September 30th

Although Hermione's Healer was satisfied enough with her progress to release her from St. Mungo's the morning after her discussion with Antonin, it was almost mid-afternoon before she was allowed to walk out of the damned building she hoped to never be inside of again. She was irritable and exhausted by the time she entered the hated cottage. Under strict instructions that she continue to rest at home, she took another disgusting potion and climbed into bed. With another promise that he wasn't going anywhere, Hermione fell asleep content with the knowledge that her husband was nearby.

Their bedroom was dark when she woke up. A glance at a beside clock showed the time to be just a few minutes past eleven. Her body felt a little stiff from being stuck in the same position for so long, but overall, she felt almost normal. Her throat still twinged a bit each time she swallowed. The bruising was extensive. Nothing that wouldn't eventually go away.

She reached across the bed to where her husband usually slept to find nothing but empty air. Further inspection showed he hadn't even pulled the covers back. Only his missing pillow had been touched. Where was he? Why wasn't he lying next to her? She forced herself out of the bed to seek him out. He'd promised repeatedly that he wouldn't leave her alone again.

The rest of the cottage was as dark as the bedroom. Except for the last remaining glowing embers in the fireplace, there wasn't a single light illuminating the main room. She found Antonin asleep on the couch, tucked under a blanket with his head on his pillow. Too short for a man of his height, his legs hung over the edge of the sofa. How he was able to make himself comfortable enough to fall asleep was a mystery. It bothered her immensely that he was out there when there was a perfectly good bed he could use in the next room. Feeling the urge to confront him, she shook his shoulder until he woke up.

"You don't even fit on that. Why are you sleeping on it?"

She hated how hoarse her voice still was and hated how shrill her tone was even more. It had been her intention to ask him calmly why he was avoiding being in the same room as his wife. Clearly she had some anger still inside of her that needed a suitable outlet. Antonin sat up and rubbed his eyes with a heavy sigh, preparing himself for the inevitable row to follow.

"I suppose nothing has changed. You still can't stand the sight of me."

"Hermione, that's not…"

"Don't deny it, Antonin. I'm not stupid or crazy or imagining things that don't exist. Nothing's changed, has it?"

"I'm not sure."

It was an honest answer even if it was infuriating. Hermione hated feeling so out of balance, so lost in the wind. She needed something solid that she could hold on to. For a brief few weeks, she believed that she'd found it in her neglected and abandoned family. It wasn't meant to be. Would her past never stop creeping back up to bite her on the arse?

Antonin didn't want to be there. She could tell by the resigned expression on his face and the way his eyes kept landing on the front door. No doubt he wished he was anywhere else. Or, perhaps he was wondering what Ginny was doing and if her home was more peaceful than his. They would probably be sweating between her sheets if he was there at that exact moment. The very idea made Hermione sick to her stomach. Knowing that her husband preferred the company of another woman to hers brought up a number of bad memories from the days before she murdered Andromeda.

"I know about you and Ginny Weasley."

The words just fell out of her mouth before she even gave them much thought. Antonin's eyes widened in shock at the announcement. Did he really think he'd been so clever and discreet? Hadn't he learned by then that secrets always came out?

"How do you know about that?"

She wanted to tell him that she witnessed it with her own eyes, but that would bring up a number of questions she wasn't ready to answer. Her association with Draco needed to be kept quiet.

"I suspected there was something between you weeks ago after I saw her in London. You acted so strangely when I brought her up. Thought I was just being paranoid, but you just confirmed for me that I wasn't. Thank you."

He rubbed his hands down his face in frustration. Hermione prepared herself for what was sure to be a passionate row. It was past time they got it all out in the open before either of them went completely mad. Maybe it would put the final nail in the coffin of their marriage but so be it. Didn't they each deserve closure? She felt stuck in perpetual limbo, like she couldn't move too far ahead because everything was so unsettled between them. Besides, she was curious. She wanted details.

"How long has it been going on?"

It was clear that he was reluctant to go down that line of discussion with her. Just like the day they bared their consciences in bed in Augustus' house, it wasn't going to be an enjoyable experience.

"It happened once a few years ago. Not even sure how it happened honestly. One second we were dueling and the next…"

He cleared his throat. Being a Death Eater meant very few in their ranks had what could be deemed "healthy" relationships. Hermione could understand how the heat of battle could quickly turn to passion between two people that had chemistry. Antonin never made it a secret that he admired Ginny. Clearly the feelings were mutual.

"She disappeared after that. Probably was embarrassed she let it happen. I didn't even hear any whispers about her for almost a year."

"You searched for her?"

Even in the dim light she could see the flush of his cheeks. A nod was the response she got. Antonin had almost unlimited resources thanks to his proximity to the Dark Lord and his high rank in the regime. If he couldn't find her during that time, it was because she didn't want to be found. It rankled Hermione's nerves to discover that his affair with Ginny clearly wasn't just a one time fling. There probably had even been actual feelings involved.

"After you… ran away, she approached me. It was a few weeks after I'd gotten out of hospital and I was searching for you."

"What did she want? Beyond the obvious, of course."

"She wanted to talk about the future when the Dark Lord died. One thing led to another and it happened again. Then it became a fairly regular occurrence."

Hermione held up her hand to stop him from giving her any additional details about his affair. Already she'd heard and seen far more than she ever wanted. It was clear that Ginny was involved with Antonin even while she was meeting with Draco in her father's old tent in the forest and probably even when Hermione was living in the Resistance's village. What would her husband think of his shady mistress if he knew that while he was worried about his wife, Ginny knew exactly where she was?

"Have you been working with the Resistance, Antonin?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"A while."

She loathed when he gave her vague answers. More than a few arguments began over the past twenty years because he gave such simple responses. It was possible he only wanted to get under her skin because he was uncomfortable with the entire conversation. Realizing that she wasn't going to give up so easily, he rolled his eyes and acknowledged his defeat.

"Fine. Yes, I've been working with the Resistance since last December. Not everyone knows that though. There's a concern about the Resistance splintering. Even the leaders are wary of each other. It's quite honestly about as chaotic and fucked up as the Death Eaters right now."

That wasn't a surprise to Hermione. Hadn't she already met with Percy and Ron in secret? They claimed that Ginny didn't even know her brothers were in contact with each other. It would be interesting to find out more about what was really happening in the Resistance. She wondered if Aberforth Dumbledore would tell her as a way of thanking her for saving his life. Or maybe if she could get in touch with Charlie Weasley. He was the most levelheaded member of the entire Weasley family. And there was something about him that made her instinctively trust him.

"I'm the one who asked the Resistance to keep you safe in exchange for my help. Even suggested they send Draco Malfoy to track you down on New Years. I wasn't surprised in the slightest to learn he's been working with the Resistance. I've suspected him for years of being a traitor to the Dark Lord, but I couldn't ever find any proof."

Mention of Draco made her nervous. He wasn't coming right out and declaring he knew she had some sort of twisted, inappropriate relationship with the tracker, but that didn't mean Ginny wasn't whispering in his ear when they were alone. She didn't know the first thing they talked about when they weren't engaged in physical acts best not thought about. The conversation needed to be steered away from Draco lest it get even more uncomfortable than it already was.

"That doesn't make any sense. Augie was the one who made the Resistance promise to keep me protected in exchange for his help."

Antonin's amused grin did nothing to put her at ease. Did he recognize she was trying to avoid any mention of Draco? Was she being too obvious? Ever since she returned to their fucked up world following her year on the run, she'd felt like she was losing her touch on being mysterious and devious. There was an art to it and if one was out of practice it was obvious.

"That's what we wanted you to think. And everyone else too. Would you have believed them or wanted anything to do with them if they said I was the one protecting you?"

"No, I wouldn't."

"Exactly. We thought it best that the rest of the Resistance leadership not know I was involved. Ginny approached Gus in France. You know he's never been able to resist a beautiful woman young enough to be his daughter."

Hermione glared at her husband, annoyed that he couldn't let his insecurities about her ex go. How many times would she be forced to repeat she had no interest in Augustus before he believed her? Would he ever believe her?

"She talked him into supporting the Resistance. Promised him that he would be able to come back home when the Dark Lord was dead and live in peace. She even managed to get him to force a promise out of her that you wouldn't be harmed and made it seem like it was all his idea. He's been passing worthless intel to her ever since, but at least he thinks he's being helpful."

There was a bitterness in his voice that she didn't care for. It was the same every time they brought up a lover from her past, especially the one with whom they'd lived with for an entire month. Did Antonin think that he was the only one of them that ever got jealous in their marriage? That she didn't mind him climbing into another woman's bed? Of course she did! What she wouldn't give for the chance at a normal marriage. One where they didn't actively try to hurt the other or keep score when they did.

"So you've been with Ginny the entire time that I've been back? Didn't you claim that you hadn't been with another woman since I returned to Hogsmeade on Ollie's birthday? Another lie?"

"No, that was not a lie. I ended it with her when you came back. I meant what I said to you that night in the kitchen when I swore I would spend the rest of my life proving to you that I loved you and making up for being such a horrible husband."

"Well, you made it what? Three and a half months? Guess it's better than nothing."

It was her turn to be bitter. She knew that they had both made mistakes, that they'd both taken swipes at each other just to make the other bleed, but rarely, if ever, had they felt so painful.

"Hermione…"

He softened his voice, perhaps noticing how agitated and upset she was getting. It almost worked.

"I was so angry that night after I left the castle that when I met with Ginny the next day…"

"Don't tell me. It just happened?"

It wasn't even necessary for him to answer. The slump of his shoulders proved that she was correct. She didn't want to be around him any longer. Even though she didn't feel safe in the eerie cottage, she couldn't bear to spend another moment in his presence. Maybe her feelings would change when she had time to calm down and think, but she wasn't going to bet on it.

"I want you to leave, Antonin."

"Hermione, I promised…"

"I don't care that you promised not to leave me alone. I'm not some frail, helpless, delicate flower that can't take care of herself. You don't want to be with me. You made that perfectly clear the night that you told me I didn't have a family any longer."

"Hermione…"

"Get. Out. Go climb back into Ginny's bed. I'm sure she wants you."

She didn't even give him another chance to argue. Turning on her heel, she returned to the bedroom and slammed the door shut. Short minutes later she heard the front door open and close.