Chapter 18

Groaning, Anya furiously kicked off the thin bedsheet. It was three in the morning, but it was so hot in their small room that it might as well have the middle of the day. Despite trying to create a cross breeze by opening the windows and setting the fan, some muggle contraption that was supposed to help keep a room cool, to rotate, it felt like an oven in their small room. They may as well have done nothing. If only she or Cedric were better at weather spells. Then they could have casted a breeze that would have actually kept them cool.

It didn't help that they were sharing a bed. The bed was so small that it was impossible to not touch, and Cedric had a tendency to try to cuddle in his sleep. At the moment, he had his arm thrown over her waist as he continued to sleep, evidently unbothered by the heat. Anya tossed his arm off of her, unable to tolerate anything touching her. Cedric grunted at the disturbance but didn't wake.

Too sticky with sweat to fall back asleep, Anya slid out of the bed and went to stand in front the nearly useless fan, hoping it would do its job if she was closer. She sighed as the cold air finally hit her skin. The force of the fan wasn't much stronger up close, but it was better than nothing. Her skin prickled as the cold air dried the sweat. Briefly, she worried about someone seeing her — standing in the middle of the room in a thin tank top and her underwear — through the open window, but then she remembered they were staying on the second floor of some rundown hotel and it was the only two-story building on the street.

When they'd planned this search, they hadn't accounted for how miserable the weather would be or how long it would take them to travel without magic. It had been about three weeks since they'd disapparated from King's Cross Station. That was the last time they'd used magic to travel. Cedric claimed he was worried about the toll apparition took on her, but Anya thought it might also have something to do with his belief that they could be tracked if they apparated. She found the theory insane, but kept that to herself. They both had a tendency to be rather touchy these days; it was best not to pick at each other over silly things.

Since they weren't using magic to travel, Anya had been introduced to several forms of muggle transportation: cars, trains, and even a ferry. They'd moved in a round about way so it wouldn't be clear where they were going if someone was following them; which is why a journey that could have been done in a few days had taken three weeks. They were currently in a small village in eastern France, a few hours from the German border. Anya had grown to hate the countryside villages they'd taken refuge in. They weren't tourist spots, so the locals weren't used foreign visitors. She always felt like they stood out and were being watched.

Rolling her eyes, Anya realized she and Cedric how paranoid they were. Hopefully, that wouldn't get in the way of things, or would keep them alive.

It didn't help that they were completely cut off from everyone back home. Cedric didn't even message Dumbledore because of the risk of the letter being intercepted. They had ventured into known magical communities only twice to grab a few papers, and only with a Glamour Charm in place. The last paper they'd been able to get — and actually read — had come from Paris. Unfortunately, it'd been a local paper translated into English and had no news of what was happening at home. She shouldn't have been surprised. There was no reason for a French paper to have news about the Ministry of Magic or Hogwarts. Still, she couldn't help but feel disappointed when she read it. At the very least, it would have been helpful to know if anyone was looking for her and where they were looking.

Figuring she was as dry as she was going to get, Anya retreated back to the bed. She did her best not to shake the bed too much as she lay down, though it was a futile attempt. The old metal frame shook and even squeaked as she tried to get comfortable. Thankfully, Cedric continued to sleep like a hibernating bear. Sometimes, when she couldn't sleep, Anya was tempted to see what could wake him. Not only did he sleep hard, but he was normally awake before her. She had no idea how since they didn't have an alarm clock, and didn't think he'd hear it anyway. It was like he some kind of internal clock pulling the strings. She sighed and closed her eyes. Tomorrow was another long day and she should try to get as much sleep as possible. The room was still hot but between her dry skin and Cedric rolling to the other side of the mattress, she was able to fall back asleep quickly.

Later that morning, Anya was awoken by the sound of something metal falling to the tile floor of the tiny bathroom. She jerked up and immediately groaned as the light blinded her. Falling back against the pillows, she called out, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, sorry," came Cedric's reply, muffled by the closed door. At least he had tried to be considerate.

When her eyes had finally adjusted, she glanced at the alarm clock: It was seven-thirty. Cedric had let her sleep in — or had overslept himself — as they had planned to leave at seven. She untangled her legs from the bedsheet and got up. Momentarily, she debated the point of taking a shower and ultimately decided to take advantage of the running water. She had no idea when she'd have the opportunity to get clean again. Grabbing a change of clothes she headed to the bathroom.

"Morning," she said as she opened the door. Cedric, busy brushing his teeth, glanced at her via the mirror and nodded.

She set her clothes down on top of the toilet tank before leaning over the tub to turn on the faucet. It was so hot that a cold shower wouldn't have been a bad idea except that Anya couldn't stand under the ice water for more than a few seconds. Instead, she turned the dial until it was at a lukewarm setting. Not phased by Cedric's presence, she stripped out of her clothes and stepped in the tub, pulling the curtain around as best as she could to prevent leaks. She hissed when the cold water from the shower head hit her back; she'd forgotten to let it run a few seconds before stepping under it.

"Not even a blush this morning," Cedric teased, talking a little louder than normal so she could hear him over the water. "Is that the end of the honeymoon?"

Anya couldn't stop herself from smiling even as she rolled her eyes. They'd had more opportunities to see each other naked — romantically and not — in the last few weeks than in the entire history of their relationship. Had the circumstances been different, as in they'd stopped at the hotel as part of romantic getaway, she may have blushed. But she was tired and covered in two days worth of sweat and grime. She had no interest in anything but getting clean.

"We're late," she shouted over the water as she rinsed out her long black hair. Her fingers caught on several knots, making her grimace in pain. "We need to hurry and get on the road if we're going to meet your contact in time."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll run out and get breakfast. You want anything special?"

"No, grab extra though. Let's stock up on food while we can."

If he responded at all, she didn't hear him. The next thing she did hear was the closing of the bathroom door, followed a few seconds later by the faint sounds of the room door being opened and closed. Knowing he would be back in fifteen minutes, Anya quickly applied conditioner to her hair. There was no reason to neglect her hair care, even if she was going to be camping for Merlin only knew how long. Though she could always use magic for this type of thing once they were away from muggle-populated areas. For the moment, going through a normal morning routine was a small thing that was keeping her sane.

It hadn't taken long for Anya to realize how much she hated uncertainty and information being withheld from her. She'd have to get over not knowing what every day would bring, but Cedric was the one that had to get over keeping secrets, at least from her. She understood he'd spent his whole life keeping his friends at a distance and never being fully honest about himself, and knew from her own upbringing how hard it was to break that kind of habit. But they were both part demon and on this mission together. He didn't need to keep the name of their contact or where they were meeting him from her. Treating her like a child didn't keep her safe, and it made her question whether or not he truly saw her as an equal.

Anya turned off the shower and twisted the excess water from her hair before reaching for a dressed quickly, wanting to be ready by the time Cedric returned with breakfast. Honestly, she was surprised he had been gone so long. She was almost done drying her hair by the time he returned to the room — a full twenty minutes after she'd expected him back.

"Where've you been?" she asked, stepping out of the bathroom.

Cedric dropped a bag full food on the table, looking annoyed. "I swear everyone in town was at the stupid bakery this morning. There was at least ten people in front me, and no one was ever ready to order when they got to the counter."

Great, she thought, we're starting off the day with one of us already cranky. Anya dug her croissant and apple out of the bag and said, "Well, thank you for not losing it and killing someone. It really would have slowed us down."

Cedric pulled a face, not amused by her comment. "Let's just eat so we can go. It's only going to get hotter."

"If that's not a motivator, then I don't know what is," Anya grumbled, her own mood souring. "So are you going to tell me who we're trekking through the wilderness to meet?"

Cedric took a bite of his own breakfast, a pain au chocolate. Anya felt they were more of a snack or dessert than breakfast, but Cedric loved them. "His name's Dresden. He's involved in the trade of dark magical items and creatures."

"And why would he have any information about how to find your father?"

"His information isn't quite that specific. It's not like I could tell our mutual 'friend' the whole truth. Dresden's allegedly worked with my father in the past. I doubt he'll have a specific location, but we might get an idea of a general area."

"That's a lot of maybe," Anya observed, unease growing.

Cedric shrugged, starting on his second pastry. "It's all we've got."

Anya sighed and took another bite of her apple. She didn't like this plan. They were supposed to meet this guy in some pub in some small village in Hungary in three days. There were so many things that could go wrong. She supposed she should be happy he wasn't doing this alone; at least they'd have each other's backs if something did go wrong.

Tossing the apple core in the waste bin, she said, "All right, let's go."

After two days of hiking and short trans-continental apparition hops, they were within half a day's hike to the village where they were supposed to meet the mysterious Dresden. Anya had finally convinced Cedric that they needed to travel in a direct path and apparate short distances two to three times a day if they were ever going to make it in time. It was beyond frustrating that they couldn't apparate more than few hundred kilometers at a time. Not only did they run the risk of injury with how frequently they were apparating but they only had a name on a map. It wasn't much to focus on, and made the accuracy of their apparition challenging.

They'd set up camp near a stream, making it easy to clean up and refill their water supply. Anya's entire body ached with each movement as she prepared to assemble the tent while Cedric cast the protective enchantments around their camp. Stepping back from the heap of canvas and poles, she raised her wand in a triangle pattern and watched as the mess sprang up and seemingly pitched itself. She said a silent 'thanks' to magic as she ducked under the flap, making a beeline for the sofa. Anya didn't care that she was covered that she was, once again, sweaty and dirty or that her stomach was making audible grumblings, all she wanted to do was sit on something soft and sleep for a day.

"Don't get too comfortable," Cedric warned as he entered the tent. "We still have work to do."

Anya groaned, sinking further into the couch in protest. "You're a bully. Can't we just rest? Plan in the morning?"

Cedric plopped onto the big couch across from her; his eyes falling closed immediately. "I see that ending poorly. Tell you what, after we meet Dresden and get out alive, we'll find a safe place to camp for a few days and rest."

She still had no desire to get up, Anya was tempted by the idea of not having to be on the move for a few days — even if it was camping in the middle of nowhere. Pushing herself up, "Fine. I'll figure out dinner. You start thinking of some amazing strategy that accounts for every what-if scenario for tomorrow's meeting."

"You don't expect much, do you?" Cedric asked incredulously.

"I could say the same to you," Anya countered, already on her way to the kitchenette. "You expect me to figure out dinner from table scraps and whatever I find nearby. I'd say both tasks are pretty impossible."

Cedric grumbled something under his breath, but rolled off of the couch and went to retrieve the bags that were still sitting outside of the tent. He set Anya's bag, which held the last of their food, on the table and took his back to the sitting room area. He immediately began pulling things out of his bag, looking for anything that might help them come out of this meeting without encountering any new problems. Given their contact's profession of trading illegal magical substances and livestock, they couldn't be too careful. It was likely he had contact with dark wizards and there was no way for them to no if anyone was looking for Anya. Thankfully, she'd become quite proficient at the Glamour Charm. They wouldn't have to worry about anyone recognizing them.

Anya opened her pack, rummaging through it to find the last bits of their food from the French village. It wasn't much: a third of the last bread loaf and a few apples. They must have finished the meat and cheese at lunch or breakfast. Either way, what they had wasn't enough for dinner. She grabbed the book on herbs and edible plants and a basket that had been left in the kitchen.

"I'm going to check around outside. Maybe I can catch a fish and find something to season it with."

Cedric smirked. "Never would have imagined you fishing. Just a few weeks ago, you'd never even cooked a meal."

"And I'm already better than you," she retorted before walking out of the tent. Honestly, if wasn't for her, Cedric probably would have starved. Well, she was pretty sure she would have starved. Cedric seemed to be doing just fine taking life force energy from the world around him. He complained that the energy from plants wasn't as strong as it was from people, but it didn't seem to be slowing him down at all. Anya, on the other hand, was having to feed more and more often. She was up to two times a week now, even if she didn't use her abilities.

She sighed as she searched the riverbank for any signs of fish or other food. Her deteriorating state wasn't end of her worries, either. She was trying to hide the decline from Cedric. Anya worried he'd abandon the mission or leave her behind if he found out how bad she was doing. Despite spending all of their time together, it hadn't been too hard to hide it from him. He was so focused on the mission, he didn't notice anything different. If he did notice, he probably chalked up any unusual weakness or extreme exhaustion to their circumstances.

About twenty feet from the tent, Anya spotted two promising plants. Checking her book, she confirmed the berries and weed were safe to eat. She picked as many as she could, storing them in the basket. Then, Anya turned her attention to the river. She really didn't know anything about fishing. But there was nothing wrong with using the Summoning Charm if it meant dinner.

Anya pointed her wand at the dark water and said, "Accio fish!"

She waited a moment, but there was no sound of a fish breaking the water. Of course, the spell would only work if there was a fish nearby. She kept walking along the river, keeping her eyes peeled for potential signs of food. Eventually, she did come across some fish and even found a few mushrooms that were safe to eat. Figuring she could come up with something filling, she made her way back to camp. As she came into view of the tent, Anya saw Cedric pacing around the brown canvas and looking stressed.

"Looking for something?" she asked.

"Yeah, you," he replied, crossing his arms as he came to a stop. "You've been gone for almost an hour."

"Sorry. There wasn't a lot nearby." She walked past him and into the tent, wanting to finish dinner so she could relax. He followed behind her, looking grim. Deciding to distract him from his unnecessary panic, she asked, "Did you come up with a plan for tomorrow?"

"Well, we're definitely using the Glamour. He doesn't know what we look like, and he's only expecting a passcode from me. We may be far from home, but there's no need to risk someone seeing our faces and it getting back to someone who knows us or our names. I am supposed to be dead."

"Fair enough," Anya said, slightly distracted as she cleaned and prepared the fish. "What about the Veritaserum? Did we want to use that?"

During the cleansing of Grimmauld Place, Cedric had come across a bunch of potions in the library. He'd swiped them when Mrs. Weasley had been busy admonishing one of her children for messing with some antique. After he'd checked that they were still safe to use, they'd carefully packed them away for their mission.

"We don't have much," Cedric mused. "I'd plan to use my persuasion abilities. Those are usually good enough."

"We don't know who or what this guy is," Anya pointed out. "Maybe we should bring it just in case?"

Cedric nodded. "All right, I guess it wouldn't hurt. The village is pretty small, I don't think we have to be worried about a surprise ambush."

"I thought it was a muggle village? Do you really think this guy would risk exposure like that? As far as he knows, we're not valuable to anyone. Kidnapping would make sense."

"You said to account for every situation," Cedric said with a shrug. "So I am. To be safe, I think we should enter the pub separately, and you should sit at a different table. He is only expecting one person. Two might put him on edge."

"So I get to swoop in and save you if something goes wrong?" she teased, placing the fish inside the oven. Thank Merlin, Cedric's dad had splurged on a decent tent for last year's Quidditch World Cup.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he quipped, a genuine smile lighting his features. Cedric smiling was such a rare occurrence these days that Anya was momentarily distracted.

Shaking her head at herself, she asked, "And what about spells? Anything special?"

"Yeah, but let's wait until after we eat," he said, moving to the sink to wash his hands. "How can I help?"

They woke before sunrise the next day, having decided to apparate to a town near their meeting spot and walk from there. Anya had suggested minimizing their use of magic in case Dresden was monitoring the village. An uneasy feeling had taken hold of her; something about the whole meeting felt off to her. It wasn't unusual for a wizard to live in a predominantly muggle village. However, witches and wizards tended to live in small clusters within the muggle community. It was rare for one to live in an area completely void of other magical beings. Anya couldn't get herself to believe that he was alone out here.

The road between the two villages was basically deserted. When they'd first started walking, they'd past a few people on bicycles, but hadn't seen anyone in almost a half hour. The flatness of the road was a nice change from their usual rocky and overgrown paths. Anya could have almost pretended they were out for a leisurely walk. That is, if they hadn't been walking on and off since before sunrise with heavy packs on their backs and going over their "battle" plan for the nth time.

"I got it, Cedric," she finally snapped. Her irritation getting the better of her. "We will use a Glamour charm to change our appearance. I will go to the pub before the meeting so I look like a normal customer. I'll sit in a corner so I can watch the room. You'll enter and either take an empty table or join Dresden if he's there — though we don't know what he looks like," she added pointedly.

"I'm betting on him being the only other person there alone that also appears to be waiting for someone."

Anya rolled her eyes at his nonchalant tone. Sometimes his confidence in himself and his abilities worried her. He never seemed to consider that he might mess up, and what could happen if he did.

As they reached the crest of a small hill, the village came into view. Even from a distance, they could tell it was busy. This was potentially a good thing; it made it easier for them to blend. Anya could make out a bunch of food stands and people pushing rolling wicker baskets. She guessed it was a farmers market, so it must have been the weekend. Now she was really bitter they'd been up so early. Anya missed getting to sleep in.

They turned off of the road, veering into the thick trees where they could perform the Glamour Charm without being seen. A few minutes later, they emerged from the forest looking like total strangers. Anya took in the thick, dark hair and beard that almost obscured Cedric's face, which was now rounded and centered with a shorter nose. He certainly didn't look anything like her boyfriend. Anya's own transformation was less dramatic, having gone for a mousy look: light brown hair that fell in her face, brown eyes and also rounder cheeks and a nose that was slightly too long for her face. They were both ordinary; nothing to look twice at. After finding no flaws, they each nodded in approval.

"All right," Anya sighed, her nervousness increasing. "I'll see you in a bit."

She returned to the main road as Cedric retreated back into the trees. As she walked, she checked her coat pocket to reassure herself that her wand was there and easily accessible. Anya could at least be prepared even if she couldn't shake off her nerves.

Almost an hour later, Anya was sitting in the corner of a small pub. It was loud as families came in for a sit-down lunch after spending the morning shopping. It was a good thing they'd reached the town early because it had taken Anya forty minutes to get a seat. They hadn't accounted for a possible crowd. Even with her enhanced hearing, she was going to struggle to listen in on Cedric's conversation. If the meeting even happened, that is. As far as she could tell, she was the only one sitting alone. If there was a wait, it was possible they'd miss Dresden or he'd miss them. It was also possible that they met in the line and decided to go somewhere else, leaving Cedric alone and in an unknown location. Anya could feel her heart rate incase as her nerves spiked.

Her attempt at a polite smile came off more like a grimace when the waitress placed her meal in front of her. The sandwich smelled delicious. She wasn't really sure what she had ordered since she couldn't read the menu. But Anya was happy to see that it was chicken sandwich with a side of fruit. Nothing fancy, but fresher and hotter than anything she'd had in weeks. Her stomach growled as she inhaled the savory smell of her meal. Despite her concerns about the meeting, Anya couldn't resist eating the meal.

As she chewed, her eyes darted back toward the door. The line seemed to have thinned, though that didn't lessen her worries. Not seeing Cedric, she turned her attention to the rest of the room to see if she could spot their contact. Given that almost all of the tables were full, she'd have thought it would be easy to spot someone sitting by themselves. However, it took her a few passes before she spotted a young man sitting alone in a booth diagonally across from her. He was thin, sandy-haired, and completely nondescript. There was nothing remotely unique or interesting about him, except for his body language. He was hunched over the table, one hand rabidly tapping the wood as his eyes darted so quickly around the room it must have made him dizzy. Anya was careful to not stare at him directly, afraid she might spook him if he noticed her watching. This had to be the guy.

A moment later, the door opened and Cedric entered, looking more like a local than she'd realized. They briefly made eye contact, but didn't acknowledge each other in any way. Anya watched as Cedric hung back by the door, observing the room. Then, after making the same observations she had, he walked purposefully toward the man in the corner.

Anya diverted her eyes to the bar. She could still see them in her peripheral and it wouldn't be obvious that she was watching them. Besides, she was going to be using her enhanced hearing to eavesdrop. She didn't need to watch them.

She listened in as Cedric gave the passcode and Dresden responded in kind. Anya was glad she was so far away. The whole exchange was so ridiculous that she couldn't stop herself from laughing. A few of the patrons who were sitting near her shot her concerned looks but quickly returned to their meals. Straightening in her seat, Anya refocused on the conversation between Cedric and Dresden. Even though the pub was still noisier than desired, she was able to easily ignore the other conversations and listen to the only one that mattered.

"What do you want with Krall anyway?" Dresden asked. Anya couldn't quite make out his tone, but he sounded more bored than interested.

Cedric shrugged. "He's a friend of my parents. Told them if they ever needed anything to let him know. I'm hoping he can help me find work," Cedric answered nonchalantly.

"It's a long way to come for work," Dresden observed, taking a sip of his beer.

"Well, I need to get away from home. The farther the better."

Dresden mulled this over for a moment, but Anya could see his shoulders relax. Cedric's vague allusion to being involved in something criminal seemed to have earned him some points. Strange, Anya thought. She would have thought that would put him more on his guard.

"Listen, I really shouldn't be helping you. Krall would kill me if he found out," Dresden stated. This time Anya could make out his tone, which was mockingly genuine. He was building up to what he really wanted. "But you seem trustworthy enough. He could definitely use someone like you. For a hundred more, I'll tell you where he is."

Cedric pretended to balk. "A hundred more? What makes you think I have any money left?"

"Hey, I'm risking my own neck here. I'm going to need that money to lay low for awhile. But if you're as desperate to get away from home as I think you are, you'll find a way to pay. I'm the only who's even gotten close to Krall's home."

"Close? I thought you said you'd been there," Cedric questioned, his posture going rigid.

Dresden scoffed. "Please, no one's ever seen where Krall lives. He's very secretive. His home is cloaked in magic. No one can find it unless he wants them to."

Anya's heart sank. If no one could find the house, then they'd come all this way for nothing. She saw the smug look on Dresden's face and glared. Even though she could only see the back of Cedric's head, Anya could tell that he was close to losing his temper.

"So you don't really have any information?"

"I can get you a general location," Dresden retorted, suddenly looking nervous. Anya could only imagine the look of rage on Cedric's face. "Which is more than anyone else can give you."

After a tense pause, Anya saw Cedric relax his stance, leaning back in chair and casually resting his hands on the table.

"You're going to tell me this general location," he commanded, his tone unnervingly calm. "And you'll do it for fifty less. Sound good?"

Dresden nodded, too dazed by the persuasion to respond verbally. Cedric must have fed before coming to the pub. She'd never seen anyone give in that fast. The thought made her a little uncomfortable, but she ignored the feeling. It had gotten them what they needed, and no one was getting hurt. It was fine. Plus, if Dresden had had back up, they would have shown themselves when he agreed to a lesser fee. Now they knew he was alone.

Cedric dropped a coin pouch of galleons on the table while Dresden wrote out the location on a napkin. Still too dazed to really understand what was happening, he numbly handed the napkin to Cedric and barely noticed the bag of money next to him. Without another word, Cedric stood up from the table and left, making brief eye contact with Anya once again. She waited a few minutes to be safe — and to finish her meal — before she followed him out, leaving her payment on the table.

The street was much emptier than when she'd entered the pub. The food stands and crafts tables were packing up for the day, either having run out of supplies or customers. They had a designated meeting spot, but Anya still looked for Cedric as she weaved her way down the narrow street. It seemed to her that he must have run to their meeting spot as soon as he'd left the pub. Finally, she found the alley where they'd planned to meet. A tall, bearded man was leaning against the wall of a house, looking a little threatening. If Anya hadn't known it was just a Glamoured Cedric, she probably would have kept walking.

"That was surprisingly easy," she said, approaching Cedric.

"It should be. I ran into Dresden's friends when I did a cursory check before entering the pub. They're still out," Cedric commented smugly.

"I'd wondered. Your use of persuasion was extremely effective."

Anya was careful to keep her tone neutral. Clearly, Dresden had been planning to double cross them, and Cedric hadn't killed anyone. She should be happy they hadn't run into any problems.

"So, where do we go next?" she asked, changing topics before he could notice her unease. Cedric took the napkin out of his pocket and handed it to her. She unfolded it and read the scribbled location, brow furrowed.

"Romania? And what are these numbers?" Anya pointed to a series of numbers written under some obscure village.

"Coordinates," Cedric said without looking at them. "We can't apparate all the way there, but those should make the magical and non-magical parts of our trip more direct."

Anya sighed, thinking of how much walking that would be. Then she brightened; there was more than one muggle-way to get there. "Why don't we head back to the village we walked from this morning and check out the train station? It might not get us all the way there, but it'll save us a lot of time and energy. Plus, you promised me time to relax."

Cedric hesitated, mulling over the idea. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah, I guess I could use a break from camping, too."

Anya smiled. "Great. Can we remove these Glamour Charms, now? I really hate that beard."

AN: Hope you enjoy this extra long chapter!