Past Present

"Remember what you said about limping around in Hogsmeade?" Viktor asked.

"Yes, why?" Hermione said.

"That just about covers it," Viktor said flatly.

"Well, I don't know what you expect, I mean, you just got that brace off and Madame Pomfrey said..." Hermione began.

"...that I should be more patient and give myself time to heal and blah, blah, blah. I haff heard it already. Repeatedly. Does not mean I am happy about the fact that walking two streets is probably just about going to do me in," Viktor grumbled.

"You're lucky you're still here to limp at all," Hermione replied quietly.

Viktor sighed and said, "You are right. I should be more grateful."

"Heard anything else that might be... useful?" she asked.

"Not really. I haff been doing most of the talking. Be a while yet, I think. Dumbledore's researching something. Ready to go?" Viktor queried.

"Go? We've got twenty minutes before the carriages leave."

"You obviously haff seriously overestimated how fast I can limp, then," Viktor said, rising off the chair in his new quarters. Dumbledore had arranged for one of the unused rooms in Gryffindor tower and Viktor had moved into it just after Madame Pomfrey had allowed him out of the infirmary.

"I'll go grab Harry and Ron, then, and I'll meet you back on the landing, alright?" Hermione said, grabbing her cloak off the other chair.

Ivan and Natasha got up and hovered hopefully around the door. "No. Not now. Later, maybe, for now, you stay," Viktor told them. They whined a bit, but soon went back to their spots in front of the fireplace.

"So he's got the brace off then, has he? How's he walking?" Harry asked as they walked back to meet Viktor.

"Don't know. Haven't seen him yet. Walking. Every time I've been by, he seems to avoid getting up. From what he said, though, it must be pretty rough going. He says it's still sore," Hermione replied.

"I think so," Ron whispered as he pointed. Viktor was coming to meet them on the landing, but now the familiar gait was much slower and had a hitch in it, a pronounced limp.

"I am beginning to really hate stairs," Viktor said by way of greeting. "Stairs all over this castle, and one you haff to hop over every time, and the lot of them keep moving just when you think you haff the hang of them," he sighed.

"You sure twenty minutes head start is enough?" Ron asked, and Hermione glared at him.

"If I just go ahead and fall down the stairs, plenty," Viktor replied. "Not the prettiest way to get down, but I think I will go with second fastest," he said, planting a hand on each banister and swinging down while keeping off the leg as much as possible. As they reached the carriages, a few of the professors and several students were milling around. Hagrid was among them, and he came over.

"Gonna be takin' Ivan and Natasha again tonight, am I?" Hagrid asked Viktor.

"If it is all the same, I'll go too. I need to get out as well," Viktor said, looking over the carriages. Harry's eyes slid to them too. And the black figures pulling them. The figures he had not known were there until his return to school. Bony black horses with empty black coats clinging to their bones and big bat wings. He had seen them for the first time after getting off the train. No one else had seemed to be able to see them.

"Fine. Fine. Good ter see yeh walkin' abou' an' all. Need ter go talk ter Dumbledore 'fore we go," Hagrid said, giving them all a wave. Harry stared at the animals again, squeezed his eyes shut, then reopened them. Still there. And in broad daylight this time, too. They looked almost as sinister as they had in the approaching dark when they had arrived for the term.

"Might as well go claim ourselves a carriage," Ron said brightly.

"Go on then," Harry said absently.

"You two coming then?" Hermione waved her hand at Viktor and Harry.

"Go on. I will be there in a minute. Or ten," Viktor replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"You two are in a funny mood," Hermione complained, but she and Ron went to find an empty carriage.

"Thestrals. A whole herd. Impressive. Wonder what else Hagrid has hidden around here?" Viktor said in a quiet voice.

"Pardon? What did you say?" Harry squeaked out.

"Thestrals. I bet you can see them now... can you?"

"You can see them? Those bony things?" Harry asked.

"You can only see thestrals when you haff seen death. Cedric. Last year," Viktor murmured.

"You saw... you saw them last year, too, then, didn't you?" Harry said.

"Yes. Kind of spoils the magic a little, does it not? More fun thinking the carriages go by themselves. That's what I used to think. Come on, Harry. Get in the carriage. Remember, they were always there, even when you could not see them," Viktor said, unfolding an arm and nudging Harry's elbow. "Trust Hagrid?"

"Of course," Harry stammered.

"Well, I am sure he trained them, or they would not be here. Get in," Viktor added in an encouraging voice. Harry gulped and walked toward the carriage Ron and Hermione had chosen, Viktor limping behind. He tried to ignore the glowing white eyes that sometimes turned to follow him.

"Maybe I shouldn't have talked you into this," Hermione said uncertainly, after Viktor had gotten in and propped his left ankle across the aisle, on the corner of the opposite seat.

"The knee is not going to be any better at Hogwarts. And I could do with seeing someplace else. I haff been in there for almost a month," Viktor responded, jerking his chin toward the castle. "If you remember, I never made it to Hogsmeade last year, and frankly, this year's visit left something to be desired," Viktor replied, looking out the window. "I am rather tired of sitting upstairs either grading papers or writing my own. By the way," he said, looking at Ron, "I think you meant to write that gillyweed is Mediterranean, not Middle Eastern, but aside from that, your Herbology essay was quite good. You should put that much effort into your Potions essays," he said with a subtle smile.

"What was wrong with my Potions essay?" Ron asked.

"Besides being six inches too short and giving the wrong phase of the moon for picking milkweed? You want to pick that in the dark of the moon. Otherwise it is worthless for portions," Viktor replied.

"You're worse than Snape," Ron accused.

"No I am not. For one thing, I do not automatically deduct ten points for seeing the name 'Potter' or 'Weasley' at the top. You want better grades from him, maybe you should put your name at the end. He spends twice as long on yours, trying to find something wrong, and he never can, and that makes him twice as angry when he goes on to grade the next one," Viktor told Hermione. "Feel sorry for whoever follows you. Harry's was fine. A little short, but fine. I took the liberty of getting McGonagall to back me up on my grading before I ever showed them to Snape. Insurance," he added blithely.

"How were the rest of them?" Hermione queried.

"They varied. I might not want to let some of them near a cauldron I was in the same building with if they mix like they write. Maybe Snape has a reason to be edgy," Viktor laughed.

"Well, he causes part of it," Hermione said indignantly. "Poor Neville, I mean, he could do alright in Potions if Snape would stop scaring him witless at every opportunity and calling him worthless."

"I did not say I agreed with his teaching methods. Longbottom? Round faced? Bit nervous?" Viktor asked.

"That's him," Hermione responded.

"Oh, he came by to pick his up earlier. Stammered something awful. His essay actually was not bad. But if he is that nervous in Potions, I could see a few cauldrons becoming casualties. I guess he was anxious to get it from me rather than Snape, but it does not matter. He will not be in class Monday," Viktor said.

"Do we dare hope we get out of it then?" Ron asked, brightening.

"No. Afraid you are stuck with me. Wants us to do a restorative potion. Should be easy enough, even for Longbottom," Viktor said quietly.

"Without Snape glaring at him all period, he should be able to do it, with a bit of help," Hermione said.

"No. No help," Viktor said.

"No help? But..." Hermione began.

"No help. Do not put me in that position. It is going to be bad enough already. If I haff to shift points in any direction, I am going to be grouchy like you would not believe," he told her.

"What on earth do you mean by that?" Hermione asked.

"I mean, I am going to be sitting in a room, leading a class full of people I know. Some of them are mostly names from your letters, others are people I am riding in a carriage with right now, some I ate with most of last year, and at least one Slytherin I did not particularly care for and told him so to his face. Now, three of these people in Gryffindor, I am quite close to. Some of the Slytherins were not so bad either, and while I would not exactly call them friends, I haff nothing against them. Some of the Slytherins I could happily see repeating a year, and I suspect if Snape were not head of their house, they would be. Or at least in the negative as far as points are concerned. I haff the same problem Hagrid does when he teaches your Care of Magical Creatures class with the Slytherins, only worse, because of you. How to be fair. He cares about you three more than the average student, but does he let you slack off in class? I do not haff to grade the potion, but I haff to watch you make it. If I let you help Neville, it is no better than if I let Malfoy do it for Crabbe and Goyle. The last thing I want to do it haff to take points from either Gryffindor or Slytherin and haff it get back to Snape. I will never hear the end of it. Or award them. Same thing," Viktor said. Harry realized it might have been the longest speech he had ever heard from Viktor.

"No partners, then?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"No partners. Not even random. Let me worry about Longbottom, you worry about not taking the bottom out of your cauldron," Viktor said.

Harry swallowed hard. "Can it take the bottoms out of cauldrons then?"

"If you put something in too early, yes. So just follow the directions, and you will be fine. Easy, I swear," Viktor said, turning back to the window. "We could get out now, you know," he added casually, "Or would you like to sit in here and discuss potions the rest of the day?"