Empty

Hermione was cold. It was dark and she didn't know where she was.

"This woman is pregnant. No one said she was pregnant. Are you sure this is her? Wait, she's stirring. She's stirring!"

"Stun her! Stun her!"


She was laying on her side on a hard surface. It was even colder than before. Her hands were bound behind her back and her feet were bound together. She naked, she was having trouble opening her eyes, and her leg felt like it was on fire. She couldn't stop shivering. Her head felt like someone was pounding on it with a hammer. With great effort she managed to open one eye. Perversely, someone had dumped her in front of a huge mirror. She was naked. Her eyes were swollen, one of her legs was covered in boils, and her arms were orange for some reason.

"Hey, hey," someone shouted. "She's awake!"

"Stupify," someone else said.


She wasn't as cold now, but she couldn't feel her hands and feet at all. When she managed to open one of her eyes she could see that she was now covered in blue feathers. She couldn't feel the baby move at all, and desperately hoped that didn't mean anything. She tried to look around the room without moving her head, but her eyes were so swollen, she didn't have much peripheral vision. She couldn't tell if Viktor was there too.

"Hey," someone said.

"Stupify," came the second voice again.


She was numb all over. She couldn't feel anything. When she managed to open her one good eye, she wished she hadn't. Tentacles were everywhere interspersed with feathers, scales, boils, colors. She let out an involuntary moan and instantly regretted it.

"Stupify!"


The next time she woke, everything was white and blurry. People were shouting all around her but she couldn't see them clearly. They were just moving blurs. At first, she didn't understand them, but then she realized they were speaking Bulgarian.

"Can you hear me ma'am?" someone asked, but when she opened her mouth to answer she burped up a slug.

"Slugs," someone else said.

"Okay, okay, don't try to talk," the first voice said. "Let's see if we can get these slugs stopped so she can answer us."

Someone else cast a spell.

"Okay, let's try again, ma'am can you tell me your name?"

"Granger," she croaked. "Hermione Granger."

The room got quiet around her. "As in Harry Potter's friend?" another voice said.

"Yes. Where's Viktor?"

"Viktor Krum is here in the hospital. He's unconscious, but he should recover."

"Good," Hermione said. "Is the baby okay?"

"Can you tell us what all they hit you with Ms. Granger?"

"I don't know. They kept stunning me. I don't know. Everything hurts. How is the baby? Is she alright?"

"We're doing what we can Ms. Granger. I'm going to give you something for the pain and you're going to go to sleep for a little while so we can put you right. We'll talk again afterward."

"Okay," she said and closed her eyes.

xXx

When Hermione woke again, her vision had cleared and the pain was no longer sharp and acute, but more of a deep ache throughout her whole body. She sat up in bed and immediately felt the difference. Her hand went to her belly, which was now far flatter than it had been. An icy wave washed through her. Twenty-two weeks was too soon. She started to cry.

A healer pulled back the curtain and came in, closing it behind him. "Ms. Granger?"

She looked up.

The healer pulled a chair over and sat down next to the bed. "I'm very sorry for your loss. We did everything we could, but despite our best magic, there was too much damage. We couldn't save the baby."

Hermione nodded unable to process what the healer was saying. "How about Viktor?"

"Mr. Krum is alive, still unconscious, but we expect him to make a full recovery, as will you."

"Okay," Hermione said, looking out the window. The sun was shining. That seemed wrong.

"Is there someone we can contact to come get you? Harry Potter, perhaps?" The hopeful look in the healer's eyes turned Hermione's stomach. Even after everything that had happened, the only thing the man could think about was that he might get to meet the Chosen One.

"No," Hermione said firmly. "It's not safe for him here. They took me right off the street in broad daylight."

"Oh," the healer said. "Of course. Is there anyone else?"

"No. Well, someone should tell Todor."

"Todor?" the healer said.

Hermione gave him Todor's name and address. "If you have my wand, I can contact him myself."

The healer sighed. "We do have your wand, it was found at the scene. It's in that cabinet there, but you'll need to take it easy on the magic for a few weeks."

"Okay," Hermione said. "Are my clothes in the cabinet as well." She looked at the white metal cabinet next to the bed. The paint was chipping along the bottom.

The healer grimaced. "No. I'm sorry. You didn't come in with clothes. You can keep the gown."

Hermione nodded and looked down at the white cotton hospital gown she was wearing. She hadn't noticed it before. There was a rusty stain on one of the ties. "Okay."

"You'll need to take a lot of different potions," the healer continued. "Some of them you'll only be taking for a few days, but the one for Tentaculous you'll need to take for several weeks until the symptoms subside."

"Tentaculous?"

"Yes, it's a particularly nasty hex. You'll have outbreaks of tentacles for a while, usually under strain, so don't lift anything over a pound or two until you've stopped having outbreaks."

"I'm randomly going to sprout tentacles?" Hermione said with tired resignation.

"Not randomly, but something as simple as a sneeze could cause an outbreak. Usually, they'll appear in the abdominal region, not too big unless left unchecked. The best response is to cast a severing charm, apply Essence of Dittany, and then take a tablespoon of potion."

"A severing charm?"

"Yes, I'm afraid the cure is quite painful."

"Of course," Hermione said. She resumed looking out the window. A flock of birds flew by, but they were too far away for her to recognize the species. Something big though. Storks maybe.

"Also," the healer continued. "In terms of the miscarriage, I would advise waiting at least six weeks to resume sexual activity. Generally, we advise waiting until all the bleeding has stopped and you've had at least one normal period, although in your case, a normal period might not occur for a while."

Hermione looked at him.

"You've taken a lot of magical damage Ms. Granger. I noticed you have some rather large cursed scars too."

"Right," Hermione said in hollow voice. None of this seemed real.

"You're going to want to wait at least six months before trying to conceive again, although, as I said, you've taken a lot of magical damage."

Hermione drew in a shaky breath. "Are you saying I can't have another baby?"

"Can't is too strong a word. It's just not particularly likely, but magic being what it is…" He shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Right," Hermione said, and returned her attention to the window.

"All the instructions will be written down for you," the healer continued. He stood and put the chair back in the corner. "I'll go contact your friend now. You're free to go as soon as he gets here."

"Right," she said.

When the healer left, she got up and went to the cabinet. She couldn't stand up straight and moving was agonizing and exhausting but having her wand back in her hand was a comfort. She curled up at the head of the bed and waited for Todor to arrive.

xXx

As he hurried through the hospital hallways, Todor hated the sounds and smells and the antiseptic white walls. Hospitals were miserable places to be avoided if possible, but Viktor and Hermione were there and hurt, so he tried to push his surroundings out of his mind and focus on finding Hermione. He'd already seen Viktor, who was still unconscious in the Deadly Curses Department, but he was having trouble finding the Magical Accidents wing where Hermione was supposed to be. He turned a corner and suddenly he was there.

"Hermione Granger?" Todor asked the first healer to cross his path.

The healer pointed down the hall. "Last door on the left. She's ready to go. Are you family?"

Todor shook his head. "No. Just a friend, she doesn't have anyone else to take her."

The healer walked with him down the hall. "She's fine to leave, but she's not well. They really did a number on her. Her physical wounds have mostly healed, but emotionally… To be abducted like that and then brutalized with all that magic, that's bad enough, but she also lost the baby.

Todor felt the loss like a punch in the gut.

"Make sure you pick up the box of potions in her room. You'll have to stay on top of that. She's still got a lot of healing ahead of her. The instructions are in the box. Do you think you can handle all this?"

Todor nodded, but he didn't feel like he could handle any of it. Unfortunately, there was no one else. He looked at the door to her room.

"Go ahead," the healer said gently.

Todor swallowed hard and took a deep breath before knocking on door. "Hermione," he said, before cracking the door just enough to catch a glimpse of her.

The site broke his heart. She was curled into a tight ball at the head of the bed with her wand gripped tightly in her hand. She looked at him and blinked. "Todor?"

"Yes," he said, stepping in and closing the door behind him.

She pointed her wand at him. "Tell me something, so I know it's really you." There was an edge to her voice that left him unnerved.

"You like heroin," he said softly.

She closed her eyes and lowered her wand. "How is Viktor? Have you seen him?"

"He will be fine. Was hurt bad, but will be fine."

Hermione nodded.

"The hospital, they owl me to…ah…come and get you." The switch from Bulgarian to English was always hard for him, but he had been practicing his English. Hermione spoke Bulgarian, but he wasn't sure if she'd be able to given the state she was in.

She looked up at him, but then dropped her eyes again. "Okay."

He sat on the edge of her bed. "The healer says you can go. Do you want go?"

She looked at him. "Yes, but I shouldn't leave Viktor."

He sighed again. "Look, Viktor is…not awake. Come with me now. I wii bring back tomorrow."

She nodded and began to uncurl, but he could tell it was costing her. She grimaced with pain as she finally stood, but she remained slightly hunched over.

"Are you sure can go?"

She nodded.

He offered her his arm. She hesitated before taking it, but then leaned heavily on him as they made their way slowly to the hospital entrance.

He took the Floo first, giving her directions before he stepped into the green flames.

He was there to catch her as she stumbled out of the fireplace into his studio/flat a minute later. She coughed and he held her while she caught her breath.

"I will make bath for you," he said helping her to the small bathroom at the back of the flat. He flicked his wand at the tub, starting the hot water flowing. "Do you need help getting into tub?"

She shook her head.

"Fine, call if need." He turned to leave but then stopped. "Hermione, is anyone I should owl?"

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it and shook her head.

Todor nodded. He closed the door behind him and went out into his studio. He put on some water to boil for tea and then made some cheese sandwiches. He thought she probably wouldn't want to eat, but he wanted them available in case she did want something. He started cleaning. The tools of his profession were all over the flat so he sorted through things and put them away, expecting her to come out of the bath at any minute. Finally, he realized she'd been in there an awfully long time.

He tapped on the bathroom door. There was no answer. "Hermione?" he said, easing the door open. She was curled at the far end of the tub, trembling, her eyes were closed and her fists were clenched tight. "Hermione?" he asked again. He got no response. He stepped into the bathroom and touched the water in the tub. It had gone cold. He pulled his wand out and cast a heating charm on the bathwater and then on the towel she'd set out and his robe hanging on the back of the door. "Come, Hermione, time to get out, yes."

She shook her head. "I can't get out," she said through chattering teeth, but she didn't appear to be talking to him.

"Is all right, I help you." He reached for her, but she shrank away from him. "I will not hurt you." He reached again and she let him take her arm, but she trembled harder now. "Is all right," he cooed. He helped her out of the tub and wrapped her in one of the warm towels. As he dried her off, he tried to clear his mind and not notice the drops of water gracing her breasts or the wild mass of curls trailing down her back or the other curls at the juncture of her thighs. He wrapped her in his robe.

He took another towel and used to it to try and absorb some of the water out of her hair. "I like your hair curly," he said, desperate to say something.

"Viktor prefers it straight."

Todor frowned. "Sometimes, Viktor is idiot." That got him a half smile.

He cast a detangling charm, but it didn't seem to do much with her hair. He cast it four times before he ventured a drying charm; it took three of those. He smiled at her. "Your hair is a lot."

Hermione half snorted. "That's certainly one way to look at it." She hunched over and grabbed the vanity and let out a groan.

"I will get potion."

She grabbed his arm with a surprisingly strong grip. "Todor, do you…do have anything better, stronger?"

He looked at her, knowing full well what she was asking. "The healer said–"

"I don't care what the healer said. I want something for more than just these cramps." There was a grim determination in her eyes.

He shook his head. "No, is not what you really want."

"Yes, it is."

He shook his head again.

She grimaced again and clutched at her middle. "Don't make me beg, Todor. Please."

"I only have little bit for emergencies. I have quit."

She looked at him, her eyes pleading.

He sighed. "Fine. Go lay down. I get."

xXx

He was kneeling next to the bed and holding a lighter under the little foil packet for her while she breathed in the fumes from the tube. She handed it to him and lay back, rolling away from him. He looked at the foil packet and let the last remnants of the heroin boil away. He didn't smoke any. He started to walk away, to let her sleep, when her hand reached out and grabbed his.

"Don't go. Please."

He set his lighter and the crumpled piece of foil on the nightstand and sat next to her.

"I lost the baby," she said quietly. "Our baby."

"I know," he swallowed hard. "The healer said. I am very sorry."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "I suppose it's for the best, really."

"No," Todor said. "No, you and me would make pretty baby, I think."

She nodded, more tears falling, and then she sobbed, great wracking sobs. He held her and felt his own tears slip down his cheek and into her hair. He knew the minute the heroin started to kick in because the sobbing stopped, but she still clung to him and he continued to hold her until they fell asleep.

xXx

The sound of someone pounding on the door woke Todor. Hermione stirred next to him. He got up and shouted for whoever was at the door to wait. He slipped into the bathroom, relieved himself, and then got some hangover potion out of the cabinet. He pressed it into Hermione's hand as he passed the bed on the way to the door. He called his wand to him before he looked through the peephole. He looked back at Hermione, "MMBP," he said.

She looked at him blankly and pushed her hair back.

He struggled for the English equivalent. "Ah, Aurors."

She sat up, pulling his robe tighter around her.

Todor opened the door.

The three Auror's introduced themselves. A younger woman stepped forward. "Are you Hermione Granger?" she asked Hermione in perfect English.

Hermione nodded and got to her feet, her wand still gripped tightly in her hand.

"It's an honor to meet you," she stuck out her hand and Hermione shook it. The other two Auror's shook her hand as well.

"We would like to express our sympathy for your loss and to tell you that the Bulgarian Ministry is profoundly sorry that this happened on our watch."

Hermione nodded again, but didn't say anything.

There was an awkward moment of silence. The English speaking Auror continued, "We've arrested two of the Death Eaters that attacked you and Viktor Krum. I understand that you didn't recognize any of your attackers, but we think we might recognize them if we saw them. Are you familiar with a Pensieve?"

Hermione's eyes widened but she nodded again.

Todor could see her wand hand trembling. He moved to stand next to her. "Is okay," he said softly.

"Are you capable of the magic involved in removing a memory?" the Auror asked.

Hermione glanced at Todor before she nodded again.

Todor watched amazed as Hermione set her wand to her temple and removed the long silvery strand of memory. The Auror already had a bottle ready and Hermione slipped the writhing string into it and the Auror corked it. "Thank you," the young woman said. "We'll get this back to you as soon as possible. We talked to Mr. Krum this morning. Between his testimony and this memory, we won't have any problems with a conviction."

Hermione looked up sharply as did Todor. "Viktor's awake?" they said in unison.

"He was this morning, yes."

Hermione clutched her middle and let out a soft groan.

Todor took her arm and helped her back to bed. "I must get her potions."

"Of course," the English speaking Auror said. "We've got all we need, Miss Granger. We'll get these memories back to you as soon as possible."

Hermione nodded.

Todor made sure she took all her potions and then he drew her another bath. Once they were both cleaned up and ready, they returned to the hospital to see Viktor

xXx

Viktor's parents were talking to a healer in the hall when Hermione and Todor arrived. Viktor's mother was clearly appalled at their arrival and said so to Todor in Bulgarian along with a lot of ugly comments about Hermione's blood status. But this time, Hermione spoke Bulgarian and she was in no mood to be talked about as though she didn't matter. She let Viktor's mother know in no uncertain terms that she wasn't going anywhere. The air crackled around her and Todor quietly said, "Hermione, calm down."

She realized her rage was starting to manifest in her magic and she took a deep breath, but the desired result was reached anyway as Viktor's mother told her she was horrid but scurried off anyway. There were some advantages to her war exploits being widely known.

Looking at the door to Viktor's hospital room, she tucked a curl behind her ear. "I'm a mess," she said to Todor in Bulgarian.

"You look fine." He was relieved not to have to keep speaking in English.

She looked down at his baggy paint streaked jeans and worn purple velvet button down that she was wearing. "I don't even have my own clothes."

"You look fine," he repeated. "What did you want to do?" He smiled. "Stop and shop on the way here?"

"No, of course not," Hermione said, her voice cracking. "I just want my own clothes." She pushed a stray tear off her cheek.

Todor rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know. We will get you some clothes. Do not worry. It will be okay."

She nodded and pulled her wand to cast a charm to disguise that she'd been crying.

Todor gave her a sympathetic look. "You do not have to do that."

"Yes, I do," she said quietly. "Not for Viktor. For me."

He sighed. "Let's go in."

xXx

Viktor was laying in bed. He opened his eyes when he heard the door open. He didn't sit up.

"Viktor?" Hermione said cautiously.

"Yes," he said in a soft whisper. He looked in their direction out of corner of his eye. He didn't move his head.

A healer was standing next to him putting the cork back on a potion bottle. "You are family?" she asked.

"Yes," Todor answered. "I am his cousin, Todor Golakov and this is his fiancé, Hermione Granger."

The healer's eyebrows shot up. "The English witch? Harry Potter's friend?"

"Yes," Hermione answered tiredly. She didn't need that today. "Can you tell us what happened to Viktor?"

"He was hit with a muscle collapsing curse," the healer said. "Fortunately, he was found quickly or he would have suffocated."

Hermione stepped next to the bed and slipped her fingers into Viktor's hand. He twitched his fingers but couldn't close them around hers. "How long will it take him to recover?"

"Well, he's an athlete and that works in his favor, two or three more days of treatment should set him right."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling, Miss Granger?" the healer asked.

"I'm fine."

Viktor cut his eyes at her and then at Todor, who shook his head slightly. Viktor ran his eyes up and down Hermione while she talked to the healer and his expression grew more and more alarmed. Finally, the healer left.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

Hermione pushed the damp fringe off his forehead. "Don't worry about that right now. Let's just focus on getting you well."

He looked at her flat stomach. "The baby?"

Hermione shook her head but couldn't hold back the tears. She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over and sobbed next to him.

Viktor looked at Todor who was now also crying. "Help me," he gasped.

Todor went over to the bed and lifted Viktor's arm to rest over Hermione as she cried.

"Thank you," Viktor said, tears forming in his own eyes.

After a few minutes, she sat up and Viktor's arm slid off her. She set it back on the bed next to him. "All right," she said. "Enough of that. I need a cup of tea. Can you eat or drink yet?"

"They only give me ice chips," Viktor said. "But the healer said I can try drinking after my dose tonight."

Hermione nodded. "Okay. Todor do you want a cup of tea?"

"Coffee would be good," Todor said.

"Okay. I'll be back," she said and left the room.

xXx

As soon as she closed the door behind her, Viktor looked at Todor. "Why is she wearing your clothes?"

Todor sighed sadly. "When I came to pick her up at the hospital, all she had was the gown. The healers said she was brought in naked but…"

"But what?" Viktor asked.

"She was covered in boils, feathers, tentacles, and color for some reason. Apparently, she was hit with so many jinxes and hexes and some curses that she was barely recognizable as human. It took a long time for them to get her sorted."

"They couldn't save the baby?"

Todor shook his head sadly. "No."

"She's moving very stiffly," Viktor added.

"Yes," Todor agreed. "She's very banged up. I think she cast a glamor charm before I got to the hospital, but it wore off while she slept last night. When I went to wake her this morning…" He shook his head. "Her arms and face were covered in cuts and burns from all the magic. They're healing, of course, but there are so many. Episkey and Dittany can't work but so fast with so much to heal."

"Fuck," Viktor muttered.

"She has been through a lot. The Aurors came and took her memories to try and identify who attacked you."

"Good. I hope they get the bastards." He looked at Todor. "Are my clothes in that cabinet?"

Todor opened it to check. "Yes."

"Look in the right front pocket of my jacket. Our luggage should be in there."

Todor fished around in the pocket and pulled out the two little bags.

"The red one is hers," Viktor said.

"She will be so relieved to have her own clothes," Todor said.

xXx

The next three days were spent almost exclusively at the hospital. At night, Todor and Hermione would return to his flat. He would make a simple dinner and they would play chess or cards. They shared his bed each night, and he held her until she fell asleep. He tried not to notice when she called for a man in her sleep, a man that was neither him nor Viktor.

On the fourth day, Viktor was released from the hospital. It was a miserable day that had started with a thick fog, which turned into a heavy downpour. The hospital had arranged for a Portkey to take them back to England. Todor watched from the hospital window as Viktor and Hermione stepped out into the rain.

She said something to him and he shook his head. He pulled her to him and hugged her.

Todor thought they looked very beautiful together in the rain. When they broke the hug, Viktor held on to her arm and picked up an empty can from a bench in the courtyard. A moment later, they disappeared. Todor wished them the best of luck, but he couldn't help wondering about the man Hermione called for in her sleep, and whether or not she did that when she was with Viktor, and what it meant if she did or if she didn't.

xXx

Viktor and Hermione landed in the backyard of her parents' townhouse. Viktor enlarged their luggage and took the box of potions from the hospital and put it in the downstairs powder room. He took her luggage upstairs while Hermione went through her mail. She was still going through it when Viktor came back downstairs.

"I am going to get some fresh clothes at my place. I will be back in a little while."

"You don't have too," Hermione said without looking at him.

"What?"

She shook her head. "I know you felt responsible for the baby and my situation, but that's over now. You don't have to stay. I'll be fine."

He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I will be back in a little while." He kissed her neck and then stepped back and Disapparated.

She knew she should feel grateful or happy or something that he wanted to stay with her, but she didn't feel anything. Nothing. She continued sorting the mail. She came across a fancy envelope and opened it. Ginny was inviting her to her hen party. Hermione was supposed to be Ginny's maid of honor. That had been decided before she'd left Ron, but now the hen party had been planned and Hermione hadn't been involved at all. She wondered briefly if that meant she was no longer maid of honor. It didn't matter. She found a piece of parchment and jotted down a quick note:

Dear Ginny,

I'm sorry, but I've been quite ill, so I won't be able to attend your hen party. I understand that circumstances have changed. Please let me know if you no longer want me as your maid of honor or if you'd rather I not attend the wedding. I'll abide by whatever you decide.

Best wishes,

Hermione

She sealed the letter and set it aside to give to the next owl that came by. She was exhausted. She went into the parlor and lay down on the sofa. It wasn't long before she was sound asleep.

xXx

Hermione awoke sometime later to the sound of bacon frying. There was a fire going in the fireplace. She stared at it without sitting up. A few minutes later, Viktor came in carrying a plate in one hand and two glasses of pumpkin juice in the other. He held out the hand with the juice and she sat up and took one.

"I'm glad you're up," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she said.

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Still sore," she said.

He held out the plate. It had four bacon sandwiches on it.

"I'm not hungry."

"It doesn't matter. Eat one. You have to keep up your strength."

"Right," she said and took a sandwich. She couldn't imagine what she needed to be strong for. He was watching so she took a bite. It felt like wet cardboard in her mouth. It was all she could do to swallow it. The pumpkin juice helped.

Viktor looked at her, his forehead wrinkled in concern. "I know you are sad," he said. "But it will get better."

"Right," she said.

xXx

By the end of the week, she'd finished all the potions but the one for Tentaculous. She was still having occasional outbreaks, especially if she coughed or sneezed. She felt well enough to go back to work, so on Monday morning, she went to the Ministry. Work provided the focus she needed to move forward. Staying at home had left her to stew in her own misery, but at work, she could shift her thoughts to something more compelling than the mess that was the rest of her life.

Viktor continued to stay with her, but he was back at practice every day, and without being able to have sex for at least another five weeks, she felt strangely disconnected from him. It was still better to have him there than to not have him, but she didn't find his presence as comforting as she used to. So much had happened that it was overwhelming. For him too, she thought. Many nights they spent sitting in her parlor, supposedly reading, but really just drinking wine and staring at the fire.

xXx

On the Wednesday before the hen party, she received a note from Ginny.

Dear Hermione,

You are my maid of honor. I'm sorry you've been ill. I'll see you at the wedding.

Love,

Ginny

Hermione wept so openly that Viktor hurried into the kitchen to see what was wrong. She handed him the note and continued crying into her hands. He put his arms around her. "When is the wedding?"

"June fifteenth," she said, wiping her face on her shirt sleeves.

His brow wrinkled, "I think..."

"You have a game. I already checked," she said.

"Ah," he said awkwardly.

"It's alright," she said. "I can go on my own. I'll be fine."

xXx

She felt almost normal at work, but home was another story. She still felt numb most of the time and it was difficult to accomplish much beyond the basics of staying clean and sleeping. She slept a lot, far more than the eight hours she was supposed to need. Viktor didn't say anything, but she could tell he was getting restless. She wished she were restless. She wished she were anything other than blank. The last time she'd cried was when she'd gotten the letter from Ginny and that had been two weeks ago. It was already June. The wedding was soon and still she felt nothing. When Viktor came home for the third night in a row to find her staring at the empty fireplace, he held out his hand, "Come."

She took his hand and he pulled her into the Floo. They stepped out at his flat. "Come here," he said. She followed him into the bedroom, not entirely sure what he was offering. He knew they weren't supposed to have sex for three more weeks. He surprised her by handing her a Quidditch sweater. "Put that on."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"Just do it." He pulled on a similar one. He grabbed her hand and they went back out to the spare room where he worked on his brooms. He handed her a helmet and some gloves. She put them on without comment. He grabbed her hand again and with his other hand grabbed one of his brooms. "Come on," he said.

When they got outside, Viktor turned to her. "We are going to fly. We are going to go very fast and very high. It will be cold. We will do tricks. I know you do not like that, but we are going to do it until you ask me to stop. Okay?"

She nodded. He straddled the broom and she got on behind him.

"Hold tight," he said and kicked off.

She'd flown behind Ron on a broom, and she'd flown on Buckbeak with Harry, but she had never flown this fast before. It was terrifying. When Viktor did the first of a series of barrel rolls, she reached a whole new level of terror. She was dizzy and scared but it felt so good to feel something, anything. When he came out of the second set of barrel rolls, he put on more speed. She held on for dear life. When it looked like he was going to do another set, she cried for him not to. He looked back at her. "Okay," he said and slowed down. They flew back to the townhouse at a reasonable pace. When they landed in the back garden, Hermione realized how tatty it looked and she felt bad. Her mother had always taken such good care of her garden. She didn't have much time to think about that as Viktor took her hand again and led her inside. He left his broom in the corner of the kitchen and led her upstairs to her bedroom.

He started a bath running. She was chilled through and thought a hot bath sounded perfect. He pulled the sweater over her head and she let him continue to undress her until she stood naked before him. She hadn't bothered to cover her scars in weeks. "Come," he said, and got her settled in the tub. When he turned to leave, she grabbed his hand. "Join me," she said quietly.

He looked at her and sat on the edge of the tub. "You know we can't. The healer said—"

"I know, but I…can you just sit with me?"

He stroked her cheek and began pulling off his clothes. She tried to think of the last time they'd been naked together and realized it was the morning before they'd gone to Bulgaria. They'd been sleeping together since they returned, but they'd both been wearing pajamas and they had both taken to changing in the bathroom.

He settled behind her and ran a finger beneath the new scar that ran along her left shoulder blade. He didn't comment. Her flesh goose pimpled at his touch.

As she leaned back against him, Viktor sighed. "I have missed you."

She let her head drop back against his chest. "I've missed you too," she said.

xXx

The next morning over breakfast, Viktor was clearly concerned about leaving her on her own. "But what are you going to do today?" he asked again.

"Putter around the house I suppose. I need to go through my parents' desks downstairs. That's all that's left in the basement and then it's done. I should probably do something with the garden too. I noticed when we landed yesterday that it's looking rather sad, which would break my mother's heart."

He nodded. "Alright. I will not be gone long. There is a team meeting about the European Cup plans, and then I should be done. Are we staying here or at mine tonight?"

"Your choice," Hermione said, and took a sip of coffee. She'd taken to drinking it at home most of the time. Viktor preferred coffee to tea and it seemed silly to make both.

"I will come back here. Perhaps, I can help with the garden."

"That sounds good," she said.

He stood and kissed her lightly on the lips before Disapparating. She read through the paper and finished her coffee. She payed closer attention these days to the sports section. Puddlemere United was listed as qualifying for the European Cup. Viktor was noted for being the key to their success. She smiled at the photo of him catching the Snitch in his last game. She poured herself another cup of coffee and went downstairs.

She'd already dealt with the nursery she'd been working on in the small room connected to her parents' master suite. Although, all she'd done to deal with it was to put permanent locking charms on the doors. She'd left her parents room in a state of partial renovation and closed the door. Her intention had been for her and Viktor to move into that room before the baby was born, but it was too much to face, so they continued sleeping in the room she'd put him in the first night he'd come to London.

It was much easier to deal with the basement. She opened all the blinds to let in as much light as possible and then began to sort through her father's desk. All that was left were some office supplies, personal items, and other flotsam and jetsam that has a tendency to accumulate in desk drawers over time. It was fairly quick work until she came across an unopened pack of Benson and Hedges cigarettes and a pint bottle of Jameson's that only had about a shot left in it. She opened the bottle and tossed back the last of the whiskey before picking up the pack of cigarettes. She wondered if her mother knew he kept this emergency pack around. Her father had stopped smoking a few years before he died, or at least he'd said he did. She opened the pack and smelled the familiar smell. There was a book of matches next to the pack, and on impulse she lit one. She'd smoked before in moments of teen angst when she was on holiday with her parents and found herself with a bunch of Muggle kids who smoked, but she'd never found it particularly compelling. Now though, the smoke was strangely soothing and the smell filled her with nostalgia as she thought of sitting in her father's lap as a child while he read to her and he smelled of smoke. It was a warm safe smell for her. She smoked the cigarette while she finished cleaning out the desk and then tucked the rest of the pack in her pocket before heading back upstairs. No need to bring the matches. She was a witch after all. Her mother's desk could wait for another day.

xXx

When Viktor got home that afternoon, Hermione wasn't in the house. He found her in the back garden on her hands and knees ripping out weeds.

"What are you doing?"

She glared up at him. "Gardening."

"Like a Muggle? Why?"

She wiped her brow with the back of her wrist. "I have no idea. I guess I thought…oh screw it, this is stupid." She drew her wand and shoved her left hand into the earth she'd churned up weeding. She closed her eyes and within minutes the garden was weeded and in full bloom.

Viktor smiled at her. "I have never seen anyone cast Herbivicus that way."

She got to her feet, dusting herself off. "You're always saying things like that. Why?"

He wrinkled his brow. "Like what?"

"You comment on my magic a lot, always with a subtle tone of surprise. Do you not understand what it is that I do?"

He cocked his head. "Of course, I know what you do. You work at the Ministry as an…um…wait…it is something about not talking. No. That is not right."

"Unspeakable," she said.

"Yes," he said and smiled.

"But do you understand what that means?"

His smile faded. "Honestly? No."

She began to laugh. "Why didn't you just ask?"

His cheeks went red. "You were so excited to get the job and it seemed like you thought I knew what it was, so I was embarrassed to say I did not know. I went to look it up at the library, but I could not find anything, so I thought I had the word wrong, but you said not to tell anyone, so I could not ask the librarian. By that point, too much time had passed to ask you, so I thought I would figure it out over time, but I have not. I know you work very hard, so many hours, but for the life of me Hermione, I do not know what it is that you do. I am sorry."

She put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing again. She composed herself and smiled at him. "Ironically, I can't tell you exactly what I do, because it's unspeakable, hence the title. However, I can tell you that I work with magic at its core in its most pure and malleable state."

He narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms. "That does not sound safe."

She squeezed his arm. "I'm careful, but yes, it can be dangerous to manipulate magic in new ways. Although, what that means in terms of applied magic is that you're going to see me do things on occasion that are…different…from how you may have seen them done before. For example, I can cast Herbivicus in a variety of ways." She drew her wand again and used it to conjure a wreath on the back door. "Like that." She flicked it at a rose bush and it began to bloom and grow rapidly. "Or that." She pulled back her wand and then arced it through the whole garden turning all the flowers white. "Or that."

Viktor looked impressed.

She flicked her wand at the rosebush again and it returned to normal.

"So, you mostly work with plant magic?"

She shook her head. "Actually no. I never work with plants. Look, it took me a year to get this job. The trials were unbelievably challenging. I started out with six other applicants. I was the only one who finished the trials and was hired. Most years they don't hire anyone. At this point, I can honestly say, there is no form of daily magic that I can't do. If I don't have easy access to a spell book, I can usually parse out how to perform a spell just from knowing the underlying magic. Obviously, looking it up is faster, but in a pinch, I don't really need to for the vast majority of spells."

"That is…" He shook his head. "How did I not know this?"

She shrugged. "I don't like to show off." She shook her head. "No, actually that's not true. I love to show off, but I don't, because I don't like to make people uncomfortable and sometimes, power displays make people uncomfortable."

"So, you have been worried about my…" He searched for the word. "Ego?"

She laughed. "Not exactly. Well, maybe, but just a little."

"Stop worrying. I am an international Quidditch star. I have a very strong ego. Do as you please."

She grinned and hugged him. "Fair enough."

He pulled her closer and felt the packet of cigarettes between them. He leaned back and looked down. "What is this?" he said, pulling the packet out of the front pocket of her jeans. "You smoke?"

She shrugged. "On occasion. Why? Does it bother you?"

"No. It is fine. Nikolina smoked."

"Oh."

He tugged her closer. "It is all right, really. I do not mind."

She tilted her head back and kissed him.

When he came out of the kiss, he said, "How much longer before we can be together?"

She groaned. "Too long."

He hugged her tighter. "At least we have tomorrow off so we can go to Oliver's party. A little dancing might be just what we need."