Chapter 6
The first time Hermione faced off against Dolohov took her by surprise. She had barely gotten settled at the table when she noticed Antonin and another death eater walking into the café. Startled, it took her a few moments to react. Locking eyes with the man she was pretty sure she'd grown to love over the past summer, she raised her wand. Shooting a stunning curse at Antonin, she saw a slight nod of approval.
That nod would bother her in the months to come. Hermione was perplexed by Antonin's response. If he didn't want to capture them, why would he track them to that café via their magical connection? At least, she assumed that was how he found them. It wasn't until Ron returned from his little lark post temper tantrum that Hermione realized that Dolohov may not have tracked her at all. The taboo would explain why she hadn't encountered him again in the months since that day.
The second time Hermione encountered him was indirectly. After her torture at Malfoy Manor, a letter tied to a book on dark curses and their counter curses was dropped outside the wards near Shell Cottage. The letter was brief, "Page 142, -AD", but pivotal in Hermione's recovery. Before it's receipt, Bill and Fleur were not having much luck finding a counter to the dark magic left behind by Bellatrix's dagger.
The last time she saw him during the war was at the Battle of Hogwarts. She had been cornered at the end of a collapsed passageway. She had noticed throughout the day that spells shot from several feet away would deflect slightly, just missing her. After the fifth deflected curse, Hermione realized there was more than luck at play. She had nearly forgotten about the bracelet Dolohov had clasped onto her wrist many moons ago. Ending up trapped by a death eater was a misstep, the passage was meant to continue into a longer stretch of halls. Past experience indicated the bracelet couldn't shield against direct hits. Frozen to the spot, Hermione was relieved to see the death eater crumple to the floor. Dolohov turned to the side and gestured to Hermione to run. She did not see him again before the battle was won.
The days after the war sped by. Rebuilding the infrastructure of wizarding Britain was moving slowly but smoothly. Healing physically and mentally from the trauma was a different matter. Many were unsure that would ever happen. Trials for the captured death eaters would start next week. Hermione noticed that Antonin was not listed among the upcoming trials, and wondered what happened to him. She was pretty sure he survived as he was always resourceful. Harry and Ron mentioned that the Aurors were stretched in several directions at the moment and capturing escaped death eaters wasn't the highest priority for the Ministry, unless they were actively causing unrest. The connection between them felt unchanged, leading Hermione to think he was safely hidden. Granted, she was not actually sure of how their link worked. She knew he could feel her feelings, but it did not work in reverse. Would she even notice if he died? Fidgeting with the bracelet Dolohov had placed on her, Hermione refocused on the rebuilding tasks before her.
Three months later, she was surprised to find Dolohov waiting by the front door of her parents' home. When the reconstruction of Hogwarts started to wind down, Hermione moved to her childhood home to begin planning her life. She needed to find and return memories to her parents, figure out her education and career prospects, and a mountain of tasks more. Her pseudo death eater person she holds feelings for brought more complications.
"What are you doing here? You've been missing for ages! You're wanted at the ministry for questioning, so why shouldn't I call them here immediately?" Hermione huffed as she waved him into the house.
Dolohov reached out to pull her against him with a smirk, "moy svetlyachok. I have missed your fire! Are you not happy to see me?"
"Yes, no, I don't know. This is all a lot to process, Where have you been all this time?"
"Around," Antonin shrugged. "As for why I am here, to see my firefly, of course. Also, I thought you might be ready to return your parents' memories. You'll need me to lift the spells."
"I thought it was designed to be lifted by anyone with the counter. Why would I need you? What if you had died or been captured? My parents would have been lost to me forever!"
"Which isn't any different from your original plan Svetlyachok. Why are you yelling at me?"
"Well I trusted you," Hermione blustered. "This seems like a breach of that trust…"
Antonin pulled her closer and ran his hands along her back. "I am sorry to have upset you. Next time I'll check that you fully understand the plan. Now come, lets get dinner started and plan our trip."