November 26th

Hermione knew that no matter how much she wanted to just pretend like the previous day didn't happen, she couldn't. Rodolphus would be too suspicious if she just emerged from her bedroom and tried to act like they were back to normal too soon. He'd threatened the safety of her only child. That wasn't something that could just be easily forgiven. As much as she might have wanted to push through her mission to uncover the truth of his treachery from him, she knew she had to be patient.

In order to try to make it seem believable, she kept herself secluded in her bedroom for almost two solid days. A house-elf delivered meals three times a day that she picked at, but other than those few moments of interaction with another living being, she was alone. Truthfully, she didn't mind being by herself. Any amount of time in Rodolphus' presence seemed to make her head spin. She was unpredictable in her emotions too. One second she would be afraid and the next she was ready to kill him. Giving her a chance to center and calm herself would make all of the difference in the coming confrontation.

Deciding that she would make an appearance at dinner, she waited until she knew the meal would already be served. Arriving late would mean she wouldn't have to be there with him for nearly as long. Small steps would get her there in the end. She had to remember to be patient.

Unfortunately to her great disappointment, Rodolphus was not dining alone that evening. When Hermione entered the dining room she was displeased to find his younger brother sitting in the chair across from hers. Both wizards were already drinking wine and laughing. As soon as she stepped inside the room, they stopped to stare. She considered briefly running back up the stairs and hiding a little bit longer. A meal with one of the brothers was treacherous enough. With both? She would've almost rather died.

"Good evening, Hermione. Please come join us."

Rodolphus gestured to her usual chair with a bright smile that might have felt warm splashed across the face of any other man. Rabastan too seemed pleased that she was there. The way his eyes lingered on her body as she took her seat was impossible to ignore. It brought to mind Gemma's words from days earlier about nights in the past when the three of them secluded themselves inside the Dower House for an evening together. Those nights had been a great deal of fun though hardly appropriate. She hadn't lied to her husband when she told him that she'd never been with both Lestrange brothers at the same time. She just simply never mentioned the fact that Rabastan liked to watch. Rodolphus had always been too possessive to allow her to even touch his little brother in his presence, but he didn't mind him being in the room with them.

Rabastan started to fill up her empty wine glass from the bottle he'd been enjoying with his brother. Clearly they'd started long before she arrived because the bottle was completely empty. She tried to hide her nerves. The more they drank, the more difficult the night was likely to get. What if Rodolphus tried to prove to her that she belonged to him again? His brother's presence might only encourage him to try. He wouldn't like to be thought of as being less than a man with witnesses.

"Allow me, brother. Looks like we should've paced ourselves before Hermione arrived. What must she think of us?"

She focused on watching Rodolphus open a new bottle of wine to keep from blurting out exactly what she was thinking. Neither man would really want to know. When he filled her glass with a liberal amount of wine, Hermione didn't waste any time drinking deep gulps. If she had to endure both men, the least she could do was face it a little tipsy. Moments later her plate filled up with food. She focused on filling her stomach and trying to ignore the brothers' conversation.

"He didn't seem that surprised honestly, Roddy. I think he must have been expecting a visit from one of us eventually."

"Did he seem amenable?"

"Does he ever?"

Their loud and abrupt laughter sounded strange to Hermione's ears. She swallowed the last of her wine. Within moments of setting her glass down, Rabastan was already there ready to refill it. She might have been grateful for his consideration if she wasn't also suspicious of it. Why was he even there that night? Didn't he have his own home to go to just a short walk away? It was evident that he wasn't aware that anything terrible had happened to his wife yet. Somehow she doubted he would be able to sit at his brother's table so calmly if he knew that she'd been murdered by his hand.

The room gradually grew warmer and warmer. Hermione tugged at the collar of her jumper, tempted to shed it entirely. Only knowing that neither man would be able to ignore her suddenly disrobing made her rethink her idea. She was feeling more relaxed with each passing moment. None of her fears from the day before seemed to have bled into that day. When her thoughts drifted to her son, she could recognize her complete lack of fear. In fact, all she felt was numbness. A slight tingling in her hands and feet told her that there was something very wrong. The heat rising up her throat told her what she suspected. She'd been drugged.

Not bothering to offer any sort of explanation whatsoever, Hermione jumped up from the table. She ignored the concerned voices of the brothers as she ran to the lavatory on the ground floor. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she pointed her wand at her stomach and muttered a spell she'd only used a few times before in her life, usually when she'd indulged too much. Vomit came rushing out of her mouth in an instant. She was only just able to make it to the toilet in time to keep from making a mess. It was imperative that she get as much out of her system as possible. Though not as strong as it usually felt thanks to her quick thinking, she could feel the effects of her favorite potion. It felt amazing. Angry beyond reason that they would slip a potion into her wine, she focused on continuing to empty her stomach as best as she could. When nothing else was left, she collapsed to the floor in a heap. Though conscious, she hardly had enough strength to open her eyes.

The door was thrown open by one of the wizards. She wasn't sure which. A warm hand pushed the hair away from her face, checking for any signs of permanent damage. When it was clear that she wasn't dead or passed out, Rodolphus sighed in relief. From just a few steps away, Hermione heard Rabastan's concerned voice.

"Did I add too much to the bottle? She's never been sick like that before."

"She also hasn't had a potion in over a year, you imbecile. You could've killed her."

Rodolphus' strong arms gently lifted Hermione's body from the floor. Instead of carrying her up to her bedroom as she expected him to, he took her straight into the lounge and laid her down on the sofa. Her entire body felt weightless and numb. It was easy to remember why she enjoyed her potion so much. She hoped that she was able to throw up enough of the potion to keep from forgetting whatever was about to happen next. She thought she did. The effects of the potion weren't as strong as they'd been when she was seated at the table.

"If your carelessness had killed her…"

"Yes, well, it didn't. How was I supposed to know that would happen? She used to down vials like they were nothing more powerful than water."

They continued to speak around her like she wasn't even there. It was difficult to stay focused enough to pay attention to what they were saying, but she was determined. One of them might slip up and actually explain what it was she had been afraid of for so long.

"Where would my plans be if you'd killed her?"

"You said yourself that you could use any body."

"But I want this body."

Rabastan scoffed at his brother's response. Hermione wished she could understand what they were saying exactly. She heard the words, but they didn't make sense.

"Do you not see the irony in that?"

"Don't speak about what you don't understand."

The sofa cushion next to Hermione dipped down. Rodolphus gently forced her to open her eyes. Terrified of what was going to happen next, she didn't even consider refusing. All at once she felt him inside her mind. Nowhere near as gentle as Mr. Akingbade had been when he would slip in to view her memories and check for charms, it physically hurt when Rodolphus forced his way in. How had she not noticed him doing the same in the past? Had she really been that lost in her potions?

She couldn't tell how long Rodolphus was inside her mind. Too damn long. Every second that passed she could feel her head grow more painful. She was afraid to find out what he could see in there. Was he aware that she was really only in his house to find out the truth? But, she reminded herself, even Rabastan knew that and he wasn't capable of examining her brain up close. When he finally pulled out of her mind, Hermione felt nothing but searing pain. She cried out and closed her eyes.

"Damn! They're gone."

"How is that possible?"

In his anger Rodolphus couldn't sit still. He rose from the sofa and began to kick at his furniture and stomp around. Hermione could hardly focus on anything other than the pain in her head. She wouldn't be able to stay awake long if it continued. Sheer willpower was all that kept her conscious. It was important that she heard every word, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

"Someone must have found them and removed them."

The irate wizard continue to pace across the lounge, running his hands through his hair. Usually he was able to keep a calm and collected façade. The unraveling of the man was even more pronounced than Hermione thought it was days earlier when she first realized how close to the edge of his own sanity he was. She often thought that it took one crazy person to recognize another. If what had been done to her brain, by her potions use and other outside factors, was a standard to go by, she should always be able to see those about to lose their grip on sanity.

"I'm going to have to start from the beginning."

"But that took years last time."

"I know it took years, Rabby! Don't you think I'm aware of that?"

He forced his way into her mind again, even less gentle than the first time. Hermione didn't think she would be able to withstand much more pain. Feeling the wizard moving around in there was a violation that she couldn't bear. All at once, his movements became more tender, more careful. He'd found something that he liked based on the soft chuckles she could hear. When he removed himself the second time from her mind, it was much less painful. Still her head continued to pound.

"Looks like they left one behind. There's one they couldn't remove. Better than nothing, I suppose. I'll just simply have to try again soon. Very soon."