"Do you know what we are waiting for?" She asked Finn quietly. Allowing his steady heartbeat to calm her.
Her tone showed some of her uncertainty. Her mentor was alert and continually scanning with his back to Yaxley, who was doing the same.
Letting her magic spin out slowly, increasing her range, she tried to find whatever had him so tense. Finn wrapped an arm around her hips and raised her up a bit, seeing her crane her neck.
"No idea little witch." He breathed into her ear and she gave up on trying to find whatever it was. Dolohov or Yaxley would find it and she needn't be so alert. Finn was right, she got jumpy after these duels.
After a minute of them waiting and looking at the stone statue holding an apprentice, they noted both men's postured change and looked in the direction their eyes had snapped to.
A man in a black cloak was standing at the ward boundary and as they watched, he pulled his wand.
Neither older wizard moved to allow him entrance and Finn tensed behind her. Unthinking, she brushed her magic against his, as Dolohov was doing to her. Assurance and maybe a bit of protective instinct.
"Antonin." Yaxley's voice was chiding, in a way that meant you are being stubborn. Both of them tensed and waited for his response. A minute of them just looking at each other while the unknown wizards magics crawled over their wards.
His 'if you must' nod came after the standoff and his gaze flicked to her. A nod indicated she take them down and after a second of confirmation she began. His wards were as intricate as they had ever been and she carefully began taking them down. The final one, prompted a look and he nodded again. Trusting him, she released it and pulled Finn down. Casting a shield and wards over them as they went down.
For a moment they lay on the ground, waiting for the circular wall of fire to move past them and then they stood in the middle of the outward moving fire and watched the wizard ward himself against it and then stand up. Across a hundred meters or so the man faced the group.
An exchanged glance with Finn made clear that they agreed to do what they were told and that their questions could wait.
The man began walking towards them and after watching her master for a moment, she relaxed. His magic was basically walling the two younger ones behind him and Yaxley was getting a shield too. She wasn't sure she had ever felt so much protection on her. Fighting the instinct to push back, she allowed his to surround her and pulled Finn a few steps closer to the other two so he wouldn't have to reach so far.
"You have nothing to fear. Your cub is in no danger from me." The tone was wry and she whispered the translation to Finn and he gave her a squeeze. Please keep doing that. She decided that if she could follow the words and not interrupt that she would. A grunt from Dolohov and she stifled her chuckle at the man's response.
"The bear you have been called, still apt." She kept her face blank as she spoke to Finn and felt his silent snort.
"The usual is three days but circumstances will not permit." It was a question and she knew from Dolohov's posture he didn't like it.
"Pointless." He ground out and she understood he meant in the broad sense. Suddenly she understood, remembering a round of dueling being mentioned. Wasn't that what they had done?
She wanted to speak then. Pride. Then she thought over their first conversation about the rites, as they were called and wondered. Would there be pride? Hadn't she already won?
"Surely not. It is tradition. A perverted one but still, it's all you have available to you." Hermione would have warned the man that this was the wrong way to go about it. Even Finn had stiffened at her translation, she had kept the emphasis on perverted. It was clear to all he meant her.
Instinctively she lifted her chin and began pushing against Dolohov's magic. His gaze snapped to her and at her raised chin and defiant posture he raised a brow and she stopped. Making herself still her magic as best she could and holding tightly to Finn's arm around her.
"Your shame is not my burden." The man sounded calm and she didn't stare, as she wanted too. All tension had left him and at Finn's chuckle she realised that he meant his apprentice having lost. She doubted it was an actual shame but still, those were hard words.
"Surely you don't think that she could stand with you? Even were she to make it." Hermione watched this with growing interest. Stand with him. Yaxley shot her a slightly insane grin and she understood. Duel another pair, master and apprentice. She had never formally duelled with a partner seriously. Especially not a warding duel.
"Would you take an apprentice you wouldn't stand with? Dangerous, that." Something was being said. Something with undercurrents she didn't understand. Neither did the wizard behind her. The other wizard flushed and perhaps had they been alone a duel would have been the outcome.
"Here is your invitation. Accommodations will be offered." The man drawled, his superior tone grating on her nerves.
"Nothing will be needed from you." Wandlessly and silently Dolohov summoned the scroll and with a head jerk indicated they were to leave. They did.
Having brought Finn with her, they landed together and began making their way to the cabin. They walked in silence for a bit and then he halted and pulled her to stop. His fingers lifted her chin and after a long assessing glance, he kissed her.
It felt so good. Relaxing against him, she let his hands run over her and when they broke apart she was breathing a bit heavier than usual and shot him a grin that meant later.
Pulling away he pointed his wand at her and she took a step back, then stood still while healing spells and hair detangling one were shot at her. She felt the relaxation of her snarled curls and the stinging burn of cuts and scrapes healing over. A glance asked if there was anything else and she shook her head. I love you. She nearly blurted it out but stopped, and just looked it at him. He stared and then kissed her softly before they turned together to the cabin.
When they reached it Dolohov opened the door and both were a bit surprised. Yaxley was in the kitchen and they could hear some noises before the wizard appeared with some snack plates following him and gestured them all sit.
Hermione wasn't sure what to think when beside her water bottle, a whiskey appeared. Usually she got something else and it signalled something. What, she didn't know. Finn pulled her to him and after a slight stiffening she allowed it. Resting against his side and drinking the bottle of water.
Dolohov had scanned her magic thoroughly when she arrived and it felt as if he was cleaning it, much closer than before. Finally she just decided to ask.
"I took the tracker from earlier off. Is that what you are looking for?" He met her eyes and then a nod. As usual she was pleased to be right and took a sip of the burning liquid. It did feel good and she felt more awake all of the sudden.
"Tomorrow." Dolohov spoke into the comfortable silence and Yaxley actually rolled his eyes.
"Are we going?" The silent conversation began and she and Finn flicked their gazes back and forth. She elbowed him when Yaxley's eyes flashed and he squeezed her thigh when the manic grin made an appearance. Dolohov showed much less but Hermione thought he looked stubborn. On another person she might have said rebellious.
"Potter can wait." The words seemed sudden and Finn met her eyes for a moment before looking back to the drama unfolding.
"Absolutely not. I will not stay here while you go." Yaxley spoke again. This was the most tension she had ever seen between them and she felt tense all of the sudden.
"None of us will go." This was a pronouncement and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Finn gave her another squeeze and both of them were surprised when Yaxley didn't accept the declaration.
"Yes you will. Both you will go. We will all go to Sochi and eat fabulous food while not verbally deriding the quaint and sometimes medieval ways of your frozen homeland." Yaxley spoke with both hands moving in a graceful sweeping arch while he spoke such provoking words. Hermione couldn't help but tense and noticed the flash on her mentors face. A look she remembered from the war and Azkaban after. It made her extremely uncomfortable and she felt they shouldn't be here. Finn shifted beside her and she absently let her magic caress his and he stilled.
Dolohov's gaze flicked to her and then back to Yaxley. The wizard closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded reluctantly. Both turned to her. She didn't react. Trying to keep her face blank. Without thinking she just blurted her first thoughts.
"I've never had Russian food. Is it good?" Both men stared for a moment and Yaxley began to laugh. At that Dolohov scowled and it was directed at her. She sat up straighter and just waited. What could she say?
"Insults. Comments. Assumptions." He barked the words and she outwardly didn't shrug them off. Mentally she did though. That was all part of her life. Part of this challenge too. People regularly made assumptions about her with absolutely no knowledge of the situation. Then she thought of something and wasn't sure if she should say anything. They had never spoken about it. Somehow it seemed relevant though.
"It seems somehow relevant to mention that the pair, they know about my scar." She gestured absently at her abdomen, so they would know which one she meant. All of them had several.
All three men stiffened and she did feel badly for bringing it up but their thoughtful expressions were an indication that she had been right to do so. Dolohov met her eye and she could see the question. This time she did shrug slightly.
"It bothered me then, it hadn't before and doesn't now." Letting her real feelings show on her face and in her tone, she waited and eventually all three seemed to accept it.
"Hermione has somewhere to be, are we going?" Yaxley demanded this and three could see his enthusiasm.
"Malyshka." It wasn't a question in form or tone but she knew he meant it as one. Not knowing what she was agreeing to, she bowed her head in deference to him.
"Cast together." At this she perked up, unable to remain stoic. Even if they didn't go she would begin angling for this somehow. Doing magic with Finn had been life changing and she couldn't imagine what she might learn about herself and her master, dueling together.
"That seems answer enough." Yaxley sounded decided but after a moment he looked to his friend. All of them knew that it would be him that made the final call.
"Travel." He spoke thoughtfully and she realised what he meant. The only one of them free to travel without restriction was her. Yaxley was a bit different as he wasn't officially anything but Finn and Dolohov had probation terms. Not wanting to be flippant she met Yaxley's eyes and then Dolohov's. She hadn't thrown her weight around for them to see until recently and she wasn't sure what they would think of her reminding them of the pull she had.
Finally she looked to Finn who had looked as thoughtful as the other two and then he grinned at her.
Taking that as encouragement she opened her mouth but her wizard beat her to it.
"The little witch will sort that out and Yax can make his plans when we know how we will go and when." He spoke as if this was no bother and the older wizards eyes snapped to her. In question, she could see.
"I'm sure something could be arranged." She offered with what she thought of as suitable airiness. A gruff sound came from Dolohov and Yaxley laughed.
"Syrniki." Dolohov sounded pensive and Hermione wondered if she had misunderstood his reference to cheese pancakes of some kind. She had read about them in a book on muggle Russian culture.
"With smetana. Hermione will enjoy that, like a Russian clotted cream." He sounded coaxing. Hermione couldn't stop the slight smile at that. The dark Russian had a definite preference for pastries of all kinds.
"Can we bring whiskey?" Finn asked and she looked up and nodded in understanding. Sipping vodka was not something she looked forward too. Yaxley nodded at him in a way that said I'll handle it. She hoped he would bring some wine.
"Khorosho." Dolohov muttered his decision to go and Yaxley's grin wasn't manic but it was something. After a minute of them all watching each other she got her nod of dismissal and stood. That would be another day, this evening she had plans, Harry had to take priority for a couple hours and she wouldn't mind a couple more with her wizard after that.
