Hermione's drifting in and out of sleep when she wakes up to a gentle tapping at her window. She groggily works her way through tangled blankets to a sitting position and pushes her hair out of her face. There's an owl at the window. Curious, Hermione opens the window and lets the owl in. She accepts the scroll it offers her and unrolls it. It's from Viktor.
You're not at the library today, temenuzhka? It's accompanied by a little doodle of Viktor at a table in the library, surrounded by stacks of books taller than his head. The chair next to him is empty, and there's an exaggerated sad look on his tiny face.
Hermione smiles. She reaches over to her bedside table to grab her quill and ink, never too far away from her, just in case. She sets the scroll down on her wide windowsill to have a flat surface.
I'm sick, she writes. She adds a little doodle of her bed, piled high with blankets, and a poof of her curly hair visible above the blankets. She waits for the ink to dry before rolling the parchment back up and giving it to the owl, who zooms out of the window.
It isn't long before she falls back asleep. It's peaceful in her dorm, and she's very cozy under her layers of blankets. Before she can begin to dream, though, her sleep is interrupted by a loud alarm. It takes her a moment to sort through her sleepy thoughts to realise that a boy must have tried to get into her dorm. It's so rare to hear it that even though she's sick she has to know who it is. She pokes her head out of the doorway to see Viktor standing at the bottom of the former stairs, looking alarmed and sheepish.
Hermione laughs and slides down the transformed stairs in her slippers. "You're not allowed to come up here."
"I know that now," Viktor says gruffly. He sighs and holds a mug out to Hermione. "I brought you tea, but it became cold vhile I vas valking here, and then the stairs - I spilled it." He gestures to the broad wet patches on his uniform jacket.
"Oh, Viktor," Hermione says. She can't stop herself from laughing. "Thank you for thinking of me. At least it's an easy fix."
She accepts the mug so that Viktor can take out his wand and run it over his jacket. Clouds of tea-scented steam waft off him.
"It's good tea," Hermione says, taking a sip. "Did you get this from the kitchens?"
"No, I made it on the ship." Viktor begins to smile. "A very, very long walk."
Hermione looks back up the stairs at her dorm. "It's good to see you, but I'm pretty sick…"
"I came to look after you," Viktor says earnestly. "If not here, I can carry you to the ship?"
"Oh - okay!"
Viktor takes off his fur capelet and drapes it around Hermione's shoulders before picking her up. He has to set her down so she can climb through the portrait hole, but after that he carries her most of the way to the ship without issue. She's already sleepy again, engulfed in a warm musky cloud of fur, and hardly notices most of their journey.
"Temenuzhka, I think you should walk up the gangplank," Viktor says softly. He carefully sets Hermione on her feet and walks behind her as she makes her way up to the top deck of the ship. It isn't the most reassuring of pathways, swaying slightly under the cold breeze blowing over the lake.
It isn't the most reassuring of ships, either. No one is around, making the creaking, swaying ship into a ghost ship. It's clear that Viktor has tried to make his cabin cosy with wall hangings and carpets, but it's still cold and a touch impersonal, with all his things put neatly away in wooden chests.
Hermione settles into the bed. It's the nicest thing about the room, a comfortable mattress piled with blue and green covers, and she sinks into it. Hermione takes in the familiar scent of Viktor's cologne.
"You vould like more tea?"
"Yes please."
Viktor flicks his wand at a kettle sitting on the corner of his desk and crouches in front of an open chest, rummaging through it for something.
"You are varm enough?"
"I will be." Hermione wiggles her shoulders under the blankets.
Viktor pours boiling water into two waiting mugs. "I haff honey but no milk."
"Honey is good."
Viktor turns his desk chair so it faces the bed. "Vat else can I do for you, temenuzhka?"
Hermione's nearly drifting into sleep again, but she opens her eyes to look at Viktor, his worried expression unfamiliar on his craggy face. Something to keep her awake until she can have her tea… "Would you tell me a story?"
"Ah, like the Moomins!" he says. "I can tell you a Moomins story." So he brings her tea over to her and tells her a story as heat from the mug seeps into her hands. She drinks the tea once it's steeped, and it's very good, a spicy tea she's never had before.
Partway through the story, she pats the bed next to her. Viktor doesn't seem to notice, absorbed as he is in telling her what Snufkin's up to.
"Come join me," she says quietly.
"Sit next to you?" Blush pink seeps into Viktor's cheeks.
"Lie down next to me. If you want to."
Viktor takes off his uniform jacket and clambers into the bed. Hermione scoots over to give him room, and he pulls one of the many blankets over him. They both wiggle around a little until they're settled, and Viktor continues.
"So, Snufkin says to Moomintroll…"
As he continues, Hermione gets more and more relaxed. She wiggles closer to him a little at a time. Finally, when her shoulder bumps his chest, he pauses in his story.
"Her-me-own?" Viktor asks, softly. She looks up at him, and he down at her. He rolls onto his side to face her and tucks his arm under her head as a cushion. Hermione takes his other arm and drapes it over her, curling across her torso. He ghosts his hand over her hip.
"Okay?" he murmurs.
"Okay!" Hermione whispers back.
Viktor settles his hand over her hip. He takes in a slow breath before continuing the story in a murmur, though the words come slower and slower until they're both asleep.
Hermione wakes up first, slowly. She can feel Viktor's warm bulk behind her, his knees tucked neatly behind hers, his arm draped over her shoulder. She runs her hand down his arm, enjoying the texture of his white silk shirt.
"Mmmph?"
Hermione smiles at the little sound. She's tempted to just go back to sleep, but she's so hungry… She stays in bed for a little while longer before giving in and gently wiggling out of his embrace.
It's dark outside the porthole windows. Hermione checks her watch and realises that they've barely missed dinner.
"Temenuzhka?" Viktor rolls over and looks at her, rubbing his eyes.
Hermione smiles. "I'm here. We missed dinner."
Viktor sits up. "Oh. Oops."
Hermione laughs and nods. "Oops."
"Vat should ve eat?"
Hermione sits on the edge of the bed next to him. "I have no idea. Let's go look for something!"
"Okay." Viktor smiles at her and gets out of bed. "You are feeling better?"
"Much better." She accepts his hand and stands up. "Blagodarya."
"Ah, you are learning!" Viktor says, delighted. "Ve also say just merci. Ve took it from French. I do not know vhy."
"That's rather silly."
"Yes, it is." He takes her hand and they walk out into the gentle night.