Author's Note: It's been, what, three months since I updated? I'm sorry, it was just that I was sort of running out of steam for fanfiction of all types, until my last review finally kicked me into action. I happen to be pretty satisfied with this chapter, but everyone can form their own opinions.
Hermione stared with her mouth hanging open at the face on the pillow, with it's beak of a nose and it's dark scars that had not been there when she last saw Viktor.
She spun around to see Ginny already at the infirmary door.
"Ginny, what...?"
The red-haired professor gave her colleague a long, cutting look. "No one will disturb you for a few hours, Hermione, I've made sure of it. Now stay, and wait for him to wake up. You'll know what to do then."
"Don't leave Gin..."
But the door was already swinging closed, leaving Hermione alone with her unconscious friend from long ago.
Then, so suddenly, but so drawn out, that it seemed to rip rather than shatter the silence, there came a groan.
She turned around slowly, and saw his eyes on her. They were sharp, black eyes, keen enough to spot a snitch from a mile off. They reminded Hermione of small pieces of pure night, fixed within a human face.
Two steps brought her to his bedside, and she sank onto a chair next to it.
Her own, brown eyes met his. "Hello Viktor."
He spoke, gasping out each syllable "Her..my...oh...nin...ny."
"Yes, Viktor?"
He appeared not to hear her. "Her...mo...nee." He reached out and covered her hand in his large, rough one. "Her... mi...o...ne." Hermione smiled, he'd finally learned to pronounce her name.
His voice was steadying now, "Hermione, I have a message. A message for Dumbledore."
She tightened her grip on his hand. "Dumbldore's dead, Victor. Didn't you know?"
His black eyes crossed briefly, and then he relaxed and slowly nodded. "I remember now. Who is Headmaster, then?"
"A man named Remus Lupin. You wouldn't have met him. He came to stay at Hogwarts after you... after you left." Hermione paused for a moment, remembering the reason that Viktor flew away. "He's a good man, and a good Headmaster."
"But not Dumbledore."
She shook her head. "No, never Dumbledore. No one will ever be Dumbledore again."
He gazed up at her. "I need to give my message still, to this... Lupin."
"Oh." She had forgotten about his message. "I'll go get him, then."
She stood up to leave, but Victor's hand shot out with all his Seeker speed and grasped her robes. "I have heard that Ron Veezlee too, has died."
Hermione nodded in sorrowful confirmation.
He let go of her robes. "I am sad for you."
"Of course you are Viktor." With that she turned and left the infirmary.
Ginny was not happy to see Hermione so soon after she had left her.
The red-headed professor was heading down the staircase, the brown-haired up it. Hermione tried to walk past her, but Ginny, a wild look in her eyes, blocked Hermione's path.
"What has it been, five minutes? Is he even awake yet?"
"He's awake, Ginny. I'm going to get the Headmaster."
"Going to get the... Hermione! You can't possibly have talked to Krum."
Hermione tried not to meet her friend's eyes with her own. "I talked to him."
"You might have spoken to him but you did not talk to him. Do you think that I left you alone in there so that you could rush out as soon as his eyes opened?"
"It's not as if I can just forget, Ginny." Hermione tried to push her way up the staircase, but was stopped by a freckled arm.
"You're not the only one who lost someone they loved in that battle, Hermione." Ginny's brown eyes were blazing. Hermione was suddenly reminded of a sixteen-year-old witch bringing down an attacker on a battlefield.
"I loved Harry," said Ginny. "I loved him as much as you ever loved Ron." Her voice was beginning to tremble, though her eyes stayed fiery and dry. "And when I heard him screaming..." Ginny stopped and touched her throat, then blinked once before continuing, "I loved him and I mourned him, and Seamus loved and mourned Pavarti too, but we.. we were able to live through our mourning and to... to fall in love again."
The red-headed woman reached out and rested her hand on her friend's arm. "I'm not saying that you should forget my brother, Hermione. But you aren't seventeen anymore, so stop living inside your memories, and stop looking at me and seeing him. Please. I'll get Remus for you."
Ginny turned and walked the rest of the way up the stair's, only disappearing when she turned into the hallway that led to the Headmaster's office. Hermione stood on the stairs for a long while before turning and walking down the steps, toward her quarters.
It was two days later. Hermione wouldn't have a class for another hour or so, and the halls were empty except for ghosts and the occasional student running an errand or rushing up to the hospital wing with scales growing on their face.
She had been reading a book in her office, but she was too restless to read. It reminded her of the way she had been unable to study, so long ago when she was seventeen and sought solitude on the roofs. Now, however, she was a professor, and too dignified to climb onto the roofs. Instead, she went to the entrance hall.
Hermione paused in front of a very special, square section of wall. It was the largest piece of the Great Hall ceiling to survive, and had been built into the new wall, like a slice of sky laid on its side. On its surface, now clear and sunlit blue, the names of all those who had died in the Battle of Hogwarts were inscribed in gold.
She reached out and read the first name her hand touched. Ernie MacMillan. Her fingers traveled down the list of names, all the way down to the very bottom. There was Charlie Weasley's name, and below it, was his. Ron's. She traced the gold lettering and could almost feel the contours of her love's face. "Live through our mourning." That was what Ginny had said. "Fall in love again."
"Hermione? Vhy are you not in your class?"
She was surprised to hear someone behind her, and her first impulse was to straighten with a jolt, but Hermione stood and turned slowly.
"Hello, Viktor. I see that you were able to leave the hospital wing."
"At last. It was a violent curse I was hit with as I flew away. Even now I must use a cane." He shifted the dark prop he was holding. "Did... did Lupin tell you my message?"
She nodded. "Yes, about that man who claims to be the Voldemort's son. What does he call himself."
"The Dark King."
For the first in a long while, Hermione laughed. "Of course, a king is higher than a lord. I suppose he had to outdo his dear old dad."
Viktor frowned. "You shouldn't laugh, Hermione. He is powerful. Not as powerful as the Dark Lord, perhaps, but..."
"Yes, I know. I'm taking this very seriously."
"Good. Ve are not as strong as ve vere." He turned and began to slowly walk away, his cane tapping against the stone floor.
"Wait!" Hermione called. Viktor halted and looked back at her. She continued. "Maybe, once you've fully recovered, you can take me flying, like you did once."
He nodded and smiled. "I vould like that very much." He started to move away again.
Hermione stood for a moment, watching him as he tapped his way toward the stairs. Suddenly, she decided something. Clutching her robes in her hands, she ran and caught up with him.
"Wait for me, Viktor. There's ten years that we have to tell each other about."
He grinned even wider this time, the largest smile Hermione had seen on his face since she was fourteen and had just agreed to go to the Yule Ball with him. When she saw that smile, she felt contented, and knew that she was truly looking forward to the future for the first time in ten years.
Maybe, just maybe, she thought, important things can happen at twenty-seven, as well as seventeen.
The End
Hermione stared with her mouth hanging open at the face on the pillow, with it's beak of a nose and it's dark scars that had not been there when she last saw Viktor.
She spun around to see Ginny already at the infirmary door.
"Ginny, what...?"
The red-haired professor gave her colleague a long, cutting look. "No one will disturb you for a few hours, Hermione, I've made sure of it. Now stay, and wait for him to wake up. You'll know what to do then."
"Don't leave Gin..."
But the door was already swinging closed, leaving Hermione alone with her unconscious friend from long ago.
Then, so suddenly, but so drawn out, that it seemed to rip rather than shatter the silence, there came a groan.
She turned around slowly, and saw his eyes on her. They were sharp, black eyes, keen enough to spot a snitch from a mile off. They reminded Hermione of small pieces of pure night, fixed within a human face.
Two steps brought her to his bedside, and she sank onto a chair next to it.
Her own, brown eyes met his. "Hello Viktor."
He spoke, gasping out each syllable "Her..my...oh...nin...ny."
"Yes, Viktor?"
He appeared not to hear her. "Her...mo...nee." He reached out and covered her hand in his large, rough one. "Her... mi...o...ne." Hermione smiled, he'd finally learned to pronounce her name.
His voice was steadying now, "Hermione, I have a message. A message for Dumbledore."
She tightened her grip on his hand. "Dumbldore's dead, Victor. Didn't you know?"
His black eyes crossed briefly, and then he relaxed and slowly nodded. "I remember now. Who is Headmaster, then?"
"A man named Remus Lupin. You wouldn't have met him. He came to stay at Hogwarts after you... after you left." Hermione paused for a moment, remembering the reason that Viktor flew away. "He's a good man, and a good Headmaster."
"But not Dumbledore."
She shook her head. "No, never Dumbledore. No one will ever be Dumbledore again."
He gazed up at her. "I need to give my message still, to this... Lupin."
"Oh." She had forgotten about his message. "I'll go get him, then."
She stood up to leave, but Victor's hand shot out with all his Seeker speed and grasped her robes. "I have heard that Ron Veezlee too, has died."
Hermione nodded in sorrowful confirmation.
He let go of her robes. "I am sad for you."
"Of course you are Viktor." With that she turned and left the infirmary.
Ginny was not happy to see Hermione so soon after she had left her.
The red-headed professor was heading down the staircase, the brown-haired up it. Hermione tried to walk past her, but Ginny, a wild look in her eyes, blocked Hermione's path.
"What has it been, five minutes? Is he even awake yet?"
"He's awake, Ginny. I'm going to get the Headmaster."
"Going to get the... Hermione! You can't possibly have talked to Krum."
Hermione tried not to meet her friend's eyes with her own. "I talked to him."
"You might have spoken to him but you did not talk to him. Do you think that I left you alone in there so that you could rush out as soon as his eyes opened?"
"It's not as if I can just forget, Ginny." Hermione tried to push her way up the staircase, but was stopped by a freckled arm.
"You're not the only one who lost someone they loved in that battle, Hermione." Ginny's brown eyes were blazing. Hermione was suddenly reminded of a sixteen-year-old witch bringing down an attacker on a battlefield.
"I loved Harry," said Ginny. "I loved him as much as you ever loved Ron." Her voice was beginning to tremble, though her eyes stayed fiery and dry. "And when I heard him screaming..." Ginny stopped and touched her throat, then blinked once before continuing, "I loved him and I mourned him, and Seamus loved and mourned Pavarti too, but we.. we were able to live through our mourning and to... to fall in love again."
The red-headed woman reached out and rested her hand on her friend's arm. "I'm not saying that you should forget my brother, Hermione. But you aren't seventeen anymore, so stop living inside your memories, and stop looking at me and seeing him. Please. I'll get Remus for you."
Ginny turned and walked the rest of the way up the stair's, only disappearing when she turned into the hallway that led to the Headmaster's office. Hermione stood on the stairs for a long while before turning and walking down the steps, toward her quarters.
It was two days later. Hermione wouldn't have a class for another hour or so, and the halls were empty except for ghosts and the occasional student running an errand or rushing up to the hospital wing with scales growing on their face.
She had been reading a book in her office, but she was too restless to read. It reminded her of the way she had been unable to study, so long ago when she was seventeen and sought solitude on the roofs. Now, however, she was a professor, and too dignified to climb onto the roofs. Instead, she went to the entrance hall.
Hermione paused in front of a very special, square section of wall. It was the largest piece of the Great Hall ceiling to survive, and had been built into the new wall, like a slice of sky laid on its side. On its surface, now clear and sunlit blue, the names of all those who had died in the Battle of Hogwarts were inscribed in gold.
She reached out and read the first name her hand touched. Ernie MacMillan. Her fingers traveled down the list of names, all the way down to the very bottom. There was Charlie Weasley's name, and below it, was his. Ron's. She traced the gold lettering and could almost feel the contours of her love's face. "Live through our mourning." That was what Ginny had said. "Fall in love again."
"Hermione? Vhy are you not in your class?"
She was surprised to hear someone behind her, and her first impulse was to straighten with a jolt, but Hermione stood and turned slowly.
"Hello, Viktor. I see that you were able to leave the hospital wing."
"At last. It was a violent curse I was hit with as I flew away. Even now I must use a cane." He shifted the dark prop he was holding. "Did... did Lupin tell you my message?"
She nodded. "Yes, about that man who claims to be the Voldemort's son. What does he call himself."
"The Dark King."
For the first in a long while, Hermione laughed. "Of course, a king is higher than a lord. I suppose he had to outdo his dear old dad."
Viktor frowned. "You shouldn't laugh, Hermione. He is powerful. Not as powerful as the Dark Lord, perhaps, but..."
"Yes, I know. I'm taking this very seriously."
"Good. Ve are not as strong as ve vere." He turned and began to slowly walk away, his cane tapping against the stone floor.
"Wait!" Hermione called. Viktor halted and looked back at her. She continued. "Maybe, once you've fully recovered, you can take me flying, like you did once."
He nodded and smiled. "I vould like that very much." He started to move away again.
Hermione stood for a moment, watching him as he tapped his way toward the stairs. Suddenly, she decided something. Clutching her robes in her hands, she ran and caught up with him.
"Wait for me, Viktor. There's ten years that we have to tell each other about."
He grinned even wider this time, the largest smile Hermione had seen on his face since she was fourteen and had just agreed to go to the Yule Ball with him. When she saw that smile, she felt contented, and knew that she was truly looking forward to the future for the first time in ten years.
Maybe, just maybe, she thought, important things can happen at twenty-seven, as well as seventeen.
The End