At Last Chp One
Chapter 1
(Bulgaria, Viktor’s Home)
Viktor let out a heavy sigh. He leaned back against his headboard with a silvery photo album open in his lap. His eyes filled with longing as he ran his thumb gently along the cheek of a frizzy haired, brunette witch, who blushed and giggled in response. He smiled gently and continued to turn the pages eyeing the pictures of red-haired witches and wizards along with a dark haired wizard with a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, but no matter the place or number of people in each picture, that same frizzy haired witch was in each one. It had been almost a year since he had seen her at the Weasley-Delacour wedding and he had no idea how much he had really missed her. When he left after the Triwizard Tournament, they had exchanged many letters, each one laced with emotion and tenderness. However, once he had received one telling him of Hermione’s inkling of feelings for the Weasley boy, his letters to her became more cold and withdrawn. He had understood that they hadn’t promised anything to each other when he left, but he knew there wouldn’t be anyone else for him. The Bulgarian Seeker went through a dark period where he tried to drown his feelings in liquor and random women.
When he received Fleur’s invitation he almost rejected it once he read “Weasley.” A growl of contempt went through his throat before he started to consider the possibilities. A Weasley wedding would no doubt attract family and if the youngest Weasley male were there, there would obviously be the possibly that Hermione would be there as well. Was it worth it to see her? What if she and Weasley were a couple? His thoughts went back to when he had been filled with rage over Hermione’s letters. He had approached the album full of photos; his wand poised to cast a Severing Charm to cut Weasley out off all of his pictures, but the moment he saw Hermione’s horrified face, he lost his nerve. Her face contorted to reprimand him for thinking of such a thing and every Hermione in his album turned their backs to him for the rest of the day, and then they disappeared altogether for the next few days. He realized if it hurt him to not see her in pictures everyday, how much would it hurt to miss out on a chance to see her in person? He firmly checked the “Yes” box on the invitation and sent the owl back to RSVP.
(The Burrow)
When he arrived at the wedding, he didn’t expect to see so many Weasleys. Viktor felt like he was wading through a sea of flames as he pushed his way through the crowd. He felt his heart skip a beat when he spotted her, albeit in the company of two Weasleys, and he smiled. She had matured into a beautiful young woman. Hermione was a little taller than he remembered but with the same smooth, silky looking skin. Her hair had grown a little longer and had tamed a bit but it still had that untamed wildness that he fell in love with.
‘In love?’ Viktor thought incredulously.
Was that right? Was that was the reason he hadn’t had a successful relationship in years? Was it the reason why he had always chosen blondes to take to bed? Was it that he just couldn’t bear to pick anyone with a remote resemblance to Hermione? Viktor took a morbid kind of pride in knowing that he never brought any of those women into his bed; he was saving that for her, only for her. That’s when it hit him; it hit him like a nose breaking, bone crushing bludger: Viktor Krum was in love with Hermione Granger. Of course, at that moment his expression showed anything but love. He could feel himself glare reproachfully at Ron Weasley, the boy who was holding onto to his love, dancing with the girl that should be with him. Viktor caught Hermione’s gaze over Ron’s shoulder, searching for anything that could lead to a sign that there was still a chance; he needed to find a hint, a sparkle, a flicker of anything that might give him that same hope he had when their eyes first met by the Goblet of Fire. And then there it was; that spark in her eyes that told him that she still wanted him - that she still cared about him. Their gaze was broken when Ron suddenly pulled Hermione into a spin but when their eyes connected again, it, once again, broke suddenly, this time by Hermione’s sudden blush at Viktor’s sly look and knowing smile. However, their subtle flirtation was interrupted before anything substantial happened and by Death Eaters no less. Viktor’s harsh curses and cruel jinxes incapacitated large numbers of the dark wizards and doubled as a way to release the pent up tension in his mood but he had to apparate away before the members of the Order arrived to finish things up. When he returned home he immediately chastised himself for not staying to look for Hermione but all of his attempts to apparate back were blocked by a charm, which caused him rebound into random locations. He quickly sent his eagle owl out to find her, but each attempt failed and his owl returned with its original letter tied around his leg.
And now, it was a year later and he still hadn’t heard anything from her. He had spent the past year waking up in a cold sweat and cursing his rash decision to hex and run. When the news of the Dark Lord’s return had reached Bulgaria, everyone was put under suspicious eyes. Almost every witch and wizard in Bulgaria received their education at Durmstrang; a school known for its involvement in the dark arts, and it was the first place the Death Eaters went to gather Voldemort’s supporters. Viktor’s family gathered at his parents’ castle under the protection of charms and dark spells, which cloaked them from any Death Eaters, as well as any owls that may have had any messages for Viktor.
When the war ended, naturally, most of the wizarding community burst into celebration because finally, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, had defeated Lord Voldemort. Viktor even temporarily threw off his brooding to join in the festivities. After a week, however, he withdrew back into his shell of brooding and watching a cheerful Hermione wave and smile at him from the pictures in his album, jealously staring at himself in the pictures; he was able to hold her as much as he wanted. The Bulgarian wizard felt his eyes droop slightly when a snowy owl swooped into his room and landed on his shoulder, nipping his ear affectionately. His heart leapt when he recognized the owl.
“Hedvig!” He jumped slightly causing the owl to hop up into his headboard.
He quickly untied the letter around her leg and scrambled to read the letter.
Dear Viktor,
I know it has been a while since we’ve written, but there have been a reason why I couldn’t write. I hope you weren’t offended if I didn’t answer any letters you might have sent me. I’m sure you heard that Harry beat Voldemort and you’re no doubt celebrating with the rest of the wizarding world. I hope Hedwig didn’t interrupt you in the middle of anything important. But I really want to talk to you. I know this is sudden, but would it be alright if I visited you in Bulgaria? I’ve always felt bad for not doing it after my fourth year at Hogwarts and I thought that it would be a good time for us to catch up and for me to take you up on your offer. Please send Hedwig back with your answer and a place to meet, if it’s alright that I come visit, as soon as possible.
I - he frowned at the words scribbled out and replaced with - wait to hear your reply.
Yours Truly,
Hermione J. Granger
Viktor pulled out the drawer of his nightstand and extracted a quill, bottle of ink and a piece of parchment, where he started to scribble his reply.
Dear Hermione,
I would be very happy if you would come visit me here in Bulgaria. We do have a lot to discuss. I will be meeting you in Diagon Alley on Saturday at noon, if it is okay?
Yours,
Viktor Krum
“Vould you like to rest tonight and fly out tomorrow?” Viktor’s head turned up to Hedwig.
She hooted her affirmation and tucked her head under her wing to sleep. Viktor stared thoughtfully at the scribbled out words on Hermione’s letter. It wasn’t like her to make mistakes and even though he knew she would be a little cross that he was going to do this but his curiosity got the better of him, as it did sometimes.
“Evanesco!” Viktor tapped his wand over the scribbles, wondering why Hermione didn’t think he had enough precision with a Vanishing Spell to uncover her mistake. Or perhaps she thought that he wouldn’t care there was a mistake and just pass over it.
The patch of ink erased itself and revealed Hermione’s original phrase.
I miss you.
(Bulgaria, Viktor’s Home)
Viktor let out a heavy sigh. He leaned back against his headboard with a silvery photo album open in his lap. His eyes filled with longing as he ran his thumb gently along the cheek of a frizzy haired, brunette witch, who blushed and giggled in response. He smiled gently and continued to turn the pages eyeing the pictures of red-haired witches and wizards along with a dark haired wizard with a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, but no matter the place or number of people in each picture, that same frizzy haired witch was in each one. It had been almost a year since he had seen her at the Weasley-Delacour wedding and he had no idea how much he had really missed her. When he left after the Triwizard Tournament, they had exchanged many letters, each one laced with emotion and tenderness. However, once he had received one telling him of Hermione’s inkling of feelings for the Weasley boy, his letters to her became more cold and withdrawn. He had understood that they hadn’t promised anything to each other when he left, but he knew there wouldn’t be anyone else for him. The Bulgarian Seeker went through a dark period where he tried to drown his feelings in liquor and random women.
When he received Fleur’s invitation he almost rejected it once he read “Weasley.” A growl of contempt went through his throat before he started to consider the possibilities. A Weasley wedding would no doubt attract family and if the youngest Weasley male were there, there would obviously be the possibly that Hermione would be there as well. Was it worth it to see her? What if she and Weasley were a couple? His thoughts went back to when he had been filled with rage over Hermione’s letters. He had approached the album full of photos; his wand poised to cast a Severing Charm to cut Weasley out off all of his pictures, but the moment he saw Hermione’s horrified face, he lost his nerve. Her face contorted to reprimand him for thinking of such a thing and every Hermione in his album turned their backs to him for the rest of the day, and then they disappeared altogether for the next few days. He realized if it hurt him to not see her in pictures everyday, how much would it hurt to miss out on a chance to see her in person? He firmly checked the “Yes” box on the invitation and sent the owl back to RSVP.
(The Burrow)
When he arrived at the wedding, he didn’t expect to see so many Weasleys. Viktor felt like he was wading through a sea of flames as he pushed his way through the crowd. He felt his heart skip a beat when he spotted her, albeit in the company of two Weasleys, and he smiled. She had matured into a beautiful young woman. Hermione was a little taller than he remembered but with the same smooth, silky looking skin. Her hair had grown a little longer and had tamed a bit but it still had that untamed wildness that he fell in love with.
‘In love?’ Viktor thought incredulously.
Was that right? Was that was the reason he hadn’t had a successful relationship in years? Was it the reason why he had always chosen blondes to take to bed? Was it that he just couldn’t bear to pick anyone with a remote resemblance to Hermione? Viktor took a morbid kind of pride in knowing that he never brought any of those women into his bed; he was saving that for her, only for her. That’s when it hit him; it hit him like a nose breaking, bone crushing bludger: Viktor Krum was in love with Hermione Granger. Of course, at that moment his expression showed anything but love. He could feel himself glare reproachfully at Ron Weasley, the boy who was holding onto to his love, dancing with the girl that should be with him. Viktor caught Hermione’s gaze over Ron’s shoulder, searching for anything that could lead to a sign that there was still a chance; he needed to find a hint, a sparkle, a flicker of anything that might give him that same hope he had when their eyes first met by the Goblet of Fire. And then there it was; that spark in her eyes that told him that she still wanted him - that she still cared about him. Their gaze was broken when Ron suddenly pulled Hermione into a spin but when their eyes connected again, it, once again, broke suddenly, this time by Hermione’s sudden blush at Viktor’s sly look and knowing smile. However, their subtle flirtation was interrupted before anything substantial happened and by Death Eaters no less. Viktor’s harsh curses and cruel jinxes incapacitated large numbers of the dark wizards and doubled as a way to release the pent up tension in his mood but he had to apparate away before the members of the Order arrived to finish things up. When he returned home he immediately chastised himself for not staying to look for Hermione but all of his attempts to apparate back were blocked by a charm, which caused him rebound into random locations. He quickly sent his eagle owl out to find her, but each attempt failed and his owl returned with its original letter tied around his leg.
And now, it was a year later and he still hadn’t heard anything from her. He had spent the past year waking up in a cold sweat and cursing his rash decision to hex and run. When the news of the Dark Lord’s return had reached Bulgaria, everyone was put under suspicious eyes. Almost every witch and wizard in Bulgaria received their education at Durmstrang; a school known for its involvement in the dark arts, and it was the first place the Death Eaters went to gather Voldemort’s supporters. Viktor’s family gathered at his parents’ castle under the protection of charms and dark spells, which cloaked them from any Death Eaters, as well as any owls that may have had any messages for Viktor.
When the war ended, naturally, most of the wizarding community burst into celebration because finally, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, had defeated Lord Voldemort. Viktor even temporarily threw off his brooding to join in the festivities. After a week, however, he withdrew back into his shell of brooding and watching a cheerful Hermione wave and smile at him from the pictures in his album, jealously staring at himself in the pictures; he was able to hold her as much as he wanted. The Bulgarian wizard felt his eyes droop slightly when a snowy owl swooped into his room and landed on his shoulder, nipping his ear affectionately. His heart leapt when he recognized the owl.
“Hedvig!” He jumped slightly causing the owl to hop up into his headboard.
He quickly untied the letter around her leg and scrambled to read the letter.
Dear Viktor,
I know it has been a while since we’ve written, but there have been a reason why I couldn’t write. I hope you weren’t offended if I didn’t answer any letters you might have sent me. I’m sure you heard that Harry beat Voldemort and you’re no doubt celebrating with the rest of the wizarding world. I hope Hedwig didn’t interrupt you in the middle of anything important. But I really want to talk to you. I know this is sudden, but would it be alright if I visited you in Bulgaria? I’ve always felt bad for not doing it after my fourth year at Hogwarts and I thought that it would be a good time for us to catch up and for me to take you up on your offer. Please send Hedwig back with your answer and a place to meet, if it’s alright that I come visit, as soon as possible.
I - he frowned at the words scribbled out and replaced with - wait to hear your reply.
Yours Truly,
Hermione J. Granger
Viktor pulled out the drawer of his nightstand and extracted a quill, bottle of ink and a piece of parchment, where he started to scribble his reply.
Dear Hermione,
I would be very happy if you would come visit me here in Bulgaria. We do have a lot to discuss. I will be meeting you in Diagon Alley on Saturday at noon, if it is okay?
Yours,
Viktor Krum
“Vould you like to rest tonight and fly out tomorrow?” Viktor’s head turned up to Hedwig.
She hooted her affirmation and tucked her head under her wing to sleep. Viktor stared thoughtfully at the scribbled out words on Hermione’s letter. It wasn’t like her to make mistakes and even though he knew she would be a little cross that he was going to do this but his curiosity got the better of him, as it did sometimes.
“Evanesco!” Viktor tapped his wand over the scribbles, wondering why Hermione didn’t think he had enough precision with a Vanishing Spell to uncover her mistake. Or perhaps she thought that he wouldn’t care there was a mistake and just pass over it.
The patch of ink erased itself and revealed Hermione’s original phrase.
I miss you.