A/N: Is this a new story? Why, yes, yes, it is! What was I thinking starting a new story? Going to be a like 5-chapter long story. So not a long one at all. MIND THE TAGS. Because this is not just a sweet fluff piece. Ron Bashing. If you like Ron Weasley, just going to save you from scrolling anymore. This isn't a story for you. Promise.
Updates, like once a week.
Relationship: Hermione Granger/Viktor Krum
Characters: Hermione Granger, Viktor Krum, Pansy Parkinson, Ron Weasley, Original Male Character(s)
Tags: Ron Weasley Bashing, Domestic Violence, Married Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, American Wizarding World, POV Viktor Krum, Protective Viktor Krum, Broken Hermione Granger, Hermione Granger & Pansy Parkinson Friendship, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Harry isn't in this, Abusive Relationships, Abusive Ron Weasley, Kidnapping
Summary: Viktor Krum is in New York to play Quidditch against the North American Teams. On a night out before the first game and he's shocked to find Hermione Granger working behind the bar. Now he's on a mission to find out what she's doing in New York City
Chapter 1, New York, New York
New York City was bigger and louder than Viktor Krum would have ever thought it could be. Mingling with the North American Quidditch League was something new that the President and Prime Minister had been trying for. Was it more politically motivated than just for the sport? Of course, it was. Everything that the men running Bulgaria's magical community did was to place them in a more prominent place in the world and gain more power. After the second Wizarding War, there was also a push to distance the ideals of being okay with the teaching of the Dark Arts at Durmstrang from the rest of the country. By coming across the world, it was the government's way of opening up more talks of becoming allies.
Getting to play Quidditch against the American and Canadian teams came up, the current president couldn't help but jump at the opportunities that it would bring the country. Cheaper trade deals, access to plants and animals only found in that part of the world, being able to send students for abroad mastery programs, ect…. The possibilities were truly endless, at least in the eyes of the government.
Viktor, while slightly irritated that his name and reputation as a Seeker were being used to make the push for some political movement, decided that he'd still enjoy getting out of Europe for a while.
Walking down a winding alley towards a dodgy looking pub, Viktor couldn't help but chuckle to himself. These American wizards lived completely out in the open, seamlessly blending their communities without breaking the statue of secrecy. The number of witches and wizards with a wand tucked behind their ears or shoved in their hair, wearing regular muggle clothing was something that he was not used to. The team was told that they would have to blend into the locals, Viktor never imagined his coach meant they would be blending in with the non-magical world as well as the magical one.
Nonetheless, they'd all done it, some more gracefully than others. Even with one of the team's Beaters complaining about the way the denim felt on his backside, Viktor was enjoying getting to walk down the street without his usual mob of groupies and fans following him. It was a refreshing and freeing feeling that he hadn't truly had since well before leaving for school at age eleven.
Entering the seedy pub, it was clear that the front of the establishment was not the wizarding part of the bar. Filled with muggles who were making comments about placing bets on something called football, but the game was not being played with their feet. Muggles were strange creatures, or at least American muggles were.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" A scruffy looking man with an eye patch asked, pulling their attention away from the betting. Leaning across the bar, the man spit into a jar on the counter before using the back of his hand to clean his mouth off.
Martin, the team's captain and one of the Chasers, stepped forward clearing his throat as he leaned in towards the barkeep. "We are from out of town. Our associates pointed us in this direction if we were wanting to have a, if you will, magical night."
Laughing, the man behind the bar jabbed his thumb towards a hallway that Viktor hadn't noticed when they'd first walked in. Must be a Notice-Me-Not Charm on it to keep the unsuspecting muggles from wandering where they otherwise shouldn't. "Down the hall, take the stairs on the left, not the right. You go down the ones on the right, and we aren't responsible for any sort of death or injury you get."
Martin looked around at the rest of the team with wide eyes, before letting a soft chuckle and made a comment of 'good one' before the barkeep grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him in close. "Not a joke, son. Stick. To. The. Left. " He growled at Martin before releasing the team captain and going off to help another muggle who had just stumbled in from the alley.
"The left, right. No, left." Martin muttered, stepping away from the counter and turning back to his teammates with a look of horror on his face, before using his head to gesture towards the hallways and leading them away.
Walking down the dingy hall that slightly smelled of mold, they came to a T. The left side had music pumping up from the basement making the floor shake. An ear-piercing shriek came from the doorway on the right side just before a roar from what sounded like a Manticore, then silence.
"Who recommended this pub, again?" Georgi, another of the team's Chasers, whispered in Viktor's ear as they promptly turned away from the right staircase and walked down into the music.
"The American Vice President's secretary, Bonnie or Betty, said it's her cousin's pub and the place to go for a good time." Viktor replied as they entered through a doorway that had a portiere made of beads to walk through.
"Is that a bloody elf singing?" One of his teammates whispered or tried to quietly shout as they entered in complete awe of the scene they were walking into.
This wasn't just a pub; this was an entire underground club with pumping music that Viktor had never heard before and strobe lights flashing high on the ceiling. In the center of the room was a large stage elevated off the ground slightly in front of them. Hanging from the ceiling were cages that held dancers, and not all of them were witches or even human. A bar with multiple bartenders moving swiftly sat off to the right where they'd walked in.
They were standing on a platform looking down to a dance floor where there were two bars on either side of the dance floor. Looking up, there seemed to be a third level that had a lounging area with a fourth bar. Creatures and beings that Viktor had never had a second thought about were easily moving about and mingling with each other, clearly this bar wasn't a 'humans only' type of place that he was used to back home.
While the younger half of his team moved forwards towards the strippers, the older players and Viktor shook their heads and moved towards the stairs that led up to the lounge area. "You don't want to join them?" Martin asked, nudging Viktor in the ribs.
"Not tonight, no. Though, I didn't think I'd ever see a female Centaur strip, so I might have to double back just for the experience." Viktor jokes as he glanced back down towards the dancers and shook his head. New York, an experience that he never anticipated, that was for sure.
The lounge had a much more relaxed vibe than the lower two levels. A barrier was in place so that the cheering and the drumming music wouldn't disrupt the calmer atmosphere that was set here. Black leather couches and chairs were used for the seating. The men who were here had beautiful women wearing short dresses perched on their laps as they discussed business deals, sports, gambling, and politics.
"Here they are, here they are!" Viktor heard the head of the American division from the international sporting association call from a set of couches closer to the bar. "Welcome, Betsy gave you the right information I see and you made it. Good, good. So, how are you enjoying New York so far?" The man, Jimmy maybe, asked, taking a sip from his glass.
"It's interesting. We have nothing like this back home." Martin said sliding up and shaking the man's hand. "Thought we could blow off a bit of steam before the match tomorrow night, so we will not be staying late."
"Nonsense my boy!" The American, perhaps his name is Jack, said, slapping Martin on the back. "The game doesn't start until late afternoon. And I'm not just trying to make sure that we win, see there, the entire American team is out tonight as well. I'll make sure Taylor gets you all Hangover Potions and Sober Up Potions in the morning and you'll be good to go. Don't need to miss out. Now, if you'll excuse me." The man slapped Martin on the back again before walking off to go speak to someone else who had just walked into the lounge.
"You all have until eleven and then we're going back to the hotel." Martin said, pointing at each of his teammates with a stern look before his face morphed into a smile and he went to go talk to some other important figurehead.
"Better him than me." Georgi whispered into Viktor's ear, making him laugh. As Georgi wrapped an arm around the blonde waitress that had just walked up and started taking all their orders.
It wasn't long before Viktor and his teammates were laughing and talking with some of the locals that they'd met when they'd first arrived in America. They were being ribbed for how strict Martin was being on their three drink limit for the night. Good natured taunts were also being made over the upcoming match.
Martin was busy working the crowd and as the clock ticked closer to eleven, Viktor was finishing up his club soda when Georgi nudged him. Pulling him from a conversation with a red-head in a blue mini dress. He was thankful for the save, because she was clearly aiming for an invitation back to his hotel.
"How about you go round up the others and I'll save Martin from Jason."
"Is that his name?" Viktor called back over the sound of the music, making Georgi laugh.
"Who knows, but let's get going." The older man yelled in his response before slapping Viktor on his back, dismissing him and walking off to go save Martin from the American.
Pulling himself away from the vixen, Viktor swept his way down the stairs. Heading back to where he'd last seen the other three members of his team. It didn't take long to find the younger men sitting in the front seat cheering on the women performing in front of them as they took their clothes off on the stage they'd first seen when they'd entered.
"Martin wants us to head back to the hotel." Viktor yelled into their ears, causing a plethora of frowns and groans to turn towards him.
"Oh, come on, Vick. Have you ever seen a pixie strip? Because I haven't and now, I want to." Aleksandar, the team's Keeper and their youngest and newest member, complained as a small blue pixie fluttered onto the stage wearing a sailor outfit.
"If Martin comes down here and sees you wanting to skip curfew for this bullshit, he's not going to be very –" Viktor stopped scolding Aleksandar as he heard a familiar voice rise above the crowd.
"Look, I don't care that you would be legal age if you were a Dwarf, because you're not one. You're a Goblin and the age of consumption for a Goblin is twenty-five, not seventeen. I don't make the laws, and I'm also not going to lose my job just because some pig-headed young man decided that he's old enough to grow the hair on his chest that this whiskey will give you. You don't like the laws, take it up with MACUSA, not me. Now, I'll be taking that. Out with you, you're too damn young to be in here."
Standing up and looking over the crowd, Viktor would recognize that bossy Brit's voice anywhere. Only, what was she doing so far from London and working in a place like this? Standing on top of the bar with her wand drawn and pointing down into a young Goblin's face motioning for him to step away. There stood the spitfire that had grabbed his attention from the first time he laid eyes on her eight years ago.
She looked different from the last time he'd seen her at her wedding three years ago. Her long mane of curls were completely gone and chopped into a faux hawk with the sides shaved and the top of her curls left longer, slightly falling into her face. She had on the short black dress matching the rest of the female bartenders with large silver hoop earrings dangling past her jaw line.
When she'd been in school, he'd only seen her once put makeup on for their date to the Yule Ball, but tonight she had a smokey eye that made her brown eyes look even larger than they really were and a bright blood red lipstick. Her chin in the air was in a typical Hermione fashion, and Viktor knew that regardless of the curfew, he was going to go and talk to that witch.
Pushing his way through the crowd, he watched as she climbed down from where she'd been. Once security appeared and was leading away the Goblin that was too young to be there, she appeared to be getting back to work. Her back was turned to him talking to another man getting his order, and when she turned around her eyes landed right on him.
Confusion flashed across her features before shifting into elation. She threw the beer she had grabbed over her shoulder, landing right in front of the man who'd ordered it. Running towards him, she jumped into his waiting arms. Hermione flung her own arms around his neck as she yelled his name with a bright smile plastered on her face.
"What are you doing in New York?" She asked, pulling back to look up into his face.
"I'm here for the match. The better question is what is the great Hermione Granger doing working in a place like this and not taking over the British Ministry of Magic?" Viktor replied, smiling down at the woman in his arms. She was still tiny as a kitten, feeling as if weighing almost nothing.
"Oh, I um, I moved here about six months ago. I needed a change." She said releasing her hold on him and squirming to get out of his arms. The smile that had been on her face, fading to something much more forced.
"Well, I'm in town for at least another week. We have a game against the Americans tomorrow and then another one next Saturday against the Canadian team. We should spend some time together, someplace quieter than this." Viktor said motioning around himself before looking back down at Hermione who was shaking her head.
"Sorry, I've got a bit of a busy schedule. It was nice seeing you though, enjoy New York, Viktor." She said quickly dismissing herself. Slipping back over the counter behind the bar, she disappeared down a hatch in the floor.
Left standing and watching the spot where she'd last been; Viktor was only brought out of his shock when he felt a hand smack the back of his head. Rubbing the sore spot, he turned to find Martin standing behind him looking annoyed.
"Get moving, Krum. We've got a game tomorrow and we're not going to blow it because some woman caught your eye. Go wild tomorrow after we win when there isn't a curfew." Martin said, stalking away from Viktor, who turned to look one last time at where Hermione was still hidden.
Oh yes, he most certainly would be coming back tomorrow night.
