Congratulations Mr. Rowle, it's a boy!
Hitting snags. First and last exams. Agreements are handed over. Yaxley goes on the hunt. Anthony and Hermione feel uneasy. Camping trip from hell.
MAJOR TRIGGER! MAJOR TRIGGER! Graphic violence! Graphic violence! Major CHARACTER DEATH!
Anthony was uneasy. Hermione could tell because he was silent. There was something that he was worried about. He was always ready and willing to talk to her about anything. But if it was something big, he would clam up! She decided to just ask him straight out.
"Anthony, what's wrong?" she laid a hand on his arm. They'd been combing through some previously vetoed houses to make sure they wouldn't change their minds.
"The banker. The one handling our purchase. It's been a while since I've heard from him. Usually we exchange letters and pictures each week. I haven't heard from him in over a month. I'm starting to think maybe we should find another country to move to." Anthony was frowning. He didn't think there was anything majorly wrong with the man. His silence could be as simple as the sale having fallen through. Anthony had been told that every property they had decided on was a hot commodity in the weekly auctions held. Possibly he'd simply been out bidden in every auction he attended.
You never could tell with the Muggles. He was considering traveling to America to see exactly what was going on. He knew Hermione would be scared without him. He was fairly sure that Rowle still had no idea where they were staying. But it never hurt to take precautions. He resolved that if he hadn't heard from the man in two more weeks, they would began the search somewhere else.
"Listen, there's something else I need to discuss with you. The adoption papers are ready to file. Once they go on record, so will the baby's true father. This will happen at your exam. I've arranged it so that I can sign the papers just before we leave. We'll go to St Mungo, then straight into the Ministry. Get our Portkey from Shacklebolt and be gone before Rowle has time to realize." He stroked her hair. Hermione nodded. She liked the sound of that plan. Now if only the house would fall into place!
"I also think we need to consider what we're going to name the baby. Rowle's name should be in there somewhere. He IS the biological father. I just don't feel right not including him." Anthony pecked her on the nose. Hermione sighed.
"What did you have in mind? I'm not naming a child of mine Thorfinn!" she grumbled. Anthony chuckled.
"How about Radnor? It's got that Viking Norse sound to it. Thorfinn does have Norse blood after all. The blonde hair, ice blue eyes and the huge build all point to that." Anthony suggested. Hermione considered it.
"Ito's not bad but what if I'm carrying a girl?" she asked. Anthony thought for a few moments. Then snapped his fingers.
"Frieda is a girl's name, same Norse sound. It fits." He smiled. Hermione thought about that one.
"Ok. Radnor if it's a boy, Frieda if it's a girl. Middle name?" she wondered. He smiled at her again.
"Radnor Anthony Rowle-Goldstein." He waited for her objection. It didn't take long.
"No! Why does his last name have to be there?!" she rejected the name right away.
"Hermione. I told you. He IS the biological father and this child is his heir. It will inherit his estate and title. Legally, the child will also inherit my estate and title. He might as well have both names. He's going to have a dual inheritance. He's going to be a Rowle by blood and a Goldstein by law." Anthony had to tell her.
It might change their whole mindset about going to America. "Sweetheart, we can't keep his child away from him forever. We might not be leaving once it comes to light that this is Rowle's child. Normally, the father controls the heir. He could very easily charge us with kidnapping his son."
"I'm the mother! It's my child, too! They can't charge me with kidnapping my own son, can they?" Hermione cried out. "I'm the one carrying him! Possession is 9 tenths of the law and I'm in current possession! They will NOT take my baby away from me!"
Anthony pulled her close as she started to cry. "Of course not, darling, of course they won't! Nobody is taking the baby away from you! Nobody! I won't let them! I'm just saying, they might not let us leave the country without some kind of agreement in place."
"What kind of agreement? Like, a, a what? A custody agreement? We'll be the parents! Why do we need a custody agreement? He's not taking my child anywhere near Voldemort! That's the deal breaker right there! If I ABSOLUTELY have to suffer letting him see this child, he will NOT take him near that maniac! That's final!" Hermione insisted firmly.
Anthony knew that was as much of a concession as he was going to get her to agree to, for now. He knew she would keep thinking the matter over. Sooner or later, she would come up with her own version of a custody agreement. He knew that anything she came up with would also involve her personally not seeing Rowle. More than likely, HE would be taking Rowle's child to visit his father.
Hermione really was considering her own thoughts of a custody agreement with Rowle. She knew they were leaving the country as soon as they had a house purchased. With the banker currently missing in action, there wasn't a lot they could do right now. She was determined that they weren't staying a moment longer than they had to. With her scan, they would be sending notifications to both the Ministry and Rowle. That would alert him to her location. It was why she was so pleased that they would be going straight on to the Ministry. By the time Rowle reached either the hospital or the Ministry, she and Anthony would already be gone!
She grabbed a parchment and quill. She began listing possible conditions for him. The main condition being, he could not keep the child overnight until the baby was at least a year old. She fully intended to breastfeed her child and didn't intend to wean him any earlier than she had to. She wanted her baby to enjoy being a baby as long as he could.
He could not try to turn the child against her or Anthony. That was the quickest way to get her dander up and shut his visitation rights down! Nor would she or Anthony try to turn the child against him.
He could have as many weekend visits as he wanted with the baby but Anthony would be supervising the visits. She didn't trust him not to try and take off with the child. Especially if he thought getting the baby back would involve Hermione coming after him herself.
As she'd told Anthony, the real deal breaker was if she found out he was taking the child into the vicinity of Voldemort. She didn't want her child in any kind of position near that maniac! She knew most of the pureblood wizards who followed Voldemort had followed their fathers into his service. Rowle needed to know, before anything else, that this was one child who would NOT be following his father into that madman's hands!
It wasn't a traditional agreement but then again she wasn't a traditional witch. She did things her way and if Rowle wanted ANYTHING to do with his child, he would agree to her conditions! She showed it to Anthony who laughed with amusement. He could just see the outrage among the pureblood society when THIS agreement went public!
In addition to waiting to see if they had a house purchased, they were also waiting to see if she would have her wand back. Currently it was still in the custody of the DMLE. Mad-Eye had found several different tracking spells attached to it. Ironically, none of them were Rowle's. But then he'd remembered that Yaxley used to talk about tracking devices used by the Muggles. He'd gotten suspicions and had Mr. Ollivander take the wand apart. Sure enough, there was a tracking device hidden. Mr. Ollivander was currently rebuilding the wand. She should have it back soon.
It was another two weeks before the banker got back in touch with Anthony. This time, he was sending pictures of remote properties. He explained that all of the populated areas were having a boom right now. There was no way they were going to get a house in any of those areas yet. But he also explained it made the less populated areas more affordable. They would be able to raise their family without fear of overcrowding and have more of a role in the community. Anthony looked at Hermione and raised his brows. It sounded sketchy to Hermione but she shrugged. Maybe the man knew what he was talking about.
They were being sent pictures from around the West Virginia area. They weren't sure whether they actually wanted to be in so remote of an area. They figured they could at least go check it out anyway. They could always resell the house and move onto the next country. Any day now, Hermione would have her wand back. They would go to St. Mungo and have her scan while she and Anthony signed both the adoption papers and the custody agreement she had drawn up. From there, they would go straight on to the Ministry to pick up their Portkey and travel on to America.
Harry, Ron, Remus, Dora and Mad-Eye would be escorting them from the hospital to Ministry. Apparently Rowle and Dolohov had grown tired of watching the Leaky Cauldron, Grimmauld Place and Anthony's home. Now they were convinced the Ministry was where they'd catch up to Hermione and Anthony. They'd taken to hanging out in the Atrium while Yaxley was at work.
Finally it was time to leave. They had gotten their confirmation papers for their new home. Now all they had to do was make it through the scan, paper signing and the Ministry. Her wand was safely tucked into her arm holster. She hugged Mrs. Weasley, Fleur and Ginny, crying because she would miss having them with her. They went through the Floo to St Mungo and went up to the pediatrics floor.
Hermione and Anthony were put into an exam room. Anthony helped her up on the table. She was now almost six months along. She couldn't believe it had taken them this long to get everything straightened out. The adoption papers and the custody agreement had already been signed. They would be handed over as they left the hospital.
The healer came in, shaking hands with them. After hearing that Hermione had been self-diagnosing herself from the start, she had her lay back and raise her shirt. She waved her wand as a clear picture popped up over Hermione's protruding abdomen. They smiled as the baby was clearly revealed to be a boy. They all three watched as the baby stretched and turned over. The healer assured them he was developing just fine and very healthy.
Then she addressed the issue they'd been discussing for months. The scan had just revealed Rowle's paternity. They produced both the custody agreement and the adoption papers. All that was needed was Rowle's signature and they would be filed as soon as he signed. The healer nodded. There was nothing she could do but replicate Hermione's scan results for Rowle. No doubt he would come looking for his son. She watched as Hermione was helped down and steadied.
In the hall, Harry and the others had just shown up. They set off down the hall. Mad-Eye led the way. Harry and Dora kept Hermione between them. Ron and Remus kept Anthony between them. Hermione wished there had been a way to just Floo straight into the Minister's office. Instead they were going to have to run the gauntlet of the Atrium. They could only hope Dolohov and Rowle didn't pick up on who was being escorted!
Down in the DMLE, Yaxley was filling out paperwork. He saw the owl fluttering around. It had a letter tied to its leg. It was floating between the offices of Mad-Eye, Harry, Ron and Dora. None of them were there at the moment. It pricked his curiosity. Normally, at least one of them was always there to keep an eye on HIM!
What was so important that they had totally forgotten the resident Death Eater/Auror on staff? Then it struck him! Granger! He reached out and caught the letter as the owl flew by again. It was from St Mungo and had 'Pertaining to Granger-Goldstein' written across it. His spy at the hospital had come through for him! Thorfinn had told them all months ago that he had deliberately tried to impregnate Granger! She would have to go to St Mungo, sooner or later. Unless she tried to either go it with a midwife and home delivery or went to the Muggle world to have her child! He opened the note. They were there now, getting her scan done!
He stood up and headed for the lift. He knew Dolohov and Rowle would be in the Atrium, waiting for him to get off work. He waited impatiently as the lift paused at the Minister's floor, then came on down. He rose up to the Atrium and showed the letter to Rowle. The young man jumped up eagerly. They set off for the nearest Floo, unaware they had just missed their targets.
Once at St Mungo, they quickly found the healer who had examined Hermione. She smiled and held out her hand. Without having to ask, she asked. "Mr. Rowle? Please follow me." She collected the file she had just put away. She led the way down to her office. "First of all, Mr. Rowle, I think you need to see the report of the scan. I hope you don't mind knowing the sex of your child before it's born."
Rowle sat down to read the report. She was healthy, so Goldstein was taking care of her. She'd looked slightly tired. He frowned at that until the healer told him, "Your child was very active during the scan. It's the most active one I've seen in a while. No doubt, she's having difficulty finding comfortable sleeping positions. Also she's very slightly built and the child is going to be at a very healthy birth weight. She might even have to deliver early if the fetus gets too big."
He looked down at the line stating the sex of the child. "Boy. It's a boy? She's having a boy? My son?"
The healer smiled at the dazed look on his face. "Yes. Congratulations, Mr. Rowle. It's a boy!"
Her smile faded as she remembered the rest of the contents in the file. "Mr. Rowle, I'm sorry. They had the paperwork already filled out and signed when they got here."
"Paperwork? What-?" Rowle looked down and saw the word adoption. Without looking at the rest of the document, he exploded. "SHE'S PUTTING MY SON UP FOR ADOPTION?!"
Yaxley grabbed the papers as Dolohov jumped in to calm the young man down. "Whoa, Thor! Calm down, now! You have to calm down!"
"No, Thorfinn, she's not! Goldstein is adopting him. Look, they've left you a custody agreement as well." Yaxley sat down and held the papers up to show him. "Look. Adoption papers filled out and signed, stating Goldstein will be his LEGAL father! This one, a custody arrangement! More than likely, Goldstein has told her she wouldn't be able to cut you out of your son's life."
Rowle leaned back, grabbing his hair and closing his eyes. 'Damn, she's gone again!' He listened to Yaxley questioning the healer. As it turned out, she didn't know where they were going afterwards but she knew they'd been headed to the Ministry after her appointment. They'd had an escort of four Aurors and a werewolf. Rowle and Dolohov both swore as they remembered SEEING Remus Lupin, crossing the Atrium with a group of people! They'd just missed them!
"Don't you worry, Thor, I'll find out where they've gone." Yaxley assured him. All he had to do was watch the Chosen One. He knew she wrote to both of them. But, it was Harry who received most of it. All he had to do was intercept a note to the boy who lived and he'd have their location!
Hermione and Anthony activated the Portkey. One minute they were in Britain. Then next minute they were in the office of Minister of Magic in the US. He greeted them jovially, having known to expect them. He welcomed them to America and invited them to enjoy the awesome energy that was New York. They thanked him and walked out of the Ministry.
They both stared wide eyed all around them. "Anthony, do we HAVE to go straight to West Virginia?" Hermione whispered.
"No. No, we don't, especially as HE took so long getting back to us! I take it you want to stay here for a while?" Anthony tightened his arm around her shoulders. Hermione nodded in confirmation.
They walked until they came to a hotel with vacancies. They paid for a month long stay. Then they went out and started exploring. They enjoyed the park. They explored the museums and art studios. They visited the zoo and fed the baby animals. Anthony took her to a different Broadway show and nightclub every night. Finally Anthony found a magical hospital and took her for her next scan. They both delighted in the sight of the baby boy, rolling and tumbling in her womb. Anthony convinced her to let them send a report back for Rowle.
"Listen, sweetheart. Let them send him a report. All he'll know is that we've been in New York. He won't know where to look and we're leaving in the morning." Anthony persuaded her.
"Ok, ok. We'll send a report for him." Hermione gave in once she conceded that he was right. They were leaving on the morning train and Rowle would still have no way to find them.
Anthony had the hospital administer to send the report to Corban Yaxley. He wasn't sure why he did it but he stuck in a note with the name of the little remote community they were going to be living in. He didn't tell Hermione that he'd just handed their location over to Rowle. She would have pitched an almighty fit!
The next morning, they boarded the train and rode down to West Virginia. They found a motel and stayed the night. The next morning they rented a car and drove to the remote little community where their banker resided.
"Millville." Hermione said. She knew she didn't like this place as soon as she set eyes on it. For Anthony's sake, she would give it a chance.
Anthony looked around the gloomy, little town and wasn't too happy, either. They drove to the bank and parked. He came around and helped her out of the car. They went in and asked to speak to Thaddeus Miller, the banker they'd been dealing with. Mr. Miller turned out to be a nervous, twitchy man who blanched when he saw them. "Mr. Goldstein? We expected you a month ago."
"Well, my wife and I landed in New York and decided to stay a while before we came on down. She'd never seen a Broadway show before. I couldn't drag her away before then." Anthony laughed.
"Yes. Well, I suppose you're here for your paperwork. I have it right here." He picked up an envelope and handed it to them. "Your house is outside of town, of course. You go straight out and take a left, oh wait! A right?" he appeared to think about it for a moment. "No, a left. It should be right there just off the road."
He shook hands with them and stood at the door, watching sorrowfully as they drove out of town. "I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Goldstein. So very sorry." He whispered under his breath. Then he sent his teller home for the weekend. He locked the front door, went into his office, picked up the phone and dialed. A raspy voice answered.
"They're on their way." Was all he said. "When do I get my wife and daughter back?"
The raspy voice replied. "So sorry, Mr. Miller, but yer wife and daughter be dead. You shoulda got 'em down here a month ago, like ye promised." The phone went dead.
Thaddeus Miller was in shock. 'Dead? They, they were dead?' He sat down heavily, opened the drawer on his desk and drew out a pistol. He stuck it in his mouth and blew his brains out. He wouldn't be discovered until Monday when his teller came back to work.
Anthony drove out of town with Hermione watching for their house. They came to a fork in the road. "Did he say left or right?"
Hermione thought back. "He didn't seem too sure. At first he said left, then changed it to right. Then he finally decided on left."
"Hmm, there's a store there. Let's stop and ask them." Anthony said.
He stopped and got out. There was an old man sitting on the porch in a rocking chair. "Hey, I've just bought a home in the area. Do you know if there's a house further up this road?" the old man stared at him, then Hermione.
"Dead end, just past that curve. You need to go back. The road on the left is where your house will be. Here, take a couple peppermint sticks for the little missus. My wife swore by 'em." The old man held out two peppermint sticks to Anthony. He took them, saluted the old man and got back in the car.
"Compliments of the old man. His wife 'swore by them.'" He chuckled as Hermione blushed lightly.
The old man watched as the car turned around and went up the wrong road. He smiled in satisfaction. His brother would be pleased with the little brunette he was sending his way. He'd be especially pleased that she was 'in the family way.'
They drove until they came to a rockslide. Anthony stopped the car and frowned. Hermione was suddenly shivering with fear. "Anthony, I don't like this. Let's go back to town. Please?"
Anthony nodded. He looked over his shoulder to back up the car and turn it around. They turned around and came back down the road. As they rounded the first corner, there was a loud pop as the front of the car jerked from side to side. Anthony slammed on the brakes as the car slid into the shallow ditch. "Hermione! Hermione, are you ok, baby?"
Hermione was clutching her stomach. "Yes. Yes, it was just a Braxton Hicks. That's all. I'm alright." She looked out at the ditch. "I don't think we can say the same about the car, though."
Anthony climbed out to look at the damage. Both front tires were not only flat but shredded. "Looks like the tires are goners. I don't think we're too far from the main road. Do you think you can make it?"
"Yes. I can. I'm not staying here by myself." Hermione opened her door. Anthony took her hand as they started walking.
"Too bad we didn't bring our camping gear." He said. She wrapped her arm around him.
"Actually, we did." She teased him as she held up her reliable little beaded bag. "I'm just not sure if I'm brave enough to camp out HERE!"
"Well, if we can't make it back to the main road-." Anthony shrugged his shoulders and left the rest unspoken. They were both tense and trying not to show it. They couldn't walk too fast for fear of wearing Hermione out. But it soon became clear they were not going to get to the main road tonight.
He began surveying the sides of the road. Soon he had spotted a small clearing. "I know you don't want to camp out here but you're getting too tired to walk and it'll be dark soon."
Hermione sighed with resignation. "Ok. I guess it won't hurt, just this once." She didn't want to tell him but she's been having more pains as they walked. She shuddered to think she might be in active labor and stuck out in the woods!
They got the tent set up and he sent her in to lay down while he built a fire and fixed them some food from her beaded bag. She took her wand out of its holster and put it in the bag, sitting by the door. Then she laid down and covered up, trying to will her body into relaxing.
Anthony was collecting firewood when he had the sensation of being watched. He stopped moving as he listened. He cautiously turned in a full circle. He couldn't see or hear anything. Not even wild life, he realized with a start. He jumped as he was suddenly surrounded by wild cackling. 'Hermione!' he thought wildly. 'Got to get Hermione out of here!'
For the first time since leaving Britain, he regretted letting them take the tracking device out of Hermione's wand. 'Please, Merlin! Let Rowle be on our trail!' he raced back to the clearing. Just as he stepped foot into it, he felt a sharp pain in his back and chest. He looked down in horror at the spear that had just pierced his body. He went to his knees as he looked up into the deformed face of a crazed mountain man. Then he heard a bone chilling sound. It was a high, piercing scream from the tent!
Hermione jerked awake as another pain tore through her. She became aware of a huge shadow over her. Her first thought was, 'No! Rowle! He found us!' she looked up and almost fainted. 'Oh, Merlin! This was SO much worse than Rowle!' a huge mountain man stood staring at her. He grabbed her hair and slung her off the bed. She was horrified to feel herself land on her stomach! She tried to Accio her bag but wasn't able to summon it in time. She screamed in fear as he again grabbed her hair, pulling her out of the tent, screaming and crying.
At the fire, she was greeted by the sight of Anthony pierced by a spear and bleeding out in front of her! There was an old man there. When he saw the huge man dragging Hermione, he picked up a flaming piece of wood and threw it at him. "Let 'er down before ye kill 'er and that babe! I didn't come here to catch me a pretty daughter fer you to kill 'er, ye halfwit!"
"Hermione, Hermione! Rowle will find you! Don't worry! Rowle will find you! Stay with him! Let him take care of you! Please, Hermione, promise me!" Anthony begged her in a low whisper. Sobbing, Hermione promised him. She screamed in despair as he fell to the ground, dead.
"Well, little missy. Looks like I lost me a son but still gonna have a daughter and a grandbaby. Ye wouldn't happen to know if it be a boy or a girl?" the old man leaned towards her. She refused to answer. He backhanded her. She pitched to the ground too quickly to stop herself from once more landing on her stomach.
"When I ask ye a question, missy, I 'spect to git an answer! Now! Boy or girl?" he repeated.
"Boy." She sobbed into the dirt. She screamed again, this time in pain as she curled over her stomach. She knew now she was very much in active labor! She was in so much pain, she didn't realize she'd been picked up and carried through the woods. They came out at a cabin. Several women ran out, gibbering excitedly over her. The old man motioned them back in the house. They laid her on the table just as she had the urge to start pushing.
"Bear down, missy, bite this." He stuck a leather belt between her teeth. As she bit down, muffled screams escaped her. There was a sudden pinch as she bore down once more. "Again, missy, again, you're doing good."
There was a hard pressure that felt like she was being torn in two. With one more painful push, she heard a thin, tiny wail. 'Her baby!' she looked up to see one of the women handing a tiny bundle to the old man. He looked down and said. "Well, lookee here. I gots me a pretty grand boy." He looked at Hermione. "Don't you worry, missy, ain't nobody gonna touch you. Next hunt, we be on the lookout fer a good, strong big boy fer ye. You gonna have me some more pretty grandbabies, you gots to have a pretty boy to breed with!"