Thank you to my reviewers, we're one away from 300 reviews! Ahh, that's incredible, thank you all so much: krankykitty, viola1701e, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, kingphobes, MerryLimp, and Visenyas!

October 29th, 1996

The next few weeks brought forth many frustrations, but none from Voldemort or anything of the sort. Maybe the dark magic user was biding his time, but there wasn't any sort of mass massacre in response. Similarly, Dumbledore did not come for them, and despite all their missteps...they began to imagine they'd gotten away with the first part of their plan, as impossible as it seemed.

Well, Theo liked to remind Hermione, it hardly could be considered that they'd 'gotten off easy', since Thor had lost an arm.

The frustrations were from just this...Thor and Deneba and their adaptation to a Muggle World. They called many times asking how to do simple tasks, wondering why Muggles were so far behind compared to some magical things, and with just a general sense of bewilderment. Hermione hadn't thought they would need to hand-hold the new Crane family, but alas, when Hermione found herself showing Deneba how to boil water over a muggle stove, she realized that she had to seriously rethink Muggle educational standards at Hogwarts.

Even though they were waiting for something (or better yet, nothing) they were still thinking ahead in the general sense. They needed a second flat for their next target, whoever that might end up being. Something equally nice, but in the other direction out of Charsville. They'd decided that anyone who was hiding as muggles that were former Death Eaters could not communicate with one another. It was easier this way.

There was a handful near Manchester and they managed to procure a first-story walk-up that was nearly the same size as Thor's. Theo suggested they grab a bite to eat before heading back since they'd finished earlier than expected.

Hermione pointed them to a local pub and the pair slipped inside, glad for the warmth that a fireplace was providing. It was clearly a local watering hole since it appeared most of the town was here to stay out of the cold and have a nice hot toddy. Just as they were unfurling their scarves and looking for a place to sit, someone was calling to them across the tavern.

"Oh fuck," Theo hissed under his breath. Hermione craned her head above the seats and winced.

"Bash! Emilia! Fancy seeing you here!" Bill Weasley waved, welcoming them with a warm smile.

Just their luck, Hermione decided.

She double-checked that this was not a Wizarding bar, confirmed such, and figured that they were just extremely unlucky to have picked the same bar Bill and his mates were enjoying today.

"We can't very well ignore him," Theo said, "And I'm curious now," He shrugged.

It might give them more context about Dumbledore, Hermione internally agreed, so she plastered a grin and elbowed her way to the back.

Bill was there with a few witches and wizards Hermione recognized, either from Gringotts or school. There were some she didn't, but they all seemed close in age.

"What brings you out here?" Theo asked, tilting his head, "I thought you said you were stationed in London, aye?"

"Manchester United, mate!" One of the wizards gleefully announced, "I've gotten this lot into muggle football, and now we're all obsessed."

"He's right. We're down here for a game later today," Bill flagged a waitress, "Let me buy you two a pint."

"Oh, I couldn't-,"

"Mint," Theo cut Hermione off, "Whatever you're having," He said, motioning to Bill's glass.

"Who's your friends, Weasley?" A former Ravenclaw, Hermione thought maybe it was Talbott Winger, questioned.

"Right!" Bill patted Theo's shoulder, "This is Sebastian and Emilia Lihote. They're a newly immigrated pair of magical folk. Dumbledore sent me to see if there was something fishy about them," Emilia felt her heartbeat furiously while she was pretty sure Theo's entire body froze altogether, "But the only thing fishy was their literal koi pond. Or should I say koi lake! It was massive, you don't even-,"

"You must have put something on his radar, though Dumbledore is losing it a bit," One of the witches snorted, interrupting Bill's generous retelling of their koi pond, which indeed was larger than the average.

"Awe, come on, he's just being cautious. Can't blame him, with everything happening," Bill said pointedly, always on Dumbledore's side, immediately dropping his awe of their garden.

Across the table, through the bond, Theo sent out the essence of a question. It wasn't words, but more a general feeling; Can we trust him? Is he lying? Is he going to kill us right here, or worse?

Hermione focused on Bill hard. He seemed genuine of his unawareness of who they truly were. She gave a small smile and a hardly perceptive nod, but it settled Theo's nerves all the same. No, they had done it right. Bill really thought it was just his new mates Bash and Em strolling around, having come from abroad.

As their drinks arrived and they ordered some pub dishes, Bill's friends asked the pair a lot about their experiences and where they were from. It was great practice, and overall no one seemed to give any reason for distrust. Why should they? They'd passed Bill's check, and that to most was as good as gold.

As they laughed and told jokes, and one of the witches from the bank mentioned that if they were in London they should come out with them again, Hermione had a funny sort of thought. She'd grown to enjoy Bill's company as an adult in the war and some part of her had been anguished to have to lose it again. Wouldn't it be strange if they were going to become chums with Bill on a casual basis, separated from everything else? Selfishly, Hermione hoped so.

There was only one time that it seemed maybe someone was going to pull on some threads harder, unveiling everything.

"So why the extreme wards?" One of the wizards asked, "If you don't really believe in Voldemort being a concern."

They'd decided to take a neutral approach. No need to isolate themselves by pretending to be with him, but they also didn't want to offer their services.

It was a fair question. The wards that had tickled some alarm for Dumbledore were not the average wards a new couple set up. They were beyond even what the Weasleys currently had. It sure felt like it was begging to be poked and questioned.

Luckily, Theo was unruffled, "Wouldn't you if you had the ability? We don't want any unwelcome guests from a thief to a murderer. We're newcomers to this country too...can't ever be too safe."

"Most don't," A witch snorted, "Most would burn their hands off for even attempting it."

"Good on them," Bill said proudly, "They're a capable pair, and Merlin, I wish more people got into the habit of learning how to do such things. It would make half of the cases in the Ministry vanish if people just better protected their house and things."

Crisis averted, so it seemed.

After a bit, the group split into small pods of conversation amongst themselves. Bill nearly bent over backward to make sure Bash and Em felt comfortable and not strangers in the banter back and forth. He was also adding an aside to explain something that they rightfully had no place knowing; Zonkos, Rita Skeeter, Chocolate Frogs...all things they wouldn't have knowledge of if they were from out of the country. It lent them to having to talk less and it was fascinating to see the world through someone else.

When Bill excused himself to go grab another round, one of the wizards far at the end of the table tried to wave Bill back.

"Damn, I could have just told him I already asked for our server back. No need to go way up there."

"Mate, you already ate two plates. Don't tell me you want a third."

"No, no. It's for my brother. Working late - did you know he just got his Aurora cert- and is seriously putting in some overtime."

"Congratulations! Tell 'im I said a good job." A witch near them said with a grin.

There was a pause. The friend snapped his fingers.

"Oh, the Rowle case?"

Hermione tried not to jerk around and try to interject herself. Instead, she kicked Theo's leg under the table and slightly motioned to the pair of wizards in Bill's group. It was the first they'd heard anything. They had expected something to be in the Prophet, but as the days passed and there wasn't even a notion of a funeral, Hermione was beginning to worry. If not for Deneba asking for her help every hour, she would worry they had fled back to Voldemort or worse.

But maybe it was very controlled and someone was keeping the fact that the Rowle's were gone out of the papers. Now, if the Aurors had picked it up, it seemed to be the case.

"It just baffles me how two, well, erm, three magical folks just...poof! Vanish!"

It seemed that this group had insider knowledge or more than the average person's awareness.

"Two. I know they said the wife was pregnant, but there were no birth certificates awarded for a Rowle kid. Even the Book of Acceptance isn't showing anything; there were only three Wizarding England births or magic bursts in the span they thought the kid was supposed to be born… Malachai Taylor, Morgan Gill, and Roman Crane. All for the right year in Hogwarts, but I mean, I think the baby died."

Hermione tried not to choke on her beer. Roman was the cover name the Rowles had chosen. She hadn't even thought of the Hogwarts Ledger to prove Trajan was still alive...and from Theo's surprised emotions in their bond, he hadn't tried to 'fix' that either.

How strange.

Theo was looking worried. It was a natural Slytherin trait to be untrustworthy, and after all, he'd seen, it had only magnified this trait in him. And he should be...it did seem rather convenient that they were sitting talking about this in front of them, didn't it? Wasn't this top-secret knowledge, Theo seemed to ask, that they should not be just freely speaking of?

Hermione considered it and then gave a small shake of her head. She was inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt for a few reasons.

One; this was a Muggle bar. Sheer happenstance they'd chosen this, but none of the other patrons were magical at all.

Two; the entire group was varying levels of drunk. They'd been buzzed arriving at the pub, and since then, they'd only quaffed their drinks and hadn't worried about their intake, meaning everyone including Bill was far past sober and closer to tipsy, if not there already.

Three; they were all work friends, so what else did they have to talk about except work? And, truth be told, this had to be one of the more interesting cases of late. Were they really going to discuss that little old witch that had tried to steal twelve galleons or were they going to talk about the disappearing act of the century? Easy pick.

Lastly; they'd likely forgotten Bash and Em were sitting there at all. It had been a few hours since they'd talked to the newcomers and Hermione had to lean far in to even put the wizards in her sightline. They probably had zero thoughts of a civilian overhearing.

Besides, if this was a test, of what kind? The most they could do with this information is just...absorb it. There were no actions to be taken.

Theo relaxed, but not totally. He trusted no one. Scratch that; he trusted Hermione, but the list after that was pretty scarce.

"Not baffling; suspicious!" A witch added in, "Their bank accounts were flushed out. It was clearly planned...or something was."

"Right, Bailey, you were the witch assigned to look into their accounts. Could it be under duress? Blackmail?"

"I told your brother what I'll tell you...I don't know. All I do know is that it was Thorfinn that emptied it out, and he passed his theif-tests. Unless it was a really good fake...I'd seriously doubt anyone could rob Gringotts."

Hermione coughed to cover up a snort. Apparently, even though Polyjuice was obvious to her, it wasn't to the average bank worker. Even still, they hadn't been sure it would work at all. Perhaps getting into the Lestrange vault was more luck than skill?

"What do you think happened?"

"I think he fled. I think he's sitting on a beach in Greece drinking a cocktail and we won't ever see him again," The wizard spat, "Which is far more than a rotten person like him deserves. A Death Eater that suddenly grew empathy? Let's be honest."

"I dunno," Bailey bit her lip, "You know from Bill's contacts, the double agents for Voldemort, Voldemort was furious but has stopped looking. I doubt he'd stop if he thought one of his inner circle was out there alive somewhere, having run away."

"I agree. I think he's dead. Good riddance. You know they said his Dark Mark went...well, dark. That only happens with one instance," The wizard drew a line across his neck and made a squelching noise, "Rowle's six feet in the ground right now, I'd bet money."

"Wasn't Voldemort, he'd be boasting otherwise." Bailey shuddered, "I just don't like it. Makes me feel weird, you know? How he sort of just...fell off the face of the earth. Whether he was killed or not-,"

"Yo, err, Emilia, right? So, my sister and brother-in-law want to travel to your end of the continent soon. Any ideas where she should stop?" One of the witches in their circle nudged Hermione. She bit her tongue in frustration; she couldn't shush this person to hear the rest of the conversation, so she gave her recommendations, and Theo as well, since he was prompted too. By the time they turned their ears back to the end of the table, the trio was discussing the uptick in the price of cheese. Bollocks.

It wasn't all bad. They'd learned a lot, so much to muse over. Theo was already retreating into his mind to synthesize all the information and it seemed it was time to go. They caught Bill as he was coming back.

"We must get going; we only intended for a quick bite," Emilia apologized.

"Godric, it has been about four hours. Of course, don't let me keep you." Bill tried to balance the glasses, "Wait! Here's my Floo extension. Drop a line if you two are in London, I think you got along smashingly with the group. We'll try to keep you in the loop in case we go out again, yeah?"

"Thank you so much," Hermione said, clutching the paper, and she really meant it. Theo was totally zoned out, "Enjoy the rest of your night!"

Upon returning home, Theo started pacing their living room.

"We did it," He finally said, "We did it. Voldemort thinks he's dead. There's some question about where he is, but the Aurors are looking at a tropical paradise. No one knows Trajan was even born and…' He finally stopped, "We're so freaking lucky we did it right."

"I know," Hermione said, hugging him, "We made it past step one."

Theo pulled back and for a second, she thought he was pulling away emotionally, and he would be a wreck of emotions. Instead, he was beaming.

"Hermione, go into town and buy yourself a nice dress tomorrow."

"Why?"

"We deserve to celebrate."

October 30th, 1996

Hermione did not fully recognize what it meant to have money until she and Theo checked out the 'Gold and Silver Club', or a high-celebrity restaurant just outside of town. Chloe was the one who had mentioned it to her.

"Oh, it's been out of reservations for months now," She bemoaned, "Gren and I have been trying to get in forever."

When deciding a place, Hermione had mentioned this, but quickly taken it back, citing that very reason. Theo had just grinned at her, as though there was some joke she was missing, and winked.

"Dear Hermione, you say that as though I can't get in," He scoffed.

Hermione frowned, "If Gren can't-," She knew Gren held a certain level of power right now as it was.

"Gren isn't us," Theo said simply.

When they arrived, the maitre'd snootily told them that they should check back next April to see if there may be seats, but his tone said they shouldn't count on it. Hermione almost wilted under his imposing and judging glare, but Theo blinked like he hadn't heard the man.

"I imagine there might be a seat for us," Theo said, tilting his head, slipping the man a wad of pounds, "Wouldn't you say?"

The man blanched, blinking twice in surprise at what was in his palms, "Who are you again, sir?" The tone of superiority had vanished.

"Sebastian Lihote. You might have heard of me and my wife; we just bought the manor in Charsville."

"Of course, sir! I did not realize it was you…" The maitre'd pocketed the cash, "Give just one moment. I'll get that right away."

"And be sure to have a bottle of wine waiting for this inconvenience," Theo said sternly, "But thank you, sir." Hermione listened as he rattled off some title of wine she'd never even heard of. The man nearly tripped over himself nodding.

Soon enough, they were passing the line and being seated with two glasses of white wine already poured.

"How much did you give him?" Hermione said, eyes wide.

Theo shrugged, "Eh, about a thousand pounds."

Hermione choked up her wine, "Are you insane?" She hissed. Theo looked at her with a sad sort of smile.

"Dear, the bill tonight is likely to be triple that. That wine itself is about 200 pounds and a good cut of steak is surely 600, to begin with."

Hermione quickly put the glass down. Theo lifted it to her, offering it, but she didn't even want to touch the glass.

He set it down, not disappointed, but perhaps realizing something, "Em, a thousand pounds is a drop in the bucket of our wealth. It's a one pence found and left on the street. It's a forgettable number, something we'd consider a light pocket change. That's your life now. Slipping him a thousand? Honestly, it probably should have been more, but I wanted to test the waters. In London, for a true premiere place, it would be at least 5,000 to get a seat, if your name doesn't already get you in the door." Theo explained. Hermione stared at him, uncomprehendingly.

"Well," She finally sputtered, "You were also sort of rude. You didn't have to be. I mean, other than thanking him, but before!"

The waitress came and gave them their menus. As Theo had guessed, nothing there was less than thirty pounds, and that was for a small plate that Hermione figured would hardly satisfy a mouse. Steaks were indeed in a range Hermione thought was laughable, but Theo was reading the menu as though it was normal.

As soon as the waitress left, Theo shrugged, "It's how you talk to people."

"No, it's not," Hermione argued.

"For us, it is. I can't explain it, but that's just how you are. People only speak one language; money. Kindness does nothing except muddle the line of communication. Being solid and straightforward, along with some encouragement in paper form, is how you navigate and cut through all the bullshit. You can be polite, and I would encourage it - no need to be a total arse- but flowery loveliness isn't going to get you seats here."

"Is that Slytherin 101?" Hermione asked halfway sarcastically. Theo shrugged again.

"I guess," He said, totally serious. He set down his menu, "It's you too now. Like it or not, but even just with a regular marriage ceremony, my money is yours. Though," He scratched his head, "If you wanted to spend over 10,000 galleons on something, I'd prefer you ask me."

"And anything under that is just fine? Not even a conversation?" She said, half-jokingly. Her parents discussed any purchase over 20 pounds with each other. For Theo to be saying she had free reign with basically what would have been life-changing for her was absurd.

"Whatever you want, luv," He said, entirely not joking.

"What would I even buy with 10,000 galleons?" Hermione murmured in shock.

"Dunno. Purebloods find lots of expensive stuff to buy." Theo snorted, "Hippogriffs...new furniture for the west wing...Narcissa's peacocks were quite a pretty knut."

Hermione wanted to resist what he was saying. It was her Gryffindor nature, after all, to be stubborn at all turns. Though, as she watched Theo interact with the wait staff, and saw how they went so far to please him, just for him to give the guy who refilled their water 100 pounds, Hermione sort of began to understand.

The other thing she realized by the time dinner was done? She had no idea how to navigate this high-money and the high-power universe.

But that was hardly a means for panic. For, what did Hermione do when she was unsure of something?

Why, she researched it of course, until she could recite it back to you drunk and half-asleep.

Luckily, she thought as Theo rambled about how good the steak cut he'd gotten was and managed to procure a dessert not even on the menu, she realized she had the perfect teacher right in front of her.