August 1st

Hours after her narrow escape from the ambush in her back garden, Hermione lay awake in an unfamiliar bed going back over the events that led her to where she was. Thankfully, the arrival of Babajide Akingbade and her brother-in-law for what was supposed to be her last session kept her from falling into whatever trap Rodolphus set. When she made the observation while the spells were flying that it looked like one side was outnumbered, she had been correct. Unfortunately, it was her side that had the lesser numbers. Escape was the only option to keep her alive, or at least unharmed.

The salty smell of the sea assaulted her nose when they landed. It might have been dark, but Hermione knew where she was. Somewhere she'd been countless times over the years. Even recently. Mr. Akingbade released his grip on her waist. Another pop of Apparition sounded just steps away. Spinning around on her heel with her wand outstretched, she exhaled in relief when she saw Alain holding Oliver's arm. The mystery of the figure running into their home in the middle of the ambush was solved. Alain's purpose was to save his nephew. She wasn't surprised to discover his brother gave him the ability to break through the wards in a time of crisis. If the two wizards hadn't been there…

She didn't want to imagine what the outcome could've been. Trying to focus on anything other than the worst case scenario, Hermione looked up towards where she knew the house would be. Standing just outside his kitchen door was a concerned Augustus. He appeared as if he wanted to run towards the small group congregated just inside his back garden. Perhaps if she had been the only one there he would've.

"So this is the safe house you and Alain have been staying at since you arrived in the country?"

Mr. Akingbade didn't deny the truth that was so evident. Just a simple nod of his head was all he offered by way of explanation. At least she finally understood why all three wizards, the two visitors and her husband, had been so secretive about where they were living. Clearly, her ex-lover had been working with her husband for quite some time despite both of them openly declaring they weren't. She would have words for each man when she had the chance to catch them alone.

"Are you both all right, Hermione?"

There was a note of panic in Augustus' voice that she'd only heard on a few prior occasions. Each one was during a time when her life had been in danger. As much as he was trying to remain stoic, she knew him well enough to know that he'd been worried about her. It was sweet, if a bit confusing. Up until just a few minutes before she landed outside his home, she was under the impression that he was only interested in saving his own arse from the fire. Augustus had plenty of his own secrets.

"Yes, I think so. Ollie?"

At the mention of his name, her son lost the little bit of composure he'd been holding on to. Tears rolled from his eyes and she was convinced he was about to burst into sobs. Stepping away from his concerned uncle, her son threw his arms around his mother. Hermione knew very little about comforting an upset child, but did what she could. Watching other women she knew with their children helped. Her son's entire body shook with the almost silent cries. She hated that he was so frightened. He was only a boy! In just a matter of moments, his entire world was turned upside down. Never once in his twelve years had he been faced with so much uncertainty, ripped from the only home he'd ever known. Unfortunately, she knew all too well what that felt like.

"Let's get inside. I'll make us some tea."

Augustus' offer was welcomed. His unexpected visitors followed him inside the sanctuary of his home in silence. Hermione had every intention of slipping a little bit of one of her potions into Oliver's tea. She was grateful that Antonin insisted she make each member of their small family a bag like hers. Even doubly so because he made certain they kept the bags in their pockets at all times.

The water in the kettle wasn't even boiling when the door to the kitchen opened again. With blood on his ripped shirt and a terrified three-legged cat tucked under his arm, Antonin stepped inside. Oliver called out his cat's name. Both the feline and the boy settled down tremendously when Sam was nestled in his human's arms. Some of her husband's injuries, seemingly minor to her relief, peeked through his ruined clothes.

"Did you seriously run back in for the cat?"

Little time at all passed since the initial curses were hurled across their back garden to the moment they were in. She highly doubted that Rodolphus and his band of merrymakers were gone from the premises when Antonin rushed in. Perhaps it was simply a matter of excellent timing or more likely, he was alerted to the additional presences in his garden by his wards. Though the blood wasn't much and he wasn't moving slowly like he was terribly injured, it was evident that he'd been met with unfriendly spells. Antonin shrugged his shoulders at his wife's question.

"I like him."

A bubble of hysterical laughter erupted from the relieved witch.

"You stupid, stupid man."

Only two steps closed the distance between the married couple. She moved swiftly, ignoring the audience gathered around them to kiss her husband. Antonin's arms wrapped around her back. They might have kept going if they weren't interrupted by the gentle clearing of Augustus' throat. Hermione felt embarrassed, but based on the smug grin he had on his face when they broke apart, Antonin didn't in the slightest. He turned his attention to their pink-cheeked host.

"Rodolphus and several others showed up at our home while Hermione and Ollie were alone."

"Always knew that bastard wasn't dead. Who was with him?"

"Rabastan, of course. Carrow."

He caught Hermione's eye when he mentioned her friend. Not that she was surprised. After what she discovered when her memories were unraveled, she was no longer under the impression that they were actually friends. Also, the coarse white hair she found on her robes after her lunch with Alecto made more sense. It belonged to Rodolphus. They'd been working together.

"Flint. Few others, but I didn't get a good look at them. Just tried to get out of there as quickly as I could. Looks like we'll be staying for a little while."

Augustus sighed.

"Well, that's why we've been preparing this house. We both knew something like this was going to happen eventually."

Hermione was confused.

"How long have you two been working together? Tell me the truth this time."

Both men exchanged glances and neither spoke. Before she could demand they answer her, Alain rose to his feet.

"Come on, Ollie. It's late. You and me are upstairs."

She appreciated her brother-in-law taking their son out of the room. Sometimes she forgot Oliver was even around. He didn't need to know about everything that was happening. Wasn't it their job as his parents to keep him shielded as best they could? With a warning to Augustus and Antonin that they weren't finished yet, she followed Alain and Oliver to the staircase that led to the small attic bedroom Augustus used to share with his older brother. She slipped a vial of her strawberry flavored potion into Alain's hands with instructions to tip a little into Oliver's tea. He promised her he would. On her way back to the kitchen, she saw Mr. Akingbade nod to her as he made his way to the end of the corridor. She appreciated that she would have a chance to speak to the two wizards alone.

Antonin and Augustus were seated at the table. If they refused to tell her what she wanted to know, she feared she would burst and curse them both. She was tired of being kept in the dark. Even if they didn't know everything that was happening, they could at least be honest with her about that fact. To constantly feel like she was being coddled and dismissed was unbearable. She wouldn't live like that anymore. Her mind was sharper than it had been in years. She was not a child.

"Well? I'm still waiting for your answer."

They each took turns talking about their unlikely partnership. Augustus was evidently a much more believable actor than she initially thought. There used to be a time when she could sniff out his lies and deceptions. A plan had been put in a place months earlier. Almost immediately after she returned home, they'd been preparing Augustus' home as a potential safe house. Because of their rather public disagreements regarding Hermione, very few, if any, of their enemies would ever suspect that they were working together. Antonin was the one to recall Augustus from France, but only after the former Unspeakable insisted. He didn't want to be stuck in another country while the regime crumbled. If they'd been working together since before she returned home, neither of them admitted so. She knew without question that Antonin told the truth about Augustus being the one to tell him where she could be found. Why Draco seemed to believe it was Fenrir was a problem to solve another day.

She wasn't sure how she felt about them working together. Yes, she could understand their reasoning that no one would suspect them to be partners. What bothered her, what made the back of her brain itch was the fact that she knew Augustus had ties to the Resistance. It was his request that kept her protected from their wrath months earlier. Did Antonin know that his partner was working with the Resistance, the organization he hated and vowed to destroy on numerous occasions in the past? And if not, did that mean that Augustus was planning on betraying Antonin at some point?

Not all of the questions she had for the men were answered before she declared she was too tired to stay awake. The adrenaline from her encounter with Rodolphus was wearing off. If she couldn't slip into her own bed, at least she wanted to slip into a bed. Everything else could wait for the morning. It was rapidly approaching already.

Force of habit took her straight to the door that led to Augustus' bedroom. How many nights had she spent alternating between sleeping and writhing between his sheets? She reached for the doorknob.

"Our bedroom is next door."

Antonin spoke through clenched teeth. His approach behind her had been so quiet she didn't even know he was there until he spoke. Already the awkwardness of their situation was making itself known. She wondered how long they were going to be living in Cornwall. Surely this was just going to be a temporary stop until their world was less chaotic.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

She didn't mean to utter the words out loud, but found that she didn't regret them. They settled into the guest room without even addressing how bizarre it would be to have them all living together under the same roof. Hours later as she listened to the sound of the ocean just outside the window and her husband's steady breathing, Hermione struggled to understand how quickly her entire life changed with one knock on her backdoor.