BITTERSWEET TRAGEDY◦VIKTOR KRUM

SEVENTEEN

SEVENTEEN.

          IT WAS just mere minutes 'till the clock chimed midnight, and Arabella awaited Viktor's arrival at the Hogwarts greenhouse. The girl was stood outside, shivering amidst the cold winter air, making her instantly regret taking only a cloak and no other blanketed material to keep her warm.

Several seconds passed, and boredom succumbed her. Peering inside the glass house, she attempted to identify every plant she could see. Asphodel, Dittany, Gillyweed from the Black Lake; even a few Mandrakes - and then she felt a hand upon her shoulder.

          Gasping in fright, she turned on her heels, suddenly becoming blinded by the light from the tip of a wand. "Vik, put that down. It's shining in my eyes." Bella scolded, shielding her view from the uncomfortable illumination.

          Then, she saw him properly. The scruff of his beard itching at his snow-bitten skin, his dark hair unruly and littered with flakes of white, his wand clutched in his right hand and his left fist clenched together as his nails dug into his palm. His lips were parted ever so slightly, brown eyes widened in shock as Arabella presented the invisibility cloak to him.

"This is it?" Viktor said in wonder, taking the material in his hands.

Bella nodded. "Yes, this is Harry's invisibility cloak. Be careful with it - if anything happened to the damned thing, I'm sure he'd probably hex me into oblivion." She took the cloak gently from Viktor's grasp, laying it over her shoulders so that only her head was visible. "C'mon, get under the cloak with me. We can't be seen sneaking out of the grounds."

          Still in awe, Viktor pulled it over both of their heads, and the two students were no longer visible. "Watch where you're going," Bella whispered. "The ground can get a little rocky towards Hogsmeade."

●

          "We can go to The Leaky Cauldron - they have a couple of beds upstairs." Bella stated as she focused on the crunch of the snow under her shoes. She smiled as they passed the sign for Diagon Alley. "I used to go there a lot for a drink of Butterbeer with Fred and George. Now, I'm-- I'm not so sure I'll be able to." She murmured, staring at the floor of cobblestone coated with white snowflakes.

           Viktor slumped his arm around Arabella's shoulders. "Then we will have a drink there in the morning; coffee or tea. Our first real date."

            The redhead was taken aback. "A date?" She asked, pulling the invisibility cloak from both of their figures so they were visible once more.