September 10th

Mafalda Yaxley's release from St. Mungo's helped to lighten the mood somewhat in the Dolohov cottage. At least Antonin was feeling slightly less guilty with Mafalda returned to her recently repaired home. Considering there had been ample opportunity for her attacker to kill her in the chaos of that horrible night, it was assumed that what happened to her was only a warning. But, to be safe, the Yaxleys' eldest son returned to live at home to make certain his mother was protected and not alone. A big responsibility for a nineteen year old to be sure, though Hermione always thought the wizard was more mature than his years. He would be all right.

There was no improvement in Corban's condition whatsoever. In fact, there was a very real concern that he was getting worse. Antonin was devastated. Neither of them believed it was a secret who was responsible. Though she might have had a rocky start with her relationship Corban, eventually they'd gotten to a place of mutual respect and affection. Her heart hurt every time she thought of his diminished state. Rodolphus would have a great deal to answer for.

Antonin relaxed his no Daily Prophet rule with Oliver out of the house. While there was a legitimate concern that their son would be able to read all of the lies and propaganda in the castle, they had to trust that he knew his parents well enough to not believe everything that was written about them. Every day since the attack, Antonin came home with at least one newspaper to share. Some of the Daily Prophet's disparaging coverage of the Dolohovs, Hermione especially, dissipated with the excitement of the Yaxleys' attack, but they both knew it was only a matter of time before it started up again at full volume. Albert Runcorn made his loyalty known . They couldn't rely on him or the propaganda machine he was in charge of to help them. Just as well, in Hermione's thoughts. She never much cared for the man.

"I just feel so helpless. No one will convince me that Corban wasn't attacked because of me."

The hour was growing late and they really should've been in bed, but neither of them rushed away from the sofa in the main room. Agitated after another visit to St. Mungo's proved his friend wasn't getting any better, Antonin gulped down glass after glass of fire whiskey. He was desperate for something, anything to take his mind off of what was happening. Too many years of his life were spent first having absolutely no control at all when he was in Azkaban and then too long next to the Dark Lord with almost unlimited power. He'd forgotten what it felt like to be unable to do anything. With the exception of what to do with his wife, he hadn't felt that way in years.

Hermione didn't know what to say to encourage the man. Nothing he said was wrong. Rodolphus' faction was going to continue attacking everyone they perceived to be one of his allies. All of their friends, and possibly the few family members they had remaining between them, were in grave danger. Thorfinn and Hannah were probably high on the list. She hoped that they were aware and weren't being too complacent about their own safety. But, she reminded herself, neither of the Rowles were stupid. Far from it really. They'd know what precautions to take to keep their family safe.

There was another possibility to Corban's attack that Hermione hadn't considered in all of the excitement and then the confusion she felt with Draco. Maybe Corban's attack wasn't Rodolphus at all. As the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Corban had a lot of power in the Ministry. With all of the chaos and disorder in the Ministry of Magic thanks to the death of the Dark Lord, it was entirely possible, maybe even probable, that there were people within his own department that had something to gain with him no longer in the picture. Hadn't Ron even said that he had a number of allies within the auror department? They couldn't afford to solely focus on one potential suspect or they ran the risk of becoming short-sighted and ineffective.

"I went to Hogsmeade recently… twice, actually, to talk to Ron Weasley."

Once the words were out of her mouth, Hermione knew she had to tell him the truth. He wouldn't be happy to know that she'd gone alone to speak with a man who was very likely playing on the opposite side of the conflict. It was dangerous. Even if she didn't consider how closely Rabastan came to finding her there, every moment she remained in the Weasley house, she could've been harmed. She hoped that the excessive amount of fire whiskey he'd already imbibed would soften the blow. The expression on his face and his wide, unblinking eyes proved otherwise.

"What could you have possibly been thinking, Hermione?"

She didn't appreciate his tone. How many times was she going to have to remind him that she wasn't a child nor a helpless weakling who couldn't take care of herself? She resented the implication that she was incapable of maneuvering through their perilous world without his guidance. He'd been her teacher once, yes, but no longer. Years passed since he last had the authority to command her to do as he wished. She made certain before she allowed him to touch her on their wedding night that he wouldn't be in charge of her. They would be partners or she'd slit his throat while he slept. In her mind, nothing had changed about their arrangement even if seemingly everything else in their world was different.

"I was thinking that it was an excellent opportunity to find out if we could trust him as an ally like he assured us we could or if he was still Rabastan's puppet. We're running out of options, Antonin. You said so yourself."

"But Weasley has always been Rabastan's."

"No, that's not true. He was mine first. We were friends since first year and if the Dark Lord hadn't won…"

She pushed aside the thoughts of what their future might have been if Harry survived and Lord Voldemort didn't. It was too depressing and pointless. But, it was true that Ron was hers long before he was Rabastan's. Maybe that's even what encouraged him to invite her over to his side. Nostalgia was a powerful factor.

"He's not the same person he was when you were friends. How many times have you told me that, Hermione? Rabastan broke him and rebuilt him with what was left."

"The same could be said for me, but you and I both know that's not entirely true. Besides, Ollie told me that Hugo told him that Ron drinks too much and cries about the past. That's hardly the act of someone who is unredeemable."

They were encroaching on dangerous territory. She didn't really want to discuss how different she was or it was even possible that some of who she used to be was still tucked deep down inside of her. Mr. Akingbade seemed to believe the girl she used to be wasn't dead. No one ever said that to her before and part of her was afraid that if it was mentioned, she would be told it wasn't true, that there was nothing good about her left.

"It was still dangerous, love."

"And are you always careful, Antonin? Do you ever meet with someone who might hurt you?"

"That's not the same thing."

"Why? Because I'm a woman? Or because I'm so weak and broken that I'm incapable of taking care of myself?"

Her husband groaned and thew his head against the back of the sofa. One of his biggest pet peeves when it came to the two of them was when she put words in his mouth he never said. Countless arguments began the same way. Antonin rubbed at his eyes and took a fortifying sip of fire whiskey. Hermione wished she hadn't said anything. They'd gone several days without fighting. It was nice.

"You know very well that was not what I meant, Hermione."

"Then what did you mean? Why is it okay for you to run off and have shady meetings with mysterious people, but I can't talk to an old friend after he's already invited us both to his side?"

"Because I'm not meeting with anyone who was ever remotely connected to the damned family that mucked about in your brain. Weasley is widely believed to be a part of them still. Even his…"

She cut him off before he could say anything else that would make her mad. His constant worry about the fragility of her sanity was threatening to push her over the edge. Maybe she was vulnerable before, but she hadn't been able to think so clearly in years. If she felt confident that she was mentally strong enough to play the necessary games to ensure their survival, why couldn't he trust her judgment?

"There's no use arguing about it, Antonin. It's done. Already happened. And, as you can see, I'm perfectly all right."

Antonin was an intelligent enough man to know when to stop. Sighing to prove he was still a little displeased by the whole conversation, he took a deeper gulp. She wasn't sure how much he'd had to drink exactly, but based on the drooping of his eyelids, he wouldn't be awake much longer. If she didn't tell him her theory about another possible explanation for Corban's current condition, she might not get another chance when he was drunk. He liked to talk under the influence and she wanted to hear his opinion while his tongue was unguarded.

"Ron told me that he has allies within the DMLE. What if Corban's attack wasn't from Rodolphus at all, but from within his own department?"

He opened his eyes and sat back up straight at her question. It was an interesting theory. Since her last meeting with Draco, she'd been dissecting and analyzing every word that he said. She found it odd that he never specifically laid the claim of responsibility for the attack on the Yaxleys at Rodolphus' feet. Only said that his plan was to pick off Antonin's friends and supporters one by one. She just assumed, like Antonin, that Rodolphus did it. Maybe they were wrong.

"Did Weasley tell you they were going to hurt Corban?"

"Of course not. Do you really think I wouldn't have said anything if I knew?"

"No, you're right. I'm sorry."

"I just think we need to be careful about assuming that every attack is Rodolphus. While it probably is, we can't afford to ignore other areas of danger."

The thought of the list that Draco promised he would get her in exchange for one night alone with him again returned. While she was still not sure that she was willing to pay the price he demanded, she knew that it would be a powerful tool in their fight against whatever wretched plans Rodolphus had. Was she being selfish to not give in? Or was he being unreasonable? It was an offer she wouldn't have thought twice about in the past. What was so different that she couldn't just jump in and do it?

"No, you're right. I've been so eager to make that bastard pay for what he's done to you, to us, to our family, to our… our daughter that I haven't been thinking clearly."

Once he set his empty glass down on a side table, Antonin leaned across the sofa to gently kiss his wife. He was too tired and drunk to do anything beyond that to her disappointment, but she appreciated that they'd been able to deescalate their discussion before it turned into a row. Life with Antonin since she returned to Hogsmeade in May had been very different. She frequently had to push down the bubble of regret that threatened to consume her when she thought about all that they'd missed out on.

One more peck from Antonin as he rose to his feet to head to bed answered her question. The reason she couldn't just jump into bed with Draco again was because everything was different. No longer was it Hermione versus the rest of the world where she had no thoughts or cares for how anyone else might be affected by her decisions. Her family was an after-thought, an annoyance on most days. When she allowed herself to start caring about them, really caring about them, everything changed. She wasn't sure yet if that was good or bad. Only time would tell.