In the Great Hall, they saw their friends happy and laughing. The dread of the last few months was fading away to be replaced with renewed hope and resolve. Things would have to change now; the old ways were obsolete. They would be a part of that change.
Viktor saw Ron Weasley sitting with Lavender Brown at a table by themselves. He urged Hermione toward that table because he had an idea.
"Ron, I seem to remember that you were good with your hands. You liked building things, am I right?" Viktor asked abruptly.
Ron was a bit confused, but answered truthfully. "Yeah, I built things and enlarged the Burrow when we needed it. Why?"
Viktor looked down at his hand, entwined with Hermione's, and said, "Because we need you to rebuild Hogsmeade, all the shops and some new houses. That is your way back into everyone's good graces. It won't take you that long. You'll have to stay here at the school, but I don't think that would be too hard on you. Especially if you have a new wife to help you."
"You're kidding, right? Like they'd let me rebuild Hogsmeade, I don't think so." Ron's answer was surly.
Viktor answered him graciously. "Suit yourself, but I do not think I will be the only one asking you to do this. Maybe you will believe it if someone else makes the same request."
Hermione walked with Viktor towards the front of the room where there were empty places at the tables. They chose a spot near the Snapes and the Moodys.
Draco and Luna joined them a little later. Alastor grinned at Viktor and asked, "Did you talk to the boy about rebuilding Hogsmeade? I knew you had mentioned it the other day as a project to get him away from feeling sorry for himself. Didn't look like he was overly thrilled."
"He refuses to believe I could have his best interests in mind. Now, if your wife made the same suggestion, he might view it differently." Viktor chuckled.
Minerva added a comment. "I'll talk to him once we get the school ready for students again. I am going to need everyone's help to do a thorough inventory. The library was sealed before we left, but the classrooms were not. I need to know if there are shortages in the supplies for any classes. Potions are up to Severus and Mary. Luna and Draco may inventory the Divination rooms. Neville and Hannah are in charge of the greenhouses. You, Viktor, and Hermione need to see what exactly is lurking in the Defence storerooms. I could have the house-elves do all this, but we need to stay busy and focused until the day before the solstice. I am going to have Molly and the Weasleys checking the houses for adequate linens and bedding. And they can do a bunch of freshening spells on the bed hangings. The others from Dumbledore's Army will be policing the grounds and the forest."
"As you wish, Minerva, we will go investigate what is expendable in the Defence storeroom. May we take Harry with us? He may have more insight on what is useful and what is not," Viktor said.
"Yes, and while you are at it, take Alastor, too. He knows what the older items are."
Harry had just arrived in the Great Hall and was wolfing down eggs, tomatoes, and bacon when Hermione waved at him to follow her. She dashed up the stairs again to the Defence classroom and made straight for the narrow door under the stairway to the Defence office.
The door was not locked which surprised her. Her first spell was "Lumos Maxima". The lights showed a variety of objects jumbled together to form a pile that had overflowed the shelves and was spread about most untidily.
About the time Harry and Viktor arrived in the doorway, they could hear Alastor grumbling from the hallway.
"What in the bloody, effing hell is the rush? Stand aside; let me see what is lurking back in here. This lot looks like someone stole it out of a museum. This is everything a Muggle would need to fight off an enemy about four hundred years ago. Hermione, I want you to take this stuff and decorate the Hog's Head with all of it when the pub is rebuilt. In the meantime, it can go on the shelves. Miniaturise it, please." Moody was sorting through the pile of armour when he came across a set of robes and a mask. "These must have belonged to Crouch Junior when he impersonated me. Take them, Viktor. They may be of use when we go back to watch Harry fight the bastard. Most of the rest of this dates to Merrythought's time. It can be vanished before the school reopens. I think the rattling you hear is Lupin's Boggart in that wardrobe over there. I'll take care if it tonight after dinner, no sense in you young things having to deal with it. Min will want a report on this stuff. You go on and tell her I'll be down in a bit."
Harry and Viktor bundled up the Death Eater Robes and the mask and hid them in the Defence office. Before going back to the Great Hall, they made a detour to Gryffindor Tower to check on the Weasleys. Hermione went in search of Minerva.
Molly had all of her children cleaning the walls and the bedchambers, from there they would move on to the other dormitories. Harry noticed that Molly was making extremely slow work of the cleaning, just to keep her brood occupied for the next two days.
Viktor searched out Draco Malfoy, wanting to know what had happened to the Malfoys' Death Eater robes and masks.
Draco replied with a question. "Why do you want to know that? I bundled my father's robes up and stuck them in a cupboard. There were probably lots of robes and masks at Lestrange Castle. Oh, right, I got it. You want the robes so we can impersonate his followers when it is time for Harry to fight him. I'll get Toddy to round them all up. They were marked on the inside which belonged to whom. That is an excellent idea, Viktor. I'll wear father's robes and mask. I think Severus' robes and mask are still there."
Satisfied that there would be robes and masks for the entire group, Viktor went in search of his wife.
He found her talking to Mary Snape and holding the toddler, Emrys. The picture she presented, with a dark-haired, dark-eyed child against her shoulder, made him pause to consider what she would look like holding their child.
Mary raised suspicious eyes to Viktor's face when he reached for the boy. Viktor just grinned at her.
"Well, young Emrys, have you ever flown on a broom before?" Viktor asked seriously.
Thumb in mouth, Emrys mumbled, "Unh uh." He raised curious eyes to the man now holding him.
"Would you mind if I took him up for a ride, Mary? He is about the age to have his own toy broom," Viktor said, conversationally, watching the apprehension fade from her face.
Mary smiled at him, at last and replied, "Yes, Viktor, he would love to go for a ride. He will be quite a celebrity when he gets a bit older if he can tell his mates that the great Viktor Krum gave him his first ride on a broom. You don't really have to do that, you know." She was starting to feel more at ease with this young couple.
"It is practice, Madam Snape. One day I'll have to take my own children up for their first broom ride. I'd be honoured to take him. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Emrys? To go for a ride on a broom?" Viktor chuckled.
The child grinned hugely with his thumb still in his mouth.
Minerva came up behind them and cautioned, "Best not go for broom rides until this is all settled. I need to meet with you both. Mary, I think you and Severus should also be at the meeting."
Viktor handed the child back to his mother and followed Minerva.
"What has happened, Minerva?" Viktor could see that McGonagall was upset about something.
"Are you sure there aren't any more Death Eaters? I was doing the lists of who was killed, who was executed, who we knew were on the Dark side and there are still three names that aren't accounted for: Blaise Zabini, Tracey Davis and Millicent Bulstrode. Can we send someone to the Riddle house to see if they are there?" She asked urgently.
"I'll go with Alastor. He should be able to sense if they are under compulsion or not. Tell Hermione for me. Snape mentioned them earlier. We'll get to the bottom of this." Viktor promised.
Minerva nodded, looking past Viktor's shoulder to where Alastor stood.
"We might as well Disapparate. I know where the old Gaunt cottage is. The Riddle house is just up the hill. We can be back before dinner, if we go now." Alastor turned to walk out the doors.
Viktor ran after him, catching hold of the old Auror's sleeve as he Disapparated. They wound up in a small valley set between a hill on one side and a village on the other. There were some dilapidated outbuildings near the house on the hill. Alastor and Viktor made for the one closest to the house. Alastor did a bit of wandless magic to determine who was in the house. The spell showed three bodies moving around the house. One female stepped outside to empty a dustpan and Alastor stupefied her. A second person, male, came out to see what had happened to the first and was also stupefied. The last person, a stocky, grumpy looking young woman stuck her head out the door to yell for the others and Viktor hit her with a 'Stupefy."
Alastor and Viktor tied the three up before returning to the school. Neville and some of the others were dispatched to bring the three captives back to the school. Alastor had done diagnostic spells on the three and found the grumpy young witch had used the Imperius Curse on the other two. Alastor used the Imperius curse on her and ordered her to release the other two. Then she was ordered to tell everything she knew about what the Dark Lord had been doing and planning.
Millicent Bulstrode talked for several hours, relating all of Riddle's grandiose and misguided plans. When she finished her recitation, Alastor performed a memory charm and removed the Imperius.
Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini woke up in the infirmary. They were overjoyed to have been rescued.
Minerva, Kingsley, and Lupin all interrogated the pair before allowing them to mingle with the rest of the group.
Hermione and Viktor took the afternoon to visit the ruins of Hogsmeade. Walking into the village from the Hogwarts path, they found Lavender Brown and Ron Weasley using magic to clean out the undercrofts of the stores.
When Ron caught sight of them, he waved. They walked to where he was standing at the edge of what had been the Three Broomsticks. Ron turned a bit red and ducked his head, but then looked Viktor in the eye and said, "I owe you an apology, Viktor. Both Kingsley and Minerva told me you had recommended me for rebuilding Hogsmeade. I didn't deserve that kind of favour, but I do appreciate it. Thanks mate." He tentatively stuck his hand out to Viktor.
Viktor shook Ron's hand and said, "I was just trying to find you another occupation than my wife, Ron. And it would give you something to do win back your place in society."
The younger man looked at Lavender and back to Viktor. "Okay, Viktor, I'll do it. The undercrofts are still sound. It shouldn't take more than a few weeks to complete. You think, if I did a good enough job, my family would forgive me?"
"I think they have already forgiven you, Weasley. It is up to you to forgive yourself, now. Everybody understands that you were under the Imperius. It was the stuff before you were cursed that Hermione had a problem with. I think she has forgiven you because it all worked out in the end. Isn't that correct, love?" Viktor asked.
Hermione smiled at Viktor and answered him, "Yes, after our talk last night, I understood why he did it. Ron, I forgive you for trying to keep Viktor away from me. I think the person who you need to ask forgiveness from is right over there, though." She said as she waved at Lavender.
"Yeah, I am going to get around to doing that tonight when I can tell her that I actually have some prospects now. I guess we all better be getting back to the school. Come on, Lav, let's head back." He called.
They started back for the school, but Viktor and Hermione were still looking around.
"Do you remember the weekend we came here to escape the giggling hordes and you did a 'Notice-Me-Not Charm' so we would not be bothered?" Viktor asked as they stood in front of what had been Madam Puddifoot's.
"That was a test, Viktor. I wanted to see if you would miss the attention. You passed that test with flying colours. You could have cared less if there was a full regimental band with twelve pipers, all you wanted to do was discuss the history of Mazes. We spent four glorious hours completely alone, talking. I fell even more madly in love with you that day." Hermione laughed at his look of surprise.
"We should return to the castle, love. It is now forty-eight hours until the eve of the solstice. We need to apportion robes and masks to everyone. I don't think Snape will need to be disguised. We may have to raid the Ministry, to bring the traitors in to watch. Who exactly is the Minister this week? It has changed so many times recently; I haven't kept up with it." Viktor quipped.
"The one who handed the Ministry over to Riddle was Fudge. He got elected because he was the one who had kept saying he did not believe the Dark Lord was back. Then he does a complete about-face and collaborates. The man was an idiot when the Tournament was on and he is worse now. We need Kingsley or Arthur, or even Alastor. Alastor would probably be the best choice because he knows how to spot the pureblood nonsense and those who have the potential to become megalomaniacs. I don't think Minerva would like it though." Hermione replied, thoughtfully.
"I think she might surprise you, love. She would be very proud of him, and probably pleased that everyone was finally recognising his perceptive talents," Viktor said.
"Viktor, she would worry about him. But, yes, she would be pleased. They might finally be in their element; being able to do something about making the Ministry a viable governing body. That would certainly delight them both. Alastor could put Arthur in charge of Muggle relations. And that would mean that both the Muggles and the Wizards would benefit. Oh, love, it would work. It must work." Her voice had taken on a plaintive quality. Viktor pulled her into his arms and kissed her to reassure her that everything would be fine.
"It will work, Hermione. We will make sure it works. For our children and our friends' children, we will see it through. Harry will triumph. The founders and the Order have joined forces to assure that."
They were walking back to the school when Remus came to find them. He looked harried and seemed to be in a rush.
"Good, found you at last. Severus needs you to come brew something for Mary. She collapsed about an hour ago, and is still unconscious. He won't leave her side and Poppy is examining her now. I'm sorry to rush you like this, but needs must. Have you been looking at the destruction? I saw young Weasley as he returned to the castle a bit ago. He seems to be in better spirits."
"Remus, you're talking way too fast. Severus needs me to brew something for Mary? Let's hurry. Is there even an existing lab set up in the school?" Hermione had latched onto the urgent message and needed more information.
Remus answered her concisely. "Severus says his personal laboratory is warded against intrusion and should have all necessary supplies and ingredients. He has changed the warding to admit you, but he begs you to hurry."
Viktor did the one thing that the other two did not expect. He took Hermione's hand and grabbed Remus' coat and disapparated them back to Hogsmeade. He shepherded them into the shed in back of Zonko's and opened the tunnel. They ran down the passageway and arrived at the school in minutes. Hermione conferred with Snape and Poppy for a bit and then scurried down the stairs to the Slytherin area. She found the door to Snape's private lab glowing faintly in the greenish light, it opened to her touch and she found the receipt of the potion she was to brew floating in the air over the lab table.
The last line of the receipt was underscored several times in red ink. "Potion must be chilled. It will not achieve the required effect if left at room temperature. Conjure Ice or a way to cool it before bringing it to the patient."
She chopped and ground all the ingredients to the exact specifications before combining them precisely as instructed. When the potion in the cauldron was pale amber, she decanted it into a flask and conjured a bucket of ice. She placed the flask into the bucket and cast a Stasis Charm on the bucket. The Ice would not melt, but the potion would continue to chill.
Half an hour after she had run down the Slytherin stairs, she carried the bucket back up to the Infirmary. Snape looked at the potion and the Stasis Charmed bucket and nodded. He pulled a tiny phial from his pocket and added it to the potion before feeding it to his wife. Hermione had recognised Felix Felicis and said nothing. Within minutes Mary's colour was better and she no longer writhed in pain.
Snape leaned over to kiss her forehead, before he turned to Hermione and spoke.
"Thank you for your quick action. She is not as strong as she pretends and this pregnancy is difficult. I feared losing both her and the child. But now she will sleep and regain her strength and, hopefully, the child will not be lost. I am even more deeply in your debt, Madam Krum. If there is aught I can ever do for you or yours, you need only ask." He smiled wanly at Hermione.
She merely nodded back at him and left the infirmary. Viktor was waiting for her in the hallway.
"You may wind up being his replacement as Potions teacher, love. He would never have trusted any of the others to brew that potion. He trusts you. You should feel honoured. I think he does love her. He is a very confusing man." Viktor drew her close and held her.
"I am very tired, Viktor. Can we go up to the suite and have dinner there?" She asked.
"Of course we can go up to the rooms. I hope you aren't too tired for some attention from your husband." He teased.
"I just don't want to deal with emotional outbursts from Ron or Molly tonight. I want to spend the time with you, alone," she replied.
"That can easily be arranged. Stand still," Viktor ordered. He took his wand out and tapped the top of her head, then did the same to his own. She felt the Disillusioning Charm spread down her body like chill water. Even though she could not see him, Viktor found her hand and gently led her up the stairs to the DADA suite of rooms. Once inside the teacher's suite, he removed the Disillusioning Charm and called a house-elf for their dinner.
"Winky, could we have a bottle of the best elf-made wine and a light dinner, perhaps soup and salad with fruit for afters." Hermione asked.
"Yes, Mistress, Winky is bringing it in a bit. Will put a Repelling Charm on the door so no one bothers you."
The house-elf popped back with the food less than ten minutes later. He handed Viktor the bottle of wine and two glasses before popping back to the kitchens.
Viktor poured two glasses as Hermione changed out of her heavy jumper and jeans. She shed her knickers and bra as well, pulling on Viktor's heavy, plush red robe.
"I took the potion to nullify the contraceptive one this morning, Viktor. So if we make love tonight there is a very good chance that I will conceive," she said almost defiantly.
"No need to get defensive, love. It would please me immensely if you did conceive. We will most assuredly make love tonight. I took one of your precious phials of Felix Felicis from your bag this morning for a very special purpose." He led her to the table before the fire, where Winky had set out the dinner.
She sipped the fruity wine slowly, looking at the man across the table from her. He wasn't as tall as Ron or Severus, but was infinitely more muscular. His eyes were warm, dark brown and full of humour and love. His smile was a bit lopsided because of the dimple in his left cheek. There were some scars, mainly from his years of playing Quidditch, and a few from this bloody war they had been fighting. All in all, however, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. She smiled at him before speaking.
"Thank you for loving me, Viktor. I hope you'll never regret our marriage."
He chuckled before answering her, "Why should I regret the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me? I just hope you never wake up and realise that you made a horrendous mistake marrying me."
"Seriously, Viktor, where are we going to live once this is over? The Ministry here will have to be totally revamped. It is going to take a lot of hard work. Do we stay here in England or go back to Bulgaria?" She asked quietly.
"We will go wherever we are needed most, Hermione. My parents would be delighted to have us in Bulgaria, but I think we may be needed here for a time. Your parents would be delighted if we stayed here until we get the Ministry sussed out. I own the chateau in France as well as a house in Bulgaria and a flat in London. We could live anywhere," he replied.
"I don't really care where we live, as long as it is together. I never want to be away from you ever again. I was miserable without you," she admitted.
"I think I can safely promise you we will spend every night for the rest of our lives in the same bed. You were not the only one who was miserable. Answer a question for me, love. Why do you insist on using your wand as a hair ornament? Does it hold your mane of hair more securely than ordinary clips, or have you just accepted that it is a convenient and handy place to stash your wand?" He was teasing her.
"Because it is handy and if I use the wand as an ornament, the spell to keep my hair tidy works no matter what I do. You are serious? We won't have to be apart ever? Oh, Viktor, that would be so wonderful." She laughed with happiness at the thought.
He smiled in reply, asking, "Are you finished with dinner? I think we can commandeer the Prefects' bathroom if you would like. I understand from Harry that it is quite a place. We could have a relaxing bath before retiring for the night." The sexy grin he gave her revealed that he had seduction of all sorts in mind for that night.
She pulled her wand out of the tangle of her hair and agreed to the jaunt to the Prefects' bathroom.
They walked up the staircases to the fifth floor and used the password to gain entrance. Viktor started the taps and Hermione got undressed, after calling out to Moaning Myrtle. "Myrtle, you are requested not to interrupt us. Please, this is my husband and we just want to bathe in peace."
The response came softly. "He was here before. He is that boy from Durmstrang, isn't he? Go on, I won't bother you. Harry was fun to tease, but I don't think this one would be. I'll go back to MY bathroom." The ghost swirled around and flew back through the wall.
Viktor just watched, fascinated by his wife's conversation with a ghost. He undressed as soon as Hermione eased into the warm, scented water. He walked down the steps into the water to join his wife at the deepest end of the pool. They bathed and talked and lounged in the warm water until Hermione had relaxed.
Viktor was finding it hard to remember that they had only been married a few days. Everything about the marriage was so incredibly right that it seemed longer. He was not worried about the meeting of Harry and the Dark Lord tomorrow night. That would end the second and final Wizard War once and for all time. Viktor was worrying about rebuilding their world; making it into a safer place to raise children and without the posturing of the pure-bloods. Hermione's soft voice brought him back to the present.
"Viktor, let's go back to the rooms. I want to be alone… to …" her voice faltered to a stop.
"Let me dry your hair, love. Then we will go back downstairs. Are your warm enough?" He asked her as soon as he had spell-dried her long hair.
"Yes, quite warm enough. Viktor, do you think I'll be a good mother? I know you'll be a wonderful father. The way you were with Emrys, told me that. Even Mary was impressed with your handling of the boy. And, oh Merlin, we have Harry's wedding to do the morning of the Solstice. Come on, let's get down the stairs. I want to start on that family tonight." She was in a hurry all of a sudden.
Viktor was not averse to hurrying. He used his wand and spelled the stairs to deliver them as quickly as possible down to the second floor. Then he picked Hermione up and, with her in his arms, perched on the banisters for the stairs. The stairs obediently arranged their movements to deliver the pair to the second floor in just seconds. Hermione was laughing happily when they arrived at the DADA suite of rooms.
Viktor picked her up again and carried her over the threshold of the bedroom of the suite. He dropped her on the bed gently. She shrugged out of the red robe and spelled the door to be unapproachable. Then she stripped her all too willing husband out of his robe. He joined her on the bed and reached for the small phial of golden liquid on the night table. He uncorked the phial and poured a few drops into his hand. He rubbed the liquid onto his erection as he leaned to kiss Hermione.
"Lie back love, I plan on maximising our chances tonight," he whispered.
She lay back and he used the last few drops in his hand to lubricate her. He rubbed her breasts and her stomach before thrusting two fingers into her wetness and stimulating her. She moaned and clutched at him, bringing him over her and between her opened thighs. He suckled at her breasts and kissed her deeply just before sliding into her. She arched against his entry and dug her fingernails into his shoulders. He began to thrust gently and picked up speed as she moaned. He could feel her clenching around him and he shifted his weight to one hand as he used the other hand to manipulate her clitoris. Her cries of passion unleashed drove him past the point of no return. He spent his seed into her womb for the first time that night. It would not be the last, however. They made love three more times that night. And when Hermione had fallen asleep at last, Viktor ran a silent diagnostic spell over his sleeping wife. The resulting glow of light over her abdomen made him smile. He settled her head on his shoulder and cuddled her close. Kissing her forehead, he whispered, "Sleep well, little mother, we made that baby tonight. Obicham te."