Just then, a commotion came from the distance.
"Merlin's pants! Hermione! Is this George and Fred's latest product?"
Ron's voice was as carrying as ever.
He, Harry, and Ginny were running down the slope beside the lake, carrying several bulging paper bags.
Krum's body instinctively tensed, but then relaxed again.
He remembered that last night, although this red-haired boy had looked uncomfortable, he had still raised his glass to him.
"This is science, Ron. Science."
Harry smiled and patted Ron on the shoulder. He looked much more relaxed than before the tournament, and his green eyes behind his glasses sparkled with a vitality long absent.
"Looks like Hermione really has mastered the essence of the professor's aesthetics of living."
"Hi, Viktor!"
Ginny was walking ahead of the others. She wore a simple pale yellow dress that day, and her long red hair looked like a blaze of fire in the sunlight.
She greeted Krum openly, her confident air making her look nothing like a third-year student.
"Hi, Ginny."
Krum nodded, then looked at Harry and Ron.
"Potter. Weasley."
Ron stopped at the edge of the picnic blanket, his gaze moving between Krum and Hermione.
The jealousy and spite of a few months earlier were gone, replaced by a measure of acceptance, though he still looked a little awkward.
He scratched his head and set a large bag of snacks on the table.
"Er... well, Viktor, if you're staying at Hogwarts, you have to try these."
Ron took a brightly colored box out of the bag.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. I bet George and the others you definitely wouldn't get a bogey-flavored one."
Krum paused, then, in an exceedingly rare sight, the corners of his mouth rose in a tiny curve.
"Thank you. I will try them. At Durmstrang, we