Vestiges of Normalcy

Chapter 3

You could have dropped a pin onto the grass and you would have heard its impact. The entire grounds by the lake had gone dead silent. Eyes were wide and unblinking. Mouths were hanging open. Everyone, save for two embracing seekers, were in shock.

Nobody moved. It was like a body-binding jinx had been casted onto everyone present. They couldn't tear their eyes away either. The sight before them was unimaginable. The Boy-Who-Lived was hugging the Seeker of Bulgaria, and they sounded close, like friends!

The general consensus was made clear by the youngest Weasley son.

"What the bloody hell?!"

"Mr. Weasley!" came the stern voice of Professor McGonagall, "Ten points from Gryffindor for your language!"

Harry and Viktor were abruptly pulled out of their little world at the sound of the Scottish professor's admonishment. They finally noticed the wide-eyed stares from the Hogwarts students, plus the raised eyebrows from the Durmstrang delegation. Harry noticed Ron looked like a mix between ready to blow his top and passing out from shock. McGonagall's scolding clearly didn't register with him.

"Well, I kind of knew this would happen," Harry said to Viktor, pulling out from the embrace.

"It vas either sooner or later. I vanted later," Viktor replied.

"What?!" came Ron's voice again.

To save the redhead from getting an aneurysm, Harry decided now was the time to come clean.

"I will explain everything in detail later," said Harry, "But short version here, Viktor and I met during the attack at the World Cup. We've been writing to one another over the summer and the beginning of term."

That seemed to clear the atmosphere a little, but not by much. There were still too many questions running through the heads of those watching the scene before them. And they wanted answers...now.

Someone cleared their throat, turning everyone's attention towards them.

"Well," Dumbledore remarked, "that was certainly a bit of an unexpected change of events for most of us. But I think we should seek the warm comfort of the entrance hall where the Beauxbatons students are waiting for us, before we all catch our deaths of cold."

The shock temporarily put aside in favour of the warmth, the Hogwarts and Durmstrang students followed their teachers and headmaster respectively up the path towards the castle. Harry stayed by Viktor's side, ignoring the whispers from his schoolmates that were almost certainly about him now.

Halfway up the path, Harry noticed a small group of Durmstrang students, two boys and two girls, approach them.

"Viktor! You never told us about him!" one of the boys spoke in what Harry presumed to be German.

"Sorry, Klaus," Viktor replied in fluent German, "It was meant to be a secret."

The seeker then switched back into his accented English for Harry's sake, "Harry, these are my friends, Klaus, Nicolae, Uliana and Anastazja."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I am Harry Potter, Viktor's pen pal," Harry bowed respectfully.

"The pleasure is ours," Uliana replied, her Russian accent prominent, "It's not every day that you get to see Viktor smile so genuinely."

"Uliana..." Viktor deadpanned.

"Oh come off it Viktor!" Nicolae butted in, "That smile when you hugged Harry was definitely real! Most of the time you just go around looking like this!"