A Year Abroad (Hermione/Viktor)

The Sea

Viktor and Hermione stood for a moment with the family.
"How were your exams?" Ada asked.
"They went well. I feel confident." Viktor replied. Hermione could barely keep up with the conversation. Even with a heating charm, she was frozen in the Bulgarian winter cold. She attempted to dull her shivering, but did so in vain. It was Mladen who noticed the poor girl, shuddering, teeth chattering.
"I think ve should head home." He whispered to his Father, nodding his head in Hermione's direction.
"Ada, let's go." He ordered and they all prepared to apparate.
"Leave the things here, they vill be brought." Hermione unwillingly left her Vase in the snow, hoping that it would get back to the house in one piece.

Without a word, Viktor took Hermione's hand.
"Keep breathing, even in the cold." He instructed her. She nodded and held onto his hand tightly. Hermione was not used to apparating, let alone in sub zero degrees. However, she didn't want to make a fool of herself. So she remembered to take deep breaths as her body was flung through space.

The air felt like shards of glass in her lungs and she felt the tears stream into her cheeks. She had never felt a sensation like it, had never experienced a cold like it. However, it was soon over and she was back on the ground. She wiped away her tears before anyone could notice and straightened herself up.

The house was grand and fine, built from wood in a cabin style, it was far larger than any cabin Hermione had ever seen. They quickly made their way into the house and into the living room. The sofas were plush and the fire was warm and Hermione was comfortable.

That was until a house elf entered the room, carrying a tray of glasses. Hermione froze and Viktor noticed. She thought of Dobby and of all the elves she had known. They had been treated terribly by their masters. She wanted to say something, but she knew that she could not, being the guest in their home. So she took the glass and sipped the wine, attempting to dull the rageful fire she could feel in her stomach.

They sat in silence for a long while. The family had heard about Hermione Granger, about her part in the war, about her great talents. Mladen wanted to ask about the war, but he knew he could not in the presence of his parents and of Viktor. So instead, he asked a simpler question:
"How do you find Durmstrang, Her-my-knee?" He knew that he could not say her name correctly, but he did not take much time to feel the embarrassment.
"It is different to Hogwarts, but I like those differences and I enjoy the style of teaching." She answered diplomatically. Mladen had heard about her experience at Durmstrang, but she did not speak negatively about it and for that he respected her.

After a while, Hermione grew tired. It had been a long day and she needed to rest.
"Viktor, show Her-my-knee her room." His Mother ordered him and he followed the order in silence.

Hermione followed Viktor up the stairs, also in silence. She felt uncomfortable with the whole situation. When they arrived at her room, Viktor opened the door and allowed her to enter first. It was beautifully furnished, with rich deep brown carpet and bedding. It was far larger than any bedroom that Hermione was used to. She sat herself on the bed, facing the fire and kicked off her shoes, letting her feet dangle centimeters away from the ground. Viktor looked at her as she stared at the fire, seemingly controlling its flicker.
"You do not like house elves." He stated, stood by the door.
"It's not that I don't like them. I have known many house elves who have been tortured and abused by their masters. I do not agree with the enslavement of any creature." She explained herself, her eyes remaining on the fire.
"I see. Vell Mother and Father pay them so I suppose they are not slaves." Hermione's eyes then left the fire to look at him.
"No, they would not be slaves if they were paid." She agreed and smiled softly, glad that the situation was not what she had expected.

Viktor watched her return to her fire. He was unsure what to say. She was in a strange new place with people that she had never met before and he didn't know how to make her more comfortable. She needed to rest, he knew that. But he so wanted her to feel at home that he did not want to leave her.
"You need to rest." He stated and she nodded, turning her head to him and nodding. He smiled back and left her, alone.

Hermione took this time alone to snoop around the room. It smelt like sandalwood and vanilla bean and the carpet was soft and plush. However, nothing fascinated her more than the view that she had from her window. She did not know that Viktor lived on the coast of the Black Sea. But when she looked from the window, his house backed onto the sand of the beach and the chopping waves of the Bulgarian sea.

Ever since she had begun her training with Chigvintsev, Hermione felt a pull to nature, to the elements and she couldn't help staring at the sea, its blue grey waves and the power it possessed. She was obsessed.

Viktor sat with his Mother in the kitchen.
"She is very quiet." She noted.
"She will open up once you get to know her." Viktor responded.
"I am sure that you are right. Tell me about her, what does she do?" Ada asked.
"What do you mean?" Viktor didn't understand her question.
"Well, you play Quidditch and your brother makes potions, what does she do?" She repeated her question. Viktor thought for a while, wondered how to describe what Hermione did. How to describe her element bending and her glass blowing. However, before he came up with an answer, the answer revealed itself. Hermione had wasted no time. She was out on the beach, with her hands planted in the sand. Viktor saw her through the window. He was not worried for her, he knew she was stronger than she looked. He silently took his Mother to the back of their house. At first, she panicked, but Viktor quited her protestations. The sea was choppier than ever that day, the waves reaching higher than they had in weeks. Ada couldn't understand what the girl was attempting to do until she suddenly watched the waves die, crashing without rising again and within a moment, the sea was silent, the water was calm. Neither Ada nor Viktor breathed for those moments of peace. They finally exhaled when Hermione pulled her palms from the sand and the waves began to crash once more.
"Do you understand?" Viktor asked his Mother. Her eyes were wide, she was in shock and awe of the girl. Ada nodded and then pulled her son out of the cold and returned to the kitchen.

Hermione felt the calm overcome her and finally she could rest. She smiled as she climbed into the bed, out of the cold. She had never been close enough to the sea to practice the spell, but now that she had performed it successfully, she felt at peace. Her anxieties about the Krum family fell away and she slipped into slumber.

Viktor and Ada did not talk for several moments.
"How-" Ada could not finish her sentence. She had never seen anyone perform a spell like that. She had never seen somebody control the elements.
"She has been training, and she is dedicated." Viktor explained.
"She is powerful." Ada stated.
"Yes, more so than anyone I have met." Viktor agreed. Ada placed a hand over her Mouth and let out a chuckle, in utter disbelief at what she had witnessed.