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Viktor Krum felt a delicious tightening in his stomach as he followed her with his eyes. She was glorious; a white and blue-clad figure on a broomstick moving so fast she was a blur. His nerves threatened to reach the surface, but he blocked them out. He had a World Cup to win first and then…
“And Weasley passes the Quaffle to Flint!” Lee Jordan—the most biased Quidditch commentator in the Wizarding World roared, and the stadium shuddered with cheers. “By the look in Flint’s eyes, he intends to score. Can Borisov stop him?”
Viktor glanced down and groaned.
“Flint scores!” Jordan yelled. “Another goal to England. Will the guys bring the World Cup back home? Let’s wait and see.”
“Dream on,” Viktor muttered under his breath.
“You, dream on.” He took no issue with the challenging tone. Instead, he snapped his head around and eyed her boldly from head to toe. She looked good in white, indeed. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he looked up into her face and smirked. If she expected him to pretend he hadn’t been ogling her or to take his gaze away from the perfection that was her body, she had another thing coming. He loved everything about her; inside out. She obviously didn’t expect him to just shrug and then offer her the slowest, wickedest smile that had ever been bestowed upon her.
The little doe was caught and he had no intention of letting her out of his web.
She rolled her eyes but he caught the blush staining her ivory cheeks. It wasn’t exertion. She was anything but indifferent to him.
But then, hadn’t that been their game since they met ten years ago?
Something very clearly happened the night her name came out of the Goblet of Fire and he stood up for her. It didn’t take long for them to become friends. Every second he spent with her made it harder to keep a comfortable distance. When he tried to attempt a purely platonic relationship with her, his heart made it clear that such an arrangement wouldn’t work for him. Every moment he spent with her had accomplished far more than simply impressing him, which it had. She was probably the only witch who understood him, who saw more than the glamorous façade and the fake smiles he offered to the world.
Whenever he was with her, he never wondered if her intentions toward him were really genuine. She was the most straightforward, kind-hearted witch he met and he had no intention of spending another night without her in his arms. He was done waiting, done watching from afar as other men thought they had a chance with her. They didn’t. She was his and that was that.
She shot him a look out of the corner of her eye. “Are you giving up already? Shouldn’t you be looking for the Snitch, Krum?”
A small lopsided grin was his only reaction to her jibe. “Don’t worry your pretty head about me, Potter. I’ll find it when I want to.”
“I hope you won’t be late again.” Her eyes glittered at him. “Marcus, Ginny and Draco have no intention of stopping scoring and Oliver would rather die than let a Bulgarian Quaffle break through one of his goalposts.”
“I don’t care about that lunatic,” he let out a rich, deep rumble of a laugh when she scrunched her tiny nose. “Had he been giving you a hard time?”
“He’s my Captain and I respect him.” His eyes caressed the curve of her lips.
“If you say so, скъпа.” His voice grew huskier and their eyes locked, their gazes holding for far longer than two opponents should.
“Aster!” Weasley shouted. “Watch out.”
Yordan Lazaroff swung hard at a passing Bludger with his club, knocking it into Flint’s path. Unfortunately, he was soaring just beneath Aster. She rolled her eyes and darted down lightning-fast. Flint ducked to avoid the Bludger and dropped the Quaffle.
“Careful, Yordan!” Viktor glared at his teammate.
“Sorry, Captain.” The Beater shrugged sheepishly. “I had no intention of hurting your girl.”
He nodded stiffly and zoomed higher. Maybe he should find the Snitch already.
“Alexandarov scores!” Jordan coughed. “Somehow, he managed to break through England’s ranks, dodge Wood the Wall and score another goal. And let me tell you, my friends, Wood doesn’t look happy at all! Come on, Oliver! You don’t want to drown yourself in the shower later! Eyes on the prize, mate.”
“Potter!” Wood bellowed. “What do you think you’re doing? Catch the bloody Snitch!”
Viktor let out a stifled growl. He needed to keep his head on the game for failure was not an option.
A lazy smile lifted his lips when Aster plummeted through the centre of the Bulgarian Chasers. She wanted to play games? He was more than ready to indulge her. Without thinking, he dived after her and gained momentum until they were shoulder to shoulder. He grinned at her and her eyes widened slightly at the sight of his smile. She told him once how amazed she was when she watched him do a Wronski Feint for the first time. She confessed she thought he was the most exciting player on the field.
Before they crashed, they pulled out of the dive and spiralled off. Aster hardly looked as though he was using a broomstick at all. She moved so easily through the air that she looked unsupported and weightless. His girl was born to fly.
“It was a Wronski Feint!” Jordan yelled. “What a beautiful performance delivered by none other than the best Seeker in the world: the one and only Aster Potter!”
Viktor made a face and she snorted. “Are you jealous, old man?”
“I’ll show what old men can do,” he winked, ignoring the traitorous thrill of pleasure that cascaded over him when her eyes did a slow, heated perusal of his body.
Her eyes eventually crawled their way up to his face. ‘’Game on, Krum.” She cocked her head. “Show me what you are made of and don’t you dare hold back.”
“As you wish.”
He watched as Alexandarov shot again toward the goalposts. Wood flew out to meet him with narrowed eyes. The level of hostility between Keeper and Chaser had reached a new level.
“Wood the Wall!” Jordan screamed. “He did it again! You are amazing, mate! Just amazing!”
Viktor blinked, the cheers of the English supporters barely registering. Aster had gone again on a dive and he was certain it wasn’t another Wronski Feint. He glimpsed the golden Snitch, too.
Heart wedged in his throat, he clutched the handle of his broom and in a blink, he was on her tail. They hurtled toward the ground at a neck-breaking speed but he didn’t care.
“I’ll catch it.” He whispered.
Before they reached the ground, he jumped and hit the ground with a groan.
“Viktor!” Aster gasped.
He opened his eyes, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath.
“Bloody hell!” she muttered under her breath as she threw her broom away and went down on her haunches next to him then slid an arm underneath him so he could rest her head on her shoulder. “Are you crazy?” she hissed. “What were you thinking? Wait, you weren’t thinking at all!”
He snorted and her gaze flew between his face and his hand. Slowly, savouring the moment, he held his fist high and the glint of gold in his hand winked at her.
“You—“
“Krum caught the Snitch!” Jordan sounded taken aback by the sudden turn of events. “Ladies and gentlemen, Bulgaria wins,” he sighed. “Ginny, Marcus and Draco, please look after Oliver.”
Aster stood first and offered him her hand. “Congratulations, Krum.”
He swallowed past the panicked lump in his throat and his eyes lifted to her, raw need and love burning through him.
She sucked in a deep breath when he went down on one knee and offered her the Snitch. “Aster Potter…” Somehow, the rumbling from the supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight.
“Wait a moment!” Jordan bellowed. “Is Krum proposing? Bloody hell! Someone hold Sirius Black before he ruins this.”
Viktor huffed in annoyance and she raked her nails through his short hair. “Aster Potter, you know when I fell in love with you?” His pulse hammered. “That night in the Great Hall after your name came out of the Goblet of Fire. You’d been crying, but you looked so fearless. Maybe I told you I love you countless times but it can never be enough. No word can convey how I feel about you.” He cleared his throat with difficulty. “Probably not. You’re too bold, too stubborn, too loyal, too kind. But then, I love you. I love everything about you and I don’t want to change anything about you. You are perfect just the way you are. Aster, just my Aster. Open the Snitch, my love.”
“Viktor…” Aster took the Snitch with shaking hands and blinked back the tears. She gasped at the sight of the ring he kept in his pocket for three years.
“You own me body and soul and I won’t have it any other way.” He kissed her hand. “Would you marry me, my love?”
“Yes!” Tears fell unabashed down her cheeks. “Of course, I’ll marry you. I love you.” More tears spilt, her mouth trembling as she whispered again. “I love you.”
At once, he shot to his feet and took her face between his calloused hands. He kissed her hair, her forehead, her wet cheeks, her nose. Before she could even catch her breath, he was on her, kissing her right on the mouth in front of everyone. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long, sweet kiss that melted his heart.
She burrowed her face in his neck when the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. Viktor held her tighter in his arms. It was thanks to her love that he learned to take off the masks he feared he could not live without. She taught him how to trust, how to love and be loved, how to live and he intended to walk with her for the rest of his days and cover her shadow with his.