A Passive Period

Hermione sank further into the tub. She sighed as she realized that even taking baths to ease her pain had been Viktor's idea.

xxx

He was appalled the first time he'd seen her stumble out of the fireplace and sink to her knees from all the magic she'd channeled at work.

"Let me see," he said, as he helped her to her feet.

Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Let me see." He started unbuttoning her robes.

She didn't have the strength to resist him and grimaced when he cursed at the sight of the glowing scars.

"What have they done to you? Were you cursed?" There was a threatening protective edge to his voice.

"Yes. Years ago. Please, I just need a drink and to sit down." She pulled the top of her robes closed and struggled to stand.

Viktor helped her to her feet and over to one of the leather club chairs in the parlor. "I'll draw you a bath. Stay here." He pulled his wand and disappeared with a pop. He reappeared a moment later, gathered her in his arms and Apparated both of them to the upstairs bathroom. The tub was full of hot water and bubbles. He cast Deliquesco and she was suddenly naked in his arms. He settled her slowly into the hot water, then summoned whiskey and a glass from downstairs and poured her a healthy measure.

He handed her the drink. "How often does this happen?"

Hermione took a sip before she answered. "Not that often. Mostly I do research. Practical magic is only a small percentage of what I do."

Viktor seemed to consider that. "I don't like it. This is very bad. You should find a different job."

Hermione took another swallow of whiskey and didn't say anything.

xxx

Looking back on it, Hermione thought of her time with Viktor as a particularly passive period in her life. All of her energy, all of her focus was directed at work. Viktor was gone for long stretches with the team, and when he was gone, Hermione worked extremely long hours. In the Department of Mysteries, each Unspeakable had rooms, which included a bed and bath. When Viktor was traveling, Hermione slept at work more often than not. Within the Ministry, Unspeakables had a reputation for working long hours with obsessive focus on their projects. Hermione was no exception. They also had a reputation for a certain wildness outside of work, and Hermione was no exception there either, except that her wild side was rather well recorded by the press. Rita hunted her and Viktor relentlessly. They had to go outside the UK to go out in public without a slew of photographers snapping their photo. Even then, Hermione had to make the Portkeys herself, so there would be no record of their leaving or of their destination. They'd used a public Portkey only once with dire consequences.

The constant attention whenever she was out with Viktor grated on her nerves, so she started altering her appearance whenever they went out. She straightened her hair and wore it up. She dressed more fashionably in clothes often chosen by Viktor. And she adopted a public persona that was carefree and flippant. That way, when she passed a newsstand and saw a magazine with her and Viktor on the cover, it seemed like another woman altogether. In her mind, she called that woman Jane.

For the most part, Jane's life and Hermione's life were completely separate. The only thing that connected them was Viktor. He got Jane in public and Hermione in private. If that bothered him or excited him, he never said. So Hermione continued to keep the two worlds separate. There were a few times when they collided briefly, but for the most part, it was a smooth transition.

The Ministry ignored her notoriety. After all she'd been famous already when they'd hired her. As best friend to the boy who lived and instrumental in the downfall of Voldemort, Hermione had been famous in her own right long before her relationship with Viktor. While she did get the occasional glare in the hallway from someone outside the Department of Mysteries, she was well respected among the colleagues. There was an unspoken understanding among them that what they did at work was important and dangerous. None of the Unspeakables cared who she was sleeping with as long as she was fully focused on the magic when they needed her to be and she always was.

Hermione tucked her hair tighter into the bun she'd put it in to keep it out of the water and considered those three years with Viktor and all they entailed. It was a difficult time, but she couldn't say she regretted it, not all of it anyway. Certainly there were things she wished hadn't happened, but they did, and she survived, and so did Viktor and now they were both happy.

She sighed and thought about Artie. How could she explain to someone so young and inexperienced that, at the time, being with Viktor had been a good thing? How was he ever going to understand how profoundly damaged she and Ron were after the war? Would it make sense to him that they needed time apart to heal and to grow in ways they couldn't when they were together? Would he ever understand how painful and necessary the whole process had been? She thought not. She just hoped he could forgive her.

In the back of her mind, a nasty little voice told her she deserved this.