Hey, everybody. I'm a little disappointed with reviews. Even if I never get another one, I'll still post, but some feedback is nice, too. What am I doing wrong/right? What can I do to make the story more interesting?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Viktor Krum, OR G.I. Jane.

Hell Week

Viktor Krum
Tuesday, 3:00 A.M.
Viktor's Room

Viktor hadn't been able to sleep all night. First, hearing from "Leading Officer General McCoy," or "Charlie," as the man allowed Viktor to call him, about Hell Week. Not everyone had to participate, of course, but to be an Officer, one had to participate. It was a test of one's mettle, of their endurance and strength. But thinking of all of those tasks that Leigh Ann would have to go through all seemed wrong. She was a woman, one who wanted to have children, and these work outs seemed like they would hurt her.

And the other was the fact that she'd visited him in his room. He couldn't get her soft, Southern drawl out of his mind, or the soft feel of his skin. The fire in her eyes, when she'd turned around to chastise him, had set a fire in his loins. He'd instantly wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to make her his like no other man had done. He kept picturing her in his bed, on the fur rug in front of the fire. Hell, he could picture her in the mess hall on one of the metal tables, as long as she could be his!

He groaned when there was a knock at his tapestry, and he knew that it was Charlie, ready to show him how he handled the "troops." Viktor rubbed his face a little, charmed his beard growth that had appeared over night away, and quickly got changed. When he stepped out into the hallway, he saw that the Lieutenant General was wearing the Marine camouflage uniform. Viktor didn't know all of the names of the uniforms yet, and he was sure that it would be a long time before he did.

"Ready?" the intimidating man asked, his silver eyes seeming to look through him.

"Yes."

The man nodded, holstering a gun over his shoulder and marching through the hallways. The Academy was nothing like Durmstrang. It was bright and airy, if not a little bland, and was much larger. It also allowed women, half-breeds, and Muggle-borns as well.

He took them both outside, to a clearing, and in the center there were other teachers gathered. Most of them were already talking, but they stopped when Viktor stepped up to the rest of them. They all nodded seriously, large black bags under their eyes covered with paint that blended them into the night. All of them had guns and extra things on their tool belts and in the large packs on their backs.

"You ready, Vik?" a small, petite woman asked, and Viktor knew her to be the teacher in the classroom next to his. She taught History of Magic, (and strangely, Muggle Music,) and somehow kept the kids awake throughout the entire lecture. He could imagine why some of the boys would stay awake, as she was very pretty, (though too thin for his taste,) and had long, wheat-blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. Her smile was challenging, too. Her name was Marie Lingam.

"I am ready," he said simply, looking around the group. He already knew a few people like Charlie, who taught Transfiguration, and Leah Sampson, the woman who he sat next to in the mess hall, who taught Potions. The General was nowhere to be seen, but there were about eight people there all together. Two for each House, he thought vaguely. "Vhat do I do?"

"Your job," said a tall, friendly-looking woman, "is to keep the kids from running." She was tall, wispy, even, with a mischievous glint in her ice blue eyes. She had the darkest black hair he'd ever seen, though, cut short to her head. "The name's Major General Brittany Premont, the Leading Officer of the Air Force and teacher of Charms. I was aiming for First and Second Year Flying, you do know that, right?"

Viktor instantly knew that even though she seemed cheerful and joking, that having her on his bad side would be a very, very bad thing. Having any of these people on his bad side would be a bad thing. "You are all military?" he asked, wondering why the heck he was there if they were.

"Yes Sir," said a tall boy, who was wearing what looked like a Marine uniform. "And we're here to help with Hell Week." He was tall, with almost black eyes and buzzed brown hair. "You're going to be helping Major General Sampson with the Army. I am Lieutenant Jefferson, helping Lieutenant General McCoy with the Marines. Major General Brittany Premont is being helped by Lieutenant Phelps." A small girl, no larger around than Viktor's bicep, nodded, her chin-length blonde hair bouncing, her dark eyes prepared in the dark of the night sky. "The Rear Admiral, as he is no longer in commission, is being replaced at the moment by a civilian in his classes."

"Doctor Samantha Swells," the woman said, nodding her head of thick black hair. "But call me Sam. I teach Medical Potions and Remedies. I'm new here, too."

Viktor had no clue how he was supposed to remember all of these names, but the kid just kept on and on, telling him that Marie Lingam, the pretty blonde History of Magic teacher, was filling in as the Navy Leading Officer. Viktor knew what had happened to the asshole Lucas Boyle, the last Leading Officer, or "LO." He was in Guantanamo Bay, the equivalent of Azkaban but in the west. And he deserved everything he got for hurting all of those witches and wizards. But most of all, he hurt Leigh Ann, and that was a crime that could never be forgiven in Viktor's eyes.

"Watches set," Charlie said, nodding his head to the group.

"Alright, Viktor," Leah Sampson said, taking his arm. "Let's go."

Everyone suddenly split up into twos. Charlie and his Lieutenant Jefferson went off towards the lodges, Marie and Sam Swells off to the docks, Brittany Premont and her Lieutenant Phelps to the hangers. Ha, see, I can remember the names, even at four in the morning. Viktor and Leah Sampson were heading towards the half circle barracks that he'd seen more than his fair share of, having seen them during the Triwizard Tournament when America had been there as a fourth contestant.

"What we do is go in, you throw this smoker," she shoved a small, silver canister into his hands, "and I shoot my gun, and we make the kids get up and get dressed in less than thirty seconds. We force them outside and make them run that course over there. After that is strength training, in teams. Teams push a large concrete cylinder up a hill, down one side, and then back up the other, until they're worn out. Then we take them into the water for endurance training."

On the other side of the large field where the barracks were was a large course that looked very, very difficult. There were large circular black things, a lot of barbed wire, and scary-looking walls that somehow had to be climbed. Not to mention the guns surrounding it, two taken by other adults who were steadily watching all of the team of eight. On the other side of the barracks, a long line of beach was cut off from the rest, and the waves there were even higher than the walls that had to be climbed. And then there were sand dunes, each with a large, formidable metal pipe that was double the height of a full-grown man.

And this is only day one.

"Ready?" Sampson asked, looking very, very tired.

"Should I be?" he asked just as softly, wondering if Leigh Ann was in here, or holding the guns down by the course.

"You better be." And then she kicked in the door. Viktor pulled the key out of the canister and threw it into the middle of the rows of bunk beds, and smoke billowed out. Leah started shooting her gun into the air, and screams of protest could be heard as the kids fell out of their beds. Viktor caught a glimpse of Leigh Ann, in the third bunk down, and he wondered why she wasn't in her Officer's bunk. He figured it was just for Hell Week, so that everyone was in the same bunk, so they all got the same treatment. Then, Viktor saw Jason Nelson running from the other bunk, and he did a salute to his Leading Officer.

"LGLO, the men's bunk is awake."

"Get out of here, Nelson," Sampson growled, shooting her gun into the air. "I want to see your ass on the course, and you'd better get your best time yet."

"Yes ma'am." And then Jason ran off, but not before giving a pleading and very, very tired look to Viktor.

"I do noot oonderstand thees," Viktor told the Leading Officer of the Army. He now heard the shouts of all of the other 'soldiers' in the school, and the gunshots that accompanied them. "Vhy moost thees cheeldren roon thees course?"

"To keep up stamina and strength. Magic isn't just about how many spells you know, or how loud your voice is when you're saying them, or how powerful of a mind you have when you're doing wordless. The last is important, yes, school is important." Leah and Viktor watched as the students, now all fully dressed, ran out in a single-file line. If Leigh Ann was surprised to see him, she didn't show it, and she kept her eyes straight ahead after that. "Magic takes stamina, it takes strength. If you're hit with a full-force hex, you're bound to be knocked off your feet. Our students are trained to withstand the force of magic, to go beyond what is expected of them. In year one, they're trained to withstand small hexes and jinxes. Year two learns about various animals, and how to become immune to their poisons and powers." The students from all four Houses were now down on the course, running from the flashes of guns, picking up the large, circular black things, climbing over firing walls, and crawling through the mud to get away from everything. "In year three, they're taught to reject the ImperiousCurse. Fourth are taught how to look into another's mind. Fifth years learn how to use Fiendfyre, and how to stop it in an instant. Sixth years learn to block their minds, lock them up. And then everything offensive is taught past that."

Viktor had a new respect for every man, woman, and child out on that field, running that course. Fires were blowing freely in the wind, and he wondered, if a Third Year could master blocking the Imperious Curse, then why couldn't he when he had been hurting Leigh Ann? Why wasn't he down there, taking her place, running the course for her? "I am expected to teach Fifth Year students Occlumency?"

Leah Sampson's dark brown eyes were instantly on his, and he wondered what she was thinking. Viktor, he himself was pretty good at being an Occlumens, even almost a master, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to teach students to block their emotions, to learn this painful task. Enforcing yourself against poisons is one thing, but teaching them war tactics? "I assumed you knew. It is part of the job description."

"I oonderstand. Boot it is a very deefeecult thing to learn."

"I know. That's what I assumed you were up for the job."

It had been a good fifteen minutes by the time that the kids were all finished. Charlie was down on the course, at the bottom of the hill, calling off time limits of each group. Leigh Ann had just made it under the time limit for a female Sixth Year, and his heart swelled in pride. A few others, though, hadn't made the time limit, and had to run the course all over again later that night, until they got their times down or they'd done it ten times. They were quickly put into teams, and each team had to push those cylinders up the hill.

"Fifty percent of you will not pass this course," came Charlie's voice, magnified over the grunts of the students, the blowing of the wind, and the lapping of the waves. "How do I know? Because that is a historical fact! Now for the bad news. I always like one person to quit on the first day. And until they do, this day does not end!"

"I am oop for the job," he said some time later, as they stood up on the top of the hill, watching the students in the sand dunes. He felt disgusted, but there was nothing he could do. "I joost do noot knoo if the students are oop for it."

"Some students are born with a natural gift." She gestured to the Marines who were doing most of the work effortlessly. "But they waste it, they care more about showing off their pureblood status than really learning. Some aren't born with a knack for magic, but they're wonderful at listening, they want to learn." She was motioning to the Air Force, before turning to look Viktor in the eyes. "And then there are those like Leigh Ann, Jason, and Jessica, all three of whom are strong-willed and smart in their own ways. Jason, he's got the common sense of the family, while Jessica has the book smarts. Not that Jason doesn't have any, but his mind is set to negotiate, to fix things. That's why he'll be the best in being some kind of Department of Wizarding Justice Chairman, or maybe even the President of the United States of Wizarding. And then Leigh Ann is right in the middle. She's passed most of her classes with flying colors, and failed others with just as much grace. I've never seen someone so into her potions assignments. Besides her sister, Jessica, Leigh Ann is the top of my class."

Viktor nodded, wondering what he was supposed to do now. Was he supposed to go and help those who were coaching the students, or was he supposed to stay here, listening to Professor Sampson? "And vhat is my purpose een all of thees?" Everyone was making a mad dash towards the water now, no organization, no time to rest. He watched as they all stood in the current, until someone shouted a command, and they all fell down, doing some sort of strange push-up in the water.

"You? You need to keep these children safe." Leah wouldn't look at him again, instead, standing with her arms behind her back, looking out towards the rising sun over the horizon. The students were doing the exercises in the cold mid-September waters of the Atlantic.

"Pain is your friend, your ally. It will tell you when you are seriously injured. It will keep you awake and angry and remind you to finish the job and get the hell home. But you know the best thing about pain, it lets you know you're not dead yet! Are you dead yet?"

"NO MASTER CHIEF."

Viktor felt disgusted at this, but it wasn't his place to say anything. He wondered when someone was going to quit, to let the team rest, but no one seemed to want that disgrace. He watched for the next twelve hours as the students were put under the most grueling tests, as they were forced to eat and get gear in under five minutes, and as they were worked until they collapsed. The younger, non-Officers seemed to get better treatment. But those like Leigh Ann, Jason, and Jessica, they were worked the worst. Finally he saw Leigh Ann take a knee, and then she was shoved, before she finally got back to her feet. His heart tore in half even later, when they'd all been up for twenty hours, and all of the students were standing in the freezing water in the middle of the night, all in swimming gear. Leah looked at him fixedly before walking forwards, moving towards the beach.

He followed her, both of them standing next to the Doctor, Sam Swells. Her dark grey eyes were upset and brooding, and she said a few words to Charlie, or, "Master Chief," which then made Charlie call the kids out of the water. Sam then quickly descended, waving a flashlight into each of the shivering student's eyes. "What's your name," she said softly, trying to keep their attentions.

"M-M-Major J-James Decker," said the first Army man she first looked over.

"Uh-huh," she said, feeling his fingertips. "And what day of the week is it?"

"Its fucking c-cold, that's what d-day it is."

"Where're you from, James?"

"T-Texas."

Samantha frowned, but waved her index finger in front of the man's face. "Follow my finger..." He did as she said, and she nodded, moving on to the next person. "That's good..." And on so down the line. There was another woman at the very end, doing the same thing. She had wild, curly red hair that flew everywhere, her face taken up by large bottle-cap glasses. There was something else, probably her accent, that threw him off, but between the two doctors, the line was quickly taken care of.

"Alright, kids, now its time for some good ole food." Viktor heaved a sigh of relief, as did most of the younger kids, who were almost blue, but then he saw that the food from earlier had been brought out, and everyone ran for it, as if they knew that if they didn't eat, then they wouldn't for a very long time. "Get your grub and report to 7A."

"You might want to get some rest, Viktor," Leah Sampson said softly, watching the procession with saddened eyes. "It'll be a while before you can again."

"If they are staying oop, then so am I." He particularly watched Leigh Ann, who was stuffing her pockets with small pieces of bread. Perhaps they wouldn't get to eat again for a while.

Sampson sighed and looked on, looking as if she wanted to help a small First Year who was about to fall over. "You know, women never used to be allowed to join the school."

Viktor felt like he knew why. This "Hell Week" was no place for a woman. "Durmstrang does noot allow vomen, either."

"Never used to allow Muggle-borns or half-breeds or African Americans, either."

"Durmstrang does noot care aboot color of skin. But you moost be pureblood to go."

"It wasn't until a few years ago that a women even joined the Marines, too. Its strange, I know, but this school has had the worst history you've ever heard of." Sampson looked off as the kids started running to a part of the school, all of them drenched and tired and about to fall over from exhaustion. "Don't worry about them. They're just going to hold up the bell." Viktor didn't know if he wanted to understand. "It wasn't until 1962 that a woman joined. She finished with honors, right up there with the best of the best, in the Army, even beating out the Marines. And it was me."

Viktor almost missed a step, and he had to stare at her a moment before he understood what she meant. "Vhat?"

"I was the first woman to ever take a class in this school, to ever endure Hell Week. I worked my ass off, trying to fit in, trying to do everything in my power to make it work. I even challenged the Master Chief to let me do everything like a man. No double standards, no separate quarters, no differential treatment. I did everything that a man could do. I even slept in the same bunker, to their disliking. I shaved all of my hair off, even. I was a symbol of controversy. But the UWS used me."

"UWS?" Viktor asked, almost unable to pronounce the letters, he was so shocked.

"The United Wizarding States. I was a pawn." Viktor and Professor Sampson walked right past the students who were holding up what looked to be boats, and then a group of Officers who were holding up the bell. Viktor met Leigh Ann's hardened eyes, and he felt a respect for her build inside his chest. "I was only used to make a woman the first president of the UWS. And then she dumped me like a used napkin. But I didn't quit. I stayed in, and I made it. And now so have over four-hundred other women and Muggle-borns."

"You vere the first Muggle-born?"

"No. That spot was held by a man. I was only the first woman in the school, in the Army. The first woman to ever enter the Marines, now that's a whole 'nother story. You see the pretty doctor over there, fretting her hands?" Viktor looked over to see Samantha Swells, watching the younger children with worry. He nodded. "Sam O'Neil, now Swells, was the first woman to ever join the Marines at this school, back ten years ago. Since then, over thirty girls have somehow gotten in. Don't ask me how, it has just happened, much to the disliking of the men in the group."

Viktor knew already that he didn't like the sound of the biases in this school, though how could he talk? He didn't know how many years he'd gone, bashing Muggle-borns and half-breeds, treating women as if they were supposed to be barefoot and pregnant and serve their husband's ever need. He'd gotten better in the most part, but he did have to admit that when he'd heard that Leigh Ann was a half-breed so long ago, that he'd had second thoughts about how beautiful she was. But in the end, none of that had mattered. She was his, and he would be sure that she would never be hurt.

...Well, at least after this week was over. He felt for sure that this week would hurt her very, very much, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had to let her do this on her own.

"No, don't do it!" came a few voices suddenly, and Viktor watched a tall, thin boy that looked like a Second Year walk out from under a boat, looking dead in the eye. "Don't do it, Thomas! Don't do it, man!" "Thomas" took one look at all of them, ran a hand through his hair, and then reached up to ring the bell above all of the Officer's heads. Leigh Ann flinched but kept her arms up high, and then it started to rain.

Leah Sampson sighed. She then put her wand to her throat, with a "Sonorus," and said, very loudly, "Thomas Grove, Dropped On Request." Then she removed her wand and motioned Doctor Swells over to pick up the Air Force boy, showing that she had a lot more strength than he could have pictured. "He," she said softly to Viktor, "is one of the very few half-beings in our presence. Please watch out for him, keep him safe and make him feel like he's wanted."

"Vhat is he?"

Both of them watched as Samantha Swells carried the boy off, looking very, very drained. "Thomas is half Wizard, half Vampire." Viktor saw that the boy was rather pale, and he vaguely remembered that he'd looked drained whenever the sun had been out.

"Linda Warren, third year in the Navy," Sampson said, pointing to a girl with a knee-length black ponytail of hair, her skin a pale, almost green color, as if she'd had Dragon Pox. "Half banshee." Next, she pointed to a large boy in a Marine uniform. He had to have been almost seven foot with the meanest look that Viktor had ever seen, and he was holding his own boat. "Harold Jones. Half Giant. He's the first Marine to ever be a half-being. Watch out for him, he's nasty. He may be dumb as a brick, but he'll play any trick to get what he wants." Then she pointed to a very small, very beautiful girl whom Viktor knew had Veela blood in her bloodstream.

"Veela," Viktor sighed, noticing that she was in the Army.

"Yes. Amanda Rose, Fifth Year. All four of these students have made a...how you say, guest appearance at the school, for a trial run. First came Amanda, and when that went alright, then Harold. Harold wasn't the best, you see, but the UWS wanted to keep going, add more, make it a real trial run. Next came Linda, and lastly, Thomas. He's been poorly, though I can't blame him. He isn't full Vampire, but the light still affects him, he's still allergic to garlic, and any time he comes across a wooden post that could possibly become a stake, he almost faints. I could only wonder why he's like this, what with the way the ex-Rear Admiral had treated him. I hope that bastard rots in jail for the rest of his miserable life for what he's done to most of his students."

Viktor almost saw completely red at the mentioning of his name, but he made himself take a breath, and he looked away from the Leading Officer/Professor. "You knoo, then. Of vhat he deed to Leahn."

She nodded. "Yes. I do. And it hurt me more than you know that I wasn't able to protect her. You see, Viktor, we've got to protect our students. That means showing them every way of life possible, strengthen them up. We've got to teach them to protect themselves, to keep their lives in order, even if we can't protect ourselves or keep our own lives in order. We've got to show the girls that they can do whatever they need to do to protect themselves and create a life in America, which is slowly recognizing women in politics and in the world itself. Our men become some of the world's strongest wizards, and our witches are right up there with them. And because we have free speech, we teach them how not to speak, to know when is the right time. This school, for now, is a safe haven. We haven't had but two pregnancies, and only a dozen marriages, that keep a student from finishing their schooling. If Leigh Ann had done either of those, I would have understood her dropping out. But she withstood that bastard's torture and still is here. It takes more than courage to be able to look all of these people in the eye, to talk to them like a normal person, than it would to have just dropped out. And it, to me, is the bravest thing I think I've ever seen."

Viktor looked over to Leigh Ann, who was drenched in rain and salt water and mud and who knew what else, and knew that she was one of the strongest women he knew. His grandmother, for one, and then Leah Sampson. And now Leigh Ann was there, past his grandfather, even, who had stood up to Grindelwald, and was killed in the face of his country's fear. But Leigh Ann had lived through her torture, she'd come back. And that was perhaps the reason that he started loving her, right then and there.

Just some backstory on the American Academy of Magic. I figured, you know, it's kind of important, considering that the entire Part III is based there.

What do you think of Major General Leah Sampson? She's probably one of my favorites in this story. I just wanted to give her a backstory, too.

Anyways, here's a look at the next chapter!

First day back, and I had Advanced Potions, Advanced Medical Potions and Remedies, Advanced Transfiguration, and Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. I was so sick of school already that I was ready just to pack up and go home.

Then again, I was about to see Viktor...

I quickly wiped the smile that formed off my face, trying to keep cool, even though I really hadn't seen him in over a week. I was ready to see my boyfriend, even if we had to hide it. It kind of sucked, but eventually, we could probably show everyone...right?

Sighing, I sat down in one of the chairs in the room. At the moment, there were chairs all around the clean, brown-colored room. The light, cool wood on the floor was covered partially by rugs, and then there was a blackboard and a desk at the far end of the room, on the opposite side of the door. Viktor was sitting at the desk, small reading spectacles on his nose as he graded papers, and I didn't think that I'd ever seen a more beautiful sight.

When all of us were sat down, he looked up from grading his papers and smiled at all of us. "Good day, students. Hello."