"Ready?"

"Yes" Vik answered as he walked towards me from the Durmstrang ship. Some of the other Durmstrang students looked to be on their way out too. I wasn't sure if they were planning on going to Hogsmeade though. "Good morning, Katerina"

"Yeah you too" I smiled at his courteousness. He came to stand next to me and we started off towards the bridge to Hogsmeade.

"Is this village large?" Vik asked watching the number of students heading the same way we were

"Not large necessarily but there are a number of shops one can visit" I answered him. "They vary from selling sweets to furniture to books and etcetera. Is there anywhere in particular you would like to go?"

"I think I'll just leave that up to you" he smiled at me. I rolled my eyes.

"You need to be more assertive, did you know? If you want to go somewhere tell me" I scolded. He laughed a little at my reprimand

"I vill tell you" he nodded.

"Good. I would have also accepted 'I am a grown man so don't tell me what to do. If I want to be told where to go then you are going to tell me where to go!' Or something along those lines" I shrugged and he smiled in return.

It was a slow walk on the bridge, mostly due to the amount of people on it. It wasn't just the Hogwarts students going to Hogsmeade this time. Aside from the usual black robes I saw the pale blue of Beauxbatons and the blood-red of Durmstrang. At least Vik wouldn't be standing out too much in the mix. Although, I did notice some looks thrown our way as Vik and I walked to Hogsmeade. I also noticed a number of the Hogwarts students wearing Support Cedric Diggory badges. Most of the students, to be more exact.

"Is your school making those?" Vik asked noting the large quantity of students "supporting" Diggory.

"No, actually, Draco and a couple of his roommates made them. They've gotten quite popular haven't they" I said the last part mostly to myself. He nodded at me

"That's nice of him" he commented making me laugh

"Yeah he's a real peach" I replied sarcastically.

"Vhy are you not vearing one?" Vik asked looking to me. I shrugged and smiled.

"I didn't want to give Draco the satisfaction" I joked. Vik laughed knowing that I would do something to that extent just to spite Draco.

Truth is, if not for the Potter Stinks side, I would have worn one. But then again I was really only worried about that Potter Stinks side because of Hermione. She wouldn't have been too happy seeing me walking around with one of those on over my robes. Otherwise I would wear it. I was pretty sure Draco was aware of that which is why he tried so hard to make me take it.

Once there, our first stop in Hogsmeade was Honeydukes. It was one of my favorite places to go while at Hogsmeade. Also, if I forgot to get Lev a snack he would've been upset. Not with me, obviously, but with everyone else that came anywhere near him. So, to avoid a decent amount of casualties, I bought him his share. That and it allowed Vik and I to get some snacks for the rest of the trip.

Next up was Spintwitches Quidditch Supplies. We mostly went to that store for Vik. While I did enjoy watching and sometimes even playing Quidditch I wasn't a serious fanatic of it. I mostly wondered around a bit as Vik looked more in depth at some of their products. It wasn't too long of a visit though. After a little while I started to spot a group of girls forming, waiting always a few steps behind us and whispering enthusiastically to one another. Thankfully I was able to get us out of there before they started to hyperventilate. Vik didn't seem to notice them.

At Tomes and Scrolls we looked through a decent selection of books. They had a good variety of reads and I was actually looking forward to visiting. Vik on the other hand didn't look as enthusiastic as I thought he would.

"What?" I sighed as he turned down yet another book I offered him. "This way you don't have to constantly go to the library to find a good book."

"Yes but…" he began looking down at my latest selection. "I like it there."

"Why?" I grumbled. "Sure it's quiet but not that interesting. And Madam Pince can get on your nerves… Besides, there is a far better selection of books here."

"I just… like the things there."

"The books, do you mean?" I asked noting he had said "things" in an odd tone. Vik didn't reply making me sigh again. "Fine, let's go to the Herbology shop then. I need to pick up a few things"

With a nod Vik placed the book back on the shelf and followed me out of the store. A few shops away from the bookstore was Dogweed and Deathcap. I wanted to pick up a few ingredients from there while at Hogsmeade. I could have easily told someone to buy them for me but I liked seeing the ingredients before purchasing them and I didn't always trust the judgment of others. Professor Snape had told me I could use the Potions classroom to work on my own but I would have to get my own ingredients. It seemed like a fair compromise so I agreed.

"Still like making potions I see" Vik commented as he saw me analyzing two vials of Netch Jelly. It was technically not an herb but I was glad that they still kept these sort of things supplied. I looked away from them for a second to smile at him.

"A little" I answered Vik with a shrug and put one of the vials back; it had a little too much of a purple hue. Vik took the good vial from me and followed as I looked for the rest of the ingredients.

"Vhat are you making?" he asked noting the odd variety of items that I was currently having him hold. Among the mix were a few Creep Clusters, some Trama Root, and the most delicate and important ingredient of all, Poison Bloom.

"I'm going to see if I can get a particular 'Fortify Vitality' potion correct. It's a bit tricky to be honest. If you don't cut the Poison Bloom just right it will release a poisonous gas which can severely damage muscle, nerves, or in some rare instances, cause death."

"That sounds unnecessarily dangerous" he mumbled holding the Poison Bloom a little farther away from him. I laughed a little since even if the gases were to be released the plant was currently in an air-tight container and no damage would have come to him.

"How else will I learn" I joked taking the ingredients from him and moving towards the front pay. I saw Vik shake his head and follow after me.

"You really have not changed."

As we tried to decide the next shop to visit I spotted Hermione. She was making her way out of Honeydukes. It looked like she was talking to herself, earning her some looks from some of the other students. I had seen her talking to herself before but not as much as she was at the moment. Usually it was just a few words that escaped through her mouth. But it seemed like she was talking in complete sentences as she walked made her way towards the Three Broomsticks pub.

"Vould you like to go in there next?" Vik asked watching Hermione as she went.

"Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't" I halfheartedly teased Vik. It was slightly worrying to see Hermione acting like that. Hopefully the stress of dealing with Ron and Harry wasn't getting to her. That thought almost made me regret not telling her how to manipulate those two in the first place. I heard Vik chuckled a little and he decided to rephrase his request

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks" he said a little slowly reading the name of the pub. I smiled at him and started heading that way.

As we walked closer I saw Rita Skeeter and her photographer stepping out of the Three Broomsticks. I made a face looking at them and I had a feeling they had seen us. Both were incredibly obnoxious as far as I could remember. The two passed by Hermione without looking at her. They were talking amongst themselves in hushed voices and my suspicions were confirmed. It looked like they were headed for us. Both Vik and I sighed.

"Do you think there is a chance they did not see us?" Vik asked me in a low voice. I shook my head. Rita Skeeter rushed towards us with her gaudy robes. A horrid crocodile-skin purse was swaying back and forth by her side. As it did, I saw a strange shadow next to it. One which seemed very out of place. It looked almost like a fabric waving in the air. The strange thing was, there was no one there.

"Did you see that?" I asked looking at where the shadow had been. Vik was otherwise preoccupied.

"I think ve should go" he told me turning to leave. Unfortunately for both of us it was a little too late.

"Hello, you two!" Rita Skeeter's intolerable voice sounded as she finished closing the distance between us and them. "It is just lovely to see you both enjoying yourselves here."

"Thanks" I answered not bothering to look at her. Behind them Hermione entered the Three Broomsticks, disappearing from my sight.

"Having some bonding time between you I see. Just the two of you is it?" She began to ramble and I saw Vik frown at her. I never liked people like Rita Skeeter. They had such pathetic and meaningless lives that they depended on those of others to fill a void. Or sometimes, which was most of the time for her, they would make up stories of their own. I never understood why they didn't just write a book or something instead of harassing poor individuals who wanted nothing to do with them.

"Shouldn't you be talking to someone about something trivial" I replied with a smile. Skeeter laughed an overly dramatic laugh and smiled at me.

"You always were a little pistol, Katerina" she commented with a little laugh. I glared at her.

"Don't call me that"

"I apologize, I mean Miss Volkov" she corrected herself with a bit of a sarcastic curtsy. I sighed at her. Skeeter took out a notepad and quill. She tapped the quill to her tongue ready to start. "What are you two planning for the day?"

"Do I need to speak to my father about this?" I asked already tired of her behavior.

"It was a simple question, no need to get worked up" she smiled but her voice wasn't completely even. Not being a complete idiot she decided to turn her attention to the calmer of the two. Skeeter looked at Vik and grinned. "Any special plans in mind, Viktor?"

"Ve are just having a look around" Vik said in that quiet voice I didn't like. Skeeter got a wicked smiled on her face.

"Doesn't that sound lovely" she smirked looking between us. "Having a good time—"

"Are you really stupid enough to want to start something with my family" I said before she got in reporter mode, if she wasn't already.

"What do you mean dear?" she asked as I made a face.

"My father has told you several times, you are not allowed to write stories about anyone in my family" I reminded her with a look. She waved it off as if she wasn't worried about it. I was sure she was though

"This is not about you; this is about our champion Viktor Krum" Rita Skeeter smiled. She signaled swiftly for her photographer to take a picture. The man rushed to get his equipment up but not quickly enough. I flicked my wand in his direction sending a slight shock into his arm and making him drop some of the equipment.

"Take a picture without my permission and I will make sure you are never able to hold a camera again" I threatened still holding my wand in his direction. The photographer slowly but surely set the camera down, being smart enough not to anger me. I smiled and turned back to Rita Skeeter. "I said no, was that not clear?"

"Katerina—"

"Go" I growled turning to point my wand at her. She let out a small but aggravated breath and turned away from me. Hastily she walked past me and towards another possible story, I presume. The photographer followed after her without a word.

"Are you allowed to use magic here?" Vik smiled watching me put my wand away. I giggled at him and shrugged.

"There are restrictions on magic usage, which is why the shock was only minimal. Lucky him, right?" I smiled at him. Vik chuckled a little at my comment. I turned back to the Three Broomsticks and pointed to the pub. "Shall we go?

"Let's" Vik nodded and we walked in to get a drink.

Inside the Three Broomsticks it was packed with students and other creatures. There were several familiar faces amongst the crowd. At one corner I spotted Hermione by herself. She was looking at a notebook and mumbling to herself still. We worked our way through the crowd and towards the front.

"Vhat vould you like to drink?" Vik asked as we neared the front.

"I've only had them a couple of times but the butterbeers are pretty good. Want to get some while I look for a seat?" I asked Vik. He nodded and I set off on the look for a place to sit.

It was somewhat crowded in the pub. There were people but the place was pretty big on the inside. I looked around real quick but found nowhere that I felt like sitting. I was picky I suppose but why settle for anything less than what you want? As I looked around some movement caught my eye. It was a waving hand. Well two hands actually. The owners of them were Fred and George. I smiled and walked over to them.

"Hey" they greeted me when I reached them.

"Yeah, hey" Ron muttered unenthusiastically. I ignored him. He, along with the twins' friend Lee Jordan, was sitting at the same table as the twins. George pulled up a chair next to him and I took it.

"Are you here by yourself?" George asked scooting a little closer to me. It could've been my imagination but he sounded a little happy. I giggled but shook my head.

"No, I'm here with a friend actually" I replied. George's face turned less happy but was still smiling at me. Ron on the other hand, not so much.

"I'm sure your friend is having a wonderful time here with you" said Ron sarcastically to me.

"He is" I answered him with a smile. It made him frown at me which I found a little funny to be honest.

"So where is he?" George asked accentuating the last word for some reason. I looked over to the front for a second then back at him.

"He's getting us some drinks. I was actually supposed to be finding a place for us to sit while he did."

"Just sit here" Fred offered with a shrug. Before I could answer Ron answered for me.

"No she's not sitting here" Ron spit, with a look to his brother.

"I wasn't actually" I informed him and stood up. "There's a seat in the corner I had my eye on but I just thought I'd come say hi."

"In the corner? Just the two of you?" George asked standing up too.

"Yeah" I nodded at him but looked around to see if I could spot Vik. I had a feeling he had lost me in the crowd and my being seated wasn't helping him find me.

"Well I'm sure you and Malfoy will have a marvelous time away from here" Ron commented from his seat. I frowned a little and looked down at him.

"What makes you think I'm here with Draco?" I asked

"You're not?" George smiled at me. I giggled a little again. I found it rather amusing how people I cared about so much could despise each other so greatly. But I wasn't going to change that any time soon, of that I was sure.

"No, I do have other friends you know" I joked but I never did understand why that concept was so surprising for everyone.

"Well who is this 'good friend' of yours?" Ron asked sarcastically. As if on cue Vik spotted me among the rest. He came walking over to us, holding our drinks.

"Hello" Vik greeted the boys politely. Ron stood up looking in shock. He almost made his seat fall back. Fred and Lee stood up too, but a little more slowly than Ron had. They all turned to stare at Vik. "Is this vhere you vanted to sit?"

"No, actually I was thinking in that corner over there" I pointed to the empty table behind me. Vik nodded at me.

"I vill vait for you there. Excuse me" with a nod to the boys Vik turned around and walked off to reserve our seats. Behind him he left a group of boys seemingly speechless.

"Was that…" Lee started staring off in amazement.

"Your friend is Viktor Krum?" asked Fred a little bewildered.

"As in the Viktor Krum" George repeated sounding almost distressed.

"Why does everyone always say it like that? 'The Viktor Krum'" I mumbled to myself. "He's just a normal guy"

"And one of the most famous seekers in Quidditch history!" Fred exclaimed at me.

"I don't think that's an accurate statement" I replied but they all ignored me.

"But he's…" muttered Lee, still not speaking in complete sentences.

"Yeah…" Fred answered, as if he had.

"You can't be serious!" Ron whined finally saying something. "There's no way someone like Krum would be friends with someone like her. It's bad enough George— Ow!"

"Shut it!" George snapped at Ron, hitting him on the head.

"Well if you'll excuse me I should go" I said and started walking away. I took the opportunity since everyone was momentarily preoccupied. George and Ron were glaring at each other and Fred and Lee looked too busy staring at Vik. "I'll see you guys later"

I walked away from them, figuring Fred and George would just ask me whatever questions they had some other time. This way they could get their thoughts straightened out instead of muttering a lot. In the corner Vik was waiting for me with our drinks. I smiled and joined him.

"Are those your friends?" Vik asked handing me my butterbeer. I took a drink from it and nodded at him.

"Two of them but yes. It's the two that look exactly the same" I answered trying not to look at them. Vik might have guessed as much because he chuckled and took a drink himself.

"This is good" he mentioned with a look to his drink. I giggled at him.

"So, are you excited for the First Task?"

"That's one vay to put it…" Vik sighed and took a drink of his butterbeer. "Professor Karkaroff says he vill know the details by tonight."

"You don't sound too happy about that" I noted watching him look solemnly at the table. Vik shrugged at it and turned to look back at me.

"That seems… unfair, doesn't it?" he asked me. "If I was meant to know they vould tell all the champions, it vould not just be me."

"What is 'fair' anyway? All it would really do is give you a slight advantage. I don't see anything wrong with that" I shrugged in return. Vik gave me a small smile and took a drink. It seemed like a common dilemma for people, the concept of fairness. I never thought too much of it but that was probably because I was selfish. I would have been fine in his position but Vik wasn't like me. He was a good kid. "I think we went to the wrong schools"

"Seems like it, does it not" Vik smiled at my comment. We laughed a little at that and decided to steer the conversation into a slightly less serious topic.

"Well, speaking of Karkaroff, what did he tell you?" I asked Vik. His headmaster said they would have a talk before they left and I had gotten a bit curious. Part of that was because I had seen him get a word in just before Vik and I left for Hogsmeade.

"I am going to need to make up lost practice time" Vik answered with a shrug. I sighed at him

"You do realize he's not your father" I reminded him. He smiled at me

"Yes I do realize but I do not see a reason to argue" he replied. I couldn't decide if I should be proud of him for being such a sweet kid or be angry that, even after all these years, he still didn't have much of a backbone.

"Fine" I grumbled taking a drink. He accepted me for who I was so the least I could do was do the same for him. "Well just remember if you need someone told off you can always let me know"

"I appreciate that" said Vik sweetly. I smiled at him. After a bit more conversation, mostly about trivial things, we finished our drinks and walked out of the Three Broomsticks pub.

"Anywhere else you want to go" I asked as I wrapped my robes a little more tightly around myself. The November air was getting a little colder.

"No, I think ve have had enough for one day" Vik answered me looking around not finding anything of interest.

"Let's walk back to the castle then."

It was still a little early in the day so the Hogwarts grounds were a lot quieter than we had expected. We decided to spend a little more time together to catch up before everyone came back. As Vik waited for me at the edge of the Forbidden Forest I stopped by the room to drop my things off.

With the ingredients I got being as dangerous as they were I didn't trust them in the dormitory with the girls. Lev was smart enough to know not to go near that sort of thing but I wasn't sure about the rest of them. Millicent didn't usually go near my things but Daphne was too curious and Pansy would probably try to mess with them and accidentally kill herself in the process. Then I would get in trouble for her stupidity.

After I put my things away I went back up and joined Vik by the edge of the woods where we talked for a bit more. One conversation led to another and before either of us knew it we stumbled onto a topic I didn't much enjoy.

"I'm really sorry about your brother" said Vik looking out into the Forbidden Forest. I was about to say something but he interrupted me. "I mean about vhat you had to go through, I'm sorry. Others should not have acted the vay they did. It is not their place to judge your brother for vhat he did"

"He was an idiot" I muttered not looking straight at him. From the corner of my eye I saw Vik smile gently at me

"You do not believe that. I know you cared for your brother very much. You loved him. And you should, he vas a good man."

"You two never talked much though" I reminded Vik, turning to look at him. He smiled at me again.

"I didn't have to. You told me all about him and all that he did for you. He vas a good brother and I'm sorry for your loss" he said gently.

"I am too" I whispered in reply and hugged my knees to my chest.

We were quiet for a little bit after that. I never talked much about Nikolai; it always hurt to remember him. Even though he wasn't actually dead it sometimes felt like he was. I hadn't spoken to him since the wedding. We never really talked much since he left, but after seeing him… It was like losing him all over again. It was so common for us to spend nearly every minute with each other. Now… Now he was married and I would probably hear even less of him from now on.

"You know" Vik said after a tone of silence, "I don't blame you for coming to Hogwarts. It vas probably for the best"

"You don't think it was cowardly?" I asked wanting an honest answer. After I had made the decision not to go to Durmstrang I had asked my father for his opinion but I had a feeling he wasn't thinking about me when he answered. I would've asked Draco but at the time we weren't speaking…

"Not in the slightest" Vik answered me. "It vas just more agreeable, considering. I've never thought of you as fragile in any vay, much less covardly. In fact, out of the two of us, I'm the covard"

"You're not a coward" I frowned at the ground in front of me. "You can be quiet, sure, and it wouldn't kill you to stand your ground now and then. But a coward you are not. You're competing aren't you?"

"Don't remind me" he sighed at me. I giggled a little and raised my head to smile at him.

"You're a bright kid, I'm sure you'll do great. In fact, I bet you win the first task!"

"That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" he chuckled a little nervously.

"Maybe," I shrugged a little, "but it's a chance I'm willing to take"

"I've missed you" Vik said making me laugh. It had been so long since we had seen each other I almost forgot what it was like to spend time with Vik. It was nice. He had a very gentle personality that was easy to get along with. Though it did upset me when he willingly let others walk all over him, I was otherwise content without relationship.

"I have too actually" I admitted with a smile

"Vhy do you say it like that?" he grinned not offended, contrary to what his words made it sound. Despite being so calm and caring Vik wasn't one to get offended easily. I liked that about him.

"Honestly, because I didn't think I would" I replied with a shrugged. Vik laughed and nodded at my words. There were never many people I could say I honestly cared for. I used to be able to count them all in just one hand. Now it was a little more than that but still not much compared to others. But Vik had always been a sweet kid and I did care for him. Hopefully, at the first task, it wouldn't end badly for him.

.

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If you play Skyrim you might recognize some of the ingredients I mentioned :3

Anywhoo… Hooray to all those who are out on vacation! I'm not a fan of summer but no school is something I'll more than gladly take! Have a happy sunshiny day everyone and enjoy your time off \(^-^)/