FIC: "Why Would You?" for alisanne Recipient:alisanne Author/Artist: ??? Title: Why Would You? Rating: PG13 Pairings: Millicent/Viktor Word Count: 4560 Warnings/Content Information (Highlight to View): *[None]*. Summary: Books are judged by the cover all the time. So are people, but sometimes you find someone who troubles to really look. Author's/Artist's Notes: Dear Alisanne, I quite liked the thought of this pairing, it's not one I had thought of before. I hope this works for you, I enjoyed talking with them.
My thanks to my beta, if it's wrong, it's all mine.
The Snitch made a sharp turn, diving as it did so, narrowly evading the hand that was outstretched to grab it. The escape was only a minor irritation to the Seeker, who matched the turn automatically, concentrating fiercely on his goal. This was an important match, and the capture would ensure victory for his team and yet another trip to the World Cup finals.
There was no way the Snitch would evade him again, and the opposing Seeker, having gotten ploughed earlier in the match, was still too groggy to keep up. The Seeker's entire focus was on the glittering ball that was his goal.
So it was that he did not see the approaching Bludger, and just after his hand closed on the Snitch. the Bludger hit him full in the face. He nearly managed to reach the ground safely before losing consciousness. But Viktor Krum fell the last five feet even as the cheers of the crowd turned to screams of dismay...
)))(((
"Where am I?"
"County Offaly Magical Hospital. You're going to be fine, though. Try to relax and rest."
"Did I catch the Snitch?"
"Yes, you did. I have no idea how you managed to hold on to it, but you did. In fact, it's in a box on the table by your bed. We had to pry it out of your hand."
"My head hurts. My face hurts also."
"You have a concussion. Your nose was badly broken; smashed, really, and one of your cheekbones was fractured. The healers were quite busy after I got you here."
"Who are you, and why did not my team healers attend me?"
"I was faster than they were, but your healers have seen you. Healer O'Hannagain here at this hospital is a specialist in injuries of this type. You picked a very good place to take a Bludger to the face in. I'm Apprentice Healer Millicent Bulstrode. Part of my job is to provide emergency care for the Quidditch matches here."
"I have seen you before. At Hogwarts, yes?"
Millicent looked startled.
"I was a student at Hogwarts when you were there for the Triwizard. I'm surprised you remember me. I mean, why would you? You were surrounded by really pretty girls. As a matter of fact, everybody was surprised when you asked Granger to the ball, although I admit she cleaned up rather well."
"Hermione did not fawn all over me. The ones who do see only the famous Quidditch player, not Viktor Krum. As for why I remember you, not only did you not fawn over me, you scarcely seemed to notice me at all, and there is the fact that you are quite a striking woman."
"Right. Spare me the bullshit, okay? I'll take care of you without it, and I have had a lifetime of teasing about my looks. I don't care to have any more of it, if you please." Millicent's cheeks flamed, which she both noticed and hated. She turned to leave.
"I do not understand. I am not teasing, you look fine to me. There is great character in your face. You are strong and tall. Who am I to judge on looks? Me, with this nose, who also walks like a duck. Stand straight and be proud, Millicent Bulstrode."
Millicent hesitated, and looked at him over her shoulder.
"Drink the potion on your bedside table, it will help the pain. It will also help reduce the swelling of your brain and let you rest comfortably. You need the rest, Mr. Krum, to recover. It's a severe concussion, and magic can only do so much with those. You'll be here about a week; your coach was adamant that no chances be taken with your health."
She left the room, and Viktor followed her with his eyes.
"Please to call me 'Viktor'," he said after her.
)))(((
Out of long habit, Millicent retreated to the loo for privacy while she composed herself. "Great character in your face" might not have been the sort of compliment that her heart yearned for, but it was scarcely an insult. Her patient had sounded sincere, and in truth he was not known for his sense of humour.
As a matter of fact, Millicent had indeed noticed Viktor Krum. She quite liked his sharp nose, and thought his awkward walk added a bit of vulnerability to his rather imposing presence. She had not revealed her interest because she believed that she had less than no chance of him having any interest in her, not with all of those beautiful girls hanging around him all the time. And she had genuinely dreaded the ridicule that her peers would heap on her for daring to imagine that the famous Viktor Krum would be in any way attracted to Millicent Bulstrode, the she-troll.
She had tried to fit in with her housemates. Friends they were not, not really, but things were easier for her when she went along, occasionally using her strength and size to intimidate others as seemed expected of her. She was ashamed to admit that she did get to the point where she derived a bitter sort of satisfaction from the bullying. It was preferable to being bullied; at least it had been at the time.
Now she just wanted to bury her Hogwarts years, and leave them firmly in the past.
People had been surprised when she had chosen to study medicine. Obviously, she was too thick by half for that subject. But she possessed a formidable intelligence of the dogged, tenacious kind. She did not have the quick genius of Granger and some of the Ravenclaws, but if she was interested and applied herself to the subject, she could excel.
Freed from the toxic environment of Hogwarts, she had. She was proud of her work since then, and whether Krum had been sincere in his mildly awkward compliment or not, he had a point. She rinsed her face off at the sink, faced herself in the mirror, and stood straight.
"Great character" did not look bad on her. Neither did the small smile.
)))(((
"An interesting woman," Viktor thought. "I must speak with our healers about reacting more quickly, however. This time I seem to have been fortunate indeed, but not all venues have such expert care available.
He took the potion from the table and drank it. It was bitter, but he was accustomed to bitterness.
"On the other hand, their poor reflexes have delivered me into the care of a veritable Valkyrie, so perhaps I should buy them a case of slivovitz."
Viktor lay back and closed his eyes. He had succeeded; his team had won. Tomorrow would bring what it would, but for now he would follow the counsel of his healer.
"A real woman, this one. No; a real human being, a real healer. To her I am a patient, not a Quidditch star." The potion worked swiftly, and so he was unaware of Millicent returning to check on him.
He was partially correct. As far as Millicent was concerned, so long as he was under her care he was a patient first and foremost. But she loved to watch him fly, to see his awkwardness transformed into beauty when he flew. Even his beak of a nose looked completely right, wholly in place as he soared through the sky.
In her heart, that was how she saw herself in her new profession.
Here, it did not matter how she looked. Here, she could be a star. She could be beautiful in a way that mattered, that made a difference.
Satisfied that her patient was resting comfortably, she stood for a moment looking at him. Objectively, he was not a handsome man. But she thought that he just might be an honourable one. Injured, sleeping, vulnerable, all of his fame could not shield him now, but she could.
She would.
For this time, she truly mattered to him.
And that mattered to her.
)))(((
"Did you sleep well?" Millicent asked Viktor when almost a week had passed.
"Yes, thank you. I feel much better."
"Good. I suppose that now is the time you're going to ask when you can leave the hospital," she replied.
Viktor shrugged.
"I am confident that you will tell me when that time comes. In the meantime the food is not bad, the bed is comfortable, and the company is good. I suppose that now is the time you are going to ask me if I want you to fix my nose or my legs. Healers always do," he said.
"Why would you? It's a perfectly functional nose, or it will be once it heals completely. I admit that the legs are another matter. Sooner or later that curvature of your lower legs is going to lead to real problems with your hips and back, there's just no way around that."
"I have heard this before." He shrugged again.
"But I would not recommend that you do anything about it until it either becomes too painful to endure or you retire from Quidditch," she told him.
"And why is that?"
"The treatment is unpleasant, and quite painful, but after caring for you this last week, I know that wouldn't bother you at all, right?"
"Correct. Then why would you not urge me to undergo this procedure?"
"Because it might affect your flying."
Viktor stared at her. None of the long parade of healers he had seen in his career had ever mentioned this, but it was in fact the reason he would not consider it.
"Why would you think that?"
Millicent looked at her hands for a moment before replying, then she looked into his eyes and spoke.
"Because the way you fly is more art than technique. More soul than skill. When you fly, you leave all of your imperfections behind, you become something else. No, that's not it. You become you. Tamper with any part of you, and that might change, and that would be a tragedy. That's also why I didn't let them 'fix' your nose. Even your Healers thought that was a good idea."
Viktor swallowed heavily, and wiped his eyes.
"No one else has ever said these things to me. When I am able to leave this place, I would like to take you to dinner, Millicent Bulstrode."
"Why would you want to?"
"Because you see me."
)))(((
"Everything looks good, Mr. Krum. You're released. Permit me to say that you have an unusually durable skull." She smiled at him.
"Thank you, it has proven to be a convenience in my line of work. I have taken the liberty of making a dinner reservation for us at Kinnitty Castle Hotel, the Sli Dara restaurant. I am told it is good. Will you join me Saturday evening?" (Viktor had checked her schedule with the help of the senior Healer, who was thrilled for Millicent.)
Millicent thought about it. Viktor Krum knew what he was about, and a dinner for two at Sli Dara would scarcely make a dent in his wallet, and she had long wanted to go there. Grateful patient or lothario, he seemed a decent sort, and Millicent much doubted that he could pressure her into doing anything she did not want to do.
What she might want to do, however, even she did not exactly know.
"That would be lovely, Mr. Krum."
"Please to call me Viktor."
"Very well, Viktor. I'm Millicent."
"Charmed," he said.
And he really seemed to be. Millicent did not understand it, did not yet trust it, but...
)))(((
Viktor arrived at Millicent's flat in a Muggle cab. As Kinnity Castle was open to Muggles (though run by a witch) it seemed the best idea. He exited the cab and pressed the buzzer by the name "Bulstrode".
"Yes?" came her voice through the speaker.
"It is Viktor. Shall I come up to meet you?"
"No need, thank you, I'll be right down."
Viktor swallowed nervously and wiped his hands on his jacket sleeves. He didn't date much. He was always kind to his fans, but had no interest in keeping company with someone who didn't seem to want to know him beyond his fame. Millicent Bulstrode knew things about him that his mother didn't. True, she liked Quidditch, but Viktor did not think that was why she had consented to go to dinner with him. Something about her struck a chord with him. He too was insecure about his looks, although he knew that his fame in large measure compensated for that. He had no real idea what it was like to be Millicent Bulstrode. No real idea of how hard it was to be a very large girl with heavy features in a world that idealized sylph-like creatures.
But he liked her strong features. He liked her size and strength, and he admired her dedication and skill in her profession. There too they had common ground. He also had to work very hard to excel. His flying talent was perhaps a gift, a fluke aided by his bent legs, but the precise skills of a top Seeker were not something that came without effort, not to him, nor to anyone.
Millicent took a last look in the mirror.
"Well, that's as good as it's going to get, I suppose," she muttered.
She had splurged on a new dress and a trip to the hairdresser. The dress was long and flowing, and the color matched the emerald necklace that was her major inheritance. It had been in the family for generations, and she seldom had occasion to wear it. It nestled nicely in the discreet bit of cleavage that showed. There was no hiding her bosom, as the clerk had pointed out, so it was well to take some advantage of it. Her hair was thick and dark and had been skillfully cut to curl softly at her shoulders. Even she thought her hair was pretty, and the sight of it cheered her a bit.
But her heart quailed when she looked at her face. Her brow was prominent, and her face was broad, and there was nothing of the fairy princess or Cinderella about her. Her eyes were smallish, but if one troubled to look, they were a very beautiful brown with tiny green specks in them. Her skin was clear, and her nervousness brought enough color to her cheeks that nothing was needed there. A bit of lipstick took care of the makeup.
It was indeed as good as it was going to get, and that was a fair bit better than she could see.
As the evening was warm, she simply picked up her purse, locked her door, and took the lift to the lobby.
She opened the door and there stood Viktor. His eyes went round, and she nearly turned and fled.
"You look marvelous, Millicent!" he exclaimed.
Her first reaction was to look around for the people who were going to laugh at her, but there was only Viktor, and even she could not doubt that this was a sincere compliment. The smile that curved her lips when she realized that he really did think she looked marvelous was nothing short of beautiful, all the more so for having been used so seldom.
"Shall we go?" he asked, offering his arm.
Millicent took the proffered arm, and as she descended the three steps to the walk, for the briefest of instants, she thought that she might know how a storybook princess might feel.
)))(((
Clearly the staff at Sli Dara were fully aware of who Viktor Krum was, they had the best table in the house, and their waiter had no other tables to look after.
"Would you care to order for us, Millicent?" Viktor asked.
She was a bit unnerved by the fact that the menu had no prices on it, but Viktor saw the hesitation and rightly interpreted it. He had not grown up with money, and he respected her concern.
"Please indulge yourself, tonight is for us to enjoy without limit."
As he sounded sincere, Millicent selected a meal that had the waiter simply squirming in pleasure.
"Excellent choices, my lady! Clearly you know fine cuisine," he said with a little bow.
Millicent blushed. Viktor thought that was quite charming.
"Please to have the sommelier to come," Viktor asked.
"At once, sir."
The waiter glided away. Rapidly.
"I've always wanted to have dinner here, thank you for inviting me, Viktor."
"Thank you for coming with me. Do you have a preference as to wine?"
"You let me order the food, I think I can trust you with the wine. Anyway, I like wine, but I don't know much about it."
By the expression on the sommelier's face, Viktor did.
The starter arrived and fully met the excellent reputation of the restaurant, as did the wine, and Millicent felt herself relaxing a bit, and enjoying herself more than a bit.
"An excellent choice, Millicent, this is delicious," Viktor said.
"So is the wine, I've never tasted anything so good."
Viktor beamed, and Millicent once again had a tiny "princess feeling."
It was, however, regrettably short-lived.
A Muggle couple seated nearby, who apparently existed on air and exercise, complimented by plastic surgery, cast a disdainful look at Millicent and Viktor.
"Honestly," the woman said in a voice that carried clearly to them, "I thought this place had standards."
"Really," the man continued, "you'd think they would tuck the ugly people out of sight, so as not to spoil people's dinner."
Millicent went beet red, and even the bruises still prominent on Viktor's face turned pale. He was halfway to his feet when the owner, who kept a close eye on things and treasured her business's reputation, stepped to the couple's table and gestured. In an instant, two extremely large security wizards politely escorted the couple from the premises. She took the few steps to Viktor and Millicent's table.
"My sincerest apologies for this obscene incident. Rest assured that we do indeed put the ugly people out of sight, as those two have just learned. Your meal, including the wine, is complimentary. Should you care to spend the night with us, which I hope that you will, your suite will be as well. That sort of behaviour is not tolerated here, and I do hope that it has not spoiled the evening for you. For whatever it may be worth, I think you make a very fine couple indeed."
She departed.
"Do you want to leave?" Viktor asked.
"Yes." His face fell. "But I'm not going to. People have called me ugly all my life, but tonight, with you, I haven't felt ugly at all." She swallowed. "I'm taking a big chance here, Viktor. I am going to assume that you asked me out because you wanted to go out with me, not because you felt grateful for the treatment I gave you. I treated you like I would any other patient, the best I know how to, and you didn't expect anything special because you're a famous Quidditch star. I've never been any place this fancy, and I can't remember the last time I felt this comfortable with someone." Viktor smiled, and reached for her hand; however, he stopped short of actually touching her.
Millicent did not. She reached for him, and as their fingers twined together she thought the heavily calloused hand of her dinner companion felt quite natural in her larger, softer one.
"I think you see me too, Viktor."
)))(((
The wine was exceptional, the dinner was splendid, and had you asked either one of them what they had had to eat and drink, the next day, neither one of them would have been able to tell you.
Millicent was actually grateful for the hurtful remarks directed at them, for it let her believe that this dinner, this evening with Viktor, was real.
Both of them were scared.
For Millicent, all of this was much like a fantasy. Viktor really did seem to be attracted to her; to like her, even admire her. Her, the she-troll.
Viktor was accustomed to being admired. He was not, however, accustomed to being liked, and Millicent seemed to like him. Him, not the Quidditch star.
They lingered over coffee after dessert; neither of them wanted to leave. But time marches on, and both of them realized that the people who had taken such excellent care of them that evening deserved to go home to their lives and families.
The complimentary suite, however, was the elephant in the room.
Viktor knew beyond doubt that he wanted Millicent, but he was paralyzed by the fear that she would feel like he assumed that she should sleep with him because of the extravagant meal he had fully intended to pay for. To his credit he did not consider that his fame would have any influence with her.
Millicent knew that she wanted Viktor. She had trouble believing that he would want her, but the dilation of his pupils when he looked at her, the way he looked at her...
It seemed that, for whatever reason, he wanted her. She had been with men, and even a couple women; she was not immune to biological urges. She had even enjoyed it on occasion. But she had never felt a fire like this, never dared to hope that someone would be hers, and hers alone. It seemed too good to be true, it seemed too fast, and yet...
"I believe we have a suite waiting for us, don't we, Viktor?"
Viktor gave an extravagant tip to the hotel employee who escorted them to the suite.
They faced each other awkwardly.
"Champagne?" Viktor asked, pointing to the bottle standing in a silver bucket of ice.
"I think I've had enough to drink," she answered. "We don't have to have sex if you don't want to, Viktor. It's late, we can just sleep. You don't owe me anything."
"Owe you anything? You make it sound as if I would be doing you a favour by sleeping with you. Nothing could be further from the truth. Millicent, I -- I have never done this before."
"You've never had sex?"
"No. I mean, yes, I have had sex. But it was never anything but physical. Frankly, and I hope this does not disgust you, I normally go to a professional when my body manifests that need. I would rather have things right out in the open, they satisfy my body, I satisfy their purse, and we part on good terms. They need not pretend an attraction or affection that they do not feel, nor do I."
"I can understand that. I've usually just taken care of things myself, or gone to a bar just before closing when the guys or girls are just looking for a warm wet place to put it. I usually Obliviate them after. I know nobody could really want me."
"I do."
"Prove it."
Viktor Krum, the greatest seeker in the world, tentatively reached for the woman he wanted more than he had ever wanted a win on the Quidditch pitch. He trembled, and he knew fear that he had never known before.
Millicent Bulstrode, apprentice healer and she-troll, saw all of this and she smiled. She reached back and unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor. Viktor gasped, for she was nude beneath it. She was round and soft, and he could feel the heat from her body even before his arms closed around her. Their lips met, and Millicent was urging the buttons on his shirt to open. Their tongues met, and Millicent whimpered against Viktor's moan.
They broke apart, panting, both of them wanting desperately to believe that this was real, that they had found someone who saw them clearly and cherished what they saw.
Viktor stared, he could not tear his eyes from her. She was real, she practically dwarfed him, and he wanted every bit of her as he had never wanted anything in his life. He wanted her, not what pleasure he could derive from her body.
Millicent saw all of this, and cast aside the last of her doubts and insecurities. She gently undressed him, took his hand, and led him to the bed which had been thoughtfully turned down by the staff. She embraced him and pulled him with her, and Viktor nearly fainted from the softness and warmth that held him.
"Now," she said as she opened her legs, and Viktor, still shaking, and with her help, slid into her.
"Ahhh!" he cried, and he went rigid and shook as he came.
"Oh, Millicent, I am so sorry! I -- I just..."
She smiled languidly and kissed his bruised nose.
"Really, Viktor, if you think that coming the second you are inside me is an insult, you have a lot to learn. Fortunately, we have time. I trust that you will apply yourself to the subject with your customary zeal."
Viktor smiled, a bit embarrassedly, but a smile, nonetheless.
"Whatever you want, if it is within my power, you shall have. Even if you have to teach me."
"Very well, then. I want to do something I've never done before," she told him.
"And what might that be?"
"I want to lie here with you and pretend that whatever is happening between us is real. To fall asleep in your arms. To wake up in the night and have you still be with me. I want that at least once in my life."
"Alas, the first thing you ask of me, I cannot grant, Millicent."
"Oh, I see. I--"
"I cannot pretend. I will not pretend. Not with you, never with you. Sleep, my lady. I will be here when you wake."
It was perhaps a bit of a flowery speech, but under the circumstances, Millicent thought it was by far the loveliest thing anyone had ever said to her.
She woke in the early hours and felt him warm by her side. He proved to be an excellent and willing student, and the faint light of false dawn was brightening into day when they fell asleep again.
They enjoyed breakfast together in their suite, easy in one another's company. They would have been content to spend the entire day right where they were. However, they both had jobs to return to, and they left the castle hand-in-hand.
)))(((
They stood together at the door to Millicent's flat; he had to leave right away to train for the World Cup that was being held in Australia that year.
"Can you attend the Cup, Millicent? As my guest, of course," Viktor asked.
"I'll be qualified by then, and I'll have some time off, so yes, I'd love to. Then I'll be looking for a permanent position somewhere."
"We have hospitals in Bulgaria, and they always need healers. As a matter of fact, there will doubtless be an opening for a new team healer as well. I merely present you with possibilities, you understand." He smiled at her.
"Would those possibilities include you holding me again?" she asked, and she smiled as well, for she knew the answer.