A/N: Thank you for your lovely feedback on the last chapter, it's time for a much-needed talk.

When he was finally free from the pomp and circumstance surrounding the tournament, Viktor marched towards the bank of the lake, in the direction of the medical tent that had been set up along with all the other task trappings. He told the others he was going to get himself checked out, not that Viktor cared about himself, he had been surviving in harsh conditions since childhood, a morning spent in freezing water was unlikely to have any long-term effect on him.

Viktor pushed back the heavy canvas doors in time to see steam billowing from Hermione's ears; her face screwed up from the sensation caused by what must have been a reasonably sizeable dose of Pepperup. As he went to stand by her bedside, his path was swiftly derailed by a determined Mediwitch who bustled Viktor onto a bed on the other side of the tent. Before he could begin the litany of protests on the tip of his tongue, the matronly witch started fussing over him, clucking and tutting like a mother hen as she took his temperature and spell dried his clothes. He was raised too well to scowl at her, but he thought about it.

When Viktor finally evaded the interfering witch's clutches having been given a clean bill of health, he strode over to sit on the end of the cot they had placed Hermione in. He had always planned to talk to her, properly, after the second task was finished. Now, with all the adrenaline and the unchanneled anger coursing about his body that plan suddenly felt all the more imperative. The desire to have a moment alone with her was almost overwhelming like he would burst if he didn't get it all off his chest. Though it wasn't just his emotions making him impatient, there was another reason for urgency, one that although he needed to address it, he was loathed to let it take the sheen off his feelings. The attention they had mostly skillfully avoided following the ball was likely inescapable now, Hermione's selection as a hostage and his attention on the jetty had seen to that. Viktor hoped being under the magnifying glass would be easier to bear if they were both honest with each other, before being subjected to a barrage of questions from the masses.

Viktor looked Hermione over. From what he could see of her that wasn't obscured by blankets, she looked a little paler than normal, and despite the Pepperup that he had seen the aftereffects of, she didn't seem to be able to stop sneezing. She smiled at him when he sat down, somewhat weakly, a crooked little smile that quirked from one side of her mouth, nothing like her usual full beam. Though, even that was enough to diffuse some of his tension, as angry as Viktor had been he could already feel it fading, leaking out of his limbs and into the ground. She was okay.

Being calmer didn't make Viktor any less twitchy. As Hermione made to sit herself up, he reached forward, gripping her by the waist and moving her, propping her pillows so she could have more support. He saw a flash of irritation cross her features, but rather than voice it, Hermione sighed and seemed to let it go. Viktor was glad of it; he knew he was fusing, but he needed to do something, he needed to feel like he was of some use to her.

When she coughed and the sound was wet and nasally he sped off to get her a drink and when he returned she finally rolled her eyes at him. "I'm okay Viktor," she groused, and he looked into her irked face and sighed. That she was back to her bossy self should have settled him, but he still felt the weight of the day on his shoulders.

"I…. being around me has given you trouble," he said, sagging back onto the cot.

Viktor expected some admonishment, at the very least an acknowledgement of the day's events, but instead, to his enormous surprise, Hermione laughed. "I'm friends with Harry Potter," she replied with a wave of her hand at her friend, who was propped up on another bed having some paste applied to his throat where his gills had been. "He has been a complete disaster magnet since our first year, this sort of thing has become worryingly normal."

"Well, should not be," Viktor whispered petulantly, and Hermione reached forward to place her hand in his, squeezing gently until he looked back up, and she regarded him with a smile.

"The shark was a bit of a surprise; I'm sorry for screaming, that was really embarrassing," a blush overcame her cheeks and Viktor, for once, decided against teasing her.

"It is okay, was worried that I frightened you," he said honestly, her reaction had been terrifying. He never wanted to scare her, not in any way.

"It was just for a moment" Hermione reassured as he sat back down, their fingers still entwined, "as soon as I knew it was you I felt… safe," she admitted in a small voice and Viktor idly traced circles over the back of her palm. Despite her being dry he could tell from her skin that she had recently been wet, it felt damp to the touch, like she had been in a long bath not long before, at least she felt warmer now. They both fell quiet after Hermione's words, Viktor turning them over in his mind. If he had achieved nothing else, he felt a sense of extreme pride that she felt secure with him. He wanted nothing else, almost nothing else.

Hermione coughed again and looked up, meeting his eyes more cautiously this time. "You did so well," she said, apparently wanting to change the subject, Viktor wished to continue talking about her feelings surrounding him but knew this was not the environment. Instead, he launched into a discussion on the task, a subject that had been taboo between them for weeks. When he told her all about the merpeople civilisation, Hermione's eyes became wide as saucers in a way that he found breathtakingly endearing. She leant forward as he continued his description, gasping when he spoke of the Grindylow attack, he lost his place in his tale as her fingers, dainty but firm, traced lines over his exposed arms, turning his limbs as if looking for evidence of the creatures persistent claws. It was his turn to reassure her that he was fine, though he did so with no irritation, none whatsoever. When he finished telling her about the task the discussion moved to all the things he had tried to maintain the required time under water. Viktor found it so liberating to finally be able to discuss it with Hermione, to see her interest in the theories, to hear all of her excited questions. He tried his best not to think of the future, most of the time, but he couldn't help imagining sending her letters, detailing the latest step in his mastery work and anxiously awaiting her impassioned replies.

They were eventually interrupted when Diggory walked past, pausing in his step the older Hogwarts champion pulled a dried out piece of seaweed from Hermione's hair. Despite how close they were sitting Viktor hadn't noticed it. "Saving this for later Granger?" Diggory asked with a wide grin, twisting the leaf in his fingers.

Hermione narrowed her eyes dangerously, and Viktor sat back with his arms crossed over his chest, not bothering to hide his delight at the warning signals she displayed, he did so enjoy her spark, especially when it was aimed at him, but he wasn't fussy. She opened her mouth to make a comment, the expression on her face indicated it would be seething but as she did so her nose twitched and whatever retort she was preparing was lost in a flurry of sneezes that triggered a coughing fit. Viktor got up swiftly to stand at her side and began rubbing her back until the tremors stopped. This time she didn't protest as he held a glass of water to her lips.

"Sorry, Granger," Cedric said apologetically as the coughing subsided, his eyes softening, "truce until you're better?"

Hermione nodded defeatedly as she gulped down the rest of the water, Viktor continued his attentions while privately thinking there was a lot of wisdom behind Diggory's affable visage as he sloped off to sit with Cho in a far corner of the tent. It wasn't long after Hermione had got resettled that Potter reappeared, apparently having been given his marching orders from the medical team.

"Well done, Potter," Viktor congratulated, stepping forward to shake the younger boys hand. Potter looked uncomfortable, but Hermione beamed at him.

"Thanks," he said, a hand going to the back of his neck, "I was... well, it was silly I thought they were all in danger."

"Not silly. I knew they would not let them be harmed but… when they call Hermione's name, I panicked too."

"Yeah?" the boy asked looking up at him, pushing his glasses back onto his face and Viktor nodded. Harry turned his attention to the girl in the bed, and Hermione gave him the same reassurances that Viktor had demanded of her an hour earlier. Both boys were swiftly bustled away soon after as Hermione was to be given her final check over so she could hopefully leave too.

Once Hermione was dismissed from Madam Pomfrey's watchful care and given leave to go back to the castle, Viktor derailed that plan and took her for a walk around the grounds. As soon as they exited the tent it was as if they had been transported into a world wholly different than when he had been out there before. The people had largely dispersed, the structures for the task had already been vanished away and even the air now felt quiet. All was exactly how it been before the task had begun and yet, Viktor felt as if everything had changed.

He pulled Hermione into his side as they walked towards a courtyard he had found on one of his many running routes. He felt terrible for keeping Hermione out of doors, but his desire to speak to her surpassed his significant guilt. Just this once he had to put his needs before her comfort, it wasn't something he intended to make a habit of.

Hermione sneezed as they sat down, and even that sound was endearing to him. Her tiny nose wrinkled as she tried to hold them back, only to give in a few moments later. Now they were just in each other's company, Viktor swiftly sat down next to her and without asking for permission, he reached for Hermione, pulling her body - still wrapped in a blanket - across his lap. Her little squeak of surprise followed by pink cheeks gave him his first real smile of the day. "Glad that is over," he admitted softly, and Hermione nodded her head, turning to face him as much as she was able with his arms banded around her middle.

"You did so well," she said into his chest, and Viktor didn't care that it was a repeat of her sentiments from earlier, he was happy to hear it, happier now they were alone.

"Two out of three," he sighed. Viktor knew that come morning he would be under pressure to prepare for the final challenge. Just like that, he would be expected to shelve all of the events of the day and move on to what was coming next. There would only be the one afternoon, this afternoon, when he could reflect on the task completed before moving on to focus on the next one. He would have to be even more rigorous now that he had no real idea what he would be facing.

"I'm worried about the final task," Hermione disclosed, shaking Viktor out of his reflections. She stared at him with a soft gaze that put him in mind of Luna.

"It will be okay, have few months to prepare, will be ready when it comes," he reassured her, not wanting to talk about the tournament anymore.

Hermione shifted on his lap, wriggling until her head rested against his shoulder, her face looked toward the deserted greenhouses that were just visible beyond a low patch of hedges. "I'm worried about more than just the task itself," she admitted in a small voice, and Viktor fought to keep himself still and silent, to not push her until she had finished what she needed to say. "When the task is done, the tournament… it will be over, and that will mean…" Hermione picked at the sleeve of his fresh jersey and averted her eyes. "You'll be gone."

Viktor tried to ignore the wobble in her voice that made his own throat tight, instead he leant forward, dropping a chaste kiss amongst her spell dried curls and thought about how he wanted to express himself. Hermione opening up first had made it easier, but it was never simple to talk about stuff like this, he kept his innermost feelings to himself as a rule. It wasn't a question of how he felt, that had been decided long ago and quiet as he may have been he was far from without passion.

"I think you know," he began, in as strong a voice as he could manage, "or if you do not you should, I like you, a lot. I do not have huge experience in relationships but… you mean more to me than any girl I have ever met. I know I am older and maybe… it is not straightforward situation. But would like to try... for the rest of the year, to spend as much time with you as possible, because I... I do not want to stop feeling I have when I am around you."

Hermione turned to face him, but as she tried to speak Viktor smiled before dropping a finger gently over her mouth. "Please, let me finish," he implored lightly, and Hermione nodded, her full lips rubbing his index finger.

"I think there is real chance that I will love you one day, probably one day soon, and I need you to know because this," he gestured between them both, "this is serious for me." With the final words out of his mouth, he allowed himself a long exhale. Viktor's heart was pounding in his chest, and he was pretty sure Hermione could feel it given how closely she was pressed against him. When he looked down at her, it was to find her staring at him intently.

"Can I speak now?" Hermione mouthed against his finger, and Viktor smiled at her raised eyebrow. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet, he had managed to articulate what he had planned to say fairly well. He had insisted she didn't interrupt as he was determined not to lose his place in his rehearsed lines, the hardest thing had been not to ad lib at the end. Mikhail had mentioned, more than once, that the additions Viktor had uttered in practice had sounded more than a little desperate.

"I care about you," Hermione began, sitting up and placing both her hands on his chest, balancing to meet his eyes, a determined gleam in her face that made Viktor sit straighter. "More than I thought possible, and every time I see you those feelings grow stronger. Meeting you started a domino effect of good things happening to me, and whenever I trace the consequences back, you are always at the centre of it. You have been gentle and patient and respectful and I… I would very much like to spend the rest of this year, as much time as possible, with you. Because I… I think I could love you too, one day," she finished, her voice trailing off quietly.

Viktor reached up to hold her face between his hands as he slowly sucked on her full bottom lip to pull it out from under her teeth, moving to kiss her soundly, until he would have never guessed how cold they had both been only hours before given the heat he felt. He broke apart from her reluctantly, though more confident than he had ever been before that he would get to do so again. He bit back the teasing words that bubbled up his throat given Hermione's dazed expression, knowing there was one more thing he should make her aware of. He was not the only one on the bench that liked to have a warning when they would be facing an unexpected situation. "There is something else," he began.

"Oh?" Hermione replied, her eyes still locked on his mouth, her cheeks were flushed and her mouth swollen; Viktor lost himself for a moment, distracted in his perusal of her until a playful shove and a peal of giggles woke him from his reverie. Hermione rolled her eyes, and he kissed the tip of her nose.

"My mother and father would like to meet you," he explained. "They are coming for the third task."

Hermione stilled on his lap. "Well, that's… lovely, and I suppose, utterly terrifying actually," she said, her brow pinching.

Viktor laughed, "They will like you, Hermione."

"Yes?" she questioned, sitting up straight, clearly eager that she should gain their approval. Viktor had little doubt that his mother was already halfway to won over from his letters and his father had never been able to resist the company of anyone who took academic pursuits seriously. Hermione had nothing to worry about.

"Be yourself it will be fine," he reassured softly, losing interest in talk of his parents rapidly as Hermione's curls were illuminated by the setting sun behind her. This time it was Hermione who broke away, far too soon.

"Viktor?" she asked lightly, and he instantly picked up on the concerned hesitation in her tone, he pulled back from her seeking to see her face properly.

"Da?"

"What are we going to do?" she asked forlornly, "at the end of the year I mean," she qualified and despite her sadness, Viktor felt light. He hated to see her unhappy but the fact that she was made him feel real hope.

He nuzzled into the side of her hair, "I do not know, we will work it out, we are smart people."

Hermione smiled, "Where there is a will, there is a way," she recited melodically, and Viktor stared at her intensely.

"Would you come visit me, over the summer?" he asked urgently, acutely aware that he was going off script, and sure that he would never freely tell his friends he had asked her, they had been very specific about that particular phrase not leaving his lips.

Hermione was apparently surprised, but as she tried to force down a grin, he could help matching it. "I'll have to ask my parents but I… I would like to."

He beamed at her, this was going to work, he had no idea how yet but it was going to. As she turned her head to remark on the evening drawing in he caught sight of something in her hair, reaching forward he untangled a strange looking beetle from amongst the strands, but before he could examine it too carefully, it buzzed in his palm and then flew away.

Hermione grimaced, "I suppose I'm going to be removing all sorts from my hair for days?"

Viktor pressed his lips against her brow, "I will remove them."

Viktor was getting used to the fact that they were never really on their own so when he felt Hermione stiffen he immediately followed her line of sight to where Weasley was walking over to them. His face was impassive, but Viktor could make out the tense lines of his shoulders and bit down a sigh. Really? Now? It was one thing that the kid was incredibly rude, but he had the worst timing imaginable.

"Ron?" Hermione asked as he got nearer, her voice sounded hesitant, and her posture was rigid, but she made no move to extract himself from Viktor's lap.

"Hi Mione," Weasley replied as he awkwardly kicked the ground several feet away from them. "I'm not here to speak to you, I want to talk to him," he said, in what Viktor imagined was his no-nonsense voice, he tried not to drop his head into his hands.

"To Viktor," she corrected firmly, and Ron nodded with a sigh.

"You should go get warm," Viktor said, moving to sit himself up, Hermione made to protest, but he leant forward. "Trust me," he breathed into her ear.

"I do," she confirmed, though she searched his face for a few moments.

"Then go get warm," he pressed, and when Hermione sagged, he knew he had carried his point. He would be sure to tell her how much he was loathed to be parted from her when there were no prying ears around. Hermione shuffled off his lap, and he felt the loss immediately. She readjusted the blanket around herself before reaching up and kissing him on the cheek. "As much time as possible," he repeated, and she nodded before reluctantly moving away.

Neither boy spoke while Hermione was still in sight, and Viktor had no intention of being the first to open his mouth, Weasley had come over, it was up to him to bring up what he wanted. He was already not the boys biggest fan and interrupting that particular moment had not increased his stock in his eyes

"You're spending a lot of time with her," Weasley began, and Viktor nodded, it was the truth after all, they would be spending a lot more time together now, and it would be better for Weasley if he just accepted that. "I don't like it," he continued, and this time Viktor did sigh out loud.

"This will be easier if you say what it is-"

"I don't want you using her," the younger boy spat and Viktor, for the second time that day, felt close to losing control.

"You do not know me," he said deceptively quietly, the accusation had hit him deeply, offending him greatly as well as undermining his feelings for Hermione. Weasley could not have said anything that would have riled him more. "Using her? I would never," he finished, staring the boy down with a look of intense disgust.

"Really, Quidditch star what you could you possibly want with Mione?" he countered, and Viktor fought to remember why exactly it was he couldn't just put the boy to the ground.

"Probably the same thing you do, but my way is better," he retorted, and Weasley's face flushed deeply. Viktor's rage softened as his hunch was confirmed, suddenly, more than anything he felt exhausted. "I have no interest in arguing with you, makeup with friend, you have already upset her in my presence, will not allow it a second time." Without Hermione's soothing presence he was more aware of the trials of the day, all he wanted then was to get back to his dorm and curl up in bed. Well, not entirely all he wanted. He would have loved to have Hermione snuggled in front of him, preferably wearing one of his old Quidditch jerseys but he knew better than to pine for the impossible.

"You won't allow it?" the boy questioned incredulously and Viktor crossed his arms over his chest.

"No. Hermione has enough to do, worrying about Potter and tournament and her grades. Then you and Luna and Ginny. Someone needs to look after her, and that, until further notice, is me," he walked forward and laid a hand on Weasley's shoulder. "Makeup with friend, you will regret it if you do not."

"Are you threatening me?" Weasley asked, his lips set into a thin line.

Viktor sighed, "I am trying to help you," he said before releasing him and walking away. "Not that you deserve it."