August 26th

Oliver was able to get out of his punishment for wandering away from his mother without permission with a stern lecture from his father when they returned home and his repeated promises that he would never do it again. Though he didn't wish to scare his son, Antonin knew that it was important to press on him the seriousness of his actions. Yes, that day in Diagon Alley had turned out all right, but the next time he wasn't careful, he might not be so fortunate. With orders that he was to remain in his room for the rest of the day to think about his actions, his father descended the attic staircase with a heavy heart. He never liked the discipline part of parenting. Neither did Hermione. She was thankful that her husband was the one to handle most of the issues in the past. When he was finished with the odious task, Antonin kissed his wife and made his excuses to leave again.

She knew trying to sleep without him back in the house was futile. Even with Augustus asleep in the next room, Hermione felt ill at ease without Antonin there. It was a feeling she was going to need to learn to get over. There was likely going to be a day when she moved on from her husband forever. If she allowed herself to get to the point that she couldn't even feel comfortable enough to rest without him beside her, she would drive herself mad. Depending on other people was no way to live. She'd learned the hard lesson years earlier that she couldn't afford to depend on other people.

He returned a little after midnight, tired and ready for bed. Only his desire to wash the dirt from his body kept him from sliding in next to his wife seconds after entering their bedroom. Making a split-second decision when she heard the sound of the taps being turned in the bathroom connected to their room, Hermione threw the covers off and climbed out of bed. She had her nightgown over her head and on the floor even before she stepped into the bathroom. Antonin was already under the spray of hot water with his eyes closed as he allowed the heat to loosen his tired muscles. His wife could tell with a quick glance that he needed sleep. Maybe she should slip him one of the potions he always insisted she take just so she could be certain that he finally rested enough to satisfy his tired body.

So lost in his own thoughts was he that Antonin didn't even hear the shower curtain be gently pulled back. Nor did he realize he had a visitor until Hermione's slim arms wrapped around his middle from behind. Startled at first, he jumped and then chuckled softly.

"I'm afraid I'm too tired to put in much of an effort this evening."

"How very disappointing."

"Besides, I'm an old man, love. Making love in a shower is a young man's game."

Her snort made him laugh. She found the sound comforting. Carefully turning around on the slick tiles, Antonin faced his wife to kiss her. It was soft and short with hardly any of the heat that she'd come to expect from him since the renewal of their sexual relationship shortly after she returned to his life. An old man he might claim to be, but he had the stamina and the passion of one much younger when he desired.

"You are not an old man, Antonin."

"If I were a Muggle, I'd be forced to rely on one of those little blue pills you told me about just to satisfy my wife."

"Then thank the gods you aren't a Muggle."

His second kiss was more heated, more passionate. Even doing nothing but moving their mouths over each other, they were soon short of breath. Their hearts raced as she broke it off to take a deep breath. How easy it was to lose themselves when they were together. She didn't know if that was a sign that they should've been more to each other or not. Never, not even when they were in the worst years of their marriage, could either of them deny that they had chemistry.

"I was beginning to fear that you were so tired because you were with another woman."

It was meant as a playful tease, but Antonin's brow furrowed. Clearly, he didn't appreciate the attempt at humor. Kissing her firmly once more on the mouth and then breaking the connection, he moved so he wasn't blocking all of the water.

"I haven't been with anyone else since before you showed back up in Hogsmeade."

She didn't know what prompted him to make such a confession. Maybe he was hoping that she would tell him the same, but she had too much respect for him to continue lying. At least about that. It was better that she just not admit to the two men she'd been with since she returned. One of them she would always regret, the other she was less sure every passing day how she actually felt. Part of her had given up hope that she would ever understand her fascination with Draco. Even after he betrayed her to Rodolphus, she still worried about him, still wondered where he was and what he was doing.

"Let's finish up in here and see if you have enough energy on a flat surface. You still haven't punished me yet for the conspiracy."

"Ahh, yes, you're right. I have been looking forward to that."

"Then hurry up in here."

There was no reason for her to remain in the shower if they weren't going to take advantage of the steamy location. She'd already taken a bath long before he got home. Once outside of the bathroom, Hermione didn't even bother to pick up her nightgown off of the floor. If he was able to do as she desired when he'd finished washing the soap off of his body, she wouldn't need it. Slipping under the covers, she hoped that she hadn't made it too obvious that she wasn't willing to tell her husband the same about her activities since returning to Hogsmeade. All it would do was hurt him and hadn't she done enough of that lately?

She only had to wait a few minutes for Antonin to step back into the bedroom wearing nothing but a towel tied around his waist. Stepping over her discarded nightgown with a smirk, he dropped his towel on top of it and crossed the room to the bed. Even for being an old man like he claimed to be, her husband was still in top physical condition. She could always admire how well he took care of his body even when she hated the very ground he stood upon. At least her master ordered her to marry an attractive man. That made her sentence a little easier. Maybe it was a shallow thought, but she didn't care. It was the truth.

"I meant what I said earlier when I said that I might be too tired to put in much of an effort."

"Then maybe a suitable punishment for my actions would be for me to do all of the hard work."

Only half a second after climbing into bed, Hermione straddled her husband's hips. Neither of them minded when she took the lead in the bedroom. It made for a nice change of pace. Lasting just long enough to satisfy their cravings, when it was over, she collapsed onto her husband's chest to catch her breath. Antonin moved them so she was on her normal side of the bed and he could snuggle up behind her. Holding her in his arms, neither one of them rushed to break the stillness with speaking. They had been learning to simply enjoy the silences together when they had the opportunity. Even Hermione had to admit that she was beginning to look forward to those moments when they were alone in bed.

"I was surprised to see you speaking with Ron Weasley this afternoon."

"You're not afraid that some of the old feelings I used to have for him when I was a teenager have returned, are you?"

She couldn't resist the urge to tease him just a little bit to soften the awkwardness of the conversation. His snort of laughter appeared to indicate that he wasn't the least bit worried. Her friendship with Ron ended at the same time that the girl she used to be died in the broom cupboard. It was too hard to try to forge anything resembling what they used to have with the gaping hole between them that should've contained Harry. Maybe if he'd lived they would've been able to continue their friendship or even become more than that. Without Harry, however, it was impossible. They could hardly stand to be in the same room together.

"No, of course not. I just couldn't help noticing that you two appeared to be in the middle of an intense conversation. Am I wrong?"

"Not at all. It was… bizarre. I still haven't quite figured out what to make of it all."

Keeping secrets from her husband hadn't worked out well for her in the past. She wanted to be his partner at the very least in the upcoming struggle. At least until she knew where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do, she knew it would be best to stay at Antonin's side. He'd already proven that he was willing to do anything to keep his family safe. And, if she had to be completely honest, she did care for the man in her own way. He needed to have as much information as possible if he wanted to survive. Wasn't it frustrating for her when he refused to tell her what he knew? She didn't want to do the same to him.

"He was concerned about me. Asked how I've been doing and he told me that he didn't believe anything that he'd read in the papers."

"What was he…?"

"Don't act innocent, Antonin. I know what they've been printing about me. He said that it was too similar to what they did with Harry to believe."

There had only been a handful of times in their entire marriage that she mentioned her friend by name. Sure, he knew about the antics she got up to when she was in Hogwarts, but she usually just mentioned "her boys", never Harry and Ron. It was easier to not say their names. At the sound of Harry's name, she felt his arms tighten ever so slightly around her body.

"He also said that I would be welcome to fight on their side if I wished."

"Well, of course he would say that. No doubt Rabastan or Rodolphus put him up to it."

"No, see that's just it. He said that you could join us too."

He didn't know what to say to that revelation. Of course their first instinct was to think that he was lying, trying to do whatever possible to get her to put her trust in him. Rabastan had been his mentor, after all. Ron knew all about underhanded tactics and dirty deals. But, she couldn't shake off the feeling that he hadn't been lying. Something in the sound of his voice was so like the boy he used to be that she wanted to believe he could be trusted.

"That's interesting. Maybe he's not with Rabastan after all. Did he say anything else?"

"No, you walked up right then. All of these secret alliances are making my head hurt. You don't know who you can trust and who you can't. Why can't everyone just be honest about their allegiances?"

"I think there are more factions out there than we realize. No one is stepping up to make the first move because I believe they're waiting and hoping that if they're patient enough, the others will take care of each other. It's why I haven't wanted to make a move. I want to see who is really working together, who really is motivated."

"I'll be happy when this is all over. I'm tired of not knowing who I can trust or what's going to happen."

Snuggling back into his arms, they ended their conversation to give in to their exhaustion.