(A/N): Hello guys! Can I just say how glad I was that you all liked the last chapter! I'm glad that Thomas was well-received, along with the introduction to the MACUSA. And I also love that you all love Hermione and Henry's bonding and Hermione and Rumpel's conversations! Both of those are going to be happening frequently so I'm happy there's no hating!

Shoutouts to IvoryDarkWolf, ReadLikeHermione, ndavis77, Carol542, FrumiousBandersnatch10, pendora59, Najada, Another Random Human, Hotgirlow, AugustRrush, Fear The Darkness Inside, NicoleR85, RHatch89, and Guests for reviewing! I'm so thankful for every review I get! I enjoy being able to hear what you're thinking and I want you to know that I do keep your thoughts and suggestions in mind while planning out this story. I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this chapter!

Special shout out once again to fringeperson for her help and support with this story! She's a beautiful person and I'm super grateful!

This chapter is set during episode 6 and the first part of episode 7 of OUAT. Not all of episode 7 though, so I'm ready for the shade you all will be throwing my way!

Song lyrics for this chapter come from "Muddy Waters" by LP.

Thanks to singingmyheartsong for beta reading this chapter! You're amazing!

Hope you all are having a great weekend! Enjoy!

We are kneeling at the river's edge

And tempting

All the steps to follow closer

Right behind

"Well, on the plus side," Emma set a box down on the kitchen counter, "Gold really did come through for us."

"Yes," Hermione glowered, "but on the other, we are currently living at a house just down the street from the Nolan's."

Her sister snorted. "This is Storybrooke- we were always going to be right by some person we don't like."

"True," she sighed moving to sit on the couch. "The drawbacks of living in a small town. At least the place came furnished."

Emma moved to join her. "Careful now, you're making it sound like there are some perks for living in town with less than 5,000 people in it."

"Well, one perk is that, if we die, a neighbor would surely notice sooner rather than later."

"You can get that in the city too," Emma argued with a laugh. "Your neighbors would eventually notice the smell and call the cops; they wouldn't notice because they're keeping track of when you enter and leave the house."

There was a knock at the door and the sisters looked at each other, silently trying to decide who would have to be the one to get up. Emma pointed at Hermione, "Hey, I carried most of the boxes, you can at least get the door."

Hermione was unimpressed. "I could have gotten all the boxes if you hadn't insisted on no magic. Besides, the only people I've really interacted with here in town are Mr. Gold and Henry so it's probably for you."

"Yeah," Emma snorted, "I'm Miss Popularity over here." She heaved herself to her feet and trudged over to the door. Wrenching the door open, she stared in surprise at the blond woman waiting on the other side of it. "Uh, hi?"

Kathryn Nolan sounded just as hesitant as Emma when she returned the greeting. Hermione tipped her head back on the seat so that she could clearly see both women.

"I'd heard you guys moved into the neighborhood and I just wanted to say hi," Kathryn told Emma. "Congratulations on being made deputy."

Emma blinked. "Okay." Hermione snorted in amusement and her sister hurriedly continued. "Thanks. Sorry, things have been a bit crazy the past few days."

"Of course, I understand. I won't take up too much of your time, I just wanted to let you know that we're throwing a welcome home party for David this evening at seven and, since you were one of the people who helped rescue him, I was hoping you could come."

Glancing at her younger sister over her shoulder, Emma slowly answered, "I don't know if we'll be able to come, we've still got a lot to do here."

"I understand," Kathryn told her with a soft smile. "If you can though, please feel free to stop by."

"Will do." With one last awkward smile, Emma closed the door and groaned quietly. "That, that right there is why small towns are the worst."

"I'm not going," Hermione immediately told her. "I'm not going and you can't make me."

Is it only when you feel

The pot is empty

That it's gnawing at the corners

Of your mind

"You are officially the worst sister ever."

Emma smirked at her. "You couldn't really expect me to stand down after that challenge, could you? Besides, Henry's here and he wanted us to come."

The sisters were sitting on the stairwell in the Nolan's home, Emma having dragged her little sister along to the party that evening. "Henry would have been just as happy to sneak out of the house and come see our new home," Hermione grumbled. "You're just being cruel."

"You made it!" Henry cheered, interrupting their conversation.

"Henry!" Hermione greeted, pulling the boy over to her and resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Make Emma let us leave."

"Leave? But I just got here."

"That's why I said 'we'. We'll all escape and head back to our home."

Henry laughed, dislodging Hermione from his shoulder. "No, we have to stay and try to get David to remember!"

"But why?" Hermione whined. "How can we make him remember? He hasn't met any of us."

The other two laughed at her tone. "Ah, this takes me back. She's been like this her entire life," Emma told Henry. "She hated crowds and would always to convince Mum and Dad to take her home from the moment the car was parked."

Seeming thrilled to be hearing more about their lives, Henry eagerly asked, "What about to amusement parks and stuff? Or Disney World?"

"She was enthralled by the colors and lights for maybe an hour but then she couldn't care less. And Hermione hates going on rides, any rides."

He gaped at the sulking brunette. "How is that even possible?"

"Forgive me if I don't enjoy needlessly forcing myself to face my fears; the part of the story Emma isn't telling you is that she loved going on all the tall, fast rides even though they terrified me."

"C'mon now," Emma nudged Hermione, "I don't see how you can even truly say you went to any amusement park if you don't ride at least one roller coaster."

"And I say you're a monster," Hermione grumbled, leaning into her sister's side.

"Hey." Doctor Whale walked up to them. "How's it going?"

"It's fine," Emma told him at the same time as Hermione said, "It's awful."

"You alright?" he asked Hermione, looking her over. "You're looking kind of pale there."

"He's right," Henry chimed in, studying her pale complexation. "You don't look too good."

Hermione hesitated for a moment. "I feel cold," she finally admitted.

Emma immediately pressed a hand to her forehead. "You feel warm," she muttered, moving her hand to touch the back of Hermione's neck. "I think you have a fever."

"Everything okay?" David asked as he walked up to them, making Hermione groan. She may not have spoken to the man before but she didn't like him- after all, he'd stuck her sister in a magical box and hoped for the best. It may have been Snow's idea, but he could have said no.

"It's fine," Whale reassured him. "Someone's just feeling a little under the weather. It'd probably be best if you took her home so she could sleep it off," he directed to Emma. "You guys close by?"

"They just moved in down the street," Henry chimed in.

"I'll walk her home," David instantly offered. At everyone's surprised looks, he sheepishly added, "I wouldn't mind getting some fresh air and that way you all can stay."

Henry grinned. "That'd be great!" When his aunt glowered at him, he leaned in to whisper in her ear as David asked Emma something, "Maybe being around your magic will help to bring his memory back."

If Hermione didn't love Henry so much, she would have told him how stupid of an idea that was but instead she just sighed and stood up, reluctantly meeting David's eyes.. "If you're sure you don't mind."

"It's no problem," David reassured her, resting a hand on the small of her back. If it wasn't for the fact that he was as eager as Hermione to get out of there as he was, and that she was rather sure he wasn't aware he was doing so, she would have rudely told him to keep his hands to himself. She decided to try and play nice for now, even allowing the man to help her slip on her jacket.

"Which way?" David asked when they were finally out of the house.

Hermione nodded to the left, too tired to even lift her arm. David seemed fine with the silence though, only checking to see what house number it was as they walked down the street. He seemed distracted, Hermione could only guess at what though. "You okay from here? Do you need me to help you inside?" David asked when they got to her porch.

"I'm good," she muttered, thankful that Emma hadn't bothered to lock the door since Hermione had placed wards in the house to keep out unwelcomed guests. It was lucky for her that the American Ministry was giving her such leeway, the wards she'd used weren't exactly approved for normal dwellings. "Thanks."

"No problem," he told her again, waiting till she had stepped into the house and closed the door to leave.

Dragging herself up the stairs, Hermione stumbled into the bedroom that Emma had designated as hers. She smiled faintly at seeing that her bed had already been made up; Emma had always placed her sister's needs above her own and Hermione was so thankful that she was fortunate enough to have Emma for a sister. Staying upright just long enough to slip into her pajamas, Hermione collapsed into bed and immediately fell asleep.

I will ask you for mercy

I will come to you blind

What you'll see is the worst me

Not the last of my kind

"Hermione." Emma was gently shaking her shoulder gently and she forced herself to open her eyes. "You've been sleeping for over 12 hours," her sister told her when she was sure Hermione was awake. "I need to go to work but Mr. Gold is on his way over here to stay with you; I don't want you here alone."

Blinking slowly, Hermione repeated, "Gold is on his way over?" Her voice was hoarse from sleeping for so long. "What about his store?"

"He's the one that offered. Apparently, this town is literally so boring that the news that you fell ill during the party became gossip fodder," Emma scowled.

"Alright," Hermione sighed, pulling the blankets up closer to her chin.

Emma frowned. "I'm really sorry I can't stay."

"It's okay," she murmured. "I'll be fine."

"Gold will be taking your temperature every couple of hours," Emma warned. "If it gets any worse then you'll have to go to the hospital."

"No hospital," groaned Hermione, already half-asleep.

The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was her sisters weary laugh.

Oh, in the muddy water

We're falling

Oh, in the muddy water

We're crawling

The sound of Gold's cane on the floorboards woke Hermione up again. Only feeling a bit better, Hermione forced her eyes open and shifted slightly to look towards the door. Moments later, Gold appeared with a bowl in hand. "Good, you're awake," he greeted, coming into the room and setting the bowl on her nightstand. "I've brought you some soup, you need to have some before you go back to sleep."

"No," Hermione grumbled. "Tired."

"I know, but you need some fluids in you so that you can get better quicker." His tone was surprisingly soothing, and she knew he was right, so Hermione forced herself to slowly pull herself upright.

"Careful," he scolded, leaning over to move her pillows behind her to support her back.

"Thanks," she whispered, abruptly realizing that her throat was parched and wishing she had water. As if he had heard her thoughts, Gold passed her a water bottle and she gratefully sipped at it.

Gold didn't bother making conversation as she slowly ate the chicken noodle soup he had brought her and Hermione was thankful for that. She could only guess that her body had been fighting off a virus when she had cast the wards on the house, which weakened her enough that the cold was able to affect her so severely. It was a stupid mistake, but at least it had happened when things were relatively quiet in town for the moment.

Hermione was surprised to be feeling significantly better after eating. "What did you put in this?" she asked Gold.

He smiled faintly. "I did nothing, the soup came from Granny's. The lack of nutrients in your system most likely made you feel worse than you actually were."

She hummed, knowing he was right. It had been a long time since she was sick though, since before Hogwarts. Hermione was distantly aware of the fact that a Pepper-Up potion would probably have her up and about in no time, but she had neither the strength nor the inclination to dig out her beaded bag and summon one and she certainly wasn't going to ask Gold to do it- he'd probably steal the bag and she'd never see it again.

Once she was finished eating, Hermione set the bowl down and slid back down on the bed. "You don't have to stay," she mumbled to Gold, who had sat down in the armchair near her bookshelf. "I know you're busy."

"Nonsense," he waved his hand dismissively. "You shouldn't be left here alone and I have plenty of free time on my hands at the moment."

"It's just the flu," she sighed, already starting to drift off. "No need for you to get all worried."

"Wouldn't be so sure of that, dearie," Gold murmured right as she was drifting off.

Hold me down

Hold me low

Sold me out

In the muddy waters we're falling

He was still sitting in her room when Hermione woke up again a while later, reading one of her old textbooks.

Hermione sat up and stretched, sighing in relief. "Feeling better?" Gold asked, setting the book aside.

"Much. Must have been a 24-hour bug." Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, Hermione slowly stood up. Once she was sure that her legs would support her, she hurried to the bathroom to clean up a bit.

Gold was still sitting there when she came back, glaring out the window. "Where's Emma?" Hermione asked, finally noticing how late it was getting.

"The Sheriff asked her to cover the night shift for him." He turned to look at her and the spark of amusement in his eyes made her instantly wary. "I've been instructed to make sure you eat dinner before I leave."

"The infamous Rumpelstiltskin is taking orders now? How scandalous."

Pushing himself to his feet, Rumpelstiltskin smirked at her as he said, "Always do your best to keep them guessing."

A thought popped in her head and Hermione groaned. "What is it?" Gold asked, looking concerned.

"I just realized I owe you two questions. Well, I suppose it's just one now." She smirked playfully at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Good to know that you're operating at full-capacity, Miss Granger."

"I'm hurt, Rumpelstiltskin- I would have thought you'd have learned my name by now."

"You know, most people would prefer I didn't refer to them by their given name. It seems to make them feel a little more secure."

Hermione led the way down the stairs and into the kitchen. "I'm fine with you using my name, but you don't have to if you'd rather not. By the way, thank you for finding this house for us." She turned to him just in time to catch the flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Considering how set things are here, I'm sure it wasn't easy, but we really are grateful. The fact that it came furnished as well is really helpful."

Gold studied her for a moment before nodding. "I'm glad. From what I've inferred about your sister, I got the sense that she would have preferred moving somewhere that required the least amount of effort to get settled in."

"You're not wrong," she agreed, sitting down at the table. "I look forward to seeing what meal the amazing Rumpelstiltskin provides today."

He stayed standing by one of the counters. "Since I thought it unlikely that there would be any food in your house yet, I took the liberty of calling the Diner and seeing if someone would be willing to bring something here."

Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes at the smirk on his face. "I'm going to assume that you were persuasive enough to get them to accommodate your unusual request."

"I made a very compelling case," Gold shrugged.

There was a knock on the door and he immediately shuffled off to answer it. Hermione folded her arms on the table and rested her head on top of them, idly wondering if he would tell her what happened to his leg if she asked. The sound of raised voices made her turn her head to side and she listened closely.

"And what exactly do you think is going on?" Gold sounded amused. "Afraid I'm taking advantage of Miss Granger in her weakened state?"

"Just want to check and see how she's doing." What was Graham doing here? "Hermione must be in a very bad way if she's managed to catch your attention."

As the two men walked into the kitchen, Hermione forced herself to sit back up. "Good evening," she greeted Graham. "Is everything alright?" She quirked a brow at the smirking shopkeeper hovering in the doorway.

"Everything's fine," he assured her, eyes scanning over her. "Emma told me you were feeling a bit under the weather so I volunteered to come check on you and," he held up a white paper bag with Granny's logo on it, "I brought you some dinner."

"You didn't have to do that," Hermione smiled, pushing herself to her feet. "It is appreciated though. Do you have time to join us? I assume you must have something important going on tonight if you were forced to ask Emma to cover the night shift."

Something flickered in Graham's eyes before he seemingly forced a smile on his face. "I wish I could, but I really must be going."

"Yes, wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting," Gold sneered. Graham flinched and Hermione frowned at them in confusion.

"If you could call your sister in a bit and let her know you're still doing fine, she'd really appreciate it," Graham stated, setting the bag on the table before turning to leave.

Hermione blinked at where the Sheriff had been standing moments before. "Well, that was abrupt." She looked up at Gold. "I would ask you what that was about, but I don't want to."

The grin he gave her was all Rumpelstiltskin. "Because you don't want to owe me another question or because you're afraid of the answer?"

"The former, although that's no longer an issue because you just used your second question." Hermione opened the bag of food and pulled out several containers. Opening each of them, she stared in surprise at the array of food Gold had ordered for them. "I do hope you at least plan on eating with me, because there's no way I can eat all of this myself. Roasted chicken with vegetables, mashed potatoes, and grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup? A delicious, but strange, combination."

To her shock, Gold twitched slightly in what she could have sworn was discomfort. "Yes, well, you needed something filling after being sick for so long, but I'm also aware of your preference for Granny's grilled cheese when you're feeling unwell."

Unable to help herself, Hermione beamed at him before hopping to her feet and moving around the table to give the man a hug. "Thank you," she told him, tightening her arms around him for a moment before stepping back. Gold just stood there, frozen, staring at her with wide eyes. Bustling over to the stove, Hermione casually asked, "Would you like something to drink? We have tea, strawberry lemonade, milk, and water."

He was silent for a moment before finally answering, "Strawberry lemonade?"

She turned to look at him over her shoulder. "You've never had it?"

"I don't believe so."

"You own a pink house, but you've never had strawberry lemonade?"

Frowning, Gold asked, "How are those two things connected?"

"Both are far too outrageous for such a serious man like yourself, of course," Hermione told him with a laugh, pulling two glasses out of the cupboard and dancing over to the fridge to pull out the pitcher of the one drink the Granger family all loved. "This drink was my parents secret guilty-pleasure. As dentists, they disapproved of most sugary drinks, but neither of them could resist a far too sugary strawberry lemonade." She poured them each a glass and brought them to the table.

While she had been getting the drinks, Gold had retrieved plates and silverware and had quietly set the table. Carefully sitting down, he gave his glass a dubious expression before reluctantly picking it up and taking a sip. "Not bad," he declared, looking surprised.

"I can't believe you doubted me." Hermione took a long drink from her own glass before grabbing her fork and putting a piece of chicken and some vegetables on her plate.

They ate most of the meal in companionable silence, Gold seemingly lost in his own thoughts and Hermione's mind happily blank for the first time in a long time. It was after they had finished eating that he finally made his move.

"What sword were you accused of stealing?" Gold asked abruptly and Hermione choked on her drink.

"I…" she gaped at him, bewildered by the turn in events.

"You were talking in your sleep," he told her, studying her closely. "I believe you were having a nightmare. Strange how you don't seem to remember it yourself."

Hermione could feel things pressing up against the occlumency barrier she kept up at all times- memories, thoughts, feelings, all desperately trying to get out- but she refused to let any slip through the cracks starting to show. "I'd rather not answer that." She hadn't even been aware she had dreamed at all earlier.

Gold frowned. "That is your choice. However, I'm sure you're aware of the fact that you can only ignore things for so long. Eventually, whatever your pushing away will start pushing back."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Hermione frowned down at her food. "Ask a different question."

He stood up. "I think I'll wait; save my question for another time. I really must be heading back to the shop."

She frowned, glancing over at the clock. "Your shop closes at seven, and it's a quarter to now."

"Yes, well, I have a late appointment coming in. A favor to the Queen."

"This favor better not involve my sister," Hermione warned him softly.

"Fear not, your sister won't be running into me tonight, barring any unusual occurrences. I can't say the same for her parents though."

Hermione widened her eyes dramatically. "Our parents are in town and nobody told me? How shocking."

Grinning, Gold corrected himself. "The Prince may be stopping by my shop tonight. It'll be interesting to see just how far his loyalty to Snow will carry him."

"Well then, don't let me stop you. Do let me know how it goes tomorrow."

"I'll be sure to do just that. Make sure you don't wear yourself out tonight; I do believe your sister will want to speak with you when she gets back."

With a groan, Hermione told him, "No one appreciates when you do that. Now I'm all worked up and expecting the worst so, if she comes home with some low-level news, I'm going to be horribly disappointed."

"We wouldn't want that."

It is not clear why we chose

The fire pathway

Where we end is not

The way that we had planned

Hermione jumped as Emma stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her.

"He's sleeping with her!" she shouted, throwing herself down onto the couch next to her baby sister.

She blinked at her. "Alright."

"What do you mean alright?!" Emma demanded, shooting the brunette a look full of betrayal.

"I will be needing a bit more context before I can give a proper response. All I have right now is a random fact without the situation it actually applies to, so I stand by what I said."

Emma snorted. "You stand by 'alright'?"

"I really do." Hermione closed her book. "Should I guess to whom you are referring to?"

"You will never be able to guess."

Hermione sighed. "I really hate these types of games. Let's see, is it Mary Margaret and David?"

"What?" Emma shot up from her slumped position on the couch. "They're sleeping together?"

"Okay, I'll assume that's not the couple you're referring to. Which I should have realized, since you said 'he', which means the man is more important than the female and you barely know David."

"He's married," her sister muttered, looking revolted.

"Yes, he is, and can I just say, as your baby sister who has looked up to you my entire life, I am relieved to see that you find cheating so reprehensible."

Emma groaned. "Why are you like this?"

"I am what you made me," Hermione retorted with a grin. "But back to the original point- what couple is shagging that has you all knotted up?" It was the flash of pain in her sister's eyes that made it click for Hermione. "Graham?" she asked, shocked. "Graham is having sex with someone else? Who?"

"Regina," Emma spat. "Who else? The woman who is raising my son is also shagging the man… who is my boss."

"Nice save." Sitting back in her seat, Hermione considered what Emma had told her. It didn't make sense to her. Graham was obviously smitten with Emma and she had never seen anything between the Sheriff and the Mayor to imply their relationship was other than professional so why did Emma think they were sleeping together? "How did you find out?"

"I caught him sneaking out of the Mayor's house while I was on patrol. He said he was volunteering at the shelter." Emma's disgust with the lie oozed from every word. "Instead he was 'volunteering' his time servicing Regina while Henry was asleep in the next room. Who does that?"

Hermione hesitated, unsure of what to say other than a snarky remark about parents doing that very thing- which she was sure wouldn't go over well with her emotional sister. "Do you think everyone knows about it and just hasn't said anything?" I do believe your sister will want to speak with you when she gets back.

"Who knows." She slumped over and rested her head in Hermione's lap. "I don't even know why I care."

It was silent for a moment. "You cannot possibly be this dumb."

"Aren't you supposed to be quiet and sickly?" Emma grumbled. "Can't you go back to that?"

"I was, now I'm all awake and snarky. Isn't it lovely?"

"Nope." Emma shifted so that she was staring up at Hermione's face. "You sure you're feeling better?"

Hermione smiled reassuringly at her. "Absolutely."

"Good, you really had me worried there. I've never seen you that sick before, even when we were kids."

"Which means I was long overdue. Don't worry, Gold was a very attentive caretaker. I was given two full meals and he made sure I didn't leave his sights for more than a few minutes at a time, so he could be sure that I didn't spontaneously drop dead."

"Despite the fact that everyone else in town seems to hate him, and that those feelings are equally returned by him, Mr. Gold does seem to actually like you. Not in a creepy way, thankfully, I wouldn't have let him stay otherwise." Emma slowly relaxed as Hermione started playing with her hair, something she had always enjoyed doing ever since they were young.

"So, you were able to refrain from giving him the shovel-speech, were you?"

"Oh no, I still gave it. Not that it was mattered, bastard just looked amused the entire time," the blonde scowled.

"I think that's just his normal face." Hermione started French-braiding Emma's hair. "Why didn't your superpower sense that he was lying when he asked you to work the nightshift for him?"

"'I'm assuming because none of what he said was technically a lie. He does volunteer at an animal shelter, the supervisor probably is sick, and someone needed to feed the dogs- he didn't actually say that the one feeding them would be him." Hermione hummed in acknowledgement but didn't say anything. "I just don't get it," Emma finally whispered. "Why her?"

"I don't know but I do know that he wasn't feigning his interest in you. And we both know that Regina is working some dark magic here. Promise me you won't do anything stupid until we know more?"

Emma sat up abruptly. "You think she's using magic on him?" Her expression was a mixture of anger, worry, and the frailest bit of hope that tugged on Hermione's heart.

"We won't know until we actually look but I want to say that there is a good probability. Probable isn't enough though, so no going after Regina until I have proof."

All the spirits gather 'round

Like it's out last day

To get across you know

We'll have to raise the sand

Emma's cell phone ringing woke the sisters up. They had fallen asleep on the couch watching season 4 of Doctor Who and the menu screen from the DVD was currently repeating itself on the screen.

"Where's your phone?" Hermione grumbled, staring blearily around the room.

"Charger," Emma grunted. "On the table."

Snatching it up from the side table that her sister had gestured to, Hermione didn't bother to look to see who was calling before she answered. "Whaaaat?"

"I… Emma?"

Hermione blinked. "Graham?" Emma tensed next to her.

"Sorry if I woke you, but I need to talk to Emma."

Despite the fact that Hermione had been advocating for her sister to speak to the Sheriff before making any decisions about him, she couldn't help the kernels of disgust she felt at the knowledge that he was being intimate with someone like Regina. "I can say with absolute certainty that she does not want to talk to you."

Graham gave a sigh of obvious frustration. "I don't know what she told you but-"

"She told me enough for me to be able tell you, without any hesitation, that she doesn't want to speak with you for the time being."

"I just want to explain myself!"

"Do you even know what you want to say?" He was silent. "If you don't know what to say, then how do you hope to explain anything? Do you really think forcing Emma to listen as you flounder about for words will really help with anything?"

He groaned. "I know, I know you're right. I just…"

Unable to help the kernel of sympathy she felt in response to the obvious pain in his voice, Hermione told him softly, "Give her a day, Graham. Take some time to think of what you want to say and try again later, alright?"

Muttering a sad agreement, he hung up and Hermione carefully set the phone aside before turning to look at her sister. Emma seemed just as sad as Graham sounded and Hermione couldn't allow that. "Alright," she said loudly, making Emma jump. "Here's the plan. You are going to go upstairs, shower, and change into your comfy clothes. I will run to the store and pick up enough supplies so that we can spend the day relaxing at home. Henry will be coming by after school so I was thinking we could all bake some cookies together and have hot chocolate before sending him home- really ruin his dinner tonight."

Emma blinked at her before smiling softly at her. "Sounds good to me."

"That is because all my plans are brilliant. Now, up you get."

I will ask you for mercy

I will come to you blind

What you'll see is the worst me

Not the last of my kind

Hermione's plans really were brilliant.

They had spent the day lounging around in the living room, Emma's half-hearted suggestions that they should unpack more being fully ignored. Hermione had picked up breakfast for them at Granny's, making sure to profusely thank the woman for being so accommodating to them and apologizing for anything Gold might have said the day before. The older woman had given her a very stern look for a moment before relaxing, smiling kindly at Hermione and saying that she was glad the younger woman was feeling better before bustling around to fill her order. Afterwards, Hermione had gotten everything else they would need from the grocery store and hurried home.

Henry finally came bursting through the door after they'd finished watching season one of Sherlock. Stopping in his tracks at the sight of the two girls on the couch sitting on the couch, his jaw dropped open. "You dyed your hair!"

Emma turned to smile at him, pushing back a rose-gold highlight. "Hey, kid. How was school?"

Popping upright, Hermione also grinned at her stunned nephew. "What do you think? I think purple really is my colour."

He dropped his backpack, hurrying over to the couch. "It's so cool! The only person here with hair like yours is Ruby and Mom always says it makes her look unprofessional but I think it looks really cool! Is it permanent? Did you use magic to do it?"

Hermione blinked at Emma. "Huh. It would have been easier to use magic. I didn't even think of that."

"Nothing wrong with the old-fashioned way," Emma shrugged. Turning to Henry, she explained, "We did it this morning. Hermione found the boxes at the store and couldn't resist getting them. We had pink highlights in our hair when we were younger, my attempt at dragging small-Hermione with me on my low-key rebellion."

Laughing, Hermione added, "Our parents thought we were adorable with our matching hair. And it washed out after a week or so, so they didn't see the need to get too bothered about it."

Reaching out to tug on one Hermione's purple curls, Henry beamed. "It's awesome. Wish I could do something cool with my hair."

"We'll include you next time," Emma promised. "I personally think you'd look great with some neon green in your hair."

Her sister nodded solemnly in agreement. "Oh, absolutely. With a little hair gel to make it all spikey." Henry giggled as Hermione reached over to ruffle his hair. "I do have a gift for you though, which will hopefully make up for our lack of green dye." Too lazy to actually stand quite yet, Hermione waved her hand and a small mirror came floating down the stairs and into Henry's hands. "For you."

He blinked at it. "Uh, thanks?"

Emma snorted. "It's a magic mirror. You can use it to communicate with us; I have one too. Just say either my name or Hermione's and we can talk to each other in secret. When someone's trying to reach you, the mirror will start vibrating. Make sure to keep it on you at all times," she ordered.

Henry frowned. "Like the Evil's Queen mirror?"

Hermione, understanding his concerns, instantly set out to reassure him. "No, nothing like that. These mirrors can't be used to spy on people. You're only able to see out through one of the partner mirrors if the other person activates it from their side. How it works is you look in your mirror and say the name of the person you want to talk to. The glass will turn cloudy as it tries to reach the other person. When you hear your mirror vibrating, look into it and you'll see the face of the person trying to reach you. To answer, say their name and then you'll be connected. It's simple, but safe. I promise."

"Cool!" Henry cheered, relaxing. "This'll be perfect for Operation Cobra."

"That was the hope. Now, up, both of you," Hermione ordered, standing herself with a stretch. "I bought all we needed to make our mother's super-secret, special-occasion-only oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies."

Henry popped up with a cheer, racing into the kitchen. Emma slowly stood, stretching and giving a small groan at finally moving after spending several hours curled in one position on the couch. "I'm pretty sure there are rules about getting kids all hopped up on sugar before they have dinner."

"Don't act like you're some sort of rule follower now," Hermione teased, ushering her sister ahead of her. "You'll always be a rebel at heart."

Once they started sorting out ingredients and finding where all the dishes were, it became obvious that Henry hadn't spent much time in the kitchen. When he finally admitted that Regina rarely allowed him in the kitchen when she was cooking because she didn't want him in the way, they had frowned at each other. Their own mother had loved when they offered to bake with her, stating that she enjoyed being able to spend time with them and that things always tasted better when they made them together. Neither had commented though, just made sure to walk Henry through each step and reassure him whenever he would make a mistake. By the end, they were each covered in flour and Hermione and Henry had consumed far more dough than they should have, but it was the most fun any of them had had in some time.

Emma had taken Henry to get cleaned up while Hermione started on the hot chocolate when an owl rapped at the window. Scowling at the bird in annoyance until she realized it was Kingsley's, Hermione quickly retrieved the letter tied to its foot and fed it some treats she kept on hand. "Will you be alright staying outside for a bit?" she asked it. "My nephew is here and he doesn't know about owl post yet." The bird hooted in agreement before flying off to a nearby tree. Hermione hid the letter in a cupboard before returning to the pan of milk heating on the stove.

Bounding down the stairs a minute later, Henry sat down at the table with a sigh. "This house is great. I didn't know it was empty; how'd you guys find out about it?"

"Mr. Gold found it for us," Emma told him, sliding into the chair next to him.

Henry frowned. "Mr. Gold?" He glanced at Hermione for a moment, brow furrowed, before his eyes lit up. He didn't say anything else though, just started rambling about his day and what he had done at recess with his friend Paige.

In the muddy water

We're falling

In the muddy water

We're crawling

Once Emma and Henry had left, Hermione decided to meditate for a bit before getting to Kingsley's letter. Stepping out into the backyard, she made a beeline for the tree the Kingsley's owl had settled into, glancing up to make sure it was alright and finally spotted it roosting in a dark corner of the trunk. Satisfied that it would be fine for the time being, Hermione sank down into a cross-legged position, resting her hands with palms facing up on her knees and let her eyes drift closed. Taking several deep breaths, Hermione felt herself relax as her mind drifted.

Nowadays, it felt like the only time she could relax was when she was meditating. This was the only time her brain was able to fully unwind. Even when she was asleep, her nightmares kept her from any real peace. Most nights she was only able to get a few hours of sleep at a time- a fact that she'd done her best to keep hidden from Emma. These past few nights were the first times she'd actually gotten any real rest and she could only attribute it to being ill the first night and the comforting presence of Emma the second night. The last time she had fallen asleep next to Emma had been when she was eight and snuck into her big sister's room after having a nightmare. Even when they had been in Boston, Hermione had slept in the bedroom while Emma slept on the couch since Hermione was still recovering from her wounds.

Carefully brushing against the energies of the trees around her, Hermione followed their roots deep into the ground and started searching the earth beneath the town for the strange energy she'd sensed previously at the mining tunnels. It took a few minutes for her to finally locate it, having been easily distracted by the many other strange things hidden around the town- specifically the graveyard. There was something very dark located there and Hermione made a note of it.

Hermione finally found the energy that had drawn her notice several days earlier and began gently pressing against it, curious at the dual nature of it. It was also strangely familiar… She was abruptly thrown back into her body and her eyes snapped open.

What on earth?!

She considered trying to reach out again but decided against it. Climbing to her feet, she absently noted that the sun had moved quite a bit since she'd started as she made her way back inside. Her thoughts were focused on what had happened and she tried to puzzle out what exactly she had felt.

It was big, whatever was down there. The energy coming off it was massive, and it was magical energy too. Perhaps Gold would know what it was? Hermione may have been curious about it, but she knew better than to charge recklessly into the situation without knowing more about what was down there.

Pouring herself a glass of water, Hermione glanced at the cupboard hiding Kingsley's letter and sighed. Setting down her empty cup, she pulled out the envelop and unsealed it, pulling out the parchment with a deep breath. If this was another letter telling her about Harry's attempts to find her, Hermione was going to seriously consider sending the man a very vicious Howler. Once she had read it however, she found herself desperately wishing that had been the reason for his contacting her.

"Oh, hell no."

Hold me down

Hold me low

Sold me out

In the muddy water we're falling

When Emma arrived home that night, she was in a foul mood again. She'd texted Hermione that she was going to stop by the diner for a nightcap before heading back, which Hermione had thought was a terrible idea but had refrained from saying anything. The extra time had given her more time to write her very detailed threat to Kingsley about what would happen if he did as he'd said he would in the letter and Hermione had appreciated not having to explain to Emma what was going on yet.

"Let me guess," Hermione spoke up dryly, watching her sister storm into the house and slamming the front door behind her, "Graham was at the diner when you arrived."

"What, are you psychic now?" Emma snapped.

"No, just intelligent. Graham is there most nights when he's not pulling a late shift, which he only does on Fridays and Saturdays." Taking in the deep blush on her sisters face, one that was clearly of embarrassment and not rage, Hermione could guess what had happened when Graham had run into her lovely sister and it made her grin.

Emma groaned. "Why didn't you warn me then?!"

"Because I thought you knew," Hermione snorted. "We've spent a night or two there with him. How was I supposed to know that you'd repressed all memories of your time spent in his presence?"

"You knew I didn't want to see him!"

"I don't think that's what you want at all," she replied with a grin.

"Of course, it's what I want!" Emma threw up her hands in exasperation. "I have been obvious about that being what I want!"

"Because it's not what you want, it's just what you said."

Emma stormed up the stairs shouting, "You are impossible!"

"If I was impossible then I wouldn't be here, now would I?" Hermione shouted back.

"That would be an improvement!"

Hermione laughed, knowing Emma wouldn't be so riled up if nothing had happened with Graham. She just hoped whatever had happened was a step forward, not backwards.

Oh, don't fail me now

Put your arms around me

And pull me out

Oh, I know I'm found

With your arms around me

Oh, save me now

Hermione was slumped over the table the next morning as Emma prepared breakfast. "It's too early for this," she groaned, burying her face in her folded arms.

"You didn't have to get up with me," Emma reminded.

"I wasn't planning to, but then your stupid alarm went off and it took you three minutes to find the thing and shut it off. By the time you finally managed to pull it together, I was already wide-awake."

Emma set a plate of toast with scrambled egg on top down in front of her. "Yeah," she snorted, "I can see just how awake you are right now."

"Bite me." Hermione sat up and pulled the plate closer to her, picking up her food and biting into it.

"Not even going to use a fork?" her sister teased. "You heathen."

"Again, bite me."

Just as Hermione finished the last bite, her phone started to ring. She groaned, standing up and walking into the living room, following the noise to the couch and bending over to search the cushions. Finally finding it wedged down near the back of the couch, Hermione answered it with grumbled, "This is Hermione."

"Good morning," came Gold's cheerful greeting.

"No, it's not."

"It is for me, though it seems as though that's not the case for you and our dear Sheriff."

Hermione sank down onto the sofa. "You obviously called to tell me something, so I kindly suggest that you get on with it because I refuse to owe you a question this early in the day."

"The Sheriff was running through the woods, looking for a wolf. Or, to be more accurate, the Huntsman was out here."

She blinked. "Oh gods," Hermione breathed. "I'm on my way."

In the muddy water we're falling

In the muddy water we're crawling

Hold me down, hold me low, sold me out

In the muddy water

We're falling

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