We Start The Fire Then We Burn It Up -- DARINA

[Irina Rose Krum]

It was a beautiful spring day in late May, and Irina had just finished her orientation at Gringotts as a Cursebreaker. She had been hoping and waiting for this day to come for almost two full years, and now that the day had come and gone, it hadn’t been what she had expected; it was even better. She got to meet the Cursebreakers that weren’t currently out on an assignment, which meant she finally got to put a face to the name Odette Greyback. Karen, the woman who had interviewed her and offered her the job was there as well, and Irina had been pleased that she had remembered her name! Two of her fellow Hogwarts graduates were part of the new Cursebreaking team; Scorpius Malfoy, who she enjoyed a friendly relationship with, and...Diana Bainbridge. Irina had to admit she was surprised when her former close friend showed up at orientation, but she was going to be a team player, no matter what their past was. She had barely had time to think about Diana anyway, as the orientation had been jam packed with meetings, interactive activities, and one-on-one breakout sessions. Irina’s head felt a little dizzy after the entire day, but she was excited to learn that when they actually started in a few weeks, they’d get to do a trial Cursebreaking mission, which sounded positively thrilling!

Irina stepped out onto the marble steps of Gringotts Bank, tilting her head towards the sunlight and closing her eyes. It was nice to feel the sun after so many hours indoors, and now that May was hurtling towards June the days were longer and warmer, which she appreciated. She also internally thanked herself for her attire - a black and white floral dress accompanied by a black cardigan, with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She walked down the steps, chatting with Karen a bit, asking about the different housing situations in the area once September rolled around; she was keeping her promise to Raina after all! They were passing Quality Quidditch Supplies when Irina stopped short suddenly, likely confusing Karen. She couldn’t exactly explain why she had stopped, but something had definitely made her legs halt in moving forward. She turned her head towards the supply store and saw a bunch of professional Quidditch players inside. “Oh, looks like there’s a signing going on perhaps,” she mused to Karen. She decided to go in and check it out; her former roommate Roxy had signed with the Falcons, so perhaps it was them.

As she tried to make her way inside however, she saw the sky blue of the Arrows, her fathers old team. How fitting; she smiled to herself as she let two little girls pass her to rush forward. As they did, a tall man moved and Irina froze completely. Curly hair, a few inches taller, a smile that made her go weak in the knees. Daniel Hoh was in the store. But why? Why was he here? Irina felt so confused; she wanted to back out of the store and hurry on her way but something kept her rooted there. Remembering her training, she took slow, calming breaths, trying not to look like a complete lunatic. As her pulse began to slow, she realized it was probably too late; with Daniels’ ability, he had probably already sensed her emotions when she walked in the door. Furious with herself and her innate curiosity, Irina desperately looked around, and on instinct plucked up a pair of Keeper gloves, pretending to be wildly interested in the type of leather they were made of, all the while wondering if the person she had loved so madly had noticed the blair haired girl come in.

@daniel

[Deleted]

Daniel was on an outing with some of his new team the Appleby Arrows. They were visiting Quality Quidditch Supplies and doing some signing or something like that. Daniel thought the whole thing was a little bit insane, but he knew it came with the territory of being a pro player. And everyone wanted the to meet the new guy, which was annoying.

At least the emotions here right now where better than the ones back at school. Durmstrang had been a dark place the past few weeks, so he was welcoming any kind of sunshine that he could. With the many fans running about it was easy to locate the person in the room who had suddenly shot strong emotions toward him. Confusion and fury... Awe and maybe a little... No, he couldn't run into her like this. He hadn't prepared for that.

Damn it.

He took in a breath and started crossing the store over to her, clearing his throat upon reaching her. "Hope you liked that birthday present?" good call, genius. His accent was so heavy he was sure he might have actually spoke German instead.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina could feel her emotions starting to mellow out, but she knew that there was no way Daniel could have missed her emotions when she first saw him. To be perfectly fair it wasn't like she had MEANT to run into him randomly like this. She had assumed he would have signed with some German team far away from Irina and their complicated mess. She had definitely not expected him to sign on to her fathers old team of all teams. But, as Irina thought more on it, it made sense. He would have an in; Viktor was still very much involved with the Arrows and their family home was still in the area. But....come on! He couldn't have just written to tell her this? That she suspected would be asking too much as the most communication they've had since he left was the snow globe he had sent her with a 'happy birthday' message.



Irina felt a little crowded in the store, but she was finding that she did like these gloves. She wasn't much for the Keeper position - if anything she had taken to being a Beater - but the gloves were so soft. As she pressed the soft leather against her cheek, someone spoke behind her. It was a voice that she had memorized, the accent thickened from being back in Germany for several months. Did she like the birthday gift? There was no question that it was Daniel Hoh behind her. She gasped involuntarily and whirled around....accidentally smacking him right across the face with the gloves. "Oh!" she gasped, her eyes widening. She had just slapped her ex boyfriend. Slapped him with a pair of Keeper gloves. Irina had certainly thought of slapping Daniel if she'd seen him again several times the past few months, but this was not one of those times. She felt shock tingled with complete moritifcation, which she was sure he felt too - if anything just from her emotions.



Then, to her complete surprise, she started laughing. It was a muffled giggle at first, but then grew until she couldn't control herself. She dropped the gloves and covered her mouth to try and calm herself down, but it took a few minutes and a case of the hiccups to actually subside. "I am so sorry," she squeaked, trying and failing to supress another laugh. She took a few calming breaths, trying to get rid of her hiccups. "I did," she managed to get out, nodding at his question. "I...er...I loved it," she admitted.


@daniel

[Deleted]

She gasped, and Dan only had a second to smile before he was being smacked in the face. Then it was his turn to gasp, and his hand flew up to his cheek in surprise, not in pain. It didn't really hurt that bad. Irina clearly was surprised, which meant that she didn't do it on purpose. Then she was mortified, too, which brought a smirk to his lips.

He slowly lowered his hand, and what he didn't expect was for her to start laughing. His brow furrowed as her surprise about laughing, and nerves wafted toward him. It was a good feeling, actually. Then he started laughing, too, and that was enough for both of them laughing to draw eyes to them. Daniel could feel the people around them looking with curiosity, some even with jealousy. She covered her mouth, and for a moment he wanted to take her hands down, but he didn't. He didn't really think it was fair to make contact with her first. Then again, after the last time they saw each other, she probably wouldn't want to touch him first either. He managed to slow his laughter down first, but hers soon followed. He lifted his hands and ran his fingers through his curly hair.

She said that she liked the gift, loved it, actually. He nodded, a little embarrassed. "Yeah I... Hope it wasn't inappropriate. I missed you," he shrugged and his hands wandered to his pockets. "How are you?"

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

She had missed his laugh, and was glad he had slowed down his laughter first, because she probably would have kept going far longer than what was appropriate for the setting. Irina hiccuped again, and reached into her bag for her water bottle; water usually helped subside the hiccups. As she fumbled through the contents, the locket Daniel had given her on New Years Eve peaked out from underneath her neckline and settled itself over her dress’ fabric. Irina didn’t notice that right away though; she was much too busy trying to get herself back under control. Finally, after one last hiccup, she felt that she could speak again. “It wasn’t,” she said quickly, watching him as he ran a hand through that curly hair of his. She felt a shiver involuntarily run down her spine; how many times had she done that when they’d been together? Trying not to think about the past, she cleared her throat. “I’m….well, as fine as can be expected I suppose,” she said, shrugging.

She glanced out the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies and nodded towards the snowy white bank looming in the distance. “I just got out of Orientation; you are looking at one of Gringotts’ newest Cursebreakers,” she said, not helping the hint of pride that shone through in her voice. It had been her dream for years, and she had achieved it. Why shouldn’t she be proud of herself?

I missed you.

How long had Irina wondered if she would ever hear those words from his lips again? Weeks, months? She bit her lower lip and finally looked down towards the ground. “You have no idea how long I wondered if I’d ever see you again,” she said softly, then forced herself to look up. “Can we step outside for a moment?” she asked; the crowd was only growing and she had noticed a few people stop deliberately near the pair as if they were trying to listen in. She hesitated only for a minute, then gently took a hold of his wrist, not bringing herself to take his hand. She didn’t lead him far, just outside the shop and away from the window, where she dropped his arm. “You broke my heart, Daniel,” she told him bluntly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She held his gaze intently for a few minutes, then sighed. “But..I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t missed you too,” she finally admitted.

@daniel

[Deleted]

Dan was trying to stay calm, but the light caught something and it glinted in his eye. When he realized what it was he felt himself starting to shrink. Even her adorable little hiccups weren't enough to distract him from the pounding in his ears. 

She was wearing the locket. The one he'd given her. His grandmothers locket. Did she never take it off? Did she read the prayer often? He hoped she did. He hoped she took the words to heart, and that he really meant them and prayed them every day himself. He hoped she believed that he was trying to control the things he could and accept the things he couldn't.

He had the time of her drinking her water bottle to gather his senses. She said it wasn't inappropriate, which was good to hear. Then said she was as fine as she could be, shrugging. That didn't seem positive to him. She glanced away from him and he bit his lip, hating that she did that. He felt like he was drowning, but not necessarily in a bad way... well, any form of drowning was bad. 

He did what his counselor had taught him and took a deep breath in through his nose, and out through his mouth. She said she was at Gringotts. Wait. "Are you kidding me! Ri, congratulations I..." he was going to offer to buy her a drink or something, but he stopped. He could feel that pride from her and he couldn't help but feel some of his own for her, too.

Then her mood grew more serious, like his. She bit her lip and looked down and he hated that she did that, too. She said she wondered if she'd ever see him again, and then looked up. Before he could answer, she asked if they could step outside. He nodded immediately, and then her hand was on his wrist.

He sucked in some air through his teeth, just because he wasn't expecting that. Her emotions banged like drums and they made him want to do something he wasn't expecting. He was expecting to run, to be buried underneath it all. But he wanted more. He wanted to take every inch of her emotions and not share them with anyone else, ever. 

He knew how insane that was, so he didn't tell her. Of course he didn't. He was an idiot, but he didn't like to inflict torture on people.

They were outside and she dropped his hand and he actually made a slight whimpering sound. Then she was turning toward him and folding her arms, saying he broke her heart. He winced, not bothering to hide it. He knew that was true, of course. He held her gaze, though, even though he felt terrible about that. She sighed and said she had missed him too...

And of course he smirked like the asshole he was. "Can't get any better than a German, right? I mean, look at our cars and beers. We take the time to perfect things. So obviously we must be perfect," what the hell was he saying?

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina couldn’t help it, her smile widened as she could almost feel the pride radiating off Dan. She had talked about it loads of times when they had been together, and she knew he truly understood how much she had wanted this for herself. “It looks like we both got something we wanted,” she commented, nodding at his Arrows attire. “Have you told my father that you’re on his former team?” she asked curiously. She knew he had to still be in contact with her older brother; the type of friendship they had just didn’t go away because of what went on between himself and Irina. She had not heard about what they talked about though, since her brother was tactful enough to keep it to himself. Her father had always like Dan though; she hoped he told him. Viktor would be thrilled with the idea, and want to attend all his games. Her dad was very passionate about supporting the people he cared about with their dreams, and that extended to Dan. “My mother wished me luck today as I was leaving the house for my orientation; from her that’s about as good of a congratulations I think I’ll get,” Irina added, chuckling wryly. Her relationship with her parents were starkly contrasted, and Dan knew every bit of that. He had been a part of her life for so long that not being around him had felt like there was a hole in Irina’s very soul.

“I’ll be training with my mentor, her name is Karen and she’s from the States. She’s great, she’s like….a super woman or something.  We get along so well!” Irina started, quickly wanting to push the feeling of wanting to take his hand again out of her head. “There are three of us from Hogwarts; me, Scorpius Malfoy and...well, Diana.” Irina knew she didn’t have to include Diana’s last name; Dan had met her at least once from her memory as the Bainbridge girl had been a frequent visitor of the Krums. He also knew that Diana had essentially cut Irina out of her life last year, and that it had devastated her more than she’d ever outwardly admit. “It’s...well, we’re going to have different mentors, but we’ll have to trust each other on missions and such. I...sort of told her about my Clairvoyancy at the beginning of this month, but she’s still avoiding me,” she explained, her words a little rushed as she talked about her former best friend.

Dan had held her gaze as she spoke, and she felt another shiver go down her spine. Were his eyes always that blue? She felt like they were piercing right through her, and the tiniest of smiles returned to her lips, despite her best efforts. The smile morphed into a smirk as she rolled her eyes at his next comment. “Oh now there’s the Daniel Hoh I grew up with,” she said teasingly, then chuckled. “I only just turned eighteen in April though, so I have to say I do not know if I can agree with the whole beer thing. I’ve heard Belgians do it better though,” she added, raising her eyebrow with an air of a challenge.

@daniel

[Deleted]

She pointed out that they both got something they wanted, nodding at his clothes, her smile wide. At her next question his eyes widened. "Oh, no, I forgot," he really had, too. He was so swept up in all of this, not too mention all of the bad emotions at school and the ship exploding all of that. He hadn't had a chance to speak with Viktor Krum. "I told your brother, though," he pointed out. He wasn't entirely clueless as to not even tell his closest friend about it. Although, they weren't incredibly close anymore, just because Dan had been so busy shutting everyone out and working himself out the last few months. Still, they were in touch. 


Irina spoke of her mother wishing her luck and Dan frowned a little. "Better than nothing, right?" he answered softly. He knew there was... a strained relationship there. Dan was lucky and blessed that he got along very, very well with both of his parents. They were both head over heels thrilled that he joined a quidditch team. Any form of sports was the best job, they thought. He didn't mind agreeing with that philosophy. Irina's job was good for her, though. Great. She spoke of her mentor and Dan chuckled, feeling the way Irina like Karen so much and... something else. Irina was trying to hide something. About Karen? That seemed weird. She spoke of Scorpius and - "Diana?" his eyes widened. Diana Bainbridge, he hadn't thought about her for a long time. Even when he was at Hogwarts last year. "Hey, hey," he could feel how unsure she was about working with Diana, and that deep rooted sadness about their friendship having gone south. He lifted a hand, but brought it back to his hair. "I'm sure it will be okay..." great advice, Danny! Real winner!

She smiled, though, and rolled her eyes at his comment about Germans being perfect. She teased, and he chuckled a little nervously. At the mention of Belgians his eyes narrowed, "you would say that," he said, joking. Truthfully Dan didn't really like alcohol. It made everyones emotions somehow louder, probably because they were all drinking, too. 

He heard his name and turned to look inside, his teammate was waving him in. "Hey, I..." he paused, then turned back to her. "Let me take you to dinner tomorrow. The Leaky, a muggle restaurant, my place, anywhere," niiiiice, Dan. "Please?" his eyes were wide, almost panicked. A part of him was sure she'd say no.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina gave him a sort of half smile as Dan admitted her forgot to tell her father, but that he had told her big brother.  Somehow that didn't shock her; she was glad though that they were still talking.  It had been a rough fall for her ex boyfriend and her brother, and she knew she was partly to blame for that.  It had felt like so long ago; Magdalena had been expecting their child, and Irina and Dan were...well, doing what most teenaged couples did.  It was ironically funny how much could change in a span of six months.  "I doubt my brother told my dad; he'd want to hear it from you," she offered up, winding a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail around her finger.  "Plus, I bet he'll be at your first game, so if you want him wearing the right number for fan...you better give him some time to get the right merchandise," she added teasingly.  It was a given that Viktor went to all of the Arrows home games; their family home was just outside Carlisle, the biggest city in the general area of where the Arrows play.  She wondered if that meant Dan would be moving close to her house, where she was going to be living until at least September.  Would her parents invite him over for dinner with the team?  Viktor did always get a little...egregious whenever the Arrows won, especially at home.  "I guess....this means we'll be neighbors," she said, not being able to help herself.  She realized how that could have been implied and tried to remain calm. "I mean..until I move out here to London of course.  I just...I promised Raina, you know?" she added quickly, knowing she sounded a little awkward but Dan could feel what she was feeling anyway, so it didn't really matter.

Chuckling nervously, Irina was glad for the change of the subject, even if it went to her former best friend.  She could tell that Dan understood how she felt about it, and not just because of his ability.  Diana had been coming around the Krum home ever since their first summer after Hogwarts; she didn't have a clue how much they actually interacted, but he knew how close they had been, and how sad she had been when Diana had abruptly ended the friendship.  It felt nice, actually, to tell him about this, because he was one of the people who would really understand.  "Yeah, I hope so too.  We have different mentors but...eventually we're going to go on missions together.  And missions involve trust, and I just...I don't know if I can trust someone who just threw me out of their life like she did," she admitted.  She had been internally thinking the thought since she found out Diana was going to be a Cursebreaker, but this was the first time she said it out loud.  It felt good to not feel alone in this.

Irina saw him look into the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies and saw his teammates were, indeed, waving him back inside.  She felt her heart drop a fraction of an inch, and she scolded herself.  He wasn't her boyfriend anymore, and he had obligations for his dream job.  She checked her watch, a slim silver timepiece her brother had gotten her for her eighteenth birthday after she had been hinting how she wanted a way to tell time that wasn't asking other people for it.  "Oh Merlin, I have to meet Rai at the Menagerie anyway.  She wants help picking out new toys for Pickles," she said with a nervous chuckle, remembering that it was Daniel who had gotten her baby sister the cat in the first place.  What came out of his mouth next, perhaps she should have expected, but it threw her for a loop.  Her mouth formed an O and she took a sharp intake of breath.  Dinner?  Alone, with him?  "Yes," she heard herself saying quickly, her cheeks flaming pink.  "Uh...probably somewhere in London?  Since I'm going to be working and eventually living here, gotta get the low down on the good food places," she said, mentally kicking herself a little.  "Uh...let's meet up at the Leaky, so we can both Apparate safely, then go from there?" she suggested, fiddling with her necklace as she bounced on her toes while he contemplated her proposition, forgetting momentarily that it was Daniels' grandmothers necklace she had become so attached to.

@daniel

[Deleted]

She said she doubted her dad had been told, that Viktor would want to hear it from him. Dan wasn't sure if any member of Irinas family really wanted to talk to him since he left her but... maybe she was right. She suggested her dad would be at his first game and that he'd want to be wearing the right number, and Daniel chuckled. "I'll be sure to let him know," he said, though a part of him was sure that he wouldn't contact Viktor Krum until he was sure that things were on okay enough terms with Irina. He didn't want to lose that family but he didn't want to overstep his bounds now that he was an ex-boyfriend.

Ugh. That was so ugly sounding. 

She suggested that they would be neighbors and he nodded, his hand still tangled up in his hair, apparently unable to get out. Then she said she would be moving out to London, but mentioned Raina. He nodded, "Raina deserves to have all promises kept," he recalled promising Raina he'd never do anything to hurt her... he wondered if he was still making good on that promise after everything. He should contact her.

She said she hoped things would be okay with Diana and all, mentioning the trust again. "Hey, work is work. She won't let personal things interfere and neither should you," he suggested. He was bothered that they couldn't talk about this more at the moment, considering he was being called back inside. She muttered something about meeting Rai, and he found himself wishing he could go with her. Pickles, Dan chuckled affectionately at the sound of the cats name. 

She was surprised at his question. Or rather, his begging. She was said yes, and her cheeks turned bright pink. She suggested the Leaky, but her hand fiddling with the necklace distracted him and he reached forward to grab her hand and hold it, wrapped around the necklace. "Leaky. Seven o' clock," he said with a nod. Her emotions were surging through him like fire and... he remembered how much he liked being warm.

But then he had to release that hand and he vanished back inside, getting ready to head out again with the team.

Irina Rose Krum
(The end)