October 26th

Hermione arrived at the Shrieking Shack right on time. Though one who valued punctuality to a point, she had been known in the past to use her power and reputation as the formidable Madam Dolohov to keep people waiting. It had been fun and a real boon to her ego to watch annoyed people try very hard not to let their frustration show. She used to play many little games just to keep life interesting. Even for a deadly interrogator who spent countless days covered in the blood of her victims, she could get awfully bored.

No one was waiting for her when she arrived. Nervous that she was walking right into a trap, she kept a tight grip on her wand. Ambushes were a serious possibility that she needed to consider. While it had been many years since she found the eerie location scary thanks to her memorable night with Fenrir, she still felt ill at ease being so exposed. The crumbling shack was far removed from the busy path to the village, but it wasn't exactly a difficult place to get to. And she wasn't even completely certain who she was meeting to begin with. While her husband was the most obvious choice, she wasn't entirely convinced.

She couldn't help but feel like Antonin was still keeping secrets from her. When she was alone with him those two nights, he'd told her some of what he was trying to do. Not all. Part of her didn't believe he would ever be completely honest with her. That was a truth that was difficult to swallow. Once upon a time they'd been each other's closest confidants. Even when she loathed and despised the fact that she had been ordered to marry him, she respected him enough to continue to trust him implicitly. She used to believe that he felt the same way about her. Experience in recent months taught her that wasn't necessarily the case.

Any hope that they would have a future together was dwindling each day. They would have to learn to start being completely open with each other if there was a chance they would end up together. Brazil felt further and further away. Hermione still wasn't clear on what she wanted exactly. Leaving the country was certainly at the top of her list and keeping her son safe from all of the sins of his parents' past and present, but remaining married to Antonin? Trying to salvage anything from the wreckage? It hardly seemed possible or even all that attractive to be honest. Expecting him to tell her everything meant that she also had to tell him everything. She just wasn't ready to be so honest. Maybe she never would be. Yet another argument for why they weren't likely to make it.

But she wasn't exactly optimistic that she would survive long anyway, so speculations about the future didn't really mean that much. She was apt to make too many questionable decisions about her safety. Like meeting at the Shrieking Shack in the middle of the night with no explanation. Antonin claimed Thorfinn was his man through and through and while she hoped he was right, there was no way to tell for certain. There were enemies around every bend. That was a reminder she didn't really need after Rodolphus' visit. As cryptic as he continued to be about his plans for her, she didn't think they were likely to be good.

Footsteps nearby shook her out of her thoughts. It was unwise to allow her mind to wander when she was in such a potentially precarious position. Spinning around with her wand clutched tightly in her hand to meet whatever danger lurked in the shadows head-on, Hermione was surprised to see Aberforth Dumbledore walking confidently towards her. Recognizing her visitor only made her relax slightly. She was still not sure that he could be trusted or that he would ever trust her.

"Your husband informed me that you would like a few minutes of my time."

Hermione nodded her head. Before she spoke a single word, she scanned the immediate area for any signs of life. Satisfied with her eyes, but still needing further confirmation they were alone, she cast a human presence revealing spell. Feeling confident that they were alone for the moment, she still coated the space they were standing in with a number of silencing, repelling, and cloaking spells. She'd had plenty of practice over the years in shielding her presence. If anyone caught her even having a simple conversation with the notorious Resistance leader, especially one widely assumed to be dead, she would be in even more danger than she normally was.

"Thank you for meeting me. I have a few questions."

He held up his hand to stop her from speaking another word.

"First, I want to thank you properly for saving my life. I understand that that was not an easy task."

"I never meant for you to get arrested in the first place. It was an accident."

"And I believed you the first time you told me that."

Even in the darkness she could see the twinkle in his blue eyes. He found her amusing. At least it was a much better emotion than she'd gotten used to expecting from members of the Resistance. She had some serious questions that she wanted to answer. Something told her that she could trust Aberforth to give her truthful answers. Maybe because they were bonded over their experience in his elaborate escape attempt or perhaps it was simply because of the goodness of the man himself. Though she didn't know the details or really anything at all about it, she knew that he'd saved Draco's life many years before. To save a Death Eater, especially one from such a notorious family, wasn't a small thing. Deciding it was best to just get it over with, she blurted out her first question.

"What animagus form does Rodolphus Lestrange take?"

Aberforth wasn't expecting that question. He furrowed his brow and shook his head slightly once like he was trying to dislodge a pesky fly from the tip of his nose. His blue eyes continued to twinkle, but confusion replaced his amusement. Hermione was certain she was about to get her suspicions confirmed.

"Why would you ask me that?"

"You've never seen Rodolphus in his animagus form?"

"Lass, I haven't laid eyes on Lestrange for years. Not since some bother we had in Glasgow. Seven years ago? Eight, maybe?"

"So you're saying you haven't seen him in years… not even when he was living in the Resistance village?"

His expression morphed into one of incredulity. She'd seen the same look from numerous people for years. He was trying to decide whether or not she'd completely lost her mind. Evidently it was a question he couldn't understand why she was asking.

"Rodolphus' animagus form is a dog. A Saint Bernard to be specific."

Some of the details seemed to click in his mind. No longer did he look at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"The one Tiberius was so fond of?"

She nodded and he immediately looked as if he was going to be sick. Considering his advanced age and his recent stay in the less-than-luxurious environment of Level Eleven, Hermione prepared herself to help him if it was required.

"We used to let him into our meetings without even thinking about it. He's a very friendly dog and Tiberius claimed he was safe. There was no reason for us to doubt him."

"There's more, I'm afraid. Ginny told me that you and she were the only ones who knew who Rodolphus really was."

"Why would she say that?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. All she had were speculations. The truth would have to come from Ginny herself.

"Maybe she wanted me to think the Resistance trusted Rodolphus."

"I don't recall ever discussing Lestrange since he disappeared up until very recently."

The suspicions Hermione possessed about Ginny being the spy only increased with each moment that ticked by. Aberforth might have been a talented actor, but she knew how to tell the difference in someone who was lying and someone who was trying to process what he was hearing. She decided to continue with telling him what she'd heard.

"I've recently learned from speaking to another Resistance leader…"

"Percy Weasley?"

"How'd you know that?"

His blue eyes were amused again. Some of the shock of what he was told about Rodolphus and Tiberius Zeller's friendly, drooling dog was wearing off.

"You've been out of the game too long, lass. You're not as stealthy as you think you are."

She was as annoyed as he was amused. While she knew she couldn't really argue with him about his observation, she wished it wasn't the truth. To be fair, with all of the secret alliances she despised, it was hard to know who was working together. Deciding that was something she could think more about later, she pressed on.

"I've learned that the Resistance is a bit chaotic and there are fears that it's crumbling."

"I'm afraid you're right. We've had our concerns about a potential spy for awhile now. Do you think it's Ginny?"

Admitting her concerns to Aberforth might not be the best idea. She was hesitant to just come right out and accuse her former friend of being a traitor to her cause. What if she was wrong? Though she had the conviction in her gut that she wasn't, it was still a hefty accusation to make. Sensing that she wasn't eager to answer his question, Aberforth sighed.

"You're afraid that her past relationship with your husband is affecting your opinion of her."

When they were students at Hogwarts, she and her closest friends used to speculate on whether or not Headmaster Dumbledore had the ability to read minds. Learning that he was a Legilimens answered at least some of their questions. She came to the conclusion that Albus Dumbledore simply was a perceptive man who knew how to read people. Standing in front of his younger brother, she wondered if that was perhaps a family trait.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm an old man. I've seen a lot in my life and there are certain physical manifestations of their time together that can't be ignored."

"Their daughter?"

Aberforth nodded.

"I was unaware that you knew about little Maisie."

"It was an accident. Ginny tried to hide her from me. How did you know?"

"I have eyes. I pay attention. Antonin doesn't know?"

She shook her head. Guilt that she was still keeping secrets from her husband after so long bubbled up inside of her again. If Antonin knew she was keeping such a big secret from him, she didn't think he would forgive her.

"No, I promised Ginny I wouldn't tell him, but I feel wrong keeping that secret."

"Are you afraid that he'll abandon your family if he knew?"

"No, I'm afraid he would take Ollie and they would both abandon me."

Even as the words dripped off her tongue she couldn't believe she was being so honest and so vulnerable with the wizard. What was it about him that made her want to confess her deepest fears? Aberforth placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"We don't get to choose who we love. Not really."

Hermione didn't know what he was implying or trying to say. Love was, indeed, a difficult subject to decipher, but what did that have to do with anything they were talking about? Aberforth squeezed her shoulder lightly and dropped his hand back to his side.

"Don't tell him yet. It would be too distracting. I'm not ready to believe Ginny is our spy just yet, but I'll do some looking in to it. If I find anything, I'll let you know."

They said their goodbyes moments later. Hermione selfishly hoped that he would find proof of Ginny's treachery sooner rather than later. She was eager to have the horrible woman out of the picture as soon as possible. She was too dangerous, too unpredictable. It was only later that night that she considered the truth of the fact that she could use the exact same words to describe herself.