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Chapter 28
"Viktor?" a small, dark haired witch asked, clearly surprised with the visitor that had just Floo'd into her home in the south of France.
"Hello," he replied, as he laid something on the couch in her living room.
"What are you doing here? I thought that you were meeting...Oh Merlin! That's Hermione! What did you do, Vik? Wasn't Mitzi with you? MITZI!" Irina Viktoria Krum exclaimed, not believing what she was seeing.
"Why did you have to call her? And why, in Merlin's name, did you think that this is my fault?"
"Mitzi hasn't been called back by Master Viktor, Miss Irina..." the house elf stopped talking when she saw the unconscious human lying on her young master's couch. Her ears turned red instantly, her eyes became as big as saucers. She quickly walked to the young women, placing her long, pointy nose to the side of Hermione's, closing her own eyes.
"Mitzi," Viktor started, but quickly shut his mouth when the house elf turned to give him the most evil look he had ever seen from his onetime nanny. She hadn't even glared at him that way when he had sat Irina's hair on fire when they were younger.
"Master Viktor is very, very not smart in lady friend manners," Mitzi stated, pointing her finger at Viktor. "Miss Hermione shocked."
"This is why I asked what you did," his sister said, sending him a similar look to the one Mitzi had. "What happened?"
"We were eating the meal Mum cooked for us and all was going well. Then my Hermione made the most erotic sound and,"
"Master Viktor stopped thinking with his big brain and started thinking with the teeny tiny one," Mitzi finished, shaking her head. Irina couldn't help but chuckle at Mitzi's assessment and her brother's reaction.
"That's not true. I wasn't thinking with my...well that. I told her that I loved her and that I should never have chosen Quidditch over her. I told her that I didn't just want to give her a petition. And then I got down on one knee and I asked if she would marry me," he explained, smiling.
"See. Mitzi was right. Thinking with wrong brain," the house elf said.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Irina exclaimed at the same time. "You haven't had any contact with her since you broke her heart. And you think you can just waltz in there and ask her to marry you and she would just jump in your arms as if nothing happened? You are more of a bloody prat then I thought you were!"
"What do you mean? I love her and she loves me."
"How do you know, Viktor? Did you ask her? Just because you are Viktor Krum, almighty Quidditch god, does not mean that every girl wants to be your wife," his sister screamed at him.
Mitzi stood and placed his hands on her hips. Then, grinning quite evilly for a normally sweet house elf, she snapped her fingers and disappeared.
"Where do you think she's going?" Viktor asked his sister worriedly.
Irina grinned as she placed a wash cloth on Hermione's forehead. "My guess is to get Mum."
Viktor fell into the chair; loosening the tie he had been wearing to impress his Hermione. "Bloody hell."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Why are we just still STANDING here?" the twins asked together, angrily pacing in the headmistress office.
"Calm down, Loves. We have no clue as to where that monster took her," Molly Weasley said, patting her son's arms as the paced by her. "They need to gather information to know where to start their search."
Less than an hour after the Aurors were called in, all of the Weasley's were assembled in the office, as well as Professor Chaffin, who had a calming hand on Charlie's back. The most surprising member of the party assembled was one Narcissa Malfoy, who came as soon as her son had contacted her. She loved her son dearly and knew that if it wasn't for the girl who was missing, that he very well could be dead. That reason alone would have been enough to bring in her knowledge on all things Pureblood. When you added the fact that Draco was in love with her, nothing alive nor dead could keep her away.
"Mum, do you know anything about the Krum family?" Draco asked quietly, watching from across the room as the Weasley's loudly declared things needed to go more quickly.
"I do not know a whole lot about Dominik, however I've always seen Aphrodite as a dear friend," Narcissa replied.
"Really?" her son wondered, not remembering ever hearing about her or seeing her at any of the gatherings his mother used to have.
"Yes. Your father," she started, wrinkling her nose as if she smelled something horrible. "Did not like for me to associate with her. She owns muggle restaurants and she refused to let her husband have anything to do with The Dark Lord," Narcissa smiled.
"She would not LET her husband?" he asked, eyes wide in total shock. He had never heard of the women being the leader in the relationship.
She looked at her son and shook her head. "I'm so sorry for how your childhood was. I allowed your father to rule me as if I was a bloody lap dog. I was quiet as long as I got my treats and for that I will never be able to forgive myself. When you are in a loving relationship, you make sure and listen to the opinion of the one you love. You make sure to do your best to make them happy."
"That's what you mean by her not letting him? He chose not to because she didn't agree?" he wondered, trying to understand.
Narcissa nodded, smiling at her son. "She is a Greek women and one if the sweetest and most spunky women I have ever had the pleasure to know."
"How could a woman like that raise a son like Krum?" Draco asked. He looked at his mother, seeing her eyebrow raised and sighed. "I'm sure you were asked the same thing."
"Yes, but you have changed for the better," she replied, patting his knee. "But if I know Aphrodite, and I do, seeing as I've recently invested in a new restaurant with her, I would say she will be none to happy when she finds out what's happened."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Viktor. Dominik. Krum. What. In the name of Merlin. Is that precious angel. Doing here?" Aphrodite Krum demanded to know. The slow, quite tone of his mother's voice scared him more than any dementor or bludger ever had. He could handle her screaming and cursing him out in Greek, but this, this was a whole other thing.
"She fainted mummy," he started, but stopped quickly when she raised her hand up.
"Why did she faint?"
"The bloody prat asked her to bloody marry him after not seeing her for years," Irina answered from her spot by Hermione's side. The brown haired witch still hadn't woken up, which was starting to worry her. She looked at her mother and quickly apologized, not wanting to have the wrath of her mother's stare on her for long.
"Is this true?" Aphrodite wondered. "I hope it's not, because I raised MY son to respect women. To think about their wants, needs and desires above his own. I did NOT raise him to assume just because a women may have loved him at one time that it means she still does. That makes you no better than a man who is controlling and manipulative, two qualities that I for one never taught you."
Viktor had tears running down his face. He had not meant for his proposal to cause such a commotion. He had simply wanted to express his love and undying devotion to the witch that he loved. He never meant it as being manipulative. He despised manipulative people.
"How do I fix this? All I wanted to do was show her how sorry I was for being an arse and leaving her. I love her so much, mummy. I'm so, so sorry for being such a disgrace to your name."
Aphrodite wanted nothing more than to hug her son close, but knew that he did not need that right now. He needed her strong.
"I believe that you intentions were good, however your actions were horrible. I want to know why you decided to bring her here, to Irina's house, instead of calling the nurse there at Hogwarts? Do you not understand that when people find out that she's no longer there, they will call for your head a bloody platter? What were you thinking?"
"All I was thinking was getting Hermione to a safe place where she could rest," he replied, not caring what they might want to do to him.
"And she wasn't safe at Hogwarts?" his mother wondered.
"Yes, I suppose she was, but..."
"Mitzi, Hektor," Aphrodite called for her most trusted house elves.
"Yes, Mrs. Aphrodite. Mitzi is here." Mitzi announced happily, while Hektor merely bowed, glaring occasionally at his sister, who had no proper respect for her masters.
"Mitzi would you please go to Hogwarts and ask Minerva McGonagall to accompany you here, along with Harry Potter," Aphrodite asked kindly.
"Yes, Mitzi will ask the stern lady and the glorious wizard to come with her," the house elf eagerly replied, popping away quickly.
"Hektor, would you go and ask Narcissa Black to please come with you quickly," she asked, wanting her best friends advice on the whole situation. She refused to call Narcissa a Malfoy. She deserved more than that wanker's last name.
"Of course, Mistress Krum," he replied, quickly leaving the room.
"What now?" Irina wondered, watching as her brother began to pace.
Aphrodite walked over to the couch and sat at Hermione's feet. "Now we wait." She removed the blanket from the back of the couch and placed it gently over Hermione.
She loved that young lady as much as she loved Irina. When her son had told them he had broken up with Hermione, she had slapped him upside the head. It was by far the biggest mistake he had ever made and now, it seemed he just kept making them where the beautiful brown haired witch was concerned.
"Mum!" her daughter exclaimed, pulling out if her thoughts. Hermione moved her head slightly, moaning softly.
Viktor ran over, kneeling on the floor in front of Hermione. "Hermione, love, can you hear me? Wake up, princess," he cooed softly, pushing stands of hair away from her face.
She moved her head very slowly, just a little bit at a time. With every word that Viktor whispered, she moved her head towards the sound of his voice, finally turning completely facing him, her eyes still closed. A sound softly escaped her lips, causing Viktor to grin widely.
"What? What did she just say?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Narcissa and Draco were getting some air out in the draughty hall just below the Headmistress office. The room was getting crowded, even though McGonagall and a few of the other professors were making rounds for the evening. The mother and son duo were enjoying the quiet, not used to the loud voices that made up the majority of the would-be-rescuers, when there was suddenly a loud pop.
Draco quickly drew his wand and pushed his mother behind him in one quick movement, something left over from the war. The quivering figure in front of him caused him to lower his wand.
"Hektor?" Narcissa asked, coming out from behind her son, moving quickly to the house elves side.
"Yes Mistress Black," he replied respectfully, bowing.
"Please, there's no need for you to bow. Let's move over here, shall we?" She grabbed her son's hand pulling him along with her.
"Whose house elf-" Draco started, but shut it when his mother shook her head at him. They walked to an empty corridor, away from the entrance to McGonagall's office.
"Now, Hektor. What is it that Aphrodite needs?" Narcissa asked, leaning down so that she could speak quietly.
"Aphrodite? Viktor's mum?" Draco exclaimed, instinctively going for his wand.
"Calm down, son and let Hektor speak," his mother snapped at him, nodding at the young house elf.
"Mistress Krum asked for Hektor to ask if you would accompany me to her," he replied, giving only the information that his master had asked of him.
"Of course," she replied without a second thought. Aphrodite offered her their family home in Athens many times during the War and had saved her life several times when she had been bold enough to stand up to her ex-husband. If she needed her help, she would be there. But if it had anything to do with Hermione, and she had a feeling that it did, Draco had every right to know and to be there.
"My son will accompany me," she added, grabbing hold of his hand. Hektor started to object, but decided better of it, not wanting to be like his sister.
"As you like," he replied, grabbing her hand and disappearing.
Thanks for all of the reviews and awesome feedback that you're sending my way for this story. It really helps me update more quickly. Also, thanks to my beta, JustBeingSirius. You rock. What do you think of this chapter? I would really like to know. Reviews make me happy. Oh and I don't start work until NEXT Monday, so if you want me to write a lot this week, to get ahead for the coming chapters, I would review. LOL. Anywho, happy Reading.
