A Year Abroad (Hermione/Viktor)

Visions

Too soon, Hermione was back at Durmstrang. She had completely forgotten about her gift from her Mother and Chigvintsev until she went to get some glass blowing in before glass. There sat a brand new wheel, made of steel, able to reach heats that her old wheel couldn't have dreamt of. She couldn't believe it. She wrote a letter of thanks to her Mother, before thanking Chigvintsev.
"This gift is for your future Hermione. This is vhat you should be doing." He told her and she knew that he was right.

During dinner, Hermione brought up the end of school to Seamus.
"What are we going to do? School is all we have ever known." She asked him.
"Well, I'm going to work with the owls at the ministry of magic, back in the UK, and I think you'll be teaching glass blowing." He told her and it felt as if a light had been switched on in Hermione's mind.
"Teaching? Do you really think so?" She asked.
"Yes, I really do. You will never be happy just blowing glass all day, you have to be around people, especially with Viktor being away at training all the time." Hermione nodded.
"But, owls at the ministry, that is amazing!" She told him, watching him blush.
"Both Chigvintsev and Dumbledore put in a good word for me and they couldn't help but offer me the position. I owe them everything. I'm going to be doing what I love." Hermione smiled.
"How did things end up like this? How did we end up so lucky?" She asked and he shrugged his shoulders.
"We were prepared to lose everything in the war. That kind of dedication pays off." He said and Hermione felt that, for the first time.

Soon, the conversation drifted back to Viktor.
"I can't quite believe that we are going to be married one day." She said, shaking her head.
"You're a lucky woman. But, he is also a very lucky man." Seamus told her and it was Hermione now who was blushing.
"But what then? We get married, have children, and then what?" She asked, wondering what her life consisted of.
"Well, whatever you want. Money certainly isn't an issue. You can go anywhere, do anything. Spend the rest of your life relaxing, no one would blame you." He laughed.
"But, what about a purpose?" She asked and Seamus sighed.
"Hermione, we have already fulfilled our purpose. You saved the bloody world. It is now your right to enjoy your life." He told her and she nodded, but it all seemed a bit meaningless. Being a wife, and then a Mother and then what? Teach glass blowing to middle aged housewives? It seemed so menial.

She didn't think about it much more, until she was in bed. Was she unlucky that she had met the love of her life so young? Would it have been better if she had spent some time alone before meeting him. But, now they were going to have so many years together. But she feared that he would get bored of her and when she became old and grey, he would move onto someone else, someone younger. He had proved himself so many times, but she still had this niggling feeling that she was not good enough.

She let it go for the time being, her crisis really weighing down on her, and focused on her work. She had been given a new wheel and she was going to see what she could do with it.
"There is something I never taught you, because I cannot fully do it myself." Dorfinde told Hermione one afternoon.
"There is an ancient art that mixes old and new magic." She told Hermione and watched as she became interested.
"You can place a memory, or even a vision, into the glass." She told Hermione and watched as she laughed and rolled her eyes.
"I don't believe in visions." She told Dorfinde and the teacher sighed.
"That is a shame. I thought you were destined for true greatness." She shook her head as she left Hermione alone, with her wheel, ashamed.

Dorfinde's words had planted a seed in Hermione's brain. She had been searching for a greater purpose, a meaning for her life, past wife and mother. Maybe, just maybe what Dorfinde was offering her was that purpose. She huffed, she had never believed in visions or gazing into the future. But, if this was a true art, there was only one person she could trust to tell her about it.
"Oh yes, placing visions or memories into glass is an old skill, used by fortune tellers for thousands of years." Chigvintsev told Hermione.
"But, I don't understand. Why does no one do it anymore?" Hermione asked.
"Because it is old magic, and no one wants old magic anymore. So, they look over it. But, I think you could do it." he told her and she felt pride swell within her.
"How?" She asked and that was how she found herself back at the wheel with Dorfinde.