Chapter Five

Today went very well for Hermione. Actually if she was honest with herself, this was one of the best work days she'd had in months. The whole day had gone off with out a hitch. The meeting with Mrs. Hattingson only took thirty minutes, which left she and Sally nearly five whole hours to catalog and sort out most of their giant pile of backed up files. Lunch was not only on time but absolutely delicious and the Lander's divorce hearing went so well they were done and out of court in less than an hour. Now it was four-thirty and not only was Hermione completely caught up on all her paperwork and organized but she wasn't nearly as exhausted as she had been afraid she was going to be when meeting her new client. As far as productive days went, Hermione's had been perfect. There was just one problem.

It had been nearly seven hours since George pranced out of her office, and he had YET to return with her keys.

At first Hermione figured perhaps he had just gotten a bit lost, or was having trouble navigating the muggle world. But when the clock struck one forty-five and George had yet to return, Hermione began to panic. What was he doing to her flat! She kept having horrific visions of walking in and finding her entire home redecorated in various shades of orange and magenta with Weasley Wheezes products strung through out her flat. And Merlin knows what he's done to poor Crookshanks by now! Hermione would have sent Sally to go check but she needed the woman with her to take notes and run between Mrs. Lander's solicitor and herself.

Hermione now sat behind her desk with a cup of tea, highly contemplating a calming drought, with images floating through her mind of neon green furniture and a portable swamp in her kitchen. A sharp knock on her door startled the bushy haired witch but she recovered enough to avoid spilling her tea.

"Enter."

"Miss, Granger," Sally said, opening the door a bit and poking her head inside. "Your consultation is here."

"Excellent," Hermione said, setting her cup aside. "Send them in please."

"If you would please, Sir?" the blond opened the door further and gestured to the man behind her. A burley man with dark hair and a familiar face stepped in.

"Hallo, Hermy-own-ninny."

"Viktor!" Hermione's eyes nearly flew out of her head and she laughed happily as she jumped up out of her chair to greet the guest. "How are you?"

"Very vell, thank you," the Bulgarian smiled brightly and accepted the hug Hermione offered. "Still such beautiful voman you are, Hermy-own-ninny."

"Oh stop it," she laughed and gestured towards the chairs facing her desk. "Please sit down, Viktor. Sally, please fetch a tray would you?"

"Yes, M'am."

"So, Viktor," Hermione seated herself in the chair next to his. "What brings you to London?"

Viktor sighed and ran a thick hand through his dark hair, "Is complicated I think, to explain. I need legal help and Fleur said in owl you vere very best."

Hermione sobered a bit at her old friend's haunted expression, "What's wrong?"

"My vife, Helga, vants divorce. Is fine vith me of course. Have more vumanly players on Quidditch team than Helga, and team is all men. Team is also much more loyal than Helga," Viktor frowned. "But divorce papers I get from her lawyer say she vonts sole custody of my two sons. Claims am unfit parent because of job. Is not true this, Quidditch Couching is good job and am good father to sons. Spend much more time vith them then she does. Vife is too busy spending time with new boyfriend to be bothered vith caring for children."

"So it's safe to say that adultery is the cause of your marriage ending?" Hermione asked.

"This and of course she spends too much of my gold with out care. Vould cost me less gold to date your Queen I think," Viktor chuckled a bit before looking sullen again. "Hermy-own-ninny, my boys is most important thing to me. She only vants them so I must pay her lots of money to care for them. If she gets to take my sons from me she vill move avay to other country vith new boyfriend and vaste all the gold on herself. I vill never see them again and very never know if they are being cared for properly. She vill use boys are veapon against me. This I can not let happen. You understand this, yes?"

"I understand perfectly, Viktor," Hermione said as she stood and went to gather papers from her desk. "Let's start from the beginning then, shall we?"

…~…~…

Today could really be going better for George.

Seven hours ago when he volunteered to come feed this thing, he imagined returning to her office just in time to escort a highly grateful Hermione to lunch. George had not expected to end up huddled away in her loo, wandless, and hiding from that two stone beast Hermione was under the impression was a pet cat.

It would seem that the little demonic creature still loathed anyone who wasn't Hermione just as much now as it had back in school.

George had tried to make nice with the feline, but that didn't seem to work. The little berserker seemed more interested in trying to maul his leg off then in the fact that George was there to feed him.

Now granted the furry gingered monster hadn't actually started attacking until after he caught the man snooping through his familiar's dresser, but George felt it was a massive over reaction. He wasn't actually going to take anything, he was just doing research.

George was currently trying to decide if the discovery that Granger wore red and black lace knickers was worth the deep angry scratches now running down his face, arms and legs. He would have Apparated out hours ago but in the tussle that ensued, the prankster had accidently dropped his wand in the hallway just before barricading himself in the bathroom. And one could not Apparate without their wand. Especially when that wand was currently being napped on by a small puma who clearly wanted him dead.

All George could do was sit and wait for Hermione to get home and save him. In the mean time, he needed to come up with an amazing excuse to tell Fred about why he been gone all day.

Preferably one that didn't involve telling his twin that he'd had his arse kicked by a giant ball of fur wearing a jingle bell collar.

TBC…

A/N: I am going to assume that Crookshanks and George are going to have several interesting encounters through out this story.

I'm sorry for not posting sooner, and that it is so short. I am trying to muscle past some writers block and general laziness currently while juggling family, job and bills. So do please be patient with me I hope you are all enjoying it so far and do please remember to R&R! Luvs and Hugs!

~Chupip