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Introduction
Viktor Krum was an international quidditch player who played for the Bulgarian team and participated in the Quidditch World Cup in 1994. He was also the champion selected to represent Durmstrang during the Triwizard Tournament. He participated in all three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts during which time he took a liking to Hermione, and eventually became friendly toward Harry Potter. Later, he attended the wedding of a fellow champion, Fleur Delacour.
Viktor Krum Quick Facts
| Full Name | Viktor Krum |
| Birth Date | 1976 |
| Birth Place | Bulgaria |
| Nick Name | “Vicky”-by a jealous Ron Weasley |
| Death Date [if applicable] | NA |
| Age When Series Starts | 15 |
| Zodiac Sign | Unknown |
| Siblings | None |
| Children | None |
| Partner / Spouse | A woman from Bulgaria |
| Most Memorable Moment | Fighting in the Triwizard Tournament |
| Magical Heritage | Pureblood |
| Hogwarts House | Durmstrang |
| Wand | Hornbeam and dragon heartstring, 10 ¼ inches |
| Patronus | NA |
| Actors Who Played | Stanislav Lanevski |
| Last Updated | Apr 26, 2022 |
Viktor Krum Birthplace
Viktor Krum was born in Bulgaria.
Viktor Krum Parents
Viktor Krum has Bulgarian parents, both of whom are pure-blood wizards. They are seen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, sharing some of his more easily identifiable physical traits like his crooked nose.
Viktor Krum’s Physical Traits
Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned with thick black eyebrows on a large curved nose. When he played at the Quidditch World Cup, he was only 18, but he still somehow looks like an overgrown bird of prey. Up close, he was slightly duck-footed and distinctly round-shouldered with much better coordination on a broom than on the ground.
Viktor Krum Early Life
Viktor Krum was raised in Bulgaria, and he eventually attended Durmstrang Institute. During that time, he regularly confronted people who thought it would be funny to copy the symbol of Grindelwald into their books and clothing to try and shock other students. Grindelwald had murdered his grandfather, so Viktor presumably cursed or beat up the students who copied the symbol. He took a trip on the magical ship away from Bulgaria and into England, where he participated in the Triwizard Tournament while still in school. While still in school, he also played as the Bulgarian international team’s seeker, undoubtedly traveling regularly for their matches, including the Quidditch World Cup hosted in England in 1994.
Viktor Krum Hogwarts Years
Quidditch World Cup
At the Quidditch World Cup campsite, the Bulgarian tents each had a poster with a face of Viktor Krum on it, scowling and moving. Krum was popular for feinting in quidditch using the Wronski Defensive Feint as a seeker diversion.
One of the most popular pieces of merchandise sold at the Quidditch World Cup included collectible figures of famous players like Viktor Krum. Ron purchased a small figure of the Bulgarian seeker who walked back and forth across his hand and scowled.
As the Quidditch World Cup intensified, the Irish beater Quigley swung at a passing bludger and hit Viktor Krum full in the face, breaking his nose. In spite of the fact that there was blood everywhere, Viktor Krum saw that the Irish Seeker had located the snitch, so he did not take a medical timeout but instead flew straight toward the snitch with flecks of blood flying through the air behind him and successfully grabbed it, bringing the game to an end with Bulgaria at 160 points and Ireland at 170 points.
Triwizard Tournament
When Viktor Krum arrived at Hogwarts, he had a bit of a head cold, but that didn’t stop many of the 6th year girls from trying to get his autograph when he first entered the Great Hall and took his place at the Slytherin table. Ron Weasley desperately wanted an autograph as well but developed a strong dislike of Viktor Krum after Viktor asked Hermione to the Yule Ball. It wasn’t until the end of the year when he finally overcame his trepidation and asked for an autograph, mollifying Viktor Krum before his departure.
Karkaroff fawned over Viktor, offering him mulled wine but none to the other students, ensuring he was warm enough and well-fed and always walking with him at the front of the Durmstrang group.
Throughout most of the first term, Hermione Granger was always frustrated with Viktor Krum because he was bound to appear no matter where she went, usually to the library. He would come to the library and sit near her, which was unintrusive on its own but made incredibly disruptive by the gaggle of female students who always sycophantically followed him and hoped he would take notice. It wasn’t until the Yule Ball that Hermione realized he had been doing that because he liked her and was working up the courage to ask her out.
When he was selected as the Triwizard Champion for Durmstrang, he regularly stood brooding, somewhat away from the other champions. During the weighing of the wands ceremony, he tried to shuffle to the back of the group for group photos in spite of his fame as a quidditch player. Anytime the group came together, he remained sullen, brooding in the corner, away from the rest of the group.
First Task
Viktor Krum had to fight the Chinese fireball Dragon during the first task. He used a conjunctivitis curse so that the dragon would be blind and he could sneak in and get the egg. This worked, but the dragon accidentally crushed some of her other eggs, the real eggs, so this duct points. He came out tied with Harry Potter for first place in the end. It was clear that his Headmaster had warned him about dragons ahead of time because he, like the other Champions, was not surprised at all when he learned what they would be fighting.
Yule Ball
As the Yule Ball approached, Viktor Krum finally worked up the courage to ask Hermione Granger out. This was when he revealed that he had been coming to the library and sitting near her for months because he was interested in her and wanted to go out. On the night of the ball, Hermione had spent hours straightening her hair and wearing a lilac color dress, and the two of them helped open the Yule Ball with a dance. Hermione tried to teach him how to pronounce her name in a series of hilarious, bungled attempts throughout the night.
During this time, he earned the nickname (or pejorative) of “Vicky” by a jealous Ron Weasley, who couldn’t believe that Hermione had agreed to go with Viktor Krum. Ron tried to argue that she was fraternizing with the Enemy, but Harry Potter said he didn’t mind. Hermione explained that Viktor Krum did not talk about the Triwizard Tournament once, but instead, they talked about her, Hogwarts, and how much better Hogwarts was compared to Durmstranng.
Hermione and Viktor Krum had a lovely evening, dancing throughout the ball and ending everything with a kiss or two.
Second Task
During the second task, the thing that the participants would miss the most was taken from them. The task was to retrieve the thing they would miss the most and bring it back to the surface of the Great Lake within 1 hour. For Viktor Krum, this turned out to be Hermione. Krum used the Transfiguration technique to turn himself into a shark. By doing so, he was able to swim down to Hermione, arriving right after Harry Potter. Using his shark teeth, he bit her ropes clean and dragged her to the surface. However, he didn’t successfully transform his entire self, so he was docked points. Still, he came in second place. By the time Harry Potter arrived, having saved not only his person, Ron Weasley, but Fleur’s little sister Hermione was so proud and enthusiastic, talking almost entirely to Harry Potter.
Viktor Krum was regularly seen swimming in the Great Lake, even in the winter. Ron and Harry couldn’t believe that he was doing so given the freezing temperatures, but Hermoine pointed out that where he lived was much colder, so these temperatures seemed somewhat warm to him.
Viktor mentioned that she had a beetle in her hair and picked it out to regain her attention. During that time, unbeknownst to others, he talked to Hermione about her coming to visit him at some point. He said that he had never felt that way about anyone else. The same beetle overheard these disclosures in her hair, which turned out to be a transfigured Rita Skeeter. Rita Skeeter later used what she had heard to write a disparaging article about Hermione Granger.
Third Task
After being shown the hedges and what would eventually become the third task, Viktor Krum asked Harry Potter if they could walk and talk privately. Tentatively, Viktor asked about the ridiculous article published by Rita Skeeter regarding Hermione. In the article, she had alluded to the theory that Hermione Granger was once the girlfriend of Harry Potter, but then she traded him to date another famous quidditch player, Viktor Krum, breaking Harry Potter’s heart. When Krum asked what was going on between the two of them, Harry and Hermione, it was at this moment that Harry appreciated just how big Viktor was. When he told him that there was absolutely nothing going on, that they were just friends, had always been friends, and she was more like a sister to him, Krum relaxed.
They exchanged compliments about quidditch techniques and Harry’s flying. They were almost friendly until Barty Crouch appeared in the woods, muttering to a tree. He had moments of lucidity where he seemed to be physically struggling, begging Harry and Krum to get Professor Dumbledore because Crouch had to explain what was going on, but then he would be interrupted, turn back to face the tree, and give instructions as though he were talking to Percy Weasley. Only these instructions often included information about his wife and his son, indicating that he was also back in time.
Harry Potter told Viktor Krum to wait with Barty Crouch while Harry retrieved Dumbledore. Krum was not happy but agreed. When they came back, they found Krum alone, stunned. Karkaroff accused them of treachery, hurting Krum on purpose.
During the third task, Viktor Krum was subject to the imperious curse by Barty Crouch Jr., impersonating Mad-Eye Moody. During this interaction, Harry Potter saw his eyes were clouded and deduced that something was wrong. In the book, Harry Potter runs into Viktor Krum briefly, and even though Viktor Krum had his wand pointed at Harry, he lowers it as soon as he sees him and runs away. This was likely done because he was under the imperious curse, and the person controlling him had given him orders not to harm or kill Harry Potter.
In the film, while Viktor was cursed, he tried to kill Cedric Diggory in an attempt to remove the last obstacle in Harry Potter’s path. However, Harry Potter helped Cedric fight him off and sent up the red spark so that he could be rescued.
After the conclusion of the Triwizard tournaments, when Harry and Ron were hypothesizing about how the students from Durmstrang would get home given that their Headmaster had fled, it was Viktor Krum who explained that the Headmaster didn’t steer the ship, he just relaxed in his cabin and made all the students do the work.
The Second Wizarding War
After Viktor Krum returned home, he continued to correspond with Hermione even though their relationship didn’t seem to go anywhere else. In fact, she regularly wrote to him in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and asked for his Insight on certain matters.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he attended the wedding of Bill and Fleur. Fleur had invited him, as they had become friends during the Triwizard Tournament. He was very excited to see Hermione Granger again, commenting on how beautiful she looked. In order to take away a flushed and flattered Hermione from the good graces of Viktor Krum, Ron Weasley immediately pulled her onto the dance floor, to the disappointment of Viktor.
While he was there, he talked with Harry Potter, although he didn’t know it was Harry Potter because Harry was disguised for his own safety. During that time, he lamented that there was no point in being a famous quidditch player if all the pretty girls were already taken.
What’s more, he almost fought Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna Lovegood’s father, because of a symbol Xenophilius was wearing around his neck. Viktor said that he would have dueled him immediately had it not been for the fact that they were at a wedding. Viktor Krum explains that this symbol was used by Gellert Grindelwald, the dark wizard whom Dumbledore previously battled. Viktor Krum explained that Gellert Grindelwald went to Durmstrang, so as he rose to power and practiced the dark arts, his symbol was engraved throughout the castle. But Viktor Krum’s grandfather was one of many people who fought against Gellert Grindelwald. So, when young girl students thought it would be funny to carve the symbol or use it during their time at school, Viktor put them in their place.
The disguised Harry Potter assured him that Xenophilius Lovegood was not trying to support the symbol of dark magic or Grindelwald, that he was an eccentric man who had no idea what the symbol meant. This turned out to be true, given that Lovegood was wearing the symbol to represent the Deathly Hallows, and as it turned out, the symbol was co-opted by Grindelwald as an expression of his quest to find and reunite all three hallows.
Viktor Krum Family
Very little is known about Viktor Krum’s family. We know that his parents were pureblood Wizards also from Bulgaria, and they spoke to him in rapid Bulgarian. They also like to hover in the corners, not draw attention to themselves, and seem to have a constant glare on their face, just like Viktor Krum. We also know that Gellert Grindelwald killed his grandfather while Grindelwald rose to power using dark arts in Bulgaria.
It is presumed that he later married a fellow student from Bulgaria, although no information is available about whether they had children.
Viktor Krum Magical Abilities and Special Skills
Even though he didn’t think to use this particular skill while participating in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum was an excellent flyer. He was particularly popular for his seeker diversion tactics like the Wronsky Feint. He showed a great deal of dedication to his team at the same time by seeking victory in spite of a broken nose and two black eyes. It was said that he was one of the best speakers in the world even though he started playing when he was only 17.
He was reasonably successful at Transfiguration, being able to partially transfigure himself into a shark when he participated in the second task. Even though his Transfiguration was not complete, it still represented a serious bit of magic, not just for someone his age but for any wizard.
He was also very good at using curses and counter-curses, something he demonstrated during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament when he used the conjunctivitis curse on the dragon. There was nothing wrong with his application of the curse, he was only docked points because the dragon got confused and broke some of her own eggs, but otherwise, he was very skilled.
It is evident that Viktor Krum was very good at dueling. This is something that he did while it’s cool, especially to those who thought it would be funny to use the symbol of Gerald Grindelwald, and it was something he threatened to do at Bill’s wedding when he saw Xenophilius Lovegood wearing the same symbol.
He spoke English fluently as well as native Bulgarian. Even though he had an accent when he spoke English, he was still bilingual.
Viktor Krum Wand
Viktor Krum’s wand was made with hornbeam and dragon heartstring. It was 10 and 1/4 inches long, noted for being much thicker than most wands are. His wand was described as rather inflexible and not something that the famous British wand maker would make, use, or distribute himself, but nonetheless very useful. He was actually one of the last people to buy a wand from the famous Gregorovitch before Gregorovitch disappeared.
Viktor Krum Trivial and Fun Facts
In the book, Harry Potter and Viktor Krum exchange words a few different times, and there’s nothing necessarily Hospital between them. However, in the movies, they never speak directly to one another, so you don’t get a clear appreciation for the friendship that develops.
The actor who portrayed Krum, Stanislav Lanevski, was actually Bulgarian. The character is described as being tall and thin with thick black eyebrows and a curved nose in the book. However, the actor is much stockier, broad-shouldered, with short hair and stubble.
The name is related to Victory or Victorious, but it is Slavic. The last name “Krum” was a Bulgarian Monarch who ruled a dynasty from 803 until 814. This Monarch was called “Krum the Fearsome.”
There is very little said about Viktor Krum and any friends he may have made in the books. However, after leaving Hogwarts, he clearly stays in contact with Hermione Granger and with Fleur Delacour, so it seems that he has more female friends than he does male friends.
Viktor Krum Appearances in Books
Viktor Krum appears in the following books:
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Viktor Krum Appearances in Films
Viktor Krum appears in the following films:
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (shown in a deleted scene dancing at the wedding)
Viktor Krum Quotes
Viktor Krum asking Harry Potter about Harry’s relationship with Hermione:
Viktor: “I vant to know vot there is between you and Hermy-own-ninny.”
Harry Potter: “Nothing. We’re just friends. She’s not my girlfriend and she never has been. It’s just that Skeeter woman making things up.”
Viktor: “Hermy-own-ninny talks about you very often.”
Harry Potter: “Yeah, because we’re friends.”
Hermione Granger quoting Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:
“Viktor always said — He said Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn’t, and he was in his final year at Durmstrang.”
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, at the wedding of Bill and Fleur, when Hermione is clearly with Ron and Harry Potter says Ginny, too, is taken:
“Vot is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?”
FAQs
Answer: Viktor Krum was regularly moody and surly, not speaking unless he needed to, and keeping to himself. He seems very reserved in spite of his fame. It wasn’t until he started talking with Hermione Granger that he really opened up and showed that he was friendly, personable, and loquacious but only to those with whom he was close. Viktor Krum did attack Cedric Diggory but when he was under the influence of the imperius curse. This was not something that he did of his own mind. He was always a good guy who did not tolerate the dark arts or bad behavior from dark wizards even though he attended the school then encouraged the study of dark arts.
Answer: Viktor Krum showed no romantic feelings toward Fleur Delacour. However, they were friends. They became friends during the Triwizard Tournament hosted at Hogwarts and remain friends thereafter. They were so close that he attended her wedding.
Answer: It’s not explicitly said whether Viktor Krum kissed Hermione Granger, however, Harry Potter remarks internally that he knew for a fact that she had snogged Viktor Krum while he was at Hogwarts, presumably at the Yule Ball or sometime thereafter. This information is revealed when Ron Weasley gets in a fight with his younger sister after finding his younger sister making out with her boyfriend in the portrait hole. She yelled at him that he’s only behaving that way because he hasn’t snogged anyone whereas all of his friends have, including Hermione.
Answer: During the third task of the Triwizard Tournament Barty Crouch, Jr. disguised as Mad-Eye Moody put a spell on Viktor Krum causing him to try and fight the other competitors, clearing the way for Harry Potter. It is presumed that only after Barty Crouch Jr. was stunned by Dumbledore was the control released and Krum restored to normal.
Research Citations
IMDB. Harry Potter Full Cast. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0926084/fullcredits/cast
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2002.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Listening Library, 2003.
Rowling, J. K. (2010). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. London: Bloomsbury. Chicago (Author-Date, 15th ed.) Rowling, J. K. 2010.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2007.