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She was sitting in the library, Hermione trying to read her text book, her eyes glancing over to the corner of the room where none other than Viktor Krum sat, chewing on the end of his quill. He looked up and caught her eye, immediatley she looked away and blushed. She chanced looking back up once more, and he was still staring.
Do I have something on my face?
Confusion, excitement and a strange feeling of guilt overcame her as she looked back up. However this time, he was studying his notes, unaware of her watching him. Don't be so silly Hermione! A famous quidditch star isnt going to be interested in you, how absurd to even think it!
She got up, shuffling her papers around, gathering her books and her bag, and swung it over her shoulder, trying to walk past him without any suspicion, gracefully, one might say. All was going well until a loud crack rippled through the silence. She stumbled, tripping over one of her books that had fell out of her broken bag. The corner had split, and all of her items had rolled out across the shiny marble floor, scattering under chairs. Hermione huffed, placing her History of Magic text book on the nearest bench, and feeling embarrassed and frustrated, went about gathering up her things.
She was currently on her hands and knees, fishing out one of her quills from under an old book shelf, when she heard a cough. If it was even possible, her face turned more and more puce, dreading to think of what the person was looking down at. She grabbed her quill and stood up, trying to conceal her embarrasment, to be looking into the face of Viktor Krum.
"Oh!" Hermione said, surprised "Hello"
"You dropped zis Herm-o-ninny" he held out a pink hair brush, thanks God she had gotten the twists of hair out of it the previous day.
"Oh, thankyou, my bag, not the best of sorts, the amount of times I've had to reparo it" she mumbled, taking the hair brush of of Viktor Krum, and pointing her wand at her bag, muttered the incantation for what had to be the third time that month.
"Perhaps a stvonger bag? Or less books?" he chuckled.
"A stronger bag it is" Hermione said smiling. He raised his eye- brows as she placed her hair brush back in her bag, picked up her History of Magic book , and was ready to bade him goodbye.
"You have nice hair, Herm-o-ninny, did you know?"
Hermione froze, not knowing what to say. She looked up at Viktor, who was looking at her with curiosity. No one had ever called her hair nice before. People tended to avoid the topic of her hair in general, including herself.
"I- well- thankyou" she said, nodding.
"I vas vandering, Herm-o- ninny, if you vud like to accompany me to ze Yule Ball. I cannot seen to find anyvon suitable. In fact I haf been vatching you for a vile now, I hope u do not mind, and I vud like to get to know you even more"
Hermione's heart beat quite quick, her grip on her bag slackening. Her mouth went dry and her hands perspired.
You have nice hair Herm-o-ninny, did you know?
You've got dirt on your nose by the way, did you know?
Fear bubbled in her stomach. Why should it matter what Harry and ... Ron think ? Here he is, an older, suitable, gorgeous looking gentleman asking me politely to attend the ball with him. Should I say yes? I have no reason not to. I dont see boys lining up to ask me like they are with Fleur Delacour. Why was Krum asking me anyway? Was this some sort of joke? She looked around the library, determined to see some giggling girls or Dumstrang boys hiding, watching in the corner, but there was no-one, just them.
"Why?" Hermione said
Viktor looked taken aback, he obviously didnt expect to be questioned on his motives.
"Vell, because I vud like to attend vith you. I find you interesting, and very pretty. It would be an honour to have your arm linked in mine for von night"
Well, Hermione didnt expect this at all. Viktor was very sweet, and an honourable gentleman, but the truth was, they were the right words, they were just coming from the wrong person.
"Um... I know this is awefully rude of me, and I am very flattered, and grateful that you asked me, but would I be able to have some time to , think it over?" Hermione asked.
Viktor nodded, happily "Yes! Yes, of course, we haf a week until ze ball, please, take some time. You know vere to find me if you have an answer" he smiled, and went and sat back down, once again emmersed in his work.
Hermione walked out of the library, both hapiness and doubts niggling in her mind.
...
"...So then, anyway, Seamus nearly drowned, and its his own fault really, I mean, who willingly goes near the giant squid, that's a death sentence that is!" Ron told the people listening, while Seamus sulked on the arm chair near the fire.
Hermione walked over and sat down next to Harry, catchin a chocolate frog Ron threw at her. Her insides flipped, but her mind told her to stop being foolish.
"So, have any of you got date's for the Yule Ball yet?" Seamus said.
Hermione blushed, still mulling over what Viktor had said, but secretly hoping someone else would ask her.
"Nope" Ron said "Did you know Harry asked Cho Chang today? Yeah, she's already going with someone though, poor bloke"
"That's a shame, he's liked her for a while as well" Hermione said. Ron looked surprised.
"Has he?"
"Of course, don't you see the way he looks at her, its fairly obvious".
Ron shrugged.
"Hermione?" Seamus said.
"Yes?" hoping he wasnt going to do what she thought he would. She couldnt handle two in one day.
"I was sorta hopin..."
She looked up.
"Your in the same dorm as Lavender aren't you?"
Hermione felt a sense of relief, and smiled.
"I'll ask her before I go to bed tonight"
"Thanks Hermione, you've got a great friend there Ron" said Seamus. They head a ruckus from the corner, Fred and George no doubt, and wandering what it was, Seamus wandered over.
Now it was just her, Ron and Neville.
Neville seemed to be struggling, opening his mouth and then closing it again. Hermione was about to ask what was wrong when he said-
"Ron?"
"Huh?" Ron looked up from his Chudley Cannon magazine, half way through eating a chocolate frog and looking up at Neville expectantly.
"This Yule Ball thing..."
"Yeah?"
"I'm thinking of asking ...erm" Neville gulped "Ginny" he whispered.
"Oh Neville, thats wonderful," Hermione said "Ginny would really like that, she wont get to go otherwise"
Ron scratched the back of his neck, and put his magazine down on the table in front of him.
"Oh..." he said.
"I suppose I was the right thing to do. Ask you first I mean"
"Well, no offense Neville, but I dont really wanna go with you" Ron smiled
Neville laughed "So, it's okay then"
"Yeah, yeah, sure it is. We dont have to do the whole, be good to my sister routine do we?"
Neville laughed and shook his head. Hermione was looking at Ron in wander.
"Well, I think Harry's going with Cho Chang, and I'm with Ginny, Seamus and Lavender, so why don't you two go together and then everyone's sorted?"
Silence. Just Silence.
"What!" Ron laughed "That's insane!" Neville laughed along with him, clearly oblivious to the shattering that was Hermione's heart. Who cares anyway? He's just my best friend, why do I care what he thinks?
"I'm already going with someone" Hermione said. Well, it was partly true, and she wasnt going to sit there whilst they laughed at the thought of Hermione as a date. Fury bubbled inside her, how dare they laugh at me. So, the mere thought of me accompanying them to the ball is laughable, humorous, insane!
"What?" Ron stopped laughing. Neville got up, saying something about going to find Ginny, and looked at her. "Who?"
"No one you know" Hermione said, flipping open her book.
"Oh come off it! Everyone knows everyone in this school Hermione"
"Well, its a surprise"
Ron went to open his mouth, but decided against it. He suddenly felt something in his stomach, a deep, guilty feeling. But why ? Its just Hermione, shes going with someone, so why should I care? He also felt something else, regret. Anger bubbled, and he had to say something, to get a reaction, anything!
"Well, I'm going to find Harry, cheer him up, and then were going to find a pair of gorgeous girls and take them to the ball" Ron said angrily
"The balls not till next week" she retorted
"You know what I mean, we're going to ask them. And then, on Christmas day, we can meet this"he lifted his fingers in quotation marks" 'date' "of yours" he said moodily
"You do that", Hermione said just as cross.
Ron stormed out of the common room, determined to find Harry.
...
Knock. Knock. Knock
The huge wooden doors opened, and there stood a man in a fine suite and wearing a smile.
"May I help you miss" he souded bored, as though he'd done this a hundred times before, and seeing as Viktor Krum was on the ship, he probably had.
"I'm looking for Viktor Krum"
"Im afraid he's busy at the moment, may I take a message?" he said
"Well, alright, I suppose so. Tell him the answers yes, to what he asked me earlier in the "
The man stood, looking surprised as Hermione walked back up the dock. I suppose he thought I was just one of his silly fan girls here to catch a glimpse of him.
Her thoughts wandered back up to Ron , probably now having gained himself a date the foolish boy. Her heart stopped as she briskly walked up the steps to the castle. If Ron would have asked her right in that moment, as Neville had suggested, to go to the Ball, there was no doubt in her mind that she would have said yes. One thought concerning Ron clouded her head as the big iron doors swung open.
Im in love with you
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