May 6th

Waking up in Draco's bed was an experience that Hermione knew would take some getting used to. He'd made it perfectly clear that as long as she was staying in his flat, she was not only welcomed but wanted in his bed with him. Even when he was late getting back home from a mission he was summoned to, he wanted her there. After so long on the run alone, it made her feel special to know that he desired her next to him each night or waiting for him when he was gone. She might have experienced a similar situation with Augustus during her short stay at his home in Cornwall, but somehow, it was just different with Draco. She couldn't explain it.

She could only vaguely remember slipping between the decadent sheets the night before. After his summons while they were showering together, he had been frustratingly tight-lipped about what he discovered when he Apparated to Hogsmeade. But whatever had happened, he was given a task that had to be completed. Though he might have come back to sleep in his own bed for the night, he was gone again before she even woke up. Not even a note was left to give her a clue to his whereabouts. Any life spent with Draco Malfoy would be fraught with unexplained absences and late nights. Of course, even just contemplating what a life with the wizard would be like was a ridiculous waste of time.

Every moment that she remained in his flat imagining that they were just two old acquaintances who discovered they had feelings for the other was only going to make it harder to leave. She couldn't expect what was happening with them to last longer than the short time she spent hiding in his flat. There was nothing between them that had any hope for lasting longer than the moment she had to finally step out of the front door. It was foolish to ignore that fact. She wasn't doing either of them any favors by lingering longer than she should. There would be no happy ending for them, no long life together, nothing. Even if the Resistance was somehow able to complete their Revolution, they wouldn't be free to be anything more than two lonely people who spent several days in bed to try to forget how lonely they actually were.

Hermione didn't even have to turn over onto her side to know that the wizard was already gone. The clock next to the bed showed the time to just be after eight in the morning, but it was likely that he had been gone since before the sun even came up. She was curious about what he did when he was away. Just how dangerous were these missions he was sent on? Knowing that he was friendly with the Resistance helped calm a number of her fears. At least she didn't have to worry that he would get caught by them. If they were as large as he claimed they were, that was no small load off of her mind. All he need worry about were the Death Eaters and considering they mostly wanted nothing to do with the Malfoys, that was easily accomplished.

The sound of voices in the next room startled her out of her thoughts. Draco wasn't the sort of person to wander around his home talking to himself that she was aware of. He hadn't done it since she was installed as an unwitting guest anyway. There certainly wasn't a Muggle television set anywhere in the flat. Even if he wasn't completely ignorant of most Muggle devices, she didn't see him as the sort to watch much television. He liked to remain active. There were also dozens of books strewn haphazardly around the flat and they didn't belong to her. None of his neighbors in the building had dropped by in the time since she was plucked off the streets of Aberdeen. If he had Muggle-repelling charms set up around his flat, she wouldn't have been surprised.

She stayed as silent as possible to try to discern what she was hearing just meters away. It didn't take her long to feel confident that she was definitely hearing voices. For once, they weren't even inside her head. Two people were having a calm conversation. Impossible to hear what exactly was being said, she knew one of them was Draco. The measure of his voice had been ingrained inside her mind since they were eleven years old. Further interactions the past several months only made it more so. Hermione rose from the bed, careful not to make any loud sounds. If he thought that she was in any sort of danger, he would have made certain that the door to his bedroom was spelled to keep her in it and others out. As she pulled Draco's dressing gown on, she made her way to test the door. It opened without issue.

Both of the voices ceased the moment she stepped out into the kitchen. Her host was seated at his table sipping his customary morning cup of tea with one of the last people Hermione expected to see. Part of her really shouldn't have been surprised to see Ginny Weasley again. For whatever reason, her life was intrinsically wrapped up in Draco's since they were both so involved with the Resistance. Considering the less than positive reaction she had from the wizard who hated her the last time she saw William Wood, she would have assumed that his former paramour would have much the same reaction when their paths crossed again.

Ginny took one look at her old friend and laughed into her teacup. Though she might have been witness to some bizarre behavior on the other witch's part considering their once close friendship, that wasn't the response Hermione expected. A further roll of Ginny's eyes at her appearance made the older witch think seriously about hexing her face. What was the meaning of this visit?

"Can't say I'm all that surprised to see you wandering out of Draco's bedroom dressed in his robe, Hermione." Ginny turned her attention to the wizard before asking her next impertinent question. "That been going on for months?"

The woman's demeanor was cold, even if she was still laughing. Draco was quick to assure her that their dalliance hadn't been going on for long with a simple 'no'. It bothered Hermione more than she cared to dwell on that the two of them were so familiar. Weeks earlier he'd declared that she had never been a guest in his home and there had never been anything between them beyond friendship. Had that been a lie? As skilled as she was in detecting falsehoods, no one was one hundred percent perfect all of the time. He might simply have been able to fool her. Wanting to move her thoughts beyond what his past was with Ginny, she pushed her concerns to the back of her mind to deal with later. In that moment, she wanted to know just what the hell a Resistance leader was doing in his kitchen.

"Why are you here, Ginny?"

"Can't an old friend just pop in for some tea now and again?"

She wasn't in the mood to play games. Instead, Hermione simply stared at the woman unsmiling, waiting for her to finally answer her question. It only took a few seconds before she sighed.

"Are you tired of running from the Resistance?"

"I'm tired of running full stop."

It was the truth. Whatever she had to do to be able to live her life in peace, she was willing to do it. Running away to another country had been impractical, but she still had moments of regret for not doing what she could to take Augustus up on his offer.

"Thanks to you, Aberforth is rotting away in some Ministry jail waiting for his execution."

"It was never my intention…"

"Whether you meant it or not, you are responsible, Hermione. We in the Resistance haven't forgotten that. Nor will we."

There was a great deal of anger behind her statement. Not that Hermione could blame her for it. She was justified. The fact that she hadn't immediately cursed the woman responsible for his capture as soon as she saw her was a surprise. It was no secret how beloved Aberforth Dumbledore was to those in the Resistance. They all rallied around the man.

"Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you still have some influence with the people in charge. You have your own power. If you so desired, you could get Aberforth freed before he was killed for your incompetence."

"Ginny, I don't know how I would get him out. He's probably locked down in Level Eleven…"

"I don't care how you get him out, Hermione. Just do it. If Aberforth dies, you will be next. We won't forget."

Her threat still hung in the air moments after Ginny made her dramatic exit from the flat. Sitting down in her vacated seat, Hermione stared at Draco who had been completely silent with the exception of his one word answer. He seemed uncomfortable and ready to rush out too. Almost as if he read her mind, Draco rose to his feet. Pressing a quick kiss to her lips, he made his excuses to leave the flat only a few minutes after Ginny. Completely alone once more, she sat back imagining all of the possibilities.

What Ginny was asking her for was impossible. There was no way she could get the wizard free. Not unless she tucked her tail between her legs and slinked back to Hogsmeade to her husband. That for damn sure wasn't about to happen any time soon.