Chapter 14
Hermione laughed as Viktor spun her around, her dress billowing in a memory danced and her hair frizzing in a smile beamed. When he set her back down properly, she straightened her robes before refocusing on her former beau.
"You are lovely," Viktor complimented her. Hermione blushed. "Red?" he asked, gesturing to her scarlet trumpet gown, and she nodded. "Very… Gryffindor vos it?"
Hermione laughed. "Indeed. It's not quite the right shade of maroon, but I suppose old habits are hard to eliminate."
Viktor smiled. "School vos a long time ago."
"It was," Hermione agreed. "What have you been up to since? I don't keep myself updated much about Quidditch, but I've heard that you've been incredibly successful here and there."
"It has been so-so," Viktor admitted. "Victories? Many. But it vill be time to be retiring soon. Younger fliers are fast. Soon, faster than me."
"I think you've still got it in you," Hermione said.
"Physically, maybe. But inside… in mind - I am not knowing." Viktor sighed. "It vill be time for me to move on."
"Do you know what you'll do after your Quidditch career?"
Viktor shrugged. "I am not sure. Vill need to explore new things - perhaps healing. Quidditch injuries lead to many healer visits, and I am grateful to these healers. But healers need lots of training, and I vill be very behind."
Hermione nodded. "It is a rather long time investment, but if it's something you're passionate about, I'm sure you'd excel at it. You've never been one to back down from a challenge, and your work ethic is quite unparalleled. I'm sure you'd give the Hufflepuffs a run for their galleons."
"I vould very much like to haff been a Hufflepuff, if I go to Hogwarts," Viktor nodded. "Cedric and his house vere special, very special."
Hermione nodded solemnly. "The first of many lives claimed in the second war. But enough about wartime-"
"Do you still haff bad dreams?" Viktor interrupted, peering at her.
Hermione was startled by his pointed inquiry - blunt, transparent, and honest. It was like being doused in a bucket of ice - awakening her need for clarity in a muddled mess of political maneuvering and hidden implications. That was Viktor, and she drank him in as if she were an iris deprived of water.
"Always," she answered honestly.
Viktor wanted to ask more, but Hermione had spotted Nessa approaching them.
"Nessa!" Hermione practically squealed, her smile breaking wide into a grin. She launched herself into Vanessa's arms, ecstatic. Nessa chuckled, patting Hermione on the back until they separated. "What are you doing here? Do you know Viktor?"
"Of course I do, I invited him," Nessa smiled. "Lynnie is entertaining the Medici family, and I figured I'd tag along."
"Yes, I spoke with Nessie and Arnaldo earlier. Are they dating?"
Viktor snorted, and Nessa shook her head at him. "Dating is a soft word for their families' interests," Viktor explained to Hermione's quizzical look.
"I thought your parents weren't like that," Hermione noted to Nessa.
"They're not, but the Medicis are. And Lynnie isn't one to turn down a gala, as you know," Nessa answered.
"Vhy do you call her Lynnie vhen others say Nessie?" Viktor asked curiously.
"Not sure," Nessa shrugged. "Mother and father always used it as a way to distinguish those who were close to us, and those who weren't. It's a Sterling matter."
"Well anyways, you two are a sight for sore eyes! The last week has been exhausting," Hermione admitted.
"I bet," Nessa said. "You reside with Draco, Pansy, and Blaise. I'm not sure what you expected."
"Drah-koh? Malfoy?" Viktor inquired.
"Yes, that's the one," Nessa said. "He's the financial advisor to Blaise Zabini."
"Yes, blonde one. I remember him vell. Fleur says something once - I am thinking bad faith. Good heart, but bad choices," Viktor nodded. "Mother of Drah-koh is visiting Delacour family. Narcissa is wanting wife for Drah-koh, looking now in France."
"Really?" Hermione mused. "There was supposedly talk between the Greengrasses and the Malfoys about an engagement, but Draco found out that Astoria was cheating on him. I think he probably ended the discussion, but I wouldn't have expected Narcissa to move on so quickly."
"You've clearly never really met Lady Malfoy," Nessa snorted. "Or any pureblood mother, really."
"Well, the last time I was acquainted with Lady Malfoy, I think I was screaming and wetting myself as I bled out on their dining room floor. We didn't have the opportunity to hold a long conversation between the Crucios, so I can't say I know her very well," Hermione said casually. "I may not have left the best first impression, but I would have been distinctly displeased had I been in her position as Lady of the House."
"Oh Hermione," Nessa began, but Viktor was frowning.
"You vere tortured at the House of Malfoy?" Viktor asked.
"Yes," Hermione said simply. "Malfoy's aunt did a number on me." Hermione waved her hand over her left forearm, which had been previously unblemished under the disguise of multiple glamour charms. Viktor traced the raised scars, bending forward to bring her forearm to his lips for a brief kiss. His eyes hardened.
"And Malfoy did not protect you? A lady?" Viktor asked, his voice lowering with anger.
"It was war, and he was on the other side, regardless of how begrudging or not he actually felt about it," Hermione shrugged, wordlessly reapplying the glamour charms.
Incensed, Viktor scanned the crowd quickly with a trained seeker eye, immediately spotting Draco's platinum blond head and strode over.
"No, wait- Viktor," Hermione hissed, following the Bulgarian. "Nessa, help," Hermione cried frustratedly as she wobbled in her stilettos.
Nessa grimaced, shooting a cushioning and stabilizing charm at Hermione's feet before rushing after Viktor. "Viktor," Nessa called, "it's in the past!"
But she was too late. Viktor's wand was out, and Draco Malfoy had crumpled to the floor, clutching his abdomen. Pansy screeched, dropping her champagne flute to the floor where it splintered into crystal shards. The other women nearby fainted, and guests started shoving their way away from the scene.
"Oh my Godric," Hermione cursed, shocked. "Viktor, STOP!"
"Expelliarmus!" Nessa shouted, catching Viktor's wand.
"Incarcerous!" Blaise cast simultaneously, tying Viktor in ropes. All around, the female guests were jostling - whether away or towards the commotion remained to be determined.
"Draco, oh my Godric," Hermione gasped as she knelt towards him on the floor. Each of his breaths was belaboured, his arms twitching slightly from the aftershocks of the spell. "What did you do to him?" Hermione asked Viktor.
"Simple discipline spell," Viktor frowned, struggling against his bonds. "Not very extreme."
"What on Calenda's Earth is happening here?" Martino Medici shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd. Arnaldo and Lynessa appeared shortly after, followed by Stefano and Massimo.
"Vannie?" Nessie asked concernedly, seeing her elder sister in the middle of the commotion. "What happened?"
"Viktor found out about some of the Malfoy family's war crimes against Hermione, and he felt the need to… discipline Draco," Nessa explained.
"Did you Crucio him?" Hermione, shocked, asked Viktor, who still didn't understand what the big fuss was about. Draco's breathing had only just started to even out, and he slowly pushed himself to a sitting position.
"No," Viktor shook his head. "Similar, but for discipline, not torture."
"Is this common in Bulgaria?" Blaise asked.
Viktor shrugged. "Ov course. Settles scores quickly vithout lasting damage."
"It's common in Bulgaria," Martino mocked, eyes flashing with malice. "As an international Quidditch star, by now you should know that your cultural norms do not apply in other countries."
"Martino," Stefano barked. Martino sneered at his brother. "It is a simple matter of cultural differences. Do not make this greater than a small misunderstanding."
"Small?" Hermione hissed as she attempted to help Draco back onto his feet.
"Get off," Draco grunted, shaking off her grasp on his arm. "I'm fine."
"No you're not," Hermione countered, waving her wand over him to wipe the sweat from his brow.
Blaise then took control of the situation. "Ministero, would you happen to have an on-hand family healer to examine Draco?"
"Not dangerous," Viktor called, "he vill be fine in a few minutes."
"Can't say the same about you," Martino's wife, Mariella snapped. "Someone remove this heathen from our household!"
Arnaldo intervened. "Now, Viktor Krum is an invited guest. It is a simple misunderstanding, Zia Mariella. I'm sure that now that Viktor understands that Bulgarians are a little stronger than the rest of the world, he'll act accordingly, yes?"
"Yes," Viktor nodded, still glaring at Draco. After a pause, "I apologize." Blaise vanished the ropes.
Blaise looked at Draco, who begrudgingly nodded in acknowledgement. "Apology accepted," Draco grit his teeth, inhaling sharply.
"You still should haff protected her," Viktor growled. Draco's eyes snapped towards the Bulgarian, stormy with guilt.
"I know," Draco said so softly that Hermione almost missed it.
"Here, we have Doctor Grimassi to help Ambassador Malfoy," Stefano gestured to the family healer who had been summoned. Draco had mostly shaken off the effects of the spell and followed the healer into the villa for a few diagnostic spells.
Blaise clapped his hand onto Viktor's shoulder. "I'm sorry that there was such confusion, Viktor. Those types of spells are a little strong for someone as British as Malfoy, though his family, of any family involved in the War, deserves it the most. But Hermione, you've gotten past that, have you not?"
"Of course," Hermione nodded, still reeling with Draco's admittance. "Draco has been cleared of all charges by the Wizengamot, Viktor. If he had tried to save me from his maniacal aunt, he wouldn't be alive today. He's done a lot for the community since the War, and no sane person can expect Draco to have sacrificed not only himself, but his mother to the darkest wizard of known history. He was a boy, Viktor."
Viktor shrugged, though his anger had dissipated. "He should haff protected you," he repeated firmly.
"I think the most important part of this whole situation is how it highlights the ability for people on the opposite sides of the War to reconcile and work together to improve the world," Blaise spoke, louder now to the crowd that had gathered. "Hermione and Draco were both children - we all, really, were children - caught in a War that demanded us to make adult decisions with life threatening consequence. And for these two people, on so very different sides and raised in environments with so very different ideals, to befriend each other and collaborate to save lives with the amazing innovations by Medici Pharmaceutica, now that's the real magic. Inspiring." Blaise raised his glass (that seemed to have been summoned out of thin air) to Hermione and Draco, who had reappeared upon clearing a few diagnostic spells. "A toast to you two, my friends. Thank you both for teaching us what it means to forgive and move forward. You give us hope."
"Hear, hear," Arnaldo and Stefano smiled, also raising their glasses. The rest of the guests soon followed suit, and the clustered attention on the Brits slowly ebbed.
"I think we can call it a night," Nessa said to Viktor, who agreed.
"Hermy-ownee," Viktor grabbed Hermione's hand, and Draco shifted himself towards the two, almost protectively. Nessa, tilting her head slightly, squinted at Draco, whose eyes had flicked to Hermione and Viktor's joined hands.
"I am sorry for today, but vill you let me make up it to you?" Viktor asked. "Dinner, before I am returning to Bulgaria?"
"When you Crucio'd her colleague?" Parkinson asked shrilly.
"Hush, Parkinson," Hermione snapped before refocusing on Viktor. "I have to decline, Viktor. I'm sorry, but I'm very busy with the negotiations-"
"My dear, we will make sure to allow you suitable dinner time," Stefano interrupted. "Do not worry about our schedule."
"Dinner, yes?" Viktor pressed. Nessa frowned behind him, and Hermione hesitated. Blaise watched as Arnaldo's eyes brightened.
"Owl me, at the Zabini Manor. We'll find a time," Hermione said finally.
"All right. Goodbye Hermy-ownee," Viktor smiled, kissing her hand before stepping back.
"Hermione." Nessa hugged Hermione before whispering in her ear. "Watch out for the Cascioferras," Nessa whispered quickly and then drew back. "We'll have dinner as well sometime. Nessie and I will be here for a few more days, and I have a week's worth of British gossip to confer to you."
Hermione was still reeling from Nessa's whisper, wondering if she had heard right. "Y-yes," Hermione stuttered, recovering. "Of course. For what is a lady to do without gossip?" Hermione emphasized, watching Nessa's expression carefully. Nessa smiled, and Hermione had a gut feeling that Nessa was pleased that Hermione had understood… something. What that something was remained to be identified.
"Oh it's simply dreadful, I'd die without my weekly dose. I wonder if the muggles are the same way," Nessa tittered. Hermione blinked in shock. Nessa didn't titter. And had she just emphasized the word 'die' and 'muggles'?
"Indeed, how curious," Hermione responded slowly, still processing.
"We'll take our leave then," Nessa said abruptly, accepting Viktor's proffered arm and departing the party.
By the time Hermione turned back to the gathered group, Martino Medici and his wife had left to find a new target to vilify, and Stefano, Arnaldo, and Lynessa excused themselves to speak with some of the other guests. Only Draco, Blaise, Parkinson, and Hermione were left.
"Are you all right?" Blaise asked Hermione. She knew then that he had caught onto Nessa's layered statements.
"Yes, just… bewildered, honestly," Hermione answered. She turned to Draco. "Are you all right? You were the one who was cursed!"
Draco looked at her, and Hermione didn't know what to make of the expression he presented her. There was something behind his eyes, but she didn't know him well enough to understand what it meant.
"He's fine, Granger," Parkinson answered for him. "He was actually just pointing out the half-breeds."
"The what?" Hermione snapped, frustration rising.
"Half-breeds, you heard me the first time. And they call you the Brightest Witch of Our Age," Parkinson sneered.
"She means," Blaise intervened, pointedly glaring at Parkinson, "that Draco was explaining the background of Stefano's half-siblings, through Caesario and Rosalia's marriage. They were just introduced to us before Viktor made a scene."
Hermione ground her teeth, and Draco looked at her, shocked.
"What?" Hermione snapped.
"Purebloods don't-" Draco began harshly, but from another pointed look from Blaise, rethought his phrasing. "It is not a favorable presentation to ground one's teeth audibly within these political circles."
Hermione deflated a bit once he rescinded his 'pureblood' terminology and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, it's a bad habit amongst muggles, too. My p-parents were always after me when ground my teeth, but it was one of my forms of rebellion that I never quite shook." Hermione hoped that no one had noticed her slight slip, but they had. They chose not to comment.
"Even the muggles consider it barbaric?" Parkinson asked condescendingly. "How fascinating."
"My parents were dentists. They were unnaturally obsessed with oral hygiene," Hermione attempted to explain, but at their confused looks, sighed. "Teeth healers. We don't have magic to fix teeth, so they use other techniques to do so."
"Interesting," Blaise said at the same time that Draco said "Strange."
"Anyways," Hermione gestured for Draco to continue with his background.
"I'll start from the beginning since you were absent," Draco acknowledged. "Under Caesario and Rosalia's marriage, we they had two children. The first is Rinaldo, the second is Cadenza. Rinaldo is married to Gianna, and they also have two children: Valentina and Cosimo. Valentina is just graduating this year, and Cosimo will be following in a couple of years. Cadenza married Filippe Pluchino and had a daughter, Constanza, who is little over four years old, I believe. That covers most of Stefano's branch of the family."
"Nothing juicy?" Parkinson whinged.
"Not particularly. They understand that they aren't in the direct line of inheritance and have been humbled by a few rumors that Rinaldo was conceived and borne out of wedlock, but the official records claim that Rosalia delivered Rinaldo nine months after marrying Caesario."
"All right, how about Clemencio's branch?" Hermione asked. "I don't know that I've seen him here at all."
"This side of the family is a little… spicier," Draco smirked. "Clemencio's father, Tiberio, is the brother of Caesario, so Stefano and Clemencio are brothers. Tiberio and Dorotea had both Clemencio and his younger brother, Cirilo Medici, who, despite his age, is unmarried. It appears however that Tiberio's branch of the family is about to die out, however, as Clemencio's past is riddled with death."
"Do tell," Parkinson smirked. "Don't keep us waiting."
"Clemencio was initially married to Aryana, who gave Clemencio a son, Niccolo. There were countless reports of domestic abuse from both parties, and Aryana eventually left Clemencio. However, a week later, she was found dead. She had contracted a deadly and thought to be extinct strain of Dragon Pox. The Medici family appears to have Clemencio's branch control the pharmaceutical side, while Stefano's side, as the direct descendant of the first born Caesario, appears to have inherited the political power. Regardless, the Medici family is rumored to store vast supplies of biological weapons, including both muggle and magical plagues. Nothing could be proven, of course, so the public eventually moved on from the tragedy."
Hermione looked mildly sick, while Blaise was simply unsurprised.
"Next was Feliciana Caruso, who Clemencio was courting for approximately four or more months. However, when he left Feliciana and his son, Niccolo, alone in his villa one night, Niccolo 'accidentally' drowned in the pool. Feliciana claimed that she had been on the other end of the home, and when she went to check on Niccolo, found his already lifeless body. The tragedy, however, was only complete when Feliciana committed suicide shortly after. She threw herself from the fourth floor balcony, headfirst into the patio below. Of course, she was nude, tortured, and bruised. The obvious conclusion was a suicide," Draco concluded sarcastically.
Hermione was covering her mouth in shock. Even Parkinson was mildly shaken.
"That explains the rift between Stefano and Clemencio. Beyond the obvious difference in inheriting political power, Stefano and Arnaldo are unlikely to want to associate with such a scandal. I can't imagine that any of the other famiglias would want to align with Clemencio's branch either."
"We have to work with these people?" Hermione asked.
"Chin up, Granger. The Ministero approaches," Blaise muttered through the side of his mouth, and Hermione plastered a smile onto her face.
AN: Hello my lovely followers! Thank you for bearing with the increasingly long update times, as other things unfortunately get in the way. So sorry that I didn't get around to responding to all of the wonderful reviews last chapter, but I definitely will do so this time around! I'm curious to see what your reaction is to the scene with Viktor. I wasn't expecting to bring him into the story, but I thought it would be interesting, and it took a turn I wasn't quite expecting. Do you think it was uncharacteristic of him? Do you think it was not extreme enough, given that he's from Bulgaria, typically associated with much Darker Arts? Would you like to see him again?