Hermione and Viktor returned to 12 Grimmauld Place to find Harry pacing the kitchen and a tired looking Draco trying to calm him down. As soon as they entered the kitchen, Harry rounded on them.
"Where the hell have you been? I was told an hour ago that you'd actually been out all day and that you promised to be back 'this evening'. It's nearly eleven!" Hermione looked at her feet feeling somewhat shameful, the time difference making it later than either had realised. Viktor just burst out laughing. The sound was deep and rich.
"Harry, you sound like our mother!" There was a tiny twitch in the corner of Harry's mouth but he tried to carry on regardless.
"We have been stuck here with no idea of where you were or what kinds of trouble you'd gotten yourselves into."
"We didn't mean to worry you Harry; we just had to get away from it all for a while." Hermione said quietly. At this Harry's anger completely dissipated. He pulled her tightly into his arms.
"Sorry Hermione. I shouldn't have shouted at you." She nodded, not quite trusting her voice to hold. Constantly being on edge was starting to take its toll on her in more ways than one. She missed the relative calm of Hogwarts, at least there they weren't on edge all the time.
"Vhere is Lupin?" Krum asked into the quiet.
"Sleeping in one of the upstairs rooms. He said he always finds the days before a full moon quite draining." Draco answered. Both seemed content to let Harry and Hermione have their moment.
Viktor nodded and gave Hermione a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before heading off to bed. Draco quickly followed him, wondering what it was like to have friends like that.
.
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The next morning Kreacher cooked them all a huge cooked breakfast, good enough to rival any at Hogwarts. Draco made sure to tell him so and thank him, earning him a lopsided smile in return. It was the penultimate night before the full moon so Lupin said he would be leaving that evening.
They had the day to make sure that the cellar was ready for a possible werewolf transformation. It was no surprise therefore that the mood around the breakfast table was sombre.
Draco and Harry spent most of the day on the second floor landing, reading. Remus and Viktor had gone into the cellar a few hours before, leaving Hermione in the library. She had sort solace in her books too.
"What do you think is going on back at Hogwarts? And out there?" Draco asked. Harry looked up from the book he'd found on thestrals and out over the park. He thought for a moment before answering.
"I think the order is probably feeling rather panicked. Lupin did mention that Dumbledore was far from happy. I think we ought to see if he knows anything more before he has to leave. And at Hogwarts? Well I bet they are gossiping like mad and this time I really couldn't care less. Merlin only knows what Voldemort's up to." Harry was impressed when Draco barely even flinched at the name.
There was a long pause, long enough for Harry to think the conversation had ended, before Draco spoke up again.
"And what are we doing? We can't hide out here forever."
"Once the full moon has passed I thought we'd go horcrux hunting. If I've got to face Voldemort in battle I'd rather he were as mortal as possible." This time Draco did shudder, though whether it was at the name, the idea of horcruxes or Harry's resigned tone he was unsure.
"Shouldn't we be researching them then? Horcruxes I mean." Harry let out a short humourless laugh.
"Would you believe there is only one chapter in one book on them in the entire Black library? It seems the topic was a little too dark even for them."
That certainly doesn't bode well, thought Draco.
.
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Like breakfast, dinner was also sombre. Kreacher had cooked up a fine casserole but they had little appetite, Krum especially. Harry used the opportunity to ask Lupin about what had been happening since they'd gone into hiding a week ago.
"Nothing good Harry. You know about the fire in the forbidden forest, the night before you left? It would seem he is behind it. He broke in again a couple of days later and tore one of the greenhouses to the ground. It was the one with all the medicinal plants in."
"You mean Hogwarts isn't safe anymore?" Hermione asked aghast.
"Dumbledore has been doing everything he can to strengthen the wards. Somehow the Prophet got wind of it all though, so parents have been withdrawing their kids left, right and centre. The whole order is in a state of chaos, he's got them all on the hunt for you. Molly is besides herself and-"
"It doesn't make sense." Interrupted Harry. "If he can get into the grounds and be destroying things why doesn't he set his sights higher than plants? He could kill Dumbledore, or at least attack an inhabited part of the school."
"I don't think any of us can try to understand him Harry." Remus said, but this time Draco spoke over him.
"He's gloating." Four sets of confused eyes turned to him, causing Draco to continue. "He is making a point, showing that nowhere is safe from him, that there is nowhere to hide. He doesn't need to kill anyone; he's got them scared enough. I'll bet that Harry's disappearance has made it into the papers too. Everyone things their savoir has legged it, what's that going to do to morale?"
"But why not kill Dumbledore? Surely that would only make people more scared." Hermione said. It was clear her mind was spinning, trying to make sense of this new theory.
"I think he wants to make Dumbledore submit to him before killing him. It would mean he'd all but won."
"Then he would just have me left to defeat." Harry's voice was quiet but it carried across the room.
"No! If Dumbledore dies, or submits or whatever, it won't stop other people standing against him Harry. You won't be the only one fighting." The outcry was Hermione's. Surprisingly it was Lupin who answered.
"He'll be one of the few. I daresay the Order will try and continue but without their leader they'd be directionless. Hogwarts would quickly fall and the ministry even sooner. The only people who would carry on are those who feel they have nothing left to lose. That is why he doesn't kill the students at Hogwarts; they are valuable weapons against any parent who might fight him." Draco nodded in agreement.
"So basically we're screwed?" Viktor had sat quietly in a corner for most of the conversation, choosing only to speak up now.
"No." Harry said firmly. "We play him at his own game. We destroy his horcruxes and we exploit his weaknesses. If others can see he is not all powerful then we can restore their hope. We can win."
No one had anything to say to that. They ate the rest of their meal in completive silence, Draco feeling incredibly proud of the brave man he'd fallen in love with.
.
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The next evening, Viktor requested that he went down into the cellar on his own. He said that Lupin had shown him what to do and didn't want the others to go any further than the kitchen. He descended the steps into the darkness with his shoulders hunched, walking like a defeated man.
Draco had wanted to shout at him, to tell him that there was still hope, but let him go like the others. There was a soft scrape as Harry had bolted the door behind him.
By an unspoken agreement, they all remained in the kitchen that night. Hermione had inevitably cried, but Draco had surprised her with a dose of calming daft he'd bought with him from Hogwarts. Given how they had fought a few days ago, it made Hermione appreciate the gesture all the more.
Either Viktor was keeping quiet or the cellar was far enough below the house for any noise not to be heard. Knowing it had likely been the Black's torture chamber once upon a time meant that the silence bought them little comfort.
Deep below the ground, Viktor had little in the way of comfort either. The cellar was dimly illuminated by the set of hurricane candles in one corner of the room, which was perhaps just as well. Viktor dreaded to think of what this place would look like in a harsher light.
He leant against the cold stone wall. He'd fastened the manacles around his wrists, ankles and waist, just to be sure. Just to be safe. Lupin had said he thought it unlikely that the wolf would make it through the doors and wards separating him and the others but he didn't want to run the risk.
Pulling the blanket more firmly around him he fidgeted, trying to get more comfortable. There was a black stain in the opposing corner which he strongly hoped was mould. It was difficult to tell in this light.
He closed his eyes, to try and shut out the dank room. He told himself to think of something happy when a wave of pain flared up his back. His eyes flew open and he let out a low cry. There was more pain, engulfing his muscles. It was in his shoulders now, causing them to cramp and spasm uncontrollably.
Still, he thought wistfully in the corner of his mind not crippled by pain, it wasn't quite as bad as the cruciatus curse Bellatrix had subjected him to.
He tried to curl himself into a tighter ball. The blanket slipped from his shoulders, the cold now providing some mild relief for his screaming muscles. Pain down one side caused him to twist and jerk, he felt his wrist snap in its binding. He cried out once more, before settling to whimper into the darkness. He hoped the pain would cause him to black out soon and yet it did not seem to come.
For hours he lay there, muscles beyond his control and pain flowing like waves around his body. He could almost sense the sun rising and with it the pain finally eased. He collapsed back, shaking, and finally lost consciousness.
Upstairs, Harry had made them wait until the sun was peeking over the tops of the houses before unbolting the door. Knowing that whatever met him down there was likely to be unpleasant, he asked that Hermione waited upstairs. After some convincing he finally descended, wand alight before him.
He had to wind his way down many flights of stairs before weak flickering candlelight greeted him. Harry rushed forward, unlocking the final door. He could see Viktor lying in a heap against the wall, half covered by a blanket. He looked to be in bad shape, but Harry took some comfort in the fact his clothes appeared mostly intact.
"Viktor? Can you hear me? It's Harry." Crossing the room in three long strides he dropped to his knees by the prone body. "Viktor?" He gave him a soft shake on the shoulder, earning him a small bit of movement in response.
Harry nudged him again, before retrieving his wand and attempting one of the diagnosis charms he'd learnt after so many run ins with Draco. It was better than he had hoped; a broken rib, a shattered wrist and severe fatigue.
"Kreacher?" The elf popped to his side at once. "Could you help heal Mr Krum's wounds please?" The elf jerkily nodded its head. Harry remembered how the elf had struggled last time because he could sense the wolf's curse, but didn't relieve him. Viktor needed healing and Kreacher's discomfort would have to wait.
"I can do nothing for the fatigue Master Potter sir. He needs rest sir." Said the little elf some time later. His wrist was certainly looking better, the swelling had gone down and the purple bruise fading.
"Thank you Kreacher. Could you please apparate us up to the kitchen? You've been a great help." A definite look of pride crossed Kreacher's face this time as he nodded. Harry knelt back down and scoped Viktor into his arms. The man may have been shorter than him, but he was well muscled. Harry nodded at Kreacher who squeezed Harry's shoulder and disapparated them with a pop.
There was a sudden chaos in the kitchen when they arrived. Hermione leapt forward from where it looked like Draco was trying to restrain her.
"How is he? Is he okay? Did he turn?" He shrugged off her barrage of questions in favour of putting Viktor down on the sturdy table.
"He's okay. A few broken bones, which Kreacher helped with, and fatigue. He'll probably sleep for a good while." Draco noticed immediately which question Harry had failed to answer.
"Did he turn?" He repeated. Harry turned to him looking incredibly worn.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know."
After giving Hermione some time to fuss over him, he and Draco managed to levitate him back up to the bedroom he'd been occupying. Hermione climbed into the bed next to him, stroking the close cropped hair.
Draco slipped his hand into Harry's, softly pulling them up the stairs to their room. They stripped off to their boxers then climbed into the enormous bed. When Draco opened his arms up, Harry happily crawled in. He rested his head over Draco's heart, listening to its steady beat. And despite the fact the sun was just rising, both boys were asleep before long.
AN I warned things were getting a bit heavier! Just a heads up - I have begun a university course and while I love writing it has to take priority. This story is not abandoned but things might get a bit patchy as I only have one more chapter mostly written up.