The drought was the very worst (Edrik)

[Deleted]

November

Victoire was in Diagon Alley, having just completed talking with her aunt Ginny. She was about to head home, when she saw a familiar face up ahead, outside the Quidditch store. It was a poster of the Applby Arrows, and Edrik Krums smile shown from the group. Vic smiled a little, taking a step forward to look at the poster. Her brow furrowed as she took in his features. They were so much more adult than she remembered, so much more mature. She hadn't really seen him grow up as much as she would have liked, due to them drifting apart and, well, her drifting apart from everyone after school when she was so career driven. He looked happy, at least.

Then her eyes focused on something inside the store. Oh gods, he was in there, about to walk out! Well, it was too late to pretend she hadn't noticed him, because she was sure his eyes found hers right before he stepped out the door.

@edrik

[Deleted]

a familiar face .

Edrik had found some free time during that one chilly day and soon found himself inside the Quidditch store. As his hands pushed open the door, the Krum briefly heard the sounds of the bell ringing before he pulled the door back - a certain poster capturing his attention. It was his team, the Appleby Arrows posing rather large and in charge as the season was soon around the corner. Edrik smirked a little as he saw himself in the left side of the poster, his smile wide as he stood alongside his team mates while his Captain stood in the middle. Edrik laughed softly to himself until his eyes looked over to the right window, where he caught site of his teams enemies. Edrik sighed as his eyes locked on with Lars Hutton, the Wasps Seeker and his former enemy from Hogwarts days.

As Edrik pushed against the door once more and stepped inside the store, the variety of brooms and different coloured Quaffles caught his attention, a smile raising on his lips as the Krum recalled his first moments here with his father as a child. As he reminisced of the past, Edrik almost didn't notice the shop-keeper welcoming Edrik and soon before Edrik realised, the two fell into an easy conversation. As time went on and Edrik's order was placed for some better gear for himself, the Krum boy turned, heading towards the door when the sight of blonde hair and familiar eyes caught his attention.

The Krum held the eye contact with her while his brow raised, trying to put a name to her face. His hand stretched out and pushed open the door, the faint sound of the bell giving him a farewell as he stepped outside. "I...know you...Right?" He questioned, rather unsure.

@victoire

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

His eyebrow raised as they made eye contact, and Vic waited for him to say the first word. He asked if he knew her, and for a moment she almost laughed, until she realized he was serious. Well, he had been living in another country while she was the Minister, so maybe he hadn't really seen any recent pictures of her. He was busy, too, being a Quidditch star and all... still, it was kind of sad to think that he didn't immediately know who she was. To be fair, though, her face was more sunken and her eyes darker than they used to be due to her having been six for six months at the start of the year. She probably did look really different. The Victoire he knew was always well put together, clothes in order and hair straight as an arrow. Now she was more... casual? Disheveled? She didn't look grimy or anything just... different.

"Victoire," she finally said, after realizing she had gone several moments in silence without answering his question. "Victoire Weasley," she repeated. "An you're Edrik," she said with a short nod. She wasn't sure what to say after that.

@edrik

[Deleted]

a familiar face .

The name had rung some kind of bell in Edrik Krum’s ears, resulting with the Krum boy’s dark eyes to widen. It was if a rush of past feelings and moments had ran through Edrik’s mind and soon Edrik found himself stepping forward, his hands stretched; reaching for hers. As the two made contact, hazel eyes continued to scan the face of the other. ”Victoire.” He repeated, a smile touching his lips. ”Why haven’t you changed a lot.” The bleach blonde hair and the tired eyes had thrown Edrik off, preventing him from remembering such a tired face. But concern soon crossed his own once his eyes scanned hers. ”Is something the matter?” He questioned, stepping back lightly once she turned quiet.

Worst case scenarios seemed to rush through Edrik’s mind as he began to piece together the reasons for their falling out – or growing apart as one would call it. Did we fight? Edrik thought to himself. Maybe we dated? A finger soon touched under the Krum’s chin, stroking the coarse hairs from his beard as he considered the options. But a question remained burning on the tip of Edrik’s tongue; something he knew would answer his questions entirely. ”What house were you housed into…?” Edrik questioned, his hands returning to his sides as he looked at Victoire.

@victoire

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He repeated her name and she nodded, her brow furrowing for a moment. Did he really not remember her that well? But then he mentioned how she had changed a lot, and she smiled a little too. But then he asked if something was the matter and her smile fell. "No, no. Well, not more than the usual. World in chaos and all," she commented. This behind the scenes war with Elaine was always on her mind, whether she liked that or not. This was how Victoire was, constantly thinking of the work she had to do.

But then he asked what house she was put in and her shoulders tensed. This was the thing that set them apart, as far as she remembered. "I was in Slytherin, Edrik," she reminded him, her tone dropping to a less personable tone and coming off a little more robotic. She didn't know how else to tell him, since he had that bias against her house and all.

@edrik

[Deleted]

a familiar face .

The answer to their problem had finally been revealed. The Krum remembered a simple time where the two shared common interests and had a budding friendship between one another minus the slight bad blood from the knowledge that Edrik’s father was once in love with Victorie’s aunt: Hermione. What an awkward thing to discuss over dinner for many evenings. ”Oh.” was the simple and only word that left the brunette’s lips. For the longest time Edrik had always hated Slytherins. There was no exact explanation as to why but it usually fell in the category of fear from the stories his parents once told of the battles with Mr Potter and Voldemort.

Because of it, Slytherin was just see as a place for dangerous creatures to expand their knowledge and evil-potential; something nobody liked or would ever. Edrik cleared his throat and browsed around them. He knew it would be rude of him to suddenly stop speaking to the blonde, even if he technically did so during their Hogwarts years. ”I’m sorry.” He blinked. ”For losing contact. I’ve been a terrible friend.” He didn’t even know what had happened to her lately – if she was treating herself fine or stressed in a job.

@victoire

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Vic was silent as he said 'oh' to her reveal. Did he still feel that way about Slytherins? Vic always said it wasn't fair to judge someone by their house, but at the same time she showed Slytherins and Ravenclaws a little more respect than the others... so maybe she was just as bad as he was. Still, he said that he was sorry they lost touch and that he had been a terrible friend.

Really, she couldn't tell if he was being genuine or not. She wanted to think he was, so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Me too," she said. "It takes two to talk," she added. "So... big famous Quidditch player. That's the dream, right?" she asked slowly, not sure how to make conversation natural with him...

@edrik

[Deleted]

a familiar face .

It confused Edrik Krum as to why Victoire chimed in and apologised as well. Surely it was the man’s fault for breaking off their contact because of conflicting houses as well as the trust in each house. Edrik knew if he had any intention to speak with her, he could have, considering he saw her almost every other day. But like the stubborn boy/man he was and still is, he chose not to. But when the topic of Edrik’s success got brought up, the brunette shook his head lightly, soft but tangled curls following. ”Not at all. A lot of stress comes with it.”

Any person who knew any other person knew that Edrik’s one dream as a kid was to become like his father – known for brilliant tactics and bringing a national Quidditch team to victory – eventually bringing them into the big league. That was the Krum’s next step. ”Not exactly famous…Yet.” He smirked, even though the picture of himself was scattered along the newspapers and even the Quidditch store. ”What about you? Did you achieve what you always wanted?” He asked, stepping closer to her and gesturing down the path – away from the shop.

@victoire

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Vic understood stress in a job, of course. She had been the Minister of Magic for a year, after all. "I'm sure there are good sides?" there were in her old job, so of course there were in a job that was playing a game you loved. Politics was kind of like a game to her, though, hence why she didn't mind leading her faction of the new Order now. Vic liked to play the game.

He said he wasn't famous yet, smirking, and she shook her head. "Well, anyone who knows your fathers name knows yours," she challenged. He asked about her, if she achieved what she always wanted, gesturing to invite her to walk with him. She started walking, but letting him choose the direction.

"Yeah, actually. I was Minister of Magic for a year," she explained. "Had to step down due to health reasons, almost died and all," she waved a hand as if that wasn't important information. "Now I'm... trying to save the world, I guess."

@edrik

[Deleted]

a familiar face .

With a smile sitting comfortably on his lips Edrik shrugged as a starter for his response, his hands pushing themselves into the long coat he wore – to fight against the cold weather that had clouded around the area for a few days now. ”I suppose so.” He nodded, eyes glancing away from Victoire and up at the sky. ”It is nice every now and then to have a young Hogwarts student beg for your autograph.” He bragged with a sly smirk, chuckling afterwards. Playing for a Quidditch team was once a simple dream for Edrik, but here the Krum was – living that dream. Even if it was a slow start, he’d push himself eventually.

”Quite…Valid.” He responded, taking the challenge and ultimately failing it. Being Viktor Krum’s son was one of the main reasons Edrik had grown a passion for Quidditch, as well as the ultimate reason to why he felt so much stress to achieve the best during his days in Hogwarts and even now amongst the small local leagued teams. He hoped Appleby Arrows would go far one day, but one step at a time.

With their walk beginning as a small stroll, Edrik turned his body in her direction every so often just to simply glance at her, keeping their conversation going. But when she revealed that she was the Minister of Magic who almost died, his hands left his pockets waving in front of her. ”Woah, woah, woah. You were what? And You almost what?” He asked, a brow raised. ”Firstly, Congratulations on being our previous Minister of Magic…” Way to go for not knowing Edrik. But then again, he was abroad for a year. ”But secondly, what do you mean you almost died? It’s not quite possible to meet or cheat death.”

@victoire

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He said it was nice to have a Hogwarts student begging for his autograph and she chuckled, "I'm sure that's very exciting," she commented. As for people knowing his name if they knew his fathers, Ed just said it was 'quite valid'. She knew that tone, that look. She was a Weasley after all, and the wizarding war had changed the Weasley name forever in history. If you were a Weasley, everyone knew at least someone in your family who was a hero. That was also hard to live up to. She wasn't sure how to address that, though. Her and Ed weren't really close anymore, after all.

Edrik held his hands up, waving them as if to pause the conversation to really magnify the topic at hand. He asked for clarification, congratulating her as well. "Thank you, thanks. It... was amazing. I'm sad that I lost it," she explained. "Yeah, there's this crazy sickness where you can't use your magic and if you do use it you get sicker,," she explained. "It was... the worst. But I'm better now. Though, admittedly sometimes nervous about doing it..." that was a bit of a personal thing to bring up. She hadn't said that to anyone yet, save Teddy.

@edrik

[Deleted]

a familiar face .

The Krum nodded as a response, his eyes pulling away from the sky to look down at the woman before him once more. While he saw a glimpse of it when he first stepped out of the store, Edrik finally took in consideration to her tired eyes. It almost left a frown tugging at his lips but he knew he needed to show excitement around the Weasley, especially considering the two were reuniting with one another as well. ”Exciting and rather frightening. I had no clue how my signature would turn out.” He joked, smile evident across his lips.

”People always look up to you if you’re the eldest child of the known parent…My father of course.” Edrik paused, shifting to the side. ”They look up to you because they expect you to be like them. Even during interviews, people ask me why I didn’t succeed as young as my father did. You know. National team at eighteen.” He shrugged. Edrik hadn’t grown up around Bulgaria, but to one day play for their national team would evidently be an honour. ”I’m sure it’s the same for you. Being a Weasley.”

Dark eyes widened at the explanation and Edrik knew for sure, that wasn’t a sickness he ever wanted to grasp onto. ”Could you ever see yourself trying to become the Minister again in the future?” He questioned, rather interested. ”If it requires a vote, I’d definitely vote for you.” He added, nudging her side lightly. ”What was it like…To pretty much live the life of a Muggle?”

@victoire

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Edrik said he had no idea how his signature would turn out and that made her smile a little. She liked when people could joke and be lighthearted even in the hard times that they were having in the wizarding world right now. 

He talked about how people always looked up to the eldest children and she nodded, pursing her lips to the side a little as he went on about expectations. "I don't think my dad ever thought I'd be like him," and for a while she wasn't, but she grew more and more like him every day. "Yeah... I guess in my case it's not just the eldest sibling but the eldest cousin too. Caused quite a commotion when I was put into Slytherin house," she admitted. Part of that commotion was the two of them ceasing to speak, after all.

He asked if she could see herself being Minister again and that he'd vote for her, also nudging her then asking what it was like. "I think I would, yeah. If I was able to get myself in order again. I've grown a bit reckless... but I've been considering trying to get back into the auror program," she admitted, "and thank you," she nudged him back.

"It was..." she looked ahead, her eyes taking in the street before them, "like walking on eggshells and trying not to make a sound," she explained whimsically. "Like drinking wine, but it tasted like water," she shook her head, turning back to look at him, "I couldn't live without magic. I know that more than ever."

@edrik

[Deleted]

a familiar face .

From the chaos that the wizarding world had recently faced, it was always nice to create jokes amongst friends. Especially ones that hadn’t seen one another for quite a while. The Krum felt bad for his disconnection with Vic and knew it wouldn’t disappear for some time, especially because of his reasonings for doing so. ”How so?” He found himself asking. ”Other Weasleys were placed in Slytherin?” He added. raising a brow. Maybe all Weasleys weren’t all alike.

Edrik nodded in response, understanding her reasoning if she didn’t go back into the Ministry. It must have been hard, maintaining the balance and ultimately being the head of the magical government. The Krum silently saluted her for even lasting as long as she did, knowing if it were his own situation he would have given up in an instance. ”That sounds good!” He said, smiling. ”If you’re feeling a little wild, an Auror might be best for you then. Minus the part where you have to…Follow the rules and such.” He joked.

Without Magic, Edrik knew he would’ve been lost, since magic had brought almost everything for him. His passion to fly — ultimately his career and everything above it. ”Water-like-wine sounds…Terrible.” He replied, trying to add in a joke somewhere to lighten the topic. He didn’t want to exactly remind Vic of her tragedies, but he was curious nevertheless. ”I’m glad you’re better than ever now. Since without magic, how could I gift you…” Edrik paused, drawing out his wand and conjuring up a small bouquet of flowers to hand over to her. ”—These? As a way to apologise.”

@victoire

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He asked how her being the eldest Weasley cousin caused a lot of pressure, asking about others being placed in Slytherin. "First Weasley in about a hundred years to be put in Slytherin," she explained, shrugging, "it was surprising. So far three others have too, though. After me. But I was still the first," she said this proudly - because she was incredibly proud of her house, probably more so than almost any other Slytherin he'd meet.

He told her the Auror program sounded good, even if she couldn't follow the rules. "Oh, I can do rules. As long as their the right ones," she chuckled. Really, she used to be so... straight laced and do everything by the book. But things were so incredibly different now.

He agreed it sounded terrible to not have magic, saying he was glad she was better than ever and then whipping up a bouquet. She raised an eyebrow, "I mean, you still could have given them to me. It's not like I wouldn't be able to hang around magical people," she chuckled, but reached out to take the flowers. "Thank you." She nodded, "I hope you to have found what you're looking for. Out of a quidditch career and all."

@edrik