Sh-outing
The full moon above their heads cast an eerie light onto the frozen scene. Harry was standing very still, grass caressing his toes, wind streaking past his face. Krum was sitting below the tree on the opposite side of the creek, like a carnivore ready to pounce. Harry felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He had not heard correctly was all. Had to have been.
"You… what?" he asked finally, although he did not want to hear the answer.
Krum did not speak.
"Alright", Harry said angrily, "so you're not talking to me again, I'm not even sure why you wanted to talk to me in the first place, first you tell me you wanted Hermione to come back to you so badly, then you change your mind and fancy me, but as you know, I have -" Here he checked himself. "Well, at least until today, I had a girlfriend, I'm not interested in men, and there's no point in talking to you any more-"
Krum wiped his face. Suddenly, he seemed equally furious.
"You - you don't have a clue, do you?" he shouted. "About all the things I've been through, for your sake - you don't even see them! I've spent so much time and energy on you, and I've been sick with worry because you were out of my reach with Voldemort, and because you might be showing after-effects, and I don't want you to have nightmares, do you know you were groaning and tossing and turning all night -"
"It's none of your business!" Harry yelled back. "What are you playing at anyway, you and Hermione! She grew tired of fussing over me like that, you know -"
"You - don't - have - a - clue!" Krum returned, very red in the face. "You know what love is?"
"Course I do", Harry said, taken aback.
"No you don't!" Krum hissed, his face scarlet by now. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be judging that harshly! Hermione needed you to keep your mind set on Voldemort, or your defeat would have been horrible! You realise this is love? Taking a matter out of your hands for the time, so as not to increase your worries? DO YOU HEAR THAT?"
Enraged, Harry retorted, "I would have wanted to know about Ron! You think that this is love, leaving me alone before the battle -"
"I TOLD you, she RETURNED!"
"LEAVING ME ALONE", Harry went on, ignoring Krum, "because it's my job to finish Voldemort, that's what she thought, isn't it, and Voldemort would have done me in, if that little white animal hadn't shown up -"
"It did?" Krum said, looking puzzled. "A tiny white otter?"
"Sure, it gave me my wand when I couldn't reach it, but… What's that got to do with anything?!"
There was silence. Krum's chest was heaving with emotion, from what Harry could tell. He himself felt little better. Nothing - nothing - at all made sense anymore. Fred had captured the situation with his, "What a mess" from behind the hedge. All this absurd scenario needed was that Luna showed up and got involved with, well, Ron maybe. At that thought, Harry rubbed his temples. He felt exhausted.
"Are you okay?" Krum asked, concern in his voice.
"Never better", Harry snapped.
"Oh right, just don't drop your foul mood", Krum said, flaring up. "Of course you never gave Hermione a bad time, it's all down to her selfishness and her stupid, stupid decisions -"
"Hang on", Harry interjected. "Didn't you just recently declare yourself in love with me? What's happened to that?"
Krum stared at the tree behind him surly, as if it were at fault. "You", he said furiously, "have been between me and Hermione all the time. She wrote me letters, yes, and I got my hopes up over them! But then I came here, and she told me she'd never seen me as more than a friend!"
"What's that got to do with -"
The tree burst into flames. Harry leapt back in shock. Apparently, Krum was losing control of his emotions.
"You are SO DUMB!" Krum screamed, in a voice that did not remotely sound like his own. "How I've been wishing I could shake you to see the truth -"
He took a steadying breath.
"Alright", said Harry in a calm voice, "alright…"
Krum was sobbing again.
This is getting ridiculous, Harry thought resignedly. He stepped over the creek back into the circle, put out the flames with his wand, and moved gingerly towards Krum, not too close, rather a little too far away from him.
"Shall we call it a day and go back?" he offered.
Krum shook his head, staring at the ground. He was obviously fighting tears; his shoulders were shaking. Instinctively, Harry wanted to move closer, but restrained himself once more.
It's as if I'd known him for ages… What's going on with me? I want to… comfort him?!
"Okay", he said finally, realising he had no choice. "I'll hear you out."
That very moment, the moon was covered by clouds, and rain started to pour. Harry reached for his wand, conjuring a shield above them. Krum again moved closer to Harry in the dark, lit his own wand and smiled at Harry, a rather embarrassed smile that involved red cheeks… and brown eyes swimming in tears, and a face framed by bushy brown hair…