August 7th

An odd sort of truce crept up between Augustus and Hermione following their early morning conversation. He was still being frustratingly tight-lipped about how he knew about her botched plan, but it helped to lessen the thick cloud of tension that permeated every corner of the safe house. At times it was almost choking. No one knew what to say to each other or what to do. If forced to remain in those conditions for much longer, Hermione was afraid they would all eventually go mad. It was a fate that didn't look forward too, especially not after having the memory charms polluting her brain removed.

But, thanks to their discussion, living together in the safe house became a little bit easier. At the very least they could be in the same room together without feeling uncomfortable. The other two occupants of the house noticed a difference. Out of fear that drawing attention to the truce might somehow negate its effectiveness, no one talked about it.

Hermione still didn't understand how it was even possible that Augustus was the one responsible for saving her arse from the fire. He surprised her with his assurances that he'd been the one behind covering up her mistake down in Level Eleven. None of the details had yet been revealed. Only moments after he made his confession their private conversation was interrupted by a sleepy Antonin who claimed he was worried when he woke up and she was gone. Living with his rival for his wife's affections was exacerbating his already legendary jealousy. She tried to put him at ease by inviting him to join them, but he declined. Feeling uncomfortable being stuck in the middle of the married couple's discussion, Augustus excused himself to go inside to shower.

There hadn't been another opportunity since to catch him long enough for answers. Somehow she always seemed to find him in rooms her son was already in. She had to roll her eyes at his attempt at subtlety. He knew that she wouldn't dream of bringing up the Umbridge issue with Oliver in the room. It was an annoying, yet effective plan.

On another ordinary Tuesday morning where she was stuck in the house with nothing to do, she envied the freedom Augustus and even Antonin had. Neither man was confined to the safe house any longer than they wished to be there. Sure, she wasn't technically a prisoner and she often took advantage of the seclusion of the property to go on long walks, but there was nothing for her to do out in the so-called real world. She feared that she would be nothing but a liability to Antonin if she went with him on his mysterious visits and errands. After her embarrassing display at the Dark Lord's funeral, she would likely never be taken seriously again. It was easier for those he met with to imagine she wouldn't prove to be a problem in the future if she wasn't put on display. Even if they made a public declaration stating all of the horrific spells Rodolphus used on her to rob her of her full sanity, there would still be those who wouldn't believe it, who would call their announcement 'convenient'.

The very real fear of crossing Rodolphus' path again kept her from wanting to stray too far from where she was safe. That was likely a fear that wouldn't go away until one, or both, of them was dead. Mr. Akingbade might have claimed that all traces of Rodolphus' treachery was gone from her mind, but even he admitted that he wasn't perfect. There could still be remnants, still be some sort of psychological trigger in her mind that Rodolphus could switch on. What his endgame with her was was still unknown. She could only imagine it was horrific. Best that she stay safe and far away from him.

Oliver, however, was more frustrated with being stuck in a stranger's house than his mother. While she could certainly appreciate the effort he made to seem like he wasn't about to explode in his boredom and aggravation, the cracks were there and only getting larger. It was unfair that a growing boy with all of the energy he possessed was forced to spend his summer holidays inside. Even a child who enjoyed reading as much as his mother and his father had at his age needed the opportunity to stretch his legs now and again.

When Augustus made his excuses to leave after breakfast and Antonin kissed his wife goodbye before he joined him, Oliver was angry. Stabbing at his eggs with his fork with more fury than was necessary, Hermione knew her son was about to reach his breaking point. Unfortunately for him, he'd inherited his temper from both of his parents. Knowing she had to do something, Hermione banished all of the dirty dishes to the sink and stood up from the table.

"Let's go for a walk along the beach."

She didn't need to make the offer twice. Once the words were out of her mouth, her son was on his feet ready to go. His exuberance brought a smile to her face. She almost envied his youth and innocence. Moments later they were out of the kitchen door and on the way towards the water.

It was pleasant to be outside enjoying the fresh air. Yet again Hermione dreamed of finding her own sanctuary next to the ocean. She could get used to the salty sea air and the sound of the waves crashing against the beach. Maybe even her twisted soul could find peace in a place like that.

Oliver didn't run away from her when they reached the beach like she half-expected him to. With the chance to finally run and blow off some of the steam she knew had been accumulating inside of him, he chose instead to keep close to his mother. There was a smile on his face even if he wasn't running and playing like the child he still was. It was nice to experience the joy of a simple walk with her son. Before she ran away, they rarely spent any time together. When she wasn't working an ungodly number of hours at the Ministry, she was away from home completing missions for the Dark Lord or honestly, doing whatever she could to keep away from her Hogsmeade home. She didn't find a lot of happiness in that space.

Because of her desire to be just about anywhere else, the truth was that she didn't actually know her son very well. It was sad really. Seeing other mothers with their children always made her feel inadequate, like there was something wrong with her because she didn't want to be a mother. Of course she knew that other women must have felt the safe way, but it was never spoken about. Not publicly. She was always made to feel like she was somehow less than a 'normal' woman because she didn't fall into the category of women who felt it was their mission in life to be a mother. If the Dark Lord hadn't ordered her to marry and have children, she would probably still be single. Only the pressure of her former master forced her into a role she never desired. But, even though she never wanted to have children and she certainly was thankful that she wouldn't be able to have anymore, she could see how unfortunate it was that she didn't really know her son. Maybe it wasn't too late.

"I like you better since you came back."

Oliver's statement startled Hermione out of her thoughts of what a shit mum she'd always been. Unsure how to even respond, she stopped her footsteps and stared at her son. Realizing she wasn't walking any further, he stopped too. It was evident that he was uncomfortable with the scrutiny, but now that he'd been confident enough to make his first remark, he found the courage within himself to continue.

"You're a lot nicer. Not as angry as you used to be. And I… I like that you're not hurting Papa like you used to."

She knew that it was no small feat for him to admit something like that. In the past inside their home, a lot was ignored for the sake of peace. Part of the reason she didn't know Oliver that well was because he understood the importance of hiding away when his mother wasn't in a good mood. It saddened her that she'd been so unbearable to live with. Oliver never asked to be born into such a dysfunctional family. He deserved better.

"Ollie, before I left I wasn't… I used to… what I mean to say is…"

With a deep sigh, she closed her mouth. She wasn't sure what she could say that might possibly make up for what she'd done in the past. Perhaps that wasn't even an option. She might have ruined any chance of having a normal relationship with her son because of her past decisions.

"I know that you used to take a lot of potions and they would make you someone else."

There was more wisdom in his twelve year old body than she gave him credit for. Always one to pay close attention to what was happening around him, it had been naïve to assume that he didn't know at least some of what was happening around him.

"Yes, I did."

"Thorfinn said that I shouldn't judge you too harshly for taking them because a lot of bad things had happened to you and it was how you tried to feel better."

It shouldn't have been a surprise that Oliver felt comfortable enough with Thorfinn to talk about his mother's potions problem, but it was. They were close. Always had been since he was born. If they'd named official godparents for their son, it would've been a toss-up between the Rowles and the Yaxleys. Both families were trusted and loved by the Dolohovs.

"Thorfinn was right that I did take them to make me feel better, but he was wrong about not judging me. It was the wrong thing to do. You should never take potions just to make yourself feel better."

She knew that Oliver was aware of more than she gave him credit for. Was it wrong to keep him in the dark? A horrible thought crossed her mind. Rodolphus had also been a part of his life since the day he was born in some fashion. Though certainly not as close to him as he was to Thorfinn, Oliver had always been taught that she could trust Rodolphus. Not his brother though. She made that clear early on that he needed to stay far away from Rabastan. What would happen if Rodolphus showed up again? Would Oliver trust him? He could get himself injured, captured or much, much worse. He deserved to know the truth.

"I haven't taken a potion like those since I… since your eleventh birthday."

The redness that appeared in his cheeks proved that he didn't need to be told the details of what happened that day. Likely they would stay with him until he died. It wasn't every day that a boy had to worry that his father was dead because of his mother. She made the decision to tell him everything. It was only fair.

"I didn't know it at the time, but there was a potion inside of the illegal potions I used to take that made me very angry all of the time. That was part of the reason why I used to get so upset, especially with your father."

They resumed their walk along the beach as she explained to him about the dangers of the potions she took, but promised him that she would never taken another. She also told him why Babajide Akingbade was in the country in the first place. While she didn't tell him everything that she learned in her sessions, she explained that Rodolphus had been manipulating her mind, altering her memories. He was a very bad man and she was afraid of what he would do to her. That was why they were hiding in Augustus' house.

He took it all in stride. She knew that he would need to ask her questions about it later or seek out his father for additional clarification. With each word she spoke to him about her trials, she felt weight being lifted from her shoulders. Maybe there was a chance they could get it right in the future. She thought she might like to get to know the boy who was growing into a man right before her very eyes.