Accident and Emergency

That night the four of them went to a Muggle dance club and were out late. Late the next morning, Todor and Pietra went into town to go shopping, but Viktor and Hermione begged off. They were in the kitchen debating what to do with their day.

"I'm trying to decide if I have enough energy to go down to the beach or if I just want to lay on the balcony like a slug," Hermione said as she tightened the sarong around her waist.

Viktor put a towel around his shoulders. "Come with me. A swim in the ocean will revive you."

"I don't know, I—"

Pietra popped on to the balcony and started screaming. "Help me! The Muggles took him!"

Viktor ran to the balcony. "What happened?"

Hermione ran after him.

Tears were streaming down Pietra's face. "Todor wanted a latte so he went into a café while I went down the street to a shop. A car came on to the sidewalk. It hit several people. I couldn't get to him. They put him in one of those box cars with the lights."

"An ambulance?" Hermione said.

"Yes. He was hurt. What if they cut him open? I've heard Muggles carve people up in their hospitals. We have to get him out!"

"Where is the hospital?" Hermione asked.

"Someone on the street said Gassin," Pietra said.

Hermione ran back inside and began shuffling through the magazines and tourist pamphlets on the coffee table in the lounge until she came up with a map. She pulled out her wand and held it over the map and uttered an incantation Viktor had never heard before. She closed her eyes and opened her hand. Her wand floated up to center over a spot on the map. She looked at Viktor and Pietra. "Please don't ever tell anyone you saw me do this. I'll take him to the magical hospital in Paris. Meet me there." She grabbed her wand and disappeared.

Viktor looked at Pietra. "Where is the nearest Floo?"

"Here," Pietra said. She went into the kitchenette and grabbed a box from under the sink. "Come, my friend had it connected through the fire pit."

They both stepped on to the fire pit and Pietra threw down the powder and shouted Saint Aimo Hôpital Magique and they were pulled away.

xXx

Hermione landed on the roof of the Centre Hospitalier de Saint-Tropez in Gassin and hurried to the edge. The ambulances were still a couple of streets away but she could see them coming. She cast Alohomora on the stairwell door on the roof to open it and hurried down the stairs. It wasn't a large hospital, so she ducked into the second-floor corridor and found a ladies' room, which was thankfully empty. She cast a complex glamour charm to make her look like a doctor to Muggles and hurried downstairs. She hurried through the hallways looking for signs to the Accident and Emergency department. The ambulances were pulling in as she got there. Other doctors were grabbing paper gowns and hurrying to meet them. She held back and watched as they pulled stretchers carrying victims from the back of the ambulances until she saw them take Todor out. She hurried forward. There was an IV in his arm. "I've got this one," Hermione said in a strange tone. The others gave her an odd faraway look and then backed away as she wheeled him into the hospital. She pushed the gurney into the first empty room she found. She locked the door with a temporary charm and took out the IV, and cast Episkey on the wound. He stirred and opened his eyes. "Hermione?"

"It's okay. I'm going to get you to one of our hospitals."

His eyes fluttered closed again.

She leaned over and hugged him and they Disapparated. They landed in Accident and Emergency at Saint Aimo Hôpital Magique in Paris a few moments later. "I need help!" Hermione shouted in French as she sank to her knees lowering Todor to the floor.

House elves and healers appeared as did Viktor and Pietra. Pietra followed the healers as they cast Mobilicorpus and whisked Todor from the room.

Viktor helped Hermione to her feet. She held her side as she got up. "Are you alright?"

She stretched, grimacing as she did so. "I'm okay. I just did a lot of intense magic in a short amount of time."

Viktor looked at her side, which was simple enough given that she was only wearing a bikini and a sarong around her waist. "It looks very red."

"I'm fine Viktor, but I should pop back to the hotel and get us some clothes."

"I will do it," Viktor said. "Go sit down, you need to rest."

She nodded and he Disapparated.

She turned to go to the waiting area when a man appeared with a camera. "Aren't you Hermione Granger?"

She sighed as he snapped her photo. This day just gets better and better, she thought. Instead of walking over to the waiting area, she went to the front desk instead. The photographer continued snapping photos.

"Is there somewhere I could go to get away from this man?" She asked the clerk in French.

The clerk frowned at the photographer and called for security who quickly escorted him from the building. "But I'm waiting for my girlfriend," the photographer said indignantly.

"Well, now you'll have to wait outside," said the guard who looked to have a bit of giant blood in him. He wasn't quite as big as Hagrid, but he was too big to be entirely human. Hermione went over to the waiting area and took a seat. Her side ached and her head hurt. She rubbed her temples and longed for a hot bath and a stiff drink.

Viktor reappeared a few minutes later and handed her a pair of shorts, a T-shirt, and some sandals. Hermione took the clothes. "Thanks, but it's a little late."

"What do you mean? I went as fast as I could."

She patted his chest. "I know, but I've already had my photo taken like this. Wonder where that will appear." She sighed as she went to the ladies room to put on the clothes.

When she returned Viktor had taken a seat in the corner away from the other people in the waiting area. When she sat down, he put his arm around her and she leaned against him. After a moment, he whispered in her ear, "I have never seen anyone Disapparate using only a map before."

"And you still haven't," Hermione said without looking at him.

"But—"

"And you still haven't," Hermione insisted, she pulled the sarong over her like a blanket.

Viktor sighed. "Alright." He tightened his arm around her and she closed her eyes, wishing the deep ache in her side would go away.

Viktor nudged her sometime later and she rubbed her eyes. Pietra was coming across the room. Hermione and Viktor stood to greet her.

"He's going to be fine," Pietra said, as she walked up. "Just some broken bones and bruising. We can take him home."

"Good," Viktor said with relief.

Pietra hugged Hermione. "Thank you, thank you so much. You were amazing."

"You're welcome. I was happy to help."

"I don't know how you—"

Hermione shook her head firmly. "I didn't do anything special. Remember?"

Pietra's mouth popped open. She nodded her head. "Of course."

"When can he leave?" Viktor asked.

"Now," Pietra said. "The problem is how to get him back to the hotel. They don't want him to take the Floo. He's supposed to rest for a couple of days. I was hoping you could take him," she said to Hermione, "So he doesn't have to stay here."

"Sure," Hermione said.

"Great," Pietra said. "It's this way." She turned to go back to Todor's room. Hermione went to follow her, but Viktor grabbed her arm.

"I do not think it is a good idea for you to take him side-along, you are already exhausted."

"I'm fine. It's just one hop, and I had a nap." Viktor went to lift her T-shirt to see for himself, but she grabbed the hem and yanked it back down. "It's fine. Let's just get him back to the hotel."

Viktor sighed in frustration as they followed Pietra.

When they entered the room, Todor was waiting. "Are you ready?" Hermione asked him.

He looked nervously at Pietra.

"You wanted to see how I Apparate," Hermione said with a smile. "This is your chance. You were unconscious last time."

Todor took a deep breath. "All right." He got to his feet.

Hermione stood next to him and put her arm around his waist. He put his arm over her shoulders. "Hang on to me," she said. She looked at Viktor and Pietra. "You two go first, so you can help him when we get there."

Pietra nodded and Disapparated. Viktor gave Hermione one last concerned look and did the same.

Hermione smiled at Todor, raised her wand and Disapparated.

When they arrived in the hotel suite, Pietra took over supporting Todor and helped him into their bedroom.

"Are you okay?" Viktor asked Hermione. "You are very pale."

"Sure," she said as she stumbled to the bar. Her hands were shaking so bad she couldn't open the bottle of whiskey.

Viktor took it from her. "I will get this. Go lay down. I will draw you a bath."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. She shuffled into their bedroom holding her side.

xXx

The next day no one wanted to do anything more taxing than go to the beach.

Viktor was taking a swim. Todor was asleep in his lounge chair. Pietra was looking at magazines, and Hermione was reading a book about the history of the magical community in France.

After a few minutes, Pietra said, "Ooh la la. Isn't this that ginger you used to date?" She held out the magazine. Hermione looked up and saw a photo spread of Harry, Ron, and Ginny at the beach. The headline was 'Heroes on Holiday.' There was a playful picture of Ginny splashing Harry. One of the three of them sitting around a fire and a third of Ron coming out of the ocean. Like Hermione he still hadn't put back on all the weight he'd lost during the war. His swim trunks were white on top and blue on the bottom and hung low on his hips. As he came out of the water, the wet trunks clung to him in a very revealing way. "My," Pietra said. "Isn't he a big boy?"

Hermione could feel her face heat up. Ron was big and he looked thin but fit coming out of the water. He'd obviously used a strong sun blocking charm because his skin was creamy white without freckles. He had more chest hair than the last time she'd seen him shirtless and it narrowed and trailed down his stomach in a dark line where it disappeared inside his trunks. He looked relaxed and happy in a way she hadn't seen him look in a long time, and it tugged hard at her heart strings. She didn't want to see him like this. It made her remember happier times and that hurt. "Yes, that's him," she said with forced nonchalance and returned to her book.

"Better not let Viktor see this," Pietra teased. "It will make him insecure."

"I doubt that," Hermione said dryly. "Viktor is a wonderful lover."

"Oh, I know," Pietra said. "But my goodness," she said, giving Hermione a knowing smile.

Hermione looked at her. "You know?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course," Pietra said lightly. "We dated in school. He was my first, actually. Come to think of it, I might have been his as well. Did he not mention that?"

Hermione shook her head.

Pietra shrugged. "No matter. It was ages ago. We were kids. Besides, I only agreed to go out with him, because I wanted to get to know Todor better, and I knew they were friends. Todor was dating this other girl though and we didn't end up dating until after we graduated."

"Oh," Hermione said, trying to keep her tone as light as Pietra's, but it bothered her that Viktor hadn't mentioned that he'd slept with Pietra. Presumably Todor knew. Of course, Pietra didn't know about Amsterdam, so Hermione felt like she couldn't be but so upset, but it still irked her that Viktor hadn't mentioned it.

xXx

That night, as they were getting ready for bed, Hermione said, "So you used to date Pietra."

"For a while in school, yes," Viktor said, clearly not bothered by the question. He started brushing his teeth.

"How old were you?" Hermione asked.

Viktor spit out a mouthful of toothpaste. "Fifteen." He rinsed his mouth out and reached for the mouthwash.

"You slept with her?" Hermione said.

He nodded and spat out the mouthwash. "Is that a problem? It was years ago."

"It's just weird, don't you think?" Hermione said.

"What?" Viktor said, wiping his mouth.

"That she's had sex with you and Todor, and so have I."

He shook his head. "You had sex with us at the same time. She had sex with us separately and years apart. Very different."

She frowned at him. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "You worry about nothing. She is with Todor. I am with you. We are good friends. We do not want to be lovers."

"Fine," Hermione said. "But for future reference, if we're going to vacation with anyone else you've slept with, and she's going to be parading around topless half the time, I think I'd like to know up front."

Viktor smiled broadly and kissed her cheek. "I promise I will tell you if we are ever in that situation again."

"Great," Hermione said.

xXx

The next morning as they were packing to leave, Viktor said, "We should think about where we want to go."

Hermione raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"We spend every night together," Viktor said. "Sometimes at your place, sometimes at mine, but unless I am out of town, we are together."

"Right," Hermione said.

"My flat is closer to the Ministry. You would not even need to Apparate, you could walk."

She cocked her head at him. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Yes," he said.

She smiled at him. "All right then."