A Year Abroad (Hermione/Viktor)

Glass

Viktor missed Hermione immensely. He saw her as she walked through the halls, but it always seemed as if she were preoccupied by thoughts unknown to him. He hadn't spoken to her in days. He wanted to know how she was feeling and how her classes were going, but there simply was not enough time. His training had taken over his life. When he was not at quidditch practice, he was working out, when he wasn't working out, he was having martial arts training, when he wasn't training he was studying and their friendship seemed to be falling away.

Hermione felt more lonely than she had ever before in her life. She watched as Neville and Ginny thrived with their new friends. She knew that it was selfish for her to want them to include her, but she wished it nonetheless. Seamus still ate with her, but with Christmas around the corner, there were more letters being sent than usual and the owls needed special attention, which took up the majority of his time.

When it came to writing her diary, Hermione now found her entries rather bleak.

I find myself in my own company more than that of others. I miss the times that I took for granted, when I had friends to speak with and spend time with. However, I know this time shall pass, as it always has before.

Hermione stared down at this entry and found herself filled with rage. She felt pathetic, moping around, doing nothing for herself. The others were happy because they were occupied, and she knew that she would have to do the same. So, she stared the very thing that she feared, and charged at it, head on.

Professor Dorfinde sat at her desk, marking papers on magical safety practices. She huffed as she ticked and crossed the answers, she had never had to do any tests when she was learning magical craftsmanship. She simply learnt through practical lessons.

As she was in the middle of marking a paper, she heard her. The inelegant footsteps of Hermione Granger. She smiled as the footsteps paused. Alice would wait for five minutes, and if the footsteps did not begin again, she would go out and invite her in.

Hermione wondered if she was there, in the classroom. No one was around, in the corridor. With the winter cold, few stayed in the corridors. She closed her eyes and paused for a moment. She did not want the woman to laugh at her, to humiliate her, but she feared that this would be the case.

Alice had waited for four minutes and still the footsteps had not started again. Her eyebrows furrowed and she sighed frustratedly. However, just as time crept towards the five minute mark, the disjointed footsteps began again and Alice smiled.

Hermione saw her, marking papers and cleared her throat, grabbing the woman's attention.
"Miss Granger. I have been waiting for you." Her voice lacked the gruff Bulgarian accent that she had grown so used to. It was not an English accent, but something different, softer.

Hermione stared at the woman's face. Her hair hung black and bobbed around her face. Her eyes glowed a crystal blue and her lips pursed a flush of red. She was taken aback by her beauty and at once lost her train of thought.

Alice chuckled inwardly as she saw the girl stood, completely lost in concentrated thought.
"Sit" She commanded and this brought Hermione out of her trance. It was an authoritative order, one that Hermione respected. Hermione wished to say something, anything, but her mind had gone blank.
"I know why you are here." Alice helped her along.
"I saw you..." Hermione began.
"Blowing glass." Alice completed her thought.
"Yes." Hermione admitted.
"Very few have the power to be able to blow glass, and those who do often use it for other, less admirable purposes." Alice explained.
"I was like you, when I was a child. I had the power within me and that scared those around me." Hermione sat in silence, listening to the woman.
"However, those people who used to fear me now pay for my art. Glass blowing is a way to use your talents for good." Hermione nodded.
"You've come to me now, you must be interested."
"I am." Hermione replied, fascinated by the art of glass blowing.
"I will teach you. Come tomorrow and we shall begin." Hermione could not refuse. She thanked the lady and left her, feeling a strange anticipation she had never felt before.

Viktor had worked himself to the bone. His body ached, his hands were chafed and he was developing a cold that he feared would get worse before it got better. He still hadn't seen Hermione. He often wondered where she was, what she was doing. Often he guessed that she was studying. However, when he went to the library, she was never there. It wasn't until he was walking through the corridors, on his way to bed, that he heard her.
"I don't know how to still my hands." She complained and the soft, recognisable voice of Dorfinde responded. Immediately Viktor was intrigued. He knew that Hermione did not have any classes with Dorfinde, especially at this time of night. So, with his curiosity taking over, he approached the open door. His eyes widened when he saw Hermione sat with her shirt rolled up to her elbows and her hair scraped back from her face, hunched over a slab of glass. He knew now what she was doing: glass blowing. He had heard that Dorfinde was an expert in the field. But he had never seen it done in real life. He watched as she concentrated over this slab, warming it slowly. Until, suddenly, it glowed a deep amber and began to yield to her grasp. His eyes widened once more as he leant against the wall, watching her. She was struggling. It was the first time he had seen her struggle so much. But she fought through until Dorfinde placed her hand on Hermione's arm.
"That is enough for today. We shall resume in two days time." He heard her say. He wanted to stay and talk to Hermione, but he had not seen her in so long, he was unsure if she would be happy to see him now, after their time apart.

Hermione laid in bed that night, exhausted, but elated. She felt a power she had never felt before when she was with Dorfinde. Glass blowing was unlike anything she had experienced before, and she was willing to put the work in to improve her skills. She had not seen Viktor in a long time and she wondered if their plans for Christmas were still on. She decided, as she laid there, that she would go to see him in the morning, to try and relieve the tension that she feared had built up between them.

Unknowing of Hermione's plan, Viktor convinced himself that he should go and see her. It had been too long since they had spoken and they were friends, they should be able to rekindle their bond after being apart. He awoke early and set off, to her room. He planned what he was going to say in his mind, playing it over and over again. He walked along, focused purely on his words. So much so that he didn't notice Hermione walking directly towards him.

Hermione saw him charging, head down eyes closed. She wondered what on earth he was thinking about to make him so tense. She stood still, hoping that he would notice her. However, when it was obvious that this was not going to happen, she placed out her hands to stop him from barging into her.
"Viktor." She exclaimed as he came dangerously close to her and it was as if she had pulled him from a trance. He stopped less than a meter away from her.
"I was coming to see you." She explained as he looked down at her with wide eyes.
"I vas doing the same." He admitted and she felt herself blush.
"I have not seen you in so long, I feared that you were ill." Hermione explained.
"No, I have been busy, vith training." He admitted. He knew that he should have set some time away for her, but he had not, he had prioritised himself, selfishly.
"Let's go and get some breakfast." Hermione suggested.

They walked together in silence and Viktor remembered the calm he felt slowing down to her pace. Her calm, slow breathing lulled him into a sense of relaxation. He looked over at her as she tucked a curl behind her ear. He had forgotten how beautiful she was, how the little things she did made him smile.

They sat together and Hermione felt herself blush. Viktor seemed more handsome than ever. He was more muscular from the increased training and his stubble had grown in. She tried to focus on other things, like the porridge, or the crackle of the fire, to stop her from blushing. But, she could not help, when she looked up at him and caught him gazing at her, blushing a deep shade of pink.
"I have missed you." Viktor admitted absent mindedly. His eyes widened when he realised what he had said. However, he was glad of it when he saw Hermione look down at her hands and smile.
"I have missed you as well. There's been no rain for me to stop on the quidditch pitch." She jested, chuckling. Viktor laughed along, feeling more content than he had in weeks.