting her eyelashes at him, thinking it would entice him but it really just made him want to run.
"Viktor I was wondering if you wanted to go to hogsmeade soon with me, we could walk together to honeydukes."
"Or Viktor we could grab a drink at the three broomsticks?"
Too many girls were asking to hang out with him, they were starting to get too close to him as well, he was feeling hands on his thighs and forearms. It was making him extremely uncomfortable.
"Or we could go up the Astronomy tower and get to know each other."
He felt one of the girls whisper in his ear, she had moved her hand up his thigh closer to his manhood. The invading movement caused him to stand up; in his quick motion he knocked the table causing his belonging to fall to the ground. The sounds of a table screeching and his belongings falling on the ground had earned the attention from everybody in the usually quiet library. Viktor saw that she was looking at him as well, she had an annoyed look at him, and she was annoyed he had caused such a scene. Quickly he went to pick his belongings up, but the damn group of girls were trying to steal his quills, parchment and his scarf.
"What do you think you all are doing?"
Viktor looked up to see her standing in front of him. She was glaring at the group of girls trying to steal his belongings.
"You five need to leave now, you aren't in here to study so you shouldn't be in here at all."
Viktor watched Emma who seemed like the leader of this crazy fan club stand up to her.
"Why should we listen to you?"
"Oh I don't Emma I'm the only one Madam Pince actually likes, and could easily have you kicked out of the library for the rest of the semester or notify Professor Sprout head of your Emma that you have been stealing from her and Professor Snape to try and make Amortentia, the strongest love potion and no doubt give it to Viktor Krum. So either give him back his belongings and leave the library or risk getting expelled."
Viktor watched amazed at how defiant she was, she was intimidating and she knew who he was, she said his name.
"Ugh fine, come on girls."
Viktor watched as the girls angrily left the library, their plans were interrupted by her.
"I'm sorry about them Ravenclaws witches always thought they were the smartest and really want to see their plan to be fulfilled."
Viktor managed to pick up his belongings from ground and put them back in his bag. She wasn't giving him an annoyed look anymore, she was smiling at him.
"T-thank you."
"Oh no problem, I always feel bad that you are being harassed around campus. People just need to give you space, you are here for the tournament but also to learn."
"Da, alvays being followed."
"Well I see you here in the library all the time and if you don't want to be bothered anymore you can sit with me. Nobody bothers me so you'd be safe."
"Da, I vould love that."
Viktor gathered his belongings and followed her over to her table. He sat down across from her. She had about 10 books open on the table as if she was reading them all at the same time.
"Sorry I usually get too many books."
She moved the books around so he had enough work space. He watched her jump right back into her work as if she wasn't just moment ago interrupted. Viktor pulled out his parchment for potions class; he needed to right 5 feet on Skele-Gro, and the positive affects it has. He had everything he needed except for her quills, he always kept two in his bag at all times. But all he could find was the ink. He looked back to where he was sitting and did not see his quills on the table or the ground. Meaning the group of girls had stolen them from him, no doubt going to sell them or but a hex on them and give them back to him.
"Here use my quill, its warded against any kind of spells."
Viktor gratefully accepted the quill.
"Thank you uh, vhats is your name?"
"Oh I'm sorry I thought you knew! How conceited and vain of me; I'm Hermione Granger."
Viktor shook her outstretched hand. Hermione that was an unusual name, but she didn't seem usual.
"Viktor Krum'
"Oh believe me I know who you are, I watched you at the World Cup, my friends family took me it was fun until the death eaters."
"Da, they ruin everything."
She smiled at his joke.
"Well it looks like we both have a lot of homework to do, so we should get started."
Viktor smiled and nodded and began to work on his paper. But he couldn't think straight. She knew who he was; she saw him play and yet said it as if it was nothing. She was impressed by him but not overwhelmingly; she wasn't star struck at all. Plus she had saved him and given him her quill. He looked down at the quill; it had a craving in it, HJG.
Viktor smiled at the memory, she probably didn't even remember the first time they talked but he would never forget it. She had made such an impression on him before he even knew who she was. It was from that moment on that she had his heart; even if she didn't want it.
Viktor got up from the couch and made his way to bedroom; he kicked off his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head. Tomorrow he would be back in Bulgaria, leaving his heart behind. He laid down and was consumed of restless sleep and the picture of Hermione walking away without him.