Hermione smoothed down the front of her robes absent-mindedly as she pressed her hands against the wood of the door. She ran her hands briefly across the bold, golden letters that read Library. As she stepped over the threshold, she couldn’t deny the tiny shiver she felt down her spine as she breathed in the oddly pleasant smell crisp pages between the covers of books.
There was this moment. The tiny fraction of a second as her foot stepped into the library where her heart gave an excited twinge that radiated through her body. It was thrilling. Hermione sucked in a breath, marvelling at the beauty only she seemed to see within the room. The dust smell from the shelves she inhaled deeply whenever she entered the room; it smelt like familiarity. It smelt like…home. She felt the safest half buried in her books. She loved the certainty they promised. Simple facts with no doubt weaved in them.
Sanctuary; this is what it felt like to her. A quiet place to delve into another world of facts and correct wand movements; to indulge in the pleasure of another page, another book. Hermione nodded politely to Madam Pince as she passed, a collection of books hovering in the air behind her. She retreated to the far back of the library, fingers trailing along the shelves and books spines until she reached a small table in the furthest corner of the library, on the edges of the Restricted Section. Hermione found this kind of seclusion peaceful, not lonely. The table held a single candle on it. She found the flickering of the tiny flame across the pages soothing rather than the prolonged light from a Lumos charm. The natural light from the windows did not reach this small space between shelves. Hermione spread her collection of books across the table and chose one carefully. She breathed deeply and settled into her chair. She felt happy.
The outside world melted away as her eyes darted. With each second, new knowledge was gained. The time passed too quickly as Hermione tried desperately to absorb as much as possible. She brushed a stray hair from her eyes and paused. She could feel someone’s eyes on her from just around the shelf. Frowning at the distraction, she tore her eyes away from the words. Quietly as possible, she closed the book and drew her wand from her pocket. Instinctively, she gripped her wand tightly as she peered around the corner for the owner of the offending eyes. Tilting her head to the side with a frown, she caught a flicker of robes as a tall, hunched figure disappeared around the end of the shelf. Bemused, she returned to her book.
***
Each day she spent in her refuge, she had the same suspicion of eyes watching her. She failed to catch the person though each time she made to investigate. Often, Hermione would hear the soft giggles of younger and older female students from different parts of the library. Each time she would venture out to retrieve another book, she’d try and catch sight of the giggling girls’ obsession. As she followed the shelves into another area of the library, she caught sight of a familiar face in his own secluded table. His large curved nose was bent over rolls of parchment. His tall figure was stunted as he leaned over the table. But as she tripped, the dark eyes of Viktor Krum drew up to meet hers momentarily before Hermione hurried out of sight.
She collapsed into her chair, struggling to compose herself. There it was. The twinge of her heart. But it was odd; it didn’t come from the book she’d just picked up. Her thoughts were distracted as she tried to focus on the words.
“Vould you like some company?”
The deep voice, thick with accent, startled her. Hermione’s hand jerked and knocked the candle beside it. Viktor was quick as he withdrew a slender wand and extinguished the flame before it hit the ground. Hermione stared at him wordlessly as he shuffled his feet, half embarrassed at giving her such a start. He murmured nervously, “I can leave, if you vould prefer to be alone?” His voice raised slightly at the end; a question.
“Oh erm, no!” Hermione said breathlessly. “You’re welcome to sit here…Mr Krum.” The corners of Viktor’s mouth twitched as he raised an eyebrow at her formality. Hermione felt a blush creep up into her cheeks as she cleared her throat. Viktor drew up a chair from the air with a swish of his wand; Hermione watched, more than a little impressed. He sat quietly on the opposite side of the table, his eyes staring intently at her face.
“Please, call me Viktor…” He said, half amused. “Vhat is your name?” Hermione closed the book in front of her; Viktor’s eyes glanced over it quickly. Hermione paused for a second before answering, “Hermione Granger.”
“Herm-ninny.” Viktor frowned slightly, thick eyebrows knitting together as he struggled to form the words with his accent. Hermione covered her mouth with a hand, her lips pulling into a half smile. He tried the name again and tilted his head apologetically.
Hermione held a hand out to him across the table to a surprised Viktor who took it in his own hand. Instead of shaking, though, he brought her pale fingers to his mouth and pressed his lips against her hand politely. Hermione’s breath caught in her chest and she took her hand back. There was a pause of silence between them while Viktor chose to relight the candle carefully on the desk.
“I haff been vatching you study a lot,” he said hesitantly. “You are a very bright girl, I haff seen.” Hermione felt her cheeks flush hot again and she coughed, mumbling her thanks. Viktor was quiet for a second, “I am sorry for being so forward; I haff vanted to talk to you for a vhile…”
“Really?” Hermione said, surprised.
Viktor’s dark eyes left hers to stare down at his lap anxiously. “Yes, I haff been trying to…vind the courage to talk to you.”
She stayed silent; it was all she could do to refrain from her jaw dropping. Viktor Krum. The International Quidditch player she’d seen play magnificently during the holidays. Hermione who had never had a person of the male gender speak so nervously about seeing her before was dumbstruck and silent. Silent; Viktor probably thought she wasn’t happy with the prospect of his attention being focused on her. Viktor dropped his eyes to the ground as he made to rise. “I am sorry, I haff bothered you…”
“I watched you play during the World Cup!” The words were out of her mouth before she realized it. Viktor stopped, half out of the seat. He turned his head to gaze at her again, surprised, as he fell back into his seat. “I thought you played very well.” She finished lamely. The darkness in his eyes seem to light for a brief moment. Hermione imagined he got many a compliment regarding his Quidditch ability and hers didn’t seem entirely brilliant. Viktor seemed satisfied with her comment though as he shifted in his seat. His nervousness returned however and the silence set in again.
It was broken suddenly by an eruption of giggles from the other side of the shelves. Hermione expected Viktor to be pleased by the outward display of affection towards him. Viktor however, rolled his eyes and coughed into his hand in embarrassment. Hermione caught a pair of large eyes peering between the books on the shelves, another burst of giggles before they disappeared.
“I vas vondering something…Herm-ninny,” he said slowly, pronouncing the words carefully but still failing to say her name properly. Hermione let this detail pass with a nervous smile. “This Yule Ball that is approaching. I vas vondering…vhether you vould accompany me to it?”
Hermione stopped breathing for a second. Was he joking? She took in Viktor as a whole, sitting before her, his eyes watching her cautiously but expectant. Since the choosing of the Champions had announced Viktor as the representative of Durmstrang and his performance in the first Task, she’d barely seen him. She expected him to be tucked away in the ship they arrived in. He’d been here obviously, buried in books to help him discover the clue of the golden egg. Despite being a Quidditch player, he was tall and thin rather than burly. As elegantly as he flew, his coordination whilst walking was somewhat challenged she had noted. Hermione blinked, dumbfounded.
“You want to go with…me?” She said in disbelief. Viktor raised a thick, bushy eyebrow at her and he faltered.
“Yes. Vhy, do you not vish to go vith me?” He looked slightly disappointed, and Hermione hurried to cover her shock. He waited patiently for her to continue.
“No! I mean, yes I’d love”like to go with you…Viktor.” She said certainly. Viktor sat up a little straighter in his chair and Hermione saw a flicker of a smile on his face. He nodded and got to his feet, flourishing his wand so the chair vanished. Hermione smiled admiringly at him. Viktor bowed to her politely before backing away without another word.
Hermione listened to the gaggle of giggling girls that snuck behind him as he returned to his pile of books. She smoothed down her hair and tucked it behind her ears neatly. Picking up her book again, she opened it to a page at random and stared at the words blindly, her mind a millions miles away.
Seclusion; she found it peaceful rather than lonely. But company could be a good thing.
Between the Shelves by Barbeque-Kangaroo
Chapter Endnotes: Oh dear. This short little story you have since read is the first proper piece of fanfiction I have written in at least three years. So I hope you enjoyed it and I would love anyone's honest opinion on my writing. And of course thank you to the brilliant Emily (emck_21) for beta'ing this jumble of words that she made sense of :)
~Nicole