Warning: Sexually explicit. Not too much, but definitely not for the faint hearted. Read with caution.

And he smiled.

Before Hermione could react, the world spun around her. She felt the familiar, sickening sensation of Apparation. When the world graciously stopped spinning, Hermione had no choice but to lean into her captor to remain standing. Apparating under normal circumstances is fairly nauseating, but it's nothing until you've tried it while you're pregnant. She clamped her eyes shut, but her captor mercilessly pulled away and dragged her with him. She opened her eyes to see Severus's stiff form beside her, his worried eyes examining her, gauging her health. She shook her head, saying she was fine. It was a lie—she was lucky she hadn't lost her dinner yet—but it would help nothing if his mind was clouded with concern.

At the sound of a fearful gasp, Hermione craned her neck over the Death Eater's shoulder. It was Dumbledore—his mouth gaped as he took in their destination. Immediately, a spare Death Eater gripped his arm—now it was threatening.

Hermione and Severus realized their destination for the first time.

Hogwarts.

"No, no, you said…you said you'd spare my school…you said you'd spare it!" Dumbledore was sputtering to the Death Eater's at large.

"Shut up, you ol' fool. You'd think that, with a man of your standing and intelligence," sneered the man dragging Severus, "you'd think you would know not to trust the enemy."

"Like taking candy from a baby," chimed in the Death Eater pulling Hermione along.

Dumbledore's ramblings were silenced with a spell. Hermione wasn't sure if she was glad he'd been duped—on the one hand, she was ecstatic that he now looked like a fool, but on the other, now all the students in Hogwarts were in danger.

When they reached the gate, the line of Death Eaters parted to allow the one clutching Dumbledore's quaking body to pass. He mercilessly shoved the old man to the iron-clad entrance, where Dumbledore was forced (at wand-point) to undue the protective charms on the school.

Hermione and Severus were both steaming with disappointment, for they both remembered a time in which Dumbledore would have died before allowing them entrance into the school. They remembered a time when Dumbledore would have been physically pained by his betrayal toward his staff member and his student. Now, he gave the two of them up as though it was a simple trade that harmed no one. Now, he allowed the Death Eaters access out of fear for his own damned life. It was disgusting.

--BREAK--

Immediately after the gate was opened, Hermione felt the rough fabric of a makeshift blindfold being yanked over her eyes. She could only assume that Severus and the Headmaster were in the same predicament.

After a short walk (or, more accurately, a drag in Hermione's case,) she felt a sharp change in temperature. The air outside was hot and damp, whereas the air surrounding her was now cool and dry. Comforting, even. Hermione knew instantly that she was inside the castle.

As soon as she set a foot inside, familiarity rushed over her like a security blanket. Delicious aromas of delectable pastries and lusciously broiled breakfast meats wafted her way; the house elves always got an early start on meals. The subtle odor of finely polished marble assaulted her nose. The soft *clang* of her footsteps upon the linoleum jerked her memory out of slumber. The undeniable sense of magic in the air, like a soft electric current, each of these things jolt her emotions into attention. All of these separate aspects of life at Hogwarts once seemed so ordinary, so routine. In fact, back then when all she had to worry about was the academics, Hermione never considered any of it as noteworthy. Now, though, as each of these familiarities ignited her senses, she felt tears stinging her eyes. Who knew that something so seemingly insignificant, such as the scents of Hogwarts, would be the very thing that one would miss the most?

--BREAK--

They walked for what seemed like hours. The blindfold was irritating the skin around his eyes, but Severus wasn't concerned about that.

No, he was concerned about Hermione. He knew, from years of watching foolish female students get pregnant, that extreme stress could set off an early birth. He'd seen women with a far more substantial build than Hermione, (and thus a better chance of carrying a child to full-term) give birth just from the anxiety of an upcoming exam. The past several years, a rule was instated in Hogwarts that an expectant student would remain in the hospital wing during her third trimester, only being allowed to leave for meals and the like.

Hermione was just barely into her third-term. She was only a week into her eighth month, and Severus had been adamant that she not lift a finger unless absolutely necessary. She had been growing rather irritated at his overprotective ways. He smiled slightly at the mental picture of her sitting in bed, her rounded belly looking entirely out of place on her tiny, lithe dancer's form, with a disgruntled frown plastered on her face. His grin turned down into an expression of anguish as he noted that all his efforts may have been useless.

He scoffed at his own wishful thinking. Here he was, worrying about her going into premature labor when she was currently in the hands of a Death Eaters he didn't fully recognize—thus, he didn't know the real danger she was in. Merlin, she could be…dead…before she even has a chance to go into labor. He shuddered at the thought, tears cascading down his pale face. He would do anything to save her life. He just wasn't sure it would be enough.

Severus kept thinking, if only the morning would hurry along. He'd smelled breakfast simmering in the kitchens—surely the morning couldn't be that far off. Just when he was beginning to wonder if they were still in Hogwarts (the castle wasn't large enough to walk around in for hours with a set destination in mind), Severus felt himself being half-shoved, half-thrown into a dark room. His pajama-clad body made forceful contact with an ice-cold stone floor. He heard a thud, and a feminine groan next to him and knew Hermione had met the same fate. He struggled with his magical bounds to try to reach for her, but the Petrificus Totalus was too strong. A moment later, he felt the blindfold being wrenched from his eyes, and thankfully, the blasted spell went with it. He opened his eyes, sat up and saw the circle of Death Eaters standing around him. He was intelligent enough to know that they didn't have a prayer in escaping—not when he was against wand-less against four other armed wizards. All he could do was tend to Hermione, and…hope for the best.

He whirled his head around, and his eyes fell on her vulnerable form, crumpled up against the back wall. He crawled to her on his hands and knees in desperation. The rough blindfold still covered her eyes, her arms circling her belly protectively. She was on her side now, but he had to wonder if, when she was pushed, she had fallen on her belly. He wouldn't put it past those damned Death Eaters, or Dumbledore for that matter, not to care.

Her chest was heaving, and tears seeped through the blindfold. Her cries were choked and agonized—his heart sank. She was trying so hard to keep it in…to be brave.

Just as he went to reach for her, a cold but familiar voice called out, "Careful, Severus. No wrong moves."

Hermione's ears visibly perked at the sound of his name. His heart sank even lower. His name gave her hope. What if he couldn't live up to her expectations?

"Can I at least take the blindfold off of her?" He spoke harshly. He knew he should be polite, he should suck up, but his anger got the better of him.

"Vatch that tone, Severus. You may take the blindfold off. I think she'll vant to see this."

The voice was becoming achingly familiar, but Severus pushed the thought out of his head as soon as he got the "ok". He carefully shimmied the blindfold over her head. Slowly, she opened her beautiful chocolate eyes, with those charming flecks of gold, and looked at him. Even with those heart-wrenching tears spilling out of them, they were surely the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. She let out a relieved sigh as he pulled her close, tucking her head beneath his chin and wrapping his arms around her. The muscles in her body relaxed into him, and he held her as tightly as he dared. Her hands gripped his chest, in an attempt to steady herself, and he placed the hand that wasn't supporting her gently on her belly lovingly. For a couple moments, he focused on trying to feel a kick, but to no avail. Hermione knew what he was searching for.

"Severus…Severus, I fell…they pushed me, I couldn't turn…"

His anger intensified. "They pushed you onto your belly. What gentlemen."

She nodded into him, her body quivering slightly—whether from tears or fear, he couldn't be sure. He kissed her forehead and began rubbing her belly comfortingly. Perhaps that would inspire a kick out of the child. If not…at least it comforted her, for the time being.

"Don't tell me, Severus. You've fallen in love," said a bitter voice from behind them. Severus turned to see Dumbledore sitting on the ground, hands tied behind his back. He seemed to accept the bitter fate of his school. Now, he seemed only concerned in saving his own lying arse.

"Years of trying to set you up with colleagues of yours, and old friends of mine, and you end up falling for a student. Never did play by the book, did you?"

"Shut up," Severus spat through clenched teeth. His hand stationary on Hermione's belly.

"What? Won't admit it? Coward…"

Severus turned his head and looked the old man in the eye. "Admit what?" he spat. "That I've fallen helplessly in love with a beautiful woman? That I intend to marry her and raise her child as my own? What's to admit? I simply did not wish to hear your deceitful voice, you arrogant bastard."

At his words, Hermione nestled her head further beneath his chin, to which her responded with another loving kiss on the top of her head. She had the same hopes, the same desires, and to hear them spoken by him was a dream come true.

Their allusion of safety was shattered, however, when Severus was unexpectedly yanked away from her. The Death Eater that captured him pulled him roughly to his feet and bound him to the opposite wall. Hermione fell back against the wall due to the abruptness of his departure. Her head hit the wall with a thud, and she gasped.

"Hermione! Love, are you alright?" Severus said from the corner of the room. He could still see her perfectly well, but was unable to pull away from the restraints.

"Fine," she mumbled, "just a bump."

"This, I'm afraid, vill not be 'just a bump,'" said the familiar Death Eater who had captured Hermione.

She looked up in shock and tried to scramble away from him, but he lunged after her. He forced her to look into his eyes and said, "Trust me. This vill be fun."

And immediately, both Severus and Hermione realized why the voice was so familiar. They realized where they'd heard it before.

Simultaneously, they uttered the word, "No." She whispered it in fear. He shouted in anguish.

And the man just laughed callously as he peeled his mask away to reveal the one face that made them both cry out.

Viktor Krum.

Who else?

He chuckled once more as she tried to get away. Foolish, foolish girl. The rest of the Death Eaters exchanged a knowing glance that said the show that was to come was guaranteed to…knock their socks off. They cleared the center of the room. Two of them went to stand on each side of Severus, who was thrashing about like he was in a hive of angry bees, just in case he managed to undo the restraints. The remaining Death Eater dragged Dumbledore out of the center of the room and sat him in the opposing corner. The Headmaster looked neither sympathetic nor interested. For the time being, he looked rather…indifferent.

Krum mercilessly shoved Hermione into the center of the room, as if it was a stage on which he was to perform. He paid no mind to the belly she was trying so hard to protect. She fell on it again, only this time she managed to turn so that it only clipped a fraction of her stomach. She cried out in pain, and Krum grew ridiculously angry. He kicked the right side of her face with so much force that her entire body turned over. She couldn't even cry out this time. She gripped her jaw as she coughed up blood.

"No, stop it stop it, don't touch her! Hermione! Hermione!" Severus shouted in pure agony. None of them had ever seen the man so distraught. It only proved to be more fun for Krum.

"You remember the rules, my sveet. You may scream all you like, but no struggling. If you do," he whispered menacingly, bending uncomfortably close to her bloody face and whipping out that wretched dagger, "you know what happens. I'm not above cutting up your belly, even as our child struggles for its life beneath the surface."

Her eyes caught sight of the dagger, glinting off the dim light of a lantern, and her body shook with her sobs.

"Please…Viktor, don't, Viktor…"

"Ah…so you've chosen to beg," he whispered, grinning like a madman.

She glared into his charcoal eyes. "If it means saving my baby, yes."

Apparently, he didn't like her answer. He sat up and tugged her night dress to beneath her breasts. She squirmed beneath his touch, but he repositioned himself to on top of her legs so she couldn't move. Her tears fell down now well-worn tracks on her cheeks. He took a long look at her exposed belly, distended with pregnancy but not as big as would be expected. He placed a hand on her belly, and she shuddered.

Severus cringed from the corner. He was loathe to see that disgusting excuse for a man touch his beloved. Hearing him threaten her? He thought he was going into cardiac arrest. It was too much, too much.

Viktor caressed her belly for a minute, while she sobbed helplessly. Then, he replaced his hand with the dagger. Her cries intensified to those of a person in unbearable internal torment.

"Viktor," she sobbed, "please…"

He watched her face carefully, as though she was an interesting television program rather than a woman begging for the life of her unborn child. He placed the tip of the dagger in the center of her belly and conducted something of an experiment. He discovered that the harder he pushed the dagger, the more intense her crying became. He did this for several moments—push the dagger in, just light enough to not break the skin, and then remove it. He seemed continually fascinated by her reaction each time.

Everyone in the room, Death Eaters included, waited with baited breath. Severus' heart was pounding so loud that he was sure everyone could hear it. Hermione's cries tortured his ear drums. The sight of her vulnerable body, dress hiked up, with a dagger pressed against her pregnant belly sent a spear through his heart. He couldn't take anymore. Couldn't take it.

Finally, Krum removed the knife. Everyone started breathing again. "Remember," he said casually, as though the matter was of the same importance as the weather, "only you can save the child."

Hermione let out a sigh of momentary relief. She could handle anything, as long as he put that blasted knife down.

Now, Viktor got down to business. He tugged her dress the rest of the way over her head, leaving her in nothing but a matching red-lace bra and panty set. The cold floor was ice to her skin, and she gasped. Thankfully, he kept let the rest of her clothing remain on her body. She didn't know if she could handle the humiliation of being stark naked in a room full of Death Eaters, while Severus was forced to watch…

He gripped her breasts like the horny bastard he was. She clamped her eyes shut, trying desperately to block him out as she'd done before…last summer.

Finally, after exploring every inch of her body agonizingly slowly, he unzipped his fly. Her eyes were still clamped shut, but she heard it. She shivered, and prepared herself for the inevitable.

Severus, meanwhile, was fighting an internal battle on whether or not to shut his own eyes. Nothing would come of watching this, he knew that. He knew he couldn't change anything at this point. But there was a certain unease in the thought that, if he closed his eyes, he couldn't be sure what that little cockroach was doing to her.

He was saved from having to make a decision, however, because Viktor didn't waste any time. He thrust into Hermione, who covered her bleeding mouth with her hand to keep from crying out. Severus peered on with growing despair. By the time Viktor had finished, Severus felt like someone was continuously punching him in the stomach. He couldn't breath. His stomach jerked, and Severus hunched over and emptied its contents onto the shoes of the nearest Death Eater.

Viktor zipped his fly back up and readjusted his clothing. He glanced at Hermione, who was literally convulsing on the cold stone floor, and his expression changed from one of satisfaction to one of disgust.

"Wah-wah-wah," he mocked, "crying like a little baby." His eyes lit up malevolently. "Speaking of little babies…" He swooped down so that he was kneeling beside her. Her eyes watched his every action carefully. He reached for her stomach again, and her muscles tensed. She couldn't take it anymore, she flinched out of his reach. His eyes followed her, and shock spread across his face like wildfire. Now she'd done it.

Hermione's eyes widened, and she clawed her way backward until she hit the wall. She was still clad solely in her undergarments, but her skin was now immune to the cold. Terror tended to wash out every thing else.

The shock on Viktor's face was quickly overpowered by fury. He stood slowly, his body shaking with anger, and walked over to her, his steps careful, measured. He reached her, and simply glared for a moment. Then, he stomped his foot down, hard, onto her right forearm, and didn't let up until he heard a crunch.

Hermione let out something of a gargled screech as her bone was crushed. He removed his foot and pounced on her, slamming his fists into every part he could reach.

"Hermione, no! No, no! Krum, stop it, stop! She's pregnant with your child! YOUR CHILD! How can you not feel anything? Stop it!" Severus cried out, pleading with the man for her life.

Viktor paid him no mind. Both of Hermione's arms, even the broken one, encircled her belly. She was frantic now to protect it. He could harm any part of her he wished, as long as the baby remained untouched.

He punched her face, her eyes, her throat, her shoulders…everything. She felt one of her collarbones crack, and the pain was indescribable.

Finally, he let up. He sat back to survey the damage, breathing heavily. Hermione was slumped against the wall, eyelids fluttering. She'd taken too many blows. There was no telling the damage he caused. She was moaning softly, and he grinned. He reached over and retrieved the dagger from where he'd thrown it before. Once again he pushed the tip into her bare belly. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked for the source of the pain.

"No…no…" she couldn't say much else. She was losing consciousness by the second.

"Oh yes, yes. I told you not to fight me, dearie. Now, you pay," he said, grinning.

He was steadily pushing harder and harder, and a low groan started in her throat in response. She vaguely tried to bat the knife away with her non-broken hand.

And then, Severus watched as he removed the knife. He watched the scum grip his left forearm, and then noticed the rest of the Death Eaters do the same. The Dark Lord was calling.

Viktor growled in frustration. He was so close, so close. "I'll be back to finish vhat I started, love. You can be sure of that." And then, he kissed her forehead like Severus had done. Severus growled ferociously.

Viktor glanced at him, set him free of his bounds, and muttered, "Hush up, mutt," before rushing out of the room.

Severus collapsed on the ground, the icy floor biting into his skin again. It only took him a second to hurry to Hermione's limp form.

She was bleeding from everywhere. She had a gash at her hairline, and a streamlet of blood from the corner of her mouth. Her thin neck was already starting to bruise. Her left collarbone was indented where it had cracked, and her crushed right forearm was held against her belly by her left hand. It seemed to be hard for her to breathe—she was panting heavily.

"Hermione, love, can you hear me?" Severus nearly shouted, clutching her head tenderly in both hands. His nerves were on end.

Her eyes fluttered open to meet his, and the pain in those gorgeous brown irises was too much for him to handle. "Severus…oh, it hurts so badly…"

Severus's chest heaved as he began to sob. He'd seen a good deal more than his fair share of tragedy, but this…he could never have imagined the pain it caused him to see her beaten, raped before his eyes.

Her uninjured arm reached out to him weakly as she slid further down the wall. He hugged her tightly, knowing he had to assess her injuries but not brave enough to look at her like this. He buried his face in her hair, which quickly grew damp with his tears. She absently stroked his hair. He didn't come to until he felt her shiver, and remembered that she was wearing nothing but her undergarments.

"Darling, you must be freezing. Here," he muttered, removing his own thick, long-sleeved lounging shirt. He carefully guided it over her battered body, taking care not to jostle her. It was humorously oversized for even her pregnant belly, but it would do the trick.

"Hermione, tell me. Did he punch your stomach? Did he harm the baby?"

Hermione was rubbing her belly with a pained expression, but that wasn't necessarily cause for alarm—it could have been in response to any one of her injuries. "I don't think so. I mean, I can't recall him punching it, but it hurts as though he had," she whispered. She was slowly growing more alert. Perhaps the pain was bringing her back to reality.

Severus frowned. There was no telling how injured she actually was. Carefully, he lifted the shirt back to reveal her stomach. He couldn't see any bruises in the dim light, but that didn't mean much. He brushed his hand across its surface, only to see her flinch.

"Did that hurt?"

With tears in her wide eyes, she nodded.

His frown deepened. He knew he'd barely touched her. As gently as possible, he laid his hand on her belly. She gasped and gripped his arm.

"That's not right," he muttered worriedly. "It shouldn't hurt that badly, right? Even if he had punched you…something's wrong, something's wrong." He was steadily growing into a panic.

Hermione gasped again, but this time he didn't even touch her. "Severus," she gasped, "I think I'm going into labor."