"Ron?"
"No."
"Harry?"
"Definitely not."
"Let me think." Seamus and Hermione were sat in her room the first saturday of December. The winter dance was fast approaching and she had to ask someone.
"Why don't you just come with me?" She asked and he shook his head.
"I am flattered, but you know that I can't. I am a Durmstrang student. It has to be either someone from Beauxbatons or Hogwarts, and unless you want to give everyone a right shock, I would go with a boy from Hogwarts." He told her and she huffed. She didn't want to go with anyone from Hogwarts, she wanted to go with Viktor, but there were two problems with that idea 1. He was no longer a student and 2. He was far too busy to see her at the moment, with the Vultures taking up most of his time.
"Well, what about Colin Creevy, he is a nice enough boy?" Hermione asked.
"Too young." Seamus shook his head.
"What about Draco?" He asked and Hermione sighed, shaking her head now.
"Too complicated." Seamus nodded and they moved on from the subject.
Later that day, Hermione and Seamus were joined for dinner by Neville.
"Why don't you ask Neville?" He asked and Hermione thought about it for a moment. He seemed like the perfect option, nothing complicated there.
"Neville, who are you going to the Yule Ball with?" She asked. Neville smiled widely and she took that as a bad sign.
"Lucille from Beauxbatons has asked me." He beamed as he turned around and waved at the beautiful blonde. Hermione sighed and then felt bad and congratulated him on his date.
"Yeah, she's a pretty one alright." Seamus winked at Neville and he felt his self esteem rise a few pegs higher.
Neville left shortly after. Hermione turned to Seamus.
"One of us should have stayed at Hogwarts, so that I could ask you." She sighed and Seamus laughed.
"I don't think this is quite that serious. Besides, if you were at Hogwarts, old pretty boy wouldn't be competing." Seamus nodded to Cormac, who was striding proudly towards her, with a sidekick in tow.
"Just watch me. She won't say yes though, and then that blonde is mine." He laughed at his friend, before turning to Hermione.
"I don't suppose you would like to go with me to the dance, would you, Granger? Try and find out what Krum sees in you?" He chuckled, looking back at his friend. If he was being honest with himself, he saw what Krum saw, but his mates had dared him, and his reputation was everything.
Hermione had two options at this point. She could make his day and say no, allowing him to trot along to the lovely little blonde he said he wanted, or she could ruin his day, potentially ruining the night for her, but she thought it might be worth it and before she could even think any more about it, she was opening her mouth.
"I would enjoy that, Cormac, thank you for asking me." She smiled sweetly up at him and heard Seamus burst into fits of giggles. The friend stared at Cormac as he stood with his mouth hanging agape.
"Unless there is a blonde that is pining for my place?" She asked, her eyes wide, knowing everyone was watching.
"No. Thank you for accepting my offer. I am sure we shall enjoy each other's company." He nodded, before walking off.
Cormac didn't know how to feel. He was furious that Granger had embarrassed him, but part of him was glad that she hadn't rejected him. Part of him thought that would be worse.
"Mate, what are you going to do?" Charlie asked and he turned to his friend.
"I am going to take Hermione Granger to the Ball." He answered matter-of-factly.
"But what about the blonde?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Why don't you ask her?" He asked in return and Charlie huffed.
"I don't get you. It's as if you're glad she said yes." He shook his head.
"Well, if she's good enough for Krum." He shrugged his shoulders and watched as Charlie chuckled at him.
Seamus was so proud of Hermione. She couldn't have played it better.
"Are you really going to go with him?" He asked and Hermione chuckled.
"Yes. I don't see why not." She smiled proudly.
"What do you think Viktor will think about all of this?" He asked and Hermione shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. I would go and tell him, but he hasn't given me his new address. So I suppose I will wait for him to come to me." She acted as if it didn't hurt her, but
deep down, Hermione was hurt that he had gone so long without contacting her. She understood that he had started the season at Vratsa, but there are twenty four hours in a day, he could have spared part of one to come and see her, or even send his new address.
Viktor knew that it was his fault that he had heard nothing from Hermione. But, after the way that she had reacted to his house being a gift, he was uncomfortable inviting her over. The house was lovely, but with his place in Sofia as well, he felt that he was showing off - not that she couldn't get just as many nice places with her glass money. But she chose not to and that somehow made all the difference to Viktor.
Training with the Vultures was unlike anything that Viktor had experienced. It was as if they had pulled all of the best players from Eastern Europe to make the most destructive Quidditch team of all time. They challenged him and he loved it. The grounds were wonderful and one day, as he was walking in, he noticed a magazine on the rack, the kind that his Mother read but wanted to keep secret, the tacky tabloid kind. On the cover was a combined image of a boy he recognised as the good flyer from Hogwarts and Hermione. He smiled, seeing her face, but then soured quickly when he read the headline: Is there a new romance brewing at Hogwarts? He picked one up and gave the man the change.
Viktor sat and opened the magazine. He knew that he would be mortified if someone caught him reading it, but he needed to know what was happening between Hermione and this man named Cormac.
His brows furrowed when he read about him being Hermione's date for the ball. He had expected her to go with that floppy boy Neville, or Seamus, not this man, who could give him a run for his money in the looks department. He sighed when he read:
It seemed the invitation was a joke, but Granger had the last laugh by accepting his offer. He hated the thought of Hermione being the butt of a joke, but part of him was glad that she had come out on top. Still, part of him hated that pretty blonde boy and the thought of him spending an evening with Hermione made his fingers twitch.
Hermione relaxed whilst blowing glass that evening. She found herself entering a sort of trance, where she could allow her mind to wander. She couldn't quite understand why Cormac had asked her to the dance. He was far better suited to one of the French girls. Of course, his friends had dared him, which hurt, but he had done so willingly and his face was not angry when she accepted his invitation. She couldn't understand it, because she was sure that he hated her, but it seemed that this was not the case. It was all very confusing to her.
Viktor was waiting for her when she returned from glass blowing. She sighed, seeing him in his burgundy uniform. She hadn't seen him in so long, she was unsure how to feel. She routed through her bag and placed her translating devices in.
"Hello. How are you?" She asked and he padded on the spot.
"I am vell, thank you. How are you?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm good. I've been keeping up with you in the papers." She said as she walked past him, inviting him in.
They sat in her room, in silence for a short while. Viktor was embarrassed and angry and Hermione was completely unsure what she felt in that moment.
"How are the Vultures?" She asked, as she sat on her bed, taking off her shoes.
"I am enjoying it. They push me hard and I feel challenged." She nodded along, half listening to what he had to say.
"How is the house?" She asked, trying to keep them from plunging into silence again.
"It is nice. A kind gift." He stated and Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"A kind gift indeed." She muttered.
It was strange, Viktor remembered the last time he was there. He had apparated away whilst Hermione slept, knowing that she would be in deep trouble if Chigvintsev found him. He guessed that she had not been happy to wake up alone.
"I hear that you are going to the Ball vith the Hogvarts boy." He stated, looking down at his hands.
"Yes, I am." She stated flatly, looking at him, wondering why he had brought it up.
"He is the one from Durmstrang." Viktor stated and Hermione nodded.
"I thought you vould go vith Seamus or Neville." He sighed, looking down at his hands.
"I cannot go with Seamus, because he is also a student at Durmstrang and a pretty blonde got to Neville before I could. Is this why you have come, Viktor, to ask about Cormac?" She asked, her brows furrowed.
There was silence for a moment and then he shook his head.
"I do not like him." He stated and Hermione thought that steam might start rising from her head, she was so angry.
"Well, it is a good thing you're not going with him then." She said, shrugging her shoulders, trying to be nonchalant. Viktor sighed.
"Can you not say you haff changed your mind?" He asked and Hermione laughed.
"No, and frankly, I don't want to. Cormac is not even a friend of mine, but he was kind enough to ask me."
"As a joke." Viktor interrupted.
"Maybe, but he asked me nonetheless, and the fact that you think that this means anything is insulting. You are in no position to come in here and tell me what to do! The last time you were here, you vanished in the middle of the night." She was shouting now.
"That vas for your own good." He came back at her and she laughed it off.
"Very well. Then, you moved without telling me your address, leaving me no way to contact you. How do you think that made me feel?" She asked him and he had to think of a response.
"You hated the house." He spat the words at her.
"That doesn't mean I wouldn't want to see it, to see you! And It's not my fault that your family doesn't know what an appropriate gift is!" She was screaming at him now.
"Vhat vould you know about family?" He asked her and that was it. He realised how hurtful it was when he had said it. His eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open.
Hermione stood, her mind blank for the minute, and opened the door.
"It is time for you to leave." She told him and he stood.
"Her-my-knee-" He began.
"GET OUT!" She screamed and that was when three students and Chigvintsev were stood in the hallway. Viktor looked at them and then looked at Hermione's wobbling bottom lip and sighed, marching off of the boat.
Once he was gone, Chigvintsev entered Hermione's room and took her by the shoulders. He saw that she wasn't in any place to speak, so he pulled her into an embrace, feeling her rest her head on his chest as she wept. It was all so painful, this love.
Viktor was seething. He hadn't meant to say what he had said, but he was angry and people say stupid things when they are angry. He didn't know who to turn to, from whom to seek advice. There was only one person who would understand and he dreaded going to see her.
Ada had been furious at her son for leaving his birthday party. But he had come back, if not when the party had been winding down. She hoped that it would be a lesson for him, to tell her about his affairs so that she knew better than to sit his girlfriend on the other side of the room. Ada adored Hermione and it pained her to see her so put out by the celebration.
She was shocked when Viktor walked into their living room and sat opposite her.
"Viktor, what are you doing here?" She asked, shocked that he had time in his busy schedule.
"I have been stupid, Mother. I have made a mistake." He placed a hand over his face and sighed. His Mother begged him to tell her what had happened, so he began the story.
Ada shook her head as she heard what Viktor had done.
"You have hurt her." She stated and Viktor sighed.
"I know. But I never meant to and I was just so angry about the dance and everything." He tried to justify his actions, but Ada placed her hand on top of his and shook her head again.
"You cannot explain this away, Viktor. You have hurt someone else. We all have. We are human. But, you are in the wrong. I love you, Son and that is why I am telling you this. You must accept that you are wrong and make this up to Hermione." She said and Viktor knew she was right. He didn't know what to do, how to make it up to Hermione.
"You need to go to the dance. Go and talk to Dumbledore or McGonagall, ask them for an invitation. You need to go and support her and her choice of date. Don't interrupt them, show her that it is okay and that you trust her." His Mother told him and he thought of the idea for a moment, nodding his head.
"It will be hard, watching her with him." He looked down at his feet.
"Yes, and that is why you must do it." She told him and Viktor thanked her for her advice.
What Viktor had said had hit Hermione hard. She had tried to do what was best for her parents, but they hadn't seen it that way when they had their memories back of her. They asked her to remove their memory again, never wanting to know they had a daughter, but she had refused them. It was a wound that had never really healed. When she felt weak, in moments like these, she would head down to the vaults in Hogwarts and sit in front of the Mirror of Erised. For a while, it showed her her old self, without scar nor limp. But now, her parents stood, smiling down at her. She sighed, it had been so long since she had seen them smile. She wished that she could go to them, that she could cry in her Mother's arms, but this was impossible now.
Cormac had wanted to speak with Hermione about what colours she would wear to the dance, so that they might coordinate. He had made sure that none of his friends knew where he was going. They all thought that this was all still a joke and that he still might turn up with one of the beautiful women of Beauxbatons. But Cormac was wholly serious about going to the dance with Hermione, they were in similar positions, both competing in the tournament and when he had seen her at times before, he had thought her to be rather pretty.
When he had seen Hermione going down to the vaults, he had followed her, out of curiosity. He had remained out of sight, when he saw her take the cloth off of the mirror. His brows furrowed as he watched her sit in front of it. It was about a minute later when the crying began. It started as a few sniffly tears, but then turned into passionate wailing. Cormac knew what had happened with her parents, it was a kind of legend in Hogwarts "muggle parents abandon daughter". His parents were foul at best, but he couldn't imagine a life without them. He sighed and turned, leaving the colour coordination for another time.
Luna had been asked to the dance by one of the Durmstrang boys she had met whilst over in Bulgaria.
"I am glad I kept my translators, else I would have never understood what he was saying!" She had told Hermione whilst dress shopping. Hermione had been quiet ever since the day in the vault. Luna wished that she could cheer Hermione up, but it seemed impossible.
Cormac had sent Hermione a letter a few days before.
Hermione,
I have been thinking about colours and I thought we might wear burgundy, being both the colours of Gryffindor and Durmstrang. Let me know if you decide on something different.
Cormac.
Hermione had not been nervous until this point. It seemed that Cormac was taking the dance very seriously, and she wondered for a moment if his asking her had not been entirely a joke. If not, then what did that mean? She had never been close with Cormac, but he could be a nice man when he wanted to be and she had to turn her mind onto dresses when it wandered further down that path.
It seemed that the dress shop had exactly what Hermione was looking for. The dress flowed to her ankles in shades of burgundy and gold and the fabric wove across the bodice. It was expensive, but Hermione didn't mind so much. Luna had picked out a rather un-Luna like dress. It was white, with feathers lining the bodice in a pretty delicate way, reaching just to the back of her knees. She would look wonderful, with her hair scooped up in one way or another, wearing the heels she ummed and arred about for twenty minutes.
Hermione hated to admit it, but she was beginning to look forward to the dance. She had heard nothing from Viktor, and when she thought about the situation, she became stressed, so she turned her mind off of Bulgarian quidditch players and onto the waltz. Chigvintsev had been giving her lessons and it turned out that she was not as terrible as she thought. They laughed as she stepped on his toes and it felt, for the first time, that she might have a Father figure in her life, one that might stay.
Viktor had taken his Mother's advice to heart and gone to Dumbledore.
"I vould like to attend the Yule Ball." He told him and Dumbledore nodded.
"I see. Would this be anything to do with Miss Granger?" He asked and Viktor shook her head.
"She does not know I am here. I vant to support my school." He told him and Dumbledore knew that having Viktor Krum in attendance would boost the moral of the students, so he agreed.
"Very well, you may bring the coach of the Vultures with you, if Boris is available." Viktor stood and bowed, hoping that his new coach might accompany him.
The snow had begun to fall, thanks to Hermione and Chigvintsev and everyone was excited for the ball. Neville was beside himself with his French date, Luna often joined Hermione on the Durmstrang table, to sit with Ivan, her date for the dance. Cormac had approached Hermione on several occasions, to ask when he should meet her and where and to tell her how much he was looking forward to the evening.
"He seems to be performing his dately duties very well." Seamus noticed, wondering what the blonde's game was.
"Yes, I am not entirely sure what is going on." Hermione replied, but then shrugged it off and decided not to stress about it.
The day finally came and there was a nervous anticipation around the castle. Hermione had agreed to meet Cormac in the ballroom at 6pm, so she still had the entire day to get ready and relax. She wondered what Viktor was doing, if he was thinking about her, if he would ever apologise for what he said.
Viktor hoped that Hermione would take his attendance at the Yule Ball as some form of apology. Boris, the Vultures' coach had been delighted to be invited to the Ball.
"I haven't seen Dumbledore in years. It will be a great night." He had said when Viktor asked him to come. Once again, the only woman Viktor could turn to was his Mother.
"I don't know what to wear." He sighed, standing by his wardrobe.
"Wear the red." She insisted and when Viktor questioned her, she said.
"Just because you agree with her going with him, doesn't mean you cannot look better than him." She told him and Viktor nodded, changing into his red robes.
Ada sighed when she saw her son in red. It had always been his colour. Part of her wished that he had worn it on his birthday, but at least he was wearing it now.
"You must act politely with Hermione. She will no doubt be angry, but you must ask her to dance, the second song." She instructed Viktor and he nodded, committing this to his memory.
"She will come back. Lord knows your Father has said some awful things to me over our years and we have still stayed strong. Let me know how it goes." She made him promise and then she left, allowing him to apparate to Hogwarts.
Hermione had gone to Luna around 4 in the afternoon. She was freshly washed and in a pair of her comfiest joggers and a hoodie. Luna sat and pinned her hair up in a way that made up for her dress being timid with its outrageousness, whilst Hermione painted her nails.
"Do you think Ivan will ask me to write to him when he goes back?" Luna asked, turning to watch Hermione for a minute.
"Yes, I do." She smiled as Hermione nodded.
"I see how he looks at you. There is no doubt that something will come of the two of you." When Hermione saw Ivan looking at Luna, all of the mean lines seemed to smooth in his face and she even saw a smile from time to time. That was what love looked like.
"I think the only times I have seen Viktor Krum smile is when he is looking at you." Luna thought to herself and Hermione froze, her brush in midair.
"Really?" She asked. Luna nodded.
"Oh yes, I have never really seen a man look at a woman in the way that he looks at you." She thought aloud and Hermione felt her lower lip begin to wobble.
"Do you think he will come back?" She asked, her voice uneven. Luna smiled and reached a hand out to her.
"Yes, I know it." She replied and Hermione sighed, chuckling at how stupid this all seemed. The petty fights, all because he was from old money and she was not. She never thought that she would be one of those people, who would care about such things. But it seemed she was.
Viktor arrived early, meeting Boris at the gate.
"It has been so many years since I have been here." He told Viktor, patting him on the back in greeting. They both wore red, and faces that scowled in a way the Hogwarts' faces could not. Dumbledore and Boris embraced, Boris was an inch taller than Dumbledore and had three times the mass across his body, but they smiled at each other in way that only old friends can. They commented on their lessening hair and how their bodies did not quite work how they used to and they laughed.
Viktor took this time to wander around the room. He greeted all of his Durmstrang friends with firm handshakes and bowed to their dates.
"How is Vratsa?" They would ask and he would tell them stories of broken noses and exhausting days and they would tell him of their envy before he moved on. He saw Cormac then, golden haired and handsome. But he didn't look like his normal self, he seemed nervous. Viktor sighed, feeling awful for making Hermione feel guilty for coming with him and he approached him.
Cormac felt himself jump out of his skin when Viktor Krum appeared in front of him.
"How are you?" He asked and Viktor replied that he was well and that he was here to support Durmstrang.
"I hope you don't mind Hermione being my date." He laughed, trying to make light of the situation.
"No, of course. She can choose who she likes." He responded and before Cormac could respond, Hermione emerged at the top of the staircase.
It seemed that everyone fell silent when Hermione entered the room. Her hair was curled up onto her head in an old hollywood kind of way, and she looked breathtaking in her dress. She walked, arm in arm with Chigvintsev, who looked oddly threatening in his red Durmstrang robes. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, when she saw Viktor stood beside Cormac, dressed in his finest. She didn't understand why he was there, but seeing him smiling up at her made her heart flutter.
Viktor stepped away, with Chigvintsev when she reached Cormac, understanding that he was her date. Hermione took his arm and greeted him.
"You look wonderful." He told her and she returned the compliment. Cormac's friends stood with mouths agape, now understanding why asking Hermione had not entirely been a joke. Hermione stood and watched as Luna descended the stairs, all swan-like beauty. She looked at Ivan, dressed in red, with his hair freshly cut, looking up at her like she was the world. That was how Viktor had looked at her. She smiled when Ivan kissed her hand and then snuck a glance at Viktor. He was talking with McGonagall, who seemed to be enjoying his company massively and Hermione smiled, they had always gotten along.
Everyone watched as they got ready for their first dance. Hermione stood with Cormac, all colour coordination and class and Fleur stood with a very pleased Hufflepuff. There should have been three pairs, but with Hermione and Cormac being each other's dates, only two couples stood.
The music began and the couples began dancing.
"Why are you here?" Chigvintsev whispered to Viktor, as they watched the couples dance.
"I am here to support Durmstrang." He replied, in Bulgarian and Chigvintsev sighed.
"And to apologise, for what has happened." He continued and Chigvintsev nodded.
"I should think so." He whispered, before turning his attention to Hermione. She glided across the dancefloor, more elegant than her limp would have suggested. She smiled as Cormac lifted her off of the ground and Viktor saw it was a pleasant, friendly smile and punished himself for ever thinking so ill of her.
Once Dumbledore and McGonagall joined the dance, other couples came as well. Neville danced with his pretty french date and Luna was lead around the hall by Ivan, who was a more proficient dancer than anyone had thought.
"You did not know that Krum was going to be here." Cormac said. It was more than a statement than anything. Hermione shook her head.
"I don't know why he is here." She said, shrugging her shoulders.
"I think I do. He doesn't want me making a move on you." He smiled down at her and she chuckled.
"Were you planning on making a move?" She asked, pulling away an inch.
"Not exactly. But you do look beautiful tonight, Granger and you have been through more than anyone I know and have come out on the other side." Hermione looked up at Cormac and saw he was not lying. For a short while, she had forgotten her past, forgotten all the things that she had been through. But having someone praise her for surviving meant so much.
"Thank you." She whispered and they finished the dance.
Viktor was there then, asking if he could have the next dance, as his Mother had instructed. Hermione nodded.
"I shall see you after." Cormac told her and she smiled, taking Viktor's hand.
"I wonder how many times we have danced like this?" She asked, as they swayed across the dancefloor. She was glad now that she had placed her translating devices in, just in case anyone from Durmstrang needed her.
"Not enough. You look so wonderful." He told her and she smiled up at him.
"Why are you here, Viktor?" She asked and he had to pluck up the courage to apologise.
"I am sorry." He said and she nodded, not saying anything.
"I am sorry for not inviting you to Vratsa, and leaving you without a vay to contact me. But I am sorry most for vhat I said." He hung his head.
"I cannot understand vhat it is like to lose your parents. I vill never say anything like that again." He promised her and she knew that he was telling the truth.
They danced for a few beats before Hermione spoke.
"Do you know, when I replaced my parents memories, they asked me to take them away again." She said, reminiscing on that day. It was muggy and uncomfortable.
"They said that they would rather have no memory of a child than have to think of one as rancid and unfeeling as me." She laughed, not knowing how else to react.
"I am sorry." Viktor said, not knowing what else to say.
"Yes, it wasn't the best of days." She sighed. It hadn't been so long ago, but things were slowly getting better, she looked over to Chigvintsev and watched him smile at her.
"I didn't take them away. I hope that at some point, they will be glad that they have their memories of me, that they will be glad that they had a daughter." She smiled, hoping that she would not forever be a stain on their life.
"Vould you ever go back?" He asked, feeling his voice falter.
"No, not now. The damage has been done. I wonder if they ever think of me? I might send Mother a bowl or something for her birthday, it is coming up. At least if she doesn't like it, she can sell it." Of course, it could not be magical, but it could be a beautiful muggle bowl.
"I think you should do it. She vill not sell it." He told her and she nodded.
Their dance ended and Viktor found it very hard to let her go. But he handed her back to Cormac and watched them go to get drinks. He stood with Boris and watched as the students danced.
"You love her?" He asked him in Bulgarian.
"Yes." He replied.
"It must be hard. Seeing her with another man." Boris noted.
"Yes, but I know that she loves me." He told him as she looked over at him and smiled. Not all was forgiven, but they were on their way.
Hermione chuckled as she stood with Cormac.
"So, come on, Granger, have you cracked the egg?" One of Cormac's friends asked.
"I am not telling you." She answered diplomatically.
"That means she has!" He cried out and she was glad when Chigvintsev tapped her on the shoulder and asked to dance.
They swayed, as they had at Viktor's party.
"Vhat happened, Vith you and Viktor?" He asked her and she sighed.
"He said something stupid when he was angry. It hurt." She told him and he nodded.
"Ve all say stupid things vhen ve are angry in love." He told her and she smiled up at him.
"Yes, I suppose we do." They continued dancing.
"I never had a child. My vife vas against it." Chigvintsev told her.
"But I feel protective over you, and I care for your vellbeing, deeply." He told her and she smiled.
"You have been more of a Father to me in our time together than anyone. Meeting you has been one of the best parts of all of this." She smiled up at him, feeling gratitude wash over her.
"You are not an ordinary vitch, Hermione. You have done amazing things and you shall do many more." He told her and she squeezed his hand.
"And you will be with me when I do." She smiled as he closed his eyes and nodded.
Viktor watched and realised that what he had said was false. Hermione knew a kind of family that Viktor never had, the family that you choose, the family that you love through experience, not blood and that was how Chigvintsev loved her, he could see that. He watched as she placed her head on his shoulder and he lead her in little circles around the dancefloor. He wondered if one day, they would have the same dance at her wedding and thought that it was more than likely. All that he hoped, was that it would be him that would have the first dance that night.
Cormac and Hermione went outside after she finished dancing with Chigvintsev.
"Have you really cracked the egg?" He asked her, looking at her from under his lashes. She nodded silently.
"Every time it opens, it just screams at me. I don't blame it. I'm not right for this. You should be representing Hogwarts, I know you would be if you had come back. When I stood in front of that dragon, I all but crapped my pants and you just put it to sleep!" He sighed.
"I should have never put my name in that blasted goblet. I'm not made of tough enough stuff." He put his head in his hands and Hermione put her hand on his shoulder.
"Cormac, the goblet wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't meant for this. It is not you who is not made of tough enough stuff. It is your egg that is not wet enough." She whispered.
"I don't understand." He shook his head.
"I found the clue when I fell into the river-"
"You fell into the river!" He interrupted. No one had known about that.
"I am telling you this because I think you are a nice guy, Cormac. I don't want you to drown out there." She smiled up at him and he took her hand.
"Thank you for being my date tonight, Miss Granger. I will take up no more of your time. I know that you have interests elsewhere." He kissed her hand and left her in the garden.
Hermione was confused. Part of her thought that Cormac had come up with this plan to find out how to open the egg, but surely he would not do such a thing? She sat out in the garden and pondered on it for a while, wondering whether to feel used or not.
"Now, why are you sat out here when you have two men pining after you inside?" McGonagall asked her, sitting beside her.
"My date with Cormac seems to be over." She told her and McGonagall shrugged.
"I told him how to open the egg and then he left." She sighed.
"That is probably just a bonus for him. He really does like you, I think." Minerva told her and Hermione felt better about the situation.
"So, go on. What is it?" She asked Hermione.
"It's mermaids." Hermione whispered back. McGonagall nodded knowingly.
"I would go to Mr Longbottom for that problem." She winked at her and then slinked off. Hermione smiled, wondering what Neville knew about mermaids.
Viktor watched her come back into the hall, alone. He approached her and bowed. Everyone was watching, having seen Cormac come back in alone.
"My date is over." She told him and he held out his hand.
"No, the real date is just beginning." He smiled down at her and she sighed, taking his hand. When it came down to it, it was Viktor she saw first when she descended the stairs. They were the only couple dancing when they took to the floor and they swayed slowly.
"Please, can we stop fighting?" She asked and he kissed her on the forehead, causing some rather audible swooning from the crowd.
"I don't vant to fight vith you. It is hard, for you, seeing my family?" He asked and she nodded.
"Chigvintsev is my only family now." She sighed, but glad for the little that she had.
"No, come for Christmas vith my parents, at my house. Bring Chigvintsev too. They did not know, about us in time for my birthday." He told her and she smiled.
"So that was why I was over with your school mates! I see." She chuckled, glad that Ada didn't hate her.
"I am jealous of you, I think. The fancy cars and houses and jewels. It is hard when you don't have someone to buy those things for you, even if you don't really want them. But, also, it made my gift seem so small, so cheap." He shook his head and silenced her.
"Your gift vas my favourite." He told her and she smiled up at him questioningly.
"I can buy a house, I can buy a car. I cannot buy those photographs. I cannot buy those memories of you." They stopped dancing and he leant down and kissed her.
"Ve say stupid things in love. I say stupid things." He told her.
"I am sure I will have many a stupid thing to say to you." She told him and he smiled.
"I vill vait for them all, as long as you are vith me."