Hello hello again, well now here we all are, chapter 2 hooray for small miracles. Thank you to everyone who commented I love you to death and you are what makes me continue. Gah do I still have to do the freakin disclaimer? Ok, harry potterjk rowling, NOT ME, for I am not rich, although that would be pretty cool. Okay r/r please, oh and by the by the title for this chapter comes from a song of the same title by Massive Attack which everyone should listen to :)

Chapter 2: Dissolved Girl

Fate has a way of coming back and laughing at you with no regard to circumstance or emotion. It puts a hole in your path and watches as you tumble down onto the muddy earth. Deeply amused, fate lets you get up, just to knock you back down at a future time and place. Nobody said this life was going to be easy; if it was then there would be no point. We don't remember the easy things; we remember what we have worked for...Things we have suffered physically and emotionally for.

What do you get at the end of days?

Just when you think the story is over, you learn that there is a second part...And you have no idea where it will lead.

Is it possible for someone to look horrible and beautiful at the same time? She was sick, emotionally drained and for that he could tell she was suffering, it was obvious. On the other hand it was still her, still the girl he met four years ago...Only she wasn't a girl anymore, no, she was a woman much older than she should be on the inside. He supposed she had always been like that, but not it was just evident.

It's true what they say, "with age comes beauty," for she still exuded this air of...He couldn't describe it. Sometimes people can't explain why their drawn to someone, it's just something in their eyes, in their smile, in the way they look directly into your eyes. Her eyes were still as lovely as they had been even after all o these years...But they were troubled, and seeing her troubled in turn troubled him.

Viktor was resting his chin on his clasped hands, looking at the frail figure lying in his bed thoughtfully and with worry. Whoever hurt her was going to have to face some hefty consequences once he got to them.

God...Had it really been four years? He had received letters from her about once a month until the previous year...Viktor sighed and gently brushed a piece of hair off of her face. As he did this, she flinched and began to stir which frightened him nearly to death.

Her eyes fluttered open but her vision was blurry...At first she thought she was back in the Burrow, but quite suddenly realized that she was far from it. She was lying in an incredibly comfortable warm bed and she could see the fuzzy form of fire close to her. As she began to actually come to, things started to clear up...Oh god.

"Viktor?" she asked sleepily.

"Hello again," he smiled, trying to be as friendly as possible.

She looked around the room, it was dark besides the firelight...This was all very confusing.

"What am I doing here?" she tried to sit up weakly, only to be pushed back down by him.

"I vas actually wondering the same thing," he gave her a questioning glance, "you don't remember?"

What had happened? What was it that had happened? Everything seemed so distant--Oh god...Not again! For the second time she was greeted from her slumber with the ugly images of what had happened, of what HE had done, or tried to do with her. He said he couldn't control it, and by the looks of it people had believed him. How dare they?

Oh, she remembered, she remembered like she was hit by a freaking hurricane.

"Hermyonee?" he had been practicing.

She sat up, but this time he didn't stop her; the blind look of panic and hurt wouldn't let him move. Whatever went on must have truly been horrible for her to be so distressed. Such a lovely person should never feel pain like this, pain that shot through her heart and into his.

"Oh God," she buried her face into her hands and began to cry...She had been doing that so often lately it was a miracle she had any feeling left in her.

Now Viktor wasn't one to know exactly how to react to such a breakdown. He was a Quidditch player, and Bulgarian, not exactly the kind of combination that prepares you for this. What words could he use to sooth her? What could he possibly say to make it better? What, oh what could he do?

He decided to be bold...

"Shh it vill be okay," he sat on the bed and took her into his arms, letting her cry onto his shoulder. All these years of being brave and tough had taken their toll. Crying was weakness...After a while she learned to repress it for the most part, but nothing you push down stays there forever.

He stroked her soft hair...This is how he had wanted it to be so many years ago only under happier circumstances. Though he hated himself for it, the feeling of her in his arms made him feel...Happy, for the first time in a long time.

After ages the tears had stopped, leaving her resting her head now on his chest, recovering from the emotional ordeal. In his arms her breath has steadied, no longer shaky from sobs, but calm like the sea after a storm.

Finally he broke away but kept his hands on her arms.

"Are you alright?" he knew she wasn't, but what else was one to say?

"Yes...I'll...I'll be fine, really, thank you," there was an awkward silence for a moment, "Listen, I'm sorry I put you out like this...I'll just be getting out of your hair"

She got up out of bed and he quickly stood to meet her which was a good thing considering she promptly collapsed from weakness, back into his strong grasps.

"I'm thinking you will not be going anyvhere for a vittle vhile," he carefully put her back into bed...HIS bed and sat down once more. "Vhy are you so ill?"

"I'm...I'm not ill it's just...Somebody tried to curse me and I nearly died to be quite frank."

"Who vould do such a thing?"

"Well..." she felt tears threatening to burn her eyes once more. Viktor shook his head and moved the covers up closer to her neck, tucking her in.

"Don't vorry, you don't have to tell me," he gave her a weak smile and headed for the door. "If you are in need of me, just call...I tink you vould like to be alone...Try to get some sleep."

"Viktor!" she nearly yelled as he touched the doorknob.

"Yes?"

"I wan--" she stopped herself.

"You vant...?"

"I just wanted to umm thank you...This is very kind and I..I really appreciate it."

He just smiled, nodded and walked out the door. Hermione sighed, wishing she had said what she had originally intended.

"I wanted you to stay..."

She had forgotten what it was like being around him. A normal person would think "oh, big bad Viktor Krum, famous and cruel and cold hearted"...And for a while she had started to think of him that way, but he really wasn't. She doubted any of her friends would have done what he had tonight. Harry and Ron would have probably left her alone to cry, they were so insecure and immature with things like that.

At least she had one friend she could count on.