It was the day of the final task of the tournament and Hermione was feeling beyond nervous. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. She hoped that it was just nerves, but if it was the case she guessed that something would relieve the anxiety.
She hadn't seen any of the champions since breakfast. She wanted to see them, any of them. She would even be fine with running into Cassius Warrington. But the Slytherin wasn't anywhere to be found. And she was fairly certain that they were being briefed on the rules of the final task.
Hermione walked out to the stands, where they would "watch" the task, with Padma and Neville. Ron was already with his family, enjoying talking with Bill and Charlie who he hadn't seen for a few months. And Harry was wherever the rest of the champions were.
"It's going to be so exciting. I seriously think that your Viktor has the best chance of winning the cup," Padma said.
"I'm just hoping that nothing goes wrong," Hermione mumbled.
"If anything does, Viktor will be able to handle himself," Neville assured her. "He's obviously one of the best students at Durmstrang."
"I know that," Hermione said. "I just don't want him to get hurt."
"He won't," both of her friends said.
"Now where are we supposed to sit?" Padma asked. "I don't particularly want to sit with the rest of the Gryffindors. You two are some of the only ones I like."
"Next to Pavarti," Neville said.
"I'm stuck with her," Padma said. "If I didn't like her, life would be very hard."
"Neither of you have to worry," Hermione told them. "I'm supposed to sit with Viktor's parents in the top section. You can sort of see the maze pattern from up there. And you're free to join me."
"Yes," they chorused.
They got to the top and were settled in with Viktor's parents when he came to say hello.
"Mother, Father. It looks like you haff met Ms. Granger's friends." He shot her a guilty look. Hermione knew that she had to come up with something he could call her that was easier to wrap his mouth around.
"Excuse me," she said to her friends.
Viktor and Hermione walked up to the one little stand next to the announcer's box. It was the only quiet and empty space available, and they desperately wanted to be alone.
Before Viktor had a chance to say anything, Hermione pulled him close, and kissed him softly. It wasn't particularly long or fierce, but she needed him to know that she loved him.
"If you die, I am going to kill you," she whispered into his chest as he held her.
"I guess I vill haff to stay alive. If only to keep beautiful vitch from impossible tasks."
She looked up at him, worry written across her face. "You just come back to me. I don't care if you win, or if you come in last. Just come back, and play quidditch next year."
"I vill. I vill. I loff you, Her-my-own-nin."
She kissed him again, just stopping herself from crying. "Me too. I'm so glad that you don't have to leave right after this. But you had better go."
She sat down to watch the task as best she could, knowing that she wouldn't be able to see much of anything. She was still desperately nervous, but her heartbeat had managed to slow down to a rhythm she could live with.
Viktor was the first to enter the maze, due to him being in first place. Hermione watched with pride as he stepped into the maze without hesitation. And then something went wrong.
Hermione felt her vision darken and she slumped against Neville for a second. Her head swam, and it was with a lot of effort that she pulled herself back up again. She stood, looking for an official.
"What are you doing Hermione?" Neville asked.
"Do you want us to come with you?" Padma added.
Hermione shook her head. "I just think something's wrong. I'll be back in a minute."
All of the four people who were sitting with her watched her go with confusion. The Krums looked at each other with a slight panic, but the confidence that parents had in their son's abilities. Padma and Neville were less assured.
"You don't think…"
"Something's wrong with Viktor," Padma finished for Neville.
They scurried down the steps after Hermione. They weren't exactly sure what to do. They didn't know what she could do. They didn't even know how to explain the situation to anyone who asked.
Hermione was yelling at a Mr. Bagman. Her face was flushed and her hair was twice the size it normally was, almost crackling with electricity.
"I don't know what it takes to get it through your thick head! Something is not right! And not in the someone has died sort of a way! In the, something is controlling people way! So you get your butt in there, and sort it out!"
Hermione was furious. And it looked like she had every right to be. Neville and Padma ran up to her, offering support. She hugged them, tears falling from her eyes.
"Thanks guys."
"Hermione," Neville said, "we weren't going to let you do whatever it is that you're doing alone."
"Goodness knows how many times you've gotten into trouble for Ron and Harry's sake. We're just here to repay the favour," Padma added.
Hermione rolled her eyes, but her smile was enough for them to know they had made the right choice. They waited a few moments for something to happen, but it was tedious.
Red sparks shot into the air and Hermione found herself wishing that Viktor would be pulled out. Her stomach was all in knots, and she couldn't relax. It was like she was trying to fight something, but she didn't know what.
Fleur Dealcour was pulled out of the maze, and Hermione felt her worry grow. It wasn't quite as bad as it had been before. Something made it easier to breathe. She didn't know why.
Both Viktor and Cassius were pulled out of the maze. Cassius had a horrified look on his face, while Viktor looked as though he was not himself. And Hermione knew that whatever was wrong with him, was the reason she was feeling so horrible.
She pulled him over to the tent set up for the medics. Madame Pomfrey was tending to Fleur, but took one look at Viktor and dropped everything.
"Miss Granger, if you would be so kind as to bandage some of Miss Dealacour's wounds up, I will get to work on Viktor straight away."
Hermione worked on the bandages for the scrapes that Fleur had gotten. Most of them weren't deep, but she had quite a few of them.
"It looks like you got pulled through a rosebush," Hermione said.
"It was almost like ze rosebushes. But much bigger," Fleur said.
Hermione found that her focus wasn't on Fleur, even though she did a decent job of bandaging her up and making small talk. She couldn't get her mind off Viktor, though it looked like he was coming to. The band that had tightened around her chest loosened a notch.
"Her-me-own…" he said.
"I'm right here." She rushed over to his side and clung to him, so grateful to have him back.
Madame Pomfrey stormed out of her tent, and whacked a certain Ludo Bagman over the head with whatever had been closest to her. It looked like a chair. Hermione laughed. She had been wanting to do that for hours.
"Loff, vhat happened?"
"I'm not sure, but it was bad. I couldn't relax at all. You were in the maze, and things just felt wrong. It wasn't like something horrible happened to you, but you weren't right," Hermione attempted to explain.
She kissed him, pulling him as close as she possibly could. She needed to show him that she loved him. That she was there for him. And she needed to know that he was right there with her. It was sweet, it was bitter, and it was full of hope and need.
There was a question on Viktor's lips when commotion broke out in the center of the entrance to the maze.
Harry was there clutching a Cedric Diggory who looked at the very least unconscious. But his head had been hit, and was caked in blood. Madame Pomfrey rushed over with Mr. and Mrs. Diggory. Hermione had one hand over her mouth as Viktor squeezed the other in reassurance.
Everything was a blur. Diggory was hanging on by a thread and needed immediate medical attention. Proffessor Moody turned out to be a dead death eater named Barty Crouch. And the whole tournament had been a trap for Harry.
Viktor and Hermione were sitting on the steps of the staircase, holding hands. Hermione leaned her head onto Viktor's shoulder, not sure of anything other than him. She knew that the future was uncertain. But she was sure she could face anything with Viktor by her side.