The War of the Unwilling Hearts (Harry Potter fanfic [Viktor Krum])

Snowflakes on Ebony Silk

It was lucky that the second task wasn't until February but now the fuss all over campus was the Yule Ball that would be taking place on Christmas night. It was all the girls talked about and frankly I wished they wouldn't.

"You'll be going won't you?" Parvati Patil squeals next to me. She's a friend of Hermione's, which surprised me because Hermione didn't seem like the type to gossip though she was a million times tamer than Fleur and her girls.

"I'm not sure." I shrug indifferently.

"Of course she'll go." Her sister Padma scoffs. "She's too pretty not to be asked out."

"What if no one's got the courage to ask her?" Ginny offers.

"That won't happen." Hermione assures.

"I'm not convinced I want to go." I huff and shove the last bit of a pastry my mom had sent me into my mouth.

"You have to go to the ball." Ginny protests.

"I'll see you guys later; think I'm gunna take a walk along the lake."

"Careful, Viktor Krum likes to exercises about this time." Padma giggles and all the girls swoon at the thought. I roll my eyes, secure my bag on my shoulder and walk down to the lake. Where much to my chagrin I did run into Viktor; or rather he ran into me, knocking me to the rocky banks of the Black Lake.

"You've got to be kidding." I hiss, picking the sharp pebbles from my palms. Viktor reaches his hand out for me and I slap it away. "Couldn't watch where you were going?"

"Sorry." He kneels down on the rocks, taking the palm of my hand and kissing it. I pull it back and glare at him. "It's lucky I did run into you. I wanted to ask you something."

"Go on."

"Go to the Yule Ball vith me?"

"No." I say without much thought. I didn't need to think about it because I wanted to be as separated from Viktor as possible. He did strange things to my thought process.

"No?" He repeats questioningly.

"That is what I said." I push myself from the ground and brush the dirt from my backside.

"No?" He says again.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Viktor makes a motion as if swallowing his pride, straightening his back and bowing out of our encounter.

Having free period right after lunch today I decide to sit by the lake in hopes that I'll find something to lose myself in. I discover that there's a giant squid I come to affectionately refer to as Polka in my brief encounters with it as I sit contemplatively; Polka because it looks like it has spots near its eyes and along its tentacles.

Mid-way through free period a grey owl swoops down and drops a piece of parchment that's been folded into a lovely origami lily. It unfolds itself as soon as its in my hands. It reads:

Mon belle Milena,

Je souhaite vous m'occuper de Yule Ball avec moi. Veuillez m'honorer en tant que mon compagnon.

Le vôtre toujours,

Jean-Luc

I go cross-eyed trying to translate the note when the words melt into a blur and then clear themselves; translating it into English.

My beautiful Milena,

I wish for you to attend the Yule Ball with me. Please honour me as my companion.

Yours always,

Jean-Luc

I groan. It wouldn't be as easy to say 'No' to Jean-Luc.