July 23rd

It was half past one before Hermione felt confident that her husband wasn't coming up to bed. Dressing quietly, she waited for any sound to indicate he would be coming up the stairs. If he caught her, she wasn't sure what she would tell him. No explanation would be good enough. What she was planning was just what a Gryffindor would do, and therefore, the exact opposite of what Antonin would think she should.

When she was dressed, she opened the bedroom door a crack to discern what was happening downstairs. To her relief, all of the lights were off. Oliver's bedroom door was shut at the opposite end of the corridor. She thought she could just barely make out the sound of Antonin's breathing from the sofa in the lounge. One of the advantages of having such a modest home was that she could usually tell what the other occupants were up to from any other room. Of course, the small size was exactly what made sneaking out more difficult.

The longer she waited, the more likely she was to either get caught or lose her nerve. Carefully closing the bedroom door behind her, she crossed the room to one of the large windows near the bed. Depending on the sorts of protective enchantments Antonin used to cover their home, it was possible that he would feel a disturbance and wake up to investigate. She had to be quick. If he found out that she left, he would be angry, but at least she would hopefully have her answers before she returned. This wasn't the moment that she'd been waiting for, the moment she finally said goodbye forever to her home. There were still reasons to stay. Her sessions with Mr. Akingbade, for one thing. And she wasn't properly packed. She had no intention of running out with just the bare minimum like she did last time.

Shifting the wards covering the window, she unlatched the casing and pushed it open. There was just enough of a ledge that she could stand outside of the enchantments to Disapparate. It wasn't going to be easy, but she knew it was possible. This wasn't the first time she had a reason to sneak out of her own home. Though it had been years, she felt certain that she could still remember how to do it.

Heights never bothered her much. That was actually a common misconception that those who knew her hatred for flying believed. No, it was the fast movement of broomsticks, hippogriffs, and thestrals that unnerved her so. She was always afraid that she would be thrown off. Just standing in a high place wasn't so frightening. Of course, she much preferred heights that weren't exactly deadly if she did fall. Stumbling out of the window of her bedroom would probably break a few bones, but unless she fell awkwardly on her neck, wasn't likely to end her life.

The squeak of the window opening sounded deafening in her ears. She knew she should've cast silencing charms on it before she tried to force it open, but it was too late. Once it was open, she didn't waste another second. She was out on the ledge ready to leave. Using her untraceable wand because she didn't want Antonin to know where she went, she Disapparated almost in mid-air. The journey across the country was over in moments. Her feet touched down in a darkened alley. Women, even witches, were vulnerable at that time of night in a dark corner. She rushed towards the building that was her first destination. Before she could find the wizard she wanted, she needed to ask some questions first.

Draco's front door didn't open the first time she knocked on it. Unlike her previous visit when it opened on its own, she had to stand in the corridor waiting for the owner of the flat to appear. When he didn't come immediately, she pounded on the door. If he was in there, she wasn't going to let him ignore her.

"What the bloody hell, Hermione?"

It was evident that he'd been deep asleep. Just the few short days she spent with him in his flat taught her that he didn't appreciate being woken up from a sound sleep. He so rarely had the opportunity to sleep soundly that when it was interrupted, he was cantankerous. She thought at the time that it was rather adorable. Maybe he thought he was being menacing, but he failed. He rubbed at his eyes and covered his mouth to yawn.

"I need to see Rodolphus now."

"Well, he's not here."

She rolled her eyes, not in the mood for his flippancy.

"Then take me to where he is."

The wizard stepped back from the doorway to invite her inside his flat. His home might have taken up the entire top floor of the building, but there were still neighbors beneath him. Neither one of them wished to have curious onlookers come up to the top floor to demand what all the noise was in the middle of the night. Hermione reluctantly stepped in. She was afraid that if she entered the flat he would figure out some devious way to sidetrack her from her mission.

"All right, first, tell me why you need to see my uncle. You realize it's almost two in the morning?"

"Yes, I know what time it is. I had to wait until Antonin was asleep to sneak out. He's kept me practically a prisoner in my own home since the Dark Lord died."

He gestured for her to sit on the large, comfortable sofa. Not wishing to be there long enough to sit, she knew that she would have to be polite and patient for him to help her. Sometimes he could be terribly unreasonable. She pushed aside the memories of the sorts of activities they'd gotten up to on that very sofa after too much fire whiskey. It was best that she keep her mind focused on anything other than how nicely their bodies fit together. She had a mission, a purpose.

"Tell me why you came to my flat in the middle of the night demanding to see Rodolphus."

"It's not important. I just need to speak to him."

"Don't lie to me, Hermione. I thought you had more respect for me than that."

She wasn't sure she would ever understand how exactly their relationship changed so much in almost eight months. Before New Year's, he was a remnant of her past that she didn't like to think about. Then he started following her all over the country, always popping up when she least expected him. Perhaps loneliness was the biggest reason she finally gave in to entertaining something more than just an awkward acquaintance with the man who once made her life in the castle a nightmare.

It was risky to tell him the truth. Even after tumbling in and out of his bed numerous times, she still wasn't sure that she could completely trust the man. He'd hurt her in the past. And, knowing that he had been playing both sides for years, she knew that he was a good liar. What would he do with the information that she gave him? The tiniest voice in the back of her head warned her that she would regret telling him anything, but she felt like she was going to burst if she didn't tell someone what had been going on. He already knew that she had problems with confusion. He'd been present for one of those moments. Though she knew she was right that she would likely regret it, the words came rushing out.

"I've been working with a memory charms expert to find out what's wrong with my mind. He discovered that someone has been placing spells on me to manipulate my memories or to block them entirely. It's been going on for years. He said that it was the most intricate network of spells he'd ever seen."

"And you want to get a second opinion from Rodolphus because he's also an expert?"

"No, I want to confront him because he's the one who put them on me in the first place."

A whistle came out of his mouth as he exhaled. The bombshell she dropped was large. She didn't know the exact relationship between the two men. Only that his aunt's widower didn't worry about societal expectations and visited the Malfoys on a regular basis when no one else would. She remembered the night that Rodolphus confronted her in the middle of the Resistance village right after the explosion in the Leaky Cauldron. He'd been terrified that something happened to Draco. She also hadn't forgotten how hostile he was when he demanded she tell him what their relationship was. At the time she just assumed that he didn't think she was good enough for his nephew, that he was worried that she would cause him nothing but grief. After the unraveling of her memories and especially the memory of being with him in the back garden in the middle of Oliver's birthday party, she worried that his anger was for a different reason entirely. It was very likely that he was jealous. He promised that he would be coming back for her when the time was right. Maybe he didn't like the idea of Draco touching her.

"Let me see if I understand you. All of this confusion you've had, these episodes you've had like at the funeral and that night in the Forest of Dean… all of this is because of memory charms placed in your mind supposedly by Rodolphus?"

"He's the one that keeps popping up in these recovered memories. He's in every single one of them. How else do you explain that unless he's responsible?"

"No, I'm not doubting you about that. I'm wondering why you thought it was a good idea to confront him alone in the middle of the night. If you believe he's been cursing you for years, this hardly seems like the best plan."

She hated when he was logical. Especially when she was being anything but. Of course, it was reckless and foolish to go tearing off in the middle of the night with a half-cocked plan. Or really, no plan at all. Sometimes she didn't just foolishly act like a Gryffindor, but she was dangerously irrational. If Rodolphus meant her harm, which she could only imagine that he did to go to such drastic lengths, she shouldn't be alone when she went after him for answers. She was just asking for trouble.

Her brain felt fuzzy and tired. The sessions she'd been undergoing with Mr. Akingbade were indeed taking more out of her than she realized. There was no way she would've come to the same conclusion when she was thinking clearly. She needed rest.

Draco's hand brushed the hair out of her face. Almost immediately the feel of his touch began to calm her down. It felt like a lifetime passed since they were last alone in his flat for any length of time, but it really hadn't been that long at all. She almost missed the days she was living there. Little did she know at the time how much more complicated her life would become when she left.

"I should go home. I snuck out a window. If Antonin finds me gone…"

"Or you could stay the night."

His gentle kiss was almost enough persuasion to get her to stay. It would be so easy to ignore her responsibilities, to run away at least for the night. She allowed herself to give in to the kiss, but broke it off before they got carried away.

"I'm sorry for waking you up, Draco. I really don't know what I was thinking."

She was back in the safety of her own bed long before Antonin woke up from his nap on the sofa and climbed the stairs to their bedroom.