Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews thus far! We made a quick trip recently and will be moving this week, so my return correspondence has been very much lacking. I appreciate your reviews and comments, and hope to respond back in the near future. ~Clover :)


The Long and Winding Road

by Clover Bay

Chapter 4 - Such Joy, Such Pain

"It was the summer of Bill and Fleur's wedding . . ."

Hermione knew Viktor would be attending the summer wedding. One of the more ingenious ideas he initiated was finding a way to converse without drawing too much attention from anyone else. Hermione never doubted Viktor's intellectual talents; when others scoffed at his entrance in the Tri-wizard Tournament as a fluke of braun rather than brains, she listened as he planned multiple tactics for overcoming the challenges the tournament presented. This time, he used his ingenuity to devise a plan to communicate in plain sight.

Buried deep within the thick Daily Prophet newspaper, between the 'items-for-sale' and 'lost-niffler' advertisements were the virtually hidden want-ads. Viktor created a moniker to identify himself when he submitted a message to Hermione, seeking some variation of English Roses. She, in turn, would be searching for bon-bons of the highest quality. Their arrangement, which cost pittance and required no additional personal information, would be posted in the paper for one day and then removed.

Viktor's most recent advertisement read, "Wanted, English roses in full bloom, periwinkle in color."

She caught the reference to her beautiful blue dress from their first real date all of those years ago at Hogwarts and the date of the summer solstice. Fleur wanted to have the greatest amount of daylight to celebrate her special day, so Hermione guessed that he was associating that day as being in 'full bloom'. And, she was correct.

From her seat near the Weasleys, she could see Viktor's handsome form. She was tempted to stare, itching to sit beside him and hold his hand in hers. She restrained herself, though, and settled for quick glances and wondering about the possibilities of a day like this of her own.

Their dances following the ceremony were far too brief. Being held so closely, breathing in the masculine aroma of Viktor's aftershave mixed with his cologne, and hearing his deep, rumbling voice whispering in her ears left her lost to the audience around them.

They stole away from the others, walking in the dimly lit yard surrounding the white-tented area. It was in those moments that she confided, in its entirely, the quest that she, Harry, and Ron were embarking upon the next day.

"It must be done, we can't let Voldemort continue like this," she said quietly while looking up into his deep brown eyes.

"I know, love," he sighed resignedly. "And I will finish my part."

"And you have new leads?"

"Ya." Viktor pulled her tighter into his chest. "And I will be closer than ever to the Death Eaters, probably too close. But, as you said, it must be done."

Fireflies chased one another near the wooded area in front of them. She heard and felt Viktor's heart beating beneath her ear that was pressed to his chest. Everything was about to change and she wanted to hold onto these moments for as long as possible, imprint them into her mind forever. There was no way of knowing when she would see him again.

Lifting her chin, he lowered his lips to hers.

"I love you."

"And I love you."

After the Death Eaters interrupted Bill and Fleur's wedding reception and Hermione, Harry, and Ron escaped, she and Viktor fell back to their newspaper correspondence. Now, however, they left messages for an entire week at a time as neither knew how often the other would have access to the paper.

It wasn't until spring that she and Viktor met again. While she and the guys were moving their search for Voldemort's horcruxes deeper into the mainland, they began tracing old and nearly forgotten traces of the Slytherin heir. As she cast the wards around their tent, the protective spells reacted differently than they ever had before. Little did she know, but they had chosen to camp on the outskirts of Viktor's land in Bulgaria.

Having only visited the castle during the day, Hermione was in shock at Viktor's sudden arrival. It took only seconds for relief to flood within her; her emotions had traveled from lethargy during their fruitless hunt, to alarm and fear at someone discovering them, to a weight-lifting joy at seeing Viktor.

Ignoring the questioning looks from Harry and the slightly confused expression on Ron's face, Hermione clung to Viktor and accepted his offer to stay with him. It took only a short time to direct the guys to guest rooms before Viktor took Hermione to his master suite on the highest level of the castle. Lovingly, he sat her on the bed. Concern was etched on his face as he gently brushed her hair from her face, but the dirt and grime from her long absence from civilization couldn't keep him from kissing her passionately.

"I have missed you so much," she breathed between kisses.

Sinking down to his knees, Viktor looked lovingly into her eyes and asked the question that she least expected, the one that she never imagined possible with them caught in the height of the war.

"I love you so much, Hermione. My heart has been so heavy with you away from me. When I am called by the Order or am on a mission to derail the Death Eaters, I come home longing to see you, to tell you of my successes, and ask for help with the struggles. There is no way to know how long the war will last. But, I know that my love for you will remain. So, for however long this war continues, and for however long we live to fight and celebrate our victories, I want to have you as my wife. Hermione, the first and only woman I have ever loved, will you marry me?"

They eloped in the middle of the night. For the first time since their journey began, Hermione was absent from Harry and Ron's planning for the upcoming search. Instead, she and Viktor secluded themselves, surfacing only to collect food from the kitchen before returning to his rooms.

At week's end, Hermione reluctantly said goodbye to Viktor. It was sad, but necessary as they both wanted to find an end to the war.

Hermione redoubled her efforts to help Harry defeat Voldemort after the secret ceremony. Concluding the war would be the only way to live in peace. Unfortunately, those efforts resulted in being captured and tortured by Bellatrix LeStrange at Malfoy Manner. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind as she tried to be strong. One fleeting thought emerged before she passed out - that she was 'late'.

Waking to Fleur's ministrations, Hermione tried to push her hands away, resisting the potions being offered to her. In a moment of clarity, Fleur realized that Hermione was lucid; shooing Bill and Ron out of the room, she used her wand to cast the definitive spell. In a motherly tone that Hermione had never heard from the French woman, Fleur convinced Hermione that it would be better for both her and the baby if she was strong and she accepted the modified version of the pain and healing potions.

While they longed to see one another again, Viktor physically cringed at the condition that he found his lovely wife in when Charlie and Bill Weasley contacted and brought him to Shell Cottage.

"He looked as broken as I felt. His lower lip quivered, like he was fighting back tears when he came into the room that night." Hermione spoke quietly as she remembered her proud husband's stance seemingly shrink, shoulders slumped and moving slowly as though he had been the one tortured.

Through the semi-darkened room, Hermione watched Viktor near her bed. Her mind was willing her tired body to reach out to him but her arm resisted. Her limbs felt like lead, too heavy to move.

As he perched on the tiniest edge of the bed, she felt him gently lift the hand nearest to him, her left hand. His callused hand softly rubbed around her ring finger, undoubtedly thinking of the few days in which they each wore their wedding bands before securing them in a locked trunk in Viktor's rooms. It had been too dangerous for either of them to suddenly be found with such revealing jewelry. Viktor's foresight undoubtedly kept their marriage private since it would have only spurred Bellatrix LeStrange further into her crazed torture.

When Hermione woke from a sleep she didn't remember entering, some of her strength had returned. Her eyes met his as she gave him her best smile. Even that hurt, but she wanted to show that she appreciated his presence.

Slowly, he brought a basin of warm water and cloth to her side and began to wash her, gingerly lifting her arms, wiping carefully down the length of her legs. She watched the muscles in his arms contract as he used his considerable strength to raise her body, with his large hand cradling her head, to run the cool rag along the back of her neck. His gentleness and devotion heartened her; soon she was holding onto him, leaning into his solid chest.

They whispered their love for one another. He said over and over how sorry he was that she had been hurt and he'd been unable to do anything about it.

"Viktor, I'm alright," Hermione soothed when she felt his body begin to tremble. She wasn't okay, but she would be. And, at the sound of Viktor's tears, she knew reassurance was what he needed most. Very rarely had she seen a man cry, and never Viktor. It tore at her heart to hear him in pain, even though it was out of worry and concern for her rather than himself.

After a few minutes, Viktor composed himself and they laid in bed together. He held her closely, though with a loose grip so as not to hurt her tired body.

In the midst of a long stretch of silence, Hermione began to speak quietly. "Viktor, do you remember the week we spent with you at the castle?"

He couldn't help but grin at her timid question. Of course he remembered. Marrying the love his life wasn't easy to forget. Their honeymoon . . now thoughts of those days and nights brought out a full blown smile. "How could I forget, Mrs. Krum?"

She smiled at his use of her new name, though she blushed when he continued.

"Is it perhaps that 'you' have forgotten and need me to refresh your memory when you regain your strength?"

His teasing caused her face to flush brightly. A week with her husband had hardly been enough time to be fully comfortable with the playfulness and inuendo that she knew would come with time. Glancing up at him, she managed to say, "Um, well, yes, perhaps. No! I mean I haven't forgotten, it's just . . ." He cut off her nervous ramblings with a kiss that left her momentarily wondering what they had been discussing.

His quiet voice rumbled lowly as he reminded her of the initial question.

"Viktor," she took his hand in hers, "I'm pregnant."

The shock at her words stunned him. His mind was whirling, thought after thought competing for attention as flashes of their honeymoon drifted into the horrors he imagined from Malfoy Manner; those thoughts led to panic and fear for their unborn child; then, a beautiful image pushed the others aside, one where their small family was safely tucked away in the castle that they would call home once this terrible war ended.

"Viktor . . Viktor . ." Hermione tried several times to get his attention. It wasn't until she moved his hand to lay on her stomach that he was roused.

All of the emotions that were coursing through him burst forth as his lips collided with hers. He vowed to Hermione and their newest Krum that he would do all in his power to make a safer world for him. Him. Even with the news of Hermione's pregnancy only moments old, Viktor laid claim to their child, referring to him in the masculine form.

They drifted in and out of sleep, spending their waking moments dreaming of their future.

"When we left Shell Cottage, I didn't know when I'd see him again," Hermione sniffled as she remembered Viktor.

"That was the day of the Battle of Hogwarts, wasn't it?" Molly asked.

"Those days all seemed to run together. Breaking into Gringotts, finding our way back to Hogwarts, all of it is a blur."

As they left the room of Requirement and the Order began to converge on Hogwarts' castle, there were tides of people passing in the hallways. From the third floor corridor, Hermione saw a sea of red moving up the nearest staircase. Dressed in their Durmstrang capes, Viktor led the Bulgarians as they prepared to throw themselves into the battle. Their target - the Death Eaters approaching from the West.

Viktor and Hermione met, only once, passing in the corridor while moving in opposite directions. Their eyes conveyed what their voices couldn't with the noise surrounding them. This brief moment of connection was followed by Viktor lovingly placing his hand on her stomach; the tiniest bulge that he would have been hard-pressed to find, lay cradled tenderly by his strong hand. The kiss, their last, was full of more words than could be expressed in a lifetime. Turning quickly, he led his Durmstrang brothers to secure protection for them all.

When the proverbial dust began to settle, Hermione took little time to rest. She had to find him. Viktor . . .

Then, she saw the red of his cape, the one that he'd wrapped around her bare shoulders the night of the Yule Ball those years ago, the one that heartened her when she knew he would be helping to defeat Voldemort, the one that now covered his lifeless body in the Great Hall.


Author's Note: When I originally created this story, I considered making it a truly Hermione/Viktor story; this was a very difficult chapter to write because I've never written character death before. If you're interested in a different version of these events, you can check out the "Crimson Red" story on my profile. You'll find it very similar to this one so far, but with one notable exception.

As always, reviews are much appreciated!