Lavender and Parvati seem to have taken an interest in befriending Hermione, much to the witch's chagrin, and she's certain that it's got nothing to do with her often-praised merits. It was during her nightly reading session when the curtains of her bed were pulled apart to reveal her two pajama-clad, grinning roommates. They sat on either side of her uninvited and started talking about things she didn't really care about.
So much for light reading before bedtime, she thought with a sigh. She closed Puppy Training: An Essential Guide over her bookmark. The incessant chatter on either side of her ceased.
"Well?" she asked, a little impatiently when they remained quiet and uncertain. "Out with it. What do you want to know?"
"About what, Hermy?" asked Lavender innocently.
"It's Hermione!" she snapped. "And you know very well why we're all sitting here. Whatever it is you want to know about Viktor you might as well ask him yourselves because I probably don't know and never want to anyway."
"Ooh, they're on first name basis already!" squealed Lavender, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Lav!" hissed Parvati, looking anxious but then quickly donning a smile when Hermione whipped around to face her. "Er, what she means is – since we're on the subject of boys, anyway," here her 'mask' slipped as she and Lavender locked eyes and giggled, "well I mean it might come as a surprise to you but Lav and I haven't really snogged any of the boys."
"Shocking," muttered Hermione.
"Our options are very limited, if you think about," said Lavender, oblivious to Hermione's sarcastic undertone. "All the good cute ones are taken–"
"Or gay!" added Parvati.
"–and the remaining ones are stupid. How are we supposed to choose, and for it to be out first kiss!" She placed her hand over her heart, looking horrified with the idea.
"Does it really matter?" asked Hermione. "It's supposed to be messy and awkward anyway, so why bother?"
They exchanged looks. Parvati slumped, an astonished look on her face. "Huh. Who would've known that Viktor Krum is a messy, awkward kisser."
"He's not!" she said quickly in his defense, then blushed when both girls erupted into excited giggles. "I– I wouldn't know that, of course!"
"It's alright, Hermione, you can tell us!" said Lavender, grasping one of her hands in both of hers and looking earnestly up at her. "We're just curious."
"And we won't tell anyone, promise!" Parvati chimed in. "We know how hard it is to date a celebrity–"
"We are not dating!"
"–especially one like Viktor Krum who has got to have the most annoying, inconsiderate fangirls."
"You tell me," Hermione snorted, remembering all the nasty stares and comments thrown her way as well as the petty notes left on her usual desk in the library.
"So you'll tell us?" asked Lavender, so excited with the prospect that she could hardly sit still.
"Tell you what?" asked Hermione, looking between the two friends.
Parvati rolled her eyes, as if the request at hand was so painfully obvious that it didn't need to be voiced. "What's it like, Hermione! What did you do?"
She frowned. What are they on about now?
"Oh, yes! How did you know when to close your eyes?" asked Lavender.
"What did you do with your hands?" asked Parvati.
"What did he do with his hands?"
"Did he use his tongue?"
"Did you gag?"
"What did you do afterwards?"
"Good question, Parvati! Was it awkward?"
Hermione scrambled away from the duo and positioned herself in front of them, feeling dizzy from their interrogation and from turning her head towards the direction of every question fired.
"Stop!" she said, holding up her hands when she saw that they were about to ask her more questions. She relaxed when they closed their mouths and stared back at her expectantly. "Alright. Urm, thank you. Now from the top. What on Earth are you two trying to ask me?"
"If you've snogged Krum already, silly girl!" said Lavender with a giggle.
"And what's it like," added Parvati excitedly. "I mean he's Viktor Krum, it must've been phenomenal!"
Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her roommate's choice of words. "Whatever it is I wouldn't know because, as I've said countless of times already, Viktor and I are not dating therefore we did not kiss."
"Ooh, but you thought of it!" gushed Lavender. "You have, haven't you, you little minx?"
"Little– little minx?" Hermione sputtered, feeling her face heating up either at the casual way in which Lavender said it or at the actual thought of kissing Viktor.
Parvati gasped, placing her hands on her cheeks and giving Hermione the look of an awed, proud parent. "Aw Hermione, you're blushing!"
"I– I am not!" she sprung to her feet, very much aware of the condition of her face as she held the curtain of her four-poster bed with one hand and gestured with the other for them to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me I've got classes in the morning and I would like to be awake throughout each and every one of them, as should you two rather than wasting your nights tittering away about boys and celebrities."
"She's back!" Lavender sang contemptuously under her breath.
Parvati followed her friend off Hermione's bed and towards her own. "Alright, alright, Granger, we'll leave you alone. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," mumbled Hermione to their now closed curtains, feeling small and pathetic all of a sudden. It didn't occur to her that until now that Lavender and Parvati have rarely, if ever, called her by her first name. They've barely acknowledged her before, and the few times they did it was always to tease her about her hair or wardrobe.
It also didn't occur to her that they were trying to ask her for advice on kissing. Granted she's as inexperienced as they were but for a tiny moment she felt like she was a part of a girls' group, and she'd face a hundred trolls before admitting it out loud but it felt… nice. She's never had girl friends to have proper girl talks with. Ginny has always been her best and closest girl friend, but she was younger than her and the only problems she came to her for were school related. They talked about boys a few times, mostly to complain about the oblivious ones they knew, but never once did Ginny come to Hermione for help with Harry and Hermione was barely coming to terms with her growing feelings for Ron and she was still too mortified with the idea of confiding in his little sister of all people. She was only open about her problems with Viktor because she was desperate for a way out.
She placed her book on the nightstand and fully closed the heavy red curtains around her. For the remainder of the night she had no appetite for words.
The morning classes were cancelled. Hermione wasn't feeling particularly willing to spend an hour listening to Harry's sympathies, Ron's nagging, Ginny's snark, or the twins' jokes so she skipped breakfast and went straight to the library. Dumbledore had announced that each house will have a meeting with its head, hence the cancelation of the morning classes, so she thought she'd read a little to ease her mind.
Viktor, it appears, wasn't feeling very hungry either. He slid into the chair facing hers.
"I did not see you at breakfast, so I come find you. Why are you not eating?" he asked, more pleading than scolding. "You must eat something, Hermione, you will be dizzy later."
She grit her teeth, grabbed the first book in sight, and opened a random page. How to Handle a Puppy's Excessive Attention-Seeking Behavior, the chapter read. Below the title was an image of a puppy hoping onto the lap of a woman reading a book, startling her and prompting her to drop her book on the ground.
How fitting, thought Hermione with a scoff, then froze. An idea formed in her mind.
"Is not good," he continued. "Once I do the same. I don't eat, and then in practice I fall from broom. I did not die, but I broke my leg. Coach was very angry, also teammates were not happy."
She flipped through the page, pretending that she's not seeing him or hearing him at all.
"Now I always eat, because coach he is saying next time I fall from broom he will kill me. Is stupid threat, because if I'm flying high and I fall I die, no? But is ok, I will never die because I am strong."
She took out her planner and pretended to write down important dates in the small calendar at the back.
"You think I am strong, yes?" he asked, flashing her a grin then frowning when he finally noticed her lack of attention. "…Hermione? You are listening to me?"
She continued jotting down random notes without sparing him a glace. He was about to snatch her planner out of her hands when she leaned back in time and out of his reach.
"Hey, why you ignore me?" he made another sweep for her journal. She miraculously managed to keep it out his reach a second time, biting down hard on her lips to prevent herself from grinning. "Are you angry with me?" he asked in alarm. "Why, what I do? Is it boy with red hair telling you things? He is lying!"
Ron, she almost corrected him.
"Ok, you tell me why you are angry with me and I swear I will make things better," he pleaded. He waited a heartbeat. She didn't even flinch. "Is not fair, Hermione! How do you want me to make things better if I don't know what I do or what boy with red hair is saying?" something flashed across his features. He grinned. "If you don't tell me I will not be sad. If you don't talk to me I will take off my clothes and all the girls here will fall in love with me. Then what will you do?"
It took all of her will power to not drop everything in her hands and admonish him for merely thinking of behaving indecently in the middle of her precious library. She had to remind herself that he was only trying to rile her up to get a reaction out of her, and her scolding him or attempting to stop him would be giving him the attention he wants. Hermione has lost several things since the disastrous World Cup, such as her privacy and dignity, but this battle she absolutely refuses to lose. If she's going to be stuck in this situation for some time then damn it all she will have some control!
She yawned and buried herself even deeper in her book.
"Oh, you think I joke?" he grabbed the hems of his shirt.
Negative attention is still attention, she reminded herself. The book had told her that Viktor– er, the puppy would still see victory in that. She must not give in.
"Last chance, Hermione," he taunted, lifting the shirt over his stomach. "I will be kidnapped by crazy girls. You will lose me forever."
Your threat is horribly misplaced, she thought, then glanced at his exposed stomach and quickly covered the sight by lifting her book higher. He appeared so tall and skinny that she didn't expect him to have an… appealing stomach. Not particularly muscular, but not exactly hallow-looking either. It was somewhere in between, taut and strong despite the sallow skin, just the way she likes it.
"Mr. Krum, what do you think you're doing?" hissed Madam Pince, poking her head from the shelves and making Viktor jump and quickly pull down his shirt. Hermione nearly sighed in relief.
"I– nothing," he stammered, flushing.
"Are you bothering Miss Granger?" she demanded, coming to stand by their desk.
Hermione chose then to look up from her book, but still she kept her eyes away from Viktor and towards the very cross-looking librarian. "Not at all, Madam Pince. He was only showing me a scar from an injury I was asking about it."
"Well there's a time and place for such conversations! Knowing you Miss Granger you probably weren't expecting a show either," she turned her glare back to Viktor. "Next time I see such crude behavior I will have you permanently removed from the library. Understood?"
He nodded meekly, then openly glared at her back when she turned around and walked away from them.
"You know that I am only nice to her because I want to be here with you, yes? Otherwise I show evil old lady who is boss," he said, then sighed when he saw that Hermione had gone back to her previous task of ignoring him.
He stared at her with a deep, thoughtful look on his face as his fingers drummed the smooth surface of the desk. He looked at the neat stack of books next to her, a slow smile spreading across his face. He moved his hand towards the stack and placed it on the side. Hermione's itched to slap it away, knowing his intention, but she stood her ground. Only a little longer…
He pushed the stack over the edge of the desk. The books fell with several loud thuds. She saw Viktor smirking triumphantly at her from the corner of her eyes, expecting her to lash out at him any moment now for knocking down her books, and she nearly did but then she took a deep breath and turned to another page. Slowly the smile melted off his face. He then sighed, defeated. He got up from his chair, collected her books from the ground and placed them back on her desk in their original neat stack. He returned to his place and watched her for a while longer, fretful and anxious of her mysterious behavior, before grabbing a book from her stack and opening it to a random page in an attempt to distract himself.
She gave him a moment, then looked up at him. He was too busy reading to notice and he no longer looked anxious but he still had a deep frown on his face. She closed her book with a smile. "Thank you, Viktor."
He looked up at her, startled, then smiled knowingly. "You are welcome."
They continued reading in silence for the rest of the hour. Hermione was contemplating starting a draft for her Runes essay when Lavender, Parvati, and a small group of their giggling, whispering friends approached them. For some reason Hermione felt nervous, despite Parvati's friendly smile.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt," greeted Parvati, taking the empty seat next to Hermione. "Have you got a minute?"
"That's alright," said Hermione, glancing at Lavender grinning encouragingly at her from behind Parvati. "What is it?"
"The girls and I are going to Muggle London this weekend for some fun- my mum's treat. Sorry, Viktor. Girls' night. No boys!" she wagged her finger at his beaming face. He pouted. "Anyway, Hermione, I was wondering if you'd like to join us? We've got permission from McGonagall. I don't think she'd mind if we add one more person to the list."
"Oh," she breathed, shocked with the offer yet extremely flattered. Her eleven-year-old self would've definitely rejoiced and jumped at the invitation, but present-day Hermione was a little suspicious of their intentions. Still, a weekend in London with potential new girl friends sounded like a lot of fun…
A high-pitched squeal followed by collective giggles disrupted her train of thought. She saw three of Lavender and Parvati's friends gushing unintelligibly over a very uncomfortable looking Viktor.
A blue-eyed brunette managed to form a coherent sentence. She stuck her hand out at Viktor. "I'm Grang– Hermione's friend, Sally-Mae!"
He got up on his feet and bowed. "Viktor Krum." He looked at her hand hanging limply by his face, then took it in his hand and kissed it.
The girls shrieked, the ear-splitting sound echoing in the mostly empty library. Hermione's fingers coiled tightly around her quill, her mood soured and her hopes crushed to dust. So that's why they invited her, because they still somehow believed that she's dating a Quidditch superstar. They obviously wouldn't spare her or her weekends a second thought under normal circumstance. They would've been her good friends a long time ago if they did.
And was it really necessary for him to kiss her hand? It's not like the slags knew that he was raised to respond that way to such gestures!
Lavender spun around to face her friends, mortified and livid with their behavior. "He's taken!" she hissed, quickly ushering them away from Viktor. "We talked about this, Sally-Mae. You promised you wouldn't embarrass us! Now I have half a mind to convince Parvati to remove you from this trip."
The girl called Sally-Mae fell into a chant of apologies and half-baked excuses while the other two girls hung behind her in shame. Lavender merely rolled her eyes at the pathetic sight, though Hermione could've sworn she saw a satisfied glint in her eyes.
"So what do you say?" asked Parvati, drawing her attention back to their subject. "Shall I ask McGonagall to add your name to the list?"
"No, thank you," said Hermione coldly. "I've already made plans this weekend."
"Oh. I see." Parvati looked dismayed with the answer. "Maybe next time, then."
"Maybe," Hermione replied dismissively, shuffling her books around. "Will that be all?"
Even Viktor looked surprised with her frosty conduct. He raised his eyebrows at her. Parvati merely exchanged confused looks with Lavender, who shrugged in response. She then wordlessly got up and rushed to join her friends towards the exist, occasionally looking over her shoulders at Hermione.
Hermione got up to return her books when she was sure that they were out of the library. Viktor followed her.
"You don't want to go to London?" he asked, grabbing the book from her hand and sliding it back in its place at the top shelf she was struggling to reach.
"Thanks," she muttered. She got on her knees to return another book to the lower shelves.
"You did not answer my question," he noted.
She got back up with a sigh. "No, Viktor, I obviously don't want to go to London."
"You were going to say Yes. I can tell. What happened?"
She shoved a book into its place a little too aggressively. "Nothing. I had a change of heart."
"Why? You should go. It could be fun."
"I don't care."
Her grabbed the last book from her hand and returned it to its place. "Hermione, you work too hard. Is not healthy. You need to have a break sometimes."
"Thanks, Mum," she grumbled, pushing past him. "Now if you're done nagging, I've got more reading to catch up on."
She wandered into the history section and started sifting through the rather generous, dusty selection. It didn't take long for Viktor to find her.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, I don't mean to annoy you," he said, making her look up from her book at him. "I only want you to have fun. The girls, they look nice."
She narrowed her eyes then closed the book with a snap. "Oh, you'd think that wouldn't you, Mr. Indecent Exposure?"
"What is meaning of…" he frowned, straining to remember her words, "… what you said?"
She sighed. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. I simply don't want to go with those girls. Let's just please leave it at that."
She slipped past him before he could say anything. He continued following her, silent and contemplative as she looked through more books to add to her reading.
"Hermione," he began, a hint of amusement in his tone, "are you jealous?"
"Jealous of what, Viktor?" she asked, too distracted with a random discovery to fully take in the nature of his question. House Elves and Self-Hatred. She grabbed the book without a second thought. This Veela dilemma aside, she hasn't completely forgotten about her mission to free those poor elves.
"Of me kissing that girl's hand," he said. "You know I am only doing it because I have to. I don't like her, or anyone else. I only like you."
She rolled her eyes, annoyed that he brought up the incident again just as she was about to forget it and focus on more important things like mistreated, misrepresented creatures. "You can kiss any girl you want, Viktor, I don't care."
She really, really, really doesn't.
He paused, contemplating her words. He smiled, then bent down and kissed her cheek. She gasped, feeling the heat rush to her face and her two books slipping from her grasp. Her hand flew to her face to touch the tingling spot he kissed, just above her jawline, expecting to find something unusual there. The only thing her fingers caught was the warmth spreading from the blood rushing underneath her skin.
Viktor bent to retrieve her books, grinning. "What? You said I can kiss any girl I want."
She gingerly took the books from his hands, at a loss for words. Don't lose your head just yet, Hermione! She chided herself. He's not himself. He wouldn't even notice you if it weren't for this whole Veela curse, just like Lavender and Parvati wouldn't want to be your friends under different circumstances.
"I have to go," she blurted, rushing to their desk to collect her things. "I have to… we have to see our head of house, for something. Professor McGonagall is waiting for us– me. I'm assuming everyone's already there, which is why I should hurry. I hate being late."
He nodded, unfazed by her rather embarrassing babble. "I will be here."
She left the library wishing that she hadn't skipped breakfast after all. She was scared again and this time also a little sad for reasons she couldn't exactly pinpoint. One thing she knew for certain is that she needs to figure out a solution for this mess and fast.
A/N: I'm sorry if the chapter was a little boring! There shall be more shenanigans and madness in the following two chapters- I can promise you this much! After all it wouldn't be a ball without drama, hilarity, fluff, and a few broken hearts...