Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Viktor Krum

Overview
Viktor Krum is the representative from the Eastern European school of magic, Durmstrang, in the Triwizard Tournament. He was also on the Bulgarian National Quidditch team. He is Hermione Granger's date for the Yule Ball during the Triwizard Tournament and is therefore seen with jealousy by Ron Weasley.

Goblet of Fire
We are introduced to Viktor Krum at the Quidditch World Cup. Krum is Seeker for the Bulgarian team, and is widely believed to be the best Seeker in the world; he manages to out-fly his opponent on the Irish team repeatedly, and catches the Snitch in the end despite his injuries. When he is not on his broom, his walk is ungainly; he is repeatedly described as "slouching" instead of walking. Ron almost worships Krum, to the point of buying a souvenir figurine of Krum that walks back and forth across his hand with Krum's characteristic duck-like gait.

When the representatives of Durmstrang Institute arrive at Hogwarts to enter the Triwizard Tournament, Ron is stunned to realize that Krum is among them — he had not thought that Krum was young enough to still be in school. His hopes of having Krum sit at the Gryffindor table for dinner are dashed, though: the Durmstrang delegation chooses the Slytherin table.

Krum's name is chosen by the Goblet of Fire, making him the Durmstrang champion for the Tournament. His headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, seems to feel that the Goblet has made the only logical choice. Krum does not say much when Harry is also chosen as a Champion; Karkaroff has to do most of his talking for him.

During the Fall term, Hermione keeps finding Krum in the library when she goes there to study. She finds this irritating, not because of Krum, but because of the gaggle of giggling girls who seem to follow him around, looking for autographs.

In the first Task of the Tournament, Krum uses the Conjunctivitus curse on his dragon to allow him to get past it and steal the Golden Egg. The dragon, enraged, flails around and breaks some of its own eggs, which costs him points; however, he comes out of the First Task with 40 points, tied for first with Harry.

Krum, it transpires, has invited Hermione to the Yule Ball. This infuriates Ron, though he doesn't really understand why; he thinks that he is angry with Hermione for "consorting with the enemy". After the Ball, Hermione and Ron have a flaming row in the Gryffindor common room, which Hermione ends by saying "Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!", and stalking off to the girl's dormitory. Harry later finds an arm on the floor of the dormitory that looks suspiciously like it might have been broken off a figurine of Krum that Ron owns.

In the Second Task of the Tournament, the Champions each have to retrieve something of great value to them which is being held by the Merpeople deep under the lake at Hogwarts. The thing of great value to Krum is Hermione. Krum uses a partial Transfiguration spell to give himself a shark head, but is unable to cut Hermione free; Harry, who is there waiting to see if any other hostages need rescuing, hands him a sharp stone that he has picked up off the lake bed. On the surface, Krum seems to be trying to keep Hermione's attention away from Ron and Harry, when they surface. It is during this interval that Krum invites Hermione to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer. After consultation between the judges, Krum is awarded 40 points for the Task, putting him in second place behind Harry and Cedric Diggory, who are tied for first.

Shortly afterwards, Rita Skeeter, writing in Witch Weekly, says that Hermione is keeping both Harry and Krum on a string. Hermione wonders how Rita knows that Viktor has invited her to Bulgaria, as she hasn't told anyone.

Shortly after the briefing for the Third Task of the Tournament, Krum takes Harry aside to ask if Hermione is Harry's girlfriend. Harry responds that she is not; Krum says she talks about him all the time, and Harry says, that's because they are friends, no more than that. While they are talking, Mr. Crouch emerges from the Forbidden Forest. Krum is at a loss for what to do, but Harry tells him to keep an eye on Crouch, and goes off to fetch Professor Dumbledore. On Harry's return, Crouch is gone, and Krum is Stunned; when Dumbledore revives him, he says that Crouch must have Stunned him.

Being in second place, Krum enters the Third Task maze after Harry and Cedric. Harry finds him performing the Cruciatus Curse on Cedric, Stuns him, and signals that he is out of the competition. It turns out later that Krum was being controlled at the time by Barty Crouch Jr. using the Imperius curse.

After the return of Lord Voldemort, Karkaroff runs. As the Durmstrang delegation prepares to leave Hogwarts at the end of the year, Ron wonders how they are going to get back to school with Karkaroff gone. Krum, who evidently has come to say goodbye to Harry and Hermione, remarks that Karkaroff had not done much of the driving; Krum had been in charge most of the way over and could get them back again easily enough. Finally, Ron unbends enough to ask Krum for his autograph.

Order of the Phoenix
Viktor is mentioned in passing when Hermione is trying to get Harry to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. Hermione says that Viktor had mentioned that Harry could do all sorts of things that Viktor couldn't, and Viktor was in his last year at Durmstrang. Ron, as usual, makes a sarcastic comment about "Vicky", which Hermione dismisses.

When Hermione, Harry, and Ron are discussing the events of the final session of Dumbledore's Army before the Christmas break, Hermione is in the middle of writing quite a long letter to Viktor. Ron is again sarcastic about "Vicky", and says darkly that he'd like to be much more than just a pen pal. To the reader, it is quite clear that Ron is correct about Viktor's intentions, that Ron is jealous of Viktor's attentions to Hermione, and, perhaps, that Ron is unaware of these feelings himself.

Half-Blood Prince
Viktor Krum is likely still corresponding with Hermione, but no particular mention of that is made in this book.

Deathly Hallows
Fleur Delacour has invited Viktor to her wedding; Hermione is quite startled and evidently pleased to see him there. Ron, of course, is jealous.

Harry, disguised as the Weasleys' "Cousin Barny", is sitting at a table with Ron and Hermione when Krum joins them; this inspires Ron to ask Hermione if she'd like to dance. Krum points out Xenophilius Lovegood, saying that he would duel him in other circumstances, because he is wearing the symbol of Grindelwald. He brandishes his wand, reminding Harry of the Weighing of the Wands ceremony in Harry's fourth year, and that reminds him that Mr. Ollivander had said this was a Gregorovitch wand. Harry had been trying to remember where he had heard the name Gregorovitch, and recognizing the source, he says that Krum's wand was made by Gregorovitch. Krum asks where he had heard that, Harry says it was a fan magazine. Krum muses that he didn't think he had spoken to any fan magazines about his wand, and then comments that this was one of the last wands made before Gregorovitch retired. He then inquires whether Ginny Weasley is seeing anyone; Harry says that she is, and that he's big. Viktor expresses displeasure, asking what the point is of being famous if all the good women are taken?

Hermione later comments that she had seen Viktor storming away from Xeno Lovegood, and wonders if they had had an argument.

Strengths
Viktor is an international standard Quidditch player. He displays a perfect example of the Wronski Feint which impresses the spectators at the Quiddich World Cup.

Weaknesses
Viktor is something of a loner and rarely talks unless it is necessary. However, he gets along well with people he knows. While he seems to be quite curt with both Harry and Ron, part of that may be the result of the language barrier; Viktor's native tongue is, of course, one of the Slavic languages, probably Bulgarian.

Relationships with Other Characters
Viktor is Hermione Granger's date for the Yule Ball, and he also asks her to visit him in Bulgaria. He tells her he has never felt before the way he does about her. Hermione does not reciprocate these feelings, but that does not seem to prevent Viktor writing to her repeatedly and at some length during the years following the TriWizard Tournament.

Ron Weasley is jealous of Viktor's relationship with Hermione, yet he has to grudgingly admit that he is a fan of Viktor as a Quidditch player as at the end of the 4th Harry Potter book, Ron asks Viktor for a signiture.

Unlike Fleur, who needs some persuading, Viktor seems to have no particular problem with Harry participating as a Champion in the Tournament. He is quite civil to Harry, compliments his flying, and treats him with a certain amount of respect.