Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author Note: So sorry about the wait, I've had some minor writer's block…Not to mention I just got the game Dark Watch and I've been playing it constantly. Congratulations to Mind Shadow for being the seventieth reviewer and Forsaken for being the sixtieth and mysticallove for being the fiftieth. Thanks for all the reviews, they were marvelous! And, the cat is out of the bag this chapter! Sorta…

Breaking the Habit

Chapter Five – Protect Me

It had been nearly a week since the attack on the Bulgarian quidditch team and all of the players, with the exception of Viktor, were already released. Hermione smiled to herself as she quietly walked into the private room the foreign celebrity resided within, the slight form of a healer welcomed through the ranks of simpering fan girls congregated outside. She had something none of those mindless creatures did, Viktor's friendship.

She blew a loose curl out of her face, it one of the multiple strands that had freed itself from the loose bun at the base of her skull. She fingered the hilt of her wand before looking up from the ground. Viktor sat in the chair by the only window, dressed in nothing more than a pair of dark pajama pants and a white undershirt that clung to his toned chest. She froze, her eyes widening and her mouth going surprisingly dry as she stared. His gaze drifted away from the glass and when he saw her, his entire face lit up from within. She returned the smile with amazing ease, before walking to him and leaning against the pane.

"Feeling better?"

He groaned. "I have been better for days. Do you know vhen I vill be released?"

"Then I come bearing good news, that day is today."

He grinned widely in relief and in the space of a heartbeat, leapt to his feet. He grabbed her tightly around the waist and swung her around him. A childish squeal escaped form her mouth as her surroundings blurred and the only solid thing was Viktor's joyous face. The emotion that had been bubbling away inside of her since she saw exploded into over drive as if suddenly grew. Her breath caught in the back of her throat and when her feet touched the ground, she was staring with a muddled expression in her eyes.

"Vhat is it? I thought you vould be happy…"

She swallowed past the growing lump in her throat, suddenly fearing what she could be feeling. "Oh, I am quite happy. If you hadn't been released today, you would have had a chance to play in the World Cup…" She roughly pushed those emotions to the back of her mind, knowing they would be mulled over at a later time.

His brow wrinkled slightly at his words, his arms never releasing her from their hold. "Since vhen have you liked Quidditch?" He thought of something. "Do you have tickets?"

She nodded. "I do, they were complementary." A definite blush flushed her face a light crimson. "I don't like it per say, it is more the people who do the playing."

Even the thickest creature alive would get her meaning and he squeezed her against him in a warm hug. She unconsciously returned the gesture, briefly pressing her face into his chest before pulling away. His fingers laced with hers and if any stranger stumbled in upon the scene, they would have seemed like lovers.

"You are going just to see me?" He needed clarification.

He had waited so long for her to show even a minute amount of interest in him. He refused to misinterpret something she said and loose her friendship. He would rather take platonic affection than be bereft of her presence. She made an affirmative noise in the back of her throat, the colour on her cheeks darkening considerably in her modest embarrassment. He freed one of his hands from hers and brushed an errant lock behind her ear.

Her breathing grew shallow at his touch and those suddenly expressive cinnamon eyes of hers grew wide as she looked up at him. Trust gleamed in those depths, blind faith in the man she knew would always be there to protect and care for her. It overshadowed the fierce tenderness that gave life to the dull brown her eyes once had been, making them shine with an inner light. His grip tightened on her and he drew her small body close against his muscular frame, a sweet sigh slipping from her as she suddenly felt safe.

Ever since she had begun to explore romantic relationships, she soon wished for the time when men mean that she was protected. Their heads instinctively began to gravitate towards each other, the space between them rapidly closing. A sharp knock at the door shook them from the cocoon woven about them and she leapt out of his grasp, her heart beating wildly. Without pausing to think about her actions, she pushed him into the chair he had recently vacated and ripped her wand from her robes. Viktor's coach, Erik Dyre, entered the room. The image they presented must have been convincing for he simply looked to her before speaking.

"I haff come for him."

She forced a weak smile onto her face. "Ah, yes. He may leave now, though it is advised that he takes the rest of the day off from practicing. If he injures himself so soon after being healed, the damage he could wreak upon himself could be fatal."

The older man nodded and soon he and Viktor were steps away from exiting the room. Viktor threw a glance over his shoulder at her just before the door closed behind them, mouthing that he would be visiting her soon. She nervously rubbed her hands together, her wand finding its way back into her pocket. She had almost kissed Viktor, the very thought shook her to the core. She nearly showed affection to a man who was not Ron, if her boyfriend ever found out he would kill her without a thought. Yet, whenever she saw Viktor's face she could not help but through all caution to the wind. Something about him made her feel so precious and safe, she would not give that up for the world, no matter what Ron did to her.

Late that night, Hermione was roughly awoken from her sleep by someone banging on her door. She lurched into a sitting position, her sheets pooling around her waist. She sucked in a deep breath, her sleep tousled hair flying around her head in a soft cloud. She fell out of her bed in her haste to get to the door and upon throwing it open, she very nearly screeched in frustration.

"Viktor!" She yelped. "What are you doing here? It's almost one o'clock in the morning!"

His gold cheeks flushed. "I-I'm sorry…I sad I vould see you soon."

"I thought you meant tomorrow, not late at night. I don't know what time you have to get up, being a star Quidditch player, but I have to be at St. Mungo's in less than six hours."

His shoulders drooped and he looked down at her with sad eyes. "You vant me to go, then?"

She sighed and rubbed a hand across her face. "No…I am sorry for being rude. The past few days have been rather tense." She did not mention that the reason she had been so worried was his state of health. "Please, come in."

He followed her in and when he glanced at her again, he blushed further and tried to avoid her general body. She was about to ask him what the matter was, when she realized what she was wearing. She squeaked and darted back into her bedroom. All that covered her was a close fitting tank top that did little to hide her cleavage and a pair of tiny shorts that could pass more as knickers than anything else. She had been so frantic to get to the door she had forgotten to cover herself. She snatched her robe up and wrapped it around herself. When she emerged from her bedroom, her cheeks were flushed. She smiled nervously up to Viktor, fidgeting with her belt.

"Can get you something to drink?"

He shook his head and took a half step towards her, almost as if he was unsure of what he wanted to do. She smiled warmly up to him, her caramel hued eyes shining with a surprising amount of trust. Nothing he could do to her would upset her, how could it? He was the only person she had encountered in her life who had never once tried to harm he. He had always protected and cared for her. One of his hands came up and gently touched cheek.

She unconsciously leaned into his touch, her lids fluttering shut at the contact. She felt the warmth of his body get closer and she shifted closer. Her eyes opened as she looked up at him, her palms resting lightly on his chest. Time seemed to slow as his face drew nearer to hers. She tilted her head backwards and for the briefest of moments, their lips touched. A rush of that wonderfully indescribable emotion soared through her and she instantly became addicted. Her hand slid up to his neck and pulled him back down.

Their mouths were crushed together and when his tongue ran along the seam of her lips, she made a soft noise in the back of her throat. He suddenly held her tightly around the waist with one arm, pressing her slender frame against his larger one. His other hand slipped up and lightly fisted in the hair at the base of her skull, angling her head so he could deepen the kiss. Hermione responded instinctively and parted her lips at his insistence, her own tongue rising up from the bottom of her mouth to rub against his. Liquid lust flooded her veins at that first touch and that sudden wave cleared her head. She jerked away from him, her lips swollen from their snogging, a slightly frightened expression on her face.

"V-Viktor, you have to go! We can't do this!"

His brow furrowed at her words and simply grasped her firmly by the wrists when she tried to push him away. "Vhy? Just a minute ago it did not seem like you vished for me to go."

"I let my feelings get the better of me."

"So you feel something for me?"

She stared at him, her mouth opened slightly. "That's not the point! We just can't do this, so please go!"

"No!" The vehemence in his voice caused her to stop speaking and merely stare at him. "You deserve better than that veasel! Don't think I haven't seen the scars on your arms, I know how a person gets them. Vhy vould a girl like you have them if she did not get them from her Auror 'boyfriend'? Do not lie to me; he beats you, doesn't he?"

Those expressive eyes of her displayed her conflicting emotions and she wrenched her self free of his grip. "I really don't want to talk about it…" All of that previous fire was gone and in its wake it left a terrified, broken soul crying for relief. "He doesn't mean to hurt me." The last was uttered beneath her breath as she spewed forth the lies that had been pounded into her.

Viktor let out a wordless roar, hearing her mutterings clearly enough. She instinctively cowered away from his fury, stepping backwards towards the sofa. So many horrors had taken place in that living room and while she trusted him implicitly, that faith could not erase the violence in her life. When he saw her reaction he immediately quieted down and crouched before her now sitting form. He gently took her small hands in his and looked up at her with a deeply sad expression on his countenance.

"I am sorry for not being here to protect you from him, Hermione. I promise you that he vill never come near you again."

Terror sucked what the little remaining colour from her cheeks. "He'll kill me." She whispered. "He'll find a way and kill me, just like he promised."

He swore beneath his breath before kissing the back of her hand, as if to show the sincerity of his words. "Vell, hear my promise then. I promise you that I vill keep you safe. You vill get justice and he vill be punished for vhat he has done. Nobody hurts my girl vithout paying the consequences."

His words broke through some of the ice quickly growing around her and she responded slightly to his affectionate gestures. She gripped his fingers tightly, the cool metal of his only ring comforting.

"You'll protect me?"

"Yes."

That simple word caused her to throw herself on him and wrap her arms tightly about his neck. She buried her face in his chest and let out a shaky breath, straddling his lap. His hands rested against the small of her back as he hugged her, surprised at her reaction. He had not thought that she would reply in such a way, though he would not say that he was sorry. He was far from it. He had waited seven long years for Hermione to show true romantic feelings to him and while what she experienced could be induced by her need to be saved, at that moment he could not care. She was in his arms and he would shelter her until the day he died.

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