Viktor Krum

As always, I would like to thank the people that have helped me so much, JENGEORGE, NervousAboutAngels, and the staff at The Petulant Poetess. They keep me on my toes with their constant vigilance! Thanks to you all.

I make no money, I take no credit. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling.

Chapter 17

Viktor Krum

Seven years into his illustrious Quidditch career, the most eligible bachelor in the western wizarding world (since Harry Potter was already married) finally got hitched to a bewitching fashion model named Leona Barelli. Three years later, Viktor suffered an injury to his right arm that no healer in the wizarding world could rectify. So, just like that, he was relegated to the sidelines as a permanent spectator. Shortly afterwards came divorce number one. Leona kept his name and managed to drain all of the Galleons from his bank account, so he was left knutless and with no source of income.

By this time, Draco's publishing company was up and running, and he approached Viktor with the idea of writing an autobiography. A Bulgarian ghost writer helped him with the project since Viktor had never learned the art of verbal eloquence. After being translated into several languages, the book was released with much fanfare and became an instant success, saving Viktor from the poorhouse and putting him back in the spotlight at the same time.

The book deal turned out to be not as lucrative as the hefty Quidditch salary had been, but it was better than nothing. And after a year of touring Europe, autographing books and granting interviews, wife number two had been procured. A helpless romantic, Viktor could never bring himself to force the prospective wife to sign a prenuptial agreement. And, sure enough, after realizing that Viktor's intellect didn't match the skilled prose in his autobiography, the new wife ran off with the true talent behind the words, the ghost writer that Draco had hired to help him.

Once again, Viktor had found himself alone and broke.

But as other athlete friends began to retire, he began giving advice and making introductions that would help them navigate the pitfalls that had kept him from keeping more of the money that his book had generated. He may not have been the brightest man, but he did learn from his mistakes. When one of his former professors from Durmstrang realized what he was doing for his friends, he advised Viktor to become a literary agent. The profession became a perfect fit for Victor, since he was so well connected already, and so many people owed him favors. His experience made him a shrewd and successful businessman, and he quickly became a master at negotiating the best deals for his clients.

Snape didn't need help in the negotiation process, but he wanted to keep his identity a secret. Since Viktor's office was in Bulgaria, and he was the best in the business, Snape had never seriously considered anyone else to help him with the deal. But most importantly, Viktor Krum had graduated from Durmstrang. He knew how to keep a secret under pressure.

And so, after several letters by owl post to work out the details, a meeting to deliver the manuscript to Viktor's office in Bulgaria was arranged. And although it would be too late for the upcoming school year, Snape had high hopes that his Potions textbooks would become standard issue for many years to come. And if they were well received in Great Britain, they could be translated into many other languages. Snape would never have to worry about money again, just as long as no one ever found out that a convicted felon was the source of the invaluable information.

*****

Without hesitation, Hermione had taken Snape and Harry's advice and applied for the position of Charms Professor at Hogwarts. Headmistress McGonagall ecstatically informed her at the end of her first interview that the post was hers and gave her former star pupil a big hug to drive the point home. The pieces of Hermione's life had finally begun to fall back into place.

With one huge exception... Snape.

They had both been kept busy since the day he and Harry had kidnapped Ron, but Hermione still missed his presence in her life. They corresponded daily through the computer, but words on a screen could not compare to the sensation of his arms wrapped around her. She had invited him to dinner the following Saturday, but he had declined. He felt that her time would be better spent with her children now that she had access to them on weekends.

So it was with great surprise and joy that she accepted his invitation to accompany him to Bulgaria for his meeting with Viktor Krum. She would need much more than a mere hour for the trip, so he suggested that she take the day off, if possible. He and Winky were to Apparate to her house on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Then Winky could transport them both all the way to Bulgaria! House-elves had a much more powerful Apparation range than wizards. They could pop half-way round the world in the blink of an eye. A wizard would take hours making multiple Apparations to reach the same distance.

The knock on Hermione's door came at exactly 11:30, and as usual, the front porch appeared empty when she looked out. But she greeted them and stepped aside so they could enter, and she watched with delight as they both began to materialize in her front hall.

"What a lovely home, miss," exclaimed Winky.

"Why, thank you, Winky." Hermione knew that she was only being polite. She imagined that the Crouch family home would have put hers to shame.

"If you are ready, Winky can take us directly to Viktor Krum's office. There is no need to lower your wards."

"Yes, I remember. Dobby got us into the Malfoy's house that way."

Snape shot Hermione an irritated glance at the mention of Dobby's name. Then he turned his tentative gaze to Winky and held his breath as she slowly turned her eyes to meet Hermione's.

"Dobby saved Harry Potter," she whispered with a touch of pride in her now-quivering little voice.

"Dobby saved me, too, Winky. I would have died a horrible death at the hands of Fenrir Greyback that night if it weren't for Dobby."

Winky drew in a quick breath as her watery eyes grew as big as saucers. "Fenrir Greyback – the werewolf?"

Hermione nodded. "Dobby was the bravest elf I ever had the honor of knowing."

Winky smiled as a lone tear trickled down her tiny cheek.

When Hermione looked back at Snape, his smile had returned, and he winked at her.

Good save, she thought. This time, at least, she had managed to pull her foot out of her mouth before she swallowed it.

"Now remember the condition, Miss Granger." Snape kindly redirected the conversation. "You promised to ask no questions today."

"Yes, yes. Your business with Viktor is none of my business."

"Precisely."

"And I am to tell no one that you even met with him."

"Come on, come on!" insisted Winky. "Master doesn't want to be late, does he?" She reached for both of their hands, and the next moment they all stood in Viktor Krum's waiting room in Sofiya, Bulgaria.

A plump young receptionist with spiky red hair calmly looked up from filing her nails. "Professor Severus Snape, I presume?" she asked in a thick Bulgarian accent.

"Yes, ma'am." He gave a slight bow.

"I am Salina Leystova, Mr. Krum's assistant. I'll let him know that you have arrived."

Snape nodded his approval.

She flicked her wand at a nearby door, then touched the tip to her throat. "Professor Snape is here to see you." The words echoed from inside the newly exposed office. She turned back to the threesome and motioned for them to go in.

But before they reached the door sill, Viktor emerged with his arms outstretched. "Greetings, greetings. Hermione! What a wonderful surprise! It's so good to see you. Professor, you should have warned me. I would have taken a moment to tidy up." His face beamed in welcome as he shook Snape's hand briefly, then turned hastily to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her. She seemed just as happy to be in Viktor's company as he obviously was in hers. Snape wasn't sure if he should feel relief or anxiety at their mutual enthusiasm for each other.

Viktor glanced down at Winky as he ushered Snape and Hermione into his office. "Perhaps your house-elf wouldn't mind getting us all some tea?"

"Actually..." Snape raised an eyebrow at Krum's presumptuous request. "... she does mind. Besides, your receptionist looks as though she could use the exercise."

Winky smirked.

Although she had not been comfortable with Viktor's suggestion any more than he was, Hermione glared at Snape for his rude comment.

"Why don't you take the day off, Winky," Snape said with a sly smile. "We'll call you when we are ready to come home."

"Thank you, Master Severus." She bowed graciously and disappeared with a pop.

"You give your house-elf time off?" asked Krum skeptically.

"I'm only one person, and mine is a modest home. She doesn't have enough to keep her busy there, so I let her do as she pleases with her free time."

"You are more generous than most, Professor." Viktor looked at Hermione and smiled. "I guess, since we will be going to lunch in just a few minutes, we can wait on the tea. So let's get down to business, shall we?" He motioned for the two of them to sit in the waiting chairs as he took his rightful place behind his desk.

Hermione looked around the office. Not nearly as impressive as Blaise Zabini's, its plain white walls and modest wood molding did not speak of huge incomes to be made here. But where fortune waned, fame definitely made up for it. On almost every available inch of wall space was a Quidditch photo, plaque, award or ribbon. And the huge bookcase strained from the weight of his many trophies. Hermione was never a big fan of Quidditch, so she had not followed Viktor's illustrious career. She had no idea just how big he had become in the world of Quidditch before the injury had forced him to the sidelines. The revelation that his office décor afforded took her a bit by surprise.

She barely noticed when Snape removed a large parcel from his interior robe pocket and passed it across the desk to Viktor. But she noticed with great irritation when he cast the Muffliato Spell between her and the two of them so that their short conversation would remain private.

"She doesn't know?" asked Krum with surprise.

"No, and I would like to keep it that way. In fact, if word gets out, and I can prove that you are the source of the leak, our contract will be null and void."

"Of course. I noticed you had added that clause to the contract. Oh, I hope you don't mind," Krum informed him, "but I took the liberty of asking Professor Moskovich to look it over."

"The Potions Professor at Durmstrang?"

Krum nodded.

"To be honest, I was hoping that he would consent to write the 'forward' if its contents meet with his approval."

"That's a great idea. I will ask him."

"And he is also not to know the true identity of the author."

"Yes, yes, of course. He won't hear it from me."

"Be sure to familiarize yourself with the fake biography I wrote about the pseudo-author, just in case he asks any questions. You don't think Moskovich has ever been to Armenia, do you?"

"Not that I know of."

"I'll have to take that chance. I picked a remote region of the country that no one in their right mind would want to visit, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Krum nodded in agreement, then pulled the contract from his desk drawer, all filled in and ready for Snape to sign. "This is the original. I sent you a copy to read over. I'm sure you will find everything in order." He pushed it towards Snape, along with a quill.

"I'm sure you won't mind if I look it over for any last minute changes, will you?" Snape asked with just a tad too much politeness in his voice.

"Not at all," replied Krum with a fake smile.

Since this part of the trip was obviously not meant for Hermione, she had taken the opportunity to get up and walk over to the bookcase to examine the many trophies more closely. His collection was indeed impressive. His celebrity status was obviously well established, but Hermione couldn't care less about his fame. He was a long-time friend who had drifted out of her life, and she was more than happy to welcome him back, especially since she was now free and needed all of the friends she could get. She had heard of his two failed marriages through the grapevine. She was sure that there would be no lack of subject matter to fuel their conversation at lunch.

Snape took his time and raked over every word to be sure that not so much as a comma had changed from the previous version that had been sent to his home a couple of days before. When he had finally satisfied himself that this was indeed the same in every way, he scratched his name across the bottom with a flourish and sat back in his chair.

Krum reached for the contract and added his name beside Snape's. A blue glow engulfed the document for a fleeting moment, then it faded.

"Time for lunch, then?"

Snape flicked his wand in the general direction of Miss Granger, and the Muffliato Charm was lifted. "Lunch would be lovely."

"Finished already? That was fast," she said with a smile as the two men stood, and all three of them headed for the door.

"Miss Leystova," announced Krum as he herded his guests out of his office door to the hall towards the lift, "I should be back in time for my two o'clock. Owl everyone else after that, and reschedule them for later in the week for me."

"Yes, Mr. Krum."

As they headed out the door, Krum took Miss Granger's arm and left Snape to bring up the rear, putting him immediately in the "third wheel" position. They took the lift down to the lobby and walked outside and down the street about a block, to a quaint little restaurant that served the traditional Eastern European fare. Krum suggested that they share a bottle of wine "to celebrate," but Snape and Miss Granger both declined. It was too early in the afternoon for them to start drinking.

Small talk dominated the conversation for the first few minutes but, just as Snape feared, the dialogue soon turned to reminiscent tales of the Triwizard Tournament back during their school days. That had been when Miss Granger had first met the already famous Mr. Krum. Walnut Brain hadn't even bothered to ask her to the Yule Ball, and Krum had worshiped the ground she had walked on. As Krum began to describe his feelings at their first meeting, Miss Granger seemed to glow. At that moment, Snape truly wished that he had been an Animagus so he could simply transform and crawl away unnoticed. He contemplated making his excuses and calling Winky, but he didn't want to appear rude. So he suffered through the torture of watching those two make goo-goo eyes at each other as he picked at his Soujouk sausage and Shopska salad.

Every once in a while, Miss Granger would make a feeble attempt to include him in the conversation. She mentioned that Snape had come to Hugo's rescue by manufacturing his potion, and she explained that Snape and Potter had come up with the brilliant plan to convince the whippet to let her see her children. But Krum always quickly and skillfully steered the conversation back to the two of them.

Mercifully, the conversation finally began to wind down and Krum began to check his watch so he wouldn't be late for his 2:00 appointment. He insisted that lunch was on him, and Snape didn't bother to argue. His ego had been so completely deflated for the past two hours that he wanted nothing more than to get away from the bulky man with the thick accent and the unibrow. But he had a sickening feeling that Miss Granger was not nearly so anxious for their time together to be over. And his nightmare scenario came true when, as they all got up to leave, Krum made a suggestion.

"You know, this two o'clock shouldn't take very long. The preliminary work is done. Why don't you two hang around, go shopping or something, and I can meet you back here in 45 minutes. I can show you the city. It's a beautiful place in summer. All of the flowers... The river is close by... " Krum looked at Miss Granger hopefully.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Snape was not really included in this invitation. From the look on Miss Granger's face, she didn't care if Snape stayed or not. So, as painful as he knew it would be to leave her there – alone – with Krum, he decided that it was the polite move to make. They obviously had a lot of catching up to do. And Krum had suffered through two divorces. Snape had never even been married. When it came to those sorts of subjects, Snape simply had no advice to offer.

"I'm sure it's lovely this time of year," he said regretfully to Krum, "but I have a lot of work to do." He then turned his attention to Miss Granger, whose disappointment obviously splashed itself across her face. "Miss Granger, don't feel that you must leave with me. I'm sure Winky won't mind coming back to get you at your convenience." This bit of news seemed to restore some of her glow, so they made their way out of the restaurant and to a nearby alleyway where passersby would not notice them. "Winky!"

The little house-elf appeared with a pop. "Winky at your service, Master Severus, sir."

"Are you sure you won't stay?" asked Krum politely.

"Please?" pleaded Miss Granger with, in Snape's estimation, mock sincerity.

He shook his head. "You two enjoy yourselves. Winky, I would like to go home now, but would it be possible for you to come back later to retrieve Miss Granger?"

"Oh, yes, Master Severus. Winky will be glad to transport Miss Granger anywhere she wishes at any time. All she needs to do is call Winky's name, and Winky will come immediately."

"Alright, Winky. Thanks." Miss Granger looked up at Snape with just a hint of bewilderment. "Then I guess that's settled."

Snape bowed his head slightly towards Krum. "Mr. Krum."

Krum nodded. "I'll be in touch, Professor."

Not to be outdone, Snape tried one last time to leave his mark on Miss Granger's memories of the day as he reached for her hand. He gently brought it up and placed his lips on the first digits of her fingers as he took a deep breath, savoring that familiar and coveted mixture of aromas – her skin and Secret Recipe.

Hermione blushed slightly as she gazed into his intense black eyes. Did she see a hint of sorrow and regret in them just now? The instant he let go of her hand, he and Winky Disapparated, so she thought, perhaps, that she had imagined it.

"If you walk down that way a couple of blocks, you will find some interesting clothing stores," Viktor explained. "My favorite sells crossover clothes. The Muggles call it 'goth,' but it is a nice blend of wizard and Muggle. You should check it out."

Hermione nodded her approval. "Sounds like a little shop that used to be in Diagon Alley. See you back here in 45 minutes, then?"

"I'll be here." He smiled at her and then hurried back to his office.

Hermione thought about the lunch conversation as she wandered down the street in search of the "goth" clothier. Why wouldn't Professor Snape stay with her? She knew that he wasn't that busy. Did they make him feel left out at lunch? Did they give him the impression that they wanted him to leave? Perhaps Viktor did, but she didn't – at least she didn't mean to. Now she was alone in a big city, and she would be spending the afternoon with a man who she had not seen in years, a man who she really didn't know all that well. A famous man with a bit of a reputation for... Oh, come on, Hermione. He's an old friend. What do you have to worry about?

As she crossed the street, the store that Viktor had recommended came into view. "The Eclectic Clothes Horse." Hermione chuckled at the name. But when she ventured inside, the place seemed vaguely familiar. The fashions, the styles, the layout, the decor... She had seen it all before in Diagon Alley. And she understood her feeling of deja vous the instant the shopkeeper came out of a back room to offer his assistance.

"Good day, ma'am. May I help you find something?"

"Otto Steingold!" Hermione couldn't believe her eyes.

"Do I know you, miss?"

Hermione glanced around to be sure that no one else was in the shop before she whispered. "Diagon Alley."

Otto's eyes grew wide, as he too glanced frantically around. A scowl came across his face and he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into his storage room. "Everyvone here either thinks I'm a Muggle, or, if dey are from our vorld, dey know dat I'm Muggle-born. So if you've come to blackmail me again, you can stuff it!" he growled in her face.

Hermione recoiled with fear and reached for her wand but didn't draw it out. "I don't know what you're talking about. I never blackmailed you. I've never blackmailed anyone. Why would you say something like that? I used to buy your clothes. I didn't run you out of town. I liked your store. And I am also Muggle-born, so why would I care that you are?" She felt completely bewildered and offended by the man's aggressive attitude.

He let her arm go, obviously quite embarrassed. Then he heaved a heavy sigh. "Sorry." He relaxed into a heap on a nearby chair. "It's just dat, for de past year, I have been expecting for dat bloody blackmailer to find me here and de nightmare vould start all over again. But I can stop him in his tracks dis time. I'm on de up unt up, I've nothing to hide – except from de Muggles, of course. But dat's not against the law."

Now he really had Hermione's attention. "You mean that you left London because you were being blackmailed?"

"No, I left because I stopped paying de blackmailer. It vas shortly after I refused to pay him another knut dat de articles began to appear in de Daily Prophet. De part about my being a Muggle-born vas true, but all of de other stuff vas crap – lies! I tried to tell dem, but nobody vould listen. I alvays make a goot product. I alvays take great care in my quality. De lies took my business avay. I had no choice but to move on."

"Who was blackmailing you? Why did you think it was me?"

"I never actually saw de person. I vould get an owl vit a note attached unt a small drawstring bag. I vas instructed to put de blackmail money into de bag and send de bird back."

"What did the bird look like?"

Otto shook his head. "It vas alvays a different bird."

"Did you keep a sample of the person's handwriting?"

"He vould cut de vords out of a newspaper unt stick dem to a piece of parchment. He must have vorn gloves because I couldn't pull a fingerprint off of anything. Unt I tried for years."

"Didn't Rita Skeeter break that story about you, the very first one exposing you as a Muggle-born?"

"I believe so, ja."

"Well, then, she must be the blackmailer."

"No, I don't think so. She came to me unt apologized for de article before it came out. I don't think she vould haff done dat if she vas de von responsible. I could never prove it vas anyvone. But I vould bet you 100 Galleons dat she knows who it is."

*****

Snape did nothing but pace his study as the hours ticked slowly by. How much time did she need to be with Mr. Unibrow? As Winky whiled away her time in his kitchen preparing their dinner, Snape picked up book after book, absentmindedly turning their pages, but saw nothing but a picture of what Miss Granger and Krum might be doing to occupy such a long period of time. A stroll by the river... a romantic walk through some formal gardens somewhere in the city... an intimate dinner in the moonlight... and...

Snape plopped himself down heavily onto his threadbare sofa and sighed. If he kept this up, he would go insane. There had to be something he could do to keep his mind off the fact that it was almost dinner time and Miss Granger had not yet felt the need to call Winky and be rid of the bastard. He had no one to blame but himself. Why, oh why did he ever think to invite her along in the first place?

Winky meandered into the study with a double firewhisky straight up on a tray. "You are psychic, aren't you?" It was more of an accusation than a question. Winky simply smiled and disappeared back into the kitchen.

By the time he had downed the drink, Winky announced that dinner was served. She sat with him in the kitchen, which was their custom when it was just the two of them. The food smelled heavenly and looked delectable as always, but Snape simply couldn't concentrate on food at the moment.

"What could possibly be taking so long? What on earth could they be doing?"

"Probably eating, just as master should be doing."

Snape glared at Winky. Winky snickered back at Snape.

He forced himself to down a few bites of food, just to please her, then excused himself and went upstairs to see what sort of distractions that the computer had to offer. After about an hour of surfing the net, he heard Winky's telltale pop of Disapparation and sat back in his chair with great relief. Thank Merlin, she at least didn't spend the night with the bastard. Of course, he thought with disgust, that doesn't necessarily mean that they didn't have sex. The mere thought made him nauseous.

After several minutes had passed, Winky had not yet returned. At first this seemed merely a curious circumstance to him. But then, as the clock kept ticking, Snape began to genuinely worry. Would Winky have dropped Miss Granger off and then gone somewhere else without first telling him? Most likely not. So why wasn't she back yet? Perhaps she had returned and he just hadn't heard the pop. With that thought, he jumped up from his chair and headed downstairs, but his search revealed no sign of Winky. He even called for her outside which was absurd, because she never went outside in this Muggle neighborhood, not even at night.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, Winky Apparated back to Snape's kitchen. He had settled on his sofa in the study so it would be easier to hear her when she popped back. He jumped up in anticipation and stalked into the kitchen, determined to hear every detail, no matter how painful.

"What took you so long? Why was she still there so late? Did something happen? Tell me everything you know!" The words poured out of him like water over a waterfall.

Winky's face betrayed her worry as his words rained down on her sensitive, bat-like ears.

"Winky, what happened?" Snape's pulse skyrocketed as he saw Winky's reaction. "What's wrong? Is she alright?"

She slowly shook her head "no." But her lack of words sent his anxiety level through the roof. He stooped down and grabbed Winky firmly but gently by the shoulders, with great concern in his eyes and his voice. "What happened?"

"Winky does not know. Miss would not tell Winky."

"Then how do you know that she's not alright?"

"Miss was quite upset when Winky went to fetch her."

"Upset? Why?"

"Miss would not say."

"Was she hurt? What did she look like? Was Krum with her?"

Winky began to tremble as Snape's urgency rose to levels that she had never been exposed to before.

"Just tell me everything you saw when you picked her up and all that was said when you took her home. Everything. Please." At this point, Snape was frantic.

Winky proceeded slowly and with great caution. She felt as if her master might explode at any moment, and she didn't want his wrath to be aimed at her. "Winky popped to Miss Granger's side in what appeared to be Mr. Krum's living room."

Well, at least she wasn't in his bedroom, he thought with relief. "How did they look? Were they both fully clothed?"

"Yes, but Mr. Krum was lying on the floor, apparently suffering the effects of a Jelly-Legs Jinx."

Snape raised an eyebrow at this, but it didn't serve to calm his nerves. "And how did Miss Granger appear?"

"Miss' clothes and hair seemed a bit disheveled, but she was still standing. She seemed very angry with Mr. Krum."

"Did she say anything to him?"

"As she tried to sort out her appearance, miss simply said, 'MEN!' in an angry voice. Then she retrieved her cloak from the hook by the door and asked Winky to escort her home."

Then a horrible thought crossed Snape's mind. "Did he – he didn't – do you think that...?"

Winky looked at him in total confusion.

Snape lowered his voice to almost a whisper, but Winky could still see the terror mixed with rage hiding just beneath the surface. "Did he... violate her?"

"No." The little elf shook her head emphatically.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Winky could tell if miss had been violated. Mr. Krum did not go that far."

Snape let Winky go and stood slowly. With great restraint he quietly asked, "How far did he go?"

"A bit farther than miss wanted him to, Winky suspects, sir."

Snape strode from the kitchen, through his study, and began to reach into the closet for his traveling cloak.

"Where is master going?" Winky asked tentatively.

"To check on Miss Granger, of course."

"Winky would not advise that at this time, Master Severus. Miss is very angry with master right now."

"Mad at me? Why? What on earth did I do?"

"Master left miss alone with Mr. Krum. Miss thinks that master wanted to get rid of her."

Snape put his cloak back on the hanger and turned to Winky with an anxious face. "What did she say to you once you took her home? Tell me everything that happened, everything that she told you."

"Miss would not let go of Winky's hand. We sat on the couch in the family room for a few moments, and miss started to cry. Miss kept asking Winky why master had left her there with Mr. Krum. She would rather have been with master than with him. Miss finally let go of Winky's hand, and Winky served miss a glass of firewhisky to calm her nerves, but Winky could not answer her question."

Snape sat down on the sofa in his study with a thud. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She would rather have been with him? Well, she certainly had an odd way of showing it at lunch today. He turned back to Winky. "And then what happened?"

"Miss continued to cry. Winky tried to comfort miss and asked what else Winky could do. Then miss asked Winky what was so wrong with her that master would not want her. Winky could not answer her. Winky does not presume to speak for master."

Snape could hardly believe his ears. Miss Granger thought that she wasn't good enough for him. Was she insane? He felt the exact opposite. It was he who wasn't good enough for her. Merlin's maelstrom, how could he have let this happen? He buried his face in his hands as Winky continued.

"Winky suggested that miss take a hot bath to relax, and then Winky went upstairs, found the tub, and filled it with water and soothing bubble soap for miss. Then Winky came back downstairs, took miss by the hand and led her up to the bath. Winky patted miss' hand and told miss that things would work out for the best. Then Winky came home."

"So, when you left, she was about to get into the tub?"

Winky nodded.

"And you don't think I should just show up there and try to apologize?"

"Not tonight. Miss needs her space."

Snape stood abruptly and began to pace the room. He had way too much energy to simply sit around and do nothing. "This is all Krum's fault. If he has harmed a hair on her head, I swear, I'll kill him." Snape reached for Winky's tiny hand. "Can you take me back to the exact spot where you picked up Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir." And with a pop, they were gone.

They Apparated instantly into Viktor Krum's living room. The Jelly-Legs Jinx had worn off, and they found Krum sitting on a love seat, enjoying a glass of red wine, as he stared out of a large picture window. The romantic background music wasn't loud enough to mask their entrance. At the sound of his intruders, he whirled around and reached for his wand. But Snape's wand was already drawn, and he immobilized his host with a silent hex. "You IDIOT! You MORON! You SELFISH AMOEBA!" he ranted as he closed the gap between them in two strides. "What in bloody HELL did you think you were doing?"

Krum sat still as a statue, since the only things he could currently move were his eyes. He looked confused and terrified, like a wild animal suddenly caught in a trap. Snape viciously grabbed his jaw and held his face still as he stared into the Bulgarian's eyes. Legilimens, he silently commanded.

The memory he sought was just below the surface. Miss Granger and Krum had enjoyed each other's company all afternoon. Dinner seemed to progress amicably. An intimate conversation after dinner in Krum's living room was augmented by exquisite wine and quiet music. All of the ingredients were there. Snape could tell what Krum was thinking, what he had planned and hoped for. But his hopes were dashed when, as he leaned in for a kiss, Miss Granger stood abruptly and announced a desire to go home.

Krum smiled through his disappointment, but decided to try just one more trick. He wrapped his arms around her for a friendly goodbye hug. They separated just enough for him to look into her eyes. "For old time's sake," he had said with a dreamy look. She didn't fight him, so he kissed her just as he had done so many times that year at Hogwarts, the year of the Triwizard Tournament. When he met no resistance, his hands began to wander from their respectable place at her waist. His right hand moved up to fondle her breast while the left traveled down to her bum. He didn't seem to notice when she began to squirm a bit. Instead, his left hand dug into her bum and pulled her tighter as he ground his pelvis into hers. She turned her face away from the kiss, but his lips simply traveled to her exposed neck.

"Viktor, no!" came her quiet plea.

But he only held tighter as his privates began to harden against her crotch.

Then suddenly, with a bang, his legs turned to jelly as he lost his grip and fell to the floor.

"Winky!" he heard her cry. The little elf appeared. "MEN!" she exclaimed in disgust. Some words were exchanged between Miss Granger and Winky which Krum could not make out, and then they were gone.

Snape withdrew from Krum's mind in a rage. "You STUPID FOOL!" he chided. "She needs friends right now, not some Neanderthal attempt at romance!" He absentmindedly flicked his wand to remove the immobilization hex. "She is going through a divorce. She has suffered a horrendous custody battle for her children. Weren't you paying attention at lunch today? What were you thinking?"

"She's a woman, I'm a man. What was I supposed to think?"

"You're beyond incorrigible."

"Look, women don't spend all day with me to have me shake their hands at the end of the evening."

Snape's glare blended disbelief with pity.

"They want bragging rights. They want to be able to tell their friends that they slept with me. I'm a famous Quidditch star, remember?"

"I don't give a damn who you are," Snape growled. "If you ever touch her again, so help me... I swear on the grave of Albus Dumbledore..." He thrust his wand right under Krum's chin. "I will hunt you down and personally remove your testicles!"

Krum seemed relatively unintimidated by Snape's threat. He shrugged. "Then don't bring her with you next time we have a meeting," he commented with a touch of arrogance.

"Perhaps I should see to it now and get it over with." He aggressively pressed the tip of his wand into Krum's jugular vein. But Winky placed a gentle hand on his forearm. When Snape looked down at her, she was slowly shaking her head.

So Snape lowered his wand and took her hand in his. "You're right, Winky. He's not worth risking Azkaban. Take me to Miss Granger's front hallway. I want to be sure that she is alright."

"But Winky can't do that. Winky promised Miss Granger."

"Then how about her front porch?"

"Your house-elf disobeys a direct order, and you don't reprimand her?" asked Krum in astonishment.

"Oh, shut it!" Snape spat with great indignation. Then, with a flick of Snape's wand, Krum's eyes fluttered closed, and his head fell forward.

"Master Severus!" exclaimed Winky with a horrified look. "What did master do that for? Now who will negotiate master's book deal with Malfoy Publishing?"

Snape smirked at her. "Don't worry. He's only asleep. The spell will wear off in about ten minutes and he'll probably wake up and assume that this was all a bad dream."

Winky nodded in relief.

"As I was saying before Mr. Unibrow so rudely interrupted me... Can you take me to Miss Granger's front porch so I can knock on her door? If she refuses me entry, then you may take us home."

Winky nodded again, and they left with a pop.