V18.2

Introductions

Giant hedges were in the middle of the quidditch pitch, marring the beauty of something that had been perfectly fine just a few months ago. Even though it wasn't my quidditch pitch, it still tore my heart to the point that it was almost as bad as the NASCAR race that the General had held in the AAM's quidditch/quodpot field. I still could see my beautiful grass torn up by that asphalt and the tire tracks that the winner had left after doing donuts in the middle of the field.

The last three months had flown by. May was fast approaching. A weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, off of my heart. I'd been doing well in all of my classes besides Arithmancy and Astronomy, I'd been doing better in my training, and the other day, I'd gotten a complement that I had been losing weight. My father was safe and doing financial work in Egypt and I knew that he had big buff Marines surrounding him at all times. He carried so much money that he had a protection detail. It was silly to think that he was in any danger.

"What've they done to it?" I heard Cedric ask indignantly, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"They're hedges!" Harry exclaimed, bending down to examine the nearest one. Special hedges, though, Harry.

"Hello there!" I heard a cheery voice call, and I looked over to see Ludo Bagman standing in the middle of the field with Viktor and Fleur. The three of us made our way towards them, climbing over the low hedges which I knew weren't done growing. A small weight started to appear in the pit of my stomach.

"Well, what d'you think?" Bagman asked, his face glowing, happy, and way too optimistic for how much destruction was happening to that poor quidditch pitch. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high. Don't worry," he added, grinning, seeing my face, "you'll have your quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"

No one spoke for a moment. Then—

"Maze," Viktor growled, looking less that enthusiastic. I glanced over to him, giving him a wink, and he smirked slightly at that. I didn't like it when he looked all moody. It really didn't suit him.

"That's right! A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."

"We seemply 'ave to get through the maze?" Fleur asked indignantly, looking as if she couldn't wait to get off of the dirt and the mud.

"There will be obstacles. Hagrid is providing a number of creatures…then there will be spells that must be broken…all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze." He beamed at Harry and Cedric. "Then, Mr. Krum and Miss Nelson will enter…then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending on how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"

I nodded, feeling energetic. I can do this…I know I can!

"Very well…if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly…"

I released my breath and followed them up, not noticing as Harry and Viktor slowly made their ways towards the Forbidden Forest.

Viktor Krum

Every day after that, Viktor had a skip in his step. He now knew that there was nothing going on between the Weasley twins and Leigh. It shouldn't have bothered him. In fact, it bothered him that the thought of her with another man bothered him.

His spare time, when not going through classes or training for Quidditch (with her,) was filled with studying extra hexes and defensive maneuvers. He would sit in the library, where the giggling fan girls couldn't bother him, and read until the lights were dim. Sometimes, he would be joined by a silent Leigh and they would make excuses to talk to each other—finding something exciting on "page three-thousand-and-twenty-two" and dropping a quill, (or in her case, a pen,) near the other.

He had hoped that he had found a good friend. Later, maybe even more. He had loaned her his old Nimbus for a while, until she unwrapped a brand new Firebolt one day at dinner, beaming down onto it. He had beamed at this as well.

Unfortunately, Igor kept dampening his happiness, demanding weaknesses, Achilles Heels, and more. But he kept telling his Headmaster that if she had one, she kept it too close for him to know.

All of those thoughts aside, he was very happy because he was going to be able to see his Maйka today, after breakfast in the chamber they had been made Champions in. He sat in the Great Hall, knowing that he should be nervous, but feeling nothing but happiness.

As soon as the plates were cleared, he burst through the door, seeing his beautiful dark-haired mother. Her pretty, light-brown eyes were sparkling as she brought her taller son into her arms, hugging him. "Hello, my son," she said happily, hugging him tightly. "We are so proud of you."

His father grunted his assent, patting his son on the back. "You will make us proud tonight."

Viktor nodded, knowing that inside, his father was bursting with pride. He got his looks from his father, with the long nose, the strong jaw, and the dark eyes. But he got his mother's skin tone, the shape of her eyes, and the color of her long, dark hair.

He talked with his parents for a few moments more, retelling them his account of the first and second tasks. His father frowned when he talked about Hermione but his mother smiled widely. When his parents started telling him of the things he'd missed, he looked around to the other champion's families.

Fleur looked much like her mother, but her mother was half Veela—even more beautiful. But he was used to the charms of the Veela. Cedric's parents both had light brown hair, plain faces, and the same eyes as their son. Harry had a family who he didn't look like he belonged to—they all had red hair, and he guessed that they were the Weasleys.

And then, he looked over and saw Jonathan Nelson, his arm around a woman with shoulder blade-length curly blonde hair. She was maybe five foot five, with the extra weight of a newborn baby still on her hips. She was very curvy, but in a pretty way, holding a bundle of pink in her arms. Between them, looking very annoyed, was the beautiful girl that Viktor recognized from the pictures he had seen. Her hair was put up, a white Navy uniform on her thin body. And then, standing up next to them was Jason, his blue eyes twinkling worriedly.

The girl crinkled her brow daintily. "I'm just about ready to go out there and get her myself."

"Be patient, Jess," Jonathan said with a smirk, squeezing her shoulder. "She'll be here."

She might not know that they are in here, Viktor thought with a smirk. He told his mother and father that he would be right back, going out into the Great Hall. Leigh was still sitting in there, talking to Angelina and Mary animatedly.

"Leahn!" Viktor called, waving her over, getting a lot of strange looks from the people still standing around.

She said goodbye to her two friends, rushing over to him, a worried look on her face. "The Third Task isn't until tonight, what—?"

He shushed her, unable to articulate what he wanted to say. Instead he rushed her into the adjoining room.

The second she stepped into the room, she screeched and ran over to her family, pulling them in a hug. "Ooooh, I missed you all so much!" She then started to animatedly talk to her mother, her sister, and her father, all at the same time. And, though his parents were giving him strange looks, he still listened in to her conversation until she suddenly shouted, "MOM! LOOK AT MY SCAR!" and lifted up her shirt, pointing to the place where her rib had pierced her skin. Viktor politely looked away, though had seen that her stomach was the same shade of tan as the rest of her. It was smooth and round and he hated how much he wanted to touch it. Touch her.

"That's…very nice, Anna, now put your shirt down," the pretty blonde woman said, a small amount of blush in her cheeks. "Now, why don't you hold your baby sister?"

Leigh's eyes instantly lit up. She gently took the pink bundle from her mother's arms. "Hello, baby girl. I didn't get to see you born, did I?" she asked softly, her eyes wide and full of wonderment.

Seeing Leigh holding that baby did something to his heart. His mother made him turn his attention back to the present. "Viktor…who is she?"

"She is the American Academy's Champion. Her name is Leahn Neelsoon. Her mother is Reenee Reenoolds." At the two names being said, Leigh Ann's mother's bright, hazel eyes instantly zeroed in on him. It took a moment, but she smiled.

"Reenee Reeynoolds?" his father asked, looking over at the woman. She met his stare with courage. "The inventor of the Reynolds's Ricochet? Chaser."

"Da."

His father then started stroking his beard, looking at the woman with interest. "Hmm…"

"Hey, Viktor," Leigh said, looking up from her baby sister, "would you like to meet my mom? Because of, you know, quidditch."

Viktor smiled at her, and his mother gave him a strange look. "Da." He walked over to Rene Nelson, taking her peach hand in his and bending over to kiss it. "Eet is hoonoor to meet."

"And an equal honor to meet you," Rene said, her eyes sparkling with laughter. She turned her hand in his and shook his hand firmly. "I'm sorry that Bulgaria lost, I was rooting for you, unlike my traitorous daughter!" Leigh blushed, but there was a mischievous look in her eyes. "I've never seen such wonderful Seeking."

"You vere there?" This was news to Viktor. He could have met Leigh Ann long before the tournament.

"Yup. Haven't missed a World Cup since '88. Err—don't ask. And I wasn't about to miss the one debuting the famous Viktor Krum, especially the Viktor Krum who got my daughter to fly again. Thank you, really."

"Eet vas noothing," he said, trying to ignore the looks that his parents were giving him. Though it might have been a slight bit more than nothing, he thought as he looked at the beaming Leigh Ann.

Rene looked over to his parents. "And I'm guessing that this is Mr. and Mrs. Krum?"

"Rosa," his mother said, smiling brightly, both women shaking hands. "Eet ees neece to meet you." Her accent was far stronger than Viktor's, and he also knew that so was his father's.

"Stephan." But his father wouldn't shake her hand. Instead, he bent low over it.

"Wonderful, wonderful…" Rene said, her arm over her other daughter's back. "This is my daughter Jessica, soon to be the best magical veterinarian in the world."

The girl merely rolled her eyes at her mother. "Right…anyway. it's nice to meet you, Mr. Krum…and Mr. Krum…and Mrs. Krum," she said in a bell-like voice, her southern accent still prominent, unlike Leigh's, which had slowly started to fade.

"And this is our only son, Jason, our oldest."

Jason merely waved at him. "Hey, Viktor. Hello, Mrs. Krum, Mr. Krum." He shook Viktor's father's hand firmly, then softly shook his mother's. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to see you again, Viktor," Jonathan said, shaking hands with him. "How's she been keeping up?"

Viktor felt a small smile forming at the corner of his lips. If she knew what he had asked me to do, she would start on a feminist rampage. "Goot, sir."

She gave them a strange look until the baby made a soft crying noise. "Oh, shhh… It's okay, Nicole!" Another pang happened inside Viktor's chest as he looked down on the baby. Her cheeks were rosy, plump and healthy and the small mop of black hair was the darkest he had ever seen. She calmed almost instantly with the small rocking motion of Leigh. "You wanna hold her?"

"Vhat?" he asked incredulously.

Leigh blushed, looking away from his eyes. "You look like you want to hold her. So, would you like to?" she asked softly, gently leaning the baby towards him.

Viktor looked to her mother for consent, and, seeing that he had it, hesitantly took the small bundle from Leigh's arms. It felt very…strange to hold a life in his hands, to support its head, to keep it alive. He wasn't sure if he was holding her right, and Leigh gently moved his forearm down a slight bit more. It grasped his pinky finger as it opened its bright, ice blue eyes.

"Meey I?" Mrs. Krum asked, her eyes very wide, full of wonder. "Viktor ees our oohnly cheeld. Meey I?"

"Of course," Leigh's mother said, and Viktor very reluctantly handed over the baby. The little girl had taken a piece of him with her little chubby fingers. His mother looked happy, though, which made it a little better.

"She ees booteefool…"

Jonathan wrapped his arm around Rene's shoulders, looking at her like a man who had always been in love and always would be. "We thought so, too."

"What time does this task thing happen, anyway?" Jessica asked, looking very annoyed for some reason and breaking the beautiful moment. "I have finals to take, and—"

"You're not gonna fail your finals, Jess," Jason said with a roll of his pretty blue eyes. "I know you, you've probably already had the materials memorized since the start of third quarter."

"But that doesn't mean I haven't missed something," she snapped, crossing her arms over her center. Viktor got a rather strange vibe from this girl. Like there was something that she wasn't telling everyone. "No offense, sis, I love you, but really, I've got to study." He didn't know if he liked her or not.

Leigh let out a laugh. "Same old Jessica…but really, you'd love this girl named Hermione. I hear you're very similar. You and her could worry so much about finals that you'd have ten cows."

"Cows?" Viktor asked, giving her a strange look. I will never understand these American terminologies…

"It's a saying," she said, smiling to herself. "Anywho…"

"Oooh, Leigh, sweetheart, go around and introduce yourself to the other parents," Rene suddenly said, taking the baby back from Viktor's mother. "Mrs. Delacour would be delighted to know that you understand French. She doesn't speak English. And Mr. and Mrs. Diggory seem very nice. AH! Molly Weasley! Come, come, Jason, Jessica, lets go and greet my old friend!"

Leigh's mother does seem like she's always on the go, doesn't she?

"Well, I guess I'll see you later?" Leigh asked, smiling at him.

"Da, I vill."

She then held out her hand. He gently grasped it and leaned down to touch his lips to her knuckles but she pulled it away. He leaned back up and wondered why she gave him her hand if he were not to say goodbye. "This time, you'll shake my hand, not kiss it," she explained with a competitive smile.

Viktor smirked but took her hand in his. He was surprised to feel that she had a very firm handshake and that her palm was slightly calloused. "Good look."

"You too. May the best man win. Err—well, you know what I mean."