Monday 23rd November

Over the next four days Hermione settled into a comfortable routine with the boys in the house. She would wake at around eight in the morning and be on her own until midday when Harry and Draco would surface. She would make them some lunch, then sit and read for a few hours before they left and Theo and Neville arrived back. She would make them tea and have a few hours with the both of them before they went off to bed around eight thirty and she went to her own room.

By the time Monday afternoon came around and she saw Draco and Harry off once more, she was looking forward to having them all back in the house. She had mainly been on her own, either making meals for when they woke up or returned from their watch and missed having proper conversations with them, rather than just a quick chat.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Theo commented as he walked through the back door on Sunday evening. She smiled and beckoned him into the kitchen, saying hello to Neville as he came in behind him.

They plonked themselves down at the table and she placed large plates filled with sausages, mashed potato and gravy in front of them.

"Merlin, this looks good Hermione." Said Neville, stabling a sausage with his fork and biting off half in one go.

"Thanks." Theo said with a big smile. "What would we do without you?"

After they had finished eating Neville excused himself for a shower as always and left Theo and Hermione to wash up.

"So nothing? No movement at all?"

Hermione asked as she filled the sink up with hot soapy water and began piling in their plates.

"Nothing. I thought I saw something one morning, but it turns out it was just a fox running through the gates." He picked up a tea towel and started drying the washed plates.

"So what if the next watchers don't see anything either?"

"No idea. Move onto the next one?"

They continued in silence watching the light from the kitchen dance across the darkened trees beyond the window until she was cleaning the last pan. She saw Theo's reflection in the window and he yawned widely. She placed the last pan on the draining board which he picked it up, dried and placed back in the cupboard.

"I don't know about you, but I could use a drink." Theo said as he rested his back against the kitchen counter, "Five whole days free really does feel like a holiday."

"Are you not tired?"

"No. I'm in a mood to drink!"

"Do we have anything?"

"Yeah!" he said as he moved to a small door against the back wall. Hermione thought it was a serving hatch like they had in Muggle homes as it was on the shared wall with the planning room, but when he opened it, it was full of bottles. "It's all Muggle stuff, something called Lager that's quite nice and some wine then some stuff called Tequila – but last time Neville drank that he vomited it all back up so I wouldn't suggest trying it."

"Noted. I'll have a glass of that bottle of white there, the Sauvignon."

"Think I might join you."

Theo pulled out the bottle and closed the door up whilst Hermione searched for some glasses. Not being able to find any wine glasses she settled for small square tumblers. Theo twisted the cap on the bottle and poured each tumbler about half way. Hermione then took out her wand and chilled the liquid in the glasses. Theo watched her carefully.

"Harry did that last time too. You lot know what you're doing with this stuff."

"Perks of being born into a Muggle family." She said sitting down at the table as Theo pulled the chair out next to her.

"What are they like?" Theo asked taking her by surprise.

She looked at him for a few seconds, her face wrinkled up. "My family? Well it's just me and my parents."

"Where are they now?"

That was the question wasn't it. Where were they? The question she had been asking herself for well over a year. She looked down at the table and spoke. "In another country."

"But of an unusual time to have a holiday?"

"Not a holiday." She shook her head and took a breath steadying herself. He looked confused but let her have a moment before she continued. "I Obliviated them, gave them a new story, a new life and sent them to another country."

It was at the word Obliviated that his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Theo stared at her like she was new. Like he had never seen her before.

"Shit." She was expecting worse.

"Yeah." She played with the rim of her glass before lifting it to her lips and taking a big swig, relishing the feel if the cool liquid as it slid down her throat and pooled in her stomach. She hadn't had a drink in months.

"You have no idea where they are?" He said with a straight face.

"I know which country, but not where." Another sip.

"They have no idea who you are?" His eyes looked sad for her. Mouth turned down into a frown.

"Right at this moment? No. And not for over a year."

"Granger that's savage." Savage. Cut-throat. But the right decision at the time.

"Are you ever going to bring them back?"

"Two days before I was due to leave to find them and reverse the spell was when I was attacked in Diagon Alley. I woke up four days later in St. Mungo's and was moved to White Rabbit the next day. So yes, that's the plan just not yet."

"Shit. I'm sorry."

She shrugged her shoulders. She had always found it odd the way people would say sorry at times like this. Like it was somehow their fault. She knew it wasn't said in the way she thought. He was just being polite. He had nothing to be sorry for really. He would have been in this safe house already, no part of what happened to her.

He tapped his fingers on the table. "You don't have anyone." It was a statement not a question. Like he was telling himself she was alone.

"I have Harry, Ron and the Weasley's. They have been a family to me and more." She smiled at the thought. Her adopted family. "Anyway, you're the same. Separated from your family."

Theo screwed up his face and looked at her like she was stupid. "Yeah but I'm running away from my family not sending them away to keep them safe. That's fucking brave."

"It was necessary."

"You'd do anything to keep your family safe and I'm throwing mine under the Knight Bus." He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and stared at his glass on the table. She looked at the side of his face, and examined the way his nose had a slight ridge to it, a few freckles spattered the skin over his cheeks, but he had olive skin so they barely showed.

She didnt think he looked anything like his Father. There were pictures of him in the paper following the War. From what she remembered he was rather short and stocky whereas Theo was tall and slim. She didnt remember seeing his Mother pictured anywhere but assumed he must have looked like her. Her heart swelled for him, making a terrible but great decision to go against everything he was raised believing and join a group of people who hated him and all his family had stood for. She didn't know what to say. "Theo." She had nothing else.

"I know what you're going to say. It's different right?"

"Yes." She said softy picking up her glass and taking another sip. Theo followed suit and drained half of his glass.

He looked over at her with a sorry look on his face. Like a child. "I know." He didnt stop looking, but when she smiled the corner of his turned up and his eyes relaxed.

When Neville walked into the kitchen Theo snapped his eyes away from her and raised his glass in the air. "Yes!" Said Neville excitedly. "I was going to suggest we have a drink."

"I feel bad, having a drink without Harry and Draco."

"Don't feel bad. They've had plenty of nights drinking without us." Neville said pulling a glass of his own from the cupboard.

"Have they?" She asked in surprise.

"I forget sometimes that you've only just got here." Theo said shaking his head. He started pouring the wine into Neville's glass as he spoke. "A week after Draco got here they got hammered drunk, had another fight, drank some more and passed out around three in the morning."

"No one knows what was said- but after that... they just... got on." Neville joined in sitting down opposite them as Hermione chilled his wine with her wand.

Theo continued. "Every now and then they'll do it again. Get smashed, argue then get over it."

"Well at least they deal with it. Draco just avoids me." Hermione said looking down at her glass, remembering the previous week when he saw her scar and freaked out.

"Its not avoiding you." Neville said without conviction.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "What would you call walking away whenever we're left alone or barely speaking a word to me?"

He thought for a moment then gave up. "Good point." He said then drank deeply from his tumbler.

"He's got a lot of layers." Theo commented.

"If I say anything... even throw an insult, he just clenches his jaw and doesn't respond, or walks away."

"And why do you think that's a bad thing?" Neville said to her.

"I don't know. It's just a different relationship than I'm used to having with him." Neville nodded in response and drank again.

Theo reached over to the bottle on the table and re-filled their glasses with a smile. "It means he's trying." He raised his glass in the air and they followed suit, chinking the glasses together.

.x.

At around nine they moved into the living room. Hermione curled herself into the blue armchair, Theo in the other striped armchair and Neville was stretched across the soft sofa. Neville had put on the radio playing quietly in the background while they talked and drank.

Theo drained the second bottle of wine into his glass then headed into the kitchen in search of the third. At first Hermione had refused another glass having already had three but after Neville and Theo had spent twenty minutes convincing her, she was ready for another glass and Theo filled it up gladly.

His cheeks were a rosy pink and he and Neville had been in fits of laugher at various times telling vulgar jokes. They had provided a great source of entertainment for her an she had felt the most relaxed she had for a long time.

Then it hit her. The reason she hadn't been relaxed. The attack on White Rabbit, the death of Dean, her friend and lover. All of a sudden she felt sick. Sick at how much she had enjoyed herself tonight and ashamed when she realised she hadn't thought about him at all that day.

"Hermione?"

She looked over to Neville who was looking at her with a worried look on her face. She felt wet tears fall down her cheeks and she wiped them up quickly with her jumper. "Sorry." She sniffed.

"Don't be." He moved over to her armchair and knelt down in from of her.

"I've really dampened the mood haven't I?" She said as he took her hand in his and squeezed.

"Not at all." He shook his head.

"I don't mean to bring everyone down."

"Hey, were already down there with you." Theo said pointing a finger to his chest. "A defected Pure-blood with a murderous Father and Longbottom. Who has the most unfortunate last name in magical history."

It caught her off guard and she laughed loudly, tears of happiness falling down her cheeks this time and she wiped them away with a smile to Theo.

"That's better." He said returning her smile. Then he looked away quickly and drained his glass reaching for the bottle of wine again.

"At my expense but sure... whatever makes you happy." Neville said moving back over to the sofa and plonking himself back down.

.x

Tuesday 24th November

The clock had just chimed past midnight and Hermione and Theo were laughing at Neville passed out on the sofa, his mouth open and snoring loudly in time with the radio.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I'm pretty drunk so please don't make it complicated." He said draining his glass once more and reaching for the bottle again.

"Harry said you went to Ron."

"I did." He nodded.

"Why?" She had never asked the question to Harry but now she had thought of it, it was all she could think of. Why had he sought out Ron?

"Well, after I left I knew I had to find someone. I remembered Ron's brothers... well brother, owned the joke shop so I hung out there for a few days until I saw Ron." He re-filled his glass and placed the bottle back on the floor by his chair. "Then I kind of jumped on him, broke down, cried a bit you know... real manly tears. He took me into the shop in one of the back rooms and we talked for a bit." He cleared his throat and continued. "I tried to explain things... but you know. It was fresh."

"Why Ron?"

"He was the best option I could think of. And we were in school together, I thought maybe that would help. I did think of you and Harry too but I had no way of finding you - and I was worried Harry might kill me."

She gigged. Thinking Ron was the more logical choice out of the two. "You thought that about Harry more than Ron?"

He shrugged and smiled. "I know now I was mistaken."

"What happened then?"

"I was taken to the Ministry. Questioned. I told them everything I knew. Volunteered for Legilimens and Veritiserum so they knew I was telling the truth then they put out the rumour I was killed. Crossfire they called it. I stayed with the Weasley's for a week or two before I was moved here - bloody good people."

"I know. So Draco arrived soon after?"

"Less than a month later." He nodded.

"How was it?"

"Great. I mean we got along in school, took similar classes and hung out a bit... but when he came here... we were like on the same side. We were in the same boat and it made it easier to come to terms with. It just felt right." He rubbed his face with his hand and exhaled a deep breath. "Look at me getting all soppy after a few drinks."

"It's good you have each other." She said.

"I've got Ron too, and Harry and Neville. And you now I suppose. We're like one big dysfunctional family."

She looked over at Neville still snoring on the sofa. He was right. She supposed they had to see it as a family. Not everyone got along in the conventional way but they were pushed together and they had to make it work. For the greater good.

"I think its time we took sleeping beauty to bed." She said looking at the clock on the wall. Well past twelve.

"I'll do it. It's not the first time." She and Theo pushed off the armchairs at the same time and she took his glass from him and then Neville's from the floor.

"Oi Longbottom, get up. I refuse to carry you this time." He slapped Neville lightly on the cheek and he roused quickly with a loud snort. "Come on. Bed." Neville frowned but got to his feet, grunted to Hermione and plodded out of the room and up the stairs. Hermione followed him out then turned towards the kitchen placing the glasses in the sink. She didn't realise just how much the wine had affected her until she stumbled into the kitchen side and laughed to herself at how stupid she was.

She turned back round and saw Theo quietly laughing at her. "Graceful."

She walked past him out of the kitchen and turned towards the stairs. "It's your fault. I've had way too much."

"On the contrary, unless you passed out with your head in the toilet, it is never enough... Ouch!" She heard a bang behind her and saw Theo had stumbled on the second step and was now furiously rubbing his knee.

"I think you just dismissed your own theory!" She carried on up the stairs chuckling to herself.

"Thanks for the help!" He called from the stairs still tending to his knee.

"Night Theo!" She waved from the top of the stairs then swooped round into her bedroom. In a second she had climbed onto the bed and locked her bedroom door with a flick of her wand. She vowed she would get up to get changed but in less than a minute she had fallen into a deep sleep on top of the covers, fully clothed.

.x.

A little bit of light hearted fun in this one. I promise you it's about to get interesting to stick with me and please let me know what you think. I'm a sucker for a review and it gives me the drive to keep going!

Alice96t thank you so much again for the lovely review!