Hermione slipped into a black bathing suit, and then put a big shirt on top of it. She was nervous – she hadn’t been in so little in front of many people before, especially a boy she’d dated at one time.

When she met him by the front door, she shuddered. “It’s going to be cold, isn’t it? I mean … it’s not exactly as warm here as it is at Hogwarts.”

“It vill be vhen ve valk there,” he said honestly. “But the vater vill not.”

She tried to get him to explain, but he wouldn’t.

They opened the front door and began the long walk to the lake.

“Ve could fly,” he suggested.

She looked at him nervously. “You saw me fly two days ago, but I’ll tell you now – I'm not a big fan of it. I’d rather walk.”

So they did. At first, there wasn’t much conversation – Hermione didn’t really know what to say to a man she’d dated when he was a teenager. However, after several awkward moments and only the sound of their feet against the ground, Viktor spoke up.

“I'm sorry,” he said quietly.

“For what?” she asked, surprised. He had nothing to apologize for.

“For not ever really getting to know you before. Ve … ve talked, I guess, but I didn’t put as much effort into it as I should have.”

“I didn’t, either,” she admitted. “But I had lots of other things going on then, as did you … I mean, you were a Champion, and you’re still a world-renown Quidditch player. And after Cedric … it’s a surprise we stayed together as long as we did.”

“Still, though …”

“Viktor, it’s fine,” Hermione promised. “You have nothing to apologize for. The past is the past … and there’s the lake.”

And a lake it was. From Hermione’s window at the Krum household, it didn’t look so big. However, up close, Hermione could see just how far it stretched.

Viktor opened the gate door for her and let her in. After closing it slowly behind him, he took off his shirt and smiled. “You’re vill not swim in that, vill you?”

She shook her head, blushing. “Turn around – don’t look.”

He did as she said, laughing slightly at her, and while she was stripping down to her bathing suit, he asked, “How are you going to know how to get into the lake if I do not help you?”

Hermione folded up the shirt, knowing he was right. She sighed, and reluctantly said, “All right, but only because I’m cold.”

He peeked over his shoulder, grinning. “Excellent.”

He took her hand in his and led her over to the side of the water. “Right foot first for varm vater, left for hot, both for cold.”

She looked at him, confused. “What?”

“Just try it vith me. Let’s both do varm. Just step into the vater vith your left foot, all right? Go!”

They walked forward, and the water, while cold on impact, turned warm the farther in they went.

“Wow,” Hermione said as it reached her knees.

He laughed. “Vhy, Herm-own-ninny, I thought you knew everything – I expected you to have heard of this before.”

“I have,” she smiled, pushing him away a little. “It’s just rare. And I don’t know everything – just more than you.”

“Oh, you are in for it now!” he smirked, and picked her up. Before she could barely scream, he threw her a few feet away.

She came up, spluttering. “That wasn’t fair!”

“What are going to do about it?”

She giggled, and lunged at him. He dodged it, but let her go forward. She resorted in splashing water on him, so he grabbed her wrists.

“None ov that,” he laughed, pulling her closer.

And before he knew what he was doing, he kissed her.