Dedicated to Lois
A life lived to its fullest
-o-
Viktor slowly turned a corner his wand pointed as he did. He had been within the maze for ten minutes and still no sign of Death eaters. He could hear his fellow champions though. As of right now Fluer was making terrified noises and sobs. The dark of the maze had gotten the best of her all too quickly. A hedge over he heard Diggory cursing under his breath. Just ahead of him he spotted Harry. He was tailing him just as he promised Hermione he would do.
If death eaters are lurking what is taking them so long to act? Harry turned a corner and Viktor rushed quietly to keep up. He peeked around the hedge to see Harry was looking around not sure which was the way to go. Seriously he's out in the open! Prime for attack! Has he learned nothing in his time of constantly being attacked?! Has he learned nothing from Hermione?! Viktor looked around checking for anything unusual. But all he saw were high hedges and heavy fog. Still what are taking those death eaters? Maybe Dumbledore did something to make it safe. Maybe the death eaters couldn't get in. he looked back to Harry and froze seeing he was gone. I lost him! He rushed forward to the spot he had been and looked at four possibilities, all of which looked bleak and empty.
"Just wonderful." He muttered. He heard something behind him and turned quickly his wand pointed. Just as he was about to fire a spell he stopped and lowered his wand. "Professor Moody?" he asked. A flash of light filled his vision and he felt something dark seep into him. "No…" he whispered as he dropped to his knees. "No…"
"You will do as I say Krum…"
-o-
Hermione slowly stood from where she had been sitting. The boy's eyes followed her movements as she did. She slowly wrapped her arms around her body as a small shudder ran up her spine. She felt something dark sinking into her. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones.
"Viktor…" she said softly.
"Hermione what is it?" Jamous asked as he and Ron walked to her side.
"Something is very wrong…" she said.
"You are just nervous for Viktor…" Jamous said while Ron sat back down.
"No Jamous…" she looked to him. "Something's wrong I can feel it." He looked at her serious expression.
"If he is in trouble he vill send up red sparks, then the others vill go to get him…"
"I can't just stand here and wait…" she said softly and Jamous smiled as he rubbed her shoulders trying to make her feel better.
"I know…" he looked around trying to think of what he could do to help. "I know…" he snapped his fingers. "Maybe go take a walk inside away from prying eyes… It's just the atmosphere. It's putting you on edge… I hear there is butter beer in back maybe a glass would calm your nerves…" He said playfully pinching her sides. She laughed as she swatted his hands away.
"Not a bad idea… I'll be right back okay?" she asked seeing a few other people leave.
"Right." He nodded.
"I'll come get you if there's any word."
"Thanks Jamous."
"Dah." He said with a nod. When Hermione was out of sight she ran through the hallways and made it away from the stadium. She rushed around the back and made it to one of the walls of the maze. She gazed up at them her mind completely made on what she was going to do.
"Something's wrong and it's not the bloody atmosphere…" she whispered before firing different spells at the hedges trying to break them down so she could get in. after her twentieth try she stopped grunting loudly in sheer frustration. "Are you kidding me?" she asked. She heard a noise and looked up to see the hedges in front of her were spinning like the night she and Viktor had been caught in the maze. "It's worth a bloody try…" She muttered before she took a deep breath and leaping into the rustling hedges. She closed her eyes tightly as to not risk twigs or leaves flying into them. Hermione felt herself slam against the ground with a loud thud. "Owe…" she groaned as she opened her eyes.
I'm in… she slowly got up and looked around the dark foggy labyrinth. Which way? Which way?
She brought out her wand and slowly began to move through the intricate hedged hallways. The fog was heavier than the last time she had been with in the maze. So heavy she couldn't even see her feet. That wasn't the only thing that was different. It seemed to be much darker, much scarier. As for the air it was heavy almost to the point she could barely breathe. A loud shriek made her jump. She turned in the sound of the direction.
"Fleur…" she said knowing the high pitch shriek could only come from a girl. She slowly began to navigate her way in the direction the sound had come from. As she did her eyes darted all around.
Where are the death eaters? A loud pop made her look up into the sky to see a red spark being thrown up into the sky. Someone's hurt… No…
"Viktor…" she rushed forward and ran in the direction of where the light had come. She turned a corner and stopped seeing Viktor's back. She smiled and rushed towards him before she could reach him he turned his wand aimed at her. "Viktor it's me." She said with a smile. He didn't lower the wand and she raised an eyebrow in return. "Viktor…" his lip curled up in an animalistic way. "Viktor?" he moved towards her and she moved back raising her wand slowly as she did. "What's wrong with you?" She spotted his milky white eyes and froze. "You've been bewitched…" He flicked his wand at her sending a red beam into the middle of her chest. She flew through the air and cried out in pain as she hit the ground her wand flying from her grasp as she did. Before she could move Viktor rushed over to her and grabbed her by the front of her shirt his wand going underneath her chin as he brought her up onto her feet. "Viktor it's me!" she gasped as he grabbed onto the back of her hair. "Viktor Stop…" she said softly. "Stop please…" before she knew what happened a great force hit the side of her face and she fell to the ground her vision blurred as she watched Viktor walk away from her.
He just hit me… She thought as pure shock and fear filled her. He really hit me… She cupped her cheek as she went to reach for her wand. She watched in horror as at least fifty vines shot from the ground and began to wrap their way around different parts of her body stopping her from reaching what she needed most. I need my wand! I can't get my wand! She looked up to see Viktor slowly walked away.
"Viktor!" she shouted feeling a vine wrap around her neck tightly. "Viktor!" she saw him stop and slowly turn to look at her. "Viktor help me!" he stepped towards her before slowly backing away a flash of distress across his face before pure evil sunk in once more and he disappeared into the shadows. "Viktor!" she screamed as she was pulled underneath a hedge. "Viktor!"
He's left me here… He left me here! God damn it!
She reached for her wand only to have her hand get pulled back by one of the vines. She let out a loud cry of pain as they cut into the skin of her arms. She continued to struggle wanting badly to have her wand in hand. She was nearly half way under the hedge when her mind snapped with a brilliant idea.
"Retract!" she shouted her hands spreading out wide. A white light flooded from her palms and began battling the vines back. She smiled as they snapped away from her body, instantly freeing her. She quickly leapt to her feet and ran at her top speed. She shrieked as she felt the vines snap across her back and latch onto her jacket. "No… No…" she un did the buttons and twirled out of the jacket just in time. She backed away quickly as she watched the vines devour the old garment. "Bloody hell…" She rushed away from the scene and dove into a spinning group of hedges knowing full well it would take her somewhere else. She slammed into the ground and slowly stood looking down at her violet peasant shirt as she did. After smoothing out the fabric she glanced over her arm where she had a deep cut from one of the vines. "Damn…" she went to heal it but froze hearing someone creep up behind her.
"Miss Granger?" she spun seeing Dumbledore who was beside the Madame giant who held Fluer in her arms.
"Something very bad has happened here." Hermione said quickly.
"How did she get in?" the female headmaster asked with a remarkably brutish tone of voice.
"What's wrong?" Dumbledore asked. "What's happened?"
"One of the champions has been bewitched they're under the imperious curse… It's Viktor…" Dumbledore took a step forward.
"You're very sure about this?"
"He's the one who caused this." She pointed to her most likely bruised cheek. "Viktor would never hit me like this…" Dumbledore slowly nodded.
"The only person who can take the imperious curse away from another person-."
"Is the one who casted the spell. I know, but I'm not sure who that is…"
"I think I might…" he said quietly. "There is something else you can do Miss Granger…"
"I know I'm going to try and get to him in time… You should get to the other champions."
"I can't… I can only be in here for a few minutes at a time… How you got in I am unsure…" he said.
"Easy I came in through-." She stopped as a gust of wind surrounded Dumbledore the Madame giant and Fluer. One second they had been standing there the next they were gone. "Wonderful…" Hermione sighed. "I guess I'm on my own then…" she heard shouts and spun around quickly. Hermione ran in the direction she had heard the yells coming from. As she sprinted she looked up at the sky waiting to see a spark of red. "Where are you!?" she shouted. "Hello!?" her chest heaved as her feet slammed against the cold ground of the maze. Her heart was pounding her stress level was going through the roof.
Please don't let him kill anyone… Please… she rounded a corner the shouts getting louder. I'm getting closer. The screams suddenly stopped and she froze.
"No…" she said not knowing which way to go. "Hello!?" she started to run in the same direction she had been going. "Hello!?" she rushed past an opening and stopped before backing up. There in the middle of row of hedges lay Viktor. "No…" she rushed to his side. "Viktor?" she asked cupping his face. "Viktor come on… Viktor love open your eyes for me…" when no response came she looked up and then around before going to shoot red sparks up. As her hand reached for the sky Viktor's hand shot up and grasped onto her wrist harshly.
"How many times do I have to take care of you?" he asked in Bulgarian his clouded eyes narrowing at her. She took a shaky breath as she watched him sit up his hand still gripping onto her wrist.
"I know you're in their Viktor… You can fight this…" she said softly.
"I do not have time for you…" he snarled.
"I didn't want it to come down to this…" she took a breath before slapping him in the face hard enough to make him let her go she got to her feet quickly and pointed her wand. She would have to restrain him and then take the time to break the spell was under. Before she could fire a hex Viktor waved his hand. A rush of fire spread in front of her. She jumped back as it raged. She could see him smiling eerily as he backed away from the fire that separated them.
"Good bye..." he said before turning and running off.
"No you don't…" Hermione backed up before taking a breath closing her eyes and running forward. She jumped through the fire hearing the flames lick at her as she did. When she made it to the other side she looked at herself to make sure she wasn't set aflame. "Excellent no fire…" she said before looking up to see Viktor heading around a corner. "No you don't!" she shouted rushing off after him. "Come back here we aren't done!" she bellowed as she rounded a corner. She saw a green light rush at her and shrieked as she fell back to the ground missing the killing curse by inches.
He just fired a killing curse… Oh my god… He's going to kill Harry or Cedric or even me… I have to stop him I can't let some stupid imperious curse ruin his life! She rushed at her top speed after him as he fired different hexes over his shoulder, each time she would deflect or dodge them. She heard the familiar sound of hedges spinning, and saw air begin to swirl around Viktor.
"You're not going to lose me that easily." She said seeing him jump into the hedges to disappear. Before they could stop spinning she jumped in as well and grabbed onto the back of his shirt. They both slammed into the ground their wands flying from their hands.
"Get off!" he slapped her across the face. He went to get up but Hermione kicked her feet out catching his legs. He fell to the ground harshly his hand inches away from his wand. She crawled onto his back and waved her hand sending his wand flying a good fifty feet away. She went to call her own wand to her grasp only to have Viktor slam his elbow into her shoulder causing her to roll off his body and onto her back.
"No!" she yelled seeing him try to get to his feet again. She grasped onto his arm and pulled him back down. She climbed onto his body and with much difficulty pinned his arms. "Look at me Viktor this isn't you! You're still in there!" she shouted. "Fight it you're better than this fight it!"
"I don't have time for you!" he bellowed easily pulling his arms away from the weak pin. He grasped onto her arms harshly as he spun slamming her down into the ground, Hermione cried out as her head snapped back against the cold earth. "I do not have time!" he shouted his hands going to grip her neck, she shrieked slightly but stopped when his hands halted. She could see his milky eyes fade back to the rich brown ones they usually were.
"Viktor?" she asked softly.
"I don't haf time Luff…" he shook his head and she watched in horror as his expression switched from kind to evil once more.
"No no come back please come back…" she said quickly seeing his eyes become white again. "Viktor please…" he slapped her across the face and she cried out in pain.
"I have to get Potter and Diggory…" he said getting up and heading to grab his wand. Hermione got to her feet before running forward and tackling him to the ground. She wouldn't risk him going off to kill them. She wouldn't risk losing him forever because he killed two students with a forbidden curse.
"You're better than this and I know you can hear me!" she said. He made a loud shout of anger as he grabbed her by her arms and hoisted her onto her feet. He slapped her across the face before punching her in the stomach. She slowly sunk to the ground one arm still held in his grasp.
"Leave me to my task!" he shouted.
"Viktor come back!" she yelled. "I know you can hear me come back please come back!" she screamed as he slammed her down into the ground so hard it knocked the wind out of her. She let out a sob as he brought her back up a good five feet and slammed her back down as hard as he could.
"Have you had enough?!" he bellowed getting right in her face. "Have you had enough!?"
"Viktor… Please… Please come back please…" she pleaded tears rolling down her cheeks. He smacked her across the face before standing and kicking her in the stomach. She cried out as her body curled into its self. He stared down at her for a long moment before slowly backing away.
"Do not come after me again Mud blood." He said pointing before turning and walking away from her.
Hermione let out a soft sob as her arms wrapped around herself. She had lost him and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew she should give up, knew there was only a small percentage in chance she would be able to get him back. Still she couldn't bring herself to give in. She was bleeding, injured, and crying but still she couldn't give up on him. She loved him far too much to think that there was no chance he would come back to her.
"I'll never forget how nervous you looked the first time you asked me to have time with you!" She called. She heard his step instantly halt and she slowly opened her eyes to look at the night sky. "That's how you put it… Have time with me… Your English was so bad you didn't know the word date… I thought it was so charming…" she laughed softly as she wiped a tear away. "You took me to that lake… Remember the lake? We went… We went ice skating and we had our first kiss in the snow bank beside the frozen water… I knew right then I loved you…" she slowly got to her feet ignoring the pain that spread through her as she did. She brought her eyes up to see Viktor had his back turned to her.
"I don't have time…" She heard him say.
"You always have time for me…" she said softly. "Do you remember how when you went to fly us to the lake how scared I was? Then by the end of the night I wanted you to go higher in the air as we flew… I never liked to fly… You made me not only like it you made me love it… I loved it because you loved it…" he didn't move but she could tell she was getting through to him. "The next day you gave me a white gardenia flower… Do you remember that? I do… You asked me if I knew what it meant I didn't and you said it meant I was pretty… I had to be pretty because the flower said so… I kept that gardenia; it's in the corner of my work room perfectly preserved… I look at it whenever I'm not feeling my best." He turned half way and glanced at her.
"I don't have time…" he said making her frown. "I don't have time!" before he could rush at her She summoned her wand to her hand and flicked it at him. A bright light slammed into his chest. Viktor shouted as he dropped to his knees in obvious pain. His hand gripped onto his chest and Hermione cringed, she hated hurting him even if it was in self-defense. She watched Viktor slowly stand and she took a shaky breath, he looked absolutely livid.
"Do you remember this necklace you gave me?" she held up the star jem pendant that was in the shape of a rose. "It was the first real gift a boy has ever given me. The first piece of fine jewelry I have ever had in my life… You gave it to me on the ship, at the party… You said it was a Star Jem Rose for your English Rose… We danced after you gave it to me. We could barely hear the music from the party but still we danced. I haven't taken the pendant off since. Not once Viktor…" he glared into her as he walked towards her slowly.
"Mud blood…" he spat and she cringed.
"Do you remember when you told me you loved me?" his expression began to soften. "We were in Bulgaria it was right after Christmas… You told me you loved me and I started to cry because the whole time we had been together I couldn't believe that a man as amazing as you could love me… I couldn't believe that I could get so lucky…" a tear slipped down her cheek. He walked up to her and grabbed onto her arms tightly. She Cringed pain filling them instantly.
"I don't have time." She closed her eyes more tears spilling.
"All my life I had this hole in my heart, this sadness that I couldn't shake. But the moment you told me you loved me it was gone and I felt whole for the first time in my life." He started shaking her violently.
"Shut up!" he shouted. "Shut up!"
"You can't do this! You can't leave me like this!" he slapped her across the face. "Viktor I can't have that hole back in my heart I need you to come back to me." Her hands gripped onto his shirt she let out a desperate sob as he slapped her across the face once more.
"Don't you ever shut up!?" he asked gripping onto her chin to make her look at him.
"Viktor please…" he punched her across face before gripping onto her arms to keep her from falling.
"I do not have time for you!" he bellowed shaking her. "Why must you stand in my way?"
"I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you! Viktor you're hurting me!" The shaking stopped and Hermione slowly opened her eyes to watch Viktor as he slowly slid down her body. She looked down and watched as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I'm so sorry…" he whispered. "My god I am so sorry Luff…" he sobbed, burring his face into her stomach as he held on more tightly.
"Viktor?" she asked softly a tear rolling down her cheek as she looked down at him.
"I'm so sorry…" she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I got you back… I got you back…" she said with a relieved laugh. He pulled away and went to cup her bruised cheek. His thumb brushed over the contusion slowly as he stared at in horror.
"I tried… Tried to stop." The tears rolled down his face as his chest heaved. "I couldn't stop…" He said averting his eyes from hers. He felt sick as he remembered all the things he had done to her.
"You're back that's all that matters…" She said cradling his face in her hands. "Viktor look at me… You can't wallow right now if you do you could slip back into the imperious curse you don't want that."
"No no I don't want that." He said fear entering him.
"We need to get out of here something really big is going down I don't know what… We're not safe."
"What of Harry and Cedric?" he asked his chest heaving as they stood.
"I need to know if you got to them if you might have done something…"
"No I tried to kill Cedric but he was too fast… He knocked me out." he said focusing on what was going on instead of the fact he had just physically beaten the woman he loved most in the world. His wand flew into his hand and he started to heal the bruises over her face. "When I woke up it was to you and… You know what happened next." She nodded.
"Viktor do you remember who bewitched you?" he closed his eyes trying to concentrate. "Think hard…"
"No… No I heard someone come up behind me I turned and that's when it goes black when I wake up I know I must take out other champions… I think that was mission its… It's escaping me now what I was supposed to do."
"That's good it means the spell is wearing off…" He only nodded as his hand went to his chest where he could feel a dull pain.
Most likely emotional I did beat the hell out of the woman I love… god I can't believe I did that… How is she even standing to be near me? How can she look at me the way she is? How can she smile at me like that?
"Viktor is something wrong?" he couldn't bring himself to look at her as he kept rubbing his chest, the pain was steadily growing and he figured it was from sheer guilt. He felt her going to lift his shirt but he captured her hands stopping her.
"What are you doing?" he asked still not looking to her.
"You're in obvious discomfort…Let me look."
"No…" he said. "I am not in discomfort."
"Viktor I can see you are now let me look…" his hands relinquished hers she slowly lifted up his shirt. "I did this…" she said softly. "You went to run at me and I fired a spell…" she stared at the deep bruise right in the middle of his chest.
"I deserve worse pain…" he said looking down at it.
"Let's get out of here…" Hermione said as she pointed her wand up into the air and fired a red spark. They felt wind begin to swarm around them instantly Dumbledore and Karkaroff appeared.
"Is he well?" Dumbledore asked.
"He's just fine…" Hermione said taking Viktor's hand with a relieved look.
"You haf ruined chances of him winning by coming in Maze."
"She saved life you vill leaf her be…" Viktor said his eyes narrowing.
"Hermione what of Harry and Cedric?" Dumbledore asked worried for his students.
"Viktor never got to them…" she said.
"Good… We will keep this incident to ourselves while I handle whoever did this understand?" they both nodded as the hedges swirled around them again.
They closed their eyes and when they opened Viktor and Karkaroff were standing alone in front of the maze everyone cheering. Viktor looked around for Hermione only to find she was nowhere in sight. Hermione looked around to see she and Dumbledore were inside the stadium. He pointed his wand at her and instantly her appearance became less disheveled and dirty and more proper and in place.
"Run out and hug him… Act as if you are relieved to see him out of the maze…" Dumbledore instructed. "No one can know you were inside Miss Granger do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good go on." He said. She nodded as she ran through the complicated hallways of the stadium. She rounded a corner and spotted Jamous turning around in circle.
"Hermione!?" he called.
"Jamous?" she asked.
"Hermione!" he turned and spotted her. "There you are! Viktor is out!" Jamous said. "He seems dazed but is good otherwise!"
"He's out?" Hermione asked faking surprise.
"He's out! Come now! Quickly!"
Viktor continued to look around his heart beating fast. He needed her in his sight. Needed to know she hadn't left him because of what he had done. He jumped feeling a hand on his shoulder.
"Well done Krum." Dumbledore said before leaning into his ear. "Now Hermione is about to run out relieved to see you, you will act as if you haven't seen her in hours… Because you haven't…" he nodded. "Well done. Krum…" he pulled back patting him on the shoulder once more.
"Thank you…" he said as the man walked away. Viktor smiled instantly when he saw Hermione come out from the stadium. His smile faded as she stopped and looked to him.
Everything's changed… I can feel that… I can feel it's all shifted between us… Hermione thought as she looked at Viktor. I still love him so much… What happened in the maze it wasn't him. I just hope he knows that…
She sees me differently now… She can't act as if she hasn't seen me and is glad to see me because she isn't… she walked out from the stadium slowly. I have to set this right. I do not deserve to have her love me… but if she doesn't… if she hates me… I won't be able to live… I need her in my life… without thinking he moved forward and crossed the space between them. He pulled her into his arms and buried his face into her neck.
"I know I haf said it before in maze… But I am so sorry… Please please don't hate me… Please know I would never hurt you like that. Please know that the whole time it happened I was screaming and fighting to stop. I could not I tried to so hard but I could not…" he whispered his eyes shut tightly. Hermione's hands slid up his back as she smiled softly.
"I know…" she whispered as she kissed his cheek. He pulled back but only a little.
"I know you vill never forgive me." He said pain evident in his eyes.
"How can I forgive you for something you didn't do? It wasn't you Viktor… You would never do something like that…"
"I love you so much…" he said his hand set against her cheek. "I promise you I vill spend a life time making it up to you…"
"There's nothing to make up…" she said. "Nothing at all… I love you so much Viktor…"
"I don't know how…" he said as a ton of reporters swarmed around them.
"Because my heart… It was made for yours… Remember?" he smiled softly before moving forward and capturing her lips with his. Their eyes drifted closed and the sounds of the crowds and flashing cameras drifted away until all they could hear was each other's hearts beating as one. Viktor pulled away after a long moment his forehead leaning against hers. "You are my English Flower Luff…"
"You're my Bulgarian bon bon." They both laughed before Viktor moved forward and captured her lips with his in a deep heated kiss.
"I am lucky man…"
"Don't you forget it…" he smiled as he brought her close in his arms.
"I never vill Luff… Not ever…"