This chapter is a little shorter and it isn't the most exciting but it needed to be written to explain some things. It all belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.
Hermione and her work partner were working late again. They were creating a House Elves Bill of Rights. Hermione had given up the hope of ever achieving freedom for them. She understood now that their life's calling was to serve. But she could do everything in her power to see that they were treated humanely.
It was 8o'clock and she was finally ready to go. Friday night Molly and Arthur usually kept the children overnight so Hermione could have time alone with Viktor. Tonight she was going to meet him at the match and then hopefully catch a bite to eat.
She got to the stadium just in time to see Puddlemere win their game against Westham, 260 to 120 and Viktor was ecstatic. They had won their last seven games in a row. The two of them had had a romantic dinner and were now at Hermione's house having a glass of wine on the couch. It was late but since she could sleep in tomorrow she didn't care. They had discussed the game and Hermione's Bill as well as the children.
Viktor took Hermione's glass out of her hand and leaned forward to kiss her. "Hermione I hope you know how much I care for you and the children."
She nodded. "Yes I do Viktor. You have been very good to us."
"I vant to be even better to you. I vant you to be my vife."
Hermione stopped breathing for a second. This was not expected at all. "Viktor…I…" She didn't know what to say.
He took her hand. "I know losing Ron has been hard on you but I hope you can find it in your heart to make a space for me."
She felt tears sting her eyes. "Oh Viktor." She leaned forward closing the gap between them and kissed him deeply.
As they separated he pulled her to her feet. "I vant you to be the mother of my sons. Ever since I met you I knew you vere different from other girls. You vere special and I vant to join myself to you for the rest of our lives." He took her in his arms now and began to kiss her passionately almost desperately. "Please Hermione say yes."
She put her hands on either side of his face and looked into his brown eyes and before she knew it she was saying, "Yes I'll marry you."
He picked her up and kissed her again. Setting her on her feet he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. Inside was the largest and most spectacular diamond ring she had ever seen. He took the ring out discarding the box onto the couch. Then taking her hand he slipped it on her finger. "It fits perfectly."
He led her upstairs to the bedroom and the whole time she was thinking about how awkward and uncomfortable the ring felt.
They made love two times that night. The last time was over two hours ago and Hermione was still lying there awake. She listened to Viktor's heavy breathing. He was a great lover but he was so different from Ron. She missed Ron and his touch so much.
She found herself thinking back to Ron's proposal to her. It had been two years after the battle. They had been at a party for the launch of the latest Weasley's Wizard Wheezes line. There were a number of shop owners there from all over the country and Europe. There was even one American buyer. He was very handsome and very into Hermione. Ron spent most of the party fuming. By the end of the night he was in a horrible mood. Hermione could admit it now that she had been flirting with the buyer just to make Ron jealous. He had become complaisant in their relationship. He had taken it for granted that she'd always be there.
As they entered Ron's apartment they had started to fight. After about fifteen minutes he held up his hands and shouted, "That's it! I've had it with men fawning all over you." He shook his head. "Maybe if there's a ring on your finger it'll put an end to it." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the ring he had been carrying around with him for the past month and a half. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was made of Goblin silver. The band was a delicate filigree pattern with three small diamonds set across it.
Hermione couldn't breath. This was what she had wanted for years Ron's ring on her finger. "What are you saying Ron?"
He took her hand. "I'm saying that I want you as my wife forever." He slipped the ring on her finger.
She had kissed him then. He pulled away and looked into her tear filled eyes. "Is that a yes?"
"Yes a million times yes." She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued kissing him.
He pulled away laughing. "If I had known it was this easy to get you to stop fighting with me I'd have asked you a long time ago."
She kissed him for what felt like the millionth time. "I'll never fight with you again."
He led her to his bedroom. "Can I get that in writing?" They had made love all night long and had gotten up early the next morning to tell everyone. It had been magical.
This time was going to be different. She had her children to think about and the Weasley's. She would have to handle it with tact and decorum. None of that crazy abandonment of the first time around.
She thought of that other ring now together with her diamond wedding band in the jewelry box. She was saving them for Rose to wear some day. She would never wear those rings again.
He had finally gotten a current copy of the Daily Prophet. There on page four was the announcement of the engagement of Viktor Krum to one Hermione Granger Weasley. His blood was boiling as he read the article about the happy couple. How could she? It had only been three years. How could she possibly be in love with someone else enough to marry him after such a short time? He had spent everyday of the last three years thinking of her and only her and here she was dating and marrying other men.
Ron Weasley threw the paper across the room. A tall gorgeous blonde woman walked in. "You did not like the news darling."
"You could say that." He said angrily.
Ron had spent the last three years fighting for his life. He thought back to how this nightmare had all started. He had been about 70 sure Jack Ferguson was the leak in the department. He had been giving information to a number of dark wizards and that final mission had confirmed all he had suspected.
When they were raided he found himself separated from Harry and the rest of the team. He was alone with Ferguson fighting four dark wizards. Before he knew what happened Ferguson had turned on him hitting him with a stunning spell.
He had woken a long time later and realized he had been captured by the wizards they had been fighting. They had spent weeks torturing him for information about the British Ministry and Harry. He fought as much as he could. About two months in they had taken all of his personal possessions including his wedding ring. That more than the torture had broken his heart and spirit completely. That ring had been his last tangible connection to Hermione and now it was gone.
After another month of torture they realized they weren't going to get anything of value from him and they left him for dead. A day later clinging to life he was taken by a group of rebel Muggles who were fighting in the mountains. No one spoke English. He was wandless and without any way of finding his way back.
The band of rebels treated him as a hostage. He got the general idea that they thought he was some kind of spy. They beat him and starved him just enough to keep him immobile and unable to flee.
The first year of captivity was the hardest. He spent every day hoping against hope that Harry would find him. Certainly Hermione would know he was still alive. She would feel it deep in her heart. He kept his mind on her and Rose and their new baby. He or she would have been born. He worried that something might have gone wrong.
The first year came and went and through the second he had lost all hope. He resigned himself to his fate. He stopped fighting his captors and began to follow what orders he could understand.
It was sometime during that second year that a beautiful woman had come to the camp. It turned out she had two brothers fighting in the resistance and she spoke English. He told her that his name was Fred Longbottom and that he was an archeologist who had gotten separated from his group. She relayed the information to the other soldiers but they didn't believe him.
The woman's name was Tatiana and it turned out that she did believe him. She turned up quite frequently at the camp under the pretense that she would try and get the truth out of Fred Longbottom. The rest of the soldiers agreed if they could find out how important he was they may be able to ransom him back to the government.
The beginning of his third year of captivity was spent making plans to get him out of the camp. It took another eight months to set everything in motion.
The night of his escape something went wrong and Ron had been shot. Somehow he Tatiana had managed to still get away. They were now in hiding with her Aunt while Ron's leg healed. He had heard about guns but had never actually had anything to do with them. There was nothing of the sort in the wizarding world and Ron thought they were crude and antiquated.
He had gotten an infection in the wound and now here he was three years later somewhere in Northern Siberia. Not any closer to being home.
Sometime in the last four months he had started a sexual relationship with Tatiana. At first it was for physical release and then it had been in gratitude. He knew she had real feelings for him and he was using that to his advantage. The least he could do was give her the one thing she wanted.
It was after one of these many sexual encounters that Ron decided to tell her what he was. He expected her to freak out or think he was completely mental but she actually believed him. She told him that her Aunt had a very good friend who claimed to be a witch. She said she had seen the woman do some amazing things.
Ron immediately felt his hopes soar. This was the break he needed. They arranged to go see the woman as soon as possible. Two days later they were in a thatched cottage about a thirty minute walk from Tatiana's Aunt.
Inna, had to be at least eighty years old. She was wrinkled and hunched over. Her long grey hair was wound up onto the back of her head in a braided bun. Immediately upon meeting her Ron knew she was a witch. Everything in her cottage was of wizard make.
After speaking to her for about fifteen minutes, with Tatiana translating, she finally believed Ron's story. She told him there were very few wizards left in the area. Those that were here had all gone into hiding years ago. She did have a nephew that came by every few days to check on her. He would be here in two days time. She told them to come back then.
Ron was blissfully happy on the walk back to Tatiana's Aunt's house. He was going to get home. Home to Hermione and their family. He was making a mental note of everything he was going to do as soon as he got there. He noticed Tatiana being very quiet and very somber. He put his arm around her as they walked. He knew this was hard for her. He would be leaving and she would never see him again. He decided to try and be conscience of her feelings by toning down his own enthusiasm.
Upon meeting Inna's nephew he received the copies of the Daily Prophet. Her nephew tried to keep up with the Wizarding world by getting newspapers from a few different countries. They spent the next two weeks working out all the details. The nephew had a friend who worked at the Russian Ministry of Magic located in St. Petersburg. They would have to travel the Muggle way to the Ministry and from there he could contact England and hopefully be on his way home.
The night before he left he made love to Tatiana. Afterwards she had clung to him and cried. He tried to reassure her that in time everything would be okay and she should be brave. Then he thanked her for all her help by making love to her again.
When dawn came he was ready to go. He cared about Tatiana but his heart was in England with Hermione and he wouldn't be complete until he was back with her.