Chapter 3: Realizations
*Flashback*
Hermione was walking down the girls' dorm stairs, approaching the common room where someone was waiting for her. As she turned the dim corner of the staircase, she recognized the dark-haired and tall young man seated on the couch: Victor. She dreaded what she knew she had to do, but she remained strong, as she would be expected to be as a Gryffindor.
"Victor, it's great to see you!" She ran into his arms, but ended the embrace quickly as she noticed something strange about the common room. It was empty. "Why isn't anyone here?"
Victor seemed uncharacteristically nervous, and he kept putting his hand into his robe's right pocket. "Herm-own-ninny, I wanted us to be alone."
She had to stop herself from wincing at Victor's pronunciation of her name. She once thought it was endearing, but now it just got on her nerves.
"So did I." 'But most likely for a different reason.'
"Ninny, we've been together for two years now, ever since your fourth year." He smiled adoringly at her, and she smiled back, as much as she didn't want to. "And I was thinking that maybe, after you graduate next year," he paused as he knelt down on one knee, "we could get married? I love you so much, Herm-own-ninny. Please, will you marry me?"
Hermione was in shock. "I - you - we - well, Victor, the reason why I wanted us to be alone was very different from yours. I figured that it was time for us to take a break from each other. Maybe not permanently, but just long enough for me to sort out my feelings." 'Yeah, feelings for Ron, not you.'
"I always knew something else was going on between you and - him."
'Oh, crap, I said that out loud?"
"Yes, you did."
'SHUT UP, HERMIONE!' She was now so embarrassed that she was yelling at herself in her mind to stop saying her thoughts to Victor.
"Victor, I'm sorry, but I can't marry you. At least not now. Give me time."
"Of course, Ninny. But I just want you to know that I will love you always, and I want to spend forever with you. Don't forget that." In an instant after he said those words, he was gone.
************************
Hermione awoke with a start, jumping from her bed in the Head Girl's dormitory immediately.
"Okay, it's 11:50. Just enough time to get to the lake."
After muttering a silence spell on her shoes, she began her journey to the lake, hoping that Harry and Ron would be able to get there unnoticed.
She arrived there 8 minutes later, and neither Harry nor Ron was in sight. Her thoughts wandered to the dream she had had just minutes before.
"I can't say that I don't miss him." She closed her eyes as she recalled her vivid memories of their break-up and his death. He had died right in front of her, murdered by some creature that refused to go into light. It had killed Victor swiftly, Krum's shadow disappearing as he fell to the ground, his body then taken by the creature as well. Hermione's eyes widened yet again as she realized that she had not picked up on something so obvious. "The creature was an umbraca, and they only take the body when they want to change the person into one of them. Victor is an umbraca."
**************************
Five minutes later, Harry and Ron arrived, meeting a wild-eyed Hermione.
"Mione? Are you alright?" Ron was nervous about Hermione's nutty-professor appearance. She was pacing and running her hands through her untamed hair. She only did that when she was paranoid or had just discovered something.
"I'm more than alright. Victor was taken by an umbraca."
"What does Vicky have to do with this?" Harry quickly silenced Ron with a swift jab to his ribcage.
"He didn't die, after all! He was turned into an umbraca, and now he's after me. He wants to make me like him," she stopped speaking as she realized the reason for Victor's desire to make her an umbraca, and her suddenly grief-stricken face began to worry Ron and Harry. "- so we can spend eternity together. Umbracas are immortal."
*Flashback*
Hermione was walking down the girls' dorm stairs, approaching the common room where someone was waiting for her. As she turned the dim corner of the staircase, she recognized the dark-haired and tall young man seated on the couch: Victor. She dreaded what she knew she had to do, but she remained strong, as she would be expected to be as a Gryffindor.
"Victor, it's great to see you!" She ran into his arms, but ended the embrace quickly as she noticed something strange about the common room. It was empty. "Why isn't anyone here?"
Victor seemed uncharacteristically nervous, and he kept putting his hand into his robe's right pocket. "Herm-own-ninny, I wanted us to be alone."
She had to stop herself from wincing at Victor's pronunciation of her name. She once thought it was endearing, but now it just got on her nerves.
"So did I." 'But most likely for a different reason.'
"Ninny, we've been together for two years now, ever since your fourth year." He smiled adoringly at her, and she smiled back, as much as she didn't want to. "And I was thinking that maybe, after you graduate next year," he paused as he knelt down on one knee, "we could get married? I love you so much, Herm-own-ninny. Please, will you marry me?"
Hermione was in shock. "I - you - we - well, Victor, the reason why I wanted us to be alone was very different from yours. I figured that it was time for us to take a break from each other. Maybe not permanently, but just long enough for me to sort out my feelings." 'Yeah, feelings for Ron, not you.'
"I always knew something else was going on between you and - him."
'Oh, crap, I said that out loud?"
"Yes, you did."
'SHUT UP, HERMIONE!' She was now so embarrassed that she was yelling at herself in her mind to stop saying her thoughts to Victor.
"Victor, I'm sorry, but I can't marry you. At least not now. Give me time."
"Of course, Ninny. But I just want you to know that I will love you always, and I want to spend forever with you. Don't forget that." In an instant after he said those words, he was gone.
************************
Hermione awoke with a start, jumping from her bed in the Head Girl's dormitory immediately.
"Okay, it's 11:50. Just enough time to get to the lake."
After muttering a silence spell on her shoes, she began her journey to the lake, hoping that Harry and Ron would be able to get there unnoticed.
She arrived there 8 minutes later, and neither Harry nor Ron was in sight. Her thoughts wandered to the dream she had had just minutes before.
"I can't say that I don't miss him." She closed her eyes as she recalled her vivid memories of their break-up and his death. He had died right in front of her, murdered by some creature that refused to go into light. It had killed Victor swiftly, Krum's shadow disappearing as he fell to the ground, his body then taken by the creature as well. Hermione's eyes widened yet again as she realized that she had not picked up on something so obvious. "The creature was an umbraca, and they only take the body when they want to change the person into one of them. Victor is an umbraca."
**************************
Five minutes later, Harry and Ron arrived, meeting a wild-eyed Hermione.
"Mione? Are you alright?" Ron was nervous about Hermione's nutty-professor appearance. She was pacing and running her hands through her untamed hair. She only did that when she was paranoid or had just discovered something.
"I'm more than alright. Victor was taken by an umbraca."
"What does Vicky have to do with this?" Harry quickly silenced Ron with a swift jab to his ribcage.
"He didn't die, after all! He was turned into an umbraca, and now he's after me. He wants to make me like him," she stopped speaking as she realized the reason for Victor's desire to make her an umbraca, and her suddenly grief-stricken face began to worry Ron and Harry. "- so we can spend eternity together. Umbracas are immortal."