"My lord, I bring excellent news."
Voldemort tilted his head slightly as he stroked Nagini. He sat on a throne–his throne–, which he had ordered 7 of his men to build for him. The fabric of it was soaked with the blood of his victims; the legs made of their bones. The back of the seat was made of solid gold which he had stolen, and the arms were made of assorted wood from the wands he had broken. It was marvelous and sickening at the same time.
"Go on," the man (if he still qualified as that) drawled. He whispered something in Parseltongue to his pet snake and it slithered away. "What is this…excellent news?"
"I completed the…task we've discussed."
The Dark Lord smiled coldly. "Well, that is good news, indeed."
The masked Death Eater bowed their head and said to the ground, "I am glad to be of your service, my lord."
His laugh echoed throughout the Throne Room. "You have yet to disappoint me, my child."
"I can't believe it! Can you believe it?"
Harry shook his head and half-listened to Ron ramble on and on about Hermione and Krum (who, a few minutes ago, was Ron's idol.) Harry nodded as he spoke but his eyes were on Cho, who sat two tables down. She caught him staring at her and he blushed. He smiled weakly, and she smiled back.
"Hermione!" Ron called out when the bushy haired girl walked towards their table. Harry tore his eyes away from Cho's and joined Ron in calling to their friend. "Hermione–wait, where are you going?" Ron asked, confused.
Hermione walked past their table and kept on going, joining Viktor at the Durmstrang table. Viktor kissed her hand softly and gestured for her to sit down. She sat beside him and smiled and laughed as he spoke.
Ron wanted to strangle him.
After a delicious dinner, Hermione said goodbye to Viktor and entered the Gryffindor common room. After looking around to make sure the coast was clear, she pulled out a vial of emerald green liquid from her bag. If this works, she thought to herself, he will be very pleased.
She quietly climbed up the stairs to the Fourth Year Boys' dormitories and opened the door slowly. She entered the room and crept over to the water jug on the windowsill, uncorking the vial along the way. She poured a few drops of the green potion into the water, making sure she still had some left in case Harry wasn't thirsty that night.
But if he was, she had to be prepared. She muttered "Silencio" with her wand pointed at Harry's rising and falling bodyand slowly walked backwards toward the door. He'd scream like hell, and she could do with a good night's sleep.
"Did you do it?"
"Yes, my lord. The boy is in a weak state, now–I will deliver him to you shortly."
Voldemort scowled. "Be quick. I do not like to be kept waiting."
Hermione went to check on Harry at three in the morning, four hours after she had poured the potion into the water. The potion was strong, so if he had drank the water he'd still be in immense pain for another three hours.
He did drink it. His body shook; his eyes widened, his face was covered with sweat. His mouth was open, and Hermione could tell he was screaming. He rolled around on the floor with the pitcher by his trembling hand. It lay on its side; water was slowly pouring out and drenching the carpet near his bed. He started having trouble breathing and he gasped for air.
He was in too much pain to notice Hermione smiling coldly by the doorway.
She snuck out into the dark halls of the castle, a lit lantern in her hand. She arrived at the room of requirement and wished to be with Viktor. A wooden door appeared and she stepped inside.
He sat on a chair, waiting for her. "Vell, did you do it?"
Hermione nodded. He grinned.
"Then, ve should get down to buisness, no?"
Hermione nodded again, the corners of her lips twitching. She broke into a smile when he stood up and took her hands gently, her lips dangerously close to hers. He slowly led to a bed in the corner in the room (she could've sworn it wasn't there when she first entered) and lowered her onto it. He closed the gap between them suddenly by kissing her hard on the lips–her hands moved from his back to his hair and his dropped to her hips.
He continued kissing her and began to unbutton her shirt, while she began to unbutton his. Hermione laughed as he struggled with the last button, and he chuckled when she couldn't unzip his trousers.
Meanwhile, Ron woke up upstairs and found Harry shaking on the ground.
"Blimey! What happened?" Ron asked as he jumped out of his bed. He ran to his friend's side and told him to hold on. "Seamus! Dean! Guys, there's something wrong with Harry!"
The rest of the dorm woke up groggily. "Ron, it's four in the mornin'," said Seamus.
"Dean, go get Dumbledore," Ron ordered. Dean was the only one who got up immediately–he noticed Harry squirming on the floor right away and got out of bed quickly. He nodded and ran out the door.
Ron started murmuring words of encouragement to his friend, even though they weren't really helping and were more intended for Ron himself. The rest of the dormitory climbed out of bed and crouched by Harry's side, and Seamus announced that he was going to cast a spell on him. "Me mum taught me a healing spell," he said, but everyone yanked his wand from him and hid it under Dean's mattress in fear that he would explode the boy who lived.
Dean came rushing in with the headmaster and the head of house following him. "Oh my," Professor McGonagall said, her hand clamping over her mouth. She hastily made her way to Harry and Dumbledore followed. He levitated him onto his bed and took a close look at him.
"Drink of Despair," he mused. "This is a potion created by Lord Voldemort himself." A few boys flinched, and McGonagall looked worried.
"You're not suggesting–"
"That he's back?" Dumbledore interrupted. "I don't think so, Minerva, or he would've done this himself. I think he is out there, though, and that this was his doing, indirectly."
Professor McGonagall's voice lowered. "Are you saying, Albus, that one of these boys–"
"Perhaps."
"But they're so young! What are they, fourteen? Fifteen? Such young children can't possibly be doing such…evil!"
Dumbledore looked at Harry and with a wave of his hand Harry stopped moving.
"How did you do that?" Ron asked, stunned.
"I've put him to sleep," the wise wizard replied. He sighed and fixed Harry's glasses, which Harry had broke sometime in the night as he thrashed. "This way, he will be sleeping and the pain will come to pass."
The boys, the Head of House and the Headmaster stood in silence before Dumbledore broke it.
"Ahhh," he said. He closed his eyes.
"What is it, Albus?"
"Hermione Granger. " Dumbledore sat down beside Harry on the bed. "Oh, that poor girl."
Ron's eyebrows rose when he hear Hermione's name. "Hermione? You're saying Hermione did this? You must be joking."
Seamus nodded. "Hermione wouldn't hurt a fly, much less Harry!"
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "Hermione is one of my best students, Albus. She's such a hard-working, polite girl. I refuse to believe she would've done this, I simply refuse."
Dumbledore agreed. "No, Hermione would never do this, but if she had been influenced in some way…"
The Headmaster cleared his throat and looked towards McGonagall. "I've seen that Durmstrang boy pour something in her drink the other day. I assumed it was a juice they brought from their school, but I never saw him or any other Durmstrang students drink it." Dumbledore shook his head as he admitted, "I was a fool to think nothing of it."
Ron's mouth dropped open. "I knew that guy was no good! I knew it!"
Dean looked confused. "What do you think the liquid was, Professor?"
"Amortentia," the man replied. "The most dangerous and power potion there is."
"I have sent a message to the Dark Lord–he is expecting the boy."
Hermione pulled up her skirt and buttoned up her shirt. "How will we bring him there?"
"Using this." He showed Hermione the Vanishing Cabinet in the other corner of the room. "Ve put him in here, and poof, he's gone!" Hermione laughed and walked over to him–she pulled him down to her by the collar of his shirt and kissed him; first his lips, then his neck…
"Hermione–" he protested.
"You learned how to say my name," she observed, her eyebrows raised. She continued to kiss him, and he gave up trying to refuse her and started to kiss back.
"Hermione…can–you–go–get–him?" He asked between kisses after a few minutes.
"Why don't you?" Hermione asked. She pushed him towards the wall and pressed her forehead to his. "I drugged him, you do the rest."
Viktor looked at her skeptically. Hermione kissed him below the ear softly and whispered, "I'll be waiting."
He scared off the Fat Lady by beaming a bright light at her.
"I'm trying to sleep you know!" she shrieked. She scurried over to another painting and he entered the Common Room silently.
As he climbed up the stairs the dormitories, he reviewed his plan–find the boy, levitate him all the way to the Vanishing Cabinet, slam the door and satisfy his appetite with whatever Granger had in store for him. It sounded like a good plan–a great one–but it was ruined when the Headmaster of the goddamn school was waiting for him on the other side of the door.
"Viktor Krum."
He grimaced. Well, screw the plan.
He started to run out the door.
"I wasn't aware Voldemort had a son."
Viktor stopped and turned around to face the old man. His father would be upset with him–very upset. Not only has he failed, but also Dumbledore, one of his most powerful rivals, now knows his secret.
"How did you find out?" Viktor asked.
"I have my ways." The wizard smiled, and Viktor wanted to slap it off his face.
"Viktor, let me help you."
"Why would you want to help the bastard son of The Dark Lord?"
"You're scared of your own father, Viktor. Seeing as you do not call him by his name."
"It's a matter of respect," Viktor spat, "not courage."
"Do you know who your mother is?" Dumbledore asked, out of the blue.
Viktor and his father never discussed his mother. Bellatrix hated it. Bellatrix hated him.
"No."
"Her name was Ana Kostova. She was 16 when she gave birth to you. Bellatrix wanted her destroyed at once, and your father killed her without a hesitation."
"What does this have to do with anything?!" Viktor asked angrily.
"It doesn't. I simply wanted to tell you."
Viktor's patience was running low.
"Let me help you, Viktor. You can live at Hogwarts. I'll protect you from Vol–"
"I don't need protection from him! I need protection from you!"
Dumbledore stared at the young man sadly. "Please, Viktor."
"Sorry, old man." He began to raise his wand to finish him off but Dumbledore disarmed him with a flick of his wand.
"No," Dumbledore said, his eyes wet with tears, "I'm sorry."
He stunned the boy and dropped to the floor on his knees, sobbing softly. Ministry officials walked in and dragged the Bulgarian boy away, and Professor McGonagall helped the Headmaster up. "You did the right thing, Albus. You did the right thing."
"Hermione what are you–"
"Ron!" Hermione squeaked. She quickly covered herself with the blanket and blushed a deep red. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I've come to save you," Ron stammered, also blushing. "You're under a love potion."
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. "This is about Viktor, isn't it?" she whispered, trying her hardest to control her anger.
"Well, yeah."
She got up with the blanket wrapped around her and whacked him with a pillow. "I'm in love with him, Ron! I know it's hard for you to believe, but I love him, and he loves me, and we're happy together! Why do you always have to ruin everything?" She whacked him as she spoke. "Why–don't–you–want–me–to–be–happy?"
Ron fumed and pushed the pillow aside. He grabbed Hermione's bare shoulders and shook. "Bloody hell, Hermione! Of course I want you to be bloody happy, you're one of my best bloody friends! You know, for the brightest witch of her age you really are quite dim sometimes!"
"And why's that?" Hermione retorted. She hit him in the chest.
He pushed her back. "Because I bloody love you, that's why! I always have!"
Hermione went pale. "What?"
"No time to explain, now come on! Put on your clothes, Snape's making some anti-love potion stuff for you, and for the first time ever, I'm grateful for that slimy git."
"Drink up."
Professor Snape pushed a potion towards Hermione. "Drink every last drop," he drawled.
Hermione glared at him and took the potion. She opened it the vial and poured it into her mouth, gagging at the bitter taste. She blinked a couple times and from the corner of her eye she saw Harry waking up on a bed across the hospital wing–the vial in her hand fell onto the ground and broke into pieces as she gasped.
"Oh my god."
"Harry I'm so sorry–"
"Don't bother, Hermione–"
"Are you okay, oh my god I can't believe I did this…"
Harry croaked. "Hermione, please…it's okay…I'm really tired and my throat hurts from screaming so…"
Hermione nodded her head rapidly. "Okay, okay, I'll shut up, you go back to sleep." The lightning scarred boy closed his eyes and went back to sleep as she sat beside him, holding his hand and sobbing until early afternoon.
It had taken a day for Harry to return back to normal, and two for Hermione to stop hating herself.
"Good to have you back, Hermione." Harry said as he climbed out of bed. Hermione sniffled and hugged him.
"Good to have you back, too." They broke apart after several minutes.
"So you two, huh?" Harry grinned. Ron flushed and Hermione looked at the ground.
Harry ruffled Ron's hair as Hermione went to tell Dumbledore that Harry had awoken.
"Good on you, mate."