This is a Viktor/Leigh chapter, I promise! I know that I've been lacking, but eventually you'll see where this is going...(:

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor Viktor Krum!

Back to School

Leigh Ann
Tuesday, September 19, 7:00 A.M.
Officer's Bunk

I collapsed into my bed, my bed, the one in my Officer's bunk, and wanted to die, right then and there. I'd never realized in the past, how hard Hell Week had really been, because First through Fourth Years always got to leave Hell Week after the first two days. And last year, my Fifth Year, I'd been in Britain for the Triwizard Tournament, and Hell Week had been canceled. So this year, after having to do it for a week straight, never sleeping, never eating correctly, freezing my ass off and then burning up from the hot sun on my back, it really burned me out.

Thank God Fifth Years and up got a day of rest. No work, no homework, no working-out, nothing, nada, zip. I'd already taken an ice bath for twenty minutes, then a regular bath, and finally had changed into my fuzzy pajamas before collapsing on the bed. And now that I was here, and I could finally rest...

Viktor Krum
11:45 P.M.
Under a Tree Outside the Army Barracks

Viktor leaned his head back, took a deep breath, and then looked down on his plan of study for the year. Err—perhaps week. Or maybe he should just focus on the day? Yes. That sounded just fine. Or at least he thought. He'd never really taught anyone before, so this was going to be difficult for him. If he focused on curses and hexes, he might scare the class. If he just made them read from the books, then they would get bored. And if he used animals…things could get messy.

His first Defense Against the Dark Arts class was going to start in less than two hours, and he still didn't have anything on his syllabus. It was the Fourth Year Navy and Marines who were going to be in his class. He could someone questions about what the class had learned, and then go off of that. He might have to, actually. Even though Leah Sampson had told him that his main goal as a teacher for DADA was to teach the Fourth Years Occlumency, he was confident that he could do that in a very short amount of time. What was he supposed to do with the rest of the time?

He figured that he would ask them when he got the chance. But in the meantime, he heard the signal of the bells that meant it was time for mess hall, and he closed his "notebook," standing up and stretching in the late September sun. He watched as all of the children who had had "free period" this day after Hell Week were out playing in the sun, relaxing under trees, and just having fun after that hell. He looked around, trying to spot Leigh Ann, but he only saw Alexandra, her best friend, asleep under one of the pretty peach trees in the orchard.

Viktor turned and went inside, surprised to see that practically no one was really there. The tables were mostly filled by the Fourth Years and younger students who had already been going to class for days, even when the older students were still in Hell Week. He'd already taught eight flying classes, and he figured out that the Air Force were the most skilled, and the Navy had the most strategy. The Marines, as always, tended to play dirty. And then the Army was a mixture of all three, tending to stay towards the rules more and trying to be as fair and skillful as possible at the same time. Of course, there were the few exceptions, but they mostly stuck to each stereotype.

Viktor suddenly noticed that the mess hall was full, even though a moment ago there had been barely anyone in there. Apparently, when the bells were rung, if you weren't sick or dying, you couldn't miss mess hall. Half of the people who were there were dressed in comfortable-looking pants and strange, thin-strapped tops, or short boxers and t-shirts. Leigh Ann was wearing soft blue, fuzzy looking pants, and one of those thin-strapped tops in black. Underneath, she was wearing something else, but all he saw was her. She looked like she'd lost way too much weight, and her hair was up and curly around her head, standing up on the ends in some places.

She sat down in the Army stands, and he wanted to wave so badly that it hurt, but he didn't. She did manage to catch his eyes with her sleepy ones, though, and she smiled softly at him. The little realization that she was alright, not in pain from Hell Week, made his nervousness for classes disappear, and he was re-energized.

"Students," the General called out in his demanding voice, suddenly appearing in front of the podium at the top of the mess hall. "I apologize for violating the remainder of the Rest Day, but there is important news. The new Leading Officer of the Navy has arrived." The students looked relieved, probably thinking that it had been something much, much worse than that, but the Navy...almost half of them had a murderous look in their eyes. And when the back doors opened, revealing the curvy figure of a woman, half of them were ready to get up and storm out.

The woman was beautiful, with long, curling black hair and a smile that seemed fake, it was so bright. She had bright, ice blue eyes and a figure that was slightly too skinny for his taste. She walked up in her bright, white Naval Officer's uniform, standing next to the General at the podium. "Hello. I am Rear Admiral Kaitlynn Jones."

"She will be taking over the teaching of Arithmancy and the Study of Ancient Runes," the General said, giving the dirty eye to the Navy students. "I expect her to be treated with the utmost respect."

"Yes Sir," the students said all at once, though slightly unenthusiastically.

"And, while I still have you here..." The students groaned, laying their heads on the tables. "Oh, quiet. Quidditch Tryouts will be held in two weeks. Captains, start making schedules of when it's your turn to practice and hold tryouts. Also, football conditioning begins next week. Captains, coaches, and managers, get together sometime outside of class to coordinate. That will be all. You are excused."

Half of the student body instantly went up in smoke, disappearing, and probably going back to their rooms. Leigh Ann was gone as well. "Vell, that vas short," Viktor said to himself, looking over to see that the new Navy Leading Officer, at the other side of the table, was frowning.

"Usually is, when Rest Day is violated," Leah Sampson said, looking over her students. "But don't worry. Things will be back to normal before you know it."

Leigh Ann
Wednesday, September 20, 6:30 P.M.
Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom

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."

"Hello," the students said back hesitantly, reminded of one of the first days of Preschool and Kindergarten.

"Today, ve vill joost...talk," he said casually, shrugging. He pulled off his reading spectacles, giving out a smile, making the girls give out a sigh. A small flash of jealousy rang through me.

You'd think that they'd have learned from last year, at the Triwizard Tournament, I thought, shaking my head and listening to what Viktor wanted to "talk" about. Apparently he had no clue of what we'd already learned. He picked me out single-handedly to tell the class what we'd learned. I told him that we'd already learned hexes, jinxes, and counter-curses. Poisons and sea creatures were there too, but regular curses were a little iffy for all of us. It's a good thing to know what we're going to be learning after Occlumency.

Viktor stood up, placing the palms of both his hands on his desk. He didn't talk until he'd met everyone's eyes. "Occlumency is noot soomething to take lightly. It is very dangerous magic. Moost countries do noot allow the teaching of it. But very few students, such as yourself, smart, eentelligent... you vill all learn eet." There were only about five students in this classroom who'd even been allowed to take Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts, because of test grades, strength, need, and behavior. One of my friends, Michal Thompson, had been kicked out of school because of his behavior, even though he'd had okay grades. It took strength to learn to keep your mind from someone else's. And as for need...well, if you were a student who was more likely to become an Auror, or a secret agent, or someone like me, who'd been kidnapped and tortured for information on the UWS, then yeah, that student needed to learn it. "Thees vill take a vhile to learn, boot I vill be by your side."

He looked over all of us, settling his eyes onto Mary Louis, my good friend. Her blue eyes were slightly hesitant as he approached her. "Mees Louis," he said, standing with his hands behind his back, "I vant to see vhat you knoo. Now, I vant you to clear you mind."

She smiled warily, looking up at him. "I thought you said we were just talking?" Viktor looked at her dryly, as if her smart comment hadn't amused him. She flushed, embarrassed, looking down at her desk. "Y-yes, sir." She closed her eyes, her face hidden by her long locks of beautiful gold hair. Slowly, the tension ran out of her, and she looked up at him. "I'm ready."

He slowly started walking around her. "Are you sure? I vant no emotion. I do noot vant your tension or your nervousness to penetrate your shield. Peecture a brick vall, slovly beeuilding it..."

"I said I'm ready," she said, just as emotionlessly. Viktor smiled at her, then looked directly into her eyes. She flinched the second it started, and then frowned, looking away. "That was way too damn simple for you."

"And I oonly joost looked eento memories on the toop." He frowned, looking around the entire class. "Is thees the only training you half had?"

The five of us looked at each other. It was me, Mary Louis, Justin Crusoe from the Marines, and Leonard Mallard and Penelope McPherson from the Navy. All of us were the top of our class, and we were all in line to be a part of the Congress of Wizards, or the Judicial Branch of Wizards, or even all the way up to the Executive Branch. And by our Ninth Years, there would probably only be one or two of us in this class, learning the most advanced spells of all.

"Mees Neelsoon," he said, and I looked up to see that he was standing directly over me. His dark eyes were so full of adoration and emotion that for a moment, I couldn't answer him. "Vill you clear your mind?"

"O-of course." I closed my eyes, trying to get him out of my mind. It was difficult, but I just thought of my little secluded spot, out in the woods. I pictured it right in spring, when the lilies started blooming, and the trees were all budding. A small creek ran through the center, surrounded by many colorful rocks and stones. It relaxed me even more to see Viktor there, both of us lying under the willow tree, his heartbeat under my ear as we relaxed together. Then I started to build the wall. Instead of bricks, I pictured steel.

I didn't want Viktor into the recesses of my mind. Not only would he see what I thought of him on a daily (not to mention nightly,) basis, but he might try and go deeper, into the memories that I tried to repress.

Taking a deep breath, I didn't bother opening my eyes when I said, "I'm ready."

"You vill noot open your eyes?" he asked lowly, trying to get under my skin. It was very seductive, and hopefully the other kids hadn't picked up on it.

"No. Legilimency is easier to perform if the target's and the practitioner's eyes meet." Now I did open my eyes, and I looked at Mary. "First lesson of Fourth Year DADA." She blushed, and I returned to my eyes closed, head down. "I'm still ready, Professor." Wow, it felt so weird to call him that.

"If you say so," he said smugly, and I felt a tug at the edge of my mind. I knew that he wasn't using the full extent of his powers yet, so when that tug turned into more of a shove, I was ready. I felt myself flinch as he used even more of his influence, but I knew that I couldn't break. If he saw what was in my mind, if he tried to go even deeper than just the top, then I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold up.

Suddenly he broke through, and I saw a very realistic memory from when I was a child. It was when I'd been on my Junior Pro Quidditch Team, the best Chaser there. I watched in dismay, not able to stop the memory, as a mini Bludger hit me in the leg, and I fell from my broomstick, slowly falling through the air, to land hard on the ground, fracturing the bones in my left hip, tearing the tendons.

And then I was surfacing, and I took deep, panicked breaths. Viktor looked at me for only a moment with sadness, but then his face hardened, and he turned, looking at all five of us. "Occlumency vill be difficult to master. Some of you may noot do it at all. Boot you shall knoo, that vhen you are mentally attacked by an enemy Legimens, they vill noot stoop at seemple childhood memories." I was still a little panicked, actually. My heartbeat was still beating erratically, and I was sure that my eyes looked wild and upset. "They vill search through the layers of your mind, trying to find your vone veakness. If strong enoof, they can control you, take over your mind. How many...ah, I should say, how few of you can bloock an Eempeerious Curse?"

I raised my hand, as did Penelope. I was actually surprised that someone besides me had decided to learn. Needless to say, after I'd been kidnapped, I'd taken lessons from my mother, aunts, and grandmother for things like Occlumency and blocking the Imperious Curse. I wasn't going to be taken without defenses again. The school had taught me a lot, yes, but that didn't mean that I still wasn't vulnerable.

"I vill also teach you thees," he said with a nod. The two male students in the classroom looked disgruntled as Viktor went to them next, and then Penelope last. Penelope turned out to be the best of all of us, lasting for about ten seconds longer than me. The boys had gotten less than optimistic times. "In time, you vill be able to vithstand my advances eendefinately. Some of you, no, but you vill be able to hold up longer. My job is to teach you as much as I possibly can. My job is to protect you." Very slowly, his eyes met mine. "And I vill protect you."

Jessica Nelson
Thursday, September 21, 7:00 A.M.
Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom

Every Fifth Year was cautious as they stepped into the Defense room, wondering what it would look like with Professor Almoner gone and pregnant. They'd all loved the mother-like figure, but she'd always been a softie, and they really hadn't learned much. Most were surprised to see that the room was a clean, brown color, without desks, but chairs along the wall and cushions on the floor. There were many bookshelves, with most of the books looking centuries old. The floor was a cool wooden color, lighter and softer than mahogany.

"What, do we just take a seat?" Lieutenant (junior grade) Oliver Bradley asked sarcastically, pulling off his pack and setting it next to chair that was against the wall. He'd directed this at Jessica, but she wasn't paying attention.

She felt a little frazzled, knowing that she would have to be extra careful in this class. Viktor was known to be one of the world's best Legimens and Occlumens, but yet she needed to know what was in his mind! She knew everything to know about all of the teachers and students, but not him, nor the General, nor Leah Sampson. All of their minds were mysteries... "Sit down, Oliver. He's a new teacher, who knows what he wants us to do?"

"I vant you to use magic," came a voice, and everyone looked around. There was no one standing up, so they couldn't see anything besides pillows in the center of the room. That was when Fiendfyre started up in the center of class, and Jessica looked around, ready to kill one of her comrades who'd started it without her permission, the one who was possibly about to blow their cover. But it wasn't a student. It was a teacher. Actually, it was Leigh's boyfriend.

Not that many people remembered that they were together. After Leigh had been kidnapped, he'd single-handedly led the search for her. Jessica'd had to be home most of the time, searching for her 'lost' sister, but the rest of her time had been spent trying to get information out of her in any means possible. Unexpectedly, Leigh had more training as an Occlumens than she'd originally thought, and the information had never been gotten out of her. She'd never had the heart to finish the torture victim off. Jessica had never felt sicker in her life, though, and she wished that she could forget every scream her older sister had made.

She had to do this, though. She had to rid her school of filth, even though her Leading Officer wasn't there to head her operation anymore. The Grand Wizard had given her the position instead, and it was driving her completely crazy, bringing her to wits end. So when Viktor Krum stepped out of the Fiendfyre, she was so thankful that she could have wept.

"That," Viktor said, standing there in his Seeker glory, "vas Fiendfyre. You vill be learning it thees year in my class." He still looked the same, the bastard who'd ruined her operation and gotten her Leading Officer sent to Guantanamo Bay. "Jessica?"

She almost flew out of her seat, to the amusement of the class, and managed to choke out a, "Y-yes sir?" Ugh, she wanted to gag at calling him sir.

"Vhat half you learned een the past years?"

Oh, thank you, Merlin. She managed to actually talk and think without losing her mind, telling him all that the idiot Almoner had taught them before she'd gotten knocked up, which wasn't much. Water creatures were mostly covered, as were poisons. Hexes and jinxes were almost perfect, but regular spells were a little iffy, and counter-curses were almost non-existent in everyone's mind but Jessica's. She was ready for whatever Viktor had to throw at her.

"Tell me a jinx, anyvone," he said to the entire class, and the Navy kids threw out the names before the Marines could even open their mouths.

"Anteoculatia," she said, as others cried out, "Entomorphis!" and "Vermillious!" and many others. She got bored and sat back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, thankful that there was an entire class that could answer questions while she took a moment to take a deep breath, calm her nerves. This teacher was going to be hard to fool, exactly like Leah Sampson. The General was still wary of her after the whole Imperious Curse scandal with Viktor, because she'd almost lost her cover during it. And Viktor might be able to remember her magical signal that she'd emanated. She was in way over her head, and all of her comrades knew it, but they still followed her.

Somehow, she had to fulfill her destiny. She had to rid the school of filth, but somehow save her siblings. She had a heart, but it was buried, somewhere beneath her hatred. It beat wildly to save her friends, her family, but it was difficult. They were all blood-traitors and half-bloods and she was supposed to hate them all. Or at least she needed to act like she did, to save her own life and keep with the Grand Wizard. She was in over her head. If she tried to quit now...

She would drown.

So? What do you think of Viktor as a teacher? I'm trying to get as detailed as possible! Please, please, PLEASE tell me what you think!

Here's a look at the next chapter! (:

You know, most people don't understand the need for a good, old-fashioned Saturday afternoon off. There was no Quidditch, (no matter how much I loved to play, sometimes you just needed an afternoon off,) there weren't any classes, (even if I DID have that three page essay on hexes from Viktor and a dragon pox theory to come up with, but I could do that tomorrow,) and most of all, there was no more Alana O'Malley from New Yo-ak. I swear, if I heard anything else about a "knish" again, I was going to shove a knish down her skinny little throat!

Ahem. Anyways, as I'd been saying, everyone needed an old-fashioned Sunday afternoon off. There was nothing better than sitting back with everyone in the Army Barracks, screaming their heads off at the multiple large-screen televisions that some of the older kids had smuggled into the Common Room.

And then, of course, there was the little priss, who thought that football was nothing but a neanderthal sport and needed to be replaced with synchronized swimming and yoga. And no, it wasn't that I was completely jealous of her for taking my place as Belle in the Fall Musical, Beauty and the Beast. Because I'd gotten Fanny in Funny Girl! Beat THAT, miss football-is-a-sport-for-fat-men-who-sit-and-scratch-their-bellies! We Southerners took our football seriously, unlike that...that monster! Who in their right mind doesn't like football? It's...it's FOOTBALL!