Hi everyone! Thanks for tuning in to Chapter 2! I'm still trying to find the rhythm of this story and make my way to some story points. I'm sure I'll get there eventually lol

For now, here's this little moment between Hermione and Viktor. Let me know if you have any suggestions, ideas, criticisms, or anything!! Working on Chapter 3, but as this is more of a side passion project and I'm wildly new to writing long-form stories, the posting date is TBD. Thank you so much for reading!!


Hermione awoke groggily to Crookshanks kneading her chest and purring. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she peered out of her curtains to see that her roommates were still sleeping. Tiptoeing to the bathroom, Hermione really looked at herself in the mirror, something she rarely stopped to do. Her teeth were straight and small - or smaller than they had been - thanks to a shrinking and straightening charm she had taught herself the previous year. She had bright brown eyes the color of clover honey and her hair, although quite large, was a nest of soft chestnut curls. Her lips were pouty and pink, and a smattering of freckles covered her cheeks. She had never been beautiful, but she was plain in a terribly pleasing way.

She splashed some water on her face and dressed quickly, a pair of muggle jeans and a sage green sweater, wanting to make her way to the common room before any of her friends. The sun had barely risen over the hills, however, so her rush was most likely unnecessary.

When she quietly stepped into the common room, she was delighted to see it deserted. She plopped down in her favorite armchair by the fireplace and pulled a book titled International Wizarding Communities out of her bag, a book she had purchased herself before attending the World Cup with her friends that summer. Turning to the section about Bulgaria, she skimmed it quickly, mostly searching for any glaring customs that might impede her interactions with Viktor Krum. She closed the book suddenly, the pages making a loud pop in the quiet room, before rubbing her slightly blushing cheeks vigorously - who cared how her breakfast with Viktor Krum went? She was sure it would be the first and last time they spent time together. But is that what she wanted?

As her fellow Gryffindors began making their way down from their dormitories, Hermione packed up her bag, slung it across her shoulder, and made her way out of the portrait. The hallways were nearly silent, something that might have made others uncomfortable, but Hermione cherished these quiet moments in the otherwise chaotic castle. It gave her time to think, to breathe, and to reset.

Her legs guided her to the Great Hall without any thought and she stopped just short of opening the doors. It was still early, although she could smell bacon and syrup wafting out of the space and the muffled sound of chatter and silverware clinking. Would she seem too eager, waltzing in so early? Or too desperate if she sat there waiting for him all morning? Too caught up in her internal reverie, she missed the sound of boot clicks along the stone floors. At the same time the footsteps stopped, Hermione decided to turn and walk to her favorite reading spot by the black lake; she spun around quickly and almost collided with none other than Viktor Krum.

Her eyes were level with his chest, and she stumbled back a few steps before looking up at the boy. He was smiling softly, his eyes warm and dark like a pool of chocolate…

"Good morning, Hermione. How lucky I am to find you so quickly. I was unsure when you would be making your way to breakfast, so I thought I might arrive a bit early."

Hermione returned his smile and enthusiasm, "I suppose great minds think alike." He chuckled at that and then took a step closer to her, moving to her side and facing, like her, toward the castle doors.

"We could enjoy our breakfast in the, well…"

"Great Hall" Hermione jumped in, filling in his gap.

Viktor smiled brightly at that, "Yes, we could enjoy our breakfast in the Great Hall" He spoke the last words slowly and purposefully to ensure he had heard correctly. Hermione smiled at him and nodded for him to continue, "Or, maybe you could show me around your school? I'm sure there are some wonderful places on Hogwarts grounds for a picnic?" He looked down at her then, a bit of insecurity flashing on his face as he awaited her answer.

Hermione nodded quickly, "Yes! That sounds magnificent, Viktor!"

"You wait here then, I'll just take a moment to gather a few things for us to enjoy." Just as he had the night before, Viktor clicked his heels together sharply and then took a stiff bow towards Hermione. It had the same effect this morning as it had previously, and she was grateful that he had turned toward the Great Hall and couldn't see the heat rising in her cheeks.

She stood there awkwardly for just a moment, avoiding eye contact with the other students making their way down for breakfast. VIktor emerged from the Great Hall with empty hands, causing Hermione's face to scrunch up a bit. Viktor laughed lightly as he saw her look of confusion and patted his pocket gingerly, "A shrinking charm! Just until we get to our destination, of course."

The two made their way out of the castle and into the cool, crisp autumn air, Hermione feeling grateful for the sweater she chose that morning. The pair walked towards the lake, Viktor looking around and taking in the scenery; they had arrived after sundown the evening before and weren't able to see much of the castle or grounds. "That up there is the magic line, where Hogwarts is concealed. If Muggles were ever able to make their way up here, they would be met with a smattering of ruins and a wild urge to turn around and head home."

"In Bulgaria," Viktor started, "Durmstrang looks like an empty lake to muggles. No matter how long they hike, the lake always seems to be out of reach, just over the next hill or across the next meadow. Muggles always give up before they come anywhere close to the school grounds." She asked Viktor a few more questions about Durmstrang, and he was happy to oblige, going into detail about the school itself, his professors, and his studies.

When they finally made it to Hermione's favorite spot, a flat patch of grass under a huge flowering tree right next to the lake, Viktor was telling her with great excitement about his Charms professor, a strict woman who pushed a normal two or three years worth of learning into a single school year. "We finished last year with an introduction to curse breaking. I spent the entire summer pouring over my family's library, soaking up anything I could around the subject. I'm hoping, after this Tournament, I can spend a month with her in an intensive session, learn all I can about it. How amazing would it be, a professional curse breaker?!" Hermione smiled brightly at that, feeling immense joy over his excitement.

Viktor pulled his cloak out of his pocket, enlarging it as it unfurled, and laid it down on the dew-damp grass. Hermione made to sit down, only for her hand to be caught by the rough warm skin of Viktor's. She stopped, feeling a jolt of electricity running through her body, before looking up at him. "My lady," he said softly, as if it explained everything. She blushed again, looking away swiftly as she sat down on the dark material. Only when she was settled did he remove his grasp from her hand and move to take their breakfast out of his pocket. Pumpkin pasties, croissants, fruit, bacon, and sausage were laid out in front of Hermione in a flash, her stomach suddenly growling with hunger at the sight of the spread. Viktor made to sit next to her, his knee grazing hers as he tucked one leg under a straightened one.

"Viktor, this looks amazing!"

He beamed at the complement, "You can thank the elves, I suppose. I was just the transport! You do have house elves here, do you not?" Hermione went on to tell Viktor all about the Hogwarts house elves, and her group S.P.E.W. He added thoughtful questions and insights in between bites of pastry and sausage, commending her on her thoughtfulness and knowledge of the magical creatures. "Do you have house elves at your home?"

"Oh, no. I'm muggleborn, actually. Non magical parents, first witch in the family. It was quite a shock to them when my Hogwarts letter came in the mail…" Hermione trailed off, a feeling of nervousness washing over her. What if he was one of those pure bloods, like Malfoy? Raised to despise muggleborns, hateful and cruel? She had a hard time imagining it, what with the kindness Viktor had shown her already, but it was a possibility.

"Oh! Did you ever show signs of magic as a child? I remember my Mother, stern as she was, delighting in my first shows of magic - I had turned the family dog a bright green to match my favorite socks. She had laughed and laughed, and I, being a young boy, was so confused why the color green was so hilarious! Of course she turned him back white, but not after startling my Father half to death with the green furball! I have always wondered what the first feelings of magic must be like to muggleborns!"

Hermione, still unsure, told Viktor of her first memories of magic - "I remember my father reading a night time story to me one evening. He kept saying that once he finished the story, I would have to go to bed, but somehow the story just kept continuing, more and more pages being added to the book until it was as thick as a stump! My father was bewildered, and I was just happy that he kept up the reading! By the time he thought to call my mother in, I had fallen asleep and the book had returned to normal. That happened a few more times, each time leaving them both so wildly confused, before more signs of my magic began to show." Viktor laughed loudly at this, his eyes scrunched up with joy. The sound of his laughter was all the reassurance that Hermione needed - Viktor was someone she could trust, someone she could confide in.

After they finished their food, Viktor vanished the remnants of their spread and moved closer to Hermione, leaning back on his hands and looking out at the black lake, legs stretched out in front of him. His hand was placed behind Hermione and was close enough to send shivers down her skin. She obviously sat next to boys all the time, between Harry, Ron, Neville, and all the Weasley brothers, but this felt different. This felt…

"Do you sit here often, Hermione? It really is beautiful, the view." She looked at him then, noticing that he wasn't looking out at the lake at all, but right at her.

"Oh, um, yes. I like to study out here, when it isn't too crowded. Sometimes though, I just bring a book out to read, to get away from the hustle of the castle."

"I find quiet time to be a luxury as well, and one I search out often. Maybe, if you'll allow me, I could join you here occasionally? I'll promise to be quiet, of course." He grinned cheekily, looking back out at the lake. The giant squid was finally awaking for the day, his long tentacles peeking out from the surface of the water. Viktor looked on in delight, watching as they wiggled through the air and splashed down playfully.

"He likes to tease the birds, sneaking up on them when they land on the water and splashing them. You would think they'd have learned by now…"

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, the only sound being the splashing water, the singing of birds, and a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. When a small flower petal fell from the branches above and landed in Hermione's hair, Viktor lifted his hand slowly and gently brushed it away, lingering on her back for a moment before leaning back on the ground below.

"Why did you ask me to breakfast?" Hermione blurted out suddenly. She looked at him, a look of shock on her face at her sudden question before it morphed to pure curiosity.

"Being who I am, a well known seeker, it can be hard to make genuine connections. People ogle at me wherever I go, either as fans or trying to think of where they recognize me from - a magazine or newspaper article. I never feel like people are willing to get to know me as Viktor Krum, they want to know me as the Bulgarian Seeker. I am proud and grateful for that part of my life, of course, but it can be exhausting, only being known as one thing. When I saw you in the Great Hall last night, you seemed to be seeing me for the first time, so different from every other student in the room. Even the professors looked at me with a sense of knowing. Then, when you kept sneaking glances at me," Hermione looked down at her hands, embarrassed by his acknowledgement of her staring, "I knew you were curious, but in a way I had never seen before. I knew I wanted to get to know you, and I am not one to waste any time."

Hermione was shocked by his honesty and suddenly felt silly - she had mostly agreed to join the boy because she thought he was rather handsome. For him to see all of those things about her in just a few short moments made her feel wildly self conscious, although she was unsure why.

"Plus," Viktor added after a moment, "I'm sure you're the most beautiful witch I've ever seen." They made eye contact, his face filled with a stern seriousness that made her stomach flip flop.

"Well, thank you…" She looked back down at her hands, twisting them anxiously in her lap. No one had ever called her beautiful before.