AN: I think it's fairly obvious by now that I don't own Harry Potter. I just get to play here from time to time.
Thank you all so much for the reviews, for following, or for adding to your favorites. Seriously glad you all are enjoying this.
Didn't I tell you Viktor would be making an appearance soon? Well, he's finally here! And he's brought the Krum family with him, too. This wasn't quite what I had in mind when I sat down to write, but I'm fairly happy with the way it turned out.
Alrighty...Enjoy!
AN2: Thanks to a very helpful reader, I went back and edited this again. They were nice enough to point out that the Krum's wouldn't need to speak English between themselves, so when their dialogue is in Italics, they are speaking Bulgarian.
Huge thanks to like a Sir56 :) ***Sorry about the spelling, Sir56, but when I tried to put your name on here the way it is, it would get erased. :/
PS - Insomnia is a bitch. As I'm sure many of us know.
Victoria Krum was one of those unfortunate few in the wizarding world who suffered from insomnia, but at the same time was allergic to any sleeping potion of any kind. As discovered when she was a younger witch, Victoria was deathly allergic to nettles, which was a common ingredient in sleeping draughts.
So, she learned to deal with her insomnia in other ways. She tried a variety of different teas, the most boring books she could find, hot baths, sleeping in the darkest, quietest rooms possible, and meditation. Her eldest son, Vladimir, had even bought her a muggle device that spritzed a lovely light lavender scent into the air intermittently, which was supposed to help her relax and stay asleep.
Nothing worked.
In the end, the only thing that seemed to do the trick was for her to spend a few hours on the old swing out in the maze slash garden behind Krum Manor. There was just something about the night air in Bulgaria – which could get freezing cold in the right conditions, - and the memories of rocking her babies on this swing when they were younger, that would have her dead tired, and practically falling into bed asleep when one of the elves would take her up to her bedroom.
The only problem with the garden solution – aside from the cold, anyway – was that ever present feeling of darkness that hung in the air. That was one thing she had, unfortunately, not gotten used to, even after several years. It wasn't the country itself, no, for Bulgaria was one of the most beautiful countries in existence. It wasn't the region, it wasn't the town, it wasn't even just the aura surrounding Krum Manor.
No. It was all due to those damned Death Eaters that madman of England – for Victoria absolutely refused to say any of his names, - sent to her country in search of like minded wizards and witches to join his cause as he spread his reign of terror throughout Europe.
It was astonishing to her that more than half of the wizarding world's Pureblood population had lined up to follow a Half-Blood like sheep. That was one of the other things that kept her up at night, as well. As a member of one of Bulgaria's most elite families, Victoria often worried that those Death Eaters would be sent for one of her children.
That had been a near constant worry of hers.
Until yesterday morning, at any rate. Victoria couldn't explain it, but yesterday morning, around ten past ten, she had been in the garden when the air just got...lighter. With a sudden gust of wind, the darkness had lifted, taking the perpetually cloudy skies with it, and it had become one of the sunniest days Bulgaria had seen in quite some time, and if possible, Victoria was able to breathe easier. She didn't know what had caused it, or why, but at the time she wasn't too bothered.
Until now, that is.
Victoria was currently in the living room, having her morning tea, when she heard a pecking at the window. Setting her tea cup down the table, she walked over and opened the window, reaching into her robe pocket and retrieving both an owl treat and the two galleons it cost for the daily paper, placing the coins in the owl's zippered section of the satchel while handing him the treats. Once she had paid, the bigger section of the satchel opened, and a thicker-than-usual copy of the Daily Prophet flew into her hands.
Once the owl flew away – after another owl treat, of course, - Victoria retook her seat in her favorite wing-back chair, settling in to read the paper. It was just one of several international newspapers she subscribed to, and was always good for a laugh or two.
Not today.
HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED
DEAD!
Seeing that headline, with the accompanying photo of his body lying prone on the ground, she froze. All she could do was stare at the photo, her heart racing in her throat, her breathing increasing in shock.
"Igor! Viktor! Vlad!" she screamed. Small though she might be, she could easily be heard all over the grounds when necessary.
A great thundering could be heard as her three men ran down the staircase, eager to discover the source of her urgency.
"What is wrong, Mama?" Vladimir asked as the three stood around her chair, all slightly out of breath.
Instead of answering, Victoria leaned forward and laid the opened paper out on the table in front of them.
"Fuck me!"
"Vladimir! Watch your mouth!" Victoria shouted, coming out of her shock.
"It is over," Igor whispered, turning to his wife. He reached over and gently wiped the single tear off her cheek, a smile forming on his face when she looked to him. "My love, it is finally over!" he exclaimed, letting out an almighty 'whoop' at the end. Grabbing his wife's hand, he pulled her from the chair, before picking her up and spinning in a circle.
"Igor, put me down!" Victoria laughed, holding on tightly to her husband's shoulders. It had been a long time since she'd seen him this happy. "You'll hurt your back again!" she exclaimed.
Igor stopped spinning, setting her on her feet, but keeping a tight hold of her waist. "I care not one bit, love! He is gone!" he laughed, pulling her into him, hugging her.
"Potter gave a short statement," Viktor said, reading the article. "He said that Voldemort is gone for good this time. He, Weasley, and..." he trailed off, smiling, before continuing, "and Hermy-ninny made sure of it," he finished, but continuing reading.
"So, Hermy-ninny safe, yes?" Vlad asked, coming to sit beside his brother on the settee, reading the paper along with him.
"Yes," Viktor nodded. "Look, Vlad. That...that is Hermy-ninny," he smiled, finding a photo of the three friends. She looked dirty, bloody, and her beautiful face was covered in cuts and scrapes, but she was alive. "She's okay," he said, more to himself than his brother as he ran his fingers over the photo.
"That's good," Vlad said, patting his younger brother on the shoulder. Just then, another owl pecked at the window, Vlad recognizing it as belonging to one of Viktor's friends. "I got it," he said, rising. Retrieving the letter, he handed it to Viktor, re-taking his seat next to him.
"It is from Nikolai," Viktor said, tearing the letter open and scanning it quickly. "He says that a group of Durmstrang students are planning to go to Hogwarts to help with clean-up," he added. "I'm going to go with them," he said, nodding at his family.
"Viktor..." his mother started, only to stop when he shook his head at her.
"Hogwarts is a special place, Mama," he said, putting a finger on his chest, "in here. I must go. I must help," he said fiercely, staring at his mother.
Victoria sighed, seeing the fire in her son's dark eyes. She knew she was going to lose the fight to keep him home. Nodding, she sighed again, a sad smile crossing her face.
"Alright, Vik," she said. "You go. Write when you can," she said.
"And write us if anything is needed," Igor chimed in, coming to stand behind his wife. He, like his wife, knew that when their son got that look in his eyes, there was no stopping him doing what he had planned.
"I will," Viktor nodded, rising. "I'm going to go pack and write Nikolai to tell him I'll be going," he said, turning on his heel and heading for the staircase.
Review please.
Til next time!
XOXO - Onyx Obsidian