Day Twenty-One

It was strange to actually feel excited about getting out of bed, but for the first time in a long time, Hermione was. She hoped that the previous day hadn't been a fluke or a dream. Having actual customers and making actual sales felt exhilarating. The thought of having to return to another day of no one coming inside her shop nearly made her cry. But, she didn't want to bring down the great mood that she and her husband both felt the night before. Even if they had no customers again and the problem with her business failing had nothing to do with a horrible spell cast by a disgruntled former employee, she would try to remain positive.

Likewise, Rabastan was in a marvelous mood when she entered the kitchen. His good morning kiss was so passionate that part of her expected him to pick her up and toss her down on top of the table right in the middle of the toast. Not that she would've complained in the slightest. Crumbs in uncomfortable places would've been an acceptable price to pay. When he finally released her from his embrace, his grin was one of the cheekiest she'd seen from him yet.

"Who is the better kisser, me or Luna?"

She gave in to the childish urge to roll her eyes even as she laughed. Was that why he had put so much effort into his kiss? Again, she couldn't really complain. It had been wonderful.

"You're never going to forget that, are you?"

"Not any time soon. I thought about it in the shower this morning."

"Is that why there was almost no hot water left when it was my turn?"

"No, I was thinking about what you looked like on your knees and lost track of time. You say Justin has poor timing. I say Luna does."

Hermione snorted out a laugh. There was a question she meant to ask him the day before, but there hadn't been much time while the shop was busy. It didn't seem appropriate to ask when customers might overhear.

"Would you really have sent her outside to wait ten minutes for us to finish?"

"Damn right, I would've."

He leaned down to kiss her again. Before he stood back up to his full height he brushed his lips against the outside of her ear. Despite being the only two people in the entire building, he still chose to whisper.

"Your beautiful mouth that close to my throbbing cock? She wouldn't have even needed to leave. I've never minded an audience."

"You little deviant."

"Death Eater, remember? You don't even know what sort of deviant acts I got up to in my youth."

Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach. The reminder of his past spoken so casually was as if a bucket of ice water was poured on top of her head. Even though they were having a pleasant morning, she knew they needed to have an uncomfortable conversation. It was time that they discussed another topic they didn't want to. She sat down at the table and started buttering her toast.

"Did you ever take someone against their will?"

Knowing it was about to get very serious, Rabastan's smile dropped off his face. Before he answered the question, he sat down in his usual chair.

"Anyone against their will? No, I can honestly say I never did that. Was I tempted to? Once or twice, but I stopped myself. I've seen it happen more than I wish I had, but no, I didn't do it myself."

She was relieved. Though she hadn't wanted to admit it even to herself, there was a part of her that feared the exact sorts of violence her husband had gotten up to when he was in the service of his Dark Lord. Some acts were most definitely worse than others, but some she wasn't sure she could ever forgive.

"And before you ask, the answer is eight."

He sighed, but she didn't know what he meant.

"That's the number of people I killed when I was a Death Eater. Three of them were because I was ordered to, four were to keep them from killing me, and one just because I wanted to. I remember every single one of their names and faces. They and the Longbottoms will haunt me until the day I die. Probably beyond that too. I don't know how the after-life works and I'm not sure I want to know."

It meant a great deal to Hermione that he was honest when he didn't have to be. How easy would it have been to claim that he hadn't killed anyone? That all of the violence he was involved with only injured his victims?

"Thank you for telling me."

"You deserve to know. I probably should've told you long before you ever married me."

Feeling like they had reached their limit for such a serious topic that early in the morning, Hermione decided she would tease him and hopefully move the conversation on to something lighter and more enjoyable.

"Well, selfishly, I look forward to experiencing some of what you learned in your deviant youth."

His laughter helped to break some of the tension that inevitably fell between them when the worst parts of his past were brought up.

"Just so we're clear, I'm talking about the sex, not the murder."

Rabastan rolled his eyes, but still smiled. The rest of their breakfast was spent discussing the day ahead. Both of them were trying to remain positive that the removal of the hidden rune was the answer to their problems.

Thankfully, it was another busy day in the shop. It was almost too much for Hermione. She began to feel overwhelmed before mid-day. If she hadn't had Rabastan there by her side every step of the way, she might have been tempted to hide in her office until everyone went away. Her husband had proven himself to be a natural at keeping her calm. One soft touch of his hand or a whispered encouragement was all she needed. He was wonderful with the customers too. Some were nervous to be around him because of his reputation, but he was charming enough to win most of them over before they walked back out the front door.

It was a long day. Good, but very long. She nearly cried at the end of the night when she added up the day's sales. Seeing how much money the shop made in one day made her hate Nicholas even more for what he did. Rabastan was pleased too.

"You're better at running your business than you think you are. I never want to hear you doubt yourself again. It just takes time to learn everything."

The moment she was done recording the day's numbers in the book, he helped her out of the desk chair. The temptation to kiss her was too strong to resist. Not that Hermione was in the mood to push him away.

"I know it's not morning, but…"

"You can kiss me any time of day you wish just as long as you keep kissing me good morning."

"Good. Now I'm far too tired to cook for you, but I'm taking you to a pub in Knockturn Alley where you will be surprised to find the best roast dinner you've ever eaten."

Naturally she was skeptical of such a claim. Who went to that dodgy part of the district for dinner? But, she had to admit that she would follow him anywhere.