When morning finally arrived, Hermione woke to the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen. Viktor was sleeping soundly as she dressed and crept downstairs.
In the brightly lit kitchen, she found two of her oldest friends making breakfast. Neville shyly greeted her and handed her a cup of tea. Harry was looking at the notes from the night before. He showed them to Hermione, asking if she knew anything about either Poliakoff or Skvortsov.
"Poliakoff teaches at Durmstrang now. He is their History of Magic professor. He is a nice man, not capable of this kind of psychological abuse. If I had to guess, it would be Skvortsov. He was always watching us that year. He used to stare at Viktor as if he hated him. I never could figure it out. He gave me the willies. Could it really be him? Oh, Harry, I hope so. I have never, ever seen Viktor so depressed. I was terrified that ... I couldn't live without him. I will be eternally grateful to you, all of you, when this is finally over. Tell Gin I'll come see her and the boys, I promise. I'm going back to see about Viktor. He actually slept soundly last night. He did not take that potion, however." She kissed both Harry and Neville on the cheek before going back upstairs with a cup of Viktor's favourite Turkish coffee for him.
He was just waking up when she entered the room. He stretched and sat up, taking the steaming cup from her hands.
"Mmmmm, just as I like it. I guess last night wasn't a dream, after all. You're actually here. Is Harry still here?"
He looked and sounded so much better than yesterday that she almost cried.
"He and Neville are downstairs. Breakfast is ready. Can you eat something?" She asked.
"Not until we talk, Hermione. Are you staying? I need you here, beside me. You said the same vows I did; we are bound together until we die. Will you stay is what I am asking. When you went, so did my resolve. I was going to let him, whoever he is, win at last. Without you, I couldn't face any of it. You know I love you." He was sitting with his back to the headboard. He set the cup aside and patted the bed next to him.
She hesitated only a moment before sitting next to him.
"Viktor, I am staying. But there are terms. I want to adopt Lizzie, and I want a couple of our own, as well. That was what we fought about before I left. I know now that you didn't want to bring Lizzie or a baby into this mess. She misses you. Your parents are frantic. Your teammates have walked off the team when they got word of your suspension. Your mother will probably be here if she can get through Neville's wards." She reached over to kiss him.
"Mmmmmm. And where have you been staying these past few weeks, my love? At my parents' house, teaching Lizzie about Hogwarts, I would guess. She is nine going on sixteen and you encourage her. Yes, we will adopt her and have some of our own. Obicham te, Hermione." He pulled her closer and returned the kiss. As he remembered the dream of the night before, he suddenly asked a question.
"Does Harry have access to a Pensieve? I dreamt something last night, a dim memory from a long time ago. It may have a bearing on this."
"Vitya, Harry thinks it may be Nikita Skvortsov behind this. Is that possible? I remember him as being creepy from the Triwizard year, but you knew him better than I did." She wanted to talk to him about this.
"Skvortsov? Yes, he hated me enough. He was a couple of years older than I was. He made advances to me... I told Karkaroff and he said I had misunderstood what he said, but Skvortsov was a pervert. He hated that I found you. He tried to tell me that you were just after my fame. I complained to the Durmstrang governors and he was let go when we returned after the tournament. I don't know what happened to him." Viktor sat back, thinking if the dream had any other clues. "In my dream I saw him with a woman with strange glasses. They were at the party when I was named Seeker for Bulgaria. I think she was a reporter."
"Viktor, oh Merlin, Rita Skeeter! Come on, we have to tell Harry." She jumped up from the bed and pulled Viktor to his feet. She threw clothes at him and told him to get dressed.
He pulled on jeans and a shirt before following his agitated wife down the stairs.
She was already making notes for Harry.
Harry noticed that Viktor looked immensely better than he had the day before. He handed Viktor a plate of food and another cup of coffee before saying, "Yes, I have access to a Pensieve. I'll have Gin bring it. She wants the boys to come through and see you. They won't stay long. An owl came a bit ago. I think it was from your parents, Vik. I took the message but did not read it."
"Thanks, Harry. I think you may be onto something about Skvortsov. He had a fixation about me when I was in school, and it wasn't a healthy fixation either, if you understand what I mean."
Harry's voice was cautious when he said what he had been thinking. "Vik, I don't think Skvortsov is the only one involved. The tone of the letters changed Triwizard year, they started to attack Hermione as well. And after you two got married, they took on a still different twist. I think there are three people involved in this. Unfortunately, I think we know one of them all too well."