Once again, another "Parting of Ways..."

This concludes Part II! I hope you enjoyed the double upload!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just work at McDonalds.

The Parting of Ways

"I expect you to visit on Christmas Eve," Rene said strictly, straightening Viktor's collar and dusting the dust that wasn't there off of his shoulders. "Or Christmas Day, whichever your parents don't celebrate."

"Ve half three days olf Chreestmas, Meesees Neelsoon. First, Chreestmas Day, then—"

"What have I told you about calling me Rene?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow and poking him squarely in the chest. It would have been somewhat comical, seeing as she was a foot and a half shorter than him, if he had not known that she was a force to be reckoned with.

"I ahm soory, Reene. Boot as I vas saying, three days. The secoond day is the Day of the Father, boot also to celebrate the Virgeen Mary. And lastly, there is Stefanovden—err, Saint Stefan's Day."

"Oh," she said, confusion in those familiar hazel eyes of hers. "Well…you can still come over for Christmas Eve, right? I would love to meet your parents again."

"Oonly eef you come for our Chreestmas celebration," he said with a small smile, watching as her entire face lit up. "It ees my coondeetion."

"We would love to, Viktor, just make sure that your parents are alright with it. And if they are, then you will have to teach us a lot concerning your traditions. I wouldn't want to insult anyone."

"You vould never," he promised, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Goodbye, Rene. I vill see you again."

"Bye, Viktor. I'll leave you and Leigh Ann to say goodbye." And with that, they were alone.

She looked forlorn, in the corner by herself, staring into the fire. She'd been like that ever since they'd brought her home. The bruises had started healing, the cuts had formed over, but the scars that she would have on the inside were worse than anything that could ever heal.

He walked over to her, sitting away from her on the couch. She didn't even turn to look at him. "Leahn...Leahn, I am leafing."

"Hm," she grunted, pulling up her legs and wrapping her arms around them. "Alright."

"Leahn, look at me?"

She shook her head, now covered in very, very short hair. They'd had to cut it to make it even, without all of the scorches or cuts that had filled it before. Now it was above her chin. "No. I just...I don't know what to tell you, Viktor."

He gently touched her shoulder and he flinched. But he didn't pull away. "It vill take a vhile, loff, for you to vant to be around anyvone. Boot I vant you to look at me."

It took her a moment, but Leigh Ann turned to him with difficulty. Her entire face was full of fear and confusion, but now it didn't look so naive. Of course they'd asked her if they'd touched her in any way, but she said not in that way, and they'd left it at that. He could only imagine what pain was running through her mind. All he knew was that he wanted to help her. He...he loved her.

Vitkor moved his hand from her shoulder to her hand, Gently squeezing the bruised flesh so as not to hurt her. She flinched nonetheless. "I knoo that vhat happened...it vas bad."

"Understatement of the century," she whispered, trying to give a smile but failing.

"I just vant to say...I vill alvays be here for you. And vhen you start school, I vill alvays be close. If you need me...I vill be there. If you vant me there."

She did smile now, her smile full of sadness, a haunted past. "I think that if you give me a little bit of time...I'll want you here. I really will. Perhaps by the end of the summer, I'll be ready to be a regular person again. I'm surrounded by friends and family, and I know that if I ever asked you to come to me, you would."

That had been the longest speech she'd given since they'd brought her back a week ago. "Vhen you fell, I tried to catch you."

"You didn't go for the Snitch?" she asked softly, her eyes suddenly looking into his, and they were sharp and ready to understand whatever he was about to say.

"No."

It took her a moment, but then she gently punched him in the arm. "I told you to go after the Snitch, idiot."

"I had you in my arms...and then you disappeared. You vere mooch, mooch more eemportant than a Snitch." He gently brought his hand up to caress her cheek, running his thumb over a bruise. "Leahn, I..."

"Viktor," she said quickly, grasping his wrist and pulling his hand down.

"Yes?" he sighed.

"Tell me one thing. Its not big or anything."

"Olf course, loff."

She looked off into the fire, the corners of her lips turning up in the ghost of a smirk., before turning to him with a real smile "Who won the Quidditch match?"

I never noticed how short the chapter before this was, so I went ahead and uploaded this, too! This is the end of "Part II!"

Here's a look at Part III, at least the beginning...(:

"...You really plan to go through with this, then."

"What else am I supposed to do? They've threatened my friends, my job...it won't be long until they come after my family! I can't sit around and do nothing while murderers get away. I can't let my unborn child be in danger."

"Leigh Ann, these people are more trouble than you think they are. Anyone with Muggle blood down their line just needs to get out before they're targeted. And with Dad being so close to our Pureblood line, we're going to be the first targeted, to get us out of the way, to show everyone a lesson. We need to get out of here."

"I'm not goin' anywhere. Not until these people are in Azkaban or GITMO where they belong."

"You have no idea what you're talkin' about! They could show up anywhere, at the school, at America's Quidditch pitch, and just snatch you out of the air! Leigh Ann—"

"Jessica, if you try to tell me that these people are dangerous one more time, I'm gonna slap you. I'm not gonna run at the first sight of danger. The damned Wizard KKK isn't enough to scare me away from everythin' I love, and neither are you, even if you are my sister."

"...We warned you, just remember that. We warned you"

Part III, (the next chapter,) will be uploaded in two weeks!