AN: I do not own Harry Potter, any of its characters or the like. My only creative control is over the plot.

Slightly AU

Christmas Sprinkles

Chapter One: Could Have, Should Have, Would Have

"Hey Mum," George said as he walked into the kitchen where his mother stood looking over the Christmas dinner she had prepared for the large party that had arrived for the holiday. She would have muttered a simple Hello back for how busy she was at the moment, if not for the guilty look on his face.

"George Weasley, tell me now, and tell me quick," she told him with eyes closed, hand raised high in exasperation and expectancy of his confession. "And I swear to Merlin, young man, if it is something that can not be fixed within the next twenty-five minutes, you will wish you have never been born.

"What is it?"

"Yeah… Well, you remember those Christmas sprinkles I had been working on?" he asked her, and she nodded slowly. "The kind that if you ingest makes you… happy?"

"High," she corrected him. "High, George Weasley, they make you high. I may be a witch but I was around in the sixties."

"Right, right, of course," he smiled. "So, anyways… You know how you told me to throw them away?" he look became more and more suspicious with each passing breath. "Well, about that, you see, I was going to do just that, honest!" he defended himself. "But, see, I had the jar on the table by the eggnog. I wasn't gone for more than five minutes… I go back into the kitchen, and, well…I should have paid more attention to Hermione class as we passed. Cause… Cause if I had, I would have noticed the sprinkles covering the top of her drink…"

"GEORGE WEASLEY!" his mother screamed, coming at him with a towel and lashing out at him. "YOU GO GET THAT CUP FROM HER THIS INSTANT!" his hands were up to protect his face as she lashed the towel at him again and again. "I told you to get rid of the lot, I told you to never make such things!"

"I tried I tried!" George yelled back, jumping to hid behind the other side of the table. "I tried," he was out of breath. "By the time I got there, well, she had already, well…" he was leaning himself to the side, looking down the hall to the sitting room, and extended his hand in the direction.

"Don't you dare…" his mother said, draping the towel over her shoulder and turning herself around and looking down the hallway, to the sitting room. "There's no cure for it?" she spat at her son, demanding an answer as she spun back to his direction. "Well!"

"Time?" he squeaked. "Time cures all things, they say…"

"I have never…" Molly began, glaring at her son. "If you ever mean to make such a foul, terrible creation again in this house George Weasley, you won't have the brains to because I will have ripped them out!

"Do you have any idea, any idea how many people are to be sitting down at this table in less then," she looked up at her clock, "twenty minutes now?"

"Sure I do!" he brightened. "It will be you, Dad, Ginny and Ron, Bill and Fleur, Percy, Harry, Luna and her Father – really, aren't Harry and her just the cutest together? – Neville as he's with Ginny now – also a golden couple! – Remus, Sirius, Viktor and Hermione and me," he counted out on his fingers with a smile.

"Sixteen people," his mother nodded. "Sixteen people… How am I to explain Hermione's… Hermione's… her…her…"

"Being high?" George finished for her.

"YES!" she boomed. "Explain that to me, Mr. brilliant inventing son of mine!"

"It's fine!" he promised her. "Honestly Mum, I saw how much she took – it'll only last a few hours… or so."

"Or so…? YO- Hello everyone!" she smiled instantly – changing her demeanor - as people began making their way into the kitchen and choosing seats. "If you will I will just be along shortly, just need to finish up a quick and friendly conversation with my favorite son." Not caring who was looking, she snatched George up by the ear and dragged him into the hallway behind her.

There were a few stragglers, coming in through the front door after having played a quick game of Quidditch; Harry, Ron, Ginny, Viktor, Remus and Luna, who thought she ought to give it a go, trying for Harry's sake, as well as Neville who tried it out for Ginny. Hermione, on the other hand, was laid out across the couch, giggly profusely with her hands covering her face. "So soft!" she proclaimed, stopping the few remaining stragglers in their tracks; Ginny, Viktor, Remus, Luna and Neville. "Everything is just so soft! Why is everything so soft, oh!" she laughed aloud. "Oh, gosh, this couch is so soft it tickles!" and she went into another fit of giggles, squirming around on the couch.

Molly smiled to them, "She is all right," she promised them, and Remus, Luna and Neville nodded, curious as they were, and made their was towards the kitchen.

"What'd you do this time George?" Ginny asked as she hung her scarf on one of the many pegs by the door. She knelt down to pull off her boots.

"What you looking at me for!?" her older brother asked. "Why do you always have to…" he gave up. "The Christmas sprinkles…" he dropped his head in defeat.

"Oh!" she placed her hand over her mouth and began laughing quite loud. "Mum, really, why did you make him get rid of those? I was his test dummy, they were great! Oh, oh, good, good, she'll need that – take away a few layers of so serious Granger. Oh, oh, Georgie how I love you brother! Just my favorite of the bunch!" Still laughing, she made her way into the kitchen after giving her brother a quick hug and proud kiss on the cheek.

Hermione pulled her hands away from her face and looked over at the two remaining redheads in the room. "You're hair is so orange!" she noticed, like it were the first time seeing them. "Did a pumpkin pee on you?" George had a very difficult time stifling his laughter, and Molly quickly and without thought smacked her hand over the back of his head.

"See, Mum?" he pointed towards the girl and rubbing the back of his head. "She's fine! Just happy!

"Go on to the kitchen, I will help her in, go, cool your nerves," she gave him a severe look before marching into the kitchen to greet her guests. George could just make out her voice to excuse any odd behavior from Hermione, as she wasn't herself tonight, and heard some things he would have rather not about himself.

Rolling his eyes he walked over to Hermione and bent down beside the couch, and looked at her.

"You can go ahead," he nearly jumped to the sound of the Bulgarians' voice. He had forgotten he was even there, he was so damned quiet. "You haff enough problems without haffing to help Hermione into the kitchen. Go, I vill be all right."

"You can say her name right now," George nodded his head while standing to look over at the man. "Quite an improvement from the last time we all saw you, Hermione would be quite pleased, I imagine. Though, I am not too sure she's any idea what is going on right now," as Viktor walked over and stood beside George and the girl on the bed, the redhead placed his hand on his shoulder, thanked him, and walked off towards the kitchen to be with the rest.

"I thought clouds moved," Hermione mused to herself. Viktor smiled at her, and bent down beside her.

"Hermione?" he asked. She turned her head to face him, and her quizzical, philosophical look was replaced by a wide smile. She rolled her body to face his, and ran her hand against his now scruffy – but tamed – facial hair. Feelings stirred in him from the touch that he had thought would have died many years ago.

"Viktor!" she sang. "I had no idea you were here! Oh, it's been so long! So good to see you! I missed you, did you miss me? Oh I would have wrote more often but there was a war going on and Harry and Ron and I had to go into hiding but oh well you know all about that did you miss me? Oh, because I missed you terribly." He smiled at her, laughing softly.

"I missed you," he told her honestly, feeling unashamed as he ran his hand over her forehead. "We need to go eat now. Can you valk?"

At that, her eyes shot open wide. "From all the way up here?" she wondered, looking down to the floor. "From the sky? Wait, how are you not falling?" Oh, I have fallen, the Bulgarian thought to himself, fallen quite hard, all over again.

"I think you might need to carry me… I don't have wings," she smiled, allowing her head to lull to the side. Viktor slid his arms beneath her body and lifted her against his body, pulling himself to stand with one arm beneath her knees, and the other about her shoulders, her head leaning limply against her shoulder and neck.

"Warm," she said, placing her hand against his chest. "You're always so warm, Viktor…. I could just sleep here and never do a thing again," she said with closed eyes, a playful smile on her lips. He smiled as he rounded the couch, thinking the same thing.

"Feeling better?" Ginny asked, three hours after dinner, as she, Neville, Ron, Harry and Luna, George and Viktor sat sipping their chosen drinks around the crackling fire, awaiting Hermione's response as she set down her mug of chilled eggnog.

She smiled widely while setting down her mug, taking her time before looking over at George from her perch on the floor, wrapped snuggly in a red, green and white quilt. "George," she smiled, looking down at the floor. "George, George, George, George, George…" she finished, looking back up at him. "One day… Oh yes," she went on, nodding to herself. "One day…"

"Well then," Harry said as he lifted his brows and took Luna by the hand, "I think that is enough response for me for one night," he smiled, leading Luna by the hand and from the room. "See you all in the morning, George… Sleep well I hope."

"Yes, goodnight everyone," Luna waved, smiling to her friends as they headed towards the stairs.

"Alright well… Good luck to you brother," Ron said. "I think I am going to go out and play with myself one last time before bed."

Ginny, Neville, George, Viktor and Hermione choked out in laughter, covering their mouths.

Ron let out a long grunt. "Daaamn… Walked right into that one. Sorry, well… You know what I mean!

"If any of you would like to join me, I will be outside for a bit," as he stood up to walk, George raised his hand in denial, saying he would stay in the house, as Ron's task was really more of a one-man job, and seeing as they were brothers didn't want to make it more awkward as it was. Ron huffed again, and slammed the door as he left.

"And I think that is my cue," Ginny sighed, looking over at Neville. "Want to go to bed?"

"Sure," he nodded as they clasped hands and stood from the couch. "Besides, one brother of yours already offered, I am afraid of what the next one might offer… Seeing as he already drugged Hermione once tonight," at his words George flung a pillow across the room and it landed right against the side of Neville's face. "Just saying," he commended his words.

"Oh, you wish, Longbottom!" George sang.

"You can do better than that!" Neville called from the stairs. "Ever wonder where I got my last name from!?" And at that, Hermione covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head, softly whispering to herself: no, no, no, no, no…

"Took that a bit far…" George nodded once. "Wouldn't have gone there myself, but there it is… Can't get that vision out of my head now. The dream's I'll have tonight."

"Yeah," Hermione mused from the floor, not really looking at anything in particular. "Your youngest brother offers you to join playing with himself, Neville gives an unexplained explanation of his last name, leaving all the room for imagination… Longbottom… I don't even want to go there, but he went there… And your sister's probably there right now… Can't imagine the things you'll be dreaming about tonight," she finished, taking a long drag from her eggnog.

"Thank you, Hermione," he said robotically. "For those lovely images. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to bed," and he pulled himself away from the chair he sat at.

"Good," Hermione nodded, then, with a playful smile, added as he was reaching the bottom of the stairs, "Shall I fetch Ron then!?"

George let out a long, exasperated whine before dragging himself up the stairs.

"You are terrible," Viktor said at last, being more comfortable in smaller groups than larger ones.

Hermione shrugged, pulling herself up from her place on the floor, and plopping down on an empty seat cushion. "He drugged me, it's the least I can give back."

"Technically, you drugged yourself," he noted.

"Well, yes, but, how was I to know what kind of sprinkles they were? They looked normal to me. Then, next thing I know, I am floating and laughing uncontrollably."

"Is that," Viktor braved, looking down at his knees, then over to Hermione, "all that you can remember?" he asked. "Laughing?"

"I remember everything," she told him honestly, after a moment of deliberation. She had had a crush on Viktor for years, ever since the Triwizard Tournaments. She thought that the crush had went away, but, even in the state she was in earlier, she realized that seeing him again brought it all back, and now as she sat there, pulling at a loose thread on her sweater, it was all she could think about. Everything she had said, that she missed him, calling him warm, telling him she wanted to sleep against him forever…

It was silent for a few minutes, and after he could take it no longer, Viktor set down his mug of spiced apple cider, stood up, and walked over to where Hermione was, taking the seat beside her. Closing her eyes for a moment, she looked over at him, smiling. "I know I made a complete fool of myself," she said softly. "I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable… Not seeing me for years, then, just… throwing myself at you. I don't know what I was thinking; what I was doing. I just know that everything either felt good or was entirely funny, nothing else mattered… I didn't care about what anyone thought… I just…" she didn't know how to go on, and stopped short, shrugging.

"So," he nodded. "You are apologizing for being yourself, basically." Silently, she nodded. "Okay. Then, efferthing you said vas true?" again, she nodded. "You did not make me uncomfortable, Hermione," he told the girl. "I came here to be vith friends… Last time I saw you was a long time ago… Seeing you again…" he looked over at her. "To see that you are not vith any body, no boyfriend?" she nodded at his question, biting the side of her lower lip. "I expected you to haff gone off vith Ron by now. But, I get here, and both of you are alone… I see you…

"I see you, and I am reminded of all of the feelings I had for you, all those years ago. To see how grown you haff become, how… how beautiful you are still becoming.

"I haff to tell you something," he whispered, and she signaled for him to go on, her heart skipping nearly every beat. "Hermione… Ven I came back here… I vas hoping you vould be alone because… Because I haff…"

"Yes… Viktor?"

"Before ve vere both so young. But now… Now we are both grown, and I… Hermione. I haff to tell you that I… I luff you," he stopped, looking over at her, "Haffing you in my arms earlier… It made all of my feelings come back, and I knew – know – that I can not go one more day vithout haffing you as mine," he finished, waiting her response. "And to hear all of those things you said vhen you vere high… asking you and hearing you meant it all… Hermione, please, tell me I am not seeing vat is not there. Please," he turned in his seat, facing her completely. Slowly, timidly, he reached his hand across the seat, placing it over hers.

"It's really hard," she swallowed, looking down at his hand covering hers. "To be around Molly and Arthur; Neville and Ginny; Harry and Luna… To feel so completely alone… To have a person come back into your life who you never thought was more than a crush, come walking back into your life, years later, only to discover that there was so, so much more than what you originally thought… Finding it difficult to breathe, being so close to them, yet not nearly close enough," she said, looking up into his eyes.

"There has never been anyone who has made such an impact in my life… but you, Viktor. And to see you again… it's-" she was cut off from her next words as Viktor leaned his lips into hers, wrapping his arms around her back.

"Vithout effen knowing it, I haff been vaiting for you," he told her softly, kissing her again. She smiled, running her hands through his hair. "I luff you, Hermione. All of these years, still you are in my vay. I came to this house, only knowing you vould be here…" and he kissed her again. "Please," he added quickly, taking her face into his hands. "Don't make me vait again."

"Viktor," she whispered. "Don't you understand?" he looked at her with his brows knitted together. "It has only ever been you… And it's only ever going to be you… Viktor, I… I love you, Viktor. I only wish I told you sooner than now."

He smiled, running his hand down the side of her face. "Vell, now you can tell me alvays."

After kissing, and laying for hours on the couch with Hermione's back pressed against Viktor's chest; his arms protectively around her and the sound of the crackling fire warming them, they fell asleep. Hermione at first, with Viktor placing soft, gentle kisses along her neck, until he, too, could stay awake no longer.

When they woke up the next morning, they were still in each other's arms.

The end…?

AN: I really wrote this because I have been itching to write another Hermione / Viktor story. Please, tell me what you think, and if you should think I should make this into more than a one shot? I think it might becomes something beautiful if I go on with it, but, I want to hear what you have to think about it, if you agree, or like it how it is. Thank you.