Sure, I've got somewhere to go

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it were, Harry Potter is not mine. Nor is Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore, or any of the others.

Hermione had been sleeping rather nicely, given the environment, until a sharp poking in her side rudely awakened her.

"Get up." Another poke, this time accompanied by a shake. "I said get up, you. Yah canna sleep 'ere."

She flopped over groggily, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to focus. A burly man who was not much taller than herself, was leaning menacingly over her. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her face. It felt rather good, considering she was freezing.

"C'mon you. That park is naught a place for a young'un like yerself tah be stayin'." He said in his thick accent.

Slowly Hermione sat up, her joints feeling achy from the late night chill. She frowned at the man. He might mean well, but she didn't want his help. He couldn't help her.

The look on the man's face was priceless as she watched him recognize her condition. It started out as confusion, then sudden understanding, and then lastly, shock.

"What's a small thing like you doin' out here this time of day? And tha way you're dressed at that. C'mon now, I'll be takin' yah off to safety." the man, a police officer from his uniform, said to Hermione.

Hermione shook her head. She'd been down this road before. It was a dead end and a waste of time. "No, thanks." she mumbled, her hair falling into her face as she stared at the ground.

"Wha d'yah mean, no thanks? Listen here miss, there's no way I can be letting yah stay out here by yerself. Let's get goin' before somethin happens to yah." The officer argued.

"I'm sorry. I can't." Hermione said softly. "Just leave me alone."

"Yah can't, miss? Wha's tha problem?" the officer asked, concerned. He took a step back to get a good look at Hermione.

She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Her lips were chapped and cracked, and her hair a horrible mess. She was too thin, though not as thin as you'd think, considering that she was pregnant. She had no jacket, just a blanket wrapped around her shoulders that seemed too worn and thin to provide any warmth.

Hermione looked at him despairingly. "Look, it's not that difficult. I don't want your help. Just go away and leave me be."

The officer crossed his thick arms resolutely. "If yah won't come with me now, I'll be havin' tah call in fer backup to take you in. Whether you like it or not, young miss."

Slight alarm flew though Hermione's eyes. There was no way she was going through this. She hesitated for a moment, and then stood up in a stately manner, looking all for she was the Queen of England, just without the royal jewels.

The man smiled at her. "Now that's more like it miss." Hermione nodded slowly to him. "This way then." He took the lead, taking a brisk pace through the path that lead out of the park. Hermione followed behind at a slower gait, taking her own good time in getting there.

The officer was already getting far ahead of her, and Hermione sensed her chance. She had never been that good of a runner before, what with all the time she had spent indoors reading. It was really amazing the things one can do once they had incentive.

She flew in the opposite direction, not bothering to stay on the beaten path. The officer finally noticed she was not behind him like he had thought, and did a quick 360, spinning around trying to see where she had gone.

Hermione ran through the small woods, which were a mere garden compared to the forbidden forest. She didn't care where she was going, so long as it was away.

She could hear the wheezing and puffs of the officer behind her, and she knew that the chances of her getting caught were slim. But, just to be safe, when she saw the exit of the park, she took it.

Down the street she ran, dodging people, animals, cars, and other irritating things. She practically ran into a pair of tall, hefty men. Or at least she thought she did. She never really stopped long enough to see.

Hermione finally stopped two blocks away from the park, panting against a white stone building. She pushed some sweaty hair off of her forehead and thanked Merlin that she had managed to get out of that.

She made the mistake of going to social services after her ordeal with Dumbledore. Bad idea. She didn't, and still doesn't exist in the muggle world. Her new world.

The lady at the woman's shelter was practically screaming in frustration when she had turned up there, hoping for a place to stay at least until the baby was born. It was impossible for her to get a job and live on her own at this point. What employer would want to hire a pregnant woman?

So she avoided the authorities. Only six...seven months to go. She could be fine, really. Hermione managed a few odd jobs. Delivering groceries, babysitting...but it was few and far in between.

When had fate decided that she needed to be punished?

This was what happened when you let other people finish things.

He really shouldn't have been surprised when he saw her again. Alive, that is. More than alive, she was pregnant. Undoubtably with his child.

This was nothing short of a travesty, a crime against nature. This...tainted being would never be allowed to see the light of day. Not if he had anything to do with it.

He and his associate, Antonin Dolohov, walked discreetly through the crowds, blending in rather nicely. Hermione didn't seem to notice how much attention she had drawn to herself in her escape from the officer, and she certainly wasn't paying attention to her surroundings at the moment.

They made their way over to a bus stop where several people had congregated. Cormac's green eyes narrowed as they found their target. She was across the street, leaning against a white building, and obviously tired from her earlier exertion.

He signaled to Antonin with a curt nod of his head, and they proceeded to cross the street. Hermione looked up, her hair sweaty and limp, and her eyes widened as she spotted him. He could see in her eyes that she was formulating a way to get as far away from him as she could.

However any effort on her part would be futile, as Cormac McLaggen could afford no mistakes this time.

A/N: ::insert dramatic music here:: Nice of me to leave you on such a lovely cliff, right?

R/R.