Just a bit of an explanation before I get going. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Viktor all attended Hogwarts. Hermione and Harry were best friends, and she had never met Ron. Harry and Ron were both in Gryffindor, Hermione and Viktor were in Ravenclaw. Viktor is three years older than Hermione, and she is the same age as Harry and Ron. Rated T for violence. I hope you like it! Please read and review!

**

Viktor slipped his arms around his wife's body. She was fastening the clip on a necklace she paned to wear to the party tonight. Her best friend, Harry Potter had just completed the training to become an Auror, and his girlfriend (whom Hermione was planning to meet for the first time) decided to throw him a party. Hermione shot her husband a small smile before returning her attention to her necklace.

"You're a witch! Just use magic instead of fumbling with that clasp." Viktor said, drawing his wand and using it to do up the necklace.

"Thank you." She said with a weak smile. He pulled her in to a hug with his large muscled arms.

"You look beautiful, but you should really do something about that." He said pointing to her chest. Hermione looked in the mirror and noticed a large black bruise on her chest. She blushed as she drew her wand. Quick as a flash the bruise was gone. Hidden, like the anger from her husband that put the bruise there.

Their relationship was so "perfect," or at least that's what others called it. It started out perfect enough. They were sweethearts all though school who married one year after Hermione graduated from Hogwarts. Things were great, until Viktor got angry. He took out all his stress on her frail body. In the end, he convinced her that she deserved it, and that is would never happen again.

But it always happens again, she thought to herself as she finished getting ready for the party. He fed on her insecurities, never forgetting to remind her about all the things she detested about herself. After all, no one but Viktor could love her. He told her that every day. The funny thing was that after three years of marriage, she knew it was true.

"Ready to go?" He asked. She nodded.

"Of course darling." Hermione whispered.

**

"You made it!" Harry exclaimed.

"What did you think? Like we would miss this! You're my best friend...besides Viktor of course." Hermione said, catching the eye of her jealous husband.

"Congratulations Harry. I don't think there was ever anyone better suited to be an Auror than you." Viktor said.

"Hermione would have made a great Auror." Harry said, smiling widely at his best friend.

"Then who would clean the house and cook for me? Quiddich stars need someone to rely on, right love?" He laughed, pulling her against his body so hard she wanted to scream out from the pain.

"I suppose." She whispered. Harry invited them into the house, then he and Viktor got into an animated discussion about Quiddich. Suddenly, she caught the eye of a red haired man across the room. He smiled at her, but there was something special about this smile. This man wasn't smiling for a sinister reason, he was genuinely smiling at her. Harry followed her eyes, and noticed who she was looking at. He had never really taken a liking to Viktor, and he always suspected there was something off about him.

"Ron!" He yelled across the room. "Come here, there is someone I'd like you to meet." Hermione began to blush, wondering if he staring was obvious to Viktor. He had already wandered off, in search of someone he could boast to, so she didn't feel frightened.

"Ron, this is Hermione. Hermione, this is Ron. He graduated from Hogwarts the year we did. He was a Gryffindor though, unlike you and Viktor."

"Hello." Hermione said politely Ron.

"Hi." He said back. He smiled at her again. "I think I recognize you."

"Yes, I think we must have had some classes together, because you look familiar to me."

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing a red headed girl by the hand. "This is my beautiful girlfriend, Ginny."

"Hi!" She said brightly to Hermione.

"Ginny, I think that dress is a little...slutty." Ron said sternly.

"Oh shut up Ronald." She said with a laugh, and her and Harry wandered off to talk to other people.

"That's my sister." Ron said, as his ears turned red. "It must have seemed weird for me to comment on the dress, but its my sister. Yeah, she's marrying Harry."

"Do you always talk so much?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"No. Just when I am talking to beautiful girls."

"Oh." She breathed. Viktor told her that no one else could ever find her beautiful. Could he have been wrong?

"I'm sorry. Did I upset you?" He asked.

"No. It's just...weird. No one besides my husband has called me beautiful...ever." She said.

"They were sadly mistaken. So you're married. How's that working out for you?" He asked with a smile. Hermione looked down at her chest, where the bruise had been just hours earlier. It seemed to be a reminder of how her marriage was working out.

"Fine. Great actually." She lied. "What about you? Are you involved with anyone?"

"Yes." He sighed. "But to tell you the truth, I wish I wasn't. She is the most annoying person on the planet." Ron began to laugh. "You might know her? Lavender Brown?"

"Yes, I know her." Hermione said stiffly. She did not want to mention that all through school, she was bullied mercilessly by Lavender Brown. "She is...different." With that they both began to laugh.

**

Hours and many butter beers later, Hermione and Viktor returned home. Hermione had spent the whole night with Ronald, talking, laughing and dancing. For the first time in a long time she had fun. Unfortunately, Viktor noticed.

"You slut! You flirted with him! After all the things I've done for you!" He roared.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, tears running rapidly down her cheeks.

"Oh, you're sorry." He said in a mocking voice. Viktor quickly turned his anger on their night stand, kicking it over with extreme force.

"I really am. I would never hurt you. I was just talking." She pleaded, grabbing his arm.

"You know you'll have to repay me." He said angrily.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I love you. I'll do anything for you." She said, fumbling with the buttons on her blouse.

"Are you kidding? That's not what I meant...right now. We'll see if I feel like it after this." He said with an evil smile. There was no where for her to go. Her shaking body was against the wall, pushed up in a corner. She whimpered, but accepted what was coming.

**
To Hermione's dismay, Viktor was in "the mood" after he beat her, though he let her clean herself up before they began. It had been a long night, and Hermione fell into bed with tears streaming down her face. She was done telling herself that this was the last time. She knew he'd do it again soon. She cried herself to sleep, but couldn't help dreaming of that guy she met at Harry's party. He would never do that to her, she thought as she slept.