'Harry,

I'm going to try to escape. Meet me in the Forest of Dean, near the river, at midnight tomorrow. If I don't arrive within the hour, you can assume that either the plans have changed or that I've been caught. If that happens, don't come for me. The last thing I want is for them to capture you and Ron as well.

I hope to see you soon,

Hermione'

By some stroke of luck, Tom didn't come to visit her that night, making her plan all that much easier. However, he was still in the house, assumingly asleep in his own bedroom next to hers, which still made the task of sneaking out tricky. She knew she couldn't risk having him hear her, and then there was the rest of the house to navigate through. In the dark, no less. Past all the portraits of the late members of the Malfoy family, who would likely tell on her. She'd be lucky to make it down the stairs.

And so, thinking it the best option, she called on her trusted house elf for help.

Dooly popped into her bedroom at her call. "Mistress called for Dooly?" she asked with a yawn, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands.

She felt a sting of guilt for waking her up, especially when she worked so hard all day, but it couldn't be helped. "If I asked you to apparate me out of Malfoy Manor, could you do it?"

Dooly blinked at her, taking a moment to look her mistress over, noticing that she was not dressed for bed, but rather in a pink jumper and pair of faded jeans that she had transfigured for herself.

"Mistress wishes to leave?"

Hermione nodded. "Can you help me?"

"Dooly could apparate Mistress wherever she pleases, but…" The house elf hesitated, her big eyes watering with tears. "Dooly doesn't want Mistress to leave. Dooly likes being with Mistress."

Crouching down so that she was level with the house elf, Hermione took her wrinkled and calloused hands into her own. "I like being with you too, Dooly, but there's something I need to do, and I can't do it if I'm stuck here."

"Dooly understands," Dooly sniffled. "Dooly wishes she could come with Mistress, but Dooly cannot bear to leave her younglings."

Hermione knew that, which was why she hadn't asked the house elf to come with her. And yet, a part of her was afraid of what it might mean to leave her behind. Would she be punished for helping her escape? There was no doubt the house elf was strong enough to endure it, but still the thought filled her with dread.

"We'll see each other again," she promised.

Dooly pulled her hands away, reaching up to dry her eyes on the dirty pillowcase she wore.

Eying the elf's clothing in disgust, she took out her wand and cast Scourgify on it, making it appear as spotless as if it were new. She had done some research on the laws involving enslaved house elves, and was pleased to learn that their rags could be cleaned without freeing them from service.

"Dooly will help Mistress," the house elf said with an appreciative smile.

She reached out a calloused hand and Hermione took hold of it, giving it an affirming squeeze. And then they were off, a loud pop echoing in her ears as she was swept off her feet, the world around her going blurry until she could no longer see her bedroom. Moments passed and there was nothing but an empty void.

And then her surroundings began to change. A gust of cool air hit her as her feet came into contact with something hard and solid. The spinning stopped and she turned to find herself standing only a few feet away from the black iron gates at the very end of the property.

They had successfully made it outside. Glancing briefly back at the manor, she was relieved to find not even a single light on. Everyone was still sound asleep and likely none-the-wiser.

However, she knew that relief was to be short-lived.

Retrieving the key from some hidden pocket in her newly cleaned pillowcase, Dooly crossed the short distance to the gate and started to fit it into the lock, stopping momentarily to look back at her mistress.

"Be careful, Mistress."

"I will."

Dooly turned the key and the gate unlocked, swinging open with an obnoxiously loud squeak that she had never noticed before.

With one final deep breath, she crossed through to the other side, feeling something ripple around her, as if she were stepping through a barrier. It was the wards that Mr. Malfoy himself had put up to offer the house and its inhabitants protection from any unwanted visitors. And there was no doubt in her head that Mr. Malfoy would soon become aware of the breach.

"Hurry back to the kitchens and pretend as if you had nothing to do with this."

Dooly nodded in understanding, shutting the gate closed behind her before popping off to do as she had been instructed.

Hermione took off without further delay, running as fast as her legs could carry her to put some distance between her and the manor. Ducking into the forest, she craned her head to look back, noting that there was now light coming from several of the rooms on the second floor. Meaning that her time was running out.

She ran further from the manor, while still keeping to the edge of the forest, knowing that to venture too deep would mean risking her being caught by snatchers. She wasn't sure if there were any patrolling so close to the manor, but she wasn't about to find out.

A loud rumble of thunder pierced the night air, and she knew without even questioning it that Tom was the cause of it. Of course, being the closest, he would have been the first to discover she wasn't in bed asleep. Which also meant that he would have found the note she left for him.

Searching her surroundings to make sure she wasn't in any immediate danger, she stopped to concentrate on the next step. The Forest of Dean, she chanted in her mind, picturing the exact location she wanted to go in her mind. Next to the river. On the right hand side. Close to our former camp.

And then she was off again.

The Forest of Dean was silent, save for the faint echo that lingered in the air from her apparating, and the rippling of the river to her immediate left. That was part of the reason she had always loved the place. It was quiet and the scenery picturesque. And yet, a part of her couldn't help but feel on edge, remembering the last time she had been there.

This was where it all began, she realized. It was where she and Ron had been caught by Greyback and his snatchers before being taken back to Malfoy Manor. They had sacrificed themselves so that Harry could get away. Harry had been against the plan right from the beginning. As expected, he wasn't too fond of the idea of abandoning his friends, and Hermione was sure he would have rather let himself get captured instead just to spare them.

And now, it seemed fitting that it would be the place where she was reunited with them once more.

Glancing around, she looked for any sign of them, or anyone else for that matter. She even went so far as to cast a silent Revelio, in case they had come under the protection of the invisibility cloak, a frown forming on her lips when it failed to reveal anything.

Where were they?

She had checked the time right before she left, so she knew it to be midnight. That was the time she had given them to meet her, and she had been pretty specific with the location. She knew for a fact that they knew where to find her. So, why weren't they there?

Giving her head a shake, she sat down on the ground to wait, disillusioning herself in case someone other than her friends should happen upon the area. She knew she was most likely worrying for nothing. Something might have come up that delayed their arrival. They might have had trouble sneaking away from wherever it was they were staying.

And yet, she couldn't help the sliver of doubt that entered her brain. What if they couldn't make it? She hadn't exactly asked them if the time was suitable for them, though she supposed they could have sent a note back with Dooly to tell her if that was the case. The real question that haunted her was: Had they changed their minds on coming to rescue her?

She shivered, hugging her legs to her chest as a particularly chilly blast of wind hit her. She decided that she would give them an hour, the same hour that she had given herself in case complications arose. If they didn't come by then… Well, she'd have to go back to Malfoy Manor if that happened.

No, it wouldn't come to that. She just had to have faith that they would come for her, that they wouldn't leave her hanging like that.

A while passed without any sign of them, and Hermione knew this as she kept track of time by counting out the seconds in each minute that passed. Eventually she got cold enough that she got up and went to collect some broken tree branches, arranging them in a neat little pile on the ground, where she then started a fire with her signature bluebell flames. Not only would it keep her warm, but it would serve as a beacon to let her friends know she was there.

Just give up, said a voice in her head. Your so-called friends aren't coming for you.

"They will come," she whispered to herself.

She kept repeating that to herself over and over again, at first in a whisper, and then silently in her head to keep the doubts at bay.

And then she heard it. The distinctive popping sound of apparition. Her head shot up at the sound, frantically looking every which way in search of them. A few minutes later, she spotted them in the distance, on the other side of the river. A wave of relief flooded over her at the sight.

"You're wasting your time, Harry," Ron's voice carried through the wind. "She's not gonna show."

"You're wrong," came Harry's reply. "Look, it's her bluebell flame!"

Remembering that she was currently invisible, she reversed the spell and got to her feet. In a blink, they had apparated over to her, and neither her nor Harry wasted any time in throwing themselves at the other, wrapping their arms tightly around each other in an embrace.

"Harry," Hermione breathed. "I was beginning to fear I'd never see you again."

"Same," he muttered, burying his face into her hair for a moment before pulling away just enough to see her face to face. "I can't even begin to describe how much I've missed you."

She smiled at him. "I missed you too."

Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes and she made no effort to stop them from trickling down her face. She pulled Harry in again for one more quick hug before releasing him. On instinct, she turned to Ron to hug him as well, but stopped in her tracks at the less than welcoming expression on his face.

She remembered what Harry had said in his letters. Ron was furious with her, and though he had said he would try to talk some sense into him, it clearly hadn't worked, at least not entirely. The distrust was evident in his eyes, as well as in the tightness of his jaw. Looking at him, she would have thought that he was the one she had been forced to torture instead.

"Hermione," he greeted her with a stiff nod of the head.

"Ron."

The strain between them made her heart ache. It made her want to hug him all the more, but she restrained herself, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate it right now, and forced her arms to fall back to her sides.

"Was it difficult for you to get out?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes at his other friend's behavior. "Did anyone follow you?"

"I don't think so." She briefly explained how she had managed to escape in such a short amount of time, gone before anyone could even realize what was happening "But still, we should leave this place soon."

Harry nodded and reached out his hands, one to Hermione and the other to Ron. Hermione took it without question, but Ron didn't follow.

"Trust me, Ron," Harry urged.

Ron let out a sigh, but ultimately listened to his friend and took hold of his other hand.

Hermione had no idea where they were going, so she was more than a little surprised when they appeared at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea, the roaring of waves crashing down into the tide echoing in her ears.. It was difficult to see in the dark of night, but she could vaguely make out what appeared to be a house in the distance.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Shell Cottage, just outside of Tinworth, Cornwall," Harry said, loosening his hold on both his friends. This earned him a glare from Ron, to which he glared back.

Hermione had just opened her mouth and was about to ask them where this cottage was, when she felt magic ripple through the air around her. A quaint, two-storey cottage appeared before her eyes, with whitewashed walls that upon closer inspection she found to be decorated with hundreds of sea shells of all different shapes and sizes.

"This is one of the order's safe houses, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "It used to belong to Ron's aunt, but now Bill and Fleur live here."

And the reason she hadn't seen it at first had to be because it was under the protection of the Fidelius Charm. It made her feel a bit uneasy, knowing what had happened to Harry's parents, whose house had also been placed under said charm. She could only hope that the secret keeper was someone more trustworthy than Wormtail this time.

"Come on," Harry motioned to her as he started towards the cottage. "I think you'll like it here."

Based on what she had already seen, she had to agree.

However, she never got the chance to see inside as no sooner had she reached the front door, then it swung open and she found herself flying backwards. A few moments later, she hit the ground with a hard thud. When she looked up, she found more than one member of the order standing over her, their wands pointed straight at her.

"Stop!" Harry shouted. "Let her go!"

She started to pull herself up off the ground, only to be pinned back to the ground by her former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, who cast a full body bind on her so that she couldn't move or even talk. The only thing she could do was watch as he reached out with his free hand to snatch her wand from her.

"What in Merlin's name were you thinking, Harry?" Remus asked, never once taking his eyes off of her. "Do you have any idea who you just let in?"

Hermione managed to turn her head just enough to see Harry stomp towards them, his own wand pointed at Remus. "Yeah, I let in my best friend, Hermione Granger.'

Remus shook his head, his eyes narrowing down at her. "You let in the Dark Lord's wife, Hermione Gaunt."

Harry's eyes widened briefly, no doubt at the mention of her new last name, before anger towards the professor once more took over. "She didn't have a choice!" he insisted.

"Yes, she did!" Remus argued. "She could have tried to escape before the wedding, and if she had, we would have gladly taken her back, but now… now she is aligned with the Dark Lord, and who knows how long it'll be before he comes looking for her."

"I don't care!" Harry yelled. "I don't care about any of that!"

"Have you forgotten that she used the Cruciatus Curse on you?!"

No one spoke for several moments after that outburst. It seemed that despite everything, no one had forgotten about that. Hermione wished she could turn her head away in shame. She hadn't forgotten about it either.

"She sacrificed herself to save me and Ron," Harry retorted. "You have no idea what she went through in that place."

"You're right, we don't know what she went through, or whether she went through anything at all."

Another period of silence followed as Remus turned to look at the other order members surrounding her. The only other one in her line of sight was Bill Weasley, the long scars on his face still just as noticeable as the last time she had seen him, serving as a permanent reminder of what Fenrir Greyback had done to him.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but we'll have to interrogate her,"

"But-" Harry started to protest.

"If it's proven that she is indeed still on our side, we will of course let her go," a voice that sounded a lot like Kingsley Shacklebolt cut him off. "But should she be found to have ulterior motives for attempting to rejoin you, we shall have no choice but to deal with her accordingly."

"Stupefy!"

Terror coursed through her as a burst of red light shot towards her, hitting her right in the chest. And the last thing she heard was Harry screaming her name before everything went black.