Chapter 4
The remainder of the year passed in a blur, and before Hermione knew it, she was preparing to head home for the winter break. The previous evening she had attended Professor Slughorn's party with Cormac McLaggen. That was a mistake she wouldn't make again. He was more interested in kissing than the networking opportunity and conversation the party offered. And to add insult to injury, the kisses were far too wet to be enjoyable.
Hermione wasn't sure who she was more upset with, Cormac for not understanding body language or Ronald for reneging on his agreement to accompany her. Ron magically found himself too busy snogging bloody Lavender Brown to keep his promises. At least, Hermione could now say that crush was as good as gone and buried with no hope of revival.
'No,' she thought. 'Teenage boys are best left to others. I'll stop romanticizing their ridiculous behavior and expecting them to be what I think they should be, rather than who they are now.'
A persistent tap at her window woke Hermione abruptly. Looking over she saw an owl at the window. After retrieving the letter tied to its leg, she noted the now familiar script. As she read, her face froze in panic. Theoretically, she knew this time would come. She just didn't think it would be so soon.
Catching up with her parents and relaxing at home was the mental reset and emotional reconnection Hermione had needed after the stressful term. You could only convey so much through letters. As she listened to her father sharing stories from work sprinkled with mediocre jokes and watching her mother snort through the retellings over dinner, Hermione's eyes shone with joy. As wonderful as learning magic could be, she had missed this, the moments of connection with her family.
Now, if Dolohov's letter was to be believed, she had days to figure out how to save them. The brief letter warned Hermione that she should prepare to not return home after the second term, as there wasn't likely to be one to return to. Pacing back and forth, she noticed a person standing below a street light. Focusing on her magic, a trick she learned from one of the books sent to her, she felt the now familiar caress of Dolohov's magic. Although he hadn't approached her again, she spotted him on subsequent trips to Hogsmeade. The feel of his magic nearby became an expectation of every outing. Nodding at the window, she walked downstairs to meet him.
Three days later found Hermione with her head on Dolohov's shoulder as she stared forward in a daze. Her parents were safely on their way to Australia. All memories of Hermione and their true identities were locked away in a mental safe, waiting for safer days to be released.
Dolohov had developed a not so permanent way of erasing her parent's memories of the wizarding world. There were benefits to having a spell creator as a pseudo knight in shining armor. Not that Dolohov was a hero.
Hermione was still trying to puzzle out the motives behind his actions. Pondering, she looked up at him, "what effects does our connection cause for you?"
"You mean beyond the power share and locator benefits? There is also a bleed through of strong emotions. Considering that moy svetlyachok is an emotion driven lion, it takes effort to minimize that particular side effect," Dolohov said with a smirk.
"Hrumph," Hermione grunted as she laid her head back down on his shoulder.
She told herself she would not blindly trust him. Being her personal guardian death eater did not change the fact that he is a death eater. Hermione would continue to be wary tomorrow. Tonight she just needed the comfort of physical touch. And Dolohov was available, nothing more.