August 29th

If Oliver found it odd that his parents moved into his attic bedroom with him, he didn't say so. Of course Hermione knew that their son was far more aware of what was going on than they realized. As much as they both attempted to shield him from the ugliness of the reality of their world, they were only human. Mistakes were often made. Besides, he was fortunate enough to inherit intelligence from both of his parents. It was only going to be a matter of time before he started putting that insight and deduction to good use.

With only two more days until they took their son to King's Cross station, the adults sat up in Augustus' lounge long after Oliver went to bed. Generous with his fire whiskey, Augustus wouldn't take 'no' for an answer when he handed Hermione a glass. She didn't care for the sinking in her gut that told her that the three of them were about to have a conversation she didn't want to have. Since she walked in on Alecto with Augustus, she'd managed to avoid the master of the house. Or, possibly he was avoiding her, she wasn't positive which. It truly was too small a house to continue to have such awkward, uncomfortable experiences. She was anxious to move on to the next place they would be hiding. Under no delusions that it would be easy with her living entirely alone with Antonin again, at least she didn't have to worry about sworn enemies dropping in for a little late-night action. At least she hoped she wouldn't have to worry about that when she was alone with her husband. Stranger events had occurred in her life, however. Best not to get too complacent.

"We can never repay you for allowing us to stay in your home for so long, Gus. It was very kind."

"I'm a selfish man, Antonin. Always have been. You know exactly why I allowed it."

The less they said about his reasons, the better. Hermione sipped at her fire whiskey, wishing that she didn't have to be present for a conversation in which the two men discussed her without actually discussing her out loud. She hated when anyone did that. It made her feel like she was back to being the terrified girl ripped from the broom cupboard unsure what her life was going to be like or how long it was going to last. The feeling of helplessness was exactly why she had become so brutal and dangerous. Not the potions Rabastan got her addicted to or the mental manipulations his brother subjected her mind to. No, she was already a hardened and angry witch long before either one of them spent any length of time in her presence.

She felt like a traitor when her mind would drift to the past in quiet moments. Too often Rodolphus had a starring role in her reminiscences. Especially since all of the memory charms were removed from her mind, trickles of memories and recollections would sneak in when she wasn't focused on anything else. There had been some good times in her past, some moments where she used to imagine what it would be like to turn her back on Antonin permanently to further cultivate her connection to Rodolphus. How much of that was by his design and how much of it was simply because that's what she desired? She would never know for certain. Every moment that he was in her life she questioned. It was best that she not drive herself mad by wondering facts that she would never learn. Even if she could somehow get Rodolphus trapped in a small space and completely at her mercy, she knew he wouldn't tell her everything. He was too secretive, too calculating.

"Regardless, we owe you a debt."

"One which I will never call in, old friend."

It was, perhaps, the most civil conversation she'd ever witnessed the two men have. That was, at least, since the uncomfortable time just after she moved into Antonin's house when it became evident that Augustus had ulterior motives for visiting. Once those days began, their friendship was practically over. She hated that she came between them, but it wasn't exactly her fault. It wasn't as if she was pitting the two wizards against each other for her own gain. No, she was still too green in those days to understand how to fully manipulate others for her own purposes. A few years would pass before she became more confident in that skill.

"I'm going to Alecto's flat this evening. Maybe she'll have something interesting to tell me."

"I hope so. But regardless, we will be leaving as soon as Ollie is on the Hogwarts Express. We've stayed too long."

"I assumed that was the plan. Where will you go?"

Antonin just smiled, in no rush to divulge the secret. He might have trusted Augustus enough to partner with him to use his home as a safe house, but that didn't mean he was going to keep him informed about their future moves. It would be to dangerous for even an ally to know. He wouldn't risk it, not even as a gesture to show that he trusted Augustus. To his credit, the other wizard wasn't offended. He'd been a Death Eater long enough to understand how it all worked.

Hermione didn't want to be in the lounge with them any longer than she had to. Consuming the rest of her glass of fire whiskey in a single swallow, she made her excuses to leave. Standing over the kitchen sink with the empty glass in her hand, she tried, and failed, to push away the fear that was coursing through her entire body. When they weren't discussing running away again she was able to ignore it. The waiting and the uncertainty was going to be the death of her.

A flash of movement outside the kitchen window caught her attention. Fearing that Rodolphus was finally there to make his move, she grasped the end of her wand in her hand, prepared to blast the wretched beast in his face or die trying. Seeing only the pale blond hair that belonged to his honorary nephew, she sighed. Once again Draco stood in the middle of the back garden staring at the house. Thanks to the Fidelius Charm he wouldn't be able to actually see into the windows, but it didn't unnerve Hermione any less. What could he possibly be thinking to approach the house late at night so openly? He was putting a lot of trust in the fact that she would be the one to spot him first instead of someone else.

She didn't know what she wanted to do. When she told him to leave her alone, she meant it. Even meant it when she said she would tell Antonin everything if she had to. Why she was keeping Draco a secret from her husband was something she still wasn't quite sure about, but that would all end if she thought that she was in danger. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? He was a complication that she did not need. Life was difficult and unpredictable enough.

Several minutes passed of her doing nothing but standing in the kitchen window staring at the wizard who hadn't moved. It could all be a trap. Rodolphus and his cohorts could be just out of her line of sight waiting for the moment she made herself vulnerable enough to open the door and step outside. But, as logical as she tried to approach the situation, her intuition began to take over. She didn't feel in danger from the man. Yes, she was aware of how insane that would sound to anyone else's ears. She didn't care. Draco was putting himself in just as much danger by leaving himself so vulnerable and exposed. What if Antonin saw him? Or Augustus?

Standing around waiting for something terrible to happen was no longer an option. Calling to the wizards still talking in the lounge, she announced that she was going to take another walk. Neither of them stopped her. No doubt Antonin was glad to have a few minutes to speak to their host where he couldn't be overheard. Just as she did the last time they met, Hermione rushed out of the back garden towards the grove of trees that would give them some privacy. Even without openly acknowledging Draco's presence, she knew that he would follow her wherever she went.

It was a short walk to the place she knew they could be alone and out of sight of the house. Pushing aside the pleasant reminders of the last time she was there only two nights earlier with Antonin, she spun on her heel to glare at the unwelcome wizard. He held his empty hands out, proving that he wasn't there to harm her.

"I thought I made myself clear that you were to leave me alone, Draco. I don't want you following me."

"I know, I'm sorry, but it's important."

Hermione rolled her eyes, wishing to be just about anywhere than where she was. Somehow being alone with Draco was worse than even being alone with another enemy. He'd actively sought her out for the better part of a year, gradually building her trust, only to betray her to his uncle. Though he hadn't admitted so and likely never would even if she confronted him, she got the impression that the person who sent him on his mission to track her was Rodolphus. He knew what a valuable asset his nephew's tracking skills was and a long time had passed since he'd seen her. She racked her brain and couldn't recall a memory of being in Rodolphus' presence from Oliver's birthday party until she was living in the Resistance village.

"Carrow told Rodolphus that she saw you here."

"I'm not surprised."

He narrowed his grey eyes and tilted his head to the side as if he was examining some unusual and fascinating creature. Clearly he assumed she would be more bothered by his announcement than she was.

"Rodolphus thinks you'll be coming back here at some point to visit Rook." Hermione didn't miss the slight flush of his cheeks. "He ordered the house be watched so he could confront you when you did. I volunteered first so I could warn you that you're not safe."

"Thank you for that, Draco, but I really don't need you watching out for me."

"If your family is in there with you, Hermione, you have to leave. It's not safe."

She didn't trust Draco. And yet she also wasn't afraid of him. When she used to be in his presence before the last of the memory charms were removed, she felt fuzzyheaded around him, like she couldn't focus or concentrate. That was no longer the case. Was he somehow involved in the devious plan with the charms? Deep down, she didn't think so. The night that she recklessly went to his flat in the middle of the night to demand that he take her to Rodolphus, he'd been startled to hear her claims against the man he considered his uncle. He might have been a good actor, but she thought it was genuine. All she knew was that she no longer felt confused in his presence. She was thinking clearly.

"Why are you warning me? I told you that I wanted you to stay away from me."

"I don't want to see you hurt."

There was sincerity in his facial expressions when he answered her question. Reaching out to touch her arm, he stopped himself. His hand hung awkwardly in the air until he pulled it back down. She could tell that he wanted to comfort her, wanted to pull her into his arms. Why? She refused to believe the lie that he thought he was falling in love with her. If that was true, he wouldn't have betrayed her weeks earlier.

"Go home, Draco. Leave me alone."

She didn't wait for him to say another word. Hurrying back to the safety of Augustus' home, she considered his warning. Of course he was right. If it wasn't him watching the house, it would be someone else with less confusing motives. They couldn't stay there. She considered telling Antonin what she learned, but she didn't know how to tell him without exposing Draco's part. For a reason she still couldn't understand, she didn't want her husband to know about Draco.