001. THE GIRL COULD RULE A GALAXY
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MONA VALEBROKK
Mona Valebrokk, despite being many things, is not a risk-taker. She's the person who you will find in the corner at parties, in the library during the holidays and finding her on a broomstick was more rare than finding the ultimate card of Agrippa form the chocolate frogs. She never runs down or up stairs ( she never ran at all really ) and she's easily the first person to give up in any challenge which required physical exertion but the last person you would see leave the classroom. How exactly she got selected to accompany the headmaster and twelve other students for the Triwizard tournament is unknown to a large majority of Durmstrang's student body. Because Mona Valebrokk, timid little Mona Valebrokk is surely not a candidate for the Triwizard Tournament! The students were more than astonished when they found out the school gossip bore truth, Mona was indeed putting her name in for one of the most dangerous and physically hardest tournament that could ever exist in the Wizarding world. None of them could believe and they all began to doubt that the Goblet of Fire would pick her name. Because she was Mona Valebrokk. And she was not brave nor capable enough to be selected by the wise and glorious Goblet of Fire, no, the Goblet, with all its magical wisdom will only select the worthy. And Mona Valebrokk, among many things was not worthy.
But let's rewind a little.
"Mona! Merlin, watch out." Viktor Krum's alerting voice ripped Mona away from her thoughts and pulled her closer to him, their bodies colliding in a completely platonic manner.
Mona's eyes widened and a small gasp fell from her lips as a student whizzed past on their broom. She moved her adrift hair away from her face and Viktor released his grip on her. As she stepped back, she gave him a grateful smile, her sage eyes meeting his sapphire ones. Viktor Krum was not bad looking. Mona's always thought this and everyone, who's ever seen or even heard of Viktor knew this. Viktor had sharp, piercing blue eyes that seemed to delve into the depths of your soul. How his light eyes contrasted against his tan skin was what illuminated his beauty. Of course everything else added to the aesthetic of his appearance, his strawberry plump lips, his sharp nose, his defined jawline.
"Thanks Vik. I kinda got lost in my head a little." Mona let out a small laugh and the two resumed their walk.
"Little Mona lost in her head, that's a first." Viktor chuckled, sarcasm clearly entangled with his words.
"Why are people always calling me little? And using my full name? I'm of average height!" Mona's tone raised a little and her hands begin to wave around ( as they always did when she spoke ) in gestures and movements which caused people walking to raise an eyebrow. The former she knew absolutely nothing about but the latter, she really should have thought about it better. Because she knows full well why people use her last name. Everyone did. Having Valebrokk on your robe, your books, your cards, was an automatic label for malevolence. Saying her full name was an insult.
"Well you look tiny next to me. And you're always next to me so. . ." Viktor shrugged his shoulders. It was true, there was never a time where Viktor was not seen with Mona and vice versa. When Viktor's practicing for Quidditch Mona's there, when Mona is browsing at the library, Viktor's there. They were inseparable and they made a pact in their first night at the school that nothing could come between them. "The full name thing, I have no idea."
"How would you like being called Viktor Etta Krum." Mona leaned into Viktor, a mischievous smirk dancing upon her lips.
"Hey, I told you my middle name in confidence." Victor whispered, his cheeks flushing ruby at the mention of his rather feminine nickname.
"Aw, look at Tall Viktor Etta Krum looking all flustered." Mona joked, pinching Viktor's cheeks.
"Stop it." Viktor whispered, swatting her hand away, a giggle falling from his lips but Mona professed from pinching his cheeks to tapping his nose then patting his hair. "Mona! Merlin, why are you so obsessed with my face!"
The trademark euphonious Mona Valebrokk, bell-like laugh, tumbled from her raspberry lips. "Sorry Vik, you're just too darn beautiful."
A lopsided smirk appeared on Viktor's lips and he gave a lazy half-shrug. "Oh, I know."
"Yes, you're very beautiful Etta." Viktor stopped in his tracks as the sentence fell from Mona's lips. Mona turned around, fighting to hold back a laugh as she feigned innocence and quirked an eyebrow. "What?"
Viktor clenched his jaw and Mona couldn't help the laugh to spill from her lips and as she heard Viktor's war-cry ( it was more of a shriek of every vowel possibly known in alternating high, middle and low tones, fascinating really ), she turned around and began a sprint. The only ever time she took part in any respiratory / cardiovascular sorts of activity was when her best friend was chasing her ( the immature pair have used running to escape the other's fury and to show fury since their first year. ) When Mona was the chaser, Viktor would've been able to scope the whole perimeter of the school by the time Mona's caught up with him and when Viktor was the chaser. . . well, that's all really, Viktor was almost constantly always the chaser and would end the chase with either two of his signature chase-ending moves, the throw-over-the-shoulder or bag of flour as Mona calls it and the wrap-and-spin or intelligently called merry-go-around by the Valebrokk girl.
Mona's laugh filled the halls of Durmstrang, the various passerby looked at her with a quirked eyebrow or roll of their eyes. Despite her obvious running motion and even more obvious, her almost-waist length flame-red hair flailing around her head, the halls remained congested and she was completely ( and consciously ) ignored by the opposite traffic. She had to mumble excuse-me and pardon-me and sorry and in the midst of displaying her manners and politeness, she felt an arm around her waist, a distance came between the floor and her feet and the room began to spin.
Mona let out a shriek accompanied with a bubbly laugh. "Tap out!" Viktor said as he continued to spin the girl, her hair blocking almost all of his view, so much so that he couldn't even see the headmaster with his irregularly large striding gait and expression of annoyance and embarrassment etched in his features.
"No!" Mona screamed back when she felt her feet touch the ground and noticed the absence of the slapping air and the lack of wind in her hair, she took a peak of her surroundings and scarcely opened an eye. When she saw the headmaster towering over her, she stepped away from Viktor and immediately straightened her posture, she pushed her shoulder back, jutted her chin upwards, knees unmoving, hands behind her back, face expressionless. However, her mind had not yet recovered from the merry-go-around and she felt the floor moving away from her and creeping towards the ceiling. Her body swayed to the side but Viktor reached an arm and helped her stand up before standing shoulder-to-shoulder to assist her propped up stance.
Igor Karkaroff was today ( and always is ) dressed in Durmstrang colours of obsidian black, marron and dark sage. His face was stoic but his eyes showed disgust, his lips tilted downwards as he looked at the Valebrokk girl and subsequently slowly shook his head at Viktor, disappointment in his eyes and questions arising in his mind to why exactly was the great Bulgarian seeker Viktor Krum friends with the weak, invisible Mona Valebrokk. "Mr. Krum, I'd like to see you in my office." He turned half-way before he faced the two again. "Leave Miss. Valebrokk there."
001. THE GIRL COULD RULE A GALAXY
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VIKTOR KRUM
Viktor Krum was mervous. And he always gets nervous. He just has always been extraordinarily good at hiding it. Perhaps the only person who's ever seen through the facade is, of course, his best friend, Mona Valebrokk. People say that she's not much. That she's plain, old Mona, defined by a devastating family tragedy, Mona who can't even mount a broom, Mona who's Karkaroff's greatest disappointment. But she was his Mona. His Mona who held his hand when he was scared shitless during his first year, Mona who gave him a hug before the match that got him scouted for the Bulgarian Quidditch team, Mona who lent her heart to a boy who couldn't find his. Viktor has always been a lost boy and Mona was his guiding star.
He walks just behind their headmaster, his face completely stoic but his heart thumping thunderously in his cage. He looks over his shoulder to where he had left Mona and he's not surprised that she's still there and he locks eyes with her, she gives him her biggest smile. It immediately puts him at an ease.
Viktor follows Igor to his office perched up in the top most level of the Durmstrang castle, the older man mutters a password and Viktor follows him inside. He doesn't notice it immediately, he's more concerned that he'll trip over some of the broken plywood in the headmaster's office. He really ought to get that fixed.
But when he looks up, surprise stops him in his tracks. About eleven other of his fellow schoolmates has gathered in Igor's office. All look at him with the same stoic face ( of course, Durmstrang was known for conditioning their students to reveal absolutely nothing with their facial expressions. )
Igor go behinds his large, mahogany desk and Viktor stands in the empty space at the edge of the group. "I will keep this short. As you all know, the Triwizard Tournament is coming up and all of you in this room have been shortlisted to accompany me to Hogwarts."
Viktor looks around and only a few let out a small smile. He turns to his right, his eyebrows going up and a giddy smile on his face but his other classmate just quirks a brow. Had Mona been here she would have jumped on his back and hugged him tightly in excitement.
"I trust that all of you will want to put your name in for the Tournament. I have handpicked the strongest, bravest and smartest in the whole cohort. The ship leaves next Monday at dawn."
They all file out of his office, Viktor is buzzing with excitement, he knows that Mona will absolutely lose it when he tells her the news. The only downside is that he'll have to leave her for almost half the school year. He frowns, he doesn't think he could go that long without seeing her.
He finds Mona in the courtyard, sitting cross-legged on a stone bench with a book on her lap. Her hair was now in a messy ponytail at the bottoms of her head. Viktor smiles ( probably from the adrenaline rush. )
He leaps over the courtyard barrier easily and gently yanks at Mona's ponytail. "Yank yank." He giggles as he sits down beside her.
"So," Mona closes her book and twists so that she was facing him. "What'd the Giant want?"
"You'll never believe it." He grins.
"I probably will." Mona chuckles. "Well? Go on!"
"I've been shortlisted for the Tournament." Viktor delivers his news with a mixture of excitement and composure. He's always been liking this, a perfect balance and the perfect opposite to the Valebrokk girl.
"The tour . . . wait, the Triwizard tournament?!" Mona's eyes go wide and Viktor nods. She leaps at him and wraps his arms around his neck. Viktor doesn't even budge at the heavy contact and he only chuckled and returns the hug. "I'm so happy for your Vicky!"
"Thanks Mona." His grin gets bigger. Mona pulls away and they are back in their sitting positions.
"You'll get picked for sure." Mona says so confidently that it crushes all of Viktor's insecurities.
"I hope so. The only downside is I won't be seeing you for almost a whole month."
"Oh," Mona's shoulders deflate. "I haven't thought about that . . . Well, maybe I can convince him to take me with you! I could be a very good assistant!"
"You could! Yeah!" Viktor smiles but it falters because he knows Igor probably, most likely, won't. "I mean, he's quite tough about the numbers I think."
"It's alright. I'll give it a go." Mona smiles and it crushes all of Viktor's worries once again. That was another about Mona Valebrokk, the woman could rule a galaxy.
author's note : so i know from the films that viktor is like this stoic, no-funny-business kind of character but i thought hmmmmMm what if he was like this fluffy, adorable character with specific people that's why he might be a little bit out of character because I wanted to explore a different side of him! also this chapter was really bad and I'm really sorry, lots of viktor/mona action because they ARE best friends so they'll probably a lot more through the book but I'm planning the first cedric/mona interaction in the next chapter! ALSO I totally changed tenses half way through and I'm really really sorry! I told you this was a shitty chapter! But thank you for reading! Lots of love, Lee 💕