The International Quidditch Association
Two nights later, Viktor came home from training to Hermione reading in the parlor. She looked up when he came in and closed her book. "Hello."
He flopped down next to her on the sofa.
"You seem exhausted."
He yawned. "It was a rough day. Two players collided mid-air."
"Are they all right?"
"Yes, a broken nose and a split lip, but nothing more serious thanks to you."
"The cushion worked then?" She smiled.
"Absolutely. They both came off their brooms at fifty or sixty feet in the air. There would have been major injuries without the cushion."
"Fantastic. I'm so glad it works."
"Me too. The coach is writing a letter tonight to the IQA recommending the cushion for all pitches and not just during practice."
"That's great." She grinned. "That's really great."
Viktor leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'm sure the IQA will accept the recommendation. Madam Hooch has seen a remarkable drop in Quidditch related injuries since it was installed at Hogwarts."
"Really?"
"Yes, she and my coach are friends. I am thinking they might be more than friends, but that is not my business."
Hermione raised her eyebrows.
He shrugged. "Anyway, they have been corresponding about the cushion charm, and of course, the coach talks to me about it, because she knows I live with you."
"Thanks to the press, everyone knows I live with you. It's very convenient and saves me having to send out change of address cards."
Viktor's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Change of address cards?"
She patted his arm. "Muggle reference. It doesn't matter."
Viktor reached for her and she straddled his lap. "I would not describe the press and their obsession with what we are doing and where we are doing it as very convenient."
Hermione leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. "And what are we doing?"
"I am not sure," Viktor said, sliding his hands beneath her shirt. "But I would like to do it right here."
"You are a very smart man."
xXx
It was mid-December when an ornate envelope from the International Quidditch Association arrived for Hermione informing her that they were giving her a service award and inviting her to their Christmas gala and awards ceremony on the 20th. She had already planned to attend with Viktor, but was pleased to have her own invitation.
"What is that?" Viktor asked, as he stepped into the kitchen.
"The IQA is giving me a service award," Hermione said.
Viktor chuckled.
"What?" Hermione asked. "That cushion is very useful. You've said so yourself."
He kissed her forehead. "Of course, it is. I just think it is a little funny that you are getting a Quidditch award when you can barely stay on a broom."
She considered for a moment. "That's fair. Listen, can I borrow your owl?"
"You do not have to ask."
"Sorry. It's a habit. I just want to send a note to Thomas about this award ceremony. He helped with the casting and testing. Maybe we can all go together."
"Sure," Viktor said.
Hermione smiled, but watched with a sense of apprehension as he went to get the large Eurasian Eagle-owl he'd recently purchased. Viktor loved the massive bird, but it made Hermione nervous. She grabbed a piece of parchment and penned a quick note to Thomas. Viktor came back in with his bird, and she handed him the letter.
He frowned at her. "You can give it to him."
"That's okay," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "You can do it. He's your owl. He likes you best."
Viktor rolled his eyes but gave the bird the letter and sent him on his way. He smirked at Hermione. "You fought Voldemort but are afraid of an owl."
"To be fair, I never actually faced Voldemort directly. Not to mention, Voldemort never flew into my parlor and ate a rabbit right in front of me." She grimaced.
"I have asked him not to do that again."
"Thanks, but that event is permanently etched in my mind. For goodness sake, Viktor, the rabbit was still screaming. It was awful."
"I know. And I am sorry, but he is a bird of prey and rabbits are prey. It is his nature."
"I know that, but you can deal with him."
Viktor shrugged. "He is a good owl," she heard him mutter behind her as she walked out of the kitchen.
The next evening, Viktor's owl returned with Thomas' reply:
Dear Hermione,
Thank you but I have a previous engagement on the 20th .
The cushion was your Idea anyway. I just helped with the initial
casting. Enjoy the award. You've earned it.
Best regards,
Thomas
PS
Everyone in the DoM thinks it's hilarious that you're getting a
Quidditch award.
"Oh great," Hermione muttered.
"What?" Viktor looked up from his book. They were sitting on opposite ends of the sofa with their legs tangled together in the middle.
"Apparently, everyone in the Department of Mysteries thinks it's really funny that I'm getting an award from the IQA."
"My teammates think that is funny too."
"You already told them?"
"Of course, I told everyone in the changing room. They think it is very funny someone so bad on a broom is getting a Quidditch award."
She frowned at him. "And just how do your teammates know how bad I am on a broom?"
"Some of them were in school with you."
Her frown deepened. "Oliver should keep his mouth shut."
Viktor did his best to look contrite. "Oliver is not the only one who went to Hogwarts."
"Fine. I'm not bothered. We'll see how many of them walk away with awards."
Viktor smirked. "From our team this year, only me and Oliver."
Hermione cocked her head at him. "Why didn't you say?"
He shrugged.
"What's the award?"
He shrugged again. "It is for…um…what did they call it? Charitable outreach."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Charitable…when have you…? What?"
"You work a lot." He frowned at her. "I do not only play golf in my spare time."
"But you've never said." She felt affronted that he'd kept this from her.
"It is not a big deal."
"Clearly it is, if they're giving you an award for it."
"Are you upset?"
"No," she lied.
He frowned at her. "How can you be upset about charity work?"
"I'm not upset, although I would have thought you'd have mentioned it, given the fact that you've done so much charitable work, that you're being recognized for it."
He didn't say anything.
"What?"
"You do not ask."
"That's not fair," Hermione said.
He shrugged.
"I'm meant to ask about things you're doing that you've never mentioned. How am I supposed to know to do that?"
He frowned. "Let us just say that you lack curiosity when it comes to my day."
Her mouth dropped open. "That's not true. I ask about your day."
He raised his eyebrows. "You might ask the initial question, but you stop listening almost from the moment I open my mouth. You rarely ask a follow up question."
She had no response for that, so she just sat there with her mouth open.
He untangled his legs from hers and got up. "I think I will go fly around for a bit. I will be back later."
"Are you really just going to fly around or are you planning to help widows and orphans while you're out?" she said acidly. She regretted it the moment the words were out of her mouth.
Viktor shook his head in disapproval, got one of his brooms from the spare room and left.
Hermione grabbed her cigarettes and went out on the balcony. She could see Viktor flying in the distance and lit a cigarette and watched until he disappeared. She could believe she was so distracted and indifferent to him that she didn't ask him about his day. She wondered if she'd done that to Ron too. Maybe that why he'd shown zero interest in getting back together after he'd sobered up. She shook her head. Perhaps that was the real problem with Viktor. Thinking about her relationship with him inevitably had her thinking about Ron and that was wrong. Viktor was a good man. He deserved better. She needed to pull herself together, let bygones be bygones, and try to make this relationship work, or she was going to end up alone, and she wasn't ready for that. She sighed and lit another cigarette off her first one. She had to make this up to him.
xXx
Viktor arrived home two hours later. His face was wind-chapped as he stepped into the flat from the balcony.
"You're back," Hermione said.
He nodded and went to put his broom away. When he came back into the parlor he found her standing with her head down and her hands folded. "I owe you an apology."
He shook his head. "I am fine."
"No seriously," she said, reaching for his hands and finding them cold. He'd forgotten to wear gloves. She closed her eyes and cast a warming charm.
His hands felt instantly better. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I really am sorry. It was never my intention to make you feel like I don't care about your life. I do care. I know I get distracted by my work. I find it compelling." She stepped closer to him. "But I also find you very compelling."
He frowned at her. "It often does not feel like that."
She nodded. "I know. And that's my fault, but I can do better. I will do better."
He looked into her eyes and found her earnestness endearing. He knew now that being a better girlfriend would be a project for her. She would think about it, plan for it, make it part of her day. He wondered how that would manifest but knew that it would happen in some measure. He couldn't help thinking how much easier his relationship with Nikolina had been. He knew that wasn't fair but couldn't stop making the comparison anyway. He had to stop doing that. He leaned in and kissed Hermione's forehead. "I know you will and I appreciate that." He put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
She pressed her nose into the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry I'm not good at this."
"That is not true," Viktor said. "You are very good at many aspects of our relationship. You get distracted sometimes. That is not a crime." He felt guilty that she felt so bad but was also somewhat comforted that she cared enough to feel bad for hurting his feelings. Sometimes he questioned her commitment. She slipped her hands under his sweater and pushed it up so she could kiss his belly, running her tongue along his abs, and just like that, they were back to something she was good at. He let out a contented sigh. She certainly never lacked for ardor.
xXx
The night of the IQA gala, Hermione carefully dressed in the blood red velvet dress Viktor had given her for the occasion. It was one shouldered with a long thin dragon embroidered in a lighter red silk from under the arm of the shoulderless side down to the top of a long slit that rose mid-thigh. He bought most of her clothes and she wasn't sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, she couldn't be bothered. On the other hand, his taste had a tendency toward a sexy elegance and high drama that didn't really mesh with her own. Still, she always looked good, and he had a better eye for clothes than she did. Viktor often asked for a dragon motif to be incorporated into clothing he had made for them. He felt it was good luck to incorporate one's wand core whenever possible and both of their wands had dragon heartstring cores. She slipped on the high heels that were dyed to match the dress and checked her look in the mirror. Her hair was in the smooth French twist that Viktor preferred. She used her wand to do her makeup with a glamour charm appropriate for the evening event. When she was satisfied, she stepped out into the parlor where Viktor was waiting in his dress robes. She noticed there was a barely visible embroidered dragon pattern on his lapels. It was done in black silk and was very subtle against the navy blue of his collar. He was sporting the gold crossed bulrush pin tonight too. She smiled and adjusted his bow-tie.
"You look dashing," she said with a smile.
"You look ravishing," he said with a leer.
She waved him off. They walked outside and Hermione handed him an empty biscuit tin.
"You will be there for the party for the recipients back at the flat?" Viktor asked.
She gave him a patient look. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be? It's not like I even had to do anything. You had Oliver's elf handle the whole thing."
He shook his head. "I know you do not like that, but neither one of us had time to cook for a party, even a small party."
"I know. I said I understood."
He raised his eyebrows doubtfully.
She sighed and held out the tin. "Shall we?"
"Yes," he said.
xXx
The Portkey took them to a massive tent in an open field in Orkney. Wind blocking charms surrounded the area. Hermione looked around at the windswept landscape and the dark sea beyond. "It's been a long time since I've been up here," she said in a quiet voice.
Viktor looked at her. "Are you okay?"
She smiled at him. "Yes, of course. I'm fine. We should go in." But a shiver passed through her despite the warming charms surrounding the tent.
Photographers snapped their photos as they approached the venue. A lot of people were already milling around the tables which were set up for a banquet. Viktor and Hermione found their places near the front and took their seats. The minute they sat down their wine and water goblets filled themselves. A few minutes later, the head of the International Quidditch Association called for everyone to take their seats. Dinner appeared on all the plates at the same time. It was standard event food: roast chicken, rice pilaf, and peas. While everyone ate, the director spoke at length about the year in Quidditch and all the community contributions by the teams and various players. Hermione wasn't really paying attention. She and Ron and Harry had spent a lot of time hiding in the Outer Hebrides and the memories were flooding her mind, so it took her by surprise when everyone clapped, and then Harry took the podium.
She leaned over and whispered to Viktor, "What's Harry doing here?"
Viktor frowned at her. "He just said that Harry will be presenting the awards tonight."
At the podium, Harry cleared his throat. "Good evening everyone. I was surprised when the head of the IQA asked if I would present the awards this year, but when he explained who some of the recipients were, I had to agree."
There was polite laughter, but Hermione didn't get the joke. She realized that due to their last-minute arrival neither she nor Viktor had picked up a program.
"This first award is unique, because while some years no one is awarded it, this year, there are two recipients and while their projects have nothing to do with one another, I understand that there was some small collaboration. So, in alphabetical order because I refuse to choose any other way, this year's first award for a Significant Contribution to the Game of Quidditch goes to Hermione Granger. Hermione come up here, please."
Hermione made her way to the stage forcing herself not to scan the crowd as she did so. She had a sinking sensation that Ron was also here, and that was why Harry was asked to present. While she walked up the stairs, Harry continued. "I've known Hermione was brilliant since our first year in school, but I really wish she'd come up with this cushion spell for the pitch before I broke my wrist in a match second year."
There was more chuckling from the crowd.
As Hermione walked across the stage, Harry continued, "But apparently that wasn't significant enough for her think of it then, but let Viktor Krum hit the ground, break his shoulder, get a concussion, and suddenly, she has the brainstorm of the century."
The crowd laughed knowingly as Harry handed Hermione the crystal statue of a snitch. She could feel herself blush. Harry gave her a hug. "That spell really is amazing," he whispered.
"Thanks," she whispered back, before stepping to the podium. "Thank you, Harry, and thank you, members of the IQA. I have to say, for someone who can barely stay on a broom, this is an unexpected honor." There was laughter from the crowd. "As Harry said, I had the idea when I saw Viktor fall during the European Cup match earlier this year. He took the fall, and the resulting injuries in his stride, but it left me rather rattled. I thought of the cushion as a way to avoid having my heart stop during future games." She could see Viktor chuckle. "It took a lot of time to get it right and some significant help from friends and coworkers. I'm really happy it's worked out so well for everyone. She held up the small statue. Thank you again."
Everyone clapped and she returned to her table, but this time she allowed her eyes to skip across the crowd and there he was, Ron, sitting near the back with his arm around a witch who'd been in their year but in Ravenclaw. She drew a blank on the woman's name.
Harry resumed his place at the podium. "As I understand it from a reliable source, our next recipient did some of the flying and fall testing for Hermione's pitch cushion charm, but during that same time, he was working on his own significant contribution. Some of you have probably already purchased one of his charmed televisions, which can now bring Quidditch matches right into your parlor. He's worked tirelessly with the IQA to broadcast as many matches as possible, and I understand that he can barely keep those charmed televisions on the shelves. Tonight's second recipient for a Significant Contribution to the Game of Quidditch goes to Ron Weasley of Weasley's Enchanted Electronics.
Hermione swallowed hard and dared to glance at Viktor. His face was stony and his jaw was clenched. "Viktor," she whispered. "I can expl—"
"Not right now," he hissed back without looking at her.
She closed her mouth and returned her eyes to the podium where Ron was speaking.
"…I just want to point out that all I did to help Hermione's project was fly straight up and fall off a broom over and over again. It's not like I contributed to the underlying magic or anything, but you know, I can manage to fall off a broom if she needs me to."
The crowd laughed.
Hermione could feel Viktor's furious gaze boring into the back of her neck. She couldn't believe she hadn't told him she'd run into Ron that day and that he'd helped test the cushion. If she'd only told him at the time, she could have explained the whole thing. She desperately wanted to go home. The crowd chuckled again, but she'd missed whatever Ron said. She glanced up and he was walking across the stage to return to his seat.
Harry continued blithely along to the next category as though he hadn't just exploded her evening. She wanted this whole thing to be over, but then she remembered there was an after party at their flat and that Ron would be invited. She knew Viktor had told the IQA to invite the recipients for him, because the names of the other recipients were supposed to be secret until the event, so he'd never actually seen the guest list, which didn't bother him, because he assumed he knew most of the recipients anyway. Ron probably wouldn't come. After all, he was there with that Ravenclaw witch. Surely, they had plans, but even if they didn't, there would be no reason he would want to see where she and Viktor lived. The moment she thought about it though, she realized he might actually be curious. Oh, please don't come, she thought.
Dinner disappeared and dessert appeared, it was Victoria sandwich, which was one of Hermione's favorites, but she barely touched it. She noticed Viktor didn't eat much either. Fortunately, there were only fifteen recipients total, the last category was for Charitable Outreach. There were five players recognized and Oliver and Viktor were among them. Viktor's speech was short and delivered with a thicker accent than he usually had, and he stumbled a bit over the words, a sure sign of how upset he was. Oliver was the last to receive his award and he gave a heartfelt speech about war orphans and the impact they had on his life. The director of the IQA returned to the podium and thanked everyone for coming and invited them to stay for dancing. When he was finished speaking everyone rose to the let the tables disappear and the chairs rearrange themselves so the dance floor could expand.
Hermione turned to Viktor. "Can we just go home, so I can explain what happened?"
"No," Viktor said firmly. "We're honorees we should stay and dance. We can discuss this after the party."
"Viktor," Hermione said, but a quartet began playing and he headed out on to the dance floor. She reluctantly followed. He turned to her and took her hand, immediately starting into a foxtrot. The formal dance allowed him to move through the steps without paying her much attention. He wouldn't look at her. She shifted her fingers in his tight grip. "Could you please loosen up? You're crushing my hand."
He relaxed his grip but didn't say anything. Whenever they took a break, he would dutifully go get them each a drink, but he'd hand it to her without making eye contact. She noticed Harry and Ginny dancing, but didn't dare go talk to them. Whenever they took a break, she stayed right where Viktor left her. Eventually, Harry came over while Ginny talked to someone Hermione didn't know.
"Hey," Harry said. "How's your evening going?"
"Fine," Hermione said tightly. "Yours?"
"Good. Is Viktor okay? He seems a bit off."
"He's fine. We've had a bit of spat is all."
Harry raised his eyebrows.
"It's nothing," Hermione assured him, hoping that was true.
Harry put his hands in the pockets of his formal coat and looked around. "I guess Ron already left."
"Yes, well, I'm sure he and that Ravenclaw witch had better things to do with their evening."
"Ah," Harry said. "Ravenclaw. I was trying to place her. Mandy somebody, right?"
Hermione nodded suddenly remembering the name. "Brocklehurst. She was friends with Padma." She just wanted the night to be over.
Ginny and Oliver came over then.
"Hiya," Ginny said.
"Hello," Hermione said. "You look nice."
"Thanks," Ginny said looking down at the royal blue sheath dress she was wearing as though she hadn't realized she had it on. "So, do you. That's new, isn't it?"
"Yes," Hermione said absently. "Viktor had it made at Madam Malkins."
Ginny laughed. "Viktor buys your clothes?"
Hermione shrugged. "Sometimes." The answer was really 'all of the time,' but she thought that might sound weird. She really missed the ease of putting on a uniform every day.
Ginny gave a side eye to Harry. "Don't get ideas."
Harry shook his head. "As though I would even know what to buy. You buy most of my clothes."
"Which is the natural order of things," Oliver piped up.
Hermione checked back in to the conversation. "Is it?"
"Well, my mum always buys my dad's clothes," Oliver said.
"That's not how it went at my house. My parents did all the clothes shopping together," Ginny said.
"Does that mean you want me to shop with you?" Harry asked, clearly appalled at the idea.
"Goodness no," Ginny said. "You'd only slow me down."
Everyone laughed.
Oliver turned to Hermione. "Come dance with me."
Hermione looked to where Viktor was in deep conversation with a man she didn't recognize. "Alright," she said and followed Oliver on to the dance floor.
Finally, after an hour and a half, Viktor announced he was ready to leave. She took the Portkey from her purse and handed it to him. "I'll Apparate. It's not too far."
He didn't question her and walked outside. She sighed, pulled her wand, and returned to his flat. She was already in the parlor when he walked in the front door.
"Viktor," she said.
He held up his palm to stop her. "Don't. I will not talk about this now when we have guests coming."
"If you'd just let me explain—"
His face flushed red. "Not right now." He stormed into their bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
She blew out a slow breath. It was going to be a long night.
xXx
As people started arriving Viktor came out of the bedroom and acted the good host. Hermione complied with the pretending despite the anxiety she felt. He didn't look her in the eye for the rest of the evening. She tried to find little ways to make it up to him. She poured him a glass of Rakia and brought it to him, but he barely acknowledged her when she handed it to him. Sighing she stood next to him as he chatted with Oliver and some of the other recipients. At least Ron didn't show up. She couldn't imagine anything that would make the night worse. The conversation turned toward Oliver's tumultuous love life. His latest girlfriend had left over a misunderstanding about hair color.
"I didn't say I didn't like the color of her hair," Oliver protested. "She asked which was my favorite, and I answered honestly."
Everyone laughed. "Big mistake," one of the other men said. "It was a test, like asking if something makes her look fat, the right answer is always no, and the right answer to the hair question is whatever color her hair is at the moment."
"But that's crazy," Oliver protested. "Her hair was five or six different colors while we were dating. I thought she was just asking what I wanted to see that week." He turned to Hermione. "Help me out here."
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know what to tell you."
Viktor let out a soft snort next to her.
"Well," Oliver said. "Would you change your hair color for Viktor?"
Hermione shrugged. "If he wanted me to. What's the big deal? It's a simple spell." She looked at Viktor, but he averted his eyes.
Oliver laughed. "So, you'd go blonde for that lout?"
She snapped her fingers and her hair was the color of Draco's but still up in the French twist.
Everyone laughed.
She shook her head and smiled. "Excuse me." She stepped out of the kitchen and walked down the hall to use the loo.
When she turned the corner, Ron's voice said behind her, "Your real color is better and so are your curls."
Hermione spun around. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.
He held up a piece of parchment. "I'm a recipient. I was invited."
"But why? Why would you want to come here?"
Ron shrugged. "What? I can't see what your life looks like now?" His eyes skipped to the open bedroom door where Viktor's heavy framed king-sized bed stood. Hermione could feel herself blush.
"Please leave," she whispered.
"Why?" Ron said staring intently at her.
"Look, I'm having a really bad night, and it's likely to get a lot worse. If you ever had an ounce of genuine affection for me, then please, leave right now."
He continued staring at her for a moment before saying, "It was considerably more than an ounce. I'll go."
"Thank you," she whispered.
He turned and walked back to the front door. She watched him go and saw, out of the corner of her eye, Viktor doing the same from the doorway to the kitchen. She saw the muscles in his jaw clench before he turned around and walked away.
"Fantastic," she muttered sarcastically before heading to the loo. She stayed in there far longer than she needed to simply because she didn't know what to do when she got back to the party. Fortunately, since most of the recipients didn't know each other that well, the small talk ran out after a couple of hours and people began to trickle home. Even Oliver didn't linger like he usually would. Clearly, he'd picked up on the tension between Viktor and Hermione and left when the other guests did.
While Viktor walked the last of the guests to the door, Hermione drew her wand and began cleaning up. When everyone was gone, he turned to her and said, "I have never been so humiliated in my entire life. What could possibly have possessed you to ask Ron to test that charm instead of me? I am a professional Quidditch player, Hermione. There is no one better on a broom than me, and yet you went to him. And then Harry announced it in front of the entire Quidditch Association." His fists were clenched tightly at his side, and he was clearly trying to rein in his temper.
She sighed and put away her wand. "First off, I didn't go to him for help. Thomas and I went to Hogwarts to do the first full scale trial run of the cushion, and Ron was already there working on his project. We exchanged polite hellos and then went about our business. When it was time to do the fall test though, he saw me pull a broom out of my bag and came running over to see what we were doing."
"What do you mean you pulled out a broom? You are terrible on a broom."
"I know, but I can make one go straight up, and I'm practically an expert at falling off."
"Why did Thomas not do the test?"
"I drew the short straw. Besides, it was my charm. I should've been the one flying."
"That's ridiculous," Viktor said with a scowl. "You don't know how to fall. You could have seriously hurt yourself."
"That's exactly what Ron said."
Viktor's jaw muscles clenched. "Which is why you should have told me what you were doing and asked me to go with you."
"In retrospect, I wish I had, but at the time, I wanted it to be a surprise."
"It was certainly that, a humiliating surprise. Why did you not tell me you had seen him that day? Why did you not tell me before the awards ceremony? You had plenty of chances to explain all of this and yet you did not."
"Look, I…" She didn't know what to say. He was right.
He frowned at her. "Were you just hoping I would not find out?"
"No. It's not that—"
"Then what is it?"
Hermione swallowed hard. "I don't know…"
"Is it that you do not know or that you do not want to say?"
She shook her head. She wished he could see her side of it. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"Why would you let him help you? Have you forgotten what he did to you this time last year? Is your memory so short?"
"No," she answered hotly. "It's not short. It's very, very long."
"And that is the problem, is it not?" Viktor said. "In spite of everything, you cannot let go of him."
"That's not fair," Hermione said.
"It is fair, because it is true. You should go."
"What?"
"Go home. You do not want to be here, and I cannot look at you right now."
"What are you saying?"
"I am saying you need to leave. Go home."
"What are you talking about? This is my home." Hermione said, pushing down the anxiety that was threatening to make her hysterical. "This is my life."
"No, it is not. Whatever goes on at the Ministry, that is your life. That is where your mind is." He looked around the flat. "And this, I do not know what this is for you, but I am tired of waiting for you to figure it out."
"Are you serious? Over testing a charm?" She couldn't believe this was happening.
"He was in this flat tonight," Viktor said grimly.
"Because he was invited, and not by me."
"And why do you think he came?"
Hermione shook her head. "I have no idea. Curiosity probably."
Viktor frowned at her.
"What? I told him to leave."
Viktor shook his head. "Exactly."
The entire conversation had gotten away from her, and she was completely lost. "I don't understand. Why is that bad?"
Viktor sighed. "Go home. I am done with this conversation." He turned and walked back to the bedroom.
"I don't understand what I did that was so wrong." she cried at his retreating back.
He didn't respond, so she Disapparated.
