Neville planned to meet him before his morning practice. Neville detested early mornings, but he knew he had to do it for Hermione.
Viktor watched the English boy storm into the empty hall. He seemed determined and when he sat opposite him, Viktor took a moment away from his porridge to entertain the boy.
"I am here for Hermione." He began and instantly he gained Viktor's attention.
"The Triwizard tournament might be important to you, but think of what you'll have left once it's over, even if you win. She has already given up on the idea that you might care, there is no way that she will be there this time next year." Viktor sat back and sighed. Neville was right, he knew that. But how could he maintain both parts of his life?
"Listen, you are the fittest man here, and one of the most intelligent. There is no way that you are not going to Hogwarts this year. If anything, with all this training, you will burn out before you even get there." Neville lectured him. When Viktor thought about it, the boy had a point.
"I'm not telling you to stop training, just take a little time out of your day to go and see her, to let her know you have not forgotten." Neville did not wait for an answer, he stood and left Viktor, feeling guilty.
Hermione had no idea that Neville had done anything. She simply went about her day as usual. However, after dinner, Neville had to go to tend to his plants, so Hermione was left to her glass work on her own. Blowing glass had become such a joy for her, she could let her mind wander and be truly relaxed. She was almost finished when she saw him. He was lingering outside the door and Hermione could not think why he wouldn't come in. So, she quickly finished off, packed her away her things and left the room.
Viktor had been waiting for her to finish, he didn't want to disturb her. She almost bumped into him when she left the classroom. She looked up at him, eyes wide and hair exploding around her face. He was lost for words, she had not been this close in weeks.
"Hello." She began, wanting the moment of silence to end.
"Hello." He mirrored her. The moment continued and neither one knew what to do.
"How is your training going?" She asked, walking away from the classroom, hoping that she had ended the awkward silence.
"Is good, but I haff been vorking too hard." He looked down at the floor. Hermione nodded.
"I see. Sometimes there is such a thing as too much exercise." Viktor nodded in agreement.
"How is your family?" She asked, wondering how Ada and Andon were.
"They are vell." He answered. His responses were short and Hermione wondered if he wanted to speak at all.
"How are you?" He asked as they walked.
"I'm okay. Studying and more studying really." She smiled up at him.
"Haff you heard from Harry or Ron?" He asked and she shook her head.
"Neville has helped me an awful lot. We spend quite a lot of time together." Hermione smiled to herself, thinking of her friendship with Neville and Viktor felt the green fire of jealousy burn in his stomach.
Once they got to her room, Viktor wished Hermione a good night and left. He did not embrace her, he did not kiss her, he just left. Hermione cried that night as she laid alone in her bed, she never thought it would come to this, she never thought she would feel this way.
Hermione expected Neville to be stood behind the door when she heard a knock in the morning. However, she was shocked to see Viktor there, stood with an ashamed look on his face.
"Vould you eat vith me?" He asked bashfully. Hermione nodded, her eyes still falling closed.
They did not need to speak, there was nothing to say, truthfully speaking. They knew what was happening in each other's lives and the most important thing was for them to be together.
Viktor felt calm when he was with Hermione. He had been so fuelled up with aggression from his sports that he had forgotten to take a moment for himself. Their silence was so different to his usually noisy life. So he sat back and relished it. He watched her writing her letter once she had finished her porridge and wondered who she was writing to.
"Dumbledore wants one of my sculptures for his office." Hermione answered the unspoken question. Viktor nodded.
"I see. Vhat vill you do for him?" He asked.
"A vase in the colours of a Phoenix, they always were his favourite." Hermione thought of Dumbledore's beloved pet and felt proud to be paying homage to him in such a way.
"I am asking him what size he would like." She continued and Viktor nodded. He was so proud of her. She had cultivated a skill that could provide her with a very good income, and she was only fifteen.
They parted ways for classes and although Hermione was glad that Viktor had asked her to breakfast, she still was unsure what on earth was going on. But, she found pondering on this issue to be a waste of time, so she threw herself into her studies with Chigvintsev and her glass blowing to occupy her mind.
Chigvintsev knew what was going on. He took care in keeping an eye on Hermione and her turbulent relationship with Viktor Krum had caught his attention. She had been coming to him more often, for tasks and lessons and although he admired her work ethic, he knew it was all to take her mind off of personal matters. So, when she came in next, he gave her a special task.
"Hermione. It has been predicted to rain for the quidditch match at Hogvarts this veekend. I vant you to come and keep the rain avay." Hermione had heard about the match at Hogwarts, but had never expected to be invited.
"I don't know if I can." She whispered, looking down at her palms.
"You are ready. I trust you." He nodded his head in reassurance.
"Practice once a day for the next five days and you vill be more than ready." Hermione took this task. She could not believe that she would be travelling with the quidditch team, back to Hogwarts for a whole weekend!
She did not tell anyone about her trip, not Dumbledore, not Hagrid, not Viktor. She wanted it to be a surprise. The next five days began incredibly wet, she knew Chigvintsev had done this for her benefit. She would wake early and put on her yellow raincoat and boots. Then she would sit i the quidditch stands and link her hands and close her eyes. She would stop the rain for half an hour, and then an hour and then an hour and a half as the days progressed and she found herself becoming more and more comfortable with this task and by the end of the five days, she was sure that she was ready, and Chigvintsev knew she was.
Hermione had been busy with her glass blowing that week as well. She wanted to take the large vase back for Dumbledore when she travelled back to Hogwarts. The fiery shades of glass made her hands sore, so she had to take breaks, in which she applied a lotion that Neville had made for her and this made the task far easier.
With most of her free time being occupied either by blowing glass or keeping Durmstrang in sun, Viktor had not seen Hermione an awful lot. They greeted each other as they passed, but one was always on their way to something and could not stop to talk. Viktor too was busy. With the Quidditch match coming up, the team had been training relentlessly and Viktor felt in his prime, sure that they would defeat the Hogwarts team. However, he was unsure how he felt about defeating them. They had fought so valiantly and bravely in the war that he almost did not want to defeat them, almost.
Viktor was excited to see Hermione's home. She had lived there for the most important years of her life and he was sure she missed it. He could not wait to see what she missed and the people who missed her.
Friday soon came and Hermione was on her way to meet with Chigvintsev. She was to be staying in his quarters of the boat. The headmaster knew what the boys were like, so he thought it would be safer and more pleasant for her to stay with him.
Hermione carried her own case until one of the quidditch player saw her and took it without a word. Chigvintsev had not told a soul about Hermione's attendance on the journey, but the boy understood that she needed help and he was willing to give it to her.
Hermione felt her jaw drop when her eyes fell on the infamous boat. It was far larger than she had ever imagined and it looked eerily evil in the moonlight. She followed the man with her case, and watched as he placed it with a pile of cases. She smiled and thanked him, before going to find Chigvintsev.
Confusion washed over Viktor when he saw Hermione, stood waiting by the boat. He knew she was cold, she hid it well, but he knew. In hindsight, he supposed taking Hermione was wise, as she knew Hogwarts and the people there.
Without thinking, he walked over to her.
"You are coming vith us?" He asked, his face close to hers.
"Yes." She whispered, her voice faltering in the cold. Viktor placed a hand on her cheek and whispered a warming charm he knew worked well on the boat. Hermione leant into his hand and smiled, feeling the warmth rise to her face.
"Thank you." She whispered. He wanted to kiss her then. But he knew everyone was watching. So he took her hand and placed a kiss to her fingers, before making way for Chigvintsev.
Hermione only noticed she had been holding her breath when she finally exhaled. Chigvintsev smiled at her knowingly and led her onto the boat, away from the men. The walls dripped and even with Viktor's warmth charm, Hermione felt a slight chill. Chigvintsev opened the door to her quarters and waited for her to enter.
"I hope you vill be comfortable here. Food and drink are down the hall." He pointed down the corridor of the boat. The room was warm and lit with a small warm light. The bed seemed comfortable enough and her view from the chair by the porthole was wonderful. Her trunk was already in the corner of the room. Hermione smiled back at Chigvintsev.
"Thank you. This is wonderful."
"If you need some company, I am two doors down. But I vould suggest that you sleep, you haff a long day ahead of you."
Once Chigvintsev had left, the reality of the situation began to hit Hermione. She was going home. She let a smile creep to her face, letting her excitement build within her. Hermione allowed herself to stay awake whilst the boat set sail. However, she set herself a rule to be asleep by a reasonable time, in order to be rested for her return to Hogwarts.
Viktor paced around his cabin. He wanted to go and see Hermione, but he knew he shouldn't. They hadn't even set off yet, but he knew he should let her rest. He knew that he would not be getting very much sleep, as he never slept well when the boat was moving. So he sat in his chair and waited for the boat to set off.
Hermione looked out of her window, back at Durmstrang as they pulled away from the dock. She was going to miss the dark, dingy castle and she wondered what part of her had admitted that fact. She adored Hogwarts and thought she had always wanted to return. However, now that she was fulfilling that dream, she wondered if it was what she truly wanted.
The boat began to descend into the water and Hermione's view disappeared into the murky waters. She was unsure what to do once the only view in front of her was green-brown water. So, she changed into her flannel pyjamas and brushed out her hair.
Just as Hermione was about to crawl into bed, her stomach began to grumble. She sighed, slipping on her slippers and making her way down to the food and drink. She wanted to be quick, not wanting any of the men to see her in her pyjamas. So she collected a goblet of mulled wine and a few pastries and retreated to her room.
She thought no one had seen her, but Viktor had also been on his way to collect some late night snacks when he saw her scuffling away in her night clothes with her fluffy slippers on. He chuckled and collected his meat, preparing for a long night.
At first, Hermione found it difficult to sleep with the insesent rocking of the boat. However, soon she found herself being rocked into slumber by it and before she knew it, she was rubbing her eyes awake.
Viktor had slept more than he had anticipated. He nodded his head as he looked at the time and took to preparing himself. The match wasn't until sunday, so today was a day to have a look around and get to know the students. He shaved and showered, dressing in his most crisp uniform. He looked at himself in the small mirror and nodded firmly. He wanted Hermione's peers to find him smart and handsome and he never felt more confident than in his uniform.
Hermione had been excited when they had set off. But now she was nervous, so nervous she shook. This was the place she had fought, had killed and she was scared to see it again. She tied her Durmstrang uniform tightly, pulling in her waist. She smoothed down her hair as much as was possible and slipped on her loafers. When Chigvintsev knocked on the door, she knew.
"It is time."