Chapter 5: I'm sorry, what?

Hermione tried to keep her wand steadily pointed towards the mysterious man that approached her, or she assumed he was a man, she couldn't really tell through the mask and cloak. But if the muffled voice she heard was anything to go by, he was. She glanced to the Death Eaters lying on the floor, who were now tied up. That at least made her feel a little bit more comfortable, she didn't have to worry about the Death Eaters for now. She just didn't know what to do about the new masked figures. They didn't seem to be interested in attacking her, but that didn't mean that they couldn't, or wouldn't.

She looked back at the one closest to her, he was wearing a white cloak as opposed to the other three who were wearing a black one. He moved his arm slowly inside his cloak. She swallowed nervously, not sure what he was going to do. His hands then moved lightning fast, before he squatted down and placed his hand on the ground.

Suddenly there was a 'poof!'-sound and a cloud of smoke came out of nowhere, making her flinch. What in Merlin's name was happening? And… a dog? Oh, right. Of course. A talking dog. Hermione seriously started to doubt her sanity at this point. But even she couldn't make something like this up. The man spoke to the dog and gave him a small scroll before it took off. This day was just getting weirder and weirder.

Her attention then returned to the man, who in turned looked back at her. Hermione watched him cock his head, almost like a dog, really. Which would be ironic, since the white mask he was wearing seemed to be a dog, not to mention the small dog he had just spoken to. She watched him raise his hands, showing her he wasn't holding a weapon. The universal sign of 'I'm not going to hurt you', or she at least hoped it meant the same to them. He kept staring at her, waiting for her to make a move.

Until Hermione was brought out of her stupor by Teddy. She glanced down at him, seeing that he was still crying, silently due to the cast charm. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but she was hesitant to lower her wand. Looking up once more, she was now being stared at by all four figures. Yeah, that wasn't creepy at all, she thought. Oh, what the hell. If they were going to kill her, there was no way she could defend herself against all four, that was obvious. She saw how fast they were, or rather hadn't seen it which said enough.

Slowly lowering her wand, she whispered Finite to cancel the Silencing Charm. Hermione winced the moment Teddy's wails reached her ears as she put her wand in her pocket.

"Shh, shh, Teddy. You're alright, you're okay sweetie. Shh." She soothed the little boy. "It's okay, the bad guys aren't going to hurt you anymore. You're safe now."

"DADA," Teddy wept. "Da-DADA."

Hermione rocked the boy in her arms, hushing him, trying to calm him down. "It's okay, darling. Auntie is here, okay? Auntie will take care of you," her voice wavered. She didn't dare to look at Remus' lifeless body. She had to be strong, especially for Teddy. Like her, he was now an orphan. And she was dead set on making sure he was going to be raised in a loving environment, even if she was the only one he had.

Teddy's cries slowly started to ebb to soft sobs. "There you go, sweetheart. It's going to be alright." Hermione crooned, while still rocking him.

She heard someone clearing their throat, which made her flinch and look up immediately. While still rocking Teddy in her arms, she looked at the man that interrupted her. He seemed to be speaking to her, but she couldn't understand what he was saying, looking more and more confused at the sounds he was producing. What kind of language was that?

"State your name and the business you have in our country."

"I- I'm sorry, what? I don't- I can't understand what you're saying." She tried explaining to him. She had no idea if he even understood a word she was saying.

The man cocked his head again, obviously bothered by the language barrier they were dealing with, as was she.

He shook his head while saying something else and cleared his throat once more, "Ah-, you speak English, yes?" The man said in a heavy accent.

Hermione perked up at that, "yes! Yes. I speak English. Thank Merlin." She said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Can you help me? I- I don't know where I am." Her voice wavered a bit when saying that.

Kakashi looked at the woman as she pocketed her weapon-stick thing, before calming the small child down. Thank Kami for that, the kid was too damn loud. Listening to her talk, he realised he recognised the language she was speaking. She seemed to be speaking English, a language he had learned years ago. The only issue now was that he wasn't fluent. He'd have to dig up the scrolls Minato-sensei had given him when he was Hokage to brush up on it some more. Still, it couldn't hurt to check, she may very well be able to speak their language as well. It would definitely save him a lot of headache if she did.

He cleared his throat to gain her attention before speaking. "State your name and the business you have in our country."

The woman furrowed her brow, clearly looking confused, "I- I'm sorry, what? I don't- I can't understand what you're saying."

Kakashi inwardly sighed as he cocked his head again. He could feel his team looking at him, wondering what he would do. He knew Tenzou spoke a little English as well, so he was sure he had picked up on it. He wasn't sure about Yugao and Shisui. It wasn't a common language to speak in the Elemental Nations after all.

"This isn't going to work. She doesn't seem to speak our language. That's going to be an issue." He sighed. Clearing his throat again, alright here goes nothing, "Ah-, you speak English, yes?" He winced at his botched accent. It was expected since he hadn't spoken it in over four years and it's better than nothing at the moment.

She seemed to perk up at that, "yes! Yes. I speak English. Thank Merlin. Can you help me? I- I don't know where I am."

Alright, now we're getting somewhere, Kakashi thought.

"What's your name?"

"My name?"

She hesitated a moment before answering. "Um, Hermione." She said, "Granger. Um, yeah, my name's Hermione Granger."Kakashi raised an unseen eyebrow at that. That was a weird-ass name. He remembered that Minato-sensei had once said something about there being people who said their names differently, he thought his sensei had just meant the pronunciation, but hearing her speak, it made him think that he hadn't meant the actual names… Maybe; "What's your family name?" He asked to clarify.

"Um, my family name is Granger." She responded.

He nodded at that, both because he was right and to show her he understood. That's probably what his sensei had meant. The order of the names is reversed compared to how they say it. "I'm Hound. We're taking you and the others back to our village." He made sure his tone was firm, leaving no room for any objection on her part. Her eyes widened a bit at that, and while she seemed reluctant, she made no objections. Smart girl, Kakashi thought.

As he turned to his team, he noticed something approaching them. He tensed as he widened his senses, preparing for an attack if needed. A second later, he relaxed, recognising who it was right before Genma came into view.

"Managed to escape the hospital, huh?" Kakashi said in greeting.

"As if they could keep me there," Genma responded while shrugging. "Anyways, I ran into the grumpy pug on the way home who said you were here, figured I'd lend a hand? Can't believe you left me in that damn hospital, boss." He complained.

Kakashi shrugged, "You weren't discharged from the hospital when we left, so tough luck." He looked at their captives, "Anyways, you'll be briefed on the situation later, Bear. I'm assuming you're fit enough to do some heavy lifting?"

"Yep, I'm good as new!" Genma said, looking at the 'cargo'. He then glanced at the woman, "By the way, who's the chick? Huh, she's kinda cute, eh?"

" Focus Bear." Kakashi scolded him. "You can grab the dead body and bring it to the morgue. And keep your comments to yourself, otherwise you'll be the one that ends up in the morgue. Understood?" Kakashi ordered. Genma somehow always managed to annoy the hell out of Kakashi. Couldn't he just do his job, without the comments?

Genma stayed silent for a moment, which was a smart choice in this case. Kakashi's patience was wearing thin. "Yessir, understood." Genma replied curtly as he walked to the deceased man. He picked him up, throwing him on his shoulder. He gave a nod to Kakashi before taking off.

"Okay, Crow and Rabbit, you take the captives to T&I and inform them of the situation. Ask them to wait with the interrogation until I've briefed them of the situation. Also, inform them that we're bringing her in as well."

"Yessir," the pair replied, before sprinting off towards the village with the captives. This left Tenzou and Kakashi alone with the woman.

"So," Tenzou called, "I suppose we're going to walk?" He nodded towards the woman, who was looking in the direction that Genma, Shisui and Yugao had went. She looked back at him and opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but waited as she saw they were talking.

He nodded, "yes, we'll walk. It's best for now. Besides, I don't think she would very much appreciate being manhandled at the moment, do you?"

"No, I don't think she will," Tenzou chuckled softly. "Are you going to inform her, or should I?" he offered. Kakashi smiled at that beneath his mask, glad Tenzou had picked up on the language. That'd definitely help in the near future.

"Maa, I got it."

Granger-san?" He called, as he slowly made his way towards her, "We're leaving. The place we're going is about five miles that way." He said as he pointed to the east.

"Right, okay, um. Before we leave, may I- Well, if you don't mind me asking, what are you going to do with my friend?"

Ah, of course. "He'll be taken to the morgue for now. You'll be able to pay your respects later." He explained. He may be harsh, but he wasn't heartless.

She nodded at him, shifting the child in her arms. He then watched her take the torn cloth that was wrapped around the child and quickly tied it around herself as well. Securing the boy against her body but keeping her arms free. Not bad, he thought. It was obvious she at least had some survival instinct. She's definitely not as hopeless as he had first thought. Of course, the way she attacked the other men showed that as well, he supposed. And now this. He'd be lying if he said she hadn't piqued his interest.

Hermione's mind was whirling. A new man appeared out of nowhere and then lifted Remus' body like it was nothing and then jumped up into the trees? What in Merlin's name was happening? She looked back at the man who had called himself Hound. Fitting, seeing the mask and not to forget the fact he had made a dog appear out of nowhere. He was conversing with the other man that remained behind. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if his name was 'Cat' or something feline, looking at the mask. She'll just go with that now, might as well.

She raised an eyebrow when 'Cat' pointed at her, saying something in their language. Teddy started babbling at her, reaching for her hair. She smiled down at him, giving him a kiss on his head.

"Granger-san?" Hound called out to her, walking towards her at a slow pace. She was quite grateful for that, as she looked back at him. "We're leaving. The place we're going is about five miles that way." He said as he pointed in the direction where the rest of the masked men had gone.

"Right, okay, um. Before we leave, may I- Well, if you don't mind me asking, what are you going to do with my friend?" Hermione cursed herself as she stumbled over her words. He was quite intimidating though, so she couldn't really blame herself, could she?

"He'll be taken to the morgue for now. You'll be able to pay your respects later." She nodded at that and used the cloth surrounding Teddy to tie him to her body she wouldn't have to carry him in her arms and then waited for him to lead the way. As soon as she was done, he nodded to 'Cat'. As the other man passed, Hound held out his hand, to indicate she could start walking. He remained next to her as they made the journey to whatever place they were taking her.

They didn't speak a word during their walk, which was absolutely fine with her, really. She was still trying to wrap her head around the whole situation. Her mind went a mile a minute, going over all the events. From the Death Eaters attacking them, to ending up in a forest with these strange men. How did the Death Eaters manage to do that anyhow? And would she and Teddy be able to go back home? And Remus'… Shit, this wasn't happening. It was just a dream, right? She'll wake up any second now and they'll laugh about how weird it was. Right?

However, she knew it wasn't, it was awfully real. Teddy was babbling happily while secured to her chest, without a care in the world. That was good, she didn't want him to be upset.

Hermione had no idea how much time she'd spend in her mind, but before she knew it she was standing in front of the largest doors she's ever seen. And Hogwarts' doors were huge .

"Oh my," she gasped. "Where are we?" She turned to Hound in question.

He cocked his head in her direction, staying silent. She almost thought he wouldn't answer, but then; "This is our village. Konohagakure no Sato , or in your language 'The Village Hidden in the Leaves'. We call it Konoha for short."

"Huh, Village Hidden in the Leaves. I suppose that makes sense, with all the trees and all that," she said lightly, waving her hand to make her point.

Hound hummed at that, looking ahead to where 'Cat' was standing. "Wait here." His voice suddenly was emotionless again. It startled Hermione, but it reminded her that he was not a friend. It was a bit off-putting, to be honest. She didn't know how to deal with people like that.

He walked up to the other man, softly conversing, while also speaking to the men who were sitting to the side. A few minutes later, Hound returned to where she was standing. "We're taking you to our T&I department first, before we make any other decisions about your situation."

"T&I? What's that?" Hermione asked, not quite liking the sound of that.

"Torture and Interrogation." Came the blunt reply. Hermione froze at that, her eyes widened in fear, both from his tone and his answer. Torture and Interrogation? Oh no.

After walking for about an hour and a half, they finally arrived at the gates of Konoha. He saw the woman snap out whatever daze she'd been in almost the entire way. He hadn't mind the silence, he welcomed it really. He kept an eye on her all the same. The child had babbled at first, but had then fallen asleep due to the steady rocking as she walked.

"Oh my," she gasped. "Where are we?"

Cocking his head, he thought about what to tell her. He figured he could at least reveal the name of the village. "This is our village. Konohagakure no Sato, or in your language 'The Village Hidden in the Leaves'. We call it Konoha for short." He explained to her.

"Huh, Village Hidden in the Leaves. I suppose that makes sense, with all the trees and all that," she replied, waving her hand around.

Kakashi hummed at that, shifting his gaze towards Tenzou, who was talking with the chunin that was on guard duty. "Wait here." He ordered.

He walked up to Tenzou. "Everything in order?"

"Yes, they got it all sorted. Morino-san is taking care of the captives as we speak and the Hokage has been made aware of the situation." Kakashi nodded at that.

"Ah, um, Anbu-san," the chunin nervously said. "We've got a message from T&I to let you know that Yamanaka-san is expecting you to come by immediately." He said, while handing Kakashi the note with a shaking hand.

Kakashi had to stop himself from chuckling. It was kind of fun to see them all so terrified of him. With good reason, of course, but still. "Alright, good." He then turned to Tenzou, "Let's go."

"Ah, senpai, you haven't forgotten she still has her-"

"Weapon, yes, I know." Kakashi interrupted. "Don't worry. You and I both know we can take her out before she points it at us. Let her keep it for now. We can always take it from here if needed."

"If you're sure…" Tenzou said.

"I'm sure. Have a little faith in me, kohai." Kakashi said teasingly as he walked back to where the woman was standing, "We're taking you to our T&I department first, before we make any other decisions about your situation." He said to her.

"Wait, T&I? What's that?" She asked him, he could see the uncertainty in her eyes as he looked at her.

"Torture and Interrogation." He said. She froze at that. The uncertainty making room for fear. She apparently was so scared, he could actually smell the fear. Kakashi frowned at that. While he knew that T&I didn't sound like a party, he never had someone react this bad to it. She was actually terrified. He looked at Tenzou, giving him a sign to wait a moment. He looked at her a moment longer. Deciding on how to proceed. He figured a direct approach would be best.

He reached out for her arm, "Let's go, Granger-san. They're expecting us. We don't have time for this so snap out of it." He snapped at her, while grabbing hold of her. They didn't have time for this. The moment he touched her arm, however, he felt an electrical shock running up his arm, which made him pause. She definitely felt it too, because in the same second she tried to tear her arm from his grip, her eyes wide.

"What are y- Let me go!" She cried out. "Let me go, you're hurting me!"

Kakashi blinked at her outburst and loosened his grip a little. He hadn't even realised that he had tightened his grip that much. She tried pulling her arm away again, trying to make him let her go, but he wouldn't budge. "Stop struggling, Granger-san, I'm not going to let you go. They are waiting for us, so start moving before I force you. And trust me, you're not going to like it if I have to resort to that." He was so done with this. He just wanted to report to the Hokage and go to sleep. He felt like a fucking babysitter. She didn't have a clue, did she? She needed to start realising this wouldn't be like a vacation of sorts. Just because they hadn't tied her up like they normally would with a captive, which she was, it didn't mean they wouldn't if necessary.

Without waiting for a reply, he started walking towards Tenzou, dragging her along until she finally met his pace. She stayed silent after that, but he could see tears running over her cheeks. Maybe she finally got the seriousness of the situation. About damn time, he thought as he kept a steady pace. They walked through different streets, going left and right along the way. He was actually surprised the child hadn't woken after she shouted at him. The kid must've been really tired, then.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the T&I building. Okay, Kakashi thought. Let's get this over with.