September 6th

Being alone with Antonin after so long was an experience that Hermione wasn't sure if she liked or not. Somehow it wasn't quite as awkward when they were back in their Hogsmeade home after she first returned. Maybe because she'd been so focused on getting Aberforth Dumbledore out of Level Eleven that she didn't have energy to worry about anything else. Every day she had a purpose, a reason to get out of the house. Even on the weekends when she wasn't expected to be in her horrible office in the Ministry of Magic, she had to travel to London to check on the polyjuice potion.

With no reason to leave the cottage that had become their refuge and no additional buffer between them in the form of their son, she wasn't even sure how to act around the man at times. Knowing that she had been under the influence of powerful memory charms changed everything. Before they were removed, she was able to look at Antonin as the monster that was abusive and controlled her with his rage. When she knew those memories to be nothing but lies, she didn't know what to think. Especially after learning the truth of his desire to sit outside her cupboard, she would look at her husband and even after twenty years of knowing him see him as a complete stranger.

Rodolphus was going to pay for his meddling. Maybe Antonin was right and they would never be able to figure out his true motivations for placing a network of memory charms in her mind. She knew that she would just drive herself mad if she tried to figure it out. But, that didn't mean she wasn't going to get her revenge. What Rodolphus did to her was inhumane and very cruel. How much of her life could've been different if he hadn't bothered her? Of course, dwelling on 'what-ifs' was just as damaging. Somehow she would need to learn how to move forward and ignore the regrets.

"Corban was in a funny mood yesterday."

They were seated on the only sofa in the small cottage after a simple, edible dinner Hermione somehow managed not to burn. Each of them were trying to cover their yawns up, but neither was in a rush to go to bed yet. Dreams of a disturbing nature had been plaguing Hermione for days. Her worry about meeting with the Weasley brothers was melting into her dreams. Though she knew she likely would've felt better if she told Antonin what she did, she wasn't prepared yet for the consequences of her actions. He might be very angry with her and they were struggling with awkwardness between them as it was already.

"What do you mean? Corban is often in odd moods."

"No, you're right, but something was off. He couldn't focus and kept getting distracted. I swear I asked him the same questions over and over again. He would just stare at me without answering them. I didn't know what to make of it."

"I'm sure he's under a lot of pressure at work. Can't be easy to still be working in the Ministry during what sounds to be a very chaotic time."

Corban Yaxley was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. If Hermione's suspicions about Ron Weasley were correct, there was likely to be a large number of his aurors that were contemplating their own rebellion. She was glad that she had no reason to be back in the Ministry. Why she ever considered that a enjoyable profession was beyond her. The politics and the red tape and the obnoxious legalities of the entire Ministry were stifling and infuriating. When she was young, before the war was over and she had no choice where her life was going to head, she imagined that she could have a very successful career in the Ministry of Magic. Possibly one day she would even be the Minister for Magic. Now, even just the thought of going back into that world made her stomach churn and her head hurt.

"Maybe, but I don't know. It was strange. The more I'm around him, the more I feel like he doesn't want me anywhere near him."

"I know you don't like to consider the worst case scenarios, Antonin, but it's possible that Corban doesn't want to follow you if you're not planning to become the Dark Lord. He's always enjoyed power and influence. What can you offer him now?"

Antonin sighed. They were both aware that everything would've been much different, and possibly quite a bit easier, if he'd made a swift grab for power right after the Dark Lord was murdered. The sitting around waiting was making him look weak. Of course, she didn't care if he looked weak to those who wanted him to be in power or the ones who wanted to kill him before he could lead the regime. Their opinions didn't matter. She was hoping that whomever was going to take over would just hurry up and do it so they could get out of the country. Deciding that her husband needed a little push in the right direction, she changed the subject.

"What do you think about learning Portuguese?"

Her seemingly random question made him laugh. Some of the tension was broken. At least it gave him the chance to move his thoughts away from more depressing thoughts.

"Well, I think that it's important to learn other languages to expand your education, but I'm not quite sure I understand why Portuguese. Are you wishing to take a holiday trip to Lisbon, my darling?"

"More like Brazil. Think about it. We could find a house near the ocean. It's lovely and warm there too. Warmer than here, anyway. I don't think you'd mind that at all. Think of all of the plants you could study in the rainforest. And Castelobruxo is a very good school. Many of their students specialize in magizoology. Think how much Ollie would like that."

She'd given it a lot of thought. When she used to dream of running away to South America, it hadn't been just a random place. Brazil ticked off most of the boxes on her list of desirable locations to end up. And, if she was honest with herself, she'd also tried to think of places where her husband and her son might find happiness too. Somewhere along the road, she'd decided to run with them instead of away from them. Realizing that she was actually including him in her plans for once, Antonin leaned across the sofa to kiss her. There was a great deal of emotion between the married couple. The evening might have progressed in a much more pleasurable manner if they hadn't been interrupted by a frantic knock on their door.

Only one person knew the Secret of their cottage. Even knowing that only Hannah could possibly be the one on the other side of the door, they couldn't ignore the worry and fear that came with the visit. As late as it was, she wasn't likely there for a friendly visit. Worried that some horrible news was coming from the castle, both of them jumped to their feet and crossed to the front door in mere seconds.

"There's been an attack in Hogsmeade. I think the Yaxleys are…"

Hannah couldn't even finish the sentence. Though she looked as if she was about to burst into tears, she was trying her hardest to remain calm. Hermione didn't even hesitate to step outside. If Antonin acted as if he was going to insist that she remain home, she had every intention of cursing him and going anyway. To his credit, he didn't say anything to that effect. Just stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

Thinking about the Yaxley home, next door to their home of twenty years, Hermione was able to Apparate directly to the scene of the attack in moments. She felt her husband's comforting presence at her side only seconds later. Standing in the middle of the village that had once been their home, she didn't even recognize the street. Chaos reigned. Fire and screaming filled the night air. When she looked over at the space where she knew she would see their home, Hermione grabbed Antonin's arm in a painful grip. It was… gone. Nothing but a pillar of black smoke remained where they'd lived for so long.

"Antonin…"

He didn't know what to say to her either. It was clearly a message. The other houses on the street were left alone except for theirs and the Yaxleys. Even the Yaxley home wasn't in as bad a condition. Half of the ground floor of their house was engulfed in flames, but the villagers were working together to put those out. Nothing seemed to be completely lost. Only their home was demolished. Hermione didn't even have to try to guess who was responsible for that. It was just another way for Rodolphus to show that he would destroy them both.

Not wishing to dwell on what happened to their own abandoned home, Antonin grasped Hermione's hand and urged her towards the Yaxleys' back garden. Corban stood over his wife Mafalda's unconscious form lying in the grass. Fearful that the woman was dead, Hermione relaxed when she saw Mafalda's chest move up and down in time with her breathing. Blood trickled from a wound on her head.

"Corban, is she all right? Do we need a Healer?"

Antonin rushed to his dazed friend, grabbed him by the arms and tried to shake him out of the strange stupor he was in. Watching the two men interact, Hermione felt uneasy. Corban wasn't himself. Was he under the influence of some sort of spell? Or maybe he'd been injured in the attack on their house? She could never remember him being anything other than entirely composed and calm. This man was simply a shell of the man he used to be.

"Look, Antonin, she's waking up."

Hermione dropped to her knees to check on Mafalda. The woman appeared to be in a great deal of pain, but otherwise, she seemed all right. Nothing that a day or two in St. Mungo's couldn't cure. She patted the woman's shoulder, encouraging her to not try to move.

"Hermione? What are you… what happened?"

"I don't know, Mafalda. I was hoping you could remember."

She wasn't able to tell them anything beyond that she remembered she was standing in their kitchen washing up after dinner when she heard a loud noise next door. When she looked out the window and saw their house engulfed in a massive conflagration, she screamed for Corban and ran outside. Something hit her in the back and she fell to the ground. Corban couldn't fill in any of the gaps.

"I think it's safe to say that this was Rodolphus."

Antonin helped Hermione to her feet and whispered his theory in her ear. She couldn't disagree. Watching Corban, however, she really began to understand the unease that her husband mentioned earlier. Even with his wife lying on the ground in pain, he was wandering around the back garden confused and unsure what was happening. A team from St. Mungo's arrived with a stretcher to take Mafalda in for an examination. Before they rushed back to the hospital, Antonin pulled one of the emergency mediwizards aside to encourage them to take Corban too. One look at the disoriented wizard and the mediwizard agreed.

"I think we should get back to the cottage quickly. I don't feel safe remaining here any longer."

For once, Hermione didn't want to argue with her husband. Taking one last glance at the ruins of their home, she spun around to return to safety. The violence had begun against those known to be loyal to Antonin. Who would be next?