A Year Abroad (Hermione/Viktor)

Muggle World

Viktor had never been to the muggle world. It was a place that his parents had told him about, but had never allowed him to venture into.
"Muggles don't understand us, Viktor." His mother had told him. But as time had gone on, it had become more and more acceptable to travel between the two words, especially for wizards, less so for muggles. But, old habits die hard, and Viktor had to admit that he was nervous to go to the sporting event with Hermione.

Hermione could tell that Viktor was nervous. She understood. She had been terrified the first time that she had come to the wizarding world. But, he had nothing to fear, he was perfectly passable, so long as he was with Hermione, and resisted the urge to perform magic.

Ada had bought Viktor some muggle clothes. She supposed that it was good that he was getting to know Hermione's culture. But she couldn't help worrying that he was in danger, being in such a public place. She gave Viktor the jeans and jumper, along with the scarf and the coat and entered when he was dressed.
"You look different." She told him. Truth be told, she had never really seen him this way and it shocked her to see her son looking so muggle.

Viktor gazed at himself in the mirror. The colours were right, he guessed, with the jeans - which he had never worn before - being a dark blue shade and the thick knitted jumper being a stone grey. He was warm in the black leather jacket and his usual boots worked with the outfit.
"One more thing." She placed a knitted hat on his head and he looked at himself again. He was unsure if this was the fashion, but he was warm and comfortable, so that was enough for him.

Hermione smiled as she looked in the mirror. She had gone out and bought the outfit especially. Her knitted jumper dress kept her warm, under her thick tan coat. She bundled up in a scarf, knowing that it was going to get cold, and then stuck a white beanie on her head, wanting to be warm.

Hermione stopped in her tracks when she saw Viktor. He looked like a muggle man. A very fashionable one at that. He looked as if he had just hopped off the cover of a GQ winter edition. She sighed, knowing that he would be drooled over by the women at the game. But he was doing all of this for her, and when she thought about it, it was a pretty selfish gift. But she didn't care, because she knew that Viktor would enjoy it.

Ada wanted to coddle him. To tell Viktor not to use magic and to stay warm, and to stay with Hermione at all times. But she looked at him with Hermione and knew that it was not her place anymore. She sighed, knowing that she would have to step back as a mother, but was glad, at the same time, that she would be gaining a daughter.

Viktor was quiet and Hermione had noticed. But she didn't want to press the issue. They apparated to an alley that Hermione had apparated to in London before. Because there was nothing worse than a bunch of wizards apparating into the middle of the capital. It caused questions to be asked.

Viktor was terrified. It was the first time he had shaken since the World Cup. He was ashamed to admit that he was scared. But he understood that it was natural, being a minority in a crowd, to feel uneasy.

Hermione took his hand and he smiled down at her. He envied her, ever so slightly, that she had managed to grow up amongst the two worlds. Whereas, he had waited twenty years before venturing into the unknown territory. But, there was no point worrying about the past now. This was part of Hermione's world and he wanted to know it, so that their family could be as Hermione was, integrated into both worlds.

It was always rowdy at a rugby game. But it was especially so that day. Partly because it was England against Wales and partly because many of the crowd had taken to drinking to battle the cold. Hermione smiled and shivered, remembering the times that she had sat with her Dad and watched the rugby, it made her dreadfully sad for a moment to think that he no longer had that memory. But, she couldn't dwell on that now.