Fourth Year: The Beginning

Hermione 4 pm

Why am I here? She thought with a sigh Oh yeah; because Ron and Harry …well, Ron, really, wanted to make sure they monitored each potential contestant submit their name into the blue flame and that required observation for every moment of every hour of this antiquated trial called the tri wizard tournament.

She shook her head derisively then snorted besides Viktor Krum 'the Artist' may come in and Ron wouldn't want to miss that.

She smiled to herself, Ginny was right, Ron was in love.

She sat down and opened her book; well at least she could get some studying done.

"HA! HA! – WE'VE DONE IT!" Fred and George came in yelling causing a ruckus with their antics.

Or not she thought closing her book

"You'll never get your names in there." Hermione told the two

"Why not?" they said together sitting beside her.

George leaned in especially close; he just wanted to smell her hair. He had had a crush on her since last year. He just couldn't do anything about it. He wasn't shy, but he knew Ron had a thing for her even if Ron didn't know.

Fred gave his brother a warning look to back off. George acknowledged and backed away …just a little.

Neither brother noticed the dark look that clouded Ron's eyes for a moment while he caught sight of his twin brother's hover over the small brunette that made up one-third of the Golden Trio.

Gardenias; that's what she smelled like today. Sigh… this was torture George thought almost moving closer to the young witch in question.

"You see that circle? Professor Dumbledore drew that age line himself and he wouldn't have made it so easy to cross by some dimwitted students!" she said haughtily

"THAT is what is so brilliant, we are less than dimwitted! Ready George?"

"Ready Fred."

"Bottoms up." They drank the aging potion together and jumped over the line and waited.

"WOOO!" they celebrated

They submitted their names on the parchment to the blue flame and waited

"WOOOO!" they started clapping when in the small explosion they were thrown from the circle.

"OOOMPH!

They sat up dazed and noticed that the twin facing them was turning gray and haggard…

"You said…"

"No, you said…" a fight broke out.

Hermione just smirked thinking, that's what they get. I tried to tell them. She opened her book once again and began reading.

A few seconds of fighting and cheering then silence; she slowly looked up to decipher the cause of the abrupt end.

The door had opened and none other than Headmaster Karkaroff and Viktor Krum walked through.

Hermione looked at both formidable looking men and wrinkled her brow. Not in distaste or dislike, but at Karkaroff, she thought for a second he smiled at her…kind of. …Well, he was grimacing then when he looked at her he wasn't anymore. I guess for former death eaters, the lack of a grimace constituted 'smiling'. She thought with raised eyebrows.

After her initial surprise wore off her focus returned to the broad shouldered, dark haired seeker walking purposefully towards the goblet.

Her head was slightly lowered giving her the advantage (not really, but she thought so) of looking like she was reading AND giving her a clear view of the Bulgarian; she just couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

Once he threw the parchment carrying his name into the fire he turned on his heel and started to leave, but before he left the circle his head turned in her direction and their eyes met; his lips quirked in a small smile that, in her opinion, held the promise of soft kisses and seductive whispers.

She smiled back at him instantly and was deliriously happy for about a nanosecond when she realized he probably wasn't smiling at her. Dumb Granger. She thought shaking her head thinking herself silly.

***

The morning before…

"Haff you see her, Petrov?" Viktor asked his friend.

The other shook his head, "No." he said flatly

Viktor sighed and slumped his shoulders, the degree of the 'slump' was almost imperceptive, but Petrov noticed.

"Vy so fascinated?" Petrov asked in a bored tone, hiding his curiosity. Viktor was a private person and too much interest would render the curious completely unsatisfied; but Petrov was in luck, Viktor was in a talk-a-tive mood today.

"She is like untamed mustang, preety and wild."

Petrov rolled his eyes, although he had never heard Viktor speak in such a way, about any witch, this was just getting cheesy.

"Viktor, Vot special bout this prity mustang? You haff many witch follow you round like puppy." He asked genuinely curious.

"They are boring. All look alike." Viktor said scrunching his face like he smelled something rotten.

Then Petrov tired of English switched back to their native tongue, "Do not let this witch distract you from your tasks. You are representing Durmstrang, Viktor. Remember that."

"I'm aware, Petrov. I need no reminding from anyone." And with that he gave a curt nod and stalked off annoyed that Petrov had a point, but should understand that Viktor was well aware of what he was to accomplish and who he was representing.

Petrov shook his head at the tall young wizard walking away and smirked.

"Mr. Krupova, Ees everything alvright?" the Headmaster asked.

"Da Headmaster." The younger man answered coming to stand at attention unnerved that he was caught unawares by his headmaster.

"I was reminding Viktor of his responsibilities towards Durmstrang." He said in Bulgarian

Karkaroffs eyes narrowed, "Vy vould you do this, Mr. Krupova?" responding in English.

"A witch, Sir. He's quite taken with a Hogwarts witch." Petrov said in Bulgarian.

If anyone was trying to listen in they would surely be witness to a very odd conversation indeed – one sided to say the least, unless said eaves dropper spoke both English and Bulgarian.

"Her name?" Karkaroff answered finally speaking his native tongue.

Petrov looked around nervously, not understanding why his headmaster was so interested in Viktor's crush. He was momentarily struck with the thought that the man in front of him would harm her.

He shook that thought quickly out of his head and opened his mouth to answer his headmaster, "Herm…. "

He tried again, "Herm own ninny Granger." He sighed, her name was very difficult for them to pronounce.

Karkaroff smiled.

"Thank you Mr. Krupova, You may go."

The young man nodded curtly, turned on his heel and walked away.

***

Viktor once again found himself in the library his eyes scanning the tables for …her.

The library was practically empty and he was about to exit until he heard something towards the back.

"Do you think I can get his autograph, Mione?" Ron asked in that whiny tone that grates on her nerves.

"Don't know, Ron. Why don't you ask him?" she said.

"Harry, he is surely going to throw his name into the fire. We have to be there when he does."

"The room is going to be open all day. Do you want to sit there all day?" Harry answered

After a moments pause, "Yes."

Harry shook his head and laughed, "Ok mate. Ok."

He agreed because Ron was his best friend, he was supposed to support friends, right? Besides, that meant they wouldn't go to classes.

Hermione looked at them both like they were daft, "you'll miss classes." She told them …like they cared.

"So will you, Mione. Aren't you coming?" Ron asked.

She looked at him like he was stupid, "No."

She looked into Harry's pleading eyes and softened considerably.

She sighed, "I have double potions then transfiguration. I'll be done by noon; I'll come down after that." She conceded looking down at her parchment half filled with the essay due for potions tomorrow.

"Before you come down could you stop by the Great Hall and bring us food?" Ron asked smiling sheepishly.

Her head popped up, "You aren't eating either?"

Harry looked a little sick, but then looked at her with those puppy eyes again.

"Fine."

The boys both smiled and stood to leave, "see ya Mione."

She nodded returning her eyes to her parchment instead of actually saying good bye to her best friends *snort* some friends.

***

Viktor listened silently to the exchange. He smirked, she was loyal too; a mother hen to her boys. The red head who wanted his autograph, he was silly, like the bunches of squealing girls that follow him around.

***

Knock. Knock.

"Enter." He said wondering who would venture down to the dungeons at this time. Class was not in session. The dunderheads usually avoided him like the plague. The dark man smirked at that thought.

"Severus. 'Ow are you, my vriend." Igor Karkaroff asked the Potions master.

"Very well, Igor. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Tell me about Miss Granger."

Severus Snape groaned, "What did she do? I'm positive the Weasely boy and Potter put her up to it, whatever 'it' is."

Karkaroff just raised his eyebrows and smiled, "No, No my vriend. She has caught the keen eye of Viktor Krum."

Severus inhaled, "I see. She's muggle born, Igor." He told the other man waiting to judge his reaction to this information.

A glimmer of surprise crossed his features, but he recovered quickly and spoke, "I knew dis, but to hear it confirmed… I haff heard she vas powervul… more powerful than many purebloods."

Severus nodded his head, "We haven't traced any magic in her ancestry. She is definitely muggle-born and you are correct, she is very powerful indeed. The brightest witch of her age, McGonagall's star student; everything you have heard about her is correct, Igor."

Igor sensed pride in the younger man, "Are you smitten, Severus?"

Before Snape could stammer out a response of outrage at the thought, the older wizard was gone.

***

The Present….

After Viktor Krum and had come and gone with a miserable Ron Weasely kicking himself for not asking for his autograph Hermione made her way to the library.

She needed to do her potions essay, study the directions for brewing Draught of Peace for Harry …and now Ron… and maybe herself.

***

He was able to lose the group of girls that were following him, thank heavens, but now he just needed a little more luck – he needed to find her alone.

Searching the room nervously he found her. She was in the far corner of the library at a table by herself. Reading and scribbling. Reading and scribbling. She was a bookworm he thought with a smile. This excited him.

He strode up to the table and stopped not wanting to come off as presumptuous. On the other hand he was interrupting her and he really wanted to talk to her. Oh well here it goes.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat to get her attention. He was standing directly in front of her hoping he didn't seem too formal.

***

Hermione was focusing intently on the brewing directions of the Draught of Peace potion.

Mumbling to herself "add two pinches of powdered moonstone, stir once clockwise lasting one minute; Add three drops of the syrup of hellebore to the count of twelve and simmer for 7 minutes until brew is a silvery vapor."

"Ahem" her head snapped up in surprise.

"Y… Yes?" she asked him.

He was standing erect, almost like he was hiding a straight board inside his jacket. His hands were folded behind his back and he had a scowl on his face. She thought for a second that he was angry at her… so formal.

"I am Viktor Krum." He introduced himself with a click of his heels and bowing to her.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise at the ceremonial introduction.

She smiled and stood to offer her hand for him to shake, "I'm …"

"Miss Granger." He finished for her taking her proffered hand and kissing her knuckles softly instead of shaking it as she had intended.

She blushed at his attention.

"May I sit?" he asked and gave her the same smile he gave her after he submitted his name to the tournament.

"Yes, please." Indicating with her hand that he take the empty seat in front of her.

They both sat.

"Sooo Where's the fan club?" she asked half joking… half not.

He looked surprised by her blunt question, but chuckled after an instant, "I haff …vot you say… ditch them."

They both laughed at that.

In the back of her mind she made note of the deep rumbling of his chuckle and how very pleasant it sounded… like warm honey over buttered toast. She wanted to hear it again.

He thought her laughter resembled the sounds of tinkling bells.

And that is how it went for the two, getting to know each other tentatively. They had decided that it would be easier on them both if they met at the library and kept it a secret.

He would one day laugh at how much she surprised him, she was always so quiet – she would tease him on how much he spoke around her.

He was often be perceived as surly and moody, usually keeping his own company and rarely spoke unless he needed to – in Hermione's company, it seemed he needed to.

He would sometimes worry that he spoke too much and that she was annoyed, but she would just shake her head and ask him to continue.

She said she liked his voice.

He smiled he liked that she liked it. He would take advantage of that fact.