A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter forty-six and be on the lookout for chapter forty-seven soon!

March 1970

Rodolphus was looking at her like she hung the moon, and it was easy for Hermione to simply forget all the pain and heartache that he'd caused her all those months ago. Now that the wounds were no longer fresh, there was a small part of her that wanted to just throw caution to the wind and tell him that there was nothing to explain, and allow herself to be wrapped in his embrace once again. But, it wasn't that simple. Rodolphus wasn't aware of it yet, but she had hurt him, too, and if she didn't tell him the truth - all of it - she was positive that there would be no chance for them whatsoever.

"Whatever you have to tell me can wait," he said, cupping her jaw gently once again. "Ever since you left my flat in June...the second, really, I knew that I'd made a horrible mistake. I should have told my father to shove it once and for all, instead of letting him control my life, like I always do."

"You weren't expecting to have to confront him that day," Hermione said, eyebrows furrowing, wondering why she was trying to make excuses for him.

"Still, you had been telling me...the whole time that we were together, you begged me to stand up to my father about our relationship," he said, shaking his head, wanting to accept responsibility. "But I kept pushing it off, thinking that I could just keep you forever, without anyone ever the wiser."

Hermione could feel tears prickle at the back of her eyes once again, a thick knot forming in her throat. "What were you going to do when Bellatrix and you finally got married though?" she croaked. "You couldn't have possibly thought I would be okay with being your mistress."

Rodolphus's cheeks went a bit red. "I'm not sure that I really thought that far ahead. Bella was so determined to end our engagement, that I thought she would sort of handle things for me," he said lamely, running a hand through his hair. "It obviously wasn't a very good plan."

"Well, even though it hurt me, I am a little bit glad that Bellatrix had the balls to tell her father about you and I," she said with a frown, conflicted on how she really felt. "Otherwise, I am certain that the two of you would have ended up married. And then what would have become of you?" She gave his hand a quick squeeze of support.

"Hermione Granger, such language," he said with a wry smile. "But I suppose you are right. Don't worry, Bellatrix didn't get off scot-free. She is now Mrs. Bellatrix Rookwood, and let me tell you, Augustus is far less lenient with her than I would have been."

"I hope they make each other perfectly miserable," Hermione said snidely. Then she remembered what Bellatrix said about Rodolphus and his own engagement. "And you?" she asked, biting her lower lip. "Bellatrix mentioned something about you and Sophia Greengrass?"

Rodolphus shook his head. "My father hasn't been able to finalize anything, but even if he tries to, he would never get me to agree," he promised, lifting her hand so he could press a kiss to the back of her hand. "I'm of age now, so there is nothing he can do about it if I refuse, when I refuse."

For a moment, Hermione could only feel the lovely buoyancy of hope swelling in her heart with the knowledge that Rodolphus didn't want some pureblood witch, but instead there was still the possibility, the chance, that he would want to be with her. But then, the movement of his arm caused his sleeve to fall back, exposing the hint of black ink that was enough for Hermione to recognize the Dark Mark. Pushing his sleeve up, she frowned, feeling a fresh round of tears spring in her eyes. "I didn't want this for you," she whispered, fingertips caressing the aberration.

"I never wanted it either, Hermione," he swore, a shameful look on his face. "And, please know that I never would have even joined if Dumbledore and Weasley hadn't told me that it would help you."

Hermione looked over his shoulder to where the Headmaster and her friend were now standing, surreptitiously not listening into their conversation. Arthur's face was bright red with embarrassment at being caught, and Hermione couldn't help but glare at him. Oh, how could they have ever told Rodolphus that becoming a Death Eater would help her? "You shouldn't have risked yourself like that. I can only imagine the danger that you were in," she scolded him, half-heartedly.

"Well, I got that journal and the golden cup that the Dark Lord gave me, and well, you needed it, didn't you?" he asked, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"He just gave it to you?" Hermione asked, feeling utterly shocked, wondering what Rodolphus must have done to gain Voldemort's trust, but then she decided that she didn't want to know.

Rodolphus gave her a quick jerk of his chin in agreement. "And, I'd do it again, if only for the chance to see you again and tell you just how sorry I am," he said with a frown. "And, to tell you that I still love you, and well, if you'd ever consider giving me another chance, I'd...I'd promise never to mess up again. You'd be my first priority, and my father can go stuff it."

Hermione grinned at his inelegant apology, but already knew that she was going to accept it. After all he'd done for her, he'd more than proved his commitment to her. "Of course, I can forgive you Rodolphus," she said, biting her lower lip. "And, I'd love to give things another chance, but first...there is something I need to tell you as well. Two things really."

"Whatever it is, I am sure that it won't change my mind," he insisted.

But, as easy as it would be to hide the fact that she came from the future, she wanted to start things with him on a completely fresh slate, and that meant telling him the whole truth. "Maybe it's best if we sit down and speak about this privately," she told him, taking his arm, and gently guiding him up the stairs to the room that she slept in when she'd been living with the Weasleys. Once the door was shut behind them, she set up various anti-eavesdropping spells. Even if she could reveal the whole truth to Rodolphus, she didn't necessarily want Arthur and Molly knowing, too.

Rodolphus sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to disguise the way that he was uncomfortable with the comfortable but obviously homemade quilt that covered the end. "Well, go on then," he said when he met her worried eyes, acting with false bravado.

"Remember when we first met, and how I tried to avoid you as much as possible?" Hermione asked him, twisting her hands nervously in front of her. "You always asked what you'd ever done to make me act that way?"

He swallowed, but nodded his head. "It didn't matter. I got you to warm up to me eventually."

"Well, it's because I already knew you," she explained, wondering what the best way to explain their situation was. Seeing Rodolphus protest, she cut him off. "I knew you from another time, because...well, you see...there is no easy way to say this, but I am from the future -1996 in fact."

"Impossible," he said with a disbelieving look on his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We live in a world where a person can transform themselves into an animal, and you think time travel is impossible," she countered. "Well, it doesn't really matter how improbable it seems, but it's the truth. I knew you then. Well, more like I knew of you. You were infamous after you tortured two young aurors into permanent insanity with your wife, Bellatrix, and your brother. The night that I was sent back, we were actually fighting with you in the Department of Mysteries. Your brother shoved me into a shelf of time turners and well, here I am."

Rodolphus looked utterly stunned and sat in silence for at least a minute while Hermione paced in front of him.

"Well, please say something Rodolphus," she urged.

"That's what you meant when you said...you didn't want this for me," he said, frowning at the Dark Mark on his arm.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "You were a Death Eater then, too. Probably one of Voldemort's favorites. But...that doesn't really matter now. I know you Rodolphus, and you could never become the man that I knew from before. You are too good. You have sacrificed so much already."

"Am I good, though?" he asked out loud. "You don't know all the things I've done, all the disgusting conversations I've been privy too while I was marked," he choked out. "And, if I became that man once before, surely, he is still inside of me. Salazar, how can you want me, knowing that?"

"Because you've made different decisions now. Your life is headed on a different course. That man from before could never have loved a muggleborn," she said, feeling great relief that he'd taken her first reveal so much better than she expected. Instead of being mad at her for not telling him, he was only worried about the possible path his life could have taken.

She sat down on the bed next to him. "There is something else I have to tell you, something worse," she said, staring down in her lap. "Something, I don't know if you can forgive me for."

Rodolphus turned his body towards hers, cupping her face in his hands once again. "Whatever it is, Hermione, I don't even need to know," he begged, shaking his head. "I will forgive you, no matter what. It couldn't change the way that I think of you."

Taking a deep breath and gathering every ounce of Gryffindor courage that she had, Hermione squared her shoulders. "I was pregnant," she said, watching as understanding sunk in, before she saw the clear worry in his eyes. "You have a daughter, Rodolphus."

Hermione could see the muscles in his jaw tighten and relax as he tried to think of words to say. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice sounding hurt and small.

"I wasn't sure how you would react...how your father would react," she explained, as tears ran down her cheek. "And then I had to go into hiding. By then, I wanted to tell you so badly, but I didn't know how to contact you, and I felt so guilty, you have no idea. It was the worst decision I ever made not to tell you and if I could take it back I would."

"What's her name?" he asked, after a beat of silence.

"Daisy," Hermione revealed. "I haven't given her a middle name or a family name yet, because I wasn't sure how involved you'd want to be. If you'd even want to be with us again."

"Of course I want to be with you," he said, clearly annoyed by her assumptions. "I'm...I'm furious really, that you wouldn't tell me. Think of all the things I've missed...of my child's birth, but...I know that I forgive you already, for giving me such a gift. I don't think that I can sit her for another minute without seeing her, though. Please, can I meet my daughter?"

Hermione laughed at his words, just glad that he was willing to give her a chance. "Yes, of course you can, I wouldn't dream of keeping you away from her," she said with a grin. Grabbing his arm, she gave almost no warning before she was apparating with him into the back garden of Mrs. Figg's home. Taking him inside, she greeted Arabella before snuggling little Daisy up in her arms.

Watching Rodolphus hold her in his arms, was something that would be seared into Hermione's heart for the rest of her life. He held her as if she was the most precious, most wonderful thing that he'd ever seen. She didn't want to miss a moment of it, not even to let Arthur and Dumbledore know where they'd gotten off to.

They would just have to understand.