A Year Abroad (Hermione/Viktor)

Redemption

Viktor had been gone for a week, honing his skills where dragon fighting was concerned. At the beginning of his trip, he had allowed his mind to wander, thinking of what the English might be doing, or whether she was hopelessly in love with Aage. However, by the end of the residential, Serg had well and truly convinced Viktor that Hermione Granger was not worth his time. Once they returned to Durmstrang, the unfortunate witch had all but been erased from his mind.

Hermione had noticed Viktor's absence for the week. She wondered where he was. It was Seamus who informed her.
"He's gone to Serbia, to train with dragons." He mumbled as he gobbled up his porridge one morning. Hermione wondered why Viktor had not spoken to her about his trip, but decided that they were not well enough acquainted to make speaking of such things a necessity.

Neville had been watching Hermione, to the lack of his new friend's knowledge. He hated seeing her in such a state, so alone and miserable. So one day, in between classes, he sought her out. However, when he saw her, she seemed rather engrossed in her reading, smiling to herself, and decided that another day might suit them both better.

Writing a diary had not come easily to Hermione.
"I am unsure what to write about." She admitted in her session with Chigvintsev on the tuesday.
"Write about anything, anything that crosses your mind. It is for you, not anyone else." He reassured her and surprisingly, her words flowed easier that night.

Dear Diary,

I find that the longer I stay at Durmstrang, the harder it becomes. The boys do not forget and I fear that they shall never accept me. I am happy for Neville and Luna, however I scold myself for feeling envy towards them. All of this did not seem so difficult when I had an ally with me, one of them. I suppose he simply took pity on me. I can not see how any other possibility exists. Ron shall be so unhappy, that I did not get his autograph when I had the chance. However bleak things might be, Master Chigvintsev's tutoring me has truly brightened my mood. He is challenging me in a way I have no experience of. I shall face this challenge head on, determined to succeed.

She did not watch the quidditch that weekend, for there was nobody to invite her. Instead, she sat in one of the classrooms, with a goblet of water. In their lesson, Chigvintsev had instructed Hermione to practice her water skills with a small amount of water. So there she sat, staring at a small cauldron, feeling like a fool.
"You must concentrate on the vater, how it moves, how it feels." Chigvintsev had said to her in their session.
"But how might I concentrate on how it feels, if I can not touch it?" Such ideas had seemed too fluid for Hermione. She had always enjoyed the concrete in magic. And this new earth magic through her off of her course. However, she was determined to succeed, so, she sat with the small cauldron and closed her eyes. She imagined the flow of water in her mind, imagined the cold aqua touching her fingertips, thought of the droplets suspending in air and focused so intensly on those images. When she opened her eyes, Hermione was amazed to see two droplets dancing around one another, in mid air. She was so impressed with herself that she lost her focus and allowed the water to fall back with the smallest of splashes.

Viktor was welcomed back with a triumph. The quidditch team had been lost without him and the atmosphere of Durmstrang just hadn't been right. The men were relieved when they saw Krum march past the English witch without a single glance. Hermione watched him and sighed, wondering what she could have done wrong to annoy him in such a way. Viktor did not find it easy to ignore her. He was glad that she was not in love with Aage, but that was as far as his regard for her went.

Aage had seemed a little put out after Hermione had uncovered his plan. He was not so much embarrassed as bitter that she had not fallen for his plot. However, Hermione was becoming less reliant on him and she was sure if he were to leave her, that she would be quite capable of coping on her own.