November 17th

Being inside of Rodolphus' home was nothing less than bizarre. Just as he made his promise outside her bedroom door, he was nothing but a complete gentleman. Part of her worried that despite his assurances that he didn't expect her to crawl into his bed until she wanted to be there, that she might wake up in the middle of the night to find him towering over her bed. Living in fear was not something that she wanted to consider doing again. She had to remain calm, had to remind herself continually that she was there only temporarily. The faster she got the answers she needed, the sooner she could leave.

Rodolphus wasn't going to tell her everything she wanted to know just because she asked. He was the sort of man who thrived on secrecy. For every secret he might choose to divulge, she knew that there were at least a dozen more he didn't. She had to be patient, a virtue that she had a shortening supply of the longer the year progressed.

She wasn't even entirely sure where she was to begin unraveling the network of lies and nefarious plans he'd weaved. There was a delicate balance that she had to maintain. If she asked too many questions too quickly, he would get suspicious and then she would have nothing. Would he have been foolish enough to leave a copy of his plans just lying around where she could find them? As much as she hoped that might be the case, she knew he was no fool. Likely insane and diabolical, he wasn't stupid. Never had been. If such a document existed, it was locked up under heavy wards she probably wouldn't be able to tear down. She would have to remain ever vigilant, ready to jump at the opportunity to uncover even the barest of details.

Antonin would find out she was living there before she'd been there a day or two, if he hadn't already been aware the moment she crossed through the gates of the estate. She worried that he would think she was there for the wrong reasons, that she was a part of Rodolphus' quest to take over the wizarding world. Would he even believe her if she tried to get a message to him what she was doing? The depressing reality was that she didn't think her husband would ever trust her again. She wasn't sure if he'd ever trusted her to begin with. Because of their history, she knew that she could no longer allow herself to even worry about him. She had to follow her own mission just as he had to follow his.

Though the bed in Rodolphus' guest room was very comfortable, she hadn't slept well the first night she was there. Constant fear and worry that someone would attack her while she slept kept her from dozing more than a few minutes here and there. When the sun rose in the sky, she'd calmed somewhat and been able to sleep for a few hours. At least she didn't have to worry there was someone waiting to kill her in the shadows when there no longer were shadows. Sometime around mid-morning she forced herself out of the bed to face her new life.

Rodolphus was seated in the large room off of the lounge that he used as his private study. Scrolls and books were spread across the mahogany desk. With his head bowed and his full attention focused on a piece of parchment that he was scribbling on, he didn't even hear her when she entered the room. It was strange to find the man completely unaware of his own surroundings. Hermione stood silently in the doorway for several seconds before he lifted his head to smile.

"All of that time you spent on the run improved your ability to sneak around, my dear. I didn't even hear you."

"I will take that as a compliment."

"That's how it was meant. Did you sleep well?"

She gave him her most insincere smile. There was no way that he actually cared how she slept. It was only his impeccable manners as a host that compelled him to ask. Instead of describing her long, sleepless night afraid that she would be accosted in her bed out of fear of offending him, or giving him ideas he didn't need to possess, she entered the study. A comfortable chair was placed across from him in order to give visitors the opportunity to converse with the wizard, but that wasn't where she stopped. She moved around the large piece of furniture to perch herself on the edge only centimeters away. Rodolphus was pleased with the seating arrangement.

"Is this how you spend your days? Behind this desk scribbling nonsense?"

"Most days, yes. Did you have something more diverting in mind?"

The thinly veiled innuendo threatened to make her skin crawl. She knew that by moving into his house she was in danger of having to employ some of her more effective weapons against the wizard, but that didn't mean she was ready for it. Climbing back into his bed would be done only as a last resort. She possessed other methods of persuasion that might work before she had to do something so drastic.

"No, I'm afraid not. I was just curious."

She hopped off the edge of the desk before he could stop her. As tempting as it was to start immediately asking him questions, she knew she would have to wait for a better moment. He would need to be lulled into a false sense of security. Making her excuses to leave him for a comfortable chair in the lounge and good book, she didn't even wait for him to suggest an alternative. His soft chuckles followed her out of the room.

For the rest of that first day in Rodolphus' house she was able to watch the comings and goings from the relative privacy of his lounge. The front windows provided her with an excellent view of the front door and those approaching it. People were in and out of the Dower House all day long. Almost all of them she knew or recognized in some capacity. None of them were particularly surprising. Was this the heart of the new regime? Even several people that she knew from the list she was given stopped in for a few minutes to speak to Rodolphus. She was unaware of the sheer number of people who were on Rodolphus' side. It was no wonder that Antonin had been worried for so long.

There was once a time in the distant past when her husband and Rodolphus were friends. Or, at the very least, they were friendly. A few years older than Antonin, Rodolphus didn't interact with his future fellow Death Eater at school much. It wasn't until they were sworn followers of the Dark Lord's that they became better acquainted. If circumstances had been different, the two men might have teamed up together to take over the regime in the aftermath of Lord Voldemort's death, but something prevented it. She didn't know the details. Only that any hope they'd ever had of being more than just polite acquaintances was crushed during the years they were both locked up in Azkaban. Neither man had ever been willing to share the details when she asked. Each of them told her that it was unimportant, that she needn't worry herself about ancient history. Was it over a woman? Disagreements like those often were. When she started spending more time with Rodolphus in her early days as a Death Eater, Antonin had never discouraged it. He might have been wary, but he never said so. In time, she no longer cared what caused the rift between the men. There were other more important things to consider and worry about.

The day passed surprisingly quickly. She didn't expect that. Somehow she thought that every moment that ticked by would feel like an eternity. Though she learned nothing of any real great value, she wasn't discouraged as they shared an after-dinner drink in the lounge. She was nervous as she sat on the same sofa with Rodolphus that the atmosphere would change. It hadn't been that long ago that he kissed her while they were seated in the same place. As the conversation started to slow down and the looks he gave her were beginning to linger a little bit longer than was right and proper, Hermione could feel her heart racing in a manner that wasn't good. The wizard smiled at her; his eyes drifted down to her lips.

"Forgive me for just barging in, but no one answered when I knocked."

For one of the very first times in her life, Hermione was actually grateful to see Rabastan. His brother, however, was not. As she listened to Rodolphus remind him in no uncertain terms that the Dower House was his private home and he should have more respect for his privacy, Hermione sipped at her wine to hide her smile. Even as he was being berated for the countless time in his life by his elder brother, Rabastan seemed amused to find Hermione there.

"Have you seen Flint today, Roddy?"

"Why? Are you needing someone to kick?"

"No, he was supposed to be working on something for me, but he hasn't checked in."

Hermione bit back a laugh. How long would it take before someone stumbled upon the Flints' cooling bodies in their kitchen? She hadn't done a very good job at concealing the bodies. There had been no need. Even if their deaths were somehow traced back to her, she didn't care. It was a dangerous world they were all living in.

"If you gave Marcus something to do and he's avoiding you, seems to me that he hasn't completed whatever it was you wanted done. You know you have to keep a tight rein on people like him, Rabastan."

Seemingly satisfied that his brother was correct, Rabastan turned his attention back to Hermione. She hated when he stared at her so boldly. It brought to mind too many times in the past when she'd been exposed with nothing to hide from the wretched, horrible man.

"Do I have something in my teeth, Rabastan? Why do you keep staring?"

His smile broadened just enough to make Hermione feel even more nervous than she already did.

"I just find it very interesting that you're here. Came all on your own, did you?"

"Careful how you speak to my guest."

"I would never dream of insulting our Hermione, brother. I merely found it interesting that she came so willingly. Wasn't that long ago she seemed content to never leave her husband's bed."

Up until that moment Hermione didn't realize that she had the capacity to loathe Rabastan any more than she already did. He was going to be a problem. Either she couldn't stay there long or she had to get rid of Rabastan. The best case scenario would be to get the information she needed quickly and then kill him. She couldn't wait for the day she could feel his blood splash across her skin.

"I'm going to locate Flint. The idiot can't stay hidden long."

Rabastan made his exit shortly after his announcement to Hermione's relief. Worried that being alone again with Rodolphus would put them back into a situation she wasn't ready for, she rose to her feet when her glass of wine was empty.

"I think I'm going to take a long bath and then go to bed."

As she passed by Rodolphus he grabbed her hand. Gently, he pulled it close to allow him to kiss the inside of her wrist. It was an intimate gesture she wasn't prepared for.

"I'm very glad you chose to come here, my dear. I hope you will be very happy here."

She smiled at him even as she felt sick to her stomach. Likely she would be convinced she'd made the wrong decision to go there up until the very moment she left.