V2


The Yule Ball

"CHRISTMAS!"

Well, that was the first thing that woke me up. The second thing, was a big fat "Merry Christmas!" in my face at six o'clock in the morning.

I was startled awake at the sound of Mary's voice, her pretty round face above my head. I let out a startled scream and rolled away, to the floor with a THUD. "Christ, Mary, don't you know better by now not to do that?"

The girl bounced up onto my bed and looked so ecstatic that it was hard to stay angry with her. Though somehow I managed. All of the other girls who had followed her in were happy, too, even Lisa Moore, the prude. "I know, it's just that this is one of the first times that I've ever seen you in the morning. Usually you're not here, so we're gonna have Christmas together. And besides, it's Christmas! We've got to go to the boy's barrack and see if everyone has presents!"

I groaned as I moved to get up from the floor, rubbing my sore forehead. Right… the tree is in the boy's bunk… "Please tell me you still don't believe in Santa."

"No, but it's still fun to see who got what and from who!"

"Whom," I corrected in a sigh. I pulled myself up and wished that I didn't have to do anything that day. Christmas was usually a great time for me, but this year…I didn't get to see my mom, or dad, or sister, or grandparents, or anyone. I always went home for Christmas but none of the students were allowed to leave this year. I was usually far away from the land of magic and in the warm kitchen of my muggle gramma. I was actually feeling kind of homesick.

"You go on ahead, Mary," I sighed as she bounced up and down on my bed energetically. "I'll be there in a few moments. Just let me wake up."

Her happiness seemed to die down for a moment. "Oh. Are you sure?"

I nodded and she slowly got up from the bed, her eyes hesitant. "Yeah. I just need a few moments alone."

"Oh," she sighed, as if she were still worried for me. "Okay. Well, if you want breakfast, you might want to hurry up. You know those boys!" Augh, who had kitchen duty last night? I hope it was someone who could cook, since we're not eating Christmas breakfast in the castle.

"Of course," I chuckled, putting my bed sheets on my bed and smoothing them out. "Now go on. You need the nourishment more than I do."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I threw the pillow at her, getting a laugh from her pretty pink lips. "Get going! I need some time alone." I also needed to ward my new officer's bunk to keep everyone out.

"Alright, see you there," she said softly, closing the door behind her and the rest of the girls who had left. I sighed and instantly flopped down onto my back, covering my face with my pillow. Maybe I can ask Leah Sampson to help me protect my bunk. Keep everyone out unless they know the floo location. Do a wand scan, that'll help. Ward the hell out of every possible entrance.

The security wasn't the only thing on my mind. I was tired and slightly depressed, if I was being honest with myself. Not having seen my family for so long, not counting Jason, was wearing on me. The stress from the second task was wearing on me, too. I was a pretty confident swimmer but the egg had been pretty adamant that I had to swim for an hour under water. I didn't know a single human alive who could breathe for that long underwater.

Nothing to do about it now, I thought as I finally got dressed and headed towards the boys bunk. It was snowing outside which brightened my spirits a little but I was too cold to be too happy. Wishing for that cloak right about now, was a thought going around in my head but I squashed it like a bug. Viktor was just competition. That was it.

The entire Army was circled around the Christmas tree in the barracks. I kind of missed being in the barracks with everybody but at the same time, my own queen-sized bed was very appealing. The noise in the metal enclosure was close to bursting until Jason, dressed as Santa Claus, started magically throwing out presents. The bag over his shoulder must have had an expanding charm on it because there was no way that all of those would fit in there.

I sat by myself in the back, since I'd gotten there late. I had a present from my mother and father, one from "Santa" (also from my parents, family tradition), one from Fred and George, one from Angelina, and one from an unknown source. It was wrapped in black paper with a shiny red ribbon.

From my parents, I got a new locket for my charm bracelet. I couldn't wear it very often because of uniform regulation, but I loved the tradition that my family put together. This charm was a trophy, obviously representing the Triwizard Tournament. I put it back in its little container and opened the one from Santa which was a no-maj picture of Mom playing some kind of video game console. Dad was holding the camera and standing in front of it, smiling with his thumbs up while Mom just looked confused. Jessica sat off to the side reading something and looking rather above it all.

"Did you get the picture too?" Jason asked as he squatted next to me. He held out the picture. His was different. Dad was playing some kind of war game and winning. Mom sat to the side completely enraptured. Jess was still just reading. "Looks like Dad's home! Is that our present?"

Dad somehow always came home for Christmas, even if he was far away. Most military personnel couldn't pull that. I had a feeling it had something to do with Mom's job, in all honesty. "No, I think the console is. What was that new no-maj thing comin' out?" Jason knew more about technology than I did.

His big blue eyes instantly widened and he gave out a whoop that drew a lot of attention our way. "No way, they got us the PlayStation!"

I looked closer to see a little baby disk reader that didn't seem like more than a CD player sitting in front of our parents. "Nice! We hit the jackpot this year bro."

"Too bad we can't play it until this summer." He wiped a fake tear from his eye. I pushed him and his creepy old, smelly Santa suit away. "Sheesh, give your only family here some love."

"Go give your Beauxbatons girl some love," I snarked back with a little kissy face.

He threw a small present at me and said, "I already did," in the most disgusting, lewd way possible.

"Ew ya nasty, get out of here!" He already had my gift, I saw, and he was wearing it in his pocket. I'd gotten him an old-fashioned pocket watch with a picture of him and his girl in it. I felt pretty bad that I didn't know her name but he seemed to love it.

I knew that he loved it because he placed a kiss on the top of my head. "Thanks, sis. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," I sighed as he rushed off. Some people were throwing fits because some last-minute presents hadn't been delivered and "Santa" wasn't doing his job. I opened his present, which was wrapped in newspaper, to find a recommendation from Bartemius Crouch Sr. for an internship with the United Magical Congress of the United States of America.

I hugged that reference to my chest and held in tears. My brother teased me and we got in a lot of fights, but he tired to do what was best for me. He knew how much an internship with the United States government meant to me, especially if I got it without the help of our mother's name. I kissed the reference before magicking it away to my room where I knew it would be safe inside my safe.

The last present bugged me. I wasn't sure whom it was from and unsolicited gifts were usually troublesome. Still, I opened it. Inside was a small glass vial. The liquid inside was colorless and it made me cautious. Potions and poisons could be colorless and odorless. But still, it was Christmas. No one would be heartless enough to send something like that on the day of Jesus's birth.

It smelled like my no-maj grandma's rose garden. It hung on a thin golden chain and was obviously a gift that someone had thought long and hard on. I'd be wearing it, that was for sure, but I wasn't sure who it was from. It was definitely beautiful.

LLL

"You look gorgeous," Mary gasped, twirling a piece of my hair around one of her fingers. "Cormac is not going to be able to keep his hands off of you."

Really? I wondered, smoothing down the red fabric around my hips. The dress was long, with no straps and a heart-shaped top that contoured to the curve of my waist, and then loosened directly at the middle of my hips, flowing to the ground. It was a dark maroon, a color that did wonders to my olive complexion, and had black accents running up and down, diluting the further down it went as the black mixed with that of the skirt.

There was a slit up the side, showing off my long, tan right leg in a strappy black heel. These are totally going to kill your ankles and hips for the rest of the month… But I thought that it was worth it.

My long brown hair was in millions and millions of curls, black and red accents that looked like fire coming through the curls, but it was just a charm. My bangs were swept to the side, prettily framing my face. I had a little bit of black eyeliner around the outside corners of my eyes, some red eye shadow to make my eyes even more hazel than they already were, some soft brown blush, and skin-tone lipstick to make the entire look natural.

Mary was dusting my shoulders with some powder so that I would look perfect when I walked in. "I think Alex will kill you if you don't send her pictures."

Alex… I thought sadly, wishing that my best friend were there. "Yeah, I know. You look really pretty too, Mary."

She blushed prettily, her bright blue eyes excited as she looked in the mirror next to me. She was my complete opposite, wearing a dress of light blue that flowed around her like water. Her pretty blonde hair was done up much like mine, but with small blue and white crystals strung all up in the curls. And, even with heels on, she was still shorter than me without mine. "Thanks again for helping me find my date."

I smirked and made sure I had everything I needed to leave. "Of course! I've known him since...well, for a while. I thought you'd be perfect for each other."

A cat-like smirk adorned her lips. "Like Cormac is perfect for you?"

"I just met the man, Mary!" I exclaimed, grabbing my black wrap to put over my bare shoulders until we got out of the cold. I berated myself for not having Cormac meet me at the barracks. "I'll just take my own carriage up. You and James need to take one, since you're going together."

"Is McLaggen not picking you up here?" she asked, confusion in her pretty eyes.

"I told him to meet me in the front room. You do know how I love to make a grand entrance!"

VVV

When Viktor first saw her, walking down the stairs, he knew that he had made the right choice in his partner. She was wearing a very pretty and flattering pink dress, her brown hair up in tresses that fell around her face. She was the perfect Bulgarian woman: quiet, motherly, intelligent. He was exactly the woman his parents would want him to marry. If she is a pureblood, of course. That wasn't something to ask on the first date. He'd merely seen her studying in the library when he'd been hiding from his "fans."

Viktor smiled at her and took her hand to lead her around the entrance hall.

"Oh lá lá!" came a high-pitched feminine voice near him. He turned to see the man named Jason standing there with the Beauxbatons woman who had called out. "Your seester eez beautiful, Jaysoon!"

Viktor turned his eyes from his date to see a stunning picture of beautiful fire standing in the doorway, her hair falling down around her hips in long waves, framing her entire curved body. As she stepped down the stairs, one long, tan leg peeked out from the dress, showing curvy calves and heels that would have made her only slightly shorter than him.

Wait, "sister"? he wondered, looking at Jason who had his arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Dad would go postal if he saw her wearing that. Put a shawl on or something!" He's her brother!

"Wow," Hermione said, her pink lips in a smile. "Leigh Ann is really beautiful."

"So are you," he said to her, trying to return his attention to the woman who was actually his date. After all, he had asked Leigh Ann to the ball and had gotten a flat-out rejection. It unfortunately replayed in his head every time he thought of her.

"Leahn…may I speak to you?"

She stopped and looked at him, seeming frazzled and confused. "Um…sure. But make it quick, because I've got to go get my ribs bandaged again." He could tell that she was in pain.

"I joost vanted to say, that your performance vith the dragoons…it vas very good." He remembered thinking what an idiotic thing it was to say.

Leigh Ann looked very confused. "Um…thanks? I guess it didn't help that I got beat up at the end, but, yeah, thanks." Just the fact that she'd gotten up after the dragon had hit her made her strong. He'd never been with a strong woman, only weak, simpering girls.

"They should not half taken off points for that. It vas after you had already gotten the egg!" He remembered thinking that he already knew what was in it, and wondering if she had figured out the puzzle.

"Yeah, the egg…" Her eyes darkened and she looked even more frazzled. "Listen, thanks for the praise, Viktor, but I have to go."

"Vait!" He reached for her arm but stopped in time to keep from making that mistake. She didn't like being manhandled. Still, she stopped, looking a little nervous. "I vas…I vas vondering—" He had to take a deep breath before he continued. Why couldn't he talk to her? She was just—a—girl. "Vould you like to accoompany me to the Yule Ball?"

Leigh Ann looked like she had just seen a Dementor floating behind him. She was speechless for a moment before losing the look and slowly saying, "You…want…me… to go with you to the Yule Ball."

Well, she wasn't yelling or screaming. He took that as a good sign. "Yes."

She let out a large breath of air, rubbing her hand over her face. "Viktor, first of all, we're both Champions. I don't think that we can go with each other."

"But—"

"Second of all, I don't want to go with you. We're competitors. Not friends, not in some weird relationship, and you're not my 'Hunky, Bon-Bon Bulgarian Seeker'. Stop following me around and stop, just...stop!"

For some reason, he felt...rejected. He felt slightly angry and knew that she was taking out her similar anger on him. "Leahn, it's not—"

"It is! I don't know what makes you think you're so special, just because you have a stick in between your legs and a Snitch to catch. I know you. I know your kind. Did you even think to ask if I had a date? No? I'm out."

He hadn't even had the time for her to explain, but he had seen a lot of pain in her eyes before she had walked away. He could have sworn he'd heard crying when he'd tried to follow her but she'd gone into a bathroom.

I want to know what that pain is, he thought, remembering his own pain at the sharpness of her words, watching her on the arm of a man he knew to play Quidditch in Gryffindor. What makes him different than me? His black robes had red accents to match her beautiful, form-fitting dress, and they looked handsome together. He was very tall, burly, with curly dirty blonde hair and a strong-jawed face.

And at the moment, he looked very full of himself.

LLL

"Champions, over here, please!" Professor McGonagall called, and I walked over to see that she was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather strange wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat. She looked quite fetching. She told us to wait on the right side of the doors while everyone else went inside; we were going to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down.

Fleur Delacour and a man named Roger Davies were the closest to the doors and the man looked like he could hardly take his eyes off of her. Cedric had a very pretty Asian woman to hang on his arm and she smiled beautifully at him. Harry was standing next to a very pretty Indian girl who looked very proud to be going with him. I knew she was Gryffindor, having seen her sitting down the table from my normal friend group.

And then there was Viktor. I wasn't surprised to see that one of Harry Potter's friends was on his arm. Normally she looked rather frumpy but she was all dolled up for the dance. She looked almost perfect draped on Viktor's arm.

Something in my chest burned a little but I ignored it and smiled to my date. "You look very handsome, Cormac."

"Thanks, I thought so," he said with a shit-eating grin.

I falted at the fact that he hadn't complimented me but ignored it. "I'm a little nervous. The last dance I went to turned out to be kind of a bummer."

"Well, doll, you're with me. That alone makes it twenty times better." He grabbed my arm and pulled me a little closer than I was comfortable with.

The doors opened to gasps and applause. My brother was looking at me as if he could murder Cormac, Krum's fan girls looked like they could kill Harry's friend, and a bunch of Marines were looking at me as if they had never seen a woman. I caught Fred and George's eyes as they hooked arms with their dates (one of which was Angelina who looked gorgeous) and they hooted and cheered for me as Cormac led me to the floor.

We were led up to a large round table at the top of the hall where the judges were sitting. The walls of the Hall had been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

When we got to the table, a red-headed man in the place of Mr. Crouch beckoned Harry over—was he another Weasley? I wasn't sure. Harry and that man were in deep conversation while Cedric and Cho were making lovey-dovey eyes at each other. Fleur was talking but Roger Davies just stared at her, not taking in a word.

I was starting to feel bored with the "Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen" going on beside me. He was a Quidditch player, of course, and he wouldn't let me get a single word in and talked all about himself. He was nothing but a pig, staring at my chest every time he talked at me. I put my wrap back on, feigning chills and feeling tears pool at the corner of my eyes. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Everyone except me.

"Ve half castle, not as big as this, no as comfortable, I am thinking." This came from Viktor to Hermione, Harry's friend that I discovered her name to be. They seemed to be getting along just fine even with Viktor's stunted English. "Ve half just four floors, and the fires are lit only for mageek. Boot ve half grounds larger even than these—though in vinter we have very little daylight, so ve are not enjoying them. But in summer ve are flying every day, over the lakes and the mountains—"

"Now now, Viktor," Igor said with a laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "Don't go giving away anything else, now, or your charming friend will know exactly where to find us!"

"Igor," the General said with a twinkle in his eyes, "don't you think that all this secrecy is a little overboard? Anyone is welcome to come visit the Academy."

"Yes, yes, Igor, one would almost think you didn't want visitors," Dumbledore said, sharing a look between himself and the General.

"Well, Dumbledore," Karkaroff said, displaying his yellow teeth, "we are all protective of our private domains, are we not? Do we not jealously guard the halls of learning that have been entrusted to us? Are we not right to be proud that we alone know our school's secrets, and right to protect them?"

Dumbledore had a twinkle in his blue eyes that scarily matched the General's. "Oh, I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts' secrets, Igor." He went on to describe finding a secret, disappearing bathroom somewhere inside Hogwarts. It was quite interesting, thinking that the entire castle was enchanted or alive!

Meanwhile, Fleur was criticizing the Hogwarts school, and I listened in. "Zis is nothing. At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we 'ave ice sculptures all around ze dining chamber at Chreestmas. Zey do not melt, of course…ze are like 'uge statues of diamond, glittering around ze place. And ze food is seemply superb. And we 'ave choirs of wood nymphs, 'oo serenade us as we eat. We 'ave none of zis ugly armor in ze 'alls, and eef a poltergeist ever entaired into Beauxbatons, 'e would be expelled like zat." She slapped her hand onto the table impatiently.

"Well," I said, narrowing my eyes at her, "I would love if a poltergeist came into the Academy and riled some things up. No offense, General."

"None taken, Second Lieutenant."

"And what ees wiz your names?" Fleur asked snootily, throwing her pretty hands into the air.

I didn't take any offense to that, seeing as how it was confusing to any civilian, let alone someone from outside the US.

"Well, its how we keep track of our years. It is a lot like the real military in America. We train, we keep in shape—or try to, as you can see—and because we have nine years, we try to make sure that everyone is easily categorized. We have four "houses", to use Hogwarts terms, and an officer for each year past the Fifth Year. I'm the Fifth Year Officer, and my brother, somewhere in a corner making goo-goo with a girl from Beauxbatons, is the Seventh Year Officer. For you boys from Hogwarts, think of it like Prefects, one Officer for each year past Fifth in each Branch."

"I'm curious," the pretty girl with Harry said, leaning in and listening intently. "What is America like? And the Academy?"

"Well, it depends on if you're no-maj or pureblood, really. The purebloods like to integrate with no-maj society because they're so concerned about being discovered, especially in the new technological age. So we have a lot of advances with technology even in the magical world. We also don't play Quidditch as much as ya'll. We play Quodpot. Think of it as your soccer to our football." Cormac looked at me funny as I explained to Parvati (Harry's date) what Quodpot was. I was actually more passionate about Quodpot than I was about Quidditch, so it was easy to get carried away.

"And the Academy—it's wonderful! All stainless steel and bright whites, spick and span! If you ever saw it, you'd think it was some brand new college for technologies. We can actually use electronics inside, though it's frowned upon unless it's being used for Academy business. One kid brought his GameBoy in last year and that was confiscated almost immediately. We have massive amounts of rolling hills, with a dock straight to the ocean that no muggle can get to or see, where the Navy stays. The Air Force keeps at least four planes and helicopters on the grounds at all time, in their hangar that takes up a lot of room. We, the Army, have barracks, and the Officers have their own rooms at the back. We try to make it a lot like basic trainin'. The Marines, the lucky bas—sorry, sir," I said, looking up the General with apologetic eyes. "You know my feelings about the Marines."

"Respect your fellow soldiers," he said with a small laugh.

"The Marines get lodges, like log houses, but with everythin' you can imagine inside. They're completely spoiled rotten, if you don't mind my sayin', sir."

"Not at all, Nelson. Not at all."

"I manage the Quidditch/Quodpot pitch, making sure that nothin' happens to it. Once, two years ago, we had to use the pitch for—what was it, sir? A race?"

"Yes, Nelson."

"Yeah, a race, and my poor field had to be torn up! It took me weeks to put it back the way I had it. We don't have a lake, since we have the ocean next to us, but it is really beautiful. Patches of trees, small parks, the cutest little animals you could ever see…"

"Considering that you think that a 'cute little animal' is a Thestral, Second Lieutenant, I'd hate to see what you think a dangerous one is," my General said, winking at me playfully. I had to laugh.

"And it's just…amazing."

The Indian girl, on the other hand, was entranced. "That's amazing! I've always wanted to visit. My sister and I, after we graduate, plan on visiting each of the continents. So, of course, we'd visit America."

"The North can be pretty rude, but so can some cities in the South. I'd suggest Texas, or Louisiana. Ooh! Louisiana during Mardi-gras! Make sure you send a letter to me when you go, because I still haven't been and I live in America." Somewhere during my monologue, Cormac turned away.

Finally, I thought, watching McLaggen turn his attention to the redhead and Harry, talking Quidditch. Hermione was now teaching Krum to say her name properly. He kept calling her "Hermy-own."

"Her-my-oh-nee," she said, slowly and clearly.

"Herm-own-ninny."

"Close enough," she said, catching my eye and grinning, then looking to Harry. He still couldn't say my name, pronouncing it like "lean" rather than "Leigh Ann".

When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls, leaving the floor clear, and he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.

A band was walking onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been ripped and torn.

"Who are they?" I asked, completely clueless, to Cormac.

He looked at me as if I had suddenly grown two heads. "You don't know who the Weird Sisters are?"

"Apparently not," I mumbled, taking his arm and walking to the center of the hall. Cormac put his hand on my waist, slightly lower than it should have been, and held my other hand that wasn't on his shoulder in his. "I warn you," I said as the band counted the beats, "I'm not the best of dancers."

"I'm sure you'll do just fine," he said appreciatively, his body pressed a little too close to mine.

The Weird Sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune, and we started to dance. One two three, one two three, one two three, one two three… We moved forwards, backwards, changing our hand positions like we were supposed to. When McLaggen had to pick me up, it hurt my sore ribs and I winced. I hated that the women had to be picked up. I was a lot bigger than all of the others and it made me feel self-conscious. He could do it, although barely, which made me feel a little bit better. His fingers digging into my ribs to get a hold of me was not, though.

Soon, people started joining us. I could see George and Angelina somewhere close by while Fred and a girl I assumed was Alicia Spinnet danced near them. Dumbledore was waltzing with Madame Maxime. I wanted to laugh when I saw the General dancing with Professor McGonagall.

Though suddenly Harry left the floor, and McLaggen was starting to drag me off. "Oh, but wait, I know this song! It's the cover for—" an American wizard artist's song, but he didn't let me finish.

"Just wait, I think you'll like this…" There was a small balcony off the back, where kids could go for a walk in the garden.

"Yes, it's beautiful, Cormac," I said, turning to look at him. "But what does it have to do with missing the d—?" I was interrupted when he put his hands on my waist and pulled me closer.

"Look up," he said softly, his eyes not leaving mine.

I did, to see that there was— Oh, Merlin, mistletoe.

"You gotta kiss me, Leigh," he said seductively, giving me a sly smirk. "It's tradition."

Viktor Krum

Viktor leaned down to kiss Hermione's hand, smiling at her. She had been a good choice for a date - she was pretty, danced well, and he hadn't been bored, either. She made up for his not talking with all of her knowledge. She smiled back and flounced over to where Harry Potter and the Weasley fellow was, and he walked off to get drinks. As he was getting them from the table, he saw a very hassled-looking Leigh Ann in the corner of the room, seeming anxious as a man advanced on her.

"Your mom could get me that position I'm looking for with the Wasps! That's all I'm saying!"

"Yeah, that's all you've said all night!" Her hair was messed and her lips swollen as if they'd been kissed properly...and long. She threw the long mane of her hair over one shoulder and turned it, very cold, to her date. "I'm not just some contact for you, I'm your date and you've treated me awful all night!"

"I've treated you just fine," he growled, puffing up his chest like he'd been wounded. "I'm a great date!"

"I'm going to dance and try not to be accosted by you on the way there, okay?" She tried to get past him and he stepped in her way. Viktor set down his drink cups and moved towards the scene. He didn't like the way the other man was hassling Leigh Ann.

"At least tell me you'll talk to you mom about me. Tell her about all the plays I told you about tonight!"

"I'll think about it, Cormac. Now step off. I want to dance and not with you."

"Hey!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. "You're my date dammit and I'm not gonna have you dancing with some other guys like some slag. I-"

Before Viktor could defend her honor, she punched the man in the face. He fell back, clutching a bloodied nose and groaning into his cupped hands. "Next time you ask someone to a dance, make sure it's for the right reasons McLaggen. Not to get in good with your date's mom, not to cop a feel. You hear me?"

"Fucking clunge," he growled, starting to lunge back at her.

Viktor caught him before he could make another advance. He easily wrestled the man backwards, wrapping one hand around the man's throat. Viktor stayed calm even though a rage was filling up inside of him. He knew that Leigh Ann wouldn't want a crowd on this. "You speak to lady vith nasty vords?" He squeezed the man's throat and shook him a little. His face was turning blue. "Vell? You no man, you bug. Pederast neshtasten." He felt okay cursing in a different language since he knew that Leigh Ann wouldn't be able to understand.

The woman whose ears he was trying to protect ran by him, tears in her eyes and anger in her features. He called after her but she didn't stop. Instead of following her instantly, he turned the bug in his arms around and pushed him up against the wall. He couldn't say what he wanted in English so he said all of it under his breath in Bulgarian. "If you touch her again, you will find yourself without the ability to bear children. If you even look at her the wrong way. It is thanks to men like you that she cannot stand me and for that I will forever wish your soul to burn in hell!"

Just to put the "icing on the cake" as Americans would say, he hexed the little man to keep his tongue glued to the roof of his mouth. There wouldn't be anymore funny business that way.

Viktor knew he wanted to follow Leigh Ann but also couldn't forget his own date or he'd be like that bug. He grabbed the cups he'd dropped earlier and ran to Hermione with their drinks. "Herm-own-ninny?" he asked, seeing that she was slightly upset. He felt guilty for having left her on her own.

"N-nothing," she said, taking a deep breath. "Just Ron being a prat."

"I apologize." He gave her the drink he had gotten, and she sipped it, thanking him.

"How is Leigh Ann? She looked upset when she ran out." Hermione was smart but she was also very observant. Viktor wanted to go out after her, but there was no way— "Go to her."

"Vhat?"

"She's upset and you know why. A friend would try to comfort her. You're her friend, aren't you?" Viktor wasn't sure, especially after her last outburst when he'd asked her to the ball. "So go."

"Leaf you?"

She rolled her eyes and tried to smile through her pain. "Yes. Go! I was getting ready to head in anyway."

Viktor grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Thank you." He really had had a good time with her. Hermione just smiled softly squeezing his hand.

Leigh Ann had forgotten her things at the victor's table, so he grabbed them. One was her wrap which he was sure she'd be cold without. He traced her footsteps out and away from the castle, although the flurry of snow coming down was starting to fill them in. He traced them back to the training space between the Army barracks. There was an indoor portion where her footprints ended. He recognized it as the place he'd taken her to get her ice bath when she'd hurt her hip.

The room was large, hosting a few bikes, some hand-held exercising tools, mats, a boxing ring, and many boxing bags hanging around.

She was punching the stuffing out of a bag. Most of her weight was on her back foot as she bounced on the balls of her bare feet, arms up in front of her face. The dress was gone, replaced with a grey "Army" t-shirt and black silk shorts, but her hair was still curled and she still had the tasteful makeup on her face. Some of it had fallen as tears streaked through it. She jabbed the bag once, twice, turning her hand as she punched to make it stronger. She crossed, using her shoulder to power it. Jab, cross, uppercut, tearing into the bag with an angry fury the like of which he'd never seen.

He didn't say anything. He figured that she knew that he was there, she just needed to get some anger out on that poor boxing bag. He'd never seen a woman so fit and furious. He needed something like her in his life. Someone who wouldn't just lie down and take it—someone who could stand up to him and be a partner, an equal. And look damn good doing it too.

Leigh Ann was hitting for a solid ten minutes before she put her forehead against the slick fabric of the bag. "What?" she asked, sounding defeated. "What in Merlin and God's names do you want?"

He set her things on a bench and slowly moved closer, not wanting to scare or startle her. "You, happy," he said, once again cursing his English when around her. At this point it was just embarrassing. He'd been doing just fine with Hermione and yet when he was near her, his tongue tied.

She punched the bag and turned on him. her teeth clenched. It made his heart hurt to see the tear stains down her cheeks, the makeup smudged. It hurt even more seeing the anger in her eyes. He understood her a little better now that he had seen how men used her. "Then leave me alone."

Viktor thought about it. He really did. But then he thought on what Hermione had said. "No. Friend...no leaf." A friend would comfort her. You're her friend, aren't you?

"Why do you insist on being my friend?" she asked angrily, once again punching the bag. "I've been nothin' but horrible to you. I've yelled and pushed and shoved you away and yet you keep comin' back."

He was close enough now that he could put his hand on the bag. He made sure to keep it between them. "You need friend." He meant to say that she needed a male Quidditch friend, but that was what had come out. She was so scarred from her experiences that she needed one good light in his life. He'd be completely fine if that was him.

Leigh Ann punched the bag. He held it in place as she took all of her anger out on the stuffing and synthetic material. Her frustrations with him, with the world, with her mother, all put on her little knuckles. When she was done, her face shone with a thin layer of sweat and her arms were shaking. "Do you see now? Did that answer your questions?"

"Da." He wanted to tell her that he was sorry for the others, for the ones who just wanted to hurt her. He'd been like that for a long time. He'd been after nothing but sex at the beginning but now he realized that he wanted more. Not only would she not go for that, but he realized that he didn't want just that anymore either. "I apologize for heem."

She looked up at him for the first time in a while. She looked genuinely surprised before that disappeared and she seemed bitter. "I should have just gone with Fred."

Viktor found this strange. "The small red boy?" He'd seen two of them, both of them being twins. He didn't see Leigh Ann as wanting tall, thin redheads.

"One of the twins, yeah. But at least I would have had fun with him, instead of having to knock out the man who invited me." She laughed and ran a hand through her hair which was slightly sweaty from her exertion.

"It vas good," he said with a smirk. He mimicked her jab to McLaggen's face.

She laughed. It wasn't a giggle, it was full and deep. Too short, in his opinion. "Yeah, I guess it was. Don't get on my bad side, Krum, alright?"

I wouldn't dream of it. He shook his head before he remembered that Americans nodded when they meant "yes". In Bulgaria it was the opposite.

"God. My brother is going to rub this in my face for the rest of the year. He told me I should have gone with Fred in the first place."

He didn't have siblings so he couldn't relate. He just nodded and held the bag as she swung aimlessly at it again. And thank Merlin he is your brother! He couldn't believe that he'd actually thought that Jason was her boyfriend!

She then looked up, her eyes slightly red rimmed, as if she were about to cry. He got a feeling in the pit of his stomach, like he wanted to hug her. "Do…you have siblings?"

He had to stop himself from snorting in mock laughter. "He." His parents had barely wanted him. All they needed was a male heir. He wasn't about to tell her that, though.

"Oh." She looked over his shoulder, seeming a little stiff at first but then slowly relaxing as the night progressed.

"You?" Besides your brother?

She smiled - one of the first true smiles all night. "Yes. My brother, Jason, whom you've met, and then my little sister Jessica is still back in America, at the Academy. My mom just had another one of us. Her name is Nicole, one of the most adorable newborns you've ever seen."

From the way she was speaking, he felt that she cared deeply for them. "You like children?" He could instantly picture her in a kitchen - it may or may not have been his grandmother's that he was picturing - with a round belly as she cooked for the large family she'd already created. But she wouldn't be happy with that, he imagined. In Bulgaria, men were the breadwinners and women stayed home with the children. She would want to work. She'd want to do it all, not just stay home.

"I love them," she sighed, her eyes twinkling happily. "Sometimes I want to strangle Jessica and Jason until their eyes bug out, but they're still my siblings. My mom always said that I was going to be the one to give her grandchildren first, but..." She looked pensive. "Jason took this girl from Beauxbatons to the dance and I think he might be in love."

"You vant children." He said this as a statement and knew it had to be true because of the way she spoke of them. He had never asked himself if he'd wanted children. The act in making them was his forte, but actually producing a child?

"Yup. A houseful," she said with a faraway smile, as if imagining it. "A bunch of little girls like my mother, and a handful of little boys that act like my father. Well…maybe not," she said, smiling even wider, as if picturing a bunch of her little fathers. "I'd have a handful with that bunch."

Viktor suddenly felt very attracted to this woman, not just physically, but emotionally. Even though she usually bit his head off every time he got near, yelled at him, flat out refused him…he still wanted to know her - he still wanted her. She put up the longest battle he'd ever fought in, but he realized that, in order for him to see if he really wanted a woman, he had to keep fighting.

He was sure that, after he broke her down, she would looked beautiful in the throws of passion.

"Ah…thanks," she said suddenly, not able to look at him.

He tilted his head to the side in question, raising an eyebrow.

"For protecting my virtue and all that." She stepped back and came around the bag, finally moving it from between their bodies. Viktor found that, while he liked the way she looked in a dress, he prefered her in a t-shirt and shorts. It looked more natural. "My only regret is that I didn't really get to dance."

Pulling his cloak from his shoulders, he allowed it to drop to the ground as he held a hand out. Her hazel eyes popped to his hand and back to his face before she shook her head. He insisted, not moving his hand or his body. "Dance. Vith me."

As always, Leigh Ann hesitated. "I...I don't know. There's no music."

"Leahn." He gave her a pointed look and she bit her lip. It made heat flare to his cheeks and to other places. He hadn't blushed in he didn't know how long so he was surprised when she took his hand and it made him blush harder. He used wandless magic to amplify the sounds coming from the castle. It was a slow song.

He put one hand on her waist—like a gentleman—and the other held her hand. He led her in a slow waltz, never letting his gaze leave her face. She was voluntarily letting him touch her and he wasn't going to let that go to waste. He didn't know if he'd ever be close enough to smell her...rose perfume...ever again. She's wearing it! She didn't know it was from him but it filled him with pride that she wore it to the dance.

"Thank you," she said softly, the words leaving her like a breath of pent-up air. Her eyes were beautifully topaz with little flecks of olive green around the brightest light from the center. "I thought that I would be able to dance all night. Guess not. But, I do have to say, that you would have been a lot more fun than McLaggen."

Viktor pulled a hand from her waist to reach up and gently tilt her chin up a little more. He was so tempted to pull her closer that he started to—before he remembered why he was dancing with her in the first place. "Vhy not me?"

She held no fear in her eyes, only a glare that he'd seen many, many times. "Krum, I told you—"

"I am Viktor! Vhy vill you not call me that?" He then looked away from her eyes and over her dark, bare shoulder to see an empty workout room. For a moment, he'd lost himself in their dance. He gave an irritable sigh and tried to relax his body. He couldn't be angry with her. Although it was partially her fault for making him so frustrated, he knew that, with her, he'd have to be gentle. It wasn't exactly a conquest to him anymore - more like a point to prove to himself. "It vas fine. I ask Doombledoore."

Her entire face was red and it bled up into her ears and down her neck. He would have given anything to see how far the red went. Seeing her proved wrong was priceless. "I-I…I didn't know. But…my…I mean…" She sighed and shook her head, looking away. "You saw why. You know why."

The song was just getting finished. He let go of her slowly, hesitantly, and took her hand. He kissed her knuckles softly, reveling in the soft feel of her fingers. Her knuckles were torn and bleeding slightly from having hit the bag without protection. "Tergeo," he whispered, cleaning the dried blood from her wound and kissing the marks left over. She sucked air in between her teeth and her hand tightened around his.

He noticed a pretty charm bracelet on her wrist and a silver ring with a ruby on it on her ring finger. He burned her pretty little hands into his memory. Her smell, her arms around him, her anger, her tears...her everything, committed to memory for as long as his obsession with her lasted. He didn't see it ending anytime soon.