Disclaimer-J.K. Rowlings owns everything in this fic. Except the plot. That's mine.
Love Never Dies
Chapter 5-Complications, complications
Hermione was waiting for Victor outside her tent when he arrived exactly one hour later. She was a little nervous about what the night might bring. After all the talk she had with Viktor earlier that day had left a lot of questions unanswered. She still didn't know what she wanted from her relationship with Viktor.
"Hello, Hermioninny," Viktor said. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, I guess so," Hermione replied. "Where are we going?"
"Someplace quiet," Viktor said. "I can not stand being around any more people. They drive me crazy. All this talk about quidditch. And everyone vants to be near me. They think I am a hero. All I did vas catch a little golden ball that flies. It's not like I defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I leave that to you and your friends."
"Well, thank God for that. No one would want you in harms way. Who would be the world famous Bulgarian seeker if you were off fighting You-Know-Who," Hermione joked. "Your fans wouldn't know what to do."
"I don't know," Viktor said. "It could be good publicity. Maybe I could save you from the clutches of evil. I could be an even bigger hero."
"Yes, I can see the headlines now. Bulgarian Seeker Risks Life for Ordinary Witch." Hermione said while laughing. "That would make you popular with the witches as well as the wizards. They could think that you could save them too."
"Yes, I suppose so. And besides, it's not like I am too famous already," Viktor said sarcastically. "Maybe then I could have my picture in the papers every day instead of just every other day."
"Yes, maybe that could be arranged. Next time we fight You-Know-Who I'll be sure to owl you so that you can get in on the fight," Hermione said.
"Thank you Hermioninny. I'll look forward to that owl," Viktor said.
"Are we planning on going anywhere or are we just going to stand here and make jokes all night?" Hermione asked.
"I suppose we can go somewhere."
"Well, that's nice to know."
The pair started walking along the road, past all the tents, and people stopped them every so often to ask for an autograph or a picture with Viktor. It took them a good half hour to get past all the tents to a car that was waiting for them.
Viktor opened the door for Hermione and said, "Aren't you glad no one can stop us for autographs now?"
Extremely glad. It must be a rough life being famous," she said with a smile.
"Oh, yes. It is."
"Are you going to tell me where we're going now? Or do I only get to know that wherever we're going is quiet."
"I don't know if I should tell you or not. I know how much you love surprises."
"Viktor. Don't be so mean."
"Ah, now it's settled. You're never going to know."
"Fine. I didn't want to know anyway."
Viktor laughed as she crossed her arms and pretended to be mad. The sat in silence for a few minutes while the car moved at a rapid pace.
"This is a magical car isn't it?"
"Of course."
"So, then, are we almost there?"
"We're very close."
"Good, I don't think I can take the suspense much longer," Hermione said a little sarcastically.
Viktor laughed, and they sat there in a comfortable silence until the car stopped a few minutes later.
"Vell ve're here." Viktor said and got out of the car to open the door for Hermione. They were in a clearing in a forest where the moonlight shone through the trees and the "Vhat do you think?"
"Well this was definitely not what I was expecting," Hermione said. "Where are we anyway."
"I found Karkaroff found this spot during the triwizard tournament."
"We're by Hogwarts?"
"Vell, ve are somevhat near. I alvays got special treatment from Karkaroff vhile I vas in school. I told him I needed somevhere quiet vhere I could think about my strategies for the tournament and vell, about you. So, he found this spot for me. It vas one of the only things I am grateful to him for. He vas not a good man, that Karkaroff."
"No, he wasn't, Viktor. But I'm glad you have someplace like this to come to."
"I hafn't been her for quite some time. There's no time now, and it's so far from vhere I am." Viktor said and took her arm and lead her to a soft tuff of grass underneath a huge tree. "But, I thought it vould be a nice, peaceful place to take you. Are you hungry Hermioninny?"
"Well, yes, I suppose I am a little hungry."
"Vell, that is good. I brought some sandviches, because I new I vould be hungry after the match and I don't suppose you haff eaten at all today."
"I had a little bit, here and there."
"I also didn't think that you vould vant to go to some fancy restaurant vith no privacy, and cameras in our faces. Besides, I am tired of eating fancy food. I vanted something simple for once."
"There are so few things in your life that are simple, Viktor. You must hate it."
"I do hate all the parties and the functions I haff to attend. Vhy should I haff to meet the ministers daughter for lunch or the owner of the Bulgarian team at some fancy party?" Viktor said with I say. "I am just a person like everyone else. There is nothing special about me, except that I am good at some game."
"I know, Viktor. You are not the type of person that enjoys the attention. But I do know one thing. You love quidditch. There is nothing you would rather do for the rest of your life."
"That is true, Hermione. But there is so much more to being a quidditch player than just playing the game. I haff to be a celebrity, and I am not made for that. My father loves it. He loves the attention, he loves the reporters. He says he's just doing vhat is best for me, but know he really doesn't care about me and vhat I think. It is not enough for him that I am considered the best seeker in the vorld. He doesn't understand that I don't vant to be famous. I don't vant to marry some reporter who vould just write everything about me, or a singer who only vants to be married to me because I am famous."
"I'm sure he only vants you to be happy. He probably thinks that if you married one of the beautiful women that he has introduced to you, they will make you happy. Most men dream of marrying someone like that. I'm sure that he only wants to make you happy, and that is the only way he feels he can. I won't argue with you that he should find some better way to do so, and that he shouldn't push you the way he does, but I don't think he knows any better ways to show you that he loves."
"No, Hermioninny. My father doesn't love me. He loves vhat I have done for him. He loves that he has gone from a poor unknown man to a rich powerful man. He only vants me to be famous because it vill help him. And he doesn't care if I am happy. He knows that the only voman that vill ever make me happy is you. But, he doesn't stop pushing those other vomen on me. He doesn't care about me."
"Oh, Viktor I don't know what to say." Hermione said and sank to the ground to lean on the back of the tree.
"You don't haff to say anything, Hermioninny. Just sit here with me for a while." He said and put his arms around her. They sat silently for a while just sitting under the tree thinking.
"Hermioninny?"
"Yes, Viktor."
"I haff to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"I...I love you." He said softly and leaned over and kissed her.
Hermione stared at him blankly for a few seconds before she said, "What? What do you mean? You can't tell me this now. I don't want to her that from you now. I just can't...Viktor, I just don't..."
"It's alright Hermione. I knew it vould confuse you if I said it. But, I just thought that you should know."
"I....Viktor...I just don't know. I don't know what to tell you. Now is not the right time for this. We can't have a relationship. I am still in school, and I won't ever be able to see you. I can...We can't...I just don't know." She said then buried her face in her hands.
"Hermioninny, don't vorry. I love you. I vill vait until you are ready. I just vanted you to know how I feel." Viktor said then put his arms around her again and drew her up to him so that her head was on his shoulder. "Now, come, sveetheart. I can see that this vas too much for you. Let's get you back to the campsite. You sleep on it. You vill feel better tomorrow."
"Yes, okay Viktor. I think that is a very good idea." Hermione said as he lead her back to the car.
They had a very silent ride home. Viktor kept his arm around Hermione and from time to time looked down at her lovingly. Hermione sat in a sort of daze, trying to think logically about what he had told her. She found out very soon that love can not ever be explained even with logic.
When they got back to the campsite Viktor walked Hermione to her tent. He gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead before promising her that he would come see her again the next day. While he was walking off she called to him.
"Viktor?"
"Yes, Hermioninny."
"You were right to tell me what you did, Viktor. I needed to know. Thank you. I have never had a greater compliment than the one you paid me tonight."
Viktor smiled and said, "Vell, that is a shame. You deserve many compliments such as the one I gave you. I really do love you, Hermioninny. Sleep vell."
"Oh and Viktor?"
"Yes, Hermioninny?"
"I never got that sandwich you promised me."
Viktor laughed and said, "Maybe I vill get you one tomorrow."
Hermione entered her tent and laid down in her bed for a while and tried to take Viktor's advice about sleeping on it, but she couldn't. She decided to take a little walk around the grounds. Most people were still up and celebrating the victory anyway. When she stepped out of her tent Oliver was standing outside.
"Hi, Oliver. What are you doing here?"
"I was just taking a little walk and I thought I'd stop by to see how you were doing."
"Well, I guess I'm doing okay."
"Did you fix that little problem you had with Krum?"
"No, I just don't know what to do."
"I didn't mean to scare you with what I told you earlier. Not all relationships turn out the way mine did. I don't know why I told you about mine. I guess I just got carried away."
"No, it was a good thing you told me. I wouldn't have thought about what would happen if we dated and then broke up. Viktor is one of my close friends. I don't want to lose him."
"I know."
"But, today he told me that he loved me."
"Ah, and that changes everything. Do you love him?"
"I don't know anymore. I thought I did, but for some reason I couldn't tell him that I loved him too. It just seemed wrong. I'm so confused."
"I believe it, Hermione. There is nothing more confusing than love."
"You sound so wise, when you talk about love and about relationships."
Oliver laughed and said, "If only that were true."
"I know. What Viktor and I have is so complicated. I only get to see him a couple of times a year, and when I do get to see him it is usually at one of his quidditch matches. I don't know if I can love him, Oliver. Sometimes it seems as though I don't even know him. Especially after today. Shouldn't you be able to tell when someone is in love with you? It's like this whole revelation about him being in love with me came about in what a total of eleven hours? This morning he thought of me as nothing but a friend, and then when he saw me with you he got very jealous, and now, this evening after his quidditch match, he took me to a beautiful spot in the forest near Hogwarts, which is his favorite spot in the world, and he decides that he loves me. Is it just me or is that a bit sudden?"
"Wooh, he took you all the way to Hogwarts?"
"Yes, but that's not the point. How can he fall in love with me in a day?"
"I don't know Hermione. Maybe he just thinks he's in love with you. He's probably just worried about losing you."
"Yeah, losing me to you. I don't even know you very well. This is the first time we've talked since you were still in Hogwarts."
"I know. I never said he had any real reason to be jealous." Oliver said and laughed a little. "At least not yet."
Hermione gave him a little smile and said, "Oliver, I'm trying to be serious."
"Who says I wasn't being serious?" Oliver joked.
"Anyway," Hermione said with a sigh.
"I guess I can see how he could be so worried about losing you. I mean look at you, you're this great, smart, funny, pretty young woman who he has cared a great deal for since he met you. You're obviously very important to him. And then you see him at his quidditch match, the bloody Quidditch World Cup, and you are with me, a ruggidly handsome Scottish man who makes all the women swoon. What's not to be jealous about?"
"Oliver, I was serious."
"I know. It seems to me that you act seriously way too often. Lighten up, Hermione. It's not the end of the world that one of the most famous quidditch players in the world is in love with you. Why don't you try to get some sleep. I'm sure that you will have a busy day tomorrow."
"Yes, I will." Hermione said. "Are you going to be here tomorrow?"
"Yes, of course."
"Can I come see you sometime? That is if you're not to busy."
"Of course you can, Hermione. You don't have to ask. Merlin knows I haven't been asking every time I come see you. And besides, I like talking you, and I don't mind hearing about the problems in your love life. It's really quite entertaining," Oliver said while grinning sheepishly.
Hermione smiled and said, "Thanks for all your help, Oliver." And then she leaned over and gave him a nice long hug to show that she meant it. "You really helped me loosen up a bit. I'm glad you came by tonight."
"No problem, Hermione." Oliver said. "So, you're going to come see me tomorrow right?"
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it." Hermione said as Oliver pulled away from the hug."
"Good, so am I." Oliver said. "Now go to bed. It must be well past your bedtime."
"Yes, father." Hermione joked. "I have entirely too many men in my life looking out for me. I should make more friends that are girls."
"Goodbye, Hermione."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Oliver." Hermione said as she watched him leave.
When Hermione found herself lying in her bed for the second time that night, she one more quidditch player on her mind than she had before. Oliver Wood was this kind, funny, charming man whom she had not really talked to since his Hogwarts days. Hermione couldn't understand why he wanted to talk to her. They had never been close friends, but she supposed that he missed his Hogwart's days and any reminder of the past was welcome. Whatever the reason Oliver had for talking to her, she was very glad for his company. It was nice to have someone that really seemed to care about what she said and what she thought. Hermione was grateful that he was at the Quidditch World Cup. Oliver Wood was incredible man.
While Hermione was lying in her bed thinking of Oliver, Oliver was walking home and thinking of how much he liked
Hermione. He had never really know her before, but he now understood why Viktor Krum was so impressed with the
many different aspects of Hermione Granger's character. Not only was she beautiful in a natural way, she was also
smart, funny, and quite cute really. Especially when he teased her, she always seemed to give him this look that showed
that she didn't really want to laugh, but somehow she couldn't help it. Yes, Hermione Granger was an incredible woman.
A/N-I know I haven't updated in a really long time. I'm sorry, I'm in college now and I don't have much time to write, but I will try. I haven't deserted this fic. Thanks for all the reviews. They made me want to write. And, anyway this chapter was one of my longer chapters. As of right now it is 2,950 words. Thanks, everyone!
