April 1st

Though it might have taken her a long time to settle down after Draco's abrupt exit, finally knowing whether or not the three wizards she had been concerned about were alive or dead took a lot of pressure off of Hermione's shoulders. She finished off the rest of the neglected pot of tea, analyzing the bizarreness of her interactions with the wizard before she felt her eyelids droop with exhaustion. Whatever it was that had made Draco behave so strangely was a mystery that she could solve later.

She extinguished all of the lights and slipped into her comfortable, familiar bunk. While she knew that she would likely be better off escaping the village, she no longer felt the urge to do it immediately. For the moment, she had the answers she needed. There was nothing keeping her from relaxing in bed, finally catching up on some of the sleep she had sorely missed.

Much of the day that she had her anticipated visit from Draco passed by with her unconscious. Several days of worry and anxiety had been a strain on her body. Once she knew that her husband was safe and there was no reason to rush back to Hogsmeade to await her punishment and care for her child, she settled down considerably. Learning that Augustus was still alive also helped. Years might have passed since they last had an intimate moment together of any consequence, but she hadn't lied to her former classmate. She would likely love Augustus Rookwood up until the very moment that she died. It didn't matter that she knew they would be doomed if they both left their spouses to try to run away together. Love, like she'd discovered the hard way throughout her life, rarely made the least bit of sense.

Despite his rather abrupt exit, she had been grateful that Draco took the time to come to the village. She knew that he had been through a lot even if she didn't have the details. Perhaps one day soon they would be able to have a conversation about what was wrong when they were both sober and calm. He didn't have to come by to ease her mind at all. Maybe that was why he had been so melancholy towards the end, spouting off about being foolish to expect a better reception. She had been so relieved to find out that both Augustus and Antonin were still alive that she didn't even stop to thank him. It was wrong.

As the first day of the month dawned and she'd spent the better part of an entire day catching up on all of the sleep she'd lost in the days worrying about who was killed in the explosion, she was startled awake by what sounded like a fist banging on the top of what passed for her kitchen table. Few in the village knew where her tent could be found. Hoping foolishly at first that it might be Draco returning to continue their discussion, she leapt out of her bunk without care that she wasn't fully dressed. Clad in her pajamas, she made it just a few steps outside of the curtain that had been hung to separate the living space from the sleeping space before she stopped in her tracks. It was not Draco.

"Hurry up and get dressed, lass. I don't have all day."

Aberforth Dumbledore certainly had an effective way to make his presence known. Since their last lesson where she'd actually managed to sting him in the stomach, there had been no indication that he would return to keep teaching. Determined not to miss her opportunity to get better, Hermione rushed back into the sleeping area to change. On a whim she didn't exactly understand, she made certain that even her dirty clothes were pushed back inside her beaded bag. She'd spent too long in the village. Her chance to leave without worry that William Wood was behind her to curse her in the back presented itself.

It bothered her more than she would admit to leave behind the tent that had become her temporary home. There were so many memories attached to it from her former life and her current that she wanted to pull it down to take it with her. If she succeeded in escaping from the Resistance, it would be very unlikely that she would be able to come back to retrieve her property. Instead, she made sure that she took one last lingering look around the interior of the tent before she stepped outside behind the wizard.

He took her back to the same empty field that they'd practiced in before. Almost at once his training intensified. He began to expect even more out of her than the previous times they met. It was evident that the Resistance was trying to push through the rest of her training. Was it because they were wanting to make her leave the village to go out into the field as a spy even sooner?

Dumbledore's first spell struck her right in the chest before she was ready. Dueling using cloaked magic was a step above where Hermione was comfortable. She had only just learned how to perform magic at all with the unfamiliar wand. How often did the wizard expect her to have to defend herself from attack? After a few more hits that hurt her pride more than her body, she discovered she was able to apply the principles he'd already taught her to the more active form of magic. Of course it made sense that she might have to duel an opponent. Spies were in almost constant danger.

Remembering what she had been asked to do by the Resistance wasn't good for her concentrating. She knew she was distracted. Knew that she was making a fool of herself. Hermione didn't understand why it seemed that Aberforth appeared to take her failures personally, but he did. Perhaps he was the kind of person who didn't like how a student's inability to perform reflected on him as a trainer. It didn't really matter. His frustration grew higher with each subsequent curse she was unable to block.

"You're distracted! This kind of ineptitude will get you killed. You realize that, don't you?"

She didn't know what to say. Each moment she was with the man seemed to further solidify the fact that distancing herself from the Resistance was the right move to make. It wasn't entirely his fault, but his repeated reminders that she was learning a skill that would save her from the attacks of the brethren she was once a proud member of certainly didn't help. Running from the organization she'd pledged her life to was one thing. Actively teaming up with the enemy to work against it was another. She couldn't be a spy. Not only was it dangerous, she felt no peace in her gut about it. Every single time in her life that she'd ignored that feeling of warning had almost gotten her killed. Lowering her wand, she stared up at the man who had been so determined to teach her to be successful.

"I need to leave."

"We can return to the village when I feel you are ready. This lesson is not over."

"No, I need to leave."

Her meaning became clear. In an instant, his blue eyes darkened with rage. To forget that Aberforth Dumbledore was a formidable opponent for even a moment was dangerous. The wizard stalked closer to his student, the air around him almost crackling with the raw energy brought on by his fury.

"The only reason why I agreed to teach you anything was to make sure that you would do as you were told. We need a spy. We've never had one as well-placed as you would be."

"I'm not saying that I won't come back. I just…"

He knew a lie when he heard one. She had no intention of returning to the Resistance. Her time there had been educational, but that was it. If there was to be a large Revolution, she wanted nothing to do with it. She only ever felt like she could breathe when she was outside of the confines of the village. Returning to an existence hiding in a tent was no life. She'd rather be dead than continue.

"If you leave, you will be an enemy again."

"I never stopped being an enemy while I was here."

There was no reason to argue. Even Aberforth knew she was telling the truth. Her presence had simply been convenient. The exact moment that she no longer was convenient for the Resistance, she would be killed. But he couldn't let a potentially valuable asset walk away.

"Consider what you are saying."

"I have. I'm leaving."

The last man who grabbed her arm in the same manner that Dumbledore did ended up in a puddle of his own blood. Dumbledore got off easy. She wasn't surprised when she felt the grip of his hand. He would try to intimidate her into staying if she let him. She'd spent a long time allowing others to tell her what to do. It was exhausting and hadn't yet worked out well to her benefit.

She knew that she acted rashly when the stunner came shooting out of the end of her wand straight into the man's stomach. As he crumbled to the ground, Hermione knew she had to leave quickly. The magic erupted out of her without thought. There had been no cloaking. If she lingered, she would be captured.

Sounds of multiple figures suddenly popping into existence around her filled the quiet countryside. Based on the sheer number that arrived, it was evident that Antonin was stepping up his efforts to find his wife. He'd brought help. Though it all happened so fast, mere moments really, she was able to look over her shoulder as she spun in place to disappear. Her eyes met her husband's dark brown eyes for the briefest of seconds. Before he could finish calling out her name, Hermione was gone.