Viktor headed down to the green houses and stopped at each door to peek inside. Every time he would, he would find an empty area. He sighed heavily as he ran his hand over his cropped hair. He couldn't find her in any of the rooms. He couldn't help but fear that Malfoy had already sent some of his cave men after her. He stopped hearing a small cough and looked up to see Hermione pacing in front of an archway that led outside.

"Hermione!" she looked up at the correct pronunciation of her name and smiled.

"Viktor…"

"Are you alright?" he asked as he rushed up to her and ran his hands up and down her arms.

"Yeah… Yeah I'm fine… Are you?" she asked eyeing him.

"Had to deal with Malvoy…" he said.

"Deal?" she asked.

"Took care of." He said correcting himself.

"Oh no Viktor you didn't…" Hermione stated with a distressed look.

"I did not hit… Just slammed." He said.

"Viktor… I can take care of myself you don't need to-."

"I do need to…" he said. "I was just going to speak to him, scare him with words. Then he said things, plans… I couldn't stop self." He said as he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. The thought of her in harms way bothered him to the point he felt as though he couldn't breathe.

"Viktor…"

"I'm sorry… but I haf great need to keep you safe. I haf half mind to get boys to watch over you."

"Okay a little protection is okay but overly so is not…" she said staring at him like he was crazy.

"I just want you safe… You do not know things he said." Viktor said as he held her close and rubbed her back.

"What did he say?" she asked as her hand went to the back of his head to play with the little bit of hair there. Viktor closed his eyes and smiled at the sensation.

"Just things. Things I will not repeat…" he said before pulling away.

"Did he threaten me?" she inquired.

"Well… he didn't comvliment you that is for very certain…" he said with a dark expression.

"I don't want him coming near you… but I cannot make sure this happens... I cannot be with you always…"

"Viktor you don't have to be…"

"If I got friends to-.'

"I don't want to be followed Viktor." She said quickly. "I can really take care of myself…"

"I know this but it makes me… Makes me nervous to haf you by self."

"The only times I'm really alone is in the library, and even then I'm never completely alone… so don't worry I'll be just fine."

"I cannot help but worry…" Viktor said as he rubbed her shoulders.

"It's you we should be worrying about… Especially with the dragons coming up… Have you studied?" he smiled at her change of subject.

"Yes, I haf studied hard… I feel confident."

"As confident as you can be, seeing as you are still un sure of what you're supposed to do."

"I think you are right. I think I may haf to get past dragon." He said.

"You didn't seem so sure last night." She said, earning her a look.

"What is it your meaning?" he asked.

"Well the whole time we were studying you were just looking at ways to kill the dragon."

"You are very observant Her-my-knee Granger." He said with a small smile.

"So what changed your mind?" she asked as they headed out into the open air.

"You are very sure of self, you haf never been wrong… I figure why go against genius conclusions."

"I'm hardly a genius." She said with a small smile.

"Everyone says so."

"Well every one is wrong." She said. "I'm just… I'm a hard studier…"

"You do not think you are smart?"

"No I don't deny I'm smart… But to say I was genius… That's a little I don't know… Big headed?"

"You are very humble voman." He said with a small smile. "Any one would haf jumped at chance to say genius. They say you are wisest witch of… decade."

"Age my own age… and in this school. There are plenty of girls out there who know more than me…" she said.

"I haf not met one." He said.

"Sure you haf."

"Her-my-knee… What purpose is Rucs root for?"

"It is a rare root that causes most brooms to go fast, the effects of rucs root Is pared best with ashwood which used in such models as fire bolts and-…" at his smirk she stopped.

"You know much." He said.

"The only reason I know that is because Harry has a Firebolt."

"Harry has Firebolt?" he asked.

"Mhm… He's a really good seeker." Hermione said with a small smile. "Youngest seeker in a century here at Hogwarts anyways."

"Does he wish to do this as job?" he asked.

"Oh no… No he plans on being a Auror." Hermione said. "What about you Viktor? Do you want to be a seeker for the rest of your life?" she asked as they made it down the long hill and headed towards the lake.

"Would this trouble you?" he asked. Hermione looked to him to see he was staring at her with a strange expression.

"No why would it? I mean if it makes you happy you should do it for a career." Hermione said.

"You do not think its… Dream?"

"Well sure it's a dream, but one you've turned into a reality."

"You do not think it foolish?"

"Foolish?' Hermione asked with a luagh. "Why would I? You're obviously good at it."

"Mother thinks it's not smart." She eyed him.

"Why?"

"She says something may happen. Injury may occur."

"So what?" she asked.

"Some injuries in sport can end a career player."

"So you have a bad injury, you can do other things on the pitch then just fly. I bet you'd make a great coach." She said as she started to walk again. "Or you could even become an owner of your own team... There are plenty of options." He smiled as he followed her. "I don't think your mum thinks it's foolish I'm sure she's just worried about you flying at tops speeds hundreds of feet above solid bone crushing ground."

"Solid bone crushing ground? You really don't like to fly." He said with a small laugh.

"It's not that." Hermione said. "Well it is." He laughed. "It's just I had a bad experience with a hippogriff diving at its top speed towards the ground last year and ever since then I haven't been to keen on going up in the air."

"You haf ridden hippogriff?" he asked.

"Mhm… Harry was driving though."

"Both you and Harry haf ridden hippogriff?"

"We've done a lot of things." She said with a small smile.

"Where was Veasley?"

"Oh hospital wing he was bitten by a dog." Hermione said, Viktor chuckled softly.

"He hasn't helped much?"

"Oh no he has, that was just a coincidence… You know in my second year after I had been petrified Ron helped Harry out a lot." Hermione said. "Harry probably wouldn't have been able to do what he did if Ron hadn't been there."

"You were petrified?" he asked, he had heard the tale of the chamber of secrets from other students but they hadn't mentioned that Hermione had been hurt.

"Yeah I looked at the reflection of a basilisk and it Petrified me… We were lucky that year no one was killed…" Hermione said.

"You haf very exciting life Her-my-knee." He said with a smile as he looked her over in awe.

"Well I do try." She said with a small smile.

"What are plans?" he inquired.

"Plans?" she wondered out loud as she sat down on a boulder near the shore line of the lake.

"Dah, Plans." He said.

"Plans for when my school days are done?" she asked as he picked up a stone and threw it across the lake. Hermione laughed as she watched it skip across the surface four times before finally sinking. "That was a good throw." She said with a look of admiration. She never had been good at skipping stones.

"I used to do it a lot when I was very small…" he said. "I haf a huge lake behind manor back in Bulgaria." She smiled seeing the nostalgic look he had.

"What is your home like?" she asked.

"Home?" he inquired turning to look at her. "Home is… Peaceful place. I can't wait until break so I can return." He said. "What of your home?" he asked. "What is waiting for you there?"

I don't even want to think about what's awaiting me there…

"It's… Average." She said. "As for waiting for me? One mom. One dad. And an owl." He smiled.

"What does home look like?" he asked.

"Like every other house on the block." She said with a smile. "I live in what you would call a cookie cutter house…"

"What does this mean?"

"It means that every house looks the same… like they were all cut out with the same cookie cutter…" he smiled.

"How big is home?"

"Two story." She said. "Yours?"

"Manor… Very big… My brothers haf own wings."

"That does sound big." She said with a smile.

"You never answered question before." he said.

"Oh I'm sorry what was it?" Hermione inquired sitting up completely attentive to any question he may have.

"What vill you do after school has come and gone?"

"Well… To be honest I don't know." She said with a shrug.

"You don't know?" it surprised him. He couldn't believe the always prepared Hermione Granger didn't even know what she wanted to do after her school career had ended.

"I don't know." She repeated with a shrug as her eyes scanned the lake with a somewhat haunted look.

"How can this be?" he asked.

"How can I when I don't know what's in store for my future?" She asked looking to him.

"None of us know what is in futures." Viktor replied.

"Yeah but I really don't know…" she said. "For all I know I could be dead by the time I'm eighteen." He frowned.

"Why do you say such things?" he asked.

"Because they're true… My best friend is Harry Potter… I have made a commitment to him. To be there by his side when he faces you know who."

"You are amazing duelist I have seen you fight." He said. "You will be fine."

"I fought Malfoy with simple children's spells…"

"And of death eater back at world cup Childs play then as well?"

"No… I was just really lucky." She said looking down at her hands.

"Did not look like luck… Looked like bravery and skill." Viktor said as he knelt down in front of her. "Family has saying if you think it, it shall be so… If you think you vill die then you vill."

"I don't think it Viktor…" She said quietly. "I know it…"

"You know you vill die?" he asked his breath catching in his throat.

"Something just tells me that when that final battle comes… I'm not going to make it."

"What makes you think this?" he asked quickly.

"That's the thing… I don't know what makes me think it I just feel it." she rested her hand over her heart. "I feel it here…" Viktor reached his hand up and covered the one resting over her chest.

"You won't die… The world needs you too much." She eyed him for a long moment with sparkling eyes. "I don't just think this Hermione… I feel it…" he put his other hand over his own heart. "I feel it… Here." Hermione smiled softly not just from the fact he had said her name correctly, but from the fact of how sure he sounded of his words. The nagging voice in the back of her head, the one that constantly reminded her of her thoughts on when and how she would die slowly and surely faded away until there was just silence between herself and Viktor.

"Viktor…" she said softly.

"Yes?" he asked moving forward slightly.

"I-." before she could finish saying anything else she was interrupted by the sounds of small giggles. Viktor groaned as he looked over his shoulder.

"How do they alvays find me?" he pulled Hermione up onto her feet. "Come we must hide…" he said as she started to pull her away.

"No Viktor…" she muttered as he pulled her into the forbidden forest. "Viktor we can't be in here." She said.

"We were couple days ago." He said.

"No we weren't we were in the north east forest this is the forbidden forest." she said.

"Why do they call it this?" he asked still leading her by the hand.

"Because it's forbidden… Key word in that sentence Viktor? Forbidden. We're not supposed to be here…"

"I've heard that on more than one occasion you haf ventured into woods."

"Yes because I had to." She said looking around and pulling out her wand readying herself for anything. Last time she was in the woods she was nearly done in by a werewolf.

"Well you haf to now." he said with a small chuckle.

"This is very dangerous Viktor…" she said softly.

"I vill keep you safe luff." He said pulling out his own wand.

"I'm more worried about you then myself…" she said. A loud crunch sounded causing Hermione to spin around.

"You heard somfing?" he asked stepping in front of her protectively.

"I thought I did…" she said searching the forest with her eyes. "You know I think we should leave this part of the forest now… come on…"