AU! Muggle. OOC characters.
Written for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
House: Thunderbird
Class: Magical Theory
Task: 2. Intent: working hard to reach your goal
Bonus Prompts:
1. (song) Sk8er Boy - Avril Lavigne
11. (colour) neon pink
15. (pairing) Viktor/Luna
Word Count: 1774/4500
Rejections and Regrets
Viktor Krum was an enigma, and Luna wanted to learn more about him, but there was only one problem. He was a daring skateboarder, while Luna did ballet in her free time. They lived worlds apart, and Luna wondered if she was brave enough of venturing out in his world.
Viktor Krum walked past the park bench and offered Luna Lovegood a small smile, his shaggy black hair falling into his eyes. Luna immediately smoothed down her tutu, trying to hide her own smile behind her blonde hair.
"There goes that weirdo," Cho said with a scoff, rolling her eyes at the same time. "I hear he's got no friends because he's too obsessed with his dumb music."
"I don't think he's that weird," Luna mumbled, glancing at Viktor from under her eyelashes. He stood near the ramp, patiently waiting for his turn. She tried not to be so obvious about her feelings for the boy, but she must have had a sign over her head which screamed 'I like Viktor Krum' because her friends all burst into peals of laughter.
"Are you kidding? He likes to skateboard! And have you seen his clothes? It looks like he got dressed in the dark!" Padma Patil snorted, tossing her long plaits over her shoulder.
"And he's into that freaky garage music," Cho added pointedly. She chewed on her wad of gum as she glanced at her watch. "Oh, we're going to be late for ballet class! Come on, let's go!"
Luna stood up and glanced at Viktor again, blushing when she realized he was looking back at her. Before she could look away from him, Viktor offered her another smile, and her face turned even redder at his stare. She quickly followed her best friends out of the park and towards their ballet studio.
Viktor Krum was an enigma, and Luna wanted to learn more about him, but there was only one problem. He was a daring skateboarder, while Luna did ballet in her free time. They lived worlds apart, and Luna wondered if she was brave enough of venturing out in his world.
Viktor had recently transferred to their school from Bulgaria and was what people called a 'punk'; he wore oversized shirts over ripped jeans, and he even had a few ear piercings. Viktor wasn't afraid of being himself, and that was what scared the people around him. Except for the resident nerd, Hermione Granger, whom most people tended to avoid because of her appearance, Viktor didn't have many friends, and he seemed perfectly all right with that fact.
As Luna started doing her stretches for ballet practice, she imagined going out on a date with Viktor and how he might treat her. She was busy daydreaming about the slightly older boy when Cho interrupted her.
"Hey, Luna, Davies was asking about you the other day. Do you want me to set you up with him? He's a good-looking bloke, isn't he?"
Luna blinked with confusion at the sudden topic and shrugged lightly. "I don't know, Cho, I'm not sure about him."
"Oh, he's just delicious, he is!" Padma squealed, twirling around on her spot. "You should date him — at least he's up to our standards."
Luna tried not to wince at that, aware of what 'standards' Padma was talking about. Her best friends only dated — and allowed her to date — boys who were from a fairly rich background, possessed good looks and seemed to be good in bed. She tried not to act as if she was shallow, but the truth was that she was a coward: she could never go against her best friends. They were her only friends, and she couldn't betray them.
"Alright, I'll go out with him," Luna agreed, and her friends squealed as they hugged her. "But it's just one date, okay?"
"Sure," Cho said, grinning lasciviously at her.
After their ballet class was over, Luna said goodbye to her friends and started to walk through the park to get to her house on the other side. On her way, she caught sight of Viktor and stopped to watch him skate on the large ramps, his headphones on.
Viktor noticed her and skated towards her, jumping and doing a quick ollie in his attempt to impress her. Luna tried to keep her expression calm and succeeded. When he was close to her, he said shyly, "Hello. I'm Viktor."
"I'm Luna," she murmured. "You're pretty good with that board."
"I practise a lot," he said with a shrug. "Do you skate?"
"No… It looks really good when you do it."
"Would you… like to try it with me? I could hold you..." Viktor trailed off when he saw the terrified look on her face. "Or not."
"Thank you, but no," she said, taking a step back from him.
He nodded and said, "It's okay. I guess it's not for everyone."
Luna nodded and suddenly felt uncomfortable around him. She knew nothing about this boy except that he loved skateboarding, and she wondered if her friends had been right about him being so different from them. "Uh, I guess I'll be heading off home now," she murmured, turning away from him.
"Uh, Luna, wait… Would you… I don't know… maybe want to go out with me sometime?" Viktor stammered, tripping over his words in a way he had never tripped over his skateboard before.
Luna had daydreamed about this moment many times, but now that she was face to face with Viktor, she knew she couldn't do it. She wasn't brave enough to go out with someone her friends despised. She shook her head and replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't do that… You're… not my type. We're just too different, you know. We could never work."
Viktor stared at her for a few moments, unblinking at her response. Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay, that's… okay. It's fine. Absolutely. Yeah."
Luna watched him stumble backwards and hurry away from her, his face turned downwards, and she felt guilt pooling in her chest. She had wanted to go out with him, but she knew her friends' reaction to that news would be terrible. Luna wasn't going to be one of those girls who chose a boy over her friends, and she silently asked Viktor to forgive her.
Viktor's neon-pink shirt was the last thing Luna saw of him as she turned her back on him and walked away.
As the years passed, Viktor continued to work harder and harder to reach his goal: become one of the most famous musicians on the planet. He began his music journey by playing on the streets and the Tube for the public's entertainment, and a few months later, a record producer heard of his success.
When he informed his best friend, Hermione, about the news, she squealed and threw herself at him. "Viktor! This is great news! Oh, I'm so happy for you!"
Viktor smiled and hugged her back, listening to her ramble about how proud she was of him. He couldn't imagine himself in his current state without Hermione by his side. She had supported him all throughout high school and even afterwards. She had stayed by his side through thick and thin, encouraging him to keep up his work when he got depressed, motivating him to stay true to himself.
"You're going to be so famous you'll forget me," Hermione grumbled, slapping his chest lightly. "I'll miss you then."
"No, I won't. I won't go anywhere without you," he promised, kissing her head.
"You swear?" Hermione squinted at him, and he chuckled at her suspicious expression.
"I swear. You've always been there for me — why would I forget you? You're the most important thing in my life — along with my music," he said, cupping her face in his hands gently. He caressed her cheeks and leaned forward to press his lips against hers for a few breathless seconds. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
She smiled, her cheeks tinging pink.
After that, Viktor found himself surrounded by executive produces, audio engineers, recording managers, sound designers and others. Despite the success he was garnering, Viktor refused to let his rising fame get to his head; he remained humble and modest throughout it all, and Hermione remained constantly by his side.
And then, one day, Viktor found himself on stage in front of an audience so large that his mind almost exploded at seeing. People were screaming and shrieking his name as far as his eyes could see, and his heart swelled with joy at the sight. He caught sight of Hermione in the audience near the stage and grinned at her.
She gave him a quick thumbs-up, pride clearly written on her face. Viktor took a deep breath in before he began to sing. And the crowd went wild.
Luna Lovegood stood in the audience, listening to the music, amazed that it was Viktor Krum up on that stage. She gazed at him as he sang a short, fast-paced song, his tone hard-edged as he strummed his electric guitar.
"Wow! Krum's great, isn't he? Man, I wish he would sing to me like that!" Padma screamed beside her, and Luna felt her heart begin to race at the thought of Viktor singing to her.
"He's gorgeous as hell, too!" Cho shrieked, waving her arms in the air, her long black hair spilling out of her bun and down her shoulders. "God, I'd take a bite out of that arse if I could!"
Luna giggled and suddenly, she regretted giving Viktor up all those years ago. She watched him dance around on the stage, thousands of men and women screaming along with him, and decided not to let go of him this time around. Planning on asking him out on a date after the concert was over, Luna forgot about her good-for-nothing husband at home and simply enjoyed the music.
When it was time for the last song, Viktor cleared his throat and raised his mike to his mouth. "Before we get to the last song of the night, I'd like to take this moment and do something I've been thinking of for a long time now… Hermione Granger," he said, turning to the stunned brunette near the front of the stage. "You're my everything and more. I've never loved anything — or anyone — as much as I love you. Marry me?"
When she heard his little speech, Luna's heart plummeted to her stomach, and it was as if the ground beneath her feet had given way. She stumbled into Cho's side, who looked at her with confusion, and mumbled, "I've got to get out of here."
"Yes!" Hermione's cry could be heard throughout the stadium, and Luna's heart broke into two.
Viktor's neon-pink shirt was the last thing Luna saw of him as she turned her back on him and walked away.
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