Chapter 9: A New Beginning

"So, I'll get straight to the point," the Hokage began. "There's two options for you in this. The first option is, you leave the village and go on your merry way and don't come back here. If you choose this option, you must understand we cannot let you leave while armed, the risk would be too great for us in that case, as we must take into account what you're able to do. Which means we won't be giving you your weapon back-"

"Wand," Hermione interrupted, which caused the Hokage to raise an eyebrow at her. "Sorry! It's just... It's a wand, the, um, weapon you mentioned."

"We won't be giving you your wand back," the Hokage continued. Her and her stupid mouth, she berated herself. She gave him an apologetic look, but he didn't seem to take any offense at her interruption. "Which would mean you would most likely be unable to protect yourself."

"And, option two?" Hermione softly asked when he didn't continue. She did not like option number one. At all. But if option two was worse.. She wouldn't know what would be the best choice.

"The second option is that you stay in the village" Hermione perked up at this. They would let her stay? "For now," he added. "However, this doesn't mean you will be allowed to just freely roam through the village. You will basically be confined to the premises. And in the case you would have to go outside for whatever reason, you will have an escort with you at all times. And most importantly, if you do anything that would even remotely resemble an attack, you will be taken out right away."

During this entire explanation, the Hokage kept his gaze on Hermione. Watching her take all this in. She tried to keep eye contact the entire time but as he told her what it would entail to stay in the village, she couldn't help but look down at her lap. Damn. Talk about harsh rules. Understandable, but still.

So, option one was getting kicked out of the village without any protection. And option two was basically imprisonment, only with a teeny tiny bit more freedom.

"Do you have any questions regarding what I've just told you?"

Hermione bit her lip as she thought it all through. Despite everything, option two sounded a lot better. At least she'd have a better chance of survival.

"I have a few, actually. If you don't mind."

"Not at all. Please, ask away."

She bit the nail of her thumb as she thought about what she wanted to ask first. "If I were to choose option two, hypothetically speaking, how long would I be under surveillance for?"

"Hypothetically speaking? At least a year. This of course depends on several things, as I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, yes. But in the situation that I won't do anything stupid and I won't be able to go home, I'd be watched at all times for at least a year." She concluded.

"Yes."

Softly humming in reply, "and… what about my wand?"

"That again is something that would depend on how everything will go. At first, however, you will not be able to have it back. Not until we know the full extent of what you can do with it. So until we have more information on that, you'll have to do without."

It made sense, of course. But she couldn't help but feel bummed about that. While she wasn't dependable on using magic, she felt almost naked without her wand.

"Was that all you wanted to know?"

"No, um. I have a few more questions." Hermione said. She had so many questions. But she needed to filter it down to the most important ones. "What about-," she sighed as she held up her hand. "No, wait."

She heard a chuckle come from beside her as she struggled with herself. "Take your time, Granger-san."

"Sorry, I just- I have so many questions," she explained. "Where would we stay? Because, well, I have some money, but I very much doubt I can use it here. So, technically, I don't actually have money. Which means I won't be able to afford housing, or groceries, or-" she started rambling.

"Don't worry about that. If you were to stay in the village, and I have a feeling you will, we'll make sure you have a roof over your head. At least until you're able to provide for yourself."

"Heh, that obvious, huh?" Hermione laughed softly, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.

"Just a little," the Hokage replied, smiling at her and giving her a wink. "Now that that's settled, I better get back to the office and arrange all this for you." He stood up and placed Teddy back in his temporary cradle.

"Ah, wait! I have one last question if that's okay."

"Oh? Of course. Go ahead."

"Well, I don't know if it's still possible, because it's been over a week obviously, but.. I was wondering what happened to my friend, Remus? I just- I really wanted to say goodbye to him and maybe get his personal effects as well? Again, I know it's been a while, but.."

"Of course. I was informed that you wished to do so. We've made arrangements to preserve the body until he can get buried. Or, if you wish for something else to be done, I'm sure we can make arrangements for that as well."

Tears sprang to her eyes, feeling a lump in her throat. "Thank you," she whispered, giving him a small nod.

"If that's all, I'll be on my way. And, it's a bit late, but I'm sorry for your loss, Granger-san." The Hokage then left the room, leaving her alone with Teddy once more. This did give her time to mull everything over. So, she would be staying here then. At least for the time being, until they'd found a way to get her back home. If they ever found a way to do so. It made her wonder what had happened with the interrogations of the death eaters. Were they able to ever get any information from them about the way they had arrived here?

"What do you think, Teddy?" She asked the boy, "seems we'll be staying for a while, huh?" Teddy kicked his legs in the air, letting out a laugh. Hermione chuckled, "yeah, I suppose you're right. We'll just have to make the best of it. It's you and me against the world, buddy."

She leaned over towards him and softly tickled his stomach, making him let out a squeal. She kept looking at him, with a sad smile on her face. Their lives would drastically change now. Well, they already had. She knew nothing of the country they were in. It was going to be tough, she knew that for sure. A new culture, new language and not to mention new people. She was happy she wouldn't be completely alone in this, having Teddy with her, but she couldn't help but feel alone. She missed her friends.

The thought of them made her heart ache. Were they even aware that she was no longer in England or on the continent for that matter? What would they do if they found out? Will she be able to get in contact with them? Would they miss her? She scoffed at the thought. Probably not as much as she would miss them, she was sure of that.

Even after all the years that they spent together, she knew they'd get annoyed with her, calling her a know-it-all. Not fully appreciating her. She wasn't oblivious to it, she just chose to ignore it in favor of having friends. The magical world was a harsh place for a muggle-born without any friends. She was about ninety percent sure that they only kept her around at school so that she could help them with their homework. And after that, they were just kind of stuck with her. It was alright, really. Up until she broke it off with Ron. Things got extremely awkward after that.

The thought of school brought her back to her last year. She had actually enjoyed that year a lot, not minding the stress of all the tests. Compared to everything she had been through, the tests were a welcomed change. It was so chaotic after the war. Between rebuilding the school, and burying all their friends, Hermione was also tasked with finding her parents again, who had moved to Australia. It was just fate being cruel by taking them away from her not even a year later.

And now Remus. When would it be enough? How many more loved ones would she have to lose? While she was very realistic, she truly hoped she wouldn't have to deal with any more loss after this. Not unless it was due to old age.. She didn't know how much more she could take.

The next day she was allowed to go to the morgue. Just like at home, when she was asked to identify her parents, she dreaded going in. Not wanting to believe what she knew to be true. Inoichi came down with her, acting as a translator as she looked at the peaceful face of her close friend. Hermione had told herself beforehand that she wasn't going to cry but the moment she saw his face, that went out the window.

Choking back a sob, she walked towards the still body. Unlike with her parents, he appeared to be sleeping. If someone told her that he was alive, she'd believe them in a heartbeat. Curiosity won out as she looked at the barrier that was formed around him. She figured the barrier was there to preserve his body until she was able to say her goodbyes. She appreciated them doing this for her.

Softly caressing his face, she shook her head in disbelief. He was so cold. She bent down to whisper in his ear, "I'll take good care of Teddy, Remus. You tell everyone I miss them, okay? Know that I really miss you too. And give Tonks a big hug for me. Let her know Teddy is in good hands, okay?" She placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stepped back and turned to the men in the room.

The diener handed her a plastic bag, which had his clothes and other effects he was carrying sealed inside. She gave him a small smile in thanks, although it would probably resemble a grimace instead of a smile. Cradling the bag to her chest, she gave Inoichi a nod, indicating she was done. Giving Remus one last glance, she went back to her own room. Softly crying herself to sleep, with the plastic bag still in her arms.

"Ready to get out of here?" She turned her head towards the door, where Inoichi stood. After all the time they spent together, she actually managed to build some sort of friendship with the man, that's what it felt like to her anyways. She knew he mostly spent time with her to get more information out of her but she liked to think he didn't mind her company either way. Besides, she still was very careful with revealing too much about her.

"I've been ready since the day I first woke up here, Inoichi-san." She replied sassily.

She got a laugh as a response. "Fair enough. Alright, grab your stuff then, Hermione-san. I'm getting you out of here."

Hermione knew beforehand she was going to leave the hospital today, finally. She had been waiting for him to get her out of here, so she'd been sitting on her bed. Fully dressed in the clothing that she had in her bag when she arrived, happily getting out of her hospital gown. Her wound had completely healed, with a little help of the dittany. The stitches were removed yesterday, which she was also happy about. There was a barely visible scar, she was stuck with that. Although, she'd really rather have the scar than be dead.

"Finally!" She jumped off the bed, slinging her bag over her shoulders and hoisted Teddy from his crib. "Time to go, Teddy!" Teddy giggled in response, reaching to grab a strand of Hermione's hair. "I know, sweetie. It's been a long time coming, huh?" She then turned to Inoichi. "Okay, I'm good to go."

"Good, follow me then."

As they departed the hospital, Hermione's eyes widened at her surroundings. The first time she had walked through the village, she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings. Her mind was too preoccupied with panicking as she was being dragged around by Hound. The village actually looked very… basic. There weren't any paved roads, just dirt roads, really. It was almost like she had gone back in time. Made her feel like entering Diagon Alley for the first time all over again.

Inoichi led her through the village and pointed out shops here and there, explaining what everything was. She didn't know how long they had been walking, but after a while she noticed it became more and more secluded. There were less buildings around, less people in the streets. Curiously she looked around, taking everything in.

Suddenly, Inoichi stopped. Hermione looked at him in surprise, before looking past him. They had stopped in front of a house that looked completely worn down. "Right, here we are."

"Huh?" Came the unintelligent reply. "Here?"

"Yes, I know it's… a bit worn down." A bit?! He must be joking "But it's still in good condition otherwise. It just needs a little bit of work." Now she was absolutely sure he had to be joking. A little bit of work?

"Right." She couldn't really get herself to say anything else.

"The owner of the house is currently out, but should return in several days. Until then, you can go and get settled." Inoichi explained. "Come, I'll show you the room you'll be staying in."

After entering the house, Hermione didn't know where to look. It was a humongous mess. Dust had piled up on the floors, showing her footprints as she walked around. The little bit of furniture that was in the house, had blankets thrown over them, which was also covered in a layer of dust. In every corner she could see cobwebs. It was clear no one had been here in a very long time.

Inoichi had left her after opening the door for her, explaining he'd get some provisions for her. Hermione started opening windows as she went through the house, trying to get the musty smell out. As she reached the backroom, she noticed a door that led outside, carefully sliding it open. She let out a gasp as she saw the garden. She could tell it used to be a beautiful garden but that it hadn't had anyone taking care of it for a very long time.

She stepped outside and sat down on the porch, taking it all in. This house would take forever to clean, she knew. If only she could use her wand. In the back of her mind, she knew she could actually have all this cleaned and fixed within a blink of an eye. Hermione didn't know if they simply forgot but when opening the bag which contained Remus' personal effects, she found his wand.

It didn't feel as good as having her own wand. Remus' wand felt slightly off and there was a good chance she wouldn't be able to perform the spells as well as she would with her own. Nevertheless, she was able to use it. While she was still in the hospital, she had performed a quick, simple spell in the bathroom to test it out. No one had burst down the door and attacked her, so she figured they couldn't tell straight away if she used magic.

She heard a knock, followed by Inoichi calling her name, "Hermione-san?"

"I'm in here," she called back. Turning to look over her shoulder, she saw Inoichi walking towards her, carrying several bags.

"I brought a few groceries to get you through the next couple of days. Also, some bed linen, towels and diapers for the little man."

"Thank you, Inoichi-san. That's a big help." She said while getting back up to take the items from him. She had already found a bare bedroom, so she figured it would be alright to use that room for herself.

"Not a problem. Will you be alright here?" He asked. "I have to get back. There will be an Anbu stationed outside. So if there's an emergency, just call out to them. He speaks a little English, so you should be fine with communicating if needed."

Right. She had learned that the men in masks were called 'Anbu'. Inoichi had explained the meaning of the word, but honestly, she had forgotten what it meant. Not that it seemed that important, as long as she knew what an Anbu looked like and what their job was. "Yes, I'll be fine. I'll just.. start cleaning I suppose."

"Alright. There should be some cleaning tools in one of the cabinets. I'll come by whenever I have the time. Please take care, Hermione-san." He gave her a nod and left the house, leaving her alone in the house.

"Okay, bud, let's change the sheets of the bed and put you down for your nap, hm?" She said as she juggled Teddy and the bags in her arms, making her way to the bedroom. Before putting Teddy down, she made sure that room was cleaned first. Placing him on the bed, she muttered a quick charm to make sure he wouldn't be covered in dust and then muttered a quick cleaning spell.

After putting Teddy down for a nap, she went into the kitchen and placed the bags on the counter. Digging around the cabinets, she managed to find some cleaning supplies. It was probably best not to push her luck with using any more magic to clean. She first decided to grab the feather duster and dust all the surfaces in the rooms she would be using. Starting in the kitchen, she then made her way to the hallway followed by the living room. The last room she cleaned from top to bottom was the bathroom.

After a few hours Hermione found herself once again sitting on the porch in the garden. She had checked on Teddy as well, but he was still asleep, so she figured it was alright to let him sleep for now. She was satisfied with all the work that she'd done, and had made herself a well deserved cup of tea with a kettle she had found while she was cleaning the kitchen. It was one of the few things she had found during cleaning. There wasn't a lot here, she realised. It made sense, though. No one had been living here for a very long time.

She had found some pictures of who she assumed were the people that used to live here. A small boy and his father, she surmised. Of course, she had no idea who they were, but they looked happy enough. It was kind of weird to see the boy wearing a mask, but maybe that was for health reasons. She couldn't be sure. The only thing that bothered her was that the boy's hair looked familiar. It was a very distinct colour, silver-greyish. She could've sworn it was the same hair colour of the stranger that had stopped on the roof outside of the hospital.

Well. It didn't matter. What mattered now was getting her life in order. Maybe this was a good thing. A fresh start. A new beginning. She allowed herself to smile and nodded to herself. Yes. This would be a new beginning for both her and Teddy.

Her thoughts suddenly were interrupted by a door slamming closed, which made her jump in shock. She turned around to what had caused it and was greeting with an angry, calculating eye.

"What the fuck are you doing in my house?"

Shit.