High Dudgeon or the Love Affairs of Hermione Granger

High Dudgeon or the Love Affairs of Hermione Granger

Part I

Fourth Year~

I walked into the library that day, slightly put out because of several things. One: Harry wasn't working on the egg clue, making me feel like I had to figure it out for him, like I did everything else concerning Harry and schoolwork. Two: Ron was being a complete prat about the ball. Three: Viktor Krum and his fan club had situated themselves amongst the stacks I had come to love as a second home again and were whispering and giggling once more. I was hoping to get my Potions essay finished today, provided those girls would shut up. I was expecting them to hang around at least until Krum left. However, Krum wasn't leaving... he was walking over toward me.

The library went quiet once more as each and every one of the girls hidden amongst the books watched Viktor move slowly from his place in front of the Transfiguration section. I only looked up because I noticed that the unnatural silence I was praying for had been granted. That's when he came up to me and sat down. His eyes were downcast and looking severe, as they always did, as I remembered them from the posters at the World Cup. He began talking to me, and I'm sure the group of girls would've broken into indignant whispers had they not been straining to hear every word we were saying.

I could tell something was on Viktor's mind, so I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and let him speak his peace; it would at least save time, which was my most precious commodity. I couldn't believe how quickly my heart was beating or how curious I was to know what Viktor Krum, international Quidditch star, had to say to me. He was having trouble beginning in front of all those girls, so I helped him out.

"Madam Pince?" I said, smiling, "I think these girls need some help over in the Arithmancy section!" Madam Pince never minded quite as much if I was loud. After all, the library was practically my home, and I had never harmed a book in my life. The girls didn't wait for Madam Pince to hobble over. They left quickly and furiously, and I smiled at Viktor, pleased at my success.

"Thank you, Hermy-own," he said, and I stifled the desire to laugh. He was looking very serious and I didn't like to discourage him. "I haff vanted to talk vith you for qvite a vile now," he stopped, looking at me, waiting for some sort of reaction. I went for mild curiosity. This seemed encouragement enough because he went on, "I know you are friends vith Harry Potter, I haff often seen him vith you here."

"Yes, I'm his friend," I said surprised at where this seemed to be heading, "I help him out sometimes with his schoolwork. Listen Viktor, if this is about that egg clue, I haven't been helping Harry with it, so-"

"That is not vot I vished to speak vith you about, Hermy-own."

"Hermione," I said instinctively.

"Herm-own-nin...ninny," he stammered, and I noticed to my great shock that Viktor Krum was turning pink about the face, "I haff been coming up to this library vishing to speak only to you. I never had the courage to speak until now." He cleared his throat and everything seemed to be suspended in midair. "I vos vondering if you vould come to the ball as my part- partener," he spoke with a wavering voice. I noticed my face was getting rather warm, and the silence was growing between us all the time.

"Yes, of course I'll go with you Viktor," I responded to my astonishment. His face changed suddenly, sunshine on a barren plain. He wasn't so surly-looking when he smiled. I blushed again when I realized that my answer had changed him so completely and so suddenly. I was smiling at him before I knew it, and he was talking more now.

"I vish to know you more," he said standing up. "Vill you let me talk vith you sometimes?" he asked. I couldn't believe what a gentleman he was turning out to be.

I walked back to the common room that night feeling rather awkward. Viktor Krum fancies me! Incredible, I thought, considering how I always gave him some rather nasty looks. Then I thought about the disparity in our ages, and then thought about Ron and Harry and everyone else for that matter... What would they say when they found out that bookish Hermione Granger was dating the Quidditch star, Viktor Krum? It was incredible, and a delicious secret. I decided to keep it that way. Viktor and I would have to find some other way to converse. I laughed when I thought about what Ron's reaction would be when he found out. Serves him right, I thought. He didn't ask me, why shouldn't I go with someone else?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Diary,

I stormed off after listening to Ron. I couldn't believe he thought I only said I couldn't go with Neville because I didn't want to go with him! I would have gladly gone with Neville if I weren't already going with Krum! I told him to try Ginny - I knew she was looking for a date. Maybe that wasn't too kind of me, but Harry wasn't going to ask her, I could see that plainly enough. The way he was always looking at that fifth year... The whole thing disgusts me! At least I do have a date, and a mature one, too.

What Ron said hurt, but I won't let him know that. Tonight seems especially horrible, considering Ron practically asked me to the ball with him. What would I have said if I hadn't already promised Viktor? Now isn't the time to think about it, I told Viktor I would come to the library tonight. I honestly don't know what I'm getting myself into here. But, if I don't try it out with Viktor, I'll never know how I really feel. So, here goes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I checked my reflection in the mirror once before setting out for the library. I checked to see that the common room was devoid of Harry and Ron before I stepped out from the dormitory staircase. It was only 7:00 and I wasn't breaking any rules or anything, of course. I marched straight for the library without looking back and trying not to have second thoughts about this meeting, but it wasn't going so well.

When I arrived at the library door, Viktor marched out of it, whispering to me as he passed, "Please, meet me on the seventh floor, Hermy-own... I vish to talk vith you privately." Confused and flustered at the clandestine nature of this meeting, I nodded my head nevertheless and entered the library to disguise my true purpose of meeting Viktor upstairs later. My head was spinning from what seemed to be excitement and confusion. I wondered if I was actually starting to fall for Viktor... and thought better of it. We'll see, I thought, as I checked out the first book I put my hands to, and then walked upstairs.

I could see a door partially open halfway down the seventh floor corridor, so I approached it, to find Viktor inside, seated on a comfortable-looking sofa placed cozily in front of a fireplace. There were books on the shelves that lined each wall, and pillows were scattered about the room in a homey, haphazard fashion. I took a liking to the room at once, and reminded myself to visit again sometime.

"What is this place?" I asked Viktor who stood up and smiled at me as I entered.

"It is incredible, no? I found it ven I vos looking for a place in which we might talk. I vos valking down this hall ven I saw the door and opened it up to find a perfect room!"

"It's wonderful," I told him; my senses were slowly being seduced by the warm light from the fire and the softness of the couch. This would almost be the perfect room to just... No, that's silly, Viktor barely knows me, he wouldn't be thinking about me like that. I sank into the sofa as though I were sinking into a bubble bath. Viktor smiled at me. There didn't seem to be any need to talk. Eventually, he began telling me about himself, and why he was always in the library. His explanation brought a furious blush to my cheeks.

"I was so annoyed with you and your fan club! And all you were doing was trying to talk to me... This just gets more impossible every minute." I breathed in the smoky perfume of the fire and wished Ron was here. I'm not sure why, but Viktor felt unusual and strange. It was all very thrilling, but it wasn't as comfortable as it should have been. I only vaguely registered that Viktor had moved closer to me over the past hour, and wasn't thinking much of it until he was very close.

"Herm-own-ninny," he said softly.

"Yes?" I half-croaked.

"You arr very pretty this even-ing," he said in my ear. I closed my eyes. I knew what was coming, and I wasn't about to stop it. He kissed me, and I noticed how strong he was, even though he wasn't as bulky as Wood was. His scent was mysterious and adult. This experience opened my eyes and left me longing for something more. I wasn't quite the same Hermione when we separated that was there a few moments before. Krum was encouraged apparently, by the look on my face, for he grabbed me around my waist and pulled me toward him, and to my amazement, I wrapped my arm around his broad, eighteen-year-old shoulders.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The evening before the ball was fun, I thought. I hadn't seen much of Viktor since that night. Things were much too confusing to be believed at this point. Ron was now acclimated to the fact that I was actually going with someone other than him or Harry, and kept sneaking the question of who I was going with on me, as though to surprise me into telling him. I thought it was cute of him to do that, and I almost regretted what Viktor and I had been up to. But no, I thought, having a mature relationship with a seventh year was much too satisfactory. Plus, I grinned every time I thought about entering the ball tonight on his arm.

I was fully determined to make jaws drop for once in my life. Books were making me look too old, I thought with a smile. Perhaps that's what drew Viktor to me. I ran up to the castle, waving to Ron as I went, anticipation flooding through my veins like a tonic.

Three hours later, and the effect was quite good, I thought, as I descended from the dormitory and went to meet Krum in the Great Hall. Nobody seemed to recognize me, which suited me fine, and was dreadfully amusing to boot. Krum met me at the foot of the stairs and dragged me underneath them, into a shadowy alcove.

"You are bee-youtif-ful," he managed to stammer, and I smiled at him. I let him kiss me once and then made him line up with the rest of the champions. Cho was looking very nice, along with Parvati, who was on Harry's arm, but my insides turned cold as I looked at Fleur. She was devastatingly gorgeous in her robes of light silvery gray, and I felt like kicking her when I noticed Ron gaping at her from afar. Instead, I looked up at Viktor, who smiled down at me. I thought Harry looked in my direction once before, but he obviously didn't recognize me along with the rest of them. When he finally did see who it was, he gaped at me, as did Parvati after I waved to them. It was amazing walking into that ball, Viktor Krum having eyes only for me. It felt like vindication for every nasty thing anyone ever said to me. I didn't feel like the bookworm or the 'mudblood' tonight. Tonight I was just Hermione, and I felt adored, unusual and uncomfortable as it sounds.

We all began the dance, and Viktor was so pleased that he picked me up by the waist and twirled me around. I smiled; it was nice being appreciated. We danced for at least half an hour. He was a surprisingly good dancer, and I found that I was enjoying myself enough to face Harry and Ron, who were seated in a corner. I approached them only to be met by a haughty glare from Ron and a half-bewildered look from Harry.

"Viktor's just gone to get some drinks," was all I said, but Ron practically exploded. So, I exploded right back at him. Finally, he surprised me into telling him how Viktor and I met. But when Ron said that Viktor probably didn't actually want to date me - that he was just trying to get at Harry, I could have cried or screamed or punched him. Instead, I answered him spitefully.

"For your information, he hasn't asked me one single thing about Harry, not one-"

We continued on in the same strain until Ron called him Vicky again and I stormed off once more. I found Viktor, took him by the hand and led him out of the hall.

"Vare are ve going Herm-own-ninny?" he asked in some confusion.

"Oh, it was just really hot in there. I thought we could go somewhere else and cool off," I told him. He smiled politely and nodded. We walked out into the gardens, my arm in his. I tried really hard to listen to what he had to say, but it wasn't any use. I couldn't stop thinking about what Ron had said. It had hurt me so badly, that even when Viktor held me close, I couldn't get excited about it. I was in high dudgeon, and maybe Viktor noticed because he asked me if I was tired. I told him I was, and we parted.

By the time I got to the common room, Ron was there, sitting by himself. I marched right up to him and stood there with my hand on my hip, glaring. He had ruined my perfect evening.

"What happened to Vicky?" he asked with a sneer.

"How dare you say things like that about someone you don't even know?" I asked him angrily, the blood rising in me.

"How dare you accompany that- that grumpy git to the ball? It's just not right!"

"Not right? For your information Ron Weasley, Viktor Krum is a complete gentleman. He's ten times more civilized than you or anyone else here for that matter. He actually thinks about my feelings, and he, unlike you, actually realized I was a girl, and wanted to take me to the ball out of admiration instead of desperation!"

"You just don't get it Hermione," he said, his voice rising, "You just don't go about dancing with one of Karkaroff's -"

"Oh, don't bring that up again!"

"I don't see why you couldn't have just told him to sod off! You're being totally disloyal to Harry, and I don't like seeing you... Well, you could've gone with Neville or someone instead of blatantly associating yourself with some foreign bloke who -" This was where Harry entered, although I wasn't about to stop speaking my mind.

"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?" I yelled at him.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" he yelled right back.

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!" I marched away before he could utter another word. I ran up the stairs, slammed the dormitory door, and collapsed on the bed in tears. What had I done? I knew I was right in thinking that Ron wanted me to go with him instead of with Viktor, but that didn't make me feel any better. Here I was entangled with this guy I hardly knew, and now Ron was angry with me. In the end I decided to just pretend that the argument hadn't happened. I'd have to find some way to tell Viktor I couldn't be with him anymore. The sacrifice of Ron was too much for me to deal with.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was the last day of term and things seemed to be a little more settled. Who am I kidding? I was more confused than ever. During the second task, when I was the thing Viktor would miss most, I knew he was making some attempt to get back together with me. He did tell me he had never felt this way about anyone else, and I was flattered that he invited me to visit him, but I just couldn't be with him for more than an hour or so without feeling like I was lying to myself.

I remembered Fleur approaching Harry and Ron after we all came out of the lake and how she kissed Harry on the cheeks then proceeded to kiss Ron. My insides flamed up like nothing I had ever felt before. I knew I was right to give up Viktor. Some things just couldn't be denied.

I couldn't bear telling Ron, or Harry for that matter, what Viktor had said to me. It was all too terribly embarrassing, and I was making an effort not to cause Viktor to fancy me any more than he did. So when he dragged me away from Harry and Ron on that last day when we all parted, I felt ashamed of my behavior towards him and everyone.

"Viktor, I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to visit you this summer," I told him before he could say anything. He looked at his awkward feet and nodded simply.

"Vill you allow me to write to you?" he looked at me as though he were asking a lot.

"Of course you can! I would love to hear from you!" He looked relieved. He held both of my shoulders, looking into my face, as though fixing me in his memory, and then kissed me on the cheek, rather close to my mouth. He smiled, and I almost regretted not being more affectionate with him as we walked back toward Ron and the others. Hopefully, my face didn't show how pleased I was that things had ended so splendidly between Viktor and me. I wanted to grin at Ron and tell him that he needn't fear the intrusive Viktor Krum any longer, but I held my tongue.

I savored every last moment on the train ride home with Harry and Ron and was especially sorry to leave Harry, what with everything that had happened. I felt sadly remiss for not contemplating the whole situation all of the time, as he was sure to be doing, but other things kept interrupting my thoughts as we sped back to King's Cross. Perhaps it was lucky I couldn't focus after all, maybe he didn't want to talk about it. I noticed a sort of stony resolution in Harry's face however, and I felt a pang for him, so in my regret for not keeping Harry and his safety foremost in my thoughts, I kissed him on the cheek. I knew Harry wouldn't make anything out of it, so I was glad to do so.

I was sorry to leave Harry and more especially, Ron. Little did I know that I was shortly to be seeing him again under rather unusual circumstances for us. There would be no Harry in sight.

To be continued...