Disclaimer-J.K. Rowlings owns everything in this fic. I only own the plot, and the few people I made up, and notice I made up someone new this chapter.



Love Never Dies



Chapter 6-Questions, Questions, Questions



Hermione woke to the shouts of Bulgarian fans. She smiled as she remembered Viktor's big victory, and she then thought about the conversation they had the previous night. She stretched, briefly debated staying in bed all day, but finally decided to get up. Then she went to the bathroom to take a shower and brush her teeth. After she was dressed she left her tent to go find some breakfast.

She was enjoying watching all the people: the young couples with their children, the young boys running around, animatedly discussing the World Cup, and the older witches and wizards sitting around idly chatting. It amazed her to see so many people still at the site. The last Quidditch World Cup she had been at everyone had left as soon as possible. The appearance of the dark mark had scared most, and they had been eager to get away.

She liked the crowds of people; she liked the way everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives, even the fans from Ireland were somewhat cheerful. She heard many Irish fans say, "Just you wait until next year. We'll be back, and next year we'll win!"

After walking around for about fifteen minutes, Hermione bought some breakfast from one of the many venders. She found a spot on one of the benches that were spread throughout the area, and sat down to enjoy her breakfast, and watch the people around her.

Her plan for the morning was to find Oliver and spends some time with him. She wasn't ready to talk to Viktor, yet. She still needed some time to think before she talked with him about their conversation. A part of her just wanted to forget about what he had told her. She wanted their relationship to stay as it had been, at least for another year until she graduated from Hogwarts.

While Hermione was contemplating her relationship with Viktor, Oliver was stopping by her house. He assumed she had either went somewhere with Viktor or went out to get some breakfast, so he decided to get some breakfast himself, on the off-chance that he would meet her while he was eating. After all, he had to eat sometime, and if he ran into Hermione, then he'd have some company.

As it turned out, the two ran into each other as she was walking back to her tent, and he was walking to get some breakfast.

"I went by your tent, earlier. I wondered if you had gone to get yourself some breakfast," Oliver said. "I was just on my way to get some myself."

"Oh, don't let me keep you from it. You need to eat."

"Why don't you come with me?"

"Well, okay. I was going to come find you later on anyway."

"I guess, great minds think alike." Oliver said then began a more serious conversation. "How are you doing tonight? Are you thinking any more clearly than you were yesterday?"

"No, not really. I still don't know what I'm going to tell Viktor the next time I see him."

"That's okay. Sometimes it's not easy trying to figure out how you feel."

"Tell me about it. I don't think I've ever been so confused. And this is not something I can read about in a book." Then Hermione thought of all of the self-help books that existed in the muggle world. "Well, I take that back. I probably could read about it in a book, but it probably wouldn't help me much."

Oliver was confused and simply said, "I guess so."

"I take it you didn't ever take muggle studies. In the muggle world, there are about a million books that are designed to help you help yourself. Self-help books their called."

Oliver still look pretty confused so Hermione said, "Don't worry. It's not important."

"Well, okay then." He said, and then they walked companionable in silence for a few minutes.

After a little while Hermione said, "So, where exactly are we going, Oliver?"

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea." Oliver said. "Anywhere with food."

"Well, that should be easy enough."

Oliver laughed and then said, "Yeah, I don't think we'll have any problems."

Hermione looked at him and smiled, then she bumped into someone, and sent the person to the ground. "Oh, excuse me," Hermione said. "I'm so sorry."

The young woman got up and brushed the dirt off of her clothes. "Oh, that's alright," she said, sounding a little bit perturbed. She was about to walk away when she looked up at them. "Oh good Merlin, Oliver. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Uh, Pendelyn. I didn't know you were here."

"I came with my brother," Pendalyn said. "I've also been working while I was here."

"Oh, how is Grayson? I haven't seen him since...well, you know."

"He's fine. Very busy, as always."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, are you going to introduce me to your friend, Oliver?" Pendelyn said as she casually glanced at Hermione. Oliver seemed shocked, but Pendelyn seemed to be very composed. Hermione wondered who this woman was.

"What?" Oliver said then remembered he was with Hermione. "Oh, this is Hermione Granger, a friend from Hogwarts. Hermione this is Pendelyn Lane."

Hermione stuck out her hand for the stranger. "It's nice to meet you Pendelyn."

"Nice to meet you too, Hermione." Pendelyn said as she shook her hand. She didn't return Hermione smile, she just looked at her cooly. "I've heard of you before. You are with Viktor Krum aren't you."

"Viktor and I are friends, if that's what you mean." Hermione said in return. She was beginning to wonder why this woman was giving her that calm calculative stare. What had she ever done, or was this Oliver's ex-girlfriend?

"From what the papers say, you are more than just good friends," Pendelyn said as she pulled a newspaper from out of the purse she carried. "It says here that you and Mr. Krum are soon to be engaged."

Hermione took the paper from Pendelyn and stared at the picture of her and Viktor after the Quidditch World Cup. He was holding her closely and smiling as he talked to his brother. "Well, you can't believe everything you read. I've been the victim of many journalists who like to draw conclusions."

Oliver stared at Hermione and then switched his gaze back to Pendelyn. "I don't suppose you wrote that article, Pendelyn."

"Well, Oliver, you are exactly right. This is my work." She said and shot a sharp glare in Hermione's direction.

"Well, Miss Lane. I think that you should check your facts before you write your stories. I don't like lies being written about me." Hermione said.

"There not lies, I got them from a reliable source," was Pendelyn retort.

"Oh, really. And who was this reliable source that seems to know everything about me?"

"One of the members of the Bulgarian team. It seems that's what Viktor Krum has told all of his teammates."

Hermione turned white, but didn't say anything else.

Oliver taking the cue that she was very upset said, "Well, Pendelyn ,we really must be going. Give my best to your family."

"Oh, yes of course, Oliver. And Miss Granger, I would talk to that friend of yours."

"Thanks for the advice, Miss Lane," Hermione shot back.

"Oh, that's no problem at all," Pendelyn said as she walked away. "Keep in touch Oliver."

After she had walked away Hermione said, "Who was that?"

"Um, a very nasty lady."

"I could tell that. How do you know her?"

"We grew up together. Her brother was my best friend. He's the head of some important company, and she is the next Rita Skeeter. Too bad she actually has talent as a writer."

"Yeah, she's horrible." Hermione said. "Do you think what she said about Viktor was true?"

"Honestly, Hermione, Pendelyn is nasty, but she's not a liar, especially not when it comes to her work," Oliver said. "I'm sorry, Hermione, but I think you should talk to him about it."

"I was afraid of that," she said and sighed. "Can we sit down for a bit, Oliver? I'm tired of walking."

"Sure," Oliver said and looked around. "Why don't we go in this place? I've heard that it has good food, and you can sit down for a little while."

"Okay, Oliver," she said softly and was quiet while he led her to a table at the back of the little café. She stayed quiet even while a waiter came over to there table and took their order. She didn't even notice when Oliver ordered her a glass of pumpkin juice.

Only when the waiter came back to their table and set down the glass in front of her did she speak. She said thank you to the waiter, and then looked questioningly up at Oliver.

He smiled at her and said, "I thought about getting you a butterbeer but I think it's too early in the morning for that."

"Your probably right," Hermione said with a smile. "Sorry I've been such poor company. I've been thinking about when and what I'll say to Viktor."

"Why don't you try to not worrying about that right now?" Oliver said.

"I don't know, if I can, Oliver. Why would he tell people that we were getting engaged?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe he just told his teammates he'd like to ask you to marry him, and they just drew the conclusion that you would say yes," Oliver reasoned.

"I don't think any of the other players would tell the press that, unless they thought it was absolutely true. They don't usually even talk to reporters," Hermione said. "Are you sure that this Pendelyn Lane is to be trusted?"

"Yes, I've known her for a long time, and I know that she is a downright wretched individual, but she loves her job, and she loves to write about things that are controversial and will hurt people, but she won't write anything unless it's true. She's always taken pride in the fact that she is brutally honest." Oliver said.

"But I still can't see any of Viktor's teammates talking to a reporter about Viktor and I," Hermione said.

"Pendelyn is a very persuasive woman. She always gets what she wants."

"Well, good for her," Hermione said sarcastically.

"Now, Hermione. Let's talk about something else. I'm getting tired of talking about what Viktor may or may not have said. You'll find out soon enough, so just relax for a while."

"Okay, Oliver. So what do you want to talk about."

"I don't know. Tell me about your plans for next year."

"I hope that I will be head girl. I've always work very hard and I'm at the top of our class."

"Well, yes, I knew that. Everyone knows that Hermione Granger is smart." Oliver teased. "Harry used to complain that you studied too much, and never had any time for fun."

"Hey, I've loosened up a lot since then."

"Yeah, sure," Oliver teased.

"I have."

"Anyway, what do you think you'll do after you leave Hogwarts?"

"I was think about working for the Ministry of Magic."

"What department?"

"I haven't decided, yet. I was thinking about the Department of Mysteries or the International Magical Office of Law."

"Are you just the ambitious one," Oliver said teasingly.

"I just want to make a difference in the magical world. I want to be challenged with my work every day. I would hate to have a job that was boring and I dreaded going to every day.

"I understand, completely. Why do you think I play quidditch for a living. It's best job in the world. I get paid an obscene amount of money to play my favorite game every day."

Hermione laughed, "What do you think you'll do after you retire from quidditch?"

"Me retire? Never!" Oliver said. "I'm going to play quidditch until I die."

"Yeah, okay, Oliver. You just keep telling yourself that."

"Well, seriously, I don't really know what I'll do after I retire. Maybe I'll teach at Hogwarts, or work in the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

"I could see you taking over for Madam Hooch some day."

"So could I. I always loved Hogwarts."

"I do too, and to think I never even new it existed until I was eleven. I couldn't imagine what life would be like without magic."

"Oh, you're a muggleborn aren't you?" Oliver asked. "I had forgotten. That must have been odd, coming here."

"Yes, it was odd. I was scared at first. I didn't think it was real, but then I thought about all of the times I had felt different from all of the other kids in my school, and I remembered all the times that odd things happened to me. Things I could never before explain, and then I wasn't scared anymore. I was excited."

"I grew up around magic. I've been playing quidditch since I was seven. I remember getting my Hogwarts letter. I was so nervous, and afraid that it wouldn't come, that I would be a squib."

"But it did come."

"Yes, it did. I was so excited, my mum said I was the biggest prat that day. She said I wouldn't stay in one spot for more than a few seconds." He smiled at the memory.

"Those were the days."

"Now, we're older and have more things to worry about."

"Yes, I know what you mean." Hermione said. "The seventh year is always the hardest."

"Yes, it is, but you'll be fine. It was the hardest year, I ever had, but it was also the most rewarding."

"What did you want to be when you were in that last year at Hogwarts?"

"Well, obviously a quidditch player."

"Yes, but didn't you have a backup plan?"

"Actually, I didn't have a backup plan. It was probably stupid of me, but I didn't want to think of ever doing anything other than playing quidditch."

"Oh," was all Hermione could think of as a reply.

They sat in silence then. Oliver finished up the breakfast that had appeared on the table, sometime during their discussion. They didn't speak much more while the were in the café. Oliver paid and they left the eating place.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Hermione asked Oliver.

"Actually, I think that you should go find Viktor and talk things through with him."

"Oh," Hermione said. "I suppose I've put it off enough."

"Yes, I can tell it's been on your mind. You'll feel better when you find out for sure."

"Will I get to see you again before you leave?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"I'll come by your tent before I leave." Oliver said and then gave her a small hug. "When are you leaving?"

"At 6:00 tonight, I think."

"I'll be sure to come by, before then. I'm sure you'll want someone to talk to."

"Your right about that," Hermione said. "Oliver?"

"Yes,"

"I'm scared."

"Why are you scared, Hermione. You've nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm scared about what Viktor will tell me. I don't want him to want to marry me."

"It's okay, Hermione."

"I'm seventeen. I'm too young to be engaged."

"I agree with you there, but most people in the wizarding world get married young."

"You didn't."

"No, I didn't. I haven't found the right person yet."

"What about your ex-girlfriend. The one who was your best friend?"

"Well, she's not here now is she?"

"No."

"I guess she wasn't the one for me then," Oliver said. "Now, quit stalling Hermione. I know you'll make the right decision about Viktor Krum. It may not be the one he wants, but it'll be the right one for you."

"I'll see you later, Oliver."

"Yes, you will, Hermione." Oliver said as she walked off toward the Bulgarian section of the campground.

"She's an odd girl, that Hermione." Oliver thought. "Most girls would love to have the most famous quidditch player in the world, but I guess being famous isn't enough for her. She doesn't want to be a trophy wife. She's ambitious and smart enough to get what she wants. She'll not put up with lies especially from someone she cares about. That girl is something special. Whomever she finally chooses will be a luck man."



A/N-I finally finished this chapter. But hey, I'm getting better. This chapter took way less time to come out than the last one did. You all should consider yourselves lucky. I wrote this instead of my sociology paper. I'm going to try to update soon, but I am after all a busy girl. Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I know I will. Oh, and I think the next chapter will be called Answers, Answers, Answers. Imagine that.