A/N: I hope this isn't really THAT bad. No reviews yet. Review me, someone? Anyone? I'd really like to know what you guys think.

Two

Krum walked out of the room, his lip curled. He hadn't wanted to do this. He hadn't wanted to do any of this. But once he started, it seemed impossible to stop. It was impossible to explain. It was her loyalty that drove him mad. Her loyalty to all of them. To that school, to Dumbledore… that Potter kid.

The name made him growl from the back of his throat. He hated that boy so much, and he had barely spoken to him in his time at Hogwarts. He had spent most of his time with the Slytherins – Draco Malfoy in particular. Now there was somebody to like.

Hermione had always criticized Harry's lack of work ethic. He was never one to focus on work, or really care all that much.

When they had first met in the library, Krum knew it would be easy to charm her. She had her nose stuck in a giant book. Her face was contorted in sheer bliss. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered to the girl. Krum had looked at the book and noted that it was a school text – History of Magic.

For a moment, Hermione and Krum had made eye contact. She smiled and reddened slightly, suddenly very eager to return to her book. At that moment, Krum had made it a goal to reel her in. Every day after that, Krum had gotten her attention somehow. Hermione started to trust him.

When he departed from Hogwarts, Krum promised to write to her. He was overjoyed – she had fallen for it all, hook line and sinker. Over the next few years, he'd managed to reel her in further. Their letters had been epic-length and mind-numbingly boring to write. Never had he encountered such a boring girl. Half of their letters would be about the books they'd read and the things they'd learned since their last letters. However, he'd convinced her that he was on their side. He told her time and again that he was good and against Voldemort. He would even agree with her when she ranted on about how annoying that Malfoy was, or how she was tired of being considered a lower species because she wasn't pureblooded.

Most of all, he had her convinced that he cared for her and understood her. She seemed to be under the impression that nobody but him understood her quite the same. She could tell him anything, she could count on him. He even had an inkling that the stupid girl thought she loved him.

Of course when he offered for her to stay with his "family" for a week, she had jumped at the opportunity.

He didn't live with his family. He didn't have any family. Instead, he lived in an enormous estate with a group of Death Eaters. He'd met most of them during his time at Durmstrang. When he had graduated and was sent out in to the world alone, the group eagerly accepted him in to their ranks.

All during his correspondence with Hermione, his fellow Death Eaters read each letter with great amusement. They spent hours sitting around and laughing hysterically as one of them would read off a letter in a high-pitched, annoying voice. Viktor would often jump in, adding bits of snide commentary to each letter.

It was Svetlin who had come up with the brilliant plan of inviting her here and playing around with her. Ivan had perfected the plan, plotting out each and every detail. They would pick her up and keep her in one of the stony rooms below for a few weeks. Viktor could have as much or as little fun with her as he wanted, and they would then release her back to her family. No one would have to worry about her trying to get any revenge or squealing to her little friends. No, that would be taken care of.

Besides, who would believe that international Quidditch star Viktor Krum had not only taken some sort of liking to the girl, but invited her to stay with him and then proceeded to inflict some sort of pain on her? That story and the fact that she associated herself with the Potter boy would be enough for any group to call her an attention-craving madwoman.

Viktor Krum had never had a single thing be so easy. It was almost sickening.

The minute she had gotten off the transport, he knew what a glorious few weeks he'd be having. She would be so eager to spend time with him after the few years they'd spent apart. The stupid girl had no idea what she'd gotten herself in to.