Once the ceremony ended, he took his time to look around, hoping to see a few familiar faces. Then he saw a very tall, lanky, blonde man with canary yellow robes and Grindelwalds sign hanging on his chest. He saw red. Was this man a sympathizer to the greater good, Grindelwald’s cause?
He did not look dangerous, but he had to find out before he dared to challenge this man to a duel.
He would have loved to strike any man that aligned himself with the believes of Grindelwald, the man that assassinated his grandfather, Piotr Krum.
He looked around, obviously asking Fleur was out of the question as this was her day. She looked radiant in her glowing dress, and blissfully happy.
He saw too many redheads at the wedding. He tried to seek out Mr. de la Cour, but he paused when he saw her. She was wearing a shimmering, soft lilac dress that moved with her every step, he did not appreciate her freckles and how much skin he could see when he saw her at his arrival, blown away by the fact she had grown more beautiful than he remembered. She was with two men and his gaze followed as she sat with a blonde also wearing migraine-inducing yellow. He came close to approach her, and the other girl then stood up and started moving her arms freely, not quite dancing.
Viktor Krum […] dropped into Luna’s vacant seat. His charm left him as he asked the one person which he knew would understand his emotions.
‘Who is that man in the yellow?’ he asked Hermione with great intensity. Hermione opened her mouth to answer and greet him, but one of the two redheads she was sitting with answered in her stead. Viktor rolled his eyes towards the one talking.
‘That’s Xenophilius Lovegood, he’s the father of a friend of ours,’ he said, he thought the face’ seemed familiar. As he was trying to place the boy’s face, he turned to Hermione, who had her mouth open ready to speak.
‘Come and dance,’ he demanded of Hermione. He was taken aback by the brusqueness of the man and looked at Hermione. She simply nodded, but her gaze lingered on him, a silent promise for later. Well, as much as they corresponded and had a very savoury history, they were not dating per se. They were both categorically single. She gave him a smile as she disappeared through the room full of people dancing. He schooled his features, knowing very well how to look either glum or unemotional in public.
‘Ah, they are together now?’ he turned to the other redhead. Clearly, the first one had felt intimidated by his presence and butchered how he asked out Hermione.
‘Er – sort of,’ the voice reminded him of someone.
‘Who are you?’ he asked. He placed his firewhisky on the table and decided maybe he could get to the bottom of why that man was wearing the sign of Grindelwald.
‘Barny Weasley.’ He supplied after a moment of doubt.
‘You, Barny – you know this man Lovegood well?’ Viktor asked.
‘No, I only met him today. Why?’ he replied.
‘Because if he was not a guest of Fleur’s, I would duel him, here and now, for wearing that filthy sign upon his chest.’ The British had not been involved as much as others in the continent during the past decades that Grindelwald was in power, scheming and plotting and almost destroying magical legacy in Europe. But he recognized that sign instantly, and his inner turmoil was physically uncomfortable.
‘Sign?’ Why? What’s wrong with it?’ the redhead asked.
‘Grindelwald. That is Grindelwald’s sign.’ Viktor answered shortly.
‘Grindelwald ... the Dark wizard Dumbledore defeated?’ He looked at the boy and held back from rolling his eyes at the lack of education that Hogwarts supplied. He nodded
‘Exactly. Grindelwald killed many people, my grandfather, for instance. Of course, he was never powerful in this country, they said he feared Dumbledore – and rightly, seeing how he was finished. But this – This is his symbol, I recognized it at once: Grindelwald carved it into a wall at Durmstrang when he was a pupil there. Some idiots copied it on to their books and clothes, thinking to shock, make themselves impressive – until those of us who had lost family members to Grindelwald taught them better.’ He remembered walking the halls of Durmstrang and the history classes that explained every single mark that had ever been carved on their school.
‘Are you – er – quite sure it’s Grindelwald’s –?’ the boy stumbled on his words.
‘I am not mistaken, I walked past that sign for several years, I know it well.’ He started to also look at the crowd, it was quite impossible to not observe the man in yellow as he and a blonde girl were the only ones wearing such an eye-catching color.
‘Well, there’s a chance, that Xenophilius doesn’t actually know what the symbol means. The Lovegoods are quite ... unusual. He could easily have picked it up somewhere and think it’s a cross-section of the head of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack or something.’ Barny said.
‘The cross-section of a what?’ he thought the redhead in front of him was taking the mickey out of him, and felt his eyebrow raise suspiciously out of its own accord. Something Hermione would often said make him look way too unapproachable. Not a bad thing at this moment. He studies the redheads’ expressions carefully.
‘Well, I don’t know what they are, but apparently he and his daughter go on holiday looking for them …That’s her,’ the boy pointed at the blonde tiny girl that was twirling by herself, also wearing yellow robes, that he had noticed a few seconds before.
‘Why is she doing that?’ he asked, but regretted it inmediately.
‘Probably trying to get rid of a Wrackspurt,’ said Barny without missing a beat. Feeling out of place, he pulled out his wand for comfort more than protection. He was still feeling confrontational about seeing that symbol. Probably others in the bride’s family did know and were likewise offended. Maybe somebody would approach the bold fool…
‘Gregorovitch!’ his thoughts were interrupted by redhead beside him again. Krum looked at him jolted back to the conversation. He realized the name had been derived from seeing his wand.
‘What about him?’ he asked.
‘He’s a wandmaker!’
‘I know that,’ he replied impatiently.
‘He made your wand! That’s why I thought – Quidditch …’ Now this made Viktor suspicious, why would anyone know? Did Hermione tell this friend of hers? No, that makes no sense. ‘How do you know Gregorovitch made my wand?’
‘I ... I read it somewhere, I think,’ the boy lied ‘In a – a fan magazine,’ Never, ever in an interview had he mentioned his wand. He did have it checked for the Triwizard Tournament… Come to think of it, he had not seen Harry Potter at the event.
‘I had not realised I ever discussed my wand vith fans,’ he tried to determine if this was in fact Potter, if it was a Charm it was as very good one, but mannerisms always stay.
‘So ... er ... where is Gregorovitch these days?’ the boy asked again. He was tempted to ask but realized there was a good reason for his disguise. Realizing he was talking to Harry Potter, he relaxed a bit and answered as best he could.
‘He retired several years ago. I was one of the last to purchase a Gregorovitch wand. They are the best – although I know, of course, that you Britons set much store by Ollivander.’
‘This girl is very nice-looking,’ Krum said looking at Hermione, but he pointed broadly and noticed that Harry’s sight settled where he was already watching a redhead in an ugly golden dress, he thought she might be one of the bridesmaids. Hermione kept dancing with Ron and Harry’s gaze lingered, then frowned.
‘She is also a relative of yours?’
‘Yeah,’ Harry lied, Viktor noticed how Harry looked at her. Viktor looked intensely at Potter to see if he had figured out that he had figured out. Not a clue yet. ‘and she’s seeing someone. Jealous type. Big bloke. You wouldn’t want to cross him.’ He smiled inwardly, realizing that was probably his girl or something. He spoke with possessiveness that if called out would probably not make him happy. He decided to leave but paused to say something completely out of character just to see what Harry replied.
‘What is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?’ he said, hating using his fame, but hoping to go and steal Hermione away for a dance.