December 3rd

Nor did Hermione see Rodolphus for the rest of the next day. She didn't know where he'd gone, only that he appeared to be avoiding her. Breakfast and lunch were solitary affairs. So was dinner. Though it had been a pleasant respite from being in the same room with the wizard, she couldn't help but be nervous. What did it mean that he'd disappeared? Was it because he was simply embarrassed by his inability to perform the night before or was it something much worse? She couldn't recall an occurrence at any point in their history when he'd been unable to rise to the occasion. Other men his age might have had problems, but he prided himself on being better than most men, especially mere Muggles.

After a quiet dinner, she returned to the lounge with yet another book hoping that it would help her keep her mind distracted. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a book written that could help. Even with all of the free time she'd had since moving into the Dower House that she could've used to catch up on her neglected reading, she couldn't seem to focus on anything. What used to be an escape for her no longer worked. Reality was too pressing, sadly. It had been a while since she'd last been able to lose herself in reading.

The sound of footsteps entering the lounge broke her out of her thoughts. Expecting to see Rodolphus finally return, she was surprised to find Rabastan cross the room towards her instead. She hadn't even heard the front door open, another sign that she was growing careless. There was a time that she was aware of any and every sound in her immediate area. Complacency would get her killed.

"Is my brother home?"

Rabastan was exhausted. Even his voice lacked its usual strength and confidence. Something had him worried. She could only imagine and wasn't sure that she really wanted to know the truth. Ignorance might not always be bliss, but it certainly was easier at times.

"No, I'm sorry. I haven't seen him since last night. I'm not sure where he is."

He continued his walk across the room to sit on the sofa next to her. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable being alone in his presence, Hermione tried to think of a suitable reason to excuse herself from the room. Before she could utter a single word, Rabastan laid his head in her lap and sighed. She froze, unsure what to do. Having the disgusting man that close to her again made her long to slice his throat open. Somehow she didn't think Rodolphus would appreciate her murdering his little brother in his home even if he could sometimes get on his nerves.

"I can't find my wife and I'm starting to get worried."

The slur of his words proved that he'd been drinking. Handling a sober Rabastan was a difficult enough task. If he'd had too much to drink, Hermione knew that she might not have a choice. The thought occurred to her that if he was in a vulnerable state, she might be able to manipulate him into telling her more about the plans his brother had. She pushed aside her disgust for the man to place a soft hand on top of his head. Rabastan sighed when she began running her fingers gently through his hair.

"I'm sure Gemma will turn up."

"She's probably locked herself up in some hotel room with one of the men she thinks I don't know anything about. Where's your husband? Maybe they're together."

"I don't know nor care where Antonin is right now. If he's alone with your wife right now, I don't want to know."

Rabastan's deep, whinging sighs were getting on Hermione's nerves. Did he actually think he was somehow charming when he behaved that way? Yes, she decided with a roll of her eyes. He was pathetic, but there were plenty of witches out there dumb enough to fall for his antics if he simply winked those pretty eyes of his at them.

"I've been so upset that I haven't been able to find the energy to even be with another witch. It's embarrassing."

She rolled her eyes again, wondering what sort of evil she'd committed in a past life to make it her destiny to be stuck in the same world with horrible men like him.

"I'm sure there's been no permanent damage. You'll be back to yourself soon."

Maybe he heard something she didn't mean in her words. She wasn't sure. As soon as her statement came out of her mouth, Rabastan lifted his head out of her lap. Temporarily relieved to have him not touching her, she soon grew nervous by the intensity in his gaze. His eyes flicked down to her lips, leaving no question what he was thinking. Hermione froze, hoping that if she didn't move she wouldn't inadvertently encourage him. Rabastan licked his lips as he moved his head closer to hers. Apparently he didn't even need her encouragement to make his move.

A flash of light shone in Hermione's face just as Rabastan's mouth closed the distance between hers. She felt the lightest brush against her lips before she froze again. Unlike moments earlier, she was quite literally frozen in place. She tried to move her limbs, but nothing happened. Not even her eyes could move. Confused at first, it only took a moment before an irate Rodolphus pulled his brother off of the sofa by his collar.

She'd been placed in a full body bind by the master of the house. Where he'd come from at the absolute worst moment, she couldn't be sure. It was entirely possible that he'd never actually left the house and had been witnessing the entire conversation. His certainly wouldn't be the first wizarding house she'd been in with secret rooms and hiding places used to spy on the inhabitants. Rodolphus' first punch landed straight on Rabastan's jaw. She could only see part of the scuffle that happened in her frozen sight, but she could hear everything. Afraid of what was going to happen next and her inability to protect herself, Hermione internally berated herself for allowing Rabastan to distract her even for a moment. She knew the danger she was perpetually in and couldn't afford to forget it for a second. Of course, she also knew that no one was perfect and expecting perfection out of herself was just asking for failure. They were all flawed human beings. Nothing, no matter the amount of magic and power they could amass, would ever change that fact.

"You are not to touch her ever again."

"It's not like she's actually going to be your…"

Whatever Rabastan was about to say was interrupted by another blow to his face.

"You don't get to touch her ever again. Have I made myself clear?"

Rabastan mumbled a response that must have satisfied his older brother. Ignoring his brother, Rodolphus moved across the room to sit next to Hermione on the sofa. She knew just by the tone of his voice and the way he was looking at her that nothing good was going to happen next. He forced her frozen mouth open far enough that he was able to empty a vial of potion onto her tongue. The moment he removed the full body bind, the wizard held Hermione's mouth shut, forcing her to swallow the potion. She almost choked.

"My idiot brother almost killed you the last time. Don't worry. I got the doses right."

It didn't take long before she began to feel the effects of her favorite potion. Even as she knew that it was bad and she should be fighting against it, feeling the numbness was as close to Heaven as she expected she would ever get. Almost like she was floating above everyone in the room, her cares and fears began to feel inconsequential. A brief moment of clarity made her remember that she needed to fight, needed to get rid of the potion. She tried to grab her wand out of her pocket to force herself to vomit, but she wasn't even able to get her hand in her pocket before Rodolphus held her arms tightly to her side. He wasn't going to let her do anything to ruin his plan.

A war raged within Hermione. She wanted to forget everything that was bad and nasty and hurtful to just enjoy the sensation of the numbness that she missed. At the same time, she could hear that nagging voice in the back of her mind that sounded so much like the obnoxious fourth year she once was nagging everyone who would sit still long enough to listen about the plight of the house-elves. That voice reminded her that she had to stay strong, that she couldn't give in to the potion's effects. No matter what happened next, she had to remember. She couldn't give up.

The potion was stronger than anything she'd had in a long time. Her body wasn't prepared to fight off the effects. Only sheer will kept her from giving in to the desire to close her eyes and just feel. Rodolphus didn't waste any time crawling back inside her mind. She could feel him every second he was inside her most private of organs. It occurred to her too late that if he'd been able to look around in her mind in recent days, he was already well aware of the fact that she was there simply to find out more of what his plans were. No wonder he'd been so tight-lipped and careful with what he said. She should've remembered that, but she'd been living on a faint hope that maybe he'd been too preoccupied with seeking out the memory charms that he didn't bother to take a closer look at her motivations. Evidently, she was no longer up to the task of playing the game. She wanted out.

Rodolphus wasn't gentle. Much like he used to treat her body when he wanted her to be well aware of the fact that he held complete control over her, he moved through her brain in the same manner. Even through the pain, Hermione knew that she couldn't allow herself to forget anything. The urge to float away was losing to the shrill nagging reminding her to be strong. Because he was inside her mind, she could also feel his frustration. Without warning or any preparation, Rodolphus ripped his consciousness out of hers. The searing pain overpowered even the numbness. Hermione cried out, fearing that she would soon pass out from the pain.

"Damn!"

"What's wrong, Roddy?"

"There's a block in her mind. Damn! No one except for the person who put in there can remove it. I can't continue with that block. I can't put the charms I used before back in there while it's still there."

He stood to his feet and stomped over to a small table where a bottle of fire whiskey sat. Hermione forced herself to pay attention to what happened next. It could very well mean her life. Maybe even the lives of the ones she loved.

"Who would put a block in her brain?"

"My guess would be Babajide Akingbade. Is that right, Hermione?"

Her eyes widened at the question, but she didn't even have the strength to answer. Not that Rodolphus really expected her to.

"I thought that was him who attacked me in your garden that night, but I didn't think it could be. Damn!"

"Who is that?"

"Former Supreme Mugwump, brother. Read something more than just those disgusting magazines I know you have hidden in your office and you might learn something now and again. He's a professor at Uagadou and an internationally known memory charms expert."

He kicked at the table that held the fire whiskey sending it tumbling to the floor. Sounds of glass breaking filled the room.

"He's the one who removed the spells. That's the only explanation. I can't move forward without him."

Rodolphus' temper was legendary. Though it usually took him a very long time to reach the end of his fuse, when it happened, everyone around him was in danger. Furious that he'd been thwarted from whatever devious, disgusting plan he had for Hermione's mind, he took his anger out on his furniture. Rabastan made his excuses to run from the Dower House, but Hermione was frozen in fear. What would happen next? She knew she couldn't stay. Grateful that she had the presence of mind to make sure that her beaded bag was in her pocket at all times again, she forced past the pain that was threatening to overtake her entire body. Every movement she made felt slow and exaggerated thanks to the strong potions coursing through her bloodstream. If she didn't move quickly, she knew that she would be trapped.

Through sheer force of will once more that night, she was able to wrap her hand around the end of her wand. Rodolphus was too consumed in his own anger and desire to smash everything he could reach to pay attention to the witch on the sofa. Besides, he likely thought she was too drugged to even be aware what was happening. With his back turned on his houseguest, he didn't see the stunner that she was able to produce. He fell to the floor on his face in a heap.

Seconds mattered. Hermione had to pull herself off of the sofa, ignoring the desire to just float. Rodolphus wouldn't be down for long. She wasn't even sure how strong she was able to make the stunner in her condition. Likely it wouldn't be strong enough. If she was going to escape, she had to do so as soon as possible.

Movement was difficult between the potion and the pain that still consumed her head. Rodolphus no longer cared about being gentle when he violated her mind. She had to use all of her strength to make it out of the Dower House and across the grounds to the gates. If she stopped for even a second, she feared that she would be captured. Next time she wouldn't be a guest in a spare room. She'd probably be locked up in the basement or worse.

The entire time she forced her battered body to run, she thought of where she could go next. She had to find someone she trusted without question and unfortunately, there were so few of those left in the world. Just outside the gates, she made her decision. Thinking about the one place she believed she would be safe for the next several hours, she Disapparated away from the Lestrange Estate, hoping to never return there as long as she lived.

She misjudged the distance when she landed and ended up crashing into the front door. As she was using the last of her strength to lift her hand to knock, the door was ripped open. Hermione tumbled into strong arms that didn't allow her to fall.