November 5th

There were few details about the attack on Ron's house in the next morning's Daily Prophet. He was in St. Mungo's still unconscious and in a critical state. It wasn't clear if he was going to make it out of the ordeal. Statements from several who witnessed the aftermath of the explosion failed to give any indication what happened or why. A picture of Ron's wife Romilda carrying their youngest child as she entered the hospital covered much of the front page. She was distraught, tears rolled down her reddened cheeks.

Hermione hadn't been able to sleep much after she made her way back to her rented room the night before. All through the night she kept thinking back over what she'd witnessed. Why was Ginny there? Hogsmeade wasn't a place that Resistance members, especially their leaders, visited very often. It was too dangerous for them to be in such close proximity to the Death Eaters that had been tasked with fighting them and killing them for the past twenty years. Not that much had changed yet since the Dark Lord's death. Most of their society was still stuck in that state of confusion and shock after so long under the thumb of Lord Voldemort.

Did Ginny have something to do with the explosion? Familial relationships were complicated amongst the Weasleys, but Hermione didn't believe that they'd actually gotten to the point where they were willing to murder each other. And if that was the case, why did Ginny seem so brokenhearted? There were about a dozen questions she had for the witch and more kept coming to her mind the longer she stewed. Hermione believed that Ginny was a spy working for Rodolphus against the interests of the group she'd dedicated her life to. Was attacking her brother a punishment for aiding and abetting the men who tried to kill Hermione?

She wouldn't be able to sit still until she had answers. Making the decision that she would return to the scene of her last crime to either find Ginny or find some possession she could use to track the witch, Hermione stood up from the table where her breakfast lay untouched for another day. Stress made her stomach clench up and made it impossible to swallow. Already she could feel her clothes growing loose on her again. Clearly living a life away from Antonin's regular meals was wreaking havoc on her body once more. Sometimes she wondered how she was able to survive an entire year on her own. It hardly seemed possible.

Only steps outside of the Three Broomsticks Hermione was stopped by none other than Rodolphus himself. She cursed her terrible luck. Why was the wizard always popping up when she least expected him? When she tried to walk past him, he reached out to grab her arm. Tempted to do what she once did to Antonin for committing the same act, she forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down.

"Where are you headed in such a hurry?"

"Not really any of your business, Rodolphus."

He didn't seem the least put off by her tone or her statement. Likely he didn't even listen closely enough to know what she said. Rodolphus was the sort of wizard who could overpower any situation if he chose to. Once upon a time it was an attribute that she admired, even found irresistible. As her eyes were opened wide to the extent of his treacheries, she grew to loathe it. How dare he think he had the right to manipulate the lives of others?

"I've been worried about you, especially after hearing about the awful explosion last night. I don't like the idea of you being in this village alone. Or you being alone full stop."

"I'm not your concern. I wish you would…"

Their whispered conversation was interrupted by the abrupt arrival of an irritated Thorfinn. Of course he was hardly anything else around Hermione those days. With his eyes narrowed, he made it clear that he wasn't pleased to see them conducting such a seemingly intimate conversation where anyone could see them. She knew that he was going to report what he'd seen to Antonin the first chance he could. Furious that her life had gotten so far out of her control, she ripped her arm out of Rodolphus' grip. Taking a second to glare at Thorfinn to show her own displeasure at his presence, she spun immediately in place to Disapparate away from the area.

She was exhausted when her feet landed in a grassy field near a quiet village she hadn't been back to in months. More than just a physical exhaustion because she was unable to sleep, she was weary of her entire existence. Would there ever be a moment when she would open her eyes after a long, restful sleep and actually feel content? Part of her was afraid that she was living in a dangerous fantasy. People like her didn't get a happy ending. The most she could hope for was a painless death. Likely even that was too much to ask.

Immediately seeking out Ginny was no longer her plan. There was someone else she wanted to speak to, someone she thought might actually tell her the truth if she asked. When she took her first step over the invisible barriers surrounding the Resistance's village in Devon, she knew that she was being reckless with her own safety. Any one of the villager's inhabitants could attack her just simply for being who she was. Hermione Dolohov was no friend of the Resistance. They made that perfectly clear the last time she stayed in the village.

At least the reminder of the terrifying person she once was helped to keep the residents away from her as she made her way down the main street in the middle of the village. She ignored the unfriendly stares. It was nothing she wasn't used to after all and she had a mission. She needed answers. There had to be someone within the organization that would help her.

She almost lost her nerve when she stood in front of Lee Jordan's front door and knocked. The last time she spoke to any member of the Jordan family was before she made the error while practicing cloaking her magic that got Aberforth Dumbledore locked up in the Ministry of Magic. Would Lee or Sarah trust that she never meant to attack a respected leader? That she truly hadn't intended to cause such chaos that almost left a man dead?

"Hermione? What are you doing here?"

There was no question that her unexpected appearance left Lee thoroughly confused. He stood just inside his house staring at her as if she'd managed to grow another head. The very fact that he didn't slam the door in her face was the encouragement she needed to keep going. He was a good man who wanted nothing more than to provide his children with a safe world to grow up in.

"Is there somewhere we can talk privately?"

It was also the mark of good character that he didn't refuse her request. With a warm smile, he ushered her through the house to the door that led out to the back garden. Sarah stood in the kitchen next to the table where both girls were supposed to be hard at work on their lessons. Hermione tried to offer the other members of his family a friendly greeting, but she was afraid that she failed. She was still nervous about being back in the village she never wanted to return.

"You're being very mysterious, Hermione. You disappear for months and then you just suddenly appear? What am I supposed to think?"

Lee waited until they were seated on two stools in his shed where he housed his wizarding wireless set to speak again. As much as she wished to get straight to the meat of the reason why she was there, Hermione knew that she would have to offer up at least some sort of explanation for how the events unfolded back at the beginning of April. Lee deserved at least that much after all of his kindness and generosity. It wasn't just anyone who would willingly open up to his home to one so dangerous and unpredictable.

"I'm very sorry about that, Lee. It was never my intention…"

"How am I supposed to trust you, Hermione? I thought that you were different than the person you'd been pretending to be for so long. But after what you did?"

She knew she would have to be completely honest and truthful if she was ever going to get anywhere with Lee. Or any of the other Resistance members, for that matter. They weren't exactly known for being so trusting of those that lied to them.

"I'm not sure what you've heard, Lee, but I'll tell you everything. You can ask me whatever you want if you're not satisfied with what I tell you."

He seemed to consider her offer for a few beats before finally nodding his head in agreement. And for one of the first times, she actually meant it. She didn't have anything to hide from her fellow Gryffindor. What did she have to lose? Nothing.

"When I was here months ago, Ginny asked me to be a spy for the Resistance. She wanted me to go back home and pass along information to her. Because it was so dangerous and I was putting not only my life, but the life of my husband and son in danger, I made her promise me that someone would teach me how to cloak my magic first. I wanted to be able to leave the country when I was ready. She agreed. Aberforth was my teacher."

His eyes narrowed when she mentioned Aberforth. Clearly, he wasn't aware of the connection. Possibly he wasn't even aware of the deal that was made. After all, a spy that was well known by many people wasn't nearly effective as one that was a well-kept secret. Few would've ever imagined that she would turn her back on the Dark Lord. Not after her many years of faithful service.

"I made a mistake when we were practicing. He grabbed my arm too hard and I cast a stunner at him without thinking or cloaking my magic. It was an accident. My husband and a few other Death Eaters arrived moments later. I was only just able to escape, but it was too late for Aberforth. He's the reason I went back to Hogsmeade, went back to my husband, went back to the Ministry."

"What are you saying exactly, Hermione?"

She gave him a detailed description of her actions from the moment she returned to Hogsmeade until she was able to free Aberforth. Nothing was off-limits. Every detail about Aberforth's escape was known to Lee, including the personal peril she put herself in to make it happen. All she left out was the fact that her husband murdered the Dark Lord to keep her out of trouble by creating a big enough distraction that no one followed up on her actions. Lee seemed impressed. When the last words fell off her tongue, he whistled.

"I never heard any of that. Ginny told us all that it was your plan from the very beginning to arrest Aberforth. Even showed us the Daily Prophet article where you were being praised for his capture."

"That was all a lie. Just one more way to keep the fact that I ran away out of the papers."

"But if that's true, why would Ginny say that you meant to do it? Aberforth was sent away to Liverpool almost immediately after he escaped. None of us got to talk to him."

She wasn't surprised to hear that Ginny was spreading lies about her to the rest of the Resistance. No doubt it was easy for most of them to believe that Hermione was evil and only out to save her own arse.

"I don't think Ginny can be trusted, Lee. There's too much I've witnessed her do lately that makes me believe that her loyalty isn't to the Resistance. I want to talk to Charlie."

The second oldest Weasley son was the one person that Hermione felt like would tell her the truth if she asked. Percy always kept his thoughts close to his chest. But not Charlie. He was one of the most honest men she'd ever known, and if there was someone who needed to know that his sister couldn't be trusted, it was him.

"I will get a message to Charlie that you want to talk to him."

They ended their private meeting only a few minutes later. Refusing to let her leave his shed without a hug, as Hermione returned the embrace she couldn't shake the feeling that Lee still didn't trust her. Not that she blamed him. No, he was smarter than she ever gave him credit for.