The rolled up newspaper smacked off the back of Ron's head.

"Prat!" said George, adding his condemnation to Fred's as they took their seats.

"Fred, George, I wasn't expecting you, dears," Molly said, rushing to prepare more food.

"Yeah, well, we thought it was our duty to bring ickle Ronnikins the paper..."

"...Since he made the back page."

"He what?" Molly rushed to read over Ron's shoulder.

'Krum signs for The Prides — Announces International Retirement'

"Nothing to do with me," Ron blustered.

"And everyone retires at twenty-two..."

"Nothing to do with all Bulgaria including Voldemort's supporters betting on him."

---

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, you better get out of my sight before I do something I'll regret later. Your father will deal with you when he gets in from work... And you, too, Henry James Potter."

Harry blanched. Never had Mrs Weasley called him by his given name. He'd been irked by the fact that Hermione hadn't spoken directly to either him or Ron since the vow. He'd thought she'd see that they were simply doing what needed to be done to protect her and them, and that she'd realise that and, in time, she'd apologise. Suddenly, he doubted she would.

---

Hermione would have been researching ways to break Unbreakable Vows... if it hadn't been Severus who told her he'd already checked every reference he could lay his hands on. There was one option, which might possibly work. However, even Severus hadn't thought it was worth the risk, and he'd have been far more likely to kill Bellatrix and Narcissa than she was to murder Ron and Harry.

She ignored the first few knocks on her door, yelling, "Go away, Ron!" when they got louder.

She let her wards fall to Harry's brute power, using the time to rearrange her workspace.

---

Harry and Ron stumbled through the doorway as soon as the wards gave way. "We didn't realise," Ron started.

"Yeah, we never thought anything like this would happen," Harry added. "We're really sorry."

"It's a bit late for that," Hermione responded coolly.

"We'll undo it," Harry offered, even as Ron pawed at his shoulder. "All of it."

At that, Hermione lost her temper. "You will? Really? Maybe next time you have a bright idea, you'll actually listen to me... or you'll use a 'Binding-Until-We-Realise-What-Complete-Gits-We've-Been' Vow? You used an Unbreakable, Harry! Why the fuck do you think they call it that?"

---

Severus had her helpless within seconds of the start of their duel.

"You're projecting your intentions as clearly as Potter. Unless you can rein in your emotions there is no point continuing this session further," he told her, loosening her bonds and throwing her her wand.

"The point is to vent my emotions before I go to see Viktor and want to kill them all over again," Hermione retaliated.

"Might I recommend you hex Potter and Weasley, then? I'm sure they'd feel too guilty to retaliate. Alternatively, we might take a walk and you can tell me all about it."

---

There was something about just having his arm around her shoulders that made Hermione feel better. The problems didn't go away, but they no longer seemed insurmountable. "I just can't see how things between Viktor and I can ever work now," she told Severus, "and I kinda need them to."

Severus momentarily tightened his grip. "Viktor will try not to hold this against you, I'm sure. You tried to advise him against it."

"Which will only make me an insufferable know-it-all. He did it for me and sooner or later he'll hate me for it."

"You're not insufferable... any more."

---

"You haven't said that I'm wrong," Hermione pointed out, several hours and two galleries later, as she pulled him into Viva Mexico. "You said he would try."

"From personal experience, the more trapped I felt, the more I blamed everyone... other than myself... who had any part in it..." Severus admitted, as the waitress seated them at 'their' table, "but perhaps Mr Krum has a more amenable temperament than I."

"Doesn't everyone?" Hermione teased, "but, seriously... Viktor may have a longer fuse, but I think it would take a saint to let this go."

Severus raised his glass. "Saint Viktor?"

---

"Why precisely is it that Krum is the be all and end all?" Severus finally asked as he refilled Hermione's margarita glass. "You're nineteen."

"Hmmph!" Hermione replied. "You know as well as I do that most witches who end up married meet their husbands at Hogwarts. I can't do the Muggle thing... I'm not being prejudiced. It's the Statute of Secrecy aspect. I couldn't base a relationship on a lie like that, and the guys I knew at school are scared of me."

"That is undoubtedly their loss. They do not appreciate brilliance."

"Minerva McGonagall is brilliant. She's still alone."

---

"It's not like I can even back out," Hermione admitted, grimacing as she drank the espresso Severus had brewed to sober her up. "He moved here to be with me because I said I'd give it a try. He wanted to marry me."

"Wanted?" Severus pounced.

"I don't know. He probably still thinks he wants to."

Severus took the cup from her hand. "Go to him. Speculation is getting you nowhere. It's time you found out the facts. Perhaps he really does want to concentrate on getting his Masters'. The vow may not be the only reason for his decision."

---

Severus watched as she flipped the Time-Turner, fading away and leaving the landing outside his flat empty again. He didn't know how long he could keep this up. He'd ached to use more than words to convince her, to claim her lips and show he was unafraid. He told himself that the most important thing was that she was happy, but, like her, he was already beginning to doubt that Krum might be the one.

He reminded himself that she seemed to think he was as sexless as a Flobberworm. Even if Krum's courtship failed, she would never be his.