In Need
folder
Harry Potter › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
37
Views:
2,654
Reviews:
99
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
37
Views:
2,654
Reviews:
99
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
25 - Morning Post
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**THE DAILY PROPHET**
KRUM THROWS TANTRUM
By Rita Skeeter
In a move that has shocked the wizarding sports
world, quidditch sensation Viktor Krum has
announced his retirement from the Bulgarian
quidditch team. Amid reports of experiencing
increasing frustration with his Bulgarian teammates,
Krum sought placement elsewhere, hoping to win
a spot on a team with players whose skills were
more in line with his own.
Krum’s numerous offers from other teams were
thwarted by contract technicalities and, it is
rumored, threats. Krum, in a blowout argument
with the Bulgarian team manager, threw down his
uniform and stormed away, bringing an early end to
his contract and career.
This reporter is left wondering if this is just one more
unfortunate example of an athlete spoiled by fame.
Could the alleged plea for a better situation to chase the
golden snitch really be a failed attempt to chase the
almighty galleon, or is it simply the downfall of a prima
donna who got too big for his broomstick?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the front page next to the article was a stock photo of Viktor in a previous game, shaking his head in disgust as the opposing team took their victory lap.
Hermione skimmed the story quickly and then read it once again more thoroughly, her brow furrowed and a spoonful of soft-boiled egg suspended halfway to her mouth.
“I can\'t believe it!” she sputtered, dropping her egg spoon and thrusting the paper over to Ron and Harry.
“Viktor Krum!” said Harry in surprise.
“I know!” fumed Hermione. “Can you believe it? I don’t even know what to think about it, considering how conniving Rita Skeeter can be! Do you suppose that…”
Harry cut her off. “No, ‘Mione - I mean he’s here! Viktor Krum just walked in!”
Hermione’s face turned pale and then scarlet as she looked in the direction that Harry was gaping and saw that, indeed, Viktor Krum was walking across the great hall toward the staff table. Viktor looked straight ahead as he went along, despite the many people around him who were trying to catch his attention. There was an empty chair between Professor Dumbledore and Professor Waters which Viktor sat in after nodding his head briefly in greeting to them. He took off his long fur-lined cloak, draped it over his chair, and kept his eyes glued to his plate.
Hermione’s thoughts raced as she stared at him. What on earth was he doing here? She hadn’t seen him in years, and they gradgradually lost touch over time. He had faithfully sent her letters in his broken English, but she was so busy with school and with the extra DA practices that more and more time began to pass between her replies. She realized with shame as she looked at him that since the last few times he had written, she had never answered him back at all. As more time passed, she felt like the letter she intended to write to him would have to be proportionately that much better. From that perspective, she realized, when enough time passes it becomes effectively impossible to write anything at all… and that is exactly what she had done.
~~**~~
Dumbledore turned to Viktor and spoke quietly to him. “Thank you for coming, my boy. We are honored to have you here. Your sacrifice will not be known to many until later, but it is greatly appreciated. You have given up much to be here, and I cannot thank you enough.”
Viktor looked at Dumbledore with something almost approaching shyness. “I vos glad to come. I know vat is coming and vill do my best to help. I alvays remember you and Hogvarts fondly.”
Dumbledore beamed at him and squeezed his shoulder, then stood and got the students’ attention. As he rose to speak, the buzzing conversations quickly stopped - everyone was eager to know what the superstar was doing there.
“I am pleased to announce that we have a new addition to our staff. Many of you are familiar with Viktor Krum, and we are now privileged to have him as our own quidditch instructor and coach. I am sure that you will all welcome him warmly.”
Dumbledore began the applause, which immediately spread throughout the great hall, punctuated by cheers and whistles. Even the students who had seen the ing ing paper were enthusiastic in the welcome - he was so popular that most people chose to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Viktor looked over the applauding students with an expressionless face. His dark eyes rested briefly on Hermione as he saw her in the crowd, and he looked coldly at her for a moment before sitting back down and staring at his plate once more.
“That’s so weird,” said Ron. “We were just talking about him the other day, and now he shows up at breakfast to be our quidditch instructor?”
“It was only in the paper this morning,” said Hermione, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at the head table. “How on earth would Dumbledore have known that he would even be available yet? What do you mean you were talking about it the other day?”
t wat was at the meeting of… you-know. You were busy gabbing with Tonks about girly stuff. We were talking about quidditch…”
“There’s a big surprise,” snorted Hermione, rolling her eyes.
“Stuff it. We were telling Professor Waters about some good matches. She likes the game and hasn’t ever seen it before this year, so we were filling her in. *Some* girls *appreciate* the game, you know,” Ron said, his voice getting louder as he spoke.
“Yes,” snapped Hermione, her voice getting equally louder, “just like *some* girls I could name have gone to nearly *every* bloody game since you started playing, not to mention I-don’t-know-how-many practices too, even if they *occasionally* enjoy bringing up an alternative topic of discussion every now and then!”
Harry cut in. “Come on you two, don’t start your bickering again. I thine poe point is that one day we are talking about him and the next day he shows up here. What’s going on?”
Ron and Hermione glared at each other a moment longer, but then dropped it because Harry was right. They all turned to look at the head table again, where Viktor was talking intently with Professor Waters, and wondered what the story really was.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor McGonagalld Hld Harry after transfiguration class that day and told him that he was to meet Professor Waters in the quidditch stadium that afternoon.
“But Gryffindor doesn’t have a practice scheduled for today,” said Harry.
“I am well aware of that, Mr. Potter. None of the teams has the stadium reserved for today.”
Harry got excited. “But then why… Does this mean that Viktor Krum will be there?”
“It means, Mr. Potter, that you will meet Professor Waters in the quidditch stadium this afternoon. Make sure that you are on time. That is all - you may go now.”
Harry was now burning with curiosity. For him, the afternoon couldn’t pass quickly enough.
~~**~~
When it finally came time for him to meet Professor Waters at the quidditch stadium, he grabbed his broom and went. She was already there and waved to him in greeting. As he went over to her, Professor Snape and Viktor Krum came into the stadium behind him. To Harry\'s surprise, Professor Snape was speaking with Viktor in what Harry assumed to be Bulgarian. ‘Just perfect,’ thought Harry when he heard them rattling along in the other language. ‘One more way that he can tell everyone what he really thinks of me. There goes any chance of making a good re-connection with Viktor…’
It seemed not to be the case, though. When Krum saw him, he smiled and they greeted each other warmly as Snape stood by quietly.
Megan put her arm around Harry’s shoulders and asked, “Are you up for a workout? I want to see how you and Viktor fly together.”
~~**~~
Viktor got onto his broom. To those who were watching him, it looked like he came to life. His slouchy carriage and pensive look disappeared instantly - he was now in his element. He kicked off from the ground and took off like a shot, spiraling high up and streaking around the stadium and looping back around in figure eights.
“Holy Mary, mother of God,” breathed Megan, trying to keep track of him as he sliced through the air like lightning.
Severus raised an eyebrow, looked over at her, and noticed with amusement that she was practically slack-jawed with amazement. “Close your mouth, dearest. People will talk.”
Megan shook her head in disbelief - shuldnuldn’t take her eyes off Viktor as he zoomed around and took Harry through practice moves. “I’ve never seen anyone move like that! It’s like he’s riding on the air itself!”
Severus took that as a good sign. He knew that Megan was hoping to find a breakthrough for her battle strategy, and therefore also knew how difficult it was going to be to impress her. She had already kept him and Dumbledore in endless conferences, discarding idea after idea if it didn’t have the potential to fit seamlessly into her overall strategy. It had shown Severus a side of her that few others would ever see - for lack of a better name to call it, she was Dumbledore’s general.
As they watched the two young men flying, they heard Viktor shout occasional instructions to Harry. An amazing flyer in his own right, Harry caught on quickly to Viktor’s guiding commands, and after less than an hour was already noticeably faster and more adroit.
Megan, lost in thought, watched them fly and gravely said to no one in particular, “This is it. I know how he’s going to beat Voldemort.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N - This does not belong to me and has nothing at all to do with the story, but I came across this short flash movie and wanted to pass it along. It is totally silly, but worth a visit! :-) http://www.eviltrailmix.com/extra/Potter.swf
Thanks to everyone who has read and/or reviewed!
deblovesdragon - Hey there - welcome to the story, and thanks for your awesome comments! Yes, GW/HP will definitely be a side story. There will be other side romance(s?) coming up too... can\'t say too much more about them :- :-) Thanks for the input about Megan, too - I\'m really glad that you like her. Like I\'ve said before to others, I think that it\'s touchy work to make up a character to insert into a group of already beloved characters. SS/OC is definitely not the favorite character pairing on the site, but I like playing with it and I think that others have come up with some amazing concepts as well.
Maggie - You have been so supportive - I can\'t tell you how much it means to me! re: your not liking Viktor, you totally cracked me up! I have always thought of him as just Slavic and I nearly died laughing when you said he reminded you of a neanderthal - I had never thought of it that way, but after skimming back through the book, can see how one could draw that conclusion.
Talene - LOL, you are too cute. re: Hermione - can\'t say yet, but will come up before too long I think. BTW, am looking forward to your updates whenever you have the chance to do them! :-)
Mary Beth - Thanks, and welcome to the story! Thanks also to whoever recommended the story to you!!! I\'m glad you like Sev\'s choice of partner - I have hoped that she would be able to complement his character.
~~**~~
Let me know what you think! I love hearing your comments, and they really do contribute to shaping the story! :-)
Best wishes,
R.
~~**~~
**THE DAILY PROPHET**
KRUM THROWS TANTRUM
By Rita Skeeter
In a move that has shocked the wizarding sports
world, quidditch sensation Viktor Krum has
announced his retirement from the Bulgarian
quidditch team. Amid reports of experiencing
increasing frustration with his Bulgarian teammates,
Krum sought placement elsewhere, hoping to win
a spot on a team with players whose skills were
more in line with his own.
Krum’s numerous offers from other teams were
thwarted by contract technicalities and, it is
rumored, threats. Krum, in a blowout argument
with the Bulgarian team manager, threw down his
uniform and stormed away, bringing an early end to
his contract and career.
This reporter is left wondering if this is just one more
unfortunate example of an athlete spoiled by fame.
Could the alleged plea for a better situation to chase the
golden snitch really be a failed attempt to chase the
almighty galleon, or is it simply the downfall of a prima
donna who got too big for his broomstick?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the front page next to the article was a stock photo of Viktor in a previous game, shaking his head in disgust as the opposing team took their victory lap.
Hermione skimmed the story quickly and then read it once again more thoroughly, her brow furrowed and a spoonful of soft-boiled egg suspended halfway to her mouth.
“I can\'t believe it!” she sputtered, dropping her egg spoon and thrusting the paper over to Ron and Harry.
“Viktor Krum!” said Harry in surprise.
“I know!” fumed Hermione. “Can you believe it? I don’t even know what to think about it, considering how conniving Rita Skeeter can be! Do you suppose that…”
Harry cut her off. “No, ‘Mione - I mean he’s here! Viktor Krum just walked in!”
Hermione’s face turned pale and then scarlet as she looked in the direction that Harry was gaping and saw that, indeed, Viktor Krum was walking across the great hall toward the staff table. Viktor looked straight ahead as he went along, despite the many people around him who were trying to catch his attention. There was an empty chair between Professor Dumbledore and Professor Waters which Viktor sat in after nodding his head briefly in greeting to them. He took off his long fur-lined cloak, draped it over his chair, and kept his eyes glued to his plate.
Hermione’s thoughts raced as she stared at him. What on earth was he doing here? She hadn’t seen him in years, and they gradgradually lost touch over time. He had faithfully sent her letters in his broken English, but she was so busy with school and with the extra DA practices that more and more time began to pass between her replies. She realized with shame as she looked at him that since the last few times he had written, she had never answered him back at all. As more time passed, she felt like the letter she intended to write to him would have to be proportionately that much better. From that perspective, she realized, when enough time passes it becomes effectively impossible to write anything at all… and that is exactly what she had done.
~~**~~
Dumbledore turned to Viktor and spoke quietly to him. “Thank you for coming, my boy. We are honored to have you here. Your sacrifice will not be known to many until later, but it is greatly appreciated. You have given up much to be here, and I cannot thank you enough.”
Viktor looked at Dumbledore with something almost approaching shyness. “I vos glad to come. I know vat is coming and vill do my best to help. I alvays remember you and Hogvarts fondly.”
Dumbledore beamed at him and squeezed his shoulder, then stood and got the students’ attention. As he rose to speak, the buzzing conversations quickly stopped - everyone was eager to know what the superstar was doing there.
“I am pleased to announce that we have a new addition to our staff. Many of you are familiar with Viktor Krum, and we are now privileged to have him as our own quidditch instructor and coach. I am sure that you will all welcome him warmly.”
Dumbledore began the applause, which immediately spread throughout the great hall, punctuated by cheers and whistles. Even the students who had seen the ing ing paper were enthusiastic in the welcome - he was so popular that most people chose to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Viktor looked over the applauding students with an expressionless face. His dark eyes rested briefly on Hermione as he saw her in the crowd, and he looked coldly at her for a moment before sitting back down and staring at his plate once more.
“That’s so weird,” said Ron. “We were just talking about him the other day, and now he shows up at breakfast to be our quidditch instructor?”
“It was only in the paper this morning,” said Hermione, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at the head table. “How on earth would Dumbledore have known that he would even be available yet? What do you mean you were talking about it the other day?”
t wat was at the meeting of… you-know. You were busy gabbing with Tonks about girly stuff. We were talking about quidditch…”
“There’s a big surprise,” snorted Hermione, rolling her eyes.
“Stuff it. We were telling Professor Waters about some good matches. She likes the game and hasn’t ever seen it before this year, so we were filling her in. *Some* girls *appreciate* the game, you know,” Ron said, his voice getting louder as he spoke.
“Yes,” snapped Hermione, her voice getting equally louder, “just like *some* girls I could name have gone to nearly *every* bloody game since you started playing, not to mention I-don’t-know-how-many practices too, even if they *occasionally* enjoy bringing up an alternative topic of discussion every now and then!”
Harry cut in. “Come on you two, don’t start your bickering again. I thine poe point is that one day we are talking about him and the next day he shows up here. What’s going on?”
Ron and Hermione glared at each other a moment longer, but then dropped it because Harry was right. They all turned to look at the head table again, where Viktor was talking intently with Professor Waters, and wondered what the story really was.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor McGonagalld Hld Harry after transfiguration class that day and told him that he was to meet Professor Waters in the quidditch stadium that afternoon.
“But Gryffindor doesn’t have a practice scheduled for today,” said Harry.
“I am well aware of that, Mr. Potter. None of the teams has the stadium reserved for today.”
Harry got excited. “But then why… Does this mean that Viktor Krum will be there?”
“It means, Mr. Potter, that you will meet Professor Waters in the quidditch stadium this afternoon. Make sure that you are on time. That is all - you may go now.”
Harry was now burning with curiosity. For him, the afternoon couldn’t pass quickly enough.
~~**~~
When it finally came time for him to meet Professor Waters at the quidditch stadium, he grabbed his broom and went. She was already there and waved to him in greeting. As he went over to her, Professor Snape and Viktor Krum came into the stadium behind him. To Harry\'s surprise, Professor Snape was speaking with Viktor in what Harry assumed to be Bulgarian. ‘Just perfect,’ thought Harry when he heard them rattling along in the other language. ‘One more way that he can tell everyone what he really thinks of me. There goes any chance of making a good re-connection with Viktor…’
It seemed not to be the case, though. When Krum saw him, he smiled and they greeted each other warmly as Snape stood by quietly.
Megan put her arm around Harry’s shoulders and asked, “Are you up for a workout? I want to see how you and Viktor fly together.”
~~**~~
Viktor got onto his broom. To those who were watching him, it looked like he came to life. His slouchy carriage and pensive look disappeared instantly - he was now in his element. He kicked off from the ground and took off like a shot, spiraling high up and streaking around the stadium and looping back around in figure eights.
“Holy Mary, mother of God,” breathed Megan, trying to keep track of him as he sliced through the air like lightning.
Severus raised an eyebrow, looked over at her, and noticed with amusement that she was practically slack-jawed with amazement. “Close your mouth, dearest. People will talk.”
Megan shook her head in disbelief - shuldnuldn’t take her eyes off Viktor as he zoomed around and took Harry through practice moves. “I’ve never seen anyone move like that! It’s like he’s riding on the air itself!”
Severus took that as a good sign. He knew that Megan was hoping to find a breakthrough for her battle strategy, and therefore also knew how difficult it was going to be to impress her. She had already kept him and Dumbledore in endless conferences, discarding idea after idea if it didn’t have the potential to fit seamlessly into her overall strategy. It had shown Severus a side of her that few others would ever see - for lack of a better name to call it, she was Dumbledore’s general.
As they watched the two young men flying, they heard Viktor shout occasional instructions to Harry. An amazing flyer in his own right, Harry caught on quickly to Viktor’s guiding commands, and after less than an hour was already noticeably faster and more adroit.
Megan, lost in thought, watched them fly and gravely said to no one in particular, “This is it. I know how he’s going to beat Voldemort.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N - This does not belong to me and has nothing at all to do with the story, but I came across this short flash movie and wanted to pass it along. It is totally silly, but worth a visit! :-) http://www.eviltrailmix.com/extra/Potter.swf
Thanks to everyone who has read and/or reviewed!
deblovesdragon - Hey there - welcome to the story, and thanks for your awesome comments! Yes, GW/HP will definitely be a side story. There will be other side romance(s?) coming up too... can\'t say too much more about them :- :-) Thanks for the input about Megan, too - I\'m really glad that you like her. Like I\'ve said before to others, I think that it\'s touchy work to make up a character to insert into a group of already beloved characters. SS/OC is definitely not the favorite character pairing on the site, but I like playing with it and I think that others have come up with some amazing concepts as well.
Maggie - You have been so supportive - I can\'t tell you how much it means to me! re: your not liking Viktor, you totally cracked me up! I have always thought of him as just Slavic and I nearly died laughing when you said he reminded you of a neanderthal - I had never thought of it that way, but after skimming back through the book, can see how one could draw that conclusion.
Talene - LOL, you are too cute. re: Hermione - can\'t say yet, but will come up before too long I think. BTW, am looking forward to your updates whenever you have the chance to do them! :-)
Mary Beth - Thanks, and welcome to the story! Thanks also to whoever recommended the story to you!!! I\'m glad you like Sev\'s choice of partner - I have hoped that she would be able to complement his character.
~~**~~
Let me know what you think! I love hearing your comments, and they really do contribute to shaping the story! :-)
Best wishes,
R.
~~**~~