In the dark (Char and Viktor)

Viktor yawned a little bit as he sat at the entrance to the cave, looking up at sunset. He had been sat there all day but didn't feel as if he had been waiting all that long. He had arranged to meet up with Charlotte Smith. Surely for the purpose of seeing how she was. The little girl was a perfect example of innocence in the world.

Charlotte rushed through the trees, so very angry with herself for being this late to meet Viktor, she had managed to owl him without her father noticing by using one of the school owls and she had been so very happy to recieve a positive reply.

A branch scratches her cheek and she rubbed it with a pout, not stopping however as she could see the cave in the distance, then the gleam of blonde hair.

Grinning Charlotte began to run and she calked out: "Viktor!!"

Eventually she got to him and hugged him tightly before letting him go with a smile on her lips: "I'm so sorry I'm late."

When he heard his name being shouted, in english, Viktor turned to look at the path up to the cave, noting with a smile that it was Charlotte making her way up to him happily. He waved to her with a grin,

"Hallo Charlotte!" he greeted her with an eyesmile, "How have you been meine kinde?"

Viktor chuckled a little bit, slightly caught off guard by the hug, but hugged her back. He noticed the cut on her cheek and healed it quickly with his wand,

"Keine problem meine kinde!" he told her with a smile, "It's no problem... it's been nice to just listen to nature."

Charlotte was a little taken aback by the happy way that Viktor was interacting with her and she couldn't help but think that somebody else had helped him to come out of his shell a little bit too, and for that she was incredibly thankful, she just wondered what it was.

"Ive been good thank you Viktor, I've been having a nice time in school recently, how about you? You're looking so happy!"

Unable to stop smiling when she got a hug back and when Viktor healed her cheek, Charlotte sat down on the floor and smiled even wider finally glad to sit down after all this time.

"I never thought that you would like nature Viktor, I hope I didn't keep you long, I couldn't get away from my Papa until he went out."

He could tell that his rather happy attitude was surprising to her and he chuckled lightly as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Was he that unrecognisable without the rage constantly bubbling up underneath? Viktor shrugged the thought away with a small smile,

"I'm glad that your days have been gut to you meine kinde." he said with a smile before chuckling again, "It is the power of love little kinde... a good woman can change any man."

Viktor continued to smile his little smile as the two of them sat down, facing each other and the great view of the forest bellow them,

"Nature amazes me Charlotte. How it creates so much. I, on the other hand, only know how to destroy." he admitted with a sad smile before chuckling nervously, "So your papa doesn't know you are here huh? Well I suppose he wouldn't exactly welcome me to visit you... not after the attack on the school..."

Charlotte couldn't believe that she was right when she picked up on the fact that Viktor was a lot happier, it was impossible to deny really, And the reason almost made her squeak out happily. She couldn't believe that she was right again! He'd fallen in love.

"Oh Viktor! I'm so happy for you! I can't believe that you've managed to change yourself so much, it's amazing. I'm so proud of you!" Charlotte said, then grinned lightly "Does this mean that I was right?"

Making a small 'hmpf' noise in the back of her throat Charlotte thought that she still had some way to go when it came to self esteem issues and Viktor, but hopefully shed get there.

"That's obviously not true, I'm sure that the feeling of love you create in your lovely new girlfriend shows you can make something wonderful!"

Charlotte shook her head and sighed: "Papa...well Papa has other things to worry about now apart from you, but he still wouldn't like me near you I suppose."

Viktor almost laughed out loud at how happy Charlotte seemed to be when he mentioned that yes, he was a lot happier and that it was all thanks to a woman. Niobe would have been proud of how well Charlotte was holding in her squeak. He chuckled a little bit,

"Danke... danke... It wasn't an easy thing but love changes you." he told her with a small grin before shaking his head, his grin dimming, "I still don't think so Charlotte... I can still feel my 'evil' after all. It's rather too close to the surface sometimes... but I think you were more right than I was."

He chuckled at her cute little 'hmpf' noise. He could see her determination and it was rather endearing, and cute,

"Well I don't think me and Niobe will be 'creating' anything just yet." he joked back before grinning, "I suppose I can create... or at least not destroy."

Viktor raised an eyebrow,

"Sounds like you and your father are having some troubles..." he smiled reassuringly, "Anything you want to talk about?"

Charlotte definately felt as if Viktor needed a wake up call when he said that he was evil still, Viktor had never been evil at all! He had just been angry and in his anger he had done horrible things and allowed these horrible things to take over him.

"Viktor Nickel! You listen to me. You're not evil, mkay? Nobody is evil, people are just misunderstood, and they lash out, but nobody is ever evil!"

Placing her hands on Viktors shoulders as she said this Charlotte looked him straight in the eyes. Hearing the name of the lady that Viktor loved, she couldn't help but smile softly;

"That's a lovely name, I can tell that you like her very much Viktor, with the two of us working at you, you'll be all self confident in no time!"

Charlotte rubbed her arm with her hand, the black heart still there on her hand, and she sighed slightly:

"Papa's upset, he tries to hide it from me but I can tell."

Viktor could tell that something that he'd said was not sitting right with Charlotte. He almost chuckled. The girl really was so incredibly nice that she saw the best in everyone, even when they could not see it in themselves. He chuckled a little bit,

"Mkay then Charlotte." he replied with a small smirk at using her own language, "I'll try to be more open minded about my stance... perhaps I'm more neutral than anything else?"

He looked her straight back in the eyes and merely smiled, she really couldn't be intimidating, even when she tried,

"I like her name too... from greek mythology." he told Charlotte with a small smile before chuckling, "Between the two of you, you'll turn me into a pacifist or self-help guru!"

Viktor noticed the little black heart but decided not to comment,

"Mmm let me guess..." he looked at the black heart again before remembering something, "You told him about your heart condition?"

Charlotte raised her eyebrow when Viktor said that he would be more open minded and she poked him gently on the nose, he didn't seem to be understanding what she was getting at.

"No putting yourself down Viktor, you're lovely, and this is coming from me here...uhm...okay I think everybody is lovely...but still! The point stands."

Giggling slightly, Charlotte tried to imagine Viktor as some self help guru trying to get people to see their 'inner eye' and to be happy with themselves and she couldn't quite get there.

"Oh no, you couldn't do that, then that wouldn't be Viktor! You've got to stay a Professor, I think that would really suit you, a nice professor."

Charlotte nodded her head with a small smile and she sat down on Viktors lap with a sigh, she wished that she hadn't told Cobie about what was wrong with her, it had made him mad again.

"Well, yes I did. I thought that he needed to know but I suppose I was right, it did make him angry again."