Viktor stirred awake as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the library windows. His body ached from sleeping in an awkward position, but a warm, soft weight beside him made him forget the pain. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the soft morning light, and looked down to find Hermione snuggled against him, her hair a wild mess on his chest.

For a moment, he thought he must still be dreaming. He blinked, trying to make sense of it all. Last night's events flooded back – the research, the electric tension, and then the softness of her lips, the urgency of her touch, the way she moaned his name as she came.

Viktor smiled. He'd come here to make amends, to help rebuild. Not to end up in bed with Hermione Granger.

Yet here he was. He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

Hermione slept peacefully. Viktor felt a whirlwind of emotions. Last night was a dream come true.

There had been something in him that snapped, like a frayed rope. He had struggled to stay in control of his emotions and his body, but that all tumbled away when Hermione looked at him with her lust-filled eyes. He ignored the nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him that this was too spontaneous, too fast.

He'd been happy just being friends. Now, he was confused. Was last night a one-time thing, or could it be the start of something real?

He wanted to talk to her, to know how she felt. He'd accept whatever she said, no pressure. He was grateful for last night, even if it was just a one-night thing. But a tiny part of him hoped for more.

Hermione stirred, her eyes blinking open slowly. Confusion flickered across her face before recognition dawned.

"Good morning," Viktor murmured, his voice still husky from sleep. "Hov do you feel?"

She blushed, "a bit sore, but I'm okay." She blinked and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Early."

She nodded and brought the blanket higher in her body.

Viktor scowled.

"Her-my-oh-knee," he said gently, cutting to the chase, "do you regret vot happened?" He needed to know even if it broke his heart.

She was quiet for a moment, and Viktor felt his heart constrict. But then she shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "No, I don't regret it."

Relief washed over him. "I am glad," he said. "Though I vould haff liked things to haff gone slower, to haff made loff in a better place. But I am happy."

Hermione smiled up at him, and Viktor felt as though his heart might burst. But then her expression changed, her eyes widening in shock as she looked down at her wrist.

"Viktor," she gasped, "look at your wrist!"

He glanced down and was surprised to see a small tattoo there - Hermione's name surrounded by a heart. He looked back at Hermione's wrist and saw a matching tattoo with his name.

Hermione sat up abruptly, her voice rising in panic. "How did this happen? We didn't... we couldn't have... Oh Merlin, what are we going to do?"

Viktor, in contrast, felt strangely calm. He examined the tattoo on his wrist with curiosity rather than alarm. "It is not so bad," he said.

"Not so bad?" Hermione echoed incredulously. "Viktor, we have magical tattoos that appeared out of nowhere! How can you be so calm about this?"

He shrugged. "It happened for a reason, I think. And I do not mind haffing your name on my wrist."

"But-"

"Maybe it vill keep other vitches avay nov," he added with a small smirk.

Hermione swatted his shoulder.

"This is no time to joke around, Viktor! We need to figure out how this happened."

Viktor caught her hand gently and kissed it. "Ve vill figure it out," he assured her.

"I don't understand how this could have happened. We didn't cast any spells, we didn't perform any rituals."

"Maybe is spell from the library?" Viktor suggested.

Hermione bit her lip, considering. "You might be right. We should research this, see if there are any precedents. Maybe check if there are any spells that would do this after... well, after what we did."

Viktor couldn't help but smile at her immediate turn to research. It was so quintessentially Hermione. "Ve vill look into it," he promised. "But first-"

Suddenly, a shadow fell over them, and Viktor looked up to see Ron Weasley standing there, his face contorted in a mask of fury. Weasley's eyes were red-rimmed, and his hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Weasley's voice shook with barely contained rage.

"Ron, what are you doing here?" she squealed, bringing up the blanket to her chin.

"What am I doing here?" Weasley sputtered, his voice rising an octave. "I should be asking you the same thing!"

"What I am doing here is none of your business!"

"None of my business?" Weasley exploded, his face turning an alarming shade of crimson.

"Did you two fuck?"

"Ron, that's is not—"

"Did you?" He demanded, his chest rising and falling.

"That's-"

"Answer me damn it!" He took a step forward, his eyes blazing.

Viktor's jaw tightened. He slowly stood, meeting Weasley's angry stare.

Just as he was about to speak, Hermione stepped in. "Yes, we did," she said firmly, cutting through Weasley's outburst. "Though that is none of your business and there's no need to be so crude about it."

"You... you..." he sputtered. "You bloody whore! How could you do this?"

Anger flared in Viktor. He stepped between Weasley and Hermione, his eyes blazing. "Donottalk to her like that," he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Weasley's face twisted with rage. "You fucker! How dare you!" he shouted. "How dare you have sex withmygirlfriend!"

"Girlfriend?" Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "What are you talking about?"

But before she could say anything else Weasley's fist slammed into Viktor's jaw. Viktor saw it coming but didn't move. Part of him wanted the fight, a chance to hit back. The punch stung, but he'd taken harder hits on the Quidditch pitch. He stood tall, ready to return the favor tenfold, when Hermione's voice stopped him.

"Ron, stop it!" she cried, pushing past Viktor to confront the redhead. "What is wrong with you?"

Weasley turned his fury back to Hermione. "What's wrong with me? You're the one cheating on me!"

Hermione scoffed. "Cheating on you? Ron, what are you talking about? We're not dating!"

Weasley's face crumpled, his anger replaced by hurt. "But we kissed," he stammered. "At the battle..."

"Ron, that was one kiss," Hermione said, her voice laced with exasperation. "It didn't mean anything."

"It didn't mean anything?" Weasley repeated, his voice cracking. "All those times we spent together, all those laughs, all those looks… you're telling me it meant nothing?"

"Ron, please," Hermione sighed, rubbing her temples. "This is ridiculous. You're my friend."

Weasley shook his head vehemently. "No, no, you're lying. We are together. We have to be." He reached out, grabbing Hermione by the shoulders. She tried to shake him off, but his grip tightened.

Viktor moved without thinking. He stepped forward, prying Weasley's hands off Hermione with firm but gentle force. "That is enough," he warned.

"So that's it then?" Weasley whispered, his voice barely audible. "We're just… done?"

Hermione sighed. "Ron, we were never anything other than friends."

Weasley's face crumpled. The anger that had been burning in his eyes moments before was replaced by a raw, vulnerable hurt. He looked like a kicked puppy, and for a moment, Viktor almost felt sorry for .

"Are you alright?" Viktor asked, reaching out to touch her arm.

She flinched slightly at his touch but didn't pull away. "I'm fine," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

"He should not haff spoken to you like that," Viktor said, his voice hardening. "You did nothing wrong."

Hermione looked up at him, her brown eyes searching his face. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, Viktor. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Do not apologize. I am not sorry for vot happened between us."

A small smile tugged at Hermione's lips. "Neither am I."

"Maybe ve should talk about vot happened," he suggested gently. "Not just vith Veasley but between us."

She bit her lower lip, a habit he liked, before meeting his gaze.

"You're right," she said softly. "We should talk about... everything."

Viktor nodded. As they settled into the plush chairs, the soft lamplight caught the golden flecks in her eyes. He pushed the thought aside, reminding himself to focus on the conversation at hand.

"I do not regret vot happened between us," Viktor began. "But I vant to know how you feel about it."

Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly. "I don't regret it either. It was... wonderful. But I'm not sure what it means for us."

He leaned forward, his dark eyes searching hers. "Vot do you vant it to mean?"

Hermione hesitated, her fingers absently tracing the outline of the tattoo on her wrist. "I care about you, Viktor. I always have. But I'm not sure if I'm ready for a relationship right now. Everything's still so chaotic..."

"I understand." And he did.

"Ve should probably talk about these as vell," he said, holding up his wrist.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh! Right! "Do you have any idea what they might mean?"

"No."

"There must be something in the library about magic tattoos or spell backfires."

"I vant you to know that no matter vot these tattoos mean, or vot happens between us, I vill always be here for you. As a friend, or... more, if that is vot you vant."

Hermione's expression softened, and she squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Viktor. That means more to me than you know."

Viktor's brow furrowed. Hours they'd spent, buried in dusty books, searching for answers about the strange tattoos. So far, nothing.

He glanced at Hermione, her eyes darting across the page. Morning sunlight painted her face in gold, highlighting her hair.

He reached out, gently placing his hand over hers, stilling her frantic movements. "Her-my-oh-knee," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "Ve haffe been at this for hours. Perhaps it is time for a break?"

"But we have to figure this out, Viktor," she insisted, her brow creasing with worry. "What if these tattoos are dangerous? What if they're some kind of curse?"

Viktor squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I do not think they are dangerous," he said calmly. "If they vere, ve vould haff felt the effects by now, no? Plus I do not think the school vould harm us."

"I suppose you're right," she conceded, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly. "But I just can't shake the feeling that there's more to this than meets the eye."

"Then ve vill keep looking. But first, I think ve should get some food. You must be hungry."

As if on cue, Hermione's stomach let out a soft rumble, and a faint blush crept across her cheeks. "I suppose a break wouldn't hurt," she admitted, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Viktor returned her smile, feeling a surge of affection. "Good. Let's go eat."

The moment they entered the Great Hall, Potter and the Weasley girl spotted them.

"Hermione!" Potter called out, waving at the curly-haired witch. His brow furrowed as he registered Viktor next to her. "Krum? Why are you together? I thought you were supposed to be working with Neville over at the greenhouses, Hermione."

As they approached, the Weasley girl's eyes widened, zeroing in on their exposed wrists. "And what are those tattoos? When did you get those?"

Viktor exchanged a glance with Hermione, unsure of how much to say. Before either of them could respond, the redhead's face split into a mischievous grin.

"Oh my god, did you two shag?" she asked, her voice loud enough to draw attention from nearby tables.

Hermione's face turned a deep shade of red. "Ginny!" she hissed, looking mortified.

Viktor felt his own cheeks grow warm, he coughed into his hand trying to hide the flush. He glanced at Hermione. The way her honey-brown eyes widened, the slight parting of her lips – it was all rather cute.

Potter, on the other hand, looked thoroughly uncomfortable. "Gin, maybe we shouldn't–"

But the witch was already laughing, clearly enjoying Hermione's discomfort. "Oh, come on, 'Mione. It's about time you had some fun outside of those books of yours!"

Potter's brow furrowed. "Wait, what about Ron? I thought you two were dating?"

Hermione let out a weary sigh. "No, Harry," she said, shaking her head. "Ron and I were never a couple. I don't know where you got that idea from."

Ginny snorted. "Honestly, no one but Ron and you thought they were together, Harry."

Potter blinked. "But... the kiss, during the battle..."

"That was just a spur-of-the-moment thing," Hermione interrupted, her expression softening. "It didn't mean anything."

Potter let out a snort. "Yeah, well you might want to tell that to Ron," he muttered, earning a sharp elbow to the ribs from Ginny.

Hermione's shoulders sagged. "It's a long story."

"So," the redhead began, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin. "Are you two, like, a thing now?"

Hermione let out a long-suffering sigh, running a hand through her unruly hair. "I told you, Ginny, it's complicated."

"Complicated, huh?" Miss Weasley mused, her gaze flicking between Viktor and Hermione. "Well, that tattoo on your wrist seems to be telling a different story."

"Yeah," Potter said, his gaze shifting to the tattoos. "What are these, exactly?"

Hermione's expression shifted. "That's just it," she said, her brow furrowing. "We don't know. They just appeared in the morning."

The redhead's eyes lit up with mischief once more. "Oh, I bet I know when they appeared. Right after you two shagged, am I right?"

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed again, her face impossibly red.

Viktor chuckled. His gaze lingered on Hermione, her cheeks tinged with that delightful shade of pink that seemed to bloom so easily. He recalled the previous night, how her body had responded to his touch, the soft gasps and moans that escaped her lips when he found the right spots to caress, to kiss, to claim.

His mind began to explore the myriad of ways he could make her flush once more.

"Ve do not knov why they appeared," Viktor said dryly, trying to steer the conversation and his thoughts back to safer ground.

"We've been searching the library all morning, but we haven't found anything," Hermione explained.

Potter hummed. "That's odd. Have you thought about talking to Professor Snape's portrait? Maybe he knows something."

"The potions master?" asked Viktor.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, he specialized in dark magic potions."

"I reckon if anyone knows about shady potions bought in Knockturn Alley is him." Potter shot Hermione a glare. Viktor glowered at Britain's savior and instantly brought his hand to Hermione's shoulder.

Potter cleared his throat. "He'd often go and deal with the, um, vendors there."

"That's actually a really good idea, Harry," Hermione said. "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"Da, it is. But first, let's eat. I am very hungry."

As they sat down to eat, Hermione's knee brushed against his under the table. He wondered if she was doing it on purpose, or if it was just an accident. He thought about putting his hand on her knee just to see if she would blush.

Throughout the meal, Miss Weasley continued to tease them mercilessly, much to Hermione's embarrassment and Viktor's amusement. He found himself enjoying the easy camaraderie of the group, even if Potter still seemed a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

As they finished eating, Viktor turned to Hermione. "Do you vant to go see the potions professor?"

Hermione nodded, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Yes, I think that's a good idea. The sooner we figure this out, the better."

As they stood to leave, Miss Weasley called out, "Have fun, you two!"

Hermione grumbled something about "fun and Professor Snape do not belong in the same sentence."