The next morning dawned bright and clear. We stepped out of the house hand in hand, and Antonin took a deep breath and then handed me his wand. I grinned as I felt the magic run up my arm. With a crack, I apparated us to a small diner near Grimmauld Place. Whenever we'd been going totally stir-crazy, Harry and I would sneak out of the house in disguise and come here. We'd eat a meal and just pretend to be normal people for an hour. We'd told the waitress we were sibling up to London for the day. I took a deep breath and the sent Harry a Patronus telling him where I was.

I sat down on a bench across the street to wait. I could tell Antonin was deeply uncomfortable being out in muggle London without a wand, so I passed it back to him. He squeezed my hand, and we stared blindly at the crowd of muggles passing us. Suddenly, there was flash of light and Antonin slumped forward unconscious.

I whirled around to the empty air behind us.

"Harry!" I cried.

"Hermione!" his disembodied voice replied, "Grab my hand! Let's go!"

"We're taking him with us," I gestured at my husband's limp body.

Harry groaned, but a floating hand appeared and grabbed his shoulder.

"Get his wand," Harry ordered.

I picked it up off the ground and grabbed on to Antonin's shoulder. With a crack we disapparated. It was an odd sensation being pulled along by Antonin's massive dead weight, and I stumbled on landing. I put my hand over my mouth and narrowly avoided vomiting.

When I straightened up, I saw Harry pulling off the invisibility cloak and barley had time to brace myself before he launched himself at me and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, tears in my eyes.

"I though I'd never see you again!"

We broke apart and he grinned at me. Then, his face became serious. He turned to Antonin's unconscious body.

"Why exactly did we bring him along?"

Instead of answering, I looked around. The room was decorated in a 30-year old style, with peeling, cheery wallpaper. It was clean, but looked like it had come out of a time capsule.

"Where are we?" I asked, already suspecting the answer.

"Godric's Hollow," Harry answered.

"Harry, is this your parent's house?"

His face answered. I looked around again,"It's lovely. You've been living here?"

He nodded. I knew we were both thinking the same thing: he should have grown up here, in this sun-filled living room. I noticed all the doors were closed.

"The rest of the house is destroyed?" I asked.

Harry nodded, "Yeah pretty much. Fortunately, most of the bathroom is still there."

I grinned, "Beats peeing in the garden."

Harry grinned back, "That was once. And I was pissed."

"As was Mrs. Weasley," I teased.

Harry laughed, but his face quickly became serious again. "Seriously, Mione. What is this guy doing here?"

I took a deep breath. I felt a bit like a kid bringing home a street puppy and asking to keep it.

"He's coming over to us."

"Does he seriously have you believing that?"

"He is, Harry. He saved my life, risked his to do it."

Harry's eyes narrowed, "That's sweet and all, but the last thing we need is another Death Eater to babysit. We're already trying to sort Greengrass and the Malfoys."

"He'll have valuable intel," I argued.

"Or he'll send us into a trap."

"Give him some Veritaserum then," I suggested. Harry changed tack at the speed to light.

"Hermione, why are you so determined to keep him? If anything we should be bumping him off!"

"Harry!" I remonstrated, shocked.

"You know it's true, Mione. How can you move on after this if you're still married to him?"

I'd been trying not to think about that. I tried to come up with something to say, but Harry knew me too well.

"Hermione, you can't have a Happily Ever After with him. You see that, right?"

"I know!" I said defensively, "But you know I'm not likely to get one of those anyway."

"I wish you'd stop saying that, Hermione. You'll find someone who loves you, who's not hung up on the past."

I rolled my eyes.

"Look, we can sort this later. If we actually win this damn war. But for now, can we keep him?"

Harry sighed, and I had a vision of him one day in the future, letting his daughter bring home a mangy puppy. I desperately hoped I would see him live to be a father one day.

I wrapped my arms around him, "Thank you!" I whispered. Harry grumbled under his breath as he levitated Antonin into a chair and tied him to it.

He sent a Patronus, and a few seconds later George popped into the room. He had a little clear bottle in his hand that I assumed was the veritaserum. He whooped loudly and yelled, "Mione!"

Before I could move, he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, and I finally had to whack him on the head to get him to release me.

"Yeah, yeah," grumped Harry, "Let's get on with this."

"Shouldn't we call Moody?" I asked.

"Well that's the thing," sighed Harry tiredly, "We have no idea who the traitor is. I doubt it's Moody, but I can't imagine who it would be either. For now we're spread out, and I'm going to use the coins to call everyone in when we're ready to finish off Snake-face once and for all."

"Will it be soon?" I asked, desperate for news.

"Hasn't Snape been keeping you up to speed?"

"Of course not," I replied, "Not when I could have been interrogated at any time."

"Well it's going to be very soon. We've signed a treaty with the werewolves that will allow them to govern themselves as semi-autonomous nations, and to send their children to Hogwarts if they so choose. They're with us, as soon as the last horcrux is destroyed."

"When will that be?"

"Hopefully soon. Tonks and Remus are on it as we speak. Tonks is a distant cousin of Rowle's, so we're hoping that she'll be able to enter the family wards around the cairn."

I sighed with relief. I was so, so ready for this nightmare to end.

George gave a cough, and we whirled around to see Antonin regaining consciousness. That stunner should have knocked him out for an hour, but he did have size working in his favor.

He blinked groggily and his eyes fixed on me.

"Hi. Sorry about this," I apologized quietly.

He gestured with his head, dismissing my apology.

"Let's get this interrogation on the road!" said George, with a dramatic, ring-masterly persona. He tipped the vial of potion down Antonin's throat.

"George!" I scolded, "that was at least 3 doses. You shouldn't waste it."

"Well he's the size of at least three people. Anyway, now that you're back you can make us some more."

I rolled my eyes.

Harry stepped up, all business.

"Tell us everything you know about the Dark Lord's plans," he ordered without preamble.

In a flat, low voice Antonin began to talk, "The Dark Lord has been trying to recruit other Russian families to his cause. However, word has reached Russia of some of the atrocities committed under his rule, and most of them want nothing to do with them. He has also been building up an army of inferi. They are currently stored in a cavern under the Black Lake at Hogwarts."

"Shouldn't be too hard to torch that," George muttered.

Antonin continued, "He is growing more and more paranoid by the moment, and he is soon planning to move his base of operations from Malfoy Manor to a more easily defensible location, maybe Azkaban. He suspects even his closest lieutenants of treachery."

"How do we access the inferi?"

"The passage begins in Snape's study. It is a blood ward. Only House Dolohov and House Lestrange may enter."

"A Black could not?" I asked, thinking of Sirius.

"No, too many traitors in that family."

I was suddenly struck by inspiration, "Could I get in?"

"Yes."

Harry and George looked at me, obviously trying to think of more questions to ask. I had another idea,

"Which two Death Eaters have the most volatile rivalry? Apart from Bellatrix Lestrange and Throfinn Rowle?"

"Yaxley and the Carrows," Dolohov answered without question.

"Why?" asked George curiously.

"The Carrow's father was killed by Yaxley in a duel after he had an affair with their mother. She died of grief shortly afterwards. Or Yaxley poisoned her."

I nodded at George and Harry. I could feel the outlines of a strategy forming in my mind.

"What protections will there be on the Malfoy's solstice celebrations?" I asked, "Could we sneak people in?"

"They would have to be admitted to the blood wards on the grounds. There are also anti-concealment charms on the doorway, so any disguise would melt away at the entrance."

"What about inside the party?"

"None, except for all of the Death Eaters in attendance."

"You think the cloak could pass anti-concelament wards?" asked Harry, anticipating at least part of my plan.

"I'm nearly positive," I answered with a grin.

I looked at Antonin sitting still and blank-faced.

"Can we untie him now?" I asked. Harry shook his head,

"Why did you leave the Death Eaters?"

"What I thought was right, wasn't. I thought we were preserving our way of life, but in the process we became monsters."

"Who are you loyal to?"

"My wife."

Harry raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed hard, looking down at the floor.