Past Present

By the time he managed to get into some clean clothes he had to stop and pick up the pile on the floor. He found he couldn't stand to leave them there. It couldn't make him any later for breakfast. They were going to have to scrounge their own from the kitchen in any case. Elena, Alexei, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all waiting on the landing outside his door already, Alexei with an outrageously oversized picnic basket on his arm. "The house elves might haff gone a bit overboard," Alexei said in a deadpan, "I told them there vere only six of us, but they packed enough for six regiments. I should not haff mentioned the vord 'guests'."

"So I see," Viktor replied. Hermione stepped away from the group and stood at his side. He noticed she looked nearly as pale as his face had been when he had washed it in the basin. Why was it that lack of sleep washed you out, drained your color? Alexei, evidently was making the same comparison, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them, but luckily, this time, he kept whatever he was thinking to himself. "East gardens?" Viktor asked him.

"East gardens. Big hedges this year," Alexei replied, nodding. He whirled and headed down the stairs. Outside the castle, they broke right and rounded the moat and the east tower. Hermione gasped as they came upon what must be the East Gardens. Everywhere, as far as the eye could see, rows and rows of thick, towering hedges in various neat formations, crawling with blooms of every color, size, shape and description. "The circle?" Viktor suggested when they all paused. It was the least mazelike formation, nice and open, plenty of room to spread out. Maze. He kicked himself mentally. Why hadn't he thought about this?

The whole garden looked like a big maze, though it really was impossible to get lost inside it. Each graveled path always led out, if you stayed on it. None of the formations connected to one another, there was no dead end and your choice of path between the hedges only changed what scenery you got, which smells, which blooms, which vines, but it was a convincing enough illusion from the perimeter that many of the older students would tease new first years about dropping them off in the maze and letting them find their way out. They were the same type of hedges the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid, had used for the maze. It was what had prompted him to make the connection, to grunt, "Maze," when Bagman had expected them to guess what the third task was going to be.

Harry eyed the entrance a bit uncertainly, and Viktor felt a stab of guilt. Now who was poking at old wounds with a big sharp stick? "I know what it looks like, but it is really just a garden. No way to get lost. Gravel paths lead directly out, there are no dead ends. The circle is straight ahead, in the center," he said softly. They spread out along the wide path between the hedges and walked toward the towering circle in the center.

As they drew nearer, Hermione was able to work out what the monstrous yellow, red, orange and white blooms, some bigger than her head, were. " Lilies... those are the biggest lilies I've ever seen..."

"Lilies. Tig..." Viktor began.

"Ouch! That thing just stuck me!" Ron yelled, yanking his hand back from the wildly rustling foliage and sucking a finger. He had been trying to pluck one.

"Tiger Lilies," Viktor repeated, sighing. "You do not want a hug from one. Their thorns are as enormous as their blooms. They retract when they do not need them, like cat claws. There is a trick to getting one. Alexei here pestered the gardener until he would show him how. I'll show you when you get the picnic basket unpacked."

"So that is how you got vone vithout them eating you alive?" Elena asked Alexei.

"Nevermind I nearly took my hand off on those thorns anyvay." Alexei muttered.

"You are too impatient. If you did not rush, you would haff gotten away unmarked," Viktor told him.

"True. But Elena vas not going to vait all day," Alexei replied, plopping the picnic basket on the perfectly manicured grass in the middle of the circle of hedges and Tiger Lilies.

Viktor rustled around in the basket for a moment before coming up with a sharp paring knife. "You do not need all day," he mused, balancing the handle in his fingers, weighing it in his right hand, then dropping it down against his leg, loosely gripping it. He walked up to one of the hedges, and stood in front of one of the flaming orange blooms, nearly as broad as his hand. He stuck a long finger into the foliage, a few inches below the bloom, and stroked up the thick stem, trailing it up and out of the thick leaves, to the swelling just below the blossom. There he brought up his middle finger, and pinched the stem lightly between the two fingers. Then he stood and waited.

For a long minute, nothing happened. Then, the lily began to rustle, to almost slither out of the hedge. Hermione never knew that a flower could be menacing, but it reminded her too much of a snake, and the thorns were raising like hackles all along the stem, some well over an inch long. Viktor stepped back several times, but never took his eyes off of the flower. He left little slack in the curling stem and before long, he was standing a good three feet from the wall of flowers. Suddenly, the stem tensed, coiled slightly, and the bloom shot closer to Viktor's face. At the same time, he brought the paring knife up from beside his thigh and slashed it across in front of him, severing the stem cleanly. The stump of it hit the ground, then was gathered slowly back into the hedge like a fishing line reeled in. The thorns on the portion of stem he held promptly rained to the ground and withered. He handed it to Hermione without a word, then sat on the blanket next to her.

"Vot? No lily for me?" Elena asked lightly.

"You are more than welcome to get your own," Viktor laughed, laying the knife on top of the basket and she laughed too.

"He told me the same thing about peeling my caterpillars in Potions third year, gah, I hated that job," she told Hermione. "First vords I hear out of him in two months of being my partner. Just nods or grunts or shakes his head for two months, then the only thing he says to me all class is 'You are more than velcome to get your own'," she mocked Viktor's gruff voice.

"I cannot believe I was ever so rude. I will make it up to you. What color? Size?"

"Why the dance? Why can't you just slice it off at the hedge?" Hermione asked, breathing in the sweet scent of the bloom.

"The rest of them reach out and grab you if you are too close. See, the one you are holding, it tries to scare you off by moving, it only springs as a last resort when it realizes it has come out too far and the rest cannot help. If you slice it off at the hedge, the rest will cut you to ribbons before you can get out. Good thing they do not haff teeth! The mediwitch has put a lot of disinfectant on people who think they can get a Tiger Lily that way. They get it all right, but they also get enough scratches to make them think twice about getting a bouquet," Viktor grinned, popping one of the frosted grapes off the bunch into his mouth then opening one of the bottles of milk.

Elena stopped considering her choices for her flower and finally answered, "White, I think, a smaller one, for my hair tonight," she nodded to herself approvingly and held her fingers a short space apart. Viktor stood up and wandered around the inner perimeter of the circle, crunching on an apple and taking the occasional swig of milk, the knife handle tucked between his fingers, next to the neck of the milk bottle.

"Third year potions. The year of the completely random partner that you vere stuck vith all year. Remember that ridiculously complicated lottery system the professor came up vith? She could haff just drawn names, not assigned us all double-blind numbers and all that nonsense! Took her longer to set up the rules than it did to let us draw! My goodness, I had Estefania Bogolova as my partner. I know you vere not fond of her, Elena, but she vas gorgeous if somevhat flightly. It is a wonder I passed that class, staring at her all afternoon," Alexei said, "Luck of the draw, indeed."

At the mention of the name, Viktor did a fair impersonation of Poppet's chameleon routine, turning multiple shades of pink and red in a short space. "They are all too big in here, I will check around the outside hedges, they are smaller," he said a little too loudly and a little too fast. He strode off like someone who realized he had forgotten an urgent appointment but just might make it if he hurried.

Elena shot Alexei a dirty look when his footsteps faded beyond the hedges. "Alexei! Surely you know better than to bring her up!" she hissed in a reproving whisper.

"What?" Alexei asked, genuinely puzzled. "I haff no idea vhat you are talking about."

"Can you really be so clueless?" she whispered back, then slid her dark eyes to Hermione, who was looking at them both as though they had grown extra heads. "He has not mentioned her to you?" she asked Hermione. Hermione numbly shook her head no. What could be so awful about a girl that the mere mention of her name sent him blushing and running? "No, of course not. He vould not be so crass. It is not as though he would see it as something to brag about, like most boys. Estefania... she... she throw herself at him," Elena whispered.

"So? Half of the school does. Has for years," Alexei said matter-of-factly.

"No. She... she ... get herself expelled for it," Elena said.

"She transfer. To Beauxbatons," Alexei insisted.

"You really do not know? Vone night, vhen Viktor come back up rear staircase in early, early morning after travelling vith Vratsa during his sixth year, she vait for him. Tell him she need to be vith him. Offer herself to him," Elena gestured with her hands helplessly, as though trying to pull the words she was so reluctant to say out of someone else's mouth.

"You mean vant to, errrr, sleep vith him? Not all that new. Girl proposition him over breakfast right in front of me vonce in fifth year. He did not even get her name, just blushed at his eggs, then snarled at her and scared her off," Alexei complained as though he just couldn't understand what would have possessed Viktor to do such a thing.

"Vorse. I do not mean she just tell him she vant to go to bed vith him. She offer herself... right there ... on the landing! I mean she hike her robes, bend over the banister!" Elena's voice was urgent and low, which emphasized its huskiness.

Even Alexei's eyes went wide and his jaw went slack at that. "I did not know! How do you know? Vhat did he do?" Alexei tugged at the sleeve of her robe.

Elena waved him off impatiently. "I thought he vould haff told you. Maybe he too embarrassed to even tell you, Alexei. He told her no, yanked her off the banister, pulled her underthings back up and her robes back down, and vas going to run like scared rabbit, but the Potions Mistress already caught them both vhile she is coming back from kitchen. She had seen Viktor coming up the hall and vanted to make sure he made it to his room okay. Lucky she heard and saw whole thing, because Estefania tried to say Viktor vas going to force himself on her vhen she get caught."

A grimace passed over her face and she gritted her teeth. "Stupid, rotten girl. I never hear of a victim doing all the talking, then undressing herself for her attacker. Or a man dressing a girl he is about to attack. Viktor vas completely in the clear, just standing there vith his eqvitment bag, going back to his room, minding his own business. He had permission to be in the hall. She did not. There vas an impartial female vitness. I roomed vith her in same quad, remember? She cried for a day that they vere tearing her avay from the loff of her life by expelling her, the idiotic little trollop. Viktor vent back to Vratsa for a sudden two day practice until she left. They called it transfer. Karkaroff did not vant to embarrass Viktor any more than he vas already. You know Viktor vould haff died. Bad enough, if everyone had found out the truth. Vorse, vhat if they all think Karkaroff really did cover up for him, that he vas trying to..." she trailed off as she stopped and listened. Distant footsteps were coming toward them.

"Ron, close your mouth. Harry, you too. I hear him coming back," Hermione said hoarsely. Hermione, close your own mouth, she scolded herself silently.

"You too Alexei," Elena added, elbowing him. "Thank you, Viktor, this vill look loffly in my hair," she added brightly in a few moments, when Viktor reappeared in the gap between the hedges, holding a small, perfectly formed white Tiger Lily just the right size for tucking over her ear. He seemed to have gotten over being so shaken earlier. He put his empty milk bottle back in the basket and picked out another handful of grapes and ate them in silence.

"They usually haff informal Quidditch scrimmages Saturdays. Not really team scrimmages, anyvone can play if you show up, on a team or not, no coaches. If you vant to go get into a game, you can. Goot vay to burn time until lunch, tryouts right after," Alexei told Harry and Ron.

"Excellent idea. Harry and Ron can go play Quidditch, you boys can go pick up your dress robes at the tailor shop in the village, I know that is vhere they still are, both of you, do not lie, it vill only take you twenty minutes to fly there and back and make a stop besides. Hermione and I can wait here like a couple of queens for you two to bring us back some chocolates," Elena cut in, reaching out to either side of her and patting Viktor and Alexei playfully on the cheek.

"Does not want much, does she?" Viktor flashed a halfhearted smile at Alexei. He still seemed vaguely embarrassed, as though he had done something supremely stupid in front of them that he would just as soon forget.

"Madame commands, I dash. If you two really vant to play Quidditch, ve can show you to the pitches, introduce you, as ve go to the broomshed. Very informal. No set teams, they just scramble and haff fun...whoever shows..." Alexei addressed Ron and Harry.

"I haven't had a good Quidditch match against someone new in ages. I'm up for it. Ron?" Harry turned to his friend.

"Sure. I could use with a game. See you later, Hermione. Elena." Ron shuffled off with the rest of the guys, leaving her there with Elena.

"Males. Forget their own heads if they vere not sewn on," Elena said ruefully, shaking her head and chewing another grape. "They vould haff vaited until thirty minutes before the ball, then gone rushing around like chickens vith heads off."

But Hermione couldn't quite get her mind to shift gears. Not until she had some answers. "A girl really did that to him? Just..." Hermione began.

"Stripped herself and nearly jumped him on the staircase? By her own admission. I heard it from her lips vhen she blubber about being caught. Hard to miss her catervauling at three in the morning, after she get back from Karkaroff's office. Four beds in each quad, close quarters," Elena answered nonchalantly.

"No wonder he backed up so fast when Liesl touched him," Hermione mused, helping herself to another grape as well.

"Real piece of vork, Liesl. Her and Katrina fall out over vhether or not Liesl could get a date vith him. Bah, horrid girls," Elena said, screwing up her mouth in distaste.

Another thought occurred to Hermione. Did Elena...? "Elena... do you...did you ever...like... Viktor?" she asked, somewhat fearful of the answer.

Elena gave a throaty, rich laugh. "You mean the 'hike my robes and bend over the banister' kind of liking for Viktor? No. I like him, but not that vay. But I can see vhy so many girls do like him that vay, though. Does not hurt that he makes a lot of money and is famous, but that is not all of it. He is qvite handsome. Even vith that nose of his. Maybe because of it. Keeps his face from being so perfect, makes it more interesting. And he is a bit self-conscious of it, among other things, so he does not get too full of himself for his looks. Big, strong, athletic, proud looking vhen he is not slouching around vith his chin in his robes and his shoulders drooping like he vas most of last few years. He has very nice features, eyes, mouth, chin, vonderful hair. I hear his papa had a fair number of girls chasing him vhen he vas here, and he certainly vas not famous, unless it vas for being so bullheaded," Elena squinted and considered a moment before continuing.

"He knows how to treat a girl, his refusal to peel my caterpillars excepted. Maybe I should haff cried. He has a soft heart, he is kind, honorable, gallant. He vould never take advantage. I could do much vorse than Viktor. But ve haff only been friends. I got the feeling I just vas not vhat he vanted a long time ago. I still feel sometimes I barely know him. Only person I ever see him open up to is you, and to a lesser degree, Alexei. Karkaroff did not get the hint. He figured since ve look like a nice couple, ve vould be. Both Bulgarian. I vas vone of the few females he even tolerated, so Karkaroff tried to push us together. Viktor very nicely declined vithout hurting my feelings. Karkaroff called us out last year to dance first at the Opening Ball, and Viktor actually muttered at him, 'Ve are still just friends,' before ve started. Karkaroff vas all about looks. Viktor, he is too qviet. I prefer prattling chatterboxes, like me," she smirked a little at that last.

She twirled the flower in her fingers and continued, "Viktor vould vant to strangle me if he knew I had just talked about him to you like that. I can hear him now. 'Elena, Hermione can make up her own mind! I do not need you acting like a publicist! She vill think I put you up to it!' But he did make me practice your name. That vorried him endlessly, that he could not get your name off his tongue the right way last year. He knew how it vas supposed to sound, but could not do it. Tortured himself over it. That is vhen I knew," Elena confided.

"Knew what?" Hermione asked.

"That he loved you, of course. I caught him practicing your name vone evening. Viktor never practices anything unless he finds it vorth his vhile. His coaches and me, ve haff been nagging him for years to practice his English, he never vorry about more than getting by vhen necessary before. He has been practicing more than your name, now. I bet he lived behind a dictionary for a few veeks after he left Hogvarts, so he could write to you. Obviously, he has practiced his speaking. Hermione, do not take this the wrong vay, but I hope you are as trustvorthy and honorable vith another person's heart as Viktor is," Elena put a hand on Hermione's arm. "He has been through a lot. I get the feeling I do not know the tenth of it. I doubt I know as much as Alexei, all told. I think he wrote to you, told you. He came back to Durmstrang fifteen pounds heavier but a hundred pounds lighter, you see? Each letter he sent, even these last two veeks, he got a little lighter, like he was unloading a rucksack he has been carrying the entire time I know him. I know I probably sound like an overprotective mother hen, but Viktor does not give his heart lightly. Do not break it," Elena said gently, an edge of pleading to her voice.

"He told me some of it. Harry too, what concerned him. I don't think he has told me all of it, either. I don't know if he can. Put it in words, I mean. I don't intend to hurt Viktor. I don't intend to," Hermione said firmly.

"Then you are miles ahead of those other girls. None of them care vhat they do to him, just that they vin. He is just a piece of meat to them, a trophy," Elena spat. "Like he vas to Igor. Like ve all vere to Igor."