Viktor walked down into the great hall to see Hermione and her friends sitting closely together. Ginny and Harry on either side of her. She looked better then he thought, in fact she looked really good. She was laughing at something Harry was saying.
"She looks okay…" Jamous whispered to his friend as they sat down.
"Okay say something else and I'll pretend to look like I'm functioning." Hermione whispered to Harry.
"Hippogriff." He said she laughed wildly which made Harry not able to conceal his own laughter.
"Is it working?" she asked softly.
"Oh yeah… He looks thoroughly confused." Ginny said.
"You know who's confused?" Ron asked making his friends and sister look to him. "Me. what the bloody hell is going on?!"
"I need to go…" Hermione said quietly. "I can feel his eyes on me…" she said picking at her food.
"Whose eyes?" Ron asked looking around. There were at least ten Bulgarians looking at her.
Why are they all looking at her… he thought as he raised an eyebrow.
"Okay laugh before you leave…" Harry said.
"Right…" Hermione stood with a smile before laughing.
"I'll see you guy's later." She said before turning and heading out. Viktor went to stand only to have Jamous grab his arm and keep him from getting up.
"You get up and go after her the boy who lived is going to show you how he killed you know who." Viktor looked to see Harry giving him a death glare. "Wait for lunch to come then she'll get the owl from you and all will be okay." Viktor nodded.
"You're right…" today was a weekend so no classes were scheduled. Viktor had gone to the library just to get a peek at Hermione but he couldn't find her anywhere. He left heading to the great hall to wait for lunch. Hermione peeked around the wall that concealed the stacks to watch him walk away. His pendant held between her two fingers. She slowly backed up into the dark area and sat down on an old book case that had long been forgotten.
"Why does this all seem so wrong?" she asked herself before looking down at the pendent which lay in her palm. She watched as one of her tears landed right in the middle of it. "Why do I want him back?"
-o-
Ginny had found Hermione in the stacks a palm full of her own tears resting over the star jem rose. With a joke and a few threats on Viktors life Hermione was back to laughing. So together they headed to the great hall for some early lunch. When they walked into the large dining area it was to see Viktor and Jamous sitting close to each other watching their every move.
"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked sitting down beside Harry.
"No idea… I think he's watching the blue birds…" he said.
"Blue birds?" Hermione asked.
"It's what we guys call the Beauxbatons girls…" he said with a cheeky smile.
"That's awful." Hermione scolded.
"And yet we all just don't feel all that bad." She smiled at her friends antics.
"Oh look owls are here." Ginny said looking up. To Hermione's surprise she had mail.
"Here it is… She'll forgive you right away." Jamous said with an eager smile. They watched as she opened it. "We worked on it all night… No way she won't… Forgive... You…" Jamous ate his words as Hermione suddenly got up threw the letter down and stormed out.
"What went wrong?" Viktor asked his friend.
"I have no clue…" he couldn't stop Viktor as he walked after her. When Viktor got outside the hall he was caught by someone. He turned to see Harry looking livid.
"Tell your new girlfriend to leave Hermione the hell alone!" he shouted shoving the envelope into his chest so hard it made him stumble back. He took out an opened letter from the envelope and stared in horror.
Dear miss Granger,
I understand you have been having a relationship with one Viktor Krum… If I had known I wouldn't have acted the way I did to you in the cabin… You should know though that we have been together for a long time… He may have proclaimed love to you but in fact it was lies… cut your losses some girls can't handle having a relationship with a Quidditch star… I myself have caught him cheating on me more than 6 times… You didn't find it odd he wanted to keep you a secret?
So sorry about what happened,
Olivia Benchard.
The letter crumbled in his hand. His heart was racing so fast. He hadn't felt this angry since the day Malfoy had attacked him and Hermione in the library.
"What happened?" Jamous asked coming to his side.
"Contact my agent tell him to fix this." He gave his letter to Jamous before running off. His friend looked down at it.
"Not her again…" Jamous muttered seeing the name at the end of the letter. He went to turn but jumped when he found a short skinny red head looking up at him.
"You're Viktor's friend…"
"Yeah…" he said. "You're Hermione's friend…" she held up a letter. The one Hermione was supposed to read, the one from Viktor.
"I read Viktor's real letter… We need to chat…" Jamous smiled.
-o-
Hermione looked at her clock. Closing time at the library. She had been shut up in the most secret of study rooms the whole day. She hadn't been studying at all though. She had instead been staring blankly into a book which she pretended to read. She came out of the room and headed down the stairs that led to the main library. As she walked through she found tons of books completely out of place. Over the course of an hour she put at least 75 books back to their rightful place. When she was done she went to the door and shut it. Not locking it yet as she had to go through the return bin. She picked it up and started walking around the library.
"How difficult is it to put your own bloody books away?" she muttered to herself. She knew it was her job to put them away if they were returned but she still felt the need to complain. After twelve books she reached for the last one and stopped when she saw the title. She put the bin down and leaned against a table.
A SEPARATE PEACE
JOHN KNOWLES
Bulgarian adaption
She had been looking for it the day Viktor had first asked her out. She gave a watery smile as she looked down at it. She wiped any tears that fell away as she slowly headed to the Muggle section. She climbed up the ladder that Viktor had rescued her from many times. She slowly put the book in its rightful place. She looked at it for a long moment before climbing down. When her feet touched the ground she didn't relinquish the ladder she just kept staring forward.
"I never knew I could be hurt so terribly…" she whispered to herself.
"Did not mean to hurt luff." Her hands gripped onto the ladder.
"The library is closed… Please leave." Viktor stared at her back.
"That voman-."
"Was gorgeous and a whore…" Hermione said turning. "I hope you had fun…"
"There was no fun…" he said quickly. "I didn't sleep with her Hermione."
"So she what tripped into your bed naked?" she asked.
"She snuck in bed naked… That voman is terrible voman… She's broken up six of past relationships… I haf never made deal about it because I did not care for them as I do you."
"Shut up and get out." Hermione said as she went to walk past him. He caught her by her arms and wheeled her around.
"I wouldn't cheat on you!"
"You were bringing her back flowers to the cabin she said you were coming back… She said a lot of things."
"Flowers were for you." He said. "I felt bad about our little tiff we had about Malfoy and goons… So I got you flowers… I was coming back from broom so I could fly to your window…"
"Why would that woman just show up in your bed naked Viktor answer me that." She said poking him hard int eh chest.
"Because I am Krum." He said.
"What does that even mean?" she asked.
"I am Quidditch star I haf fans!"
"Oh please." She pushed him back causing him to release her. He froze.
She doesn't think I'm that famous because she doesn't care about fame. I never thought that trait would work against me!
"I haf standing restraining order against her I swear!" he said rushing after her.
"She wrote to me told me all about you. Said I wasn't cut out to be a Quidditch pros girlfriend. I think she's right… I never thought of you that way so I never conceived that you would be some famous play boy Git!" she said turning and glaring into him.
"You trust some voman over me. Me? Who you know!"
"She was naked Viktor it's hard to ignore!"
"She was naked because she wanted to seduce me!"
"Like you're so special!"
"To them I am!" he said. She went to walk away only to have her grab her.
"Let me go!" she shouted.
"Not until you listen! I had no reason to sleep wiff such a voman you are my voman now!"
"I'm not yours!" she shouted slapping his hands away and jumping back before he could grab her. "Not now not ever!" she took off her necklace and threw it Viktor who easily catching it. "I don't ever want to see you again!" he looked up slowly to meet her tear filled eyes. "No one makes me feel this way and then just gets away with it…" she said.
"Are you mad at me because of what you think I did…" he said looking down at the pendant. "Or because of how it made you feel…" he slowly looked to her to see she was glaring daggers into him.
"Get out." She said through gritted teeth.
"I can't." he said.
"Yes you can move your feet and get the hell out of here!" She shouted pointing towards the front doors.
"Can't leave not until you know truth."
"I don't care about the truth… You slept with her fine, I really don't give a damn. You didn't sleep with her still doesn't make a difference to me. You know what if you won't leave I will…" she stormed off. Viktor rushed after her and grabbed her arm and wheeled her around. "Stop throwing me about like I'm some rag doll!" he rested a hand on her tear stained cheek. Hermione eyes grew wide as she fell forward something foreign rushing into her head.
"Stop." She said putting her hand on his chest. He felt a power begin to surge into him but he didn't budge.
"Let the memory in! Please Hermione." her eyes shut tightly as she became very drained and slumped even further into his arms.
Harry turned and left he ran right up to Viktor and slammed his fist against his jaw. To both their surprise Viktor dropped to the ground cradling his face.
"What the hell is going on!" Viktor shouted.
"Hermione wait!" Harry bellowed.
Slowly Viktor picked himself up off the ground the flowers he had brought back to his cabin completely crumbled. He slowly walked to the cabin and peeked through the door.
"Hey there Vicky…" he tilted his head before sighing heavily. The woman jumped at his suddenly angry look.
"God damn it!"
"What?" she asked. He had shouted something in Bulgarian at her before grabbing her by the arm and wheeling her out of the cabin.
"Get out!" he said.
"But Viktor love!" she said.
"I am not your luff that girl you just made run off that is my luff… Take clothes get away from me. If I ever see you again I will get authorities involved!"
"But you love me!"
"We've been over this I don't want to sleep with you I don't ever want to see you!" he slammed the door on her face.
"Can I have my clothes?!" she called form outside. Viktor sighed grabbing the bundle and threw them out the window. "Thank you!" he sighed running his fingers through his hair.
"This day keeps getting worse and worse!" he bellowed.
A bright light burst in front of her eyes as she fell back wards to the ground. Viktor laying over her slightly. She pushed him off and slowly backed away her chest heaving.
"What was that?" she asked closing her eyes quickly. She had seen the memory felt the memory from the anger he had to the confusion even to the miraculously hard punch Harry had sent slamming across Viktors cheek.
"I put my memory in your head…"
"That impossible… Memoratic transfer hasn't been seen in wizards since 1923…" she said her chest heaving.
"Not seen but not gone…" he said walking over to her and sitting down beside her on the floor. She backed herself away from him.
"That was highly intrusive…" she said quietly.
"You weren't listening luff… You were just going to leave without knowing… I couldn't let you walk out on me like that."
"So that woman… Has she done this before because that memory felt familiar."
"Yes she has…I've contacted my agent who will rid us of her…"
"So that letter…"
"borus." He said.
"You mean bogus…"
"Yes this is what I said." he said nodding.
"It's just… When I walked in…" Viktor had pulled her memories from her mind. "Just seemed like she had been there for a while…"
"You were very upset…" she looked to him. "Broke heart…" he said quietly.
"I wouldn't say th-."
"I know this now…" he pointed to his head. She stood Viktor watching her moves.
"Then you also know I will never be hurt like that again…" she said quietly. Viktor slowly stood.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I uhm… I don't think I should be with you anymore." She slowly turned. "She was right I'm not the kind of girl who can watch girls fawn over you and throw themselves at you… and if this relationship lasts I don't know if I can ever stand to walk in on another girl in your bed…"
"You won't ever." He said in panic as he walked quickly to her and taking her hands, the necklace he gave her still held within his.
"Viktor…"
"Give us chance…"
"I just didn't like the pain I felt…"
"You won't ever feel pain like this again I swear it…" he said. "Okay? So please put necklace on… Put necklace on and we well be together again and we will be happy. Be very happy." Hermione looked to him. "Mina please…" he said using her nickname.
Please don't break it off… Viktor thought.
I can't leave him… Every time I go to walk away pain fills my chest… I can't leave someone I love… Hermione looked down at their hands. I love him… I didn't know it until now… I can't walk away not with my heart screaming at me the way it is…
"Please Mina…" Viktor pleaded. "Please do not leaf me…"
"Okay…" Hermione said softly.
"You'll stay with me?" he asked. She nodded.
"I'll be with you." He laughed and threw his arms around her hugging her closely. Hermione smiled into his shoulder as her own arms moved around him holding him tightly.
Walking away didn't feel right… But this does… Whenever girls start to fawn over him or try to seduce him. I need to remember how I feel now. I have to be stronger for him and for myself. They both pulled away at the same time she smiled as Viktor draped the necklace around her neck.
"Viktor…" she said quietly. He looked her over with a smile while nodding. "I uhm… I… I'm sorry." He had sworn she was going to say something else, something he had been wanting to say or hear her say for a while.
"I am as vell." He said before he captured her lips with his. Hermione smiled against the kiss as he pulled her in tightly. There was no denying that when they fought, it was wrong, but when they kissed nothing could be more right.
"Miss Granger!" they both jumped.
"It's the librarian… No one is supposed to be here after hours… Sneak out while I distract her okay?" she whispered with a smile.
"Okay… I'll see you tonight luff… I'm going to fly to your window."
"Okay." She said with a bright smile. "I'll see you then. Miss Rickel!" Hermione called.
"Hermione why is the library not locked?"
"Because I'm still inside." She said with a smile as she walked to her. "There were a lot of books left over, and sometimes when you lock the door from the inside it gets stuck."
"Oh I've had that happen to me over a hundred times." Hermione smiled as she watched Viktor run out the door waving to her as he did.
-o-
Hermione paced her room with a small smile. She couldn't wait to see him again. She had been so sad the past day, beside herself really. When she thought Viktor had slept with another woman, been in love with another woman she had been so hurt. Now that she knew that woman was in fact a crazed fan she felt rather ridiculous. She should have seen that, but she didn't.
I don't think of him as someone famous… I think of him as my boyfriend… Thank god he's still my boyfriend. She smiled to herself when she heard a knock she turned and smiled at Viktor who was levitating outside the window. She walked over and opened it up with a smile.
"Hallo." He said with a smile.
"Hey come on inside…"
"I was thinking you could come with me… Let's go to our pond."
"Okay… Let me get my shoes and coat." He nodded with a smile. She walked into her room slipped on her flats and pulled on her long tan pea coat that went to her mid thigh. She hadn't worn a uniform that day, no one had so she was still wearing what she had been skinny jeans and white sweater that draped over her shoulders revealing black tank top straps. She crawled out her window with a smile and let Viktor help her onto the broom.
"Ready?" he asked she was sitting on his lap in the most safe position there was.
"Yep." She said as she closed the window. "Go fast okay?" she asked with a smile.
"You want me to go fast?" he asked.
"Not all the way fast but fast." he nodded with a smile.
"Hold onto me…" he said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. Viktor leaned forward and the fire bolt sped off fast without warning.
"Too fast too fast!" Hermione laughed.
"Want me to slow down?" he asked with his own laugh.
"No faster!" he laughed as he leaned forward going even faster. He had taken a few girls up for a ride around the sky but no one had ever asked him to go fast. He smiled at the way Hermione laughed, completely carefree and full of life. He couldn't wait to take her up to see the area around the manor. They arrived in a matter of minutes thanks to the speed of his broom. When they got to the pond they touched down Hermione smiling as she hoped up. "That was great!" she said.
"Soon you will have to learn how to fly yourself then we can race." He said.
"Sure!" she said with a smile.
"Really?" he asked.
"No!" she said making him laugh.
"Very nice. Okay you conjure the skates, I'll freeze the pond." She nodded with a smile. After he froze the pond he flicked his wand out conjuring a small canopy that lay low on the ground with a few pillows and blankets. Hermione smiled as she turned away from their newly made skates.
"Here you go." she said handing him his pair before slipping off her flats and putting on her pair of skates. "I'm glad we came out here tonight." She said.
"Me too… Good way to make up." she nodded. When she got up she took off her jacket revealing the white sweater she was wearing. She headed over to the ice and skated out with a smile. She turned to see Viktor was watching.
"Coming?" she asked putting her hand out. He smiled as he skated to her and took it.
"It's a little dark out…" he said.
"Here." Hermione took out her wand. "Eradia." Thousands of tiny different colored lights flew out of her wand and hung in the air. "Oh rats."
"What is rats?" he asked.
"Well it's a new spell I'm creating where lights fly out of your wand in whatever color you want… I wanted just regular lights… We got multi colored lights."
"You make your own spells?" He asked.
"Yeah I mean I try to as you can see I'm not good at it..." she said with a smile. "Better than last time…"
"What happened last time?"
"Did the spell and the lights attacked me." they both laughed. "With the amount of theory I try to hold in my head you think I could get a simple light spell done… But then again Wilfred Gossle the man who created the disarming charm it took him ten years to get that right…"
"I knew this… He was Bulgarian you know."
"I did." She said with a smile. "Some of the smartest wizard and witches have come from Bulgaria."
"Some of fastest too." They both laughed. After a moment Hermione looked to him.
"Viktor I was wondering… Because of our fight… Am I to stay at Hogwarts for-."
"No you are still coming to Bulgaria, no if ands or buttocks." Hermione smiled.
"You mean buts."
"This is what I said." Hermione smiled with a sigh.
"I like you too much." She said before twirling away from him. "Does your home have a pond?" she asked as she skated easily around the ice backwards at a fairly good speed.
"We haf lake and it always freezes in winter… So we can skate… My whole family does usually…"
"What are your brothers like?"
"Like brothers." He said with a shrug making her laugh.
"Are you the youngest?"
"I am second youngest… My little brother stony is 10."
"He'll be heading to Dumstrang soon right?" he nodded with a smile.
"Next year." He said. "We are all very proud."
"I can imagine… I wish I had siblings…" A flash of sadness moved across her features before she put on a brave face. "Sometimes… It gets lonely in my family not only being the only child but the only one with magical abilities." She said with a soft expression.
"Is it that bad?" he asked. "With your parents I mean?"
"It's not really bad with my parents… But when my father told my uncles… They wrote me off. When they come over to visit I always have to leave."
"That's not right."
"They still send me Christmas gifts and birthday gifts so that's all that matters." He laughed. "Speaking of Christmas, excited to go home? You leave in two days on the ship…"
"You leave day after that." He said. "But yes I am excited to go home. You?"
"I guess a little you know to truly pack for the trip to your home… But that's about it my parents won't be there you know so…" she shrugged. "I'm giving Harry Ron and Ginny their presents on the train and they're giving mine to me so Christmas will come a little early this year but I'm excited." Hermione said with a smile. Viktor watched as she jumped into the air and did an elegant turn before landing easily. "Hey… Want to race around the ice?" she asked doing another turn in the air.
"No you are too good luff." He said with a smile.
"Oh come on." She said as she started skating in a tight circle around him. "Is the great fast seeker Viktor Krum worried that I Hermione Granger his girly girlfriend will beat him in a race?"
"You know how to challenge luff… I'm in." she smiled as they skated to one side of the pond together.
"We go back and forth five times…"
"Only five? Make it ten."
"You're on." She said with a smile. He loved the fire he saw burning in her eyes.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Set." She said.
"Go!" they shouted. To his surprise she leapt forward giving her at least a seven foot lead.
"Hey cheater!" he called.
"Can't handle the cold get off the pond!" she shouted with a laugh. They raced back and forth it was neck and neck with Hermione a little further ahead. So to make things even Viktor leapt forward taking Hermione into his arms and diving into a snow bank.
"Viktor!" she said with a loud laugh.
"Hermione!" he repeated.
"You cheated! I was going to win!"
"Were you now?" he asked with a smile as he stood up, Hermione now in his arms.
"Yes I was going to win and then you cheated!"
"You say cheat I say further advantage." He said with a smile as he walked them over to the canopy and sat down on the pillows. Hermione smiled up at him. She wiped some snow of his hair and nose while he did the same thing.
"Do I look okay?" she asked
"Always luff…" Hermione smiled as she configured two cups.
"Hot chocolate?" she asked.
"Yes thank you." It spouted out of her wand and into the two cups. "To us." He said with a smile. They clinked their glasses together. They weren't sure how but the fiasco of the past day had left them closer, and stronger than ever.
"Tonight's been a good night…" she said looking to him.
"That it has." He said with a nod as they looked out the frozen pond with the various colored lights.