Past Present

"Okay, today, more practice on the Patronus. No need to partner off today, I guess," Viktor said, standing at the front of the class. "Now, I know some of you can already do it, maybe some of you haff never even tried it before the last class, but put your mind to it and you should at least get the mist. The corporeal one is a bit harder, but once you do it, it is not so hard after that," he added. He lifted his wand and demonstrated, and a silvery hawk shot across the room, wings pinned back, streaking toward the far wall, passing right through it.

"Easy for you to say," Neville muttered, giving his own a try, and getting only a weak puff of silvery mist.

"For your information Mister Longbottom, it is not easy for me to say, because I just learned how to do it this year. We all haff trouble with something, I suppose."

"I'm going to do it this time, Harry, I can just feel it. I wonder what it will be? I mean, I hope it's something really cool, like ... like a Sphinx, or ... or maybe a wolf or something like that," Ron said, flicking his wand. Harry was sending his stag trotting around the room by now, and he noticed Hermione's otter bobbing by, as well as some of the other Patronuses. He was watching a ghostly looking swan gliding by when Ron's voice jerked him back. "A ... lizard? I got a stupid lizard?" he said incredulously. Harry turned to see a wispy lizard scuttle by his ear and across the room.

"Hmm," came Viktor's voice behind them, and Harry turned to see him standing there, arms crossed, brows drawn together as his eyes followed the bobbing lizard through the air. Harry noticed that the dark smudges were back as they had been when he had been in the middle of writing his thesis.

"A lizard? I mean, come on, how lame is that for a Patronus? Couldn't I trade mine in? Anything would be better than a lizard..." Ron complained to Viktor.

"Actually, I think that is no ordinary lizard you haff there," Viktor replied, not looking at Ron, but nodding his head in direction it had gone. Harry and Ron turned just in time to see it burst into ghostly flame and dissipate. "Looks like a salamander."

"Oh, a salamander! Well, that is sooo much better than just a plain old lizard ..." Ron began sarcastically, and one corner of Viktor's mouth curled up slightly in a weak smile before he heaved a sigh.

"They are useful. The blood is almost as good as unicorn blood. Besides, they pick you, you do not pick them," Viktor said gently. Harry couldn't help but notice that Hermione, who had been following the conversation, had completely stopped producing her otter and was scribbling on a piece of parchment instead, moving her mouth as though talking to herself. She wrote and paused, as though figuring in her head, and did not pick up her wand again until some minutes later. When class ended, Harry and Ron lingered, waiting for her to gather her books and head to their next class. She waved them on impatiently.

"Go on. I'll catch up with you two later. I need to talk to Viktor about something," she whispered urgently.

"Viktor now, is he? Class isn't over, you know, Umbridge would simply have a fit if she knew you just called a teacher by his first name and she already put the kibosh on him eating at the student table, even though he eats later on the days we have him for class anyway and you're probably suffering withdrawal..." Ron teased, stopping only when Hermione leveled a glare at him.

"Oh, shut up, Ron! Go on!" she scolded, swatting halfheartedly at him as he dodged. When he and Harry had walked out the door, she approached the front desk and stood there a moment before addressing Viktor. "So.. how are you? I feel like the only time I get to see you is in class or in the halls or when we can get away from Miss Fluffy Cardigan."

"About half dead. Thank goodness that last match was the last game for a while. Spring off-season was never more welcome. I got a whole four hours of sleep last night. I haff had enough staying up all hours grading things. Now come on, out with it. I know you well enough to know that you did not risk being late for your next class and the wrath of Umbridge about our 'questionable fraternizing' just to inquire after my health when you just saw me last night. What is it?"

"Tell me if this sounds crazy," Hermione said after taking a deep breath and hugging her books a bit tighter.

"Yes," Viktor deadpanned.

"I haven't said anything yet!"

"I am about half asleep. Everything sounds crazy. Okay, sorry, what is it?"

"Have you noticed something odd? About our Patronuses?" Hermione said, looking around the room.

"Well Dean's is still a pretty shapeless blob that does not look like much of anything as of yet, and I think Neville's might just be a dragon, maybe a Welsh Green, if he could get over being afraid of it, but I get the feeling that is not what you meant," he responded, propping his chin on his fist.

"Mine, yours, Harry's and Ron's. You said Ron's was a salamander, right?"

"Believe I did."

"So... stag, hawk, salamander, otter."

"Okay, I am still not seeing anything particularly odd. All perfectly reasonable forms for a Patronus to take."

"Four things. We've been trying to figure out four things all these months. Four things that could be associated with four other things. What do you associate a salamander with? The magical kind, that is."

"Healing. The blood is a restorative. Fire. I mean, they come from fires, they only live as long as the fire they come from burns."

"And an otter?" she added, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, that is not really a magical creature. They are considered to be pretty intelligent, clever, playful, fast, even on land. But they spend a lot of time in the water. Water... oh... water. Water. And a stag lives on land exclusively... And a hawk..."

"Flies in the air. Sound familiar?"

"So are you saying what I think you are? You haff an idea for somewhere else to look? Something else?"

"Maybe those four things have something to do with what the Guardian said. Those four animals. Or some four animals. Maybe just the magical one, who knows? But it's somewhere to start again, isn't it? I mean, maybe it has nothing to do with animals even, but seeing Ron's salamander got me to thinking... What if maybe there are four magical creatures that fit what the Guardian said? Or some combination of magical races and/or creatures? Like, say, I don't know, Centaurs, Merpeople, Wizards and Dragons, for all I know. Maybe it takes recruiting all those to defeat Voldemort."

"Wizards would be the air, I take it, then? Because of brooms? Flying? Interesting theory, I guess. And it fits as much as anything else we haff tried."

"Makes as much sense as anything else we've tried, doesn't it?" she echoed.

"Sure. See you in the library after I eat, then?"

"Take your time. I had better go. The next class is coming in soon. And I need to get to Arithmancy. And stop depriving yourself of sleep on my account. Take a nap over coming to see me if you want. She'll be sitting with us in the Common Room next. It half makes me want to act like the rest of the students and talk about sneaking out to the Astronomy Tower just so we could get a minute's peace together. She's got Filch practically camping outside your door when I go up there."

"Let him. He is not going to catch us at anything out of bounds anyway, unless she makes talking and drinking coffee off limits. Cannot sleep much anyway. Nerves."

"Nerves about what? Vratsa's a lock for the European Cup this summer, and you never get nervous about Quidditch in any case."

"Not Quidditch. OWLs. NEWTs."

"But you don't have to take them, we do."

"But I am being nervous for the lot of you. Even the ones who are not worried yet. Suddenly I sympathize with Mama about how she is at my Quidditch matches. And I haff been staring at that page of notes so long, it should haff a hole in it. It keeps me up at night, wondering about it. Replaying the conversation in my head."

"Well, bring it along when you come to the library."

"Yes, Miss Granger. Now get to class. I do not think Professor Vector will accept a late note from me."

"Yes, Professor Krum."