February 22nd

Walking in the middle of the winter with no set purpose or plan was exhausting. Hermione had lost count the number of days that had passed since she began her journey towards Devon. Or how many days since she'd left Draco Malfoy standing in the middle of the woods. If she was honest, she was surprised that he hadn't managed to track her down yet. And if she was completely honest with herself, she was disappointed that he hadn't.

She knew that whatever relationship the two of them had was complicated to say the least. Were they friends? Colleagues? Comrades? Acquaintances? Part of her feared the moment he would catch up with her again at the same time that she began to hope that he would. Loneliness was clearly getting to her. Nine months completely alone could addle anyone's brain. After all, she was still having fits of conscience when she was seriously considering returning to Hogsmeade for no other reason than at least she wouldn't have to keep walking.

The closer she got to Devon, the less she knew what she wanted to do. A decision would have to be made before she crossed over the dangerous border. She wished she had more information about what exactly she was expected to find when she got there. Was it a shelter where she could be given refuge? As much as spending any length of time around the self-righteous arseholes who mostly comprised the Resistance sounded positively dreadful, she couldn't deny that having a warm bed and adequate food every day was an attractive prospect.

When the sun fell low in the sky and the temperature dropped even further, she knew she would have to find shelter. That was her life now. Endless moving and seeking out a temporary place to keep warm enough that she wouldn't die. Was it any wonder returning to her husband's home was starting to seem more and more like a good idea? One could go completely mad with an existence like hers and she hadn't exactly been operating at full capacity to begin with.

Deciding that she would dip into her store of money to pay for another night in a Muggle inn, she kept her eyes open for a sign on the sparsely traveled road she was walking on for any hint of civilization up ahead. After only another kilometer or so, she stumbled upon a sign giving the distances to the next two towns up ahead on her route. She recognized one of the town names. With a smile on her weary face, she turned down the road where the arrow was pointing.

Though she might have technically been going in a direction away from Devon, she didn't care. An old friend of hers lived nearby and she felt certain that she could impose upon their hospitality for the night. Or at least until she was warm enough to step outside again. Most definitely one of those souls who lived on the very fringes of so-called polite society, Hermione had no fear that he would turn her in.

Her feet were heavy and stiff when she completed the three kilometers necessary to arrive at where she hoped she could find a shelter that would keep her warm and dry. The small cottage was secluded, no neighbors within shouting distance. If one word could be used to describe the abode it was picturesque. The inhabitant took great pride in his home. Every square centimeter was meticulously maintained and she had rarely seen a more beautiful garden. He enjoyed the outdoors and preferred nature to people. Of that, she could certainly relate.

She knocked on his front door, a knot of nerves tightening in her gut. They hadn't exactly left on bad terms, but it had been a long time since she last darkened his doorstep. She hoped that he wasn't going to be upset with her staying away from him as long as she had. No one answered. Worried that she was making a mistake, Hermione lifted her hand to knock a second time just as the door opened abruptly.

A sleepy Fenrir Greyback stood on the other side of the door rubbing at his eyes. He scowled at his visitor, no doubt upset that his sleep had been disturbed. Nervous that he was going to be angry, she sighed in relief when the scowl morphed into a pleased grin. Experience taught her that he was slow to respond when he'd just woken up.

"Well, well. This is a surprise."

He stepped back to allow her access into his small home. She was hardly across the threshold before his strong arms picked her entire frame off of the floor in a tight hug. The terrifying werewolf kissed her cheek and sniffed her neck in a deep inhale. It was a comforting reminder of how he always used to greet her when they were alone.

"I apologize if I'm a little too overpowering for your sensitive nose. It's hard to find a shower some days."

Laughter shook his chest. He responded at first by only squeezing her tighter before setting her back down on her feet.

"You are welcome to use my shower, if you wish. I can even help scrub any of your hard to reach places."

His cheeky wink made her laugh. She couldn't deny that she was tempted by his offer. They had an amusing history. There was never what could be defined as a romance of any kind, but there was most definitely a friendship with certain pleasurable benefits.

Hermione was one of the few Death Eaters who treated the dangerous werewolf like an equal. It had been a gamble when she first decided to try to befriend him in hopes that she would have someone on her side. There was a great deal of politics involved in being a Death Eater. That was one of the very first lessons she learned on her own. Even though the werewolf terrified her and she wasn't completely over being upset about his treatment of her the night she was dragged to Malfoy Manor, she cultivated that relationship. All it took was just showing him a little bit of respect and not speaking down to him like the others and he was hers. She never once had to question his loyalty. If she asked, and she was tempted to ask more than a few times, he would even go so far as to murder Antonin. Every other Death Eater might have been terrified of what her husband was capable of, but Fenrir would dispose of him in a heartbeat if that was her desire. It was helpful to have him entirely on her side.

"I didn't mean to wake you up. It's not after the Full Moon, is it?"

There was a time when she kept up with the phases of the moon, but there had been no need. She knew that when he was recovering from the aftereffects of transformations that he would be exhausted for days. Fenrir liked to sleep in and could be quite moody and irritable. He had the opposite issue in the days leading up to the Full Moon. A burst of animalistic energy at that time often made for exhilarating visits. The man was insatiable to her benefit and delight.

"Not for another week. You just caught me being lazy."

He winked and she snorted. Before she could say anything in response, a loud growl coming from her stomach assaulted both of their ears. Fenrir found the noise amusing.

"Go shower. I'll make you dinner."

She would have been a fool to refuse such an offer. Knowing exactly where to go, she headed straight for his bathroom. One aspect of Fenrir's personality that had astonished her from the very beginning was his fastidiousness. At least in regards to how he kept his home. Sometimes he wasn't altogether bothered about his personal appearance. She knew that when she stepped inside his small bathroom, she would find it exceptionally clean and organized. He was truly a man of surprising habits.

When all of the grime from her travels was washed from her body and she was feeling like a human being again, she returned to the main room of his cottage to find the werewolf standing over the cooker preparing her a simple meal. Her mouth watered at the delicious smells. Thorfinn's food from the cafe had sated her hunger, but she always appreciated a hot meal.

"Where are you going next?"

She didn't know how to answer his question. Telling him about Devon might have given her the opportunity to seek another person's opinion, though she was wary to do so. A practical outcast he might have been, but he was still no friend to the Resistance. In lieu of an answer, she just shrugged her shoulders.

"You can stay here as long you want. No one ever bothers me here."