AN:
I have absolutely no excuse for taking so long with the story, but I'm back now and everything will go back to normal :) Thank you for your reviews and your patience, it means a lot to me and gives me motivation to go on with the story. Here we go!
October was coming to an end and the weather was getting colder and colder. The barn was making strange creaking sounds as the wind blew through the gaps in walls. It was quite dark, but the figure squatting on the floor didn't seem to mind. Under the floorboard there was a hole; a dusty one filled with cobwebs, but big enough to store a small rucksack. The person was packing some cans inside, stolen earlier from the house nearby. The rucksack was battered but it would have to do - there was nothing else that could be taken from the house without notice.
The girl massaged her arm, wincing slightly. Her previous foolish attempt of escape had cost her a few bruises where the Death Eater had gripped her roughly. He had dragged her all the way from the forest, her nightgown bemired and torn. She had let her anger rule her for a while and that's what she got. She blessed the day she had found the old rucksack in the back of a closet. It had taken her a few days to find a place to hide it and when she finally did it, she felt a new wave of hope.
Dolohov had left to do his 'job', leaving Hermione with the old lady. The girl did her best to ignore his insults and threats before he left, knowing that it would do her no good to anger him further. She had to calm down, for Merlin's sake and start to use her brain. She had already wasted three months in this forgotten place; there must be some way out.
Days were passing by and she waited patiently for her chance. She took the knife from the kitchen, filled a bottle with water and stole whatever food she would be able to bring with her. She couldn't take anything else with her; the bag would be too heavy to carry by then. Her only hope was that someone would help her by the time she'd reach a phone or some town with a police station. She had no passport with her, surely she'd be sent back to England right away.
All she had to do was to somehow reach a capital - an English embassy should be there. And if not, maybe someone would understand English and she'd explain to them that she had been kidnapped and wanted to go home. There must be some organization that helps women in such situation.
And if Dolohov would find her - then so be it. Let him rape her or kill her. She didn't care anymore. Everything was better than being stuck here in this forgotten place, feeding hens and washing his trousers. She hated everything about it. Harry and Ron needed her. She hoped against all hope that they were still alive, maybe they had managed to find and destroy a Horcrux already. They could be anywhere for all she knew, but she'd worry about it later, when she'll be free.
Babushka was keeping an eye on Hermione, as always. She was reluctant to leave her alone, now that Dolohov had disappeared off to somewhere. Her grandson was furious with the girl the last time she tried to escape and the old lady didn't want to see him in such state again.
"Do not provoke him, child", she told the girl as soon as he went out of the cottage, slamming the door behind. "I don't want him to hurt you. You know that he has terrible temper."
Hermione knew. The bastard practically promised her a rape. There was no way in hell she'd succumb to his pathetic attempts of seducing her, the bloody womanizer.
"I know. Please, don't worry. I'll stay here.", she said with a resigned voice. Babushka gave her arm a small pat.
"I'll prepare some hot chocolate, it'll do you good."
The girl smiled at the older woman with gratitude.
'If luck is on my side, it'll be our last chocolate', she thought. The old lady was nice, taking care of the girl and calming Dolohov down whenever he lost his patience but Hermione had to escape, and quickly before Dolohov returned. This was war and the lady was on the enemy's side.
Another unsuccessful attempt of escape would probably cost Hermione her life. The Death Eater would finally kill her if he ever found her, so everything had to be perfectly planned, no place for mistake. The young witch was good at creating plans, but it was Harry who carried them out perfectly. He never dwelled too long on the possibility of failure; he just acted swiftly. It was risky and dangerous, but usually ended well. Hermione was too cautious and she trembled at the very thought that something might go wrong. But she had to do what had to be done.
The night came quite early, as the sky was dark with clouds. It was going to rain. Hermione was just finishing herding the birds back to the hen house. After the task was done, she left the door opened. The rucksack was now lying on the floor beside the roost. She hurried quickly to the house.
Babushka was already preparing herself for a bath. It was Saturday - the woman always brought a small radio to the bathroom on that day. She relaxed in the tub for at least an hour while listening to some old Russian songs. It was a weekly ritual, something that helped the lady relax after all the hard work she'd done.
Both women ate supper, chatting about men and neighbors while the tub filled itself slowly with water. The door of the bathroom was left open, so babushka could control the water level. She was speaking about a woman that lived on the other side of small forest.
"-and believe me, she had married him anyway! Everyone knew that he had many rendezvous with her younger sister during that time, but poor girl was quite desperate and decided to be with him despite that. Now he cheats on her, beats her and drinks like a fish."
Hermione feigned indignation. Her hands were sweaty as she tried to focus on babushka's words. The hens must have already escaped their roosts, running on the barnyard.
"Oh, but it's quite late", the old lady stated. She stood up and looked out of the window. Hermione crossed her fingers under the table.
"What's that?" babushka said. "The hens are still outside!"
"Are they?" Hermione asked innocently. "But I'd swear that I closed the door of the hen house..."
The lady tsked.
"What's the matter with you, child? You must be more careful."
Hermione blushed. It came quite easy, as she was so tense that she felt extremely hot.
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I'll go and close the door."
"It's all right; I'll do it this time. Go and prepare to bed, tomorrow we're getting up early."
Hermione shifted nervously.
"Oh, but you don't need to do this! The evening is cold and you wanted to take a bath - no need to delay it, I'll go quickly. You could catch a cold."
"Nonsense, my dear. There is still some life in these old bones, don't be afraid", the woman laughed and started to put on the jacket.
The girl felt dizzy from nerves. It was her only chance; she couldn't afford to lose it...
Babushka opened the door. The weather was cold and windy. She shivered.
"You see?", Hermione said. "The hens are in the barnyard, it'll take some time to herd them back. And now that I think of it, I've also forgotten to feed the cow."
The old lady looked at her disapprovingly.
"I'm sorry", the girl blushed again. "I can't focus on anything properly today..."
"You have your period?", babushka asked flat out.
"Y-yes", Hermione answered, glancing at her feet. Babushka just chuckled.
"No need to feel ashamed, dear. All right, go and take care of animals, but be quick about it, I don't want you to get sick again. I'll go and take my bath."
"Okay," Hermione smiled as she put on a jacket and a pair of trainers while Babushka went to the bathroom. As soon as the door closed behind her, Hermione bolted to the hen house. She grabbed the heavy rucksack and made a mad dash towards the gate. In a moment she was on the road. The blood was pumping loudly in her veins, as she ran towards the forest. Soon, the trees covered her from sight. She didn't go for the village - the people there thought she was Dolohov's wife. She couldn't go for the town either - someone could recognize her too. Instead, the girl went north, through the forest in order to reach the nearby city. Now she had to distance herself from house as much as possible. She had an hour - babushka was going to take a long bath. Hermione planned everything for this occasion, an hour would suffice. There was no other way.
The wolf kept watching her intently from behind the trees, curious how far she would get this time.
The night turned out to be terribly cold and after a few hours of walking Hermione had had enough. She was lucky that it hadn't rained after all. How far had she gotten? The girl had no idea. The forest was thicker now. She had abandoned the path and fought her way through the bushes and trees. Her hands and face were scratched, but she was happy. A few hours and she was still free! Her body was exhausted but she kept going in spite of it.
'I did it! I did it!' she thought ecstatically. It was funny feeling, now that she looked at it, everything went so easily. Almost too easily.
But, on the other hand, what could be so suspicious about herding the hens and feeding the cow? Hermione kept forgetting about those chores from time to time, usually whenever she was on her period. It was nothing weird. The girl always did what she had to do and returned to the cottage. Now she was gone.
But what about later on? Babushka surely must have realized that her charge had disappeared. First, she'd go to check inside the barn and on the barnyard. The girl hoped she wouldn't catch a cold from going outside after the bath. Hermione felt slightly bad for taking advantage of the woman's trust. Dolohov had warned the old lady to watch her constantly, but the girl never before had tried to escape while being only with her so the old lady neglected her duty. Maybe she knew some way to find her? But how? As far as Hermione knew, she had no spell on her that would help to trace her. The accursed bracelet on her wrist from Dolohov only kept her from apparating. Without him, the old lady wouldn't manage to find Hermione. She had a lot of energy, but expecting her to chase the young girl through the woods would be a bridge too far. But what if Dolohov returns precisely at this moment? No, she couldn't think about it. The fear wasn't something she needed right now.
After another few minutes of walking, Hermione found a good spot for taking a break. She couldn't go any further without resting for a while. For a moment, she had considered making a fire, but decided that it was still too risky. The light could be easily spotted in the dark forest. She unfolded an old blanket and pulled a bottle of water from the rucksack. After eating a small piece of bread and taking a drink, she wrapped herself in the blanket and nestled under a small hill. It covered her from the wind and she felt quite safe there. She did her best not to think about the darkness and the animals that could lurk between the woods. Somewhere in the distance a wolf howled. Hermione fell asleep almost immediately.
She woke up after what seemed to be a only a moment but judging from the small part of blue sky that could be seen between the tree crowns she could tell that it was day. The sun was high. It was quite warm, but Hermione still trembled from the coolness of previous night. She gathered some dry twigs and leaves, preparing a small fire. In the light of the day, it would be much more difficult to notice it and the girl needed some hot tea. She opened her rucksack and started to sort through its content. There was a small pot, a half of bread, a few cans, a spoon, a knife, a few pair of socks and knickers, a T-shirt, a bottle with water, a piece of cheese and a small bottle of vodka; it would do for disinfecting wounds. She also had the map of Albania she had stolen from babushka's bedroom when the old lady was taking care of animals and some money from her desk. Hermione had no idea though, in which part of the country she was at the moment. From the weather during those three months she had spent with Dolohov and the look of the forest she could tell that it was somewhere in the north. So, in order to reach the borders she must go further in that direction.
While she waited for the tea to cool off a bit, she approached some trees that surrounded the hill. She picked one which was standing on the highest ground and looked closely at it. One side of the tree was covered in green moss. That was the clue; she had to go that way. The moss was on the opposite direction from where she came at night, so she was really lucky - she didn't need to go back. The capital of Albania was named Tirane, but Hermione doubted she could go there without turning south. She would head for other big cities, hoping that someone would help her. Maybe in some small village she could find food and shelter for the night. The girl just prayed that she'd find her way to England before winter fell upon her.
After eating a small portion of food, Hermione packed her things, blurred the track and went north. Hours passed before she was able to take a break without fear of being caught.
The wolf sniffed at the ground beneath the small hill. Someone had tried to hide the fireplace and was very accurate about it, but the human was inexperienced and the animal had keen eyes and a sensitive nose. The scent of the female still lingered on the leaves. The wolf followed swiftly, heading north. The female was heading straight for the Korab mountain. It would be difficult for her to pass it, not without the help of other humans and he'll follow her there, too. The wolf remembered the male and his angry shouts, when he got home this morning and saw that his female was gone. They were such silly humans, not able to care for their own pack. The animal knew that in the mountains, some human males abducted their females to be their 'wives'; it was some kind of ritual. This female, though, wouldn't cope with her new master no matter what. The beast admired her spirit. She wanted to be free, just as he did. The wolf wondered if the female would be found - if she'd survive. It would be interesting to watch. He quickened his pace, paws hitting the ground without making any noise.
AN:
So, Hermione had finally escaped. It took her some time, but here she is, alone in the forest with little amount of food and absolutely no idea where she is :D In the next chapter we'll have more Dolohov, his POV. Let the hunt begin!
