In The Library

Ginny and Hermione were at first a bit put off by Hogwarts's newest celebrity always hanging out in the library and browsing through the books, or doing his school work on the table closest to Madam Pince's desk. But the library was more than just a sanctuary for the international Quidditch player; it was also a place to escape the flock of girls that always followed him. However, because of the flock of giggling girls that followed Viktor Krum into the library every day, both Ginny and Hermione had taken to doing their homework deep between the shelves for privacy.

So that's why Ginny and Hermione were at the end of a long row of bookshelves, searching for the book Hermione wanted to finish her Charms essay when Krum showed up, moving tentatively between the tall bookshelves. This wasn't the first time he had followed them through the rows of shelves during the last few weeks, either. Viktor usually kept a polite distance. He rarely spoke to them, except in short inquiries and muffled hellos, unless Hermione appeared to be alone. Except today, Viktor stopped in the row near them and seemed to be waiting, watching Hermione.

"I need a different book; I'll see you in a bit," Ginny said with a wink at Hermione and walked to the end of the aisle so she could watch discreetly and effectively close the aisle to intruders or prying eyes from that end at least. As Ginny passed Viktor, he smiled slightly at her and then stepped over to where Hermione was standing.

"I haff vanted to ask you." His English was broken, he seemed to be concentrating on choosing his words carefully. He looked warily at Ginny, who was trying to look uninterested. "Do you haff book on the," he stopped and thought carefully, "transfiguration of peoples?"

"Human transfiguration is in the Transfiguration section," Hermione said, turning and pointing across the library, "and those are down there a few shelves over." He nodded, although he didn't turn away but continued to stare at her instead. "Are you doing human transfiguration for your classes?" she asked.

"Yes, but ve do not haff as many book of the transfiguration, as you do here, on the ship," Viktor answered, his voice low.

"If you need help finding any books, you can always ask Madam Pince; she's always here to help students," Hermione said, trying to be helpful.

"She gave me a book," he said and hesitated. "I like your library. It is very nice." He looked around as if searching for something.

"It's a very nice library." Hermione smiled. "I see you in here quite a bit?"

"Ve did not bring many books on the ship. Only those needed for classes, and ones that Professor Karkaroff think I may need. But sometime I need a different book, so it is nice that ve can use this place too." He looked directly at Hermione. "But I like being in here. It is quiet." Suddenly several loud whispers and some giggles were heard from somewhere in the library, followed by a reprimand by Madam Pince.

"It's usually quieter, actually." Hermione gave a disapproving look down the aisle. Ginny shrugged. A girl from Hufflepuff walked by and sat down at one of the tables. "Funny, I never noticed her in here before," Hermione stated.

"She follow me sometimes." His tone was so mater of fact that Hermione stifled a laugh in her hand and looked at him. "You haff a pretty laugh," he said, smiling at her.

"Thank you." Hermione blushed deeply at the compliment and smiled at him. He was the first person, besides her father, who had ever complemented her on her smile before.

As she spoke Viktor stepped closer to the books and tried to appear as if he were intently searching the titles as a girl passing by the row stopped to stare at him. Ginny gave her a meaningful glance, and the girl walked on. "Do she go?" he asked Hermione.

"Yeah, she's gone," she replied, looking down the row.

"They follow me all every vhere," he sighed.

A few giggles erupted somewhere followed by a harsh, "Shush, you there, quiet," from Madam Pince.

"You're famous; it's understandable," Hermione acknowledged.

"I guess. I see you here much time. You like to read much?" Viktor asked her.

"Well, yes I like reading. I find the library to be one of my favorite places usually," Hermione stated as another group of girls crowded together in the row of books one shelf over. Viktor saw them and shifted several books to close the gaps and make a screen.

Hermione stifled a giggle herself. He looked at her, began to speak, and then closed his mouth. "Yes?" she asked tentatively.

"Do you go to the Ball?" Viktor asked.

"I planned to go," Hermione stated.

"Oh." Viktor looked down and started to turn away.

"Are you looking forward to the Ball?" Hermione asked him curiously. "You must attend quite a few, being an international Quidditch player and all?"

Further down the row Ginny suppressed a giggle herself. Viktor had never spoken to Hermione for this long before.

"I do not haff many Balls before," he said. "Yes, I look forward to this Ball." He was looking intently at her, and then he turned quickly as he heard another soft whisper.

"I don't see him, so maybe he left already," came a female voice from their left and was answered by another female voice.

"I thought that he came in here." The voice sounded disappointed.

"But I haven't been asked yet, to go," Hermione said quietly, without knowing why.

"I vould like to go, do..." Viktor suddenly froze and turned to go. "They find me," he said, downcast. "I go. May I speak to you again?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure." Hermione smiled warmly at him. "You know where to find me."

"Yes, I do," he said simply but firmly before he made a slight bow to her and left the bookshelf, smiling. At that moment Hermione understood that he was coming into the library because of her!

"Hermione?" Ginny asked, coming around into view from the other row. "I saw Viktor Krum leaving. What did he want?"

"He was trying to ask me something." Hermione looked at Ginny, a little bewildered.

"I could only get pieces of what you were saying. What do you think he wanted? Hints on the next challenge?" Ginny asked.

"No, he didn't even mention the tournament at all." She looked at Ginny with her head cocked curiously. "I think he was going to ask me to the Yule Ball!"

"Really! Oh, Hermione, that's wonderful!" Ginny said beaming, trying to keep her voice low. Ginny was surprised. She knew Hermione was actually hoping that her brother would pluck up the courage to ask her. But so far Ron seemed to be trying for someone with a pretty face and was not considering her.

"I was hoping that someone else would ask me..." Hermione said, as if reading Ginny's thoughts, and then shook her head. "But he wants to ask someone pretty!"

"You're pretty, Hermione! Even if my dolt of a brother can't see it." Hermione looked up, shocked, at Ginny. "Oh, come on now, of course I know! He's an idiot if he can't see it! I think he takes you for granted actually. But then, he has the mentality of a frog!" Ginny smiled wickedly at Hermione. "Maybe you should go with Viktor."

"Every girl in the school wants to go with him..." Hermione looked past Ginny down the row of books. "They follow him everywhere!"

"Yeah, but he's looking to ask you, isn't he?" Ginny had a mischievous grin. "Every girl in school will be so jealous of you. I know that Ron will definitely take notice if you go with him." She started to laugh and Hermione shot Ginny a questioning look. "Look, my brother can be really thick most of the time. I bet he hasn't even noticed you're a girl yet. He thinks of you as a friend and all, but he can't see what's right in front of his nose!"

Hermione had to laugh at that. "He sure acts like it, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does. Besides, why wait till he figures it out? Viktor seems like he's interested in you. Why not? It will do you good to go with Viktor; tell him yes!" Ginny replied sincerely.

"Maybe I will." Hermione was smiling as her mind raced over what Ginny had implied. If Ron really was that thick, maybe, just maybe, this would wake him up.

~~*~~*~~*~~

A few weeks went by and even though Viktor could often be seen going into the library, he was always surrounded by flocks of giggling girls. He carried a regular scowl more often now, and when he was in the library, he stayed close to Madam Pince's desk so that they would keep their distance.

Several times as he passed Hermione, he briefly greeted her or simply nodded, although he sometimes offered her a smile. But he didn't seem to want all those other girls clustering around him when he spoke to her. Both Ginny and Hermione remembered Harry and Ron complaining about the girls in the school roaming and congregating in groups and laughed.

Remembering Ginny's advice, she wrote a brief note on some parchment and slipped it into a book from the end of a nearby shelf. As she passed by the table where Viktor sat she handed him the book.

"I finished with that book you wanted, here! I marked the part you mentioned." She gave him a nod to the book, handing it to him so he could see the slip of parchment, and then stepped over to Madam Pince's desk to check out the other books she carried. "I was wondering where I might find a book on the uses of animal bile in potions?" she asked the librarian a bit louder than her normal volume when in the library. The tiniest glance back told her that Viktor had heard her as well.

"Yes, we have several." Madam Pince wrote down several suggestions on a slip of parchment and handed it to Hermione. Hermione thanked her and walked back to the section, deep in the row of tall bookshelves where she knew the books were. A few minutes later Viktor slid down the row, scanning the titles of the books until he was fairly close to Hermione. She looked up from the book she held open in her hands and nodded to him with a smile.

"Thank you for the book," he said softly as he watched a girl pass them. "I vanted to speak to you, but I ..."

"Have a fan club that seems to follow you everywhere," Hermione finished for him, grinning.

"Vell, yes, they are everyvhere I go. They follow me vhen I swim. They vatch me stretch in morning. They vatch me in the hall..." his scowl deepened as he spoke. "I think if they could keep up, they vould follow me vhen I fly."

Hermione looked at him with understanding. "It must get so annoying at times."

"You say ann-oi-eng?" he asked.

"It means the same as bothering, or pestering," she clarified.

"Oh, yes, it is. I am sorry, my Enggish is not too good," he said.

"You're doing fine, really," Hermione encouraged him.

"I vant to ask you some time for a vhile..." he watched as his flock of followers was shuffled back to their seats by Madam Pince, "to go the Ball if you haff not been asked by someone else yet?" His stance was confident but his eyes were imploring.

"I thought that you had already asked me?" Hermione gave him a sideways glance, smiling from the book she held open in her hands.

He looked startled. "No. I think maybe you go vith Harry Potter. You are close, no?"

"Harry and I are friends, and no, he hasn't asked me to the Ball. No one else has asked me yet." She cocked her head and looked up at him. "Are you asking me to go with you to the Ball?"

"Vell, yes." He stood up suddenly very formally. "I vould think it an honor to ask you to the Ball."

"Then I would be delighted to go with you." Hermione beamed at him before three girls came into the row of books and startled them. Hermione buried her nose in the book in her hands, and Viktor began examining the titles on the shelves. He quickly took two books from the shelves and left the library looking happy.

That night Hermione told Ginny all about Viktor asking her, right down to the tiniest detail. Both girls were laughing and talking about Viktor and his flock of fans when Lavender and Parvati came into the dorm room. When the two girls asked what was so funny, they only laughed harder. Lavender and Parvati shot Hermione and Ginny disapproving looks as they flopped down on Lavender's bed watching them.

For Ginny this was the best, having a best friend like Hermione and sharing private 'best friend' moments and secrets together. It was almost like having a sister at Hogwarts, something Ginny always wanted, having grown up surrounded by brothers.

Several days later Ginny was sitting with Hermione in the sunlight on a bench, talking about how the Beauxbaton girls seemed to be so conceited and self-assured, how formal and aloof the Durmstrang students seemed, and about how their classmates were behaving towards the students of other two schools.

Viktor walked by on his way back to the entrance hall. He gave Hermione a nod and smiled quickly at her, then scowled at the flock of girls following in his wake.

"Wait until they see you with him." Ginny suppressed a huge grin. "They will all be so jealous!"

Hermione laughed with her. "I have hardly had a moment's time alone with him since he asked me. The only time we can talk anymore is in the library. Madam Pince has started asking people why they are coming in and sending anyone not seriously studying away." She looked at the girls that were trailing Viktor as he left their view. "They all seem to be getting desperate."

"Shame though." Ginny had a mischievous grin. "Maybe he should just tell them he already has a partner, then they will leave him alone," Ginny suggested.

"His friends from Durmstrang already tried that. They don't believe him," Hermione said, pointing at his flock of followers and laughing.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Notes:

In the chapters: In The Gryffindor Common Room and in The Yule Ball, Ginny, Hermione, Harry and Ron's conversations are quotes, copied from JK Rowling's book that I felt compelled to include, especially in the 'scenes' which Ginny is present, as given to us by JK Rowling herself. (US GoF p 398-401) I also used some of the conversations and several descriptions of the Yule Ball from JK Rowling as well, (US GoF p 403-432) and thus they are borrowed. Since I don't know JK Rowling to ask her permission, I hope she doesn't mind.

The 'dance class' in A Big Brother's Advice – Twice has been borrowed from the film version and is not strictly canon. But I liked the idea of Neville being a good dancer, so I used it.

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