January 29th

Sneaking out of a strange flat in the wee hours of the morning was easier said than done. Hermione had enjoyed her evening and appreciated that the Muggle hadn't been in any hurry to kick her out of his warm home when they were too tired for another round between his sheets. It had even been kind of nice laying in the comfortable bed with a warm, masculine body spooned up behind hers. She wasn't sure the last time she had enjoyed that simple pleasure.

He truly was a nice bloke. All gentlemanly manners and an eager desire to please. It was a shame that he had to cross her path. He deserved better than the dark cloud she carried with her wherever she went. She could have gotten used to the innocence of a man who didn't know what the world was really like outside those doors. An entire society existed outside of his knowledge. There were times she lamented the loss of her ignorance. How different would her life have been if she hadn't been willing to embrace her magic? Perhaps she would have lived a normal life with both of her parents still in the country. She could've gone to university and fallen in love with a nice boy just like the one who invited her home the night before. Maybe they would've had children and she would've been a good mum.

She couldn't afford to allow her thoughts to linger on what could not be. It didn't matter what could have been. All that mattered was what was. Living in a fantasy world was even more dangerous than living in the past.

Careful not to jostle the sleeping man, Hermione slid out of his embrace. She stopped before she went any further just to make sure the sudden change didn't wake him out of his deep slumber. Their activities the night before had been exhausting to say the least. A small smirk crept up on her lips at the flash of memories. One night stands could be enjoyable, if done correctly. There had been a time in her life when she hadn't hesitated to jump in the bed of an attractive man, wizard or Muggle, who smiled at her in just the right way for no other reason than it was simply fun to do so. It had been a diverting way to keep her mind off of the unpleasantness of the rest of her life. And besides, she knew how much it bothered Antonin that she would climb in a stranger's bed, but kept her distance from his. Annoying and frustrating him was simply another perk.

The Muggle slept on with all of the innocence and carelessness of a being who had never known real danger or true fear. She envied him. Envied how he could continue to sleep while a murderer crawled out of his bed. If he knew half of the depraved acts she'd committed over her time as a Death Eater, he would've never had the courage to bring another pretty girl he met in a pub home with him again. Part of her thought that he should know. If for no other reason than he shouldn't so trusting. The world was a scary place. Maybe he needed to learn that before he did something foolish and got himself killed.

Her gaze fell on his discarded trousers lying in the middle of the floor. A bulge in the back pocket proved he hadn't attempted to hide his wallet from the stranger he brought home. Feeling it was her duty to show him how unwise it was to be so trusting and naive, Hermione cautiously put both of her bare feet on the cold hardwood floors. Satisfied that he was still sound asleep, she tiptoed to the garment to rifle through the leather wallet. She took every last pound he carried, and dropped the wallet back on top of his trousers. It was important that he realized he'd been robbed. Perhaps he would be more careful the next time he approached a woman in a pub.

As much as she would've enjoyed lingering long enough to make use of his shower, she couldn't risk it. She'd already stayed too long as it was. Beyond the fact that she had stolen all of his money, she put him in danger every second she remained. What if someone had seen her the night before? London was a large city, but she had truly shit luck. It always seemed that when she wasn't expecting to cross paths with a person she knew, she did. The moment she was dressed and certain that she had left nothing of hers behind, Hermione snuck out the front door.

With nothing else to do with her time, she began to wander the streets again. The Muggle had been a pleasant distraction. There were times, usually when she was desperate for food or a little bit of warmth, that she considered making it a habit to do what she had done the night before. Chatting up harmless Muggles in pubs in exchange for a meal and a place to sleep was easy. But, each time she considered making her old hobby a profession, she stopped herself. She wasn't desperate enough yet to go that far. Besides, she'd already been married to a man she didn't love at her master's orders. What was that, if it wasn't prostitution on a more permanent basis? She didn't have the stomach to fall so low. Not yet.

She didn't know where she was headed or what she was going to do when she arrived. No one paid her any mind. Nothing about her was remarkable. She tried to do all that she could not to stand out. Less chance of getting in trouble that way. The sun was long gone when she realized where she'd accidentally wandered. Maybe it was a force of habit, a silly mistake that could get her recaptured if she wasn't careful. As soon as she knew where she was, she spun around to head in the opposite direction.

"Hermione?"

The question was hissed at her from the window of a flat on the third floor of the rundown building. She closed her eyes and sighed. What was wrong with her? Was she wanting to get caught? Before she could make up her mind to respond or run away, the resident who recognized her had enough time to Apparate close enough to grab her arm. Spinning her around, Hermione was forced to meet the surprised and disappointed eyes of Alecto Carrow.

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know."

Alecto, keeping a tight grip on the other witch's arm, frantically searched up and down the street with wide, worried eyes. Seeing no one, she spun in place to bring them both to the safety of her flat. There had been a time in Hermione's life when she spent a great deal of time in the older woman's flat avoiding her responsibilities. An unconventional friendship had blossomed between the two years earlier when they bonded over their mutual frustrations with Antonin. A jilted lover of his in her foolish, younger days, Alecto had grown to despise him and was always willing to lend a sympathetic ear when Hermione needed to vent. She never would have expected to become friends with Alecto, but somehow, the unthinkable happened.

Once inside the flat, Alecto ran her hands over Hermione's face, searching for any marks or wounds. It was, unfortunately, not the first time she'd done the same. When she was satisfied that there was nothing physically wrong with her friend, Alecto wrapped her arms around the younger woman and hugged her tight. They hadn't seen each other in months. Not since she was sent to search for Hermione. Ordered to use whatever means necessary to bring her back to Hogsmeade to face her punishment from their Dark Lord, she'd almost been successful. Hermione didn't want to imagine what kind of trouble her friend had gotten in when she failed. Even if the Dark Lord didn't hurt her, she knew that Antonin wasn't apt to be kind.

"I'd heard you were in Wales."

"I was."

Alecto sighed and released her hold. She led them both over to sit on her threadbare sofa. Certainly not anything special, Hermione loved her flat for the simple reason that it was hers. She didn't have to share it with anyone, not even a husband forced upon her for the sole purpose of breeding new life into the Death Eater ranks. A childhood bout of spattergroit meant that she would never be able to be a mother. Small blessing in Hermione's mind.

"Antonin's been causing problems there. Disregarding the treaty. The Dark Lord is not pleased."

Hermione desperately hoped the Jordans were all right. If anything happened to their kind, loving family simply because she had taken advantage of their kindness, she… she didn't know what she'd do. Probably nothing beyond being a bit sad. There wasn't much else she could do. Lee was the one who made the conscious decision to take her out of the Muggle police station and bring her into his home. He was responsible for whatever happened. Didn't he know that being selfless was dangerous?

"It's not safe to be here, Hermione. What were you thinking?"

"Why not? Do you have a boyfriend I don't know about, Allie? Is Rabastan Lestrange going to jump out of a cupboard? Have you finally gotten Felix Travers in your bed? That wizard has turned playing 'hard to get' into something of an art form, hasn't he?"

Realizing she was being teased, Alecto scoffed and chuckled. The longer Hermione sat inside the warmth of the flat, the more exhausted she became. She wanted nothing more than to lay down on the sofa and sleep. Maybe, if she was really persuasive, she could talk Alecto into letting her stay for a night or two. Somehow, she got the feeling that she wouldn't be betrayed unless under specific orders from their master. There were always loopholes to exploit.

"It's a really bad time to be in London, love. There's going to be a meeting tomorrow in one of the back rooms of The Leaky Cauldron."

"A meeting? About what?"

"Not sure. All I know is that attendance is not optional and several are coming in from all over. Russia, Germany, Canada…"

"France?"

Alecto stopped at the seemingly innocuous question. She slowly nodded her head. Hermione was intrigued against her better judgment. It was rare that all of the, for lack of a better term, ambassadors returned at the same time. Something big was likely happening. She almost wished she was still in the Inner Circle, witness to everything.

"I'm leaving for Yorkshire tonight to see my mum. You can stay here if you need to. Just until I get back tomorrow."

"No, Allie. It's too dangerous for you."

"Nonsense. If anyone catches you here, tell the truth that you know where I keep the spare key. Besides, you're not wrong. I haven't been able to get Felix in my bed yet. I haven't given up hope though."

Her playful wink made Hermione laugh. At least she didn't have to worry about freezing in the streets for one more night. And she knew for a fact that Alecto's shower had been charmed so that the hot water never ran out.