Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; all the characters that you recognise here belong to J.K Rowling and her wonderful mind; only the plot is mine…

Chapter 6

Hermione felt utterly confused. She did not know what was the matter with her. Sitting on the leather sofa in Krum's room she mulled over her situation. She was in Bulgaria, visiting a man who was obviously besotted by her and yet she couldn't get Harry out of mind. The kiss she had shared with Viktor the previous evening was still fresh in her mind and yet she could not work out if she had enjoyed it or merely taken advantage of the man's affections.

If all she had done was take advantage what did that mean? Was she a heartless cruel person who enjoyed leading other men on? Or was it that she had dropped her guard and just gone along with Krum's advances. It was infuriating! Harry, who knew nothing of Hermione's true feeling for him was like a spectre in her mind. As she allowed these thoughts to swirl around in her mind, Krum emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a towel and looking a little put out.

Hermione rose from the sofa. "I'm just going back to my room for a few minutes, I need to change my shoes", she said to him as she moved towards the door and unlocked it. This of course was a lie but she did not want to be around while he got dressed. It made her a little uncomfortable to think of him naked around her.

As she walked back into the large corridor outside Viktor's room, she heard the minister and Krum's father still discussing the merits of the position he had been recently offered at Durmstrang. Evidently, they had not reached a decision yet. Hermione entered her bedroom and shut the door quietly behind her. She pulled the menu book she had been given out of her back pocked and placed it on the desk in the room. Moving towards the wardrobe where her things had been unpacked, she pulled out a small wooden box from one of the shelves. Moving back to the desk she placed the box on the table and sat down in front of it. Withdrawing a piece of parchment and a quill from inside, she sat down and scribbled a quick note to her parents.

Dear Mum & Dad,

I got in safely last night so please stop worrying! The manor is beautiful and quite large. Mum, you would love the view from my room! It looks over the western side of the grounds and the river that flows through the estate. Weather's alright, bit chilly in the evenings but so far so good.

Hope you are well and having fun in France. Miss you both and will write again soon!

All my Love,

Hermione

She sealed the letter and addressed it to her parents. Pulling out another piece of parchment she dipped her quill in ink once more and began a second letter to Harry and Ron.

Dear Boys,

Ok, please don't be upset but I am sorry I will not be able to make it to the burrow until the end of the month. I am in Bulgaria visiting Viktor Krum for a while. He asked me to stay at the end of last term and I thought I would take him up on his offer. I have never been to Bulgaria before & I thought it would be a nice opportunity to see the country.

Ron, before you get all agitated, I PROMISE I will come visit this summer so there's no use trying to persuade me to come back any sooner than I have already planned to.

Harry, I will be back in time for your birthday so there is no excuse for you to get grumpy with me either!

I miss you both and I hope that you are staying out of trouble! The last thing we need is for one of you to be expelled from Hogwarts! Give my love to Ginny and take care. I will try to write again before I leave.

Love,

Hermione

Sealing the second envelope, she addressed it both Ron and Harry. Wondering where she was going to get an owl from to send her letters she replaced her quill in the wooden box and put it back inside the wardrobe. As she shut the doors a tapping sound from the window made her look round to see perched on the windowsill outside her room, two tawny coloured screech owls looking expectantly at her. Amazed at the coincidence she opened the window slightly to allow the owls to enter. She looked over at her two letters and then back at the owls now sitting on the back of the desk chair.

Shrugging her shoulders, she tied a letter to each of the owl's legs and instructed them to deliver the letters to England. Not sure exactly how long it would take the letters to reach the addressees she hoped that the flight would not be too taxing on the birds. As they soared out of the open window, she watched them until they became specks on the horizon and a knock on the door made her turn. Krum was standing, fully dressed, in her doorway.

"Shall ve go?" he asked pointing a thumb over his shoulder. "I thought, maybe you vould like to see the grounds before lunch", he continued looking apprehensive.

"Of course! That would be lovely Viktor", replied Hermione with a smile.

They walked out of the room and made their way down the corridor to the stairs. Though he said nothing to her, Hermione could tell that he was slightly annoyed with her and the tension between them was very noticeable. She had rejected his advances without saying a word and he had taken it hard. No one had ever refused him before and the feeling was an unpleasant blow to his pride. They made their way into the gardens and Krum began explaining to Hermione the various aspects of the grounds and their respective histories.

She was however, only half listening. Once again, her mind had drifted to Harry and she found herself imagining sitting at the table in 'The Burrow' with Harry and the Weasley family.

The morning passed quickly; during their walk, she had not said more than two words through Krum's monologue of explanation and description and before she knew it a house-elf had appeared at Viktor's side announcing something in Bulgarian and then disapparating.

When the elf had gone, Krum turned to her and said, "Lunch is served".

As they made their way back to the castle Krum slouched his shoulders forward and asked Hermione, "Are you happy to be here?"

Realising she had seemed distant ad preoccupied all morning she looked at him and said, "Of course! It is beautiful here Viktor and your parents are very kind and wonderful people."

Seemingly satisfied by her response, Krum continued to lead Hermione up towards the house.

Lunch passed without incident; Hermione made polite conversation with Krum's parents and as they discussed the difference in educational regimen between Hogwarts and Durmstrang, Hermione discovered how very different the two schools actually were. While Hogwarts provided a very rounded and balanced curriculum to its students, Durmstrang was mainly focused on physical activities like sports and the use of practical spells. Hermione discovered that unlike Hogwarts, where teachers instructed a class through theory and then led them in the practical applications of it, Durmstrang combined the two from the beginning. Students were expected to pick up the theoretical aspects by performing the magic as they went along.

After lunch, Krum took Hermione to the gentle flowing river where they spent their afternoons engaged in various water sports and boat rides. The water was surprisingly cool thought Hermione as she lazily dragged her hand alongside the steadily moving rowboat Krum was operating. The weather was perfect and as the sun beat down upon them, the water provided constant refreshment as well as an aesthetically pleasing sight.

Afternoon soon faded to twilight and as Krum moored the boat Hermione looked over at him. They had not said much to each other all day and Hermione suspected that this was because he was still upset about her unresponsive reaction to his advances earlier that day. The silence had not however been uncomfortable but peaceful and appropriate. It had given her time to think things through and she had made some decisions during the time she spent on the water.

The feelings that she had for Harry, when compared to those she thought she might have for Krum, were far stronger. By no means unattractive, Krum just wasn't her type. He was too moody and introverted. Making conversation was difficult with Krum because, she soon realised, there were not many things they both had in common but with Harry words seemed to flow as naturally as water. Despite his shortcomings as a conversationalist, Krum had shown a depth of knowledge when Hermione broached the subject of literature. For a professional athlete, Viktor was well read and seemed to be almost as passionate about books as she was. Hermione soon discovered why.

As they made their way back up to the castle Hermione wondered what the evening held in store for her. As if he could read her mind (which she sincerely hoped he couldn't) Krum spoke, "I thought maybe ve could spend the evening in the library? I like to read ven the light outside is no more."

The thought of spending the evening in a library sounded like paradise to Hermione and she agreed enthusiastically. As they walked up the stone steps towards the front door, she wondered what kind of literature the Krums would have in their library and she hoped that there would be some books in English. Her hopes seemed in vain; when they entered the grand room that was the library, Hermione gasped with delight. The entire room that was easily twice the size of the Hogwarts library was covered from ceiling to floor in books. Tens of thousands of spines glittered at her by the light of just as many candles and a roaring fire was going in the fireplace to one side. Even the fireplace was by far the largest she had ever seen, it was the length of one entire wall and it looked big enough to hold an entire tree trunk.

Viktor looked at her and smiled warmly, "I knew you vould like this. Krum Manor haff the largest library in the country; my family haff been collecting books for hundreds of generations and some of these titles remain in existence only here. They are one of a kind."

Despite this information, Hermione was amazed. She could not believe that this treasure trove of knowledge had been here all along and realised now why Krum seemed to have read so much about so many subjects. She took a tentative step forward and then looked at him almost asking for permission. After a quick nod of approval from Krum, she walked over to the nearest shelf and began to run her fingers along the spines, reading the titles as she went along. Pulling on off the shelf, she held it in her hands, feeling the weight of its moleskin cover and vellum pages with an almost reverent expression on her face. Krum approached her and motioned towards one of the several collections of armchairs that were scattered along the length of the fireplace.

"You can read here if you like. Ve eat supper in the study ven ve are alone", he added pointing to a door that led off the library. "I alvays sit here in the evenings to read. I find it very…peaceful."

She studied his face and saw her passion for the books that surrounded them reflected in Krum's eyes. Settling herself in the armchair closest to the fire, she opened the book she had picked up and began to read. Out of the corner of her eye she sae Krum mimic her actions as he removed a book from on top of the mantelpiece. He sat down opposite her and removed his shoes. Crossing his legs under him, he settled himself and opened his book.

Hours passed in silence with only the sound of turning pages to mark the passage of time. All to soon for Hermione's liking a voice behind her indicated that supper was served. Marking her place, Hermione closed the book, put it on the mantelpiece next to Krum's and followed him into the study.

Unlike the rest of the house, this room was small by comparison. The walls were panelled with wood but the floor was carpeted. Although long, the room was not very wide. At one end Hermione saw more arm chairs and another glorious roaring fireplace. Helga Krum was sitting in one of these chairs reading what looked like an evening edition of the local newspaper. Along from the fireplace sat an ornately carved desk with matching high backed chair. She presumed this was where Ivan Krum handled his day-to-day business as he currently occupied the chair and was smoking a long deep potted pipe evidently lost deep in thought. The other side of the wall bore framed photographs and pieces of paper and in the centre of the room sat a rectangular table with six chairs surrounding it which was where supper had been laid out.

When Hermione and Krum entered the room, Ivan stood up and placed his pipe on the table. The pungent smoke that tickled Hermione's nose reminded her of evenings spent sitting in a very similar (if not so large) study with her late grandfather of whom she had been very fond of.

"Come, come! Please do sit down", said Ivan graciously as his wife folded her paper and moved towards the table. "Forgive the humbleness of our supper ritual my dear, but we find supper is best enjoyed in a cosier atmosphere", continued Ivan in anything but a humble tone.

"Please Ivan", said Hermione feeling herself blush. "This is truly perfect!"

As the four of them sat down for supper, Helga Krum inquired after their day's activities. Upon hearing the full account of what her son and his guest had been up to during that day, she proceeded to make recommendations for their following excursions into the estate's vast grounds. Conversation proceeded from there on a jovial note and after they had finished eating, mint tea was served to them by the warmth of the fire.

After a while, Hermione felt her eyelids begin to droop and she made to excuse herself. Krum got up with her and offered to escort her to her room. She accepted and bid his parents goodnight. As they left the room Hermione was amazed by how tired she felt. Again, as if he was reading her mind Krum spoke.

"The country air has exhausted you I think. You vill sleep vell tonight, I am sure of it."

She laughed and replied, "I cannot believe how refreshed I feel. It has been so long since I last relaxed like this. You are very lucky to have such an enchanting home Viktor."

He did not say anything else as they ascended the stairs and walked down the corridor that led to Hermione's and his rooms. When they reached the door of the guest room Hermione was occupying, Krum caught hold of her arm before she could open the door. Slowly turning her to face him, he cupped the side of her face with his hand and kissed her lightly on the lips. That same sensation of tingling heat, which had flooded her on the broomstick coursed through Hermione once more as she felt a spasm move down her spine. Krum pulled away and stared into her eyes.

"Goodnight. Sleep vell", and without another word he turned and walked towards his own room.

Hermione opened the door and stepped inside. Closing the door behind her, she leaned back against it and slid to the floor resting her forehead on her knees. Breathing hard, she felt that familiar haze of confusion settle over her as she viciously questioned her own reaction to the kiss. Did she have feelings for Krum? What about Harry, was she betraying her feelings for him by kissing Viktor?

Questions and doubt filled her mind as she stood up and headed towards the bathroom to get ready for bed.