Viktor Krum

"*He's unbelievable. He's really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight, you'll see.*"
—Ron Weasley on Krum's flying[src]

**Viktor Krum** (Bulgarian: Виктор Крум; born April-August, 1976) is a Bulgarian wizard. He attended the Durmstrang Institute, and was also the Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team at the age of eighteen while still at school. In 1994, he played in the final of the Quidditch World Cup. The Irish won the match, but Viktor caught the Golden Snitch to end the match on his terms. Later in the year, he was part of the Durmstrang delegation sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the Triwizard Tournament. He was selected by the Goblet of Fire as the Durmstrang Champion, and competed bravely. However, the Tournament ended in tragedy with the death of Cedric Diggory, and Viktor returned home. In 1997, he attended the wedding of Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley.

He retired from Quidditch after the Bulgarian defeat in the final of the 2002 World Cup, but came out of retirement to compete in the 2014 World Cup, out of a desire "*to win the World Cup before I die*". The Bulgarian side famously won the World Cup that year, after beating Brazil.

## Biography

### Early life

"[...] *this is his symbol, I recognised it at vunce: Grindelvald carved it into a vall at Durmstrang ven he vos a pupil there. Some idiots copied it onto their books and clothes thinking to shock, make themselves impressive — until those of us who had lost family members to Grindelvald taught them better.*"
—Viktor on the wizard who murdered his grandfather[src]

Viktor was born to Krum and his wife between May and August 1976. He grew up in Bulgaria, and attended the Durmstrang Institute. He was one of the last people to purchase a wand from Gregorovitch Zauberstäbe before Mykew Gregorovitch's retirement.

During his time at the school, Viktor was confronted by what he believed to be the symbol of Gellert Grindelwald, which was indeed the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, that had been carved into the walls by the wizard himself. Other students at the school began copying the symbol onto their books and clothing as a way of trying to shock and impress. Highly insulted, since his grandfather had been murdered by Grindelwald, Viktor and several other students who had also lost family at the hands of the Dark Wizard taught them the error of their ways.

### The 1994 Quidditch World Cup

"*Harry had never seen anyone fly like that; Krum hardly looked as though he was using a broomstick at all; he moved so easily through the air that he looked unsupported and weightless.*"
—Description of Viktor's flying skills[src]

A skilled Quidditch Seeker, Viktor was selected to play for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team despite still being at school, and was widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. In 1994, he played in the Quidditch World Cup, and helped Bulgaria reach the final against the Irish National Quidditch team. He was considered a fantastically exciting player to watch, so much so that even some of those who were supporting Ireland couldn't help but cheer for him.

During the final match, Viktor fooled the Irish Seeker, Aidan Lynch, by performing a *Wronski Feint* that resulted in Lynch ploughing into the ground. Despite his skills, the Irish side were too good for the Bulgarians, and Viktor decided to end the match by catching the Golden Snitch. During his pursuit of the Snitch, he was hit in the face by a Bludger which broke his nose and gave him two black eyes. However, he caught the Snitch and ended the match on his own terms. He received a runners-up medal along with the rest of the Bulgarian team following the conclusion of the match.

## Physical appearance

"*Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. It was hard to believe he was only eighteen.*"
—Description[src]
Viktor was a tall, thin, sallow young man with dark hair and eyes. He had a large, curved nose that he inherited from his father, a sharp profile, thick, black eyebrows. Despite appearing graceful while flying on a broomstick, he was round-shouldered and duck-footed while on the ground. Hermione Granger described him as "*grumpy-looking*" and not particularly handsome, though on the latter occasion, she was annoyed because his "fan club" would follow him into the library and make noise while she was trying to read. By the time of Fleur and Bill's wedding, Viktor had grown a small beard, which Ron Weasley criticised.

## Personality and traits

"*He's really nice, you know. He's not at all like you'd think, coming from Durmstrang.*"
—Hermione Granger on Viktor[src]

Surly and moody, Viktor usually kept his own company and rarely spoke unless he needed to. Despite his fame, or perhaps because of it, Viktor was reserved and not fond of the attention he was paid because of his celebrity. However, he was known to be good company to those he allowed close to him, such as Hermione Granger, to whom he spoke "*very enthusiastically*" once they became friendly.

Hermione described Viktor as very kind and not at all what one would expect from a student of Durmstrang. Viktor also responded well to those that treated him fairly or impressed him. Cedric Diggory was always polite to him, and Viktor was saddened by Cedric's death. Viktor was also impressed by Harry Potter's flying skills during the First Task. Harry also considered Viktor to be "*a lot tougher than he looked*" after seeing him dive into Black Lake in January. He also has very little patience with people who insulted the deaths of his beloved ones, as he felt highly insulted by Durmstrang students who copied the mark of Grindelwald, the dark wizard who killed Viktor's grandfather, and was furious when he saw Xenophilius Lovegood wearing the symbol.

## Magical abilities and skills

* **Quidditch:** Viktor was an incredibly skilled flyer and played Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team by the age of seventeen. He was said to be one of the best seekers in the world, despite his young age.
* **Transfiguration:** Viktor had some skill with Transfiguration spells. He partially transfigured himself into a shark during the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, which is human Transfiguration — a very difficult form of Transfiguration.
* **Dark Arts:** At Durmstrang, he learned how to use the Dark Arts, although he was not a Dark Wizard. He was forced to use the Cruciatus Curse on Cedric Diggory under the influence of the Imperius Curse.
* **Duellist:** As the practical application of Martial Magic is a mandatory field of study at Durmstrang, it is reasonable to assume that Viktor Krum is an accomplished duelist. He claimed that, if it would not disturb Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, he would duel Xenophilius Lovegood for wearing Gellert Grindelwald's symbol, showing a certain confidence in his abilities despite the fact that Lovegood was much older and for all he knew, a superior duelist.

==Relationships==

### Cedric Diggory

"*I liked Diggory. He vos alvays polite to me. Alvays. Even though I vos from Durmstrang — with Karkaroff.*"
—Viktor regarding Cedric after he was murdered[src]

Viktor met Cedric Diggory in the chamber off the Great Hall after

the champions names had come out of the Goblet of Fire. He respected Diggory's character and sense of fair play. He stated that Cedric had always been nice to him, even though he was from Durmstrang. While under the Imperius Curse, he used the Cruciatus Curse on Diggory in the maze during the third task. When Diggory was murdered, Viktor seemed to be affected, since he spoke of him to Harry Potter before leaving Hogwarts.

## Media

Harry Potter- The Quidditch World Cup1994 Quidditch World CupHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - welcoming foreign schoolsForeign Visitors ArriveHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - The Champion SelectionThe Four ChampionsHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - The Second TaskThe Second TaskHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Running around the mazeThe Third Task
## Etymology

* Viktor means the "victorious one," appropriate for a forceful Quidditch player. The name may have been intended by J. K. Rowling to be ironic, as Viktor competes in two major tournaments in *Goblet of Fire* (the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament) and loses both.
* Krum is the name of one of the most famous Bulgarian rulers, who ruled in the Ninth century. Krum is, however, not a typical name in modern Bulgaria, being of pagan origin, and is in fact not a surname, but a given name. At the time Bulgarian rulers were known by their first name, as they all rose from the same house/family (Dulu).
* It could be possible that his real surname is Krumov (Крумов) which would follow the formation of surnames in Bulgarian language, and that Krum was just an Anglicisation of it.
* It could also be possible that Krum is a wizarding surname, as wizarding culture often favours very old names. This is plausible since medieval Bulgarian surnames were not necessarily possessive forms.

1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `BD`
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*
4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian\_name#Bulgarian\_given\_names