February 26th

Her time with Fenrir needed to come to an end. Even as she knelt on his bedroom floor on all fours while he thrust deliciously and painfully into her body from behind, she knew that she couldn't stay. It was tempting to forget about what was happening in the rest of the world to allow their debauchery to continue behind closed doors. She had had many lovers over the years that knew how to pluck the right notes from her body with a single touch. Fenrir had always been the best. Or, maybe just the most violent and passionate. She didn't always care for sweetness and tenderness in the bedroom.

His stamina was increasing with each day that ticked closer to the Full Moon. Likewise, his appetite was growing larger and larger for all aspects of living that he enjoyed. Hermione's entire body ached with the pleasant reminders of the virility of her partner. He had been sensing her need to move on, to continue her journey wherever that might take her. Neither of them knew if they would ever have another chance to see each other again. They each seemed determined to wring out every drop of pleasure while they could.

Fenrir would never beg her to stay with him. Not in a million years. Over the course of her impromptu visit he had made certain that she knew that she was welcome to remain as long as she desired. Many times he reminded her that all she had to do was ask and his home was hers for however long she wished. He sprinkled in enjoyable reminders of what she had to look forward to if she stayed. Though he might have desired nothing more than for her to never leave him, he would never articulate the words. He had too much pride. And they had never been in love.

She had lost count the number of rounds they'd already had that morning. The man was insatiable and she was able to forget all of her worries about the future when she was otherwise occupied. It was definitely not a long-term solution, but then again, she hadn't had one of those for a very long time. Part of her wondered if she would ever have need for one again. Blissfully ignoring the worst of her problems for a few moments of pleasure would never be the greatest of ideas. She didn't care. There were too few times she was able to shut her mind off.

A harsh pounding on the front door of the cottage stopped Fenrir mid-thrust. No one had bothered them the entire time she had been there. Suddenly worried that she had finally been discovered, Hermione could feel her stomach twist and turn into knots. Her companion took a deep sniff of the air. A low growl accompanied the tensing of his entire body. Whoever it was, they were not welcome. He pulled himself out of her body when they were both hit with the unmistakable feel of a Homenum Revelio. They knew that there were two people inside the cottage. Based on the reaction he had when he sniffed the air, she got the feeling that Fenrir was aware of who was waiting outside.

"Who is it?"

"Your husband."

Two words. Two simple words uttered had the power to bring her world crashing down around her ears. All of the running she had done for the previous months had been for nothing. Antonin was about to catch her. What happened next was anyone's guess. She felt frozen in fear, unable to even gather up the necessary courage to get up and make a respectable run for it again. She was trapped.

The banging on the door increased in its intensity. Antonin was not the kind of man to just give up when faced with an obstacle. Few people alive frightened him and Fenrir Greyback was not one of them. If it became necessary, he would blast the door off of its hinges and force his way in. He had very little respect for personal property when it suited him otherwise.

Fenrir shouted for his unexpected visitor to wait. At least for the moment, Antonin ceased his knocking. Needing to move quickly to keep his home intact, Fenrir took control of the situation. He grabbed his wand off of the nightstand next to the bed. A single utterance and Hermione felt each of her four limbs encircled with heavy rope. The monster was tying her to the foot of his bed in a grotesque and painful position. When she tried to protest, he silenced her with another spell and covered her entire head with a shirt that smelled strongly of him. A tingling across her body she couldn't understand made her begin to squirm. The moment the tingling was replaced with the sting of sharp pain, she tried to fight against her constraints.

"Calm down, girl. I'm just covering up the scars he might recognize. No need to add bruises. Looks like what we've been doing the last few days has given you plenty of those."

He laughed and she began to calm. Though not entirely confident in his abilities, she knew she could trust him. He would do what he could to keep her out of her husband's grip. A cooling sensation on her left arm disillusioned the Dark Mark she'd carried for much of her life. The pounding on the door began again. Antonin was losing patience.

"Best I can do on such short notice." Fenrir playfully smacked her bare arse. "I'll try to keep him out of the bedroom, but if he forces his way in here, pretend to be a terrified Muggle. Maybe he won't look too closely."

It was more solid of a plan than hers to just sit there waiting to be found. She could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears as he made his way to the front door. With a loud growl he opened the door and demanded his visitor tell him what the meaning of his interruption was. Hearing the familiar cadence of Antonin's voice terrified Hermione down to her very core. What was he doing there? Had he discovered her hiding place?

"Oh, ho! What do we have here?"

Rabastan Lestrange's delighted voice flooded the bedroom. Knowing that he was getting a thorough look at her nakedness, she struggled again unsuccessfully at her restraints. There might have been many nights in her past where she willingly invited the man into her bed, but the vulnerability of her current position frightened her beyond words. She felt a fingertip on the top of her spine. It traveled down her bare back, threatening to press against the most intimate part of her body. Fearing that he was going to go much further than just threats, she tried to fight back. Her reaction only encouraged him in his boldness. Feeling the wizard kneel behind her in much the same position that Fenrir had earlier, she couldn't breathe. When her ears were assaulted with the sound of a zipper being lowered, she tried not to panic. A loud growl from Fenrir and a stinging hex from Antonin halted his movements.

"Fuck, Antonin! What was that for?"

"You weren't seriously about to touch that, were you?"

"Don't tell me you're not tempted to give her a go."

"No, I wouldn't fuck the werewolf's leavings."

Fenrir's harsh bark of laughter silenced them all. The moment he made the remark that Antonin had never been too particular before, the room erupted into a flash of violence Hermione wished she could see. From the best she could gather, Rabastan was only just able to keep her husband from killing her lover. Several minutes passed before they were calmed down enough to speak again. The master of the house demanded that they leave his pet alone and continue their discussion in the other room.

She couldn't hear anything they said with the door closed. Without having the other two Death Eaters in the room with her, she should have felt calmer, but she didn't. A million different possibilities of why they were actually there ran through her mind. Maybe someone had seen her enter his house days earlier. She thought she had been very careful in her stay by not going outside and keeping the curtains closed. Maybe Antonin was confronting the man he had to have known his wife was having an affair with. He could have exhausted all other avenues in his search.

Time seemed to pass so slowly while she waited. Only when she heard the front door open and shut did she begin to calm. Fenrir began removing her restraints and the silencing spell moments later. She couldn't build up enough courage to speak. Taking pity on her, he helped her up to her feet and led her to the edge of the bed to sit. Covering her shivering body with a blanket, he sat next to her with his arm around her shoulders.

"They were here on the Dark Lord's orders. Had nothing to do with you."

Hermione exhaled a breath she hadn't even been aware she was holding. The pounding of her heart in her ears grew softer until she couldn't even hear it any longer. Still they sat next to each other without speaking.

"I need to leave. That was too close."

He didn't argue.