A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so pleased that you guys are enjoying this interesting little tale, and I think that you will enjoy this chapter, too - time to insert a little bit of drama :) You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates, and answer questions!
Please let me know what you thought of chapter seven and be on the lookout for chapter eight soon!
By the time Hermione and Rabastan had left the pet store, their arms were laden with numerous toys and treats for the little kitten that had weaseled its way into Rabastan's heart. Hermione had tried not to stare too hard as he balanced a bag of litter on his shoulder as though it weighed nothing at all. "Wow, you're so good at that," she'd choked out nervously. "Maybe I should get you to do all my heavy lifting."
Rabastan had laughed at that, his light green eyes sparkling with mischief. "Just say the word babe, and I will come running," he flirted back, making Hermione's cheeks turn pink once again. She knew that Rabastan was interested in her, but she was completely unused to being pursued in such a manner. She couldn't lie and pretend that she didn't enjoy it.
Hermione quickly found herself realizing how much she was enjoying spending time with Rabastan, getting to know more about him, and she didn't want her morning with him to be over yet. If they returned home now, she was sure that he would retreat down into the basement apartment, leaving her alone with all of her books. Then, she remembered how he'd said he was only subsisting on frozen pizzas since he'd gotten out of prison.
"I, um...I usually go grocery shopping on Sundays," she said, conversationally, peeking up at him out of the corner of his eyes, trying to gage his reaction. "Would you want to swing by the store while we are out?"
Rabastan gave her a crooked smile, as though grocery shopping sounded like the greatest afternoon activity in the world. "That'd be great," he answered quickly. "Then I can help you carry back your grocery bags too."
She could feel her stomach swoop at the confident way that he teased and flirted with her, liking him so much more than she anticipated, especially after their first disastrous meeting together. "Haha, Rabastan," she deadpanned back. "I'm a capable woman who can carry her own groceries."
"But then you wouldn't be able to look at my arms," he retorted, drinking in her flabbergasted reaction eagerly.
"I wasn't - I didn't-" she stuttered out, trying to form a response to his jibe.
He laughed, putting her out of her misery. "It's okay, I don't mind. At least having a good physique is one benefit of coming out of the prison system," he explained quickly, before returning the conversation to safer topics. Perhaps he was realizing that he couldn't push her too far too fast without scaring her off. "It will be nice to have some real food at home, too. It's been so long since I had an actual meal. Prison food is always gross."
"I would have thought that would have been one of the first things that you would do on getting out," Hermione wondered aloud. "Try to partake in all the things that you couldn't when you were in. I can't imagine not having my favorite meal for ten years."
Rabastan shrugged his shoulders. "I had bigger things to try and sort out immediately after. It's hard trying to reset your life like that...find somewhere to live, get a new job. Everyone I used to know is so different know, and my home is no longer my home," he said wistfully, wishing for the good old days. "Some of my best friends have moved away, and my favorite restaurant closed down."
"What was it? Your favorite restaurant," Hermione asked, nibbling on her lower lip. She wanted to soak up every bit of information on her neighbor, interested about his life before prison as much as she was interested in his life now.
"This place called Zabini's. The woman who owned it was this bloody gorgeous Italian woman, who seemed to get married every year to a different guy. Never figured out how she got so many blokes to propose to her, let alone keep marrying her," Rabastan said with a melancholy look on his face, as though he were remembering her. "She made a bolognese like you wouldn't believe. God, I still remember how good it smelled."
Hermione smiled, loving how carried away Rabastan could get about things that he genuinely enjoyed. "That sounds wonderful," she told him, genuinely. "It's a shame that it closed down. Perhaps she's just moved her restaurant?"
"I don't think so," Rabastan said, sounding disappointed, and Hermione wondered if he knew something that he wasn't letting on. "What's your favorite food, then? If you were locked up, what would be the first thing that you ran out to get?"
"Oh, I'm not entirely sure," Hermione said, thinking through all of the meals that she really enjoyed. "Maybe my mum's macaroni and cheese. Or else, there was a really great deli near where I grew up that makes a smashing turkey reuben." Thinking of her mum's macaroni had her feeling suddenly homesick. It had been many years since she her mum had made that for her, long before her parents decided to move to Australia.
"That sounds nice," Rabastan said, sounding a bit stifled.
Hermione wondered if he was remembering his own mum, and she wondered what the woman would be like. After all, two of her sons had been sent to prison for attempted murder. She wondered what kind of life that she lived, or if she'd still been in a teenage Rabastan's life. Had she visited him and his brother while they were in prison? Written them letters? Hermione didn't really think that she knew him well enough to ask.
The bright purple of the grocery store beckoned them inside of the cold store. "This is where I do most of my shopping. It's not the cheapest place you could go, but it's close and convenient. The produce is always great," Hermione babbled on, leading him towards the tomatoes, before putting a few in one of the thin plastic bags. She didn't know how to make a bolognese, but she made a damn good lasagne according to Harry and Ron.
Though, Ron was a bit of a garbage disposal, so she didn't know how strongly she should take his word on things.
She brainstormed with Rabastan about some easy things that he could make for himself, grabbing an odd assortment of fruit, granola bars, pasta and canned soups. It seemed that Rabastan had never learned to cook for himself - which, really, when would he have had the time? - so he mainly stuck to old staples, finding milk and eggs, bread and peanut butter. It wasn't gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a slight step up from carrots.
Hermione was just about to tease him for his supposed love of baby carrots, just about the least manly sounding snack that she could think of, when she heard a clearing throat from beside her. Looking up, Hermione was surprised to come face to face with a dangerous looking couple. The woman was of a similar height to herself, but with wild, crazed eyes and even wilder black hair. She wore a menacing grin that was only exacerbated by the terrible condition of her teeth. The man - Hermione felt her breath leave her when she realized that he looked a bit like Rabastan, only with a fuller beard and blue eyes compared to green.
She took an abrupt step back from the pair, stumbling into Rabastan, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders to help steady her. "Whoa, are you okay, babe?" he asked, a serene smile on his face, clearly still not aware of their company.
"Rabby, aren't you going to introduce us to your little girlfriend?" the woman asked, putting on a baby voice that only made her seem more sinister. The couple wore black leather jackets, same as Rabastan did, and Hermione's mind was churning overtime realizing that they could be none other than his partners in crime, his brother and sister-in-law.
Rabastan straightened up at that, his back ramrod straight, while he pushed Hermione away from his body. But the damage was already done. The other man's eyes were focused firmly on her face, drinking in every feature that identified her as herself, a slow smirk spreading on his face.
Her neighbor turned to look at her, his green eyes conveying all the seriousness that he seemed to possess. "Babe, why don't you go pick out a pizza," he said, making it clear to her that she should get far away from the pair.
Hermione nodded dumbly, walking away, not raising to the bait of the woman whining that she wanted to talk to Rabastan's new girlfriend.
Rabastan did not relax, even when Hermione had disappeared down one of the aisles, knowing that his brother had watched her every step away. "So you've already had time to shack up with a little tart, but you didn't even have time to tell your big brother that you were out," his brother asked, crossing his arms over his chest, shaking his head at Rabastan. "I'm disappointed in you Rabastan. I thought that family meant more to you than this."
"I'm not shaking up with her, Rodolphus," he answered snappishly, leaving his brother to wonder if he were upset that he wasn't living with Hermione or if he were just trying to deflect. "I'm not even fucking her. She's just my friend."
"Pathetic," Rodolphus said, smirking at his little brother. "You always did have trouble sealing the deal, though, so I don't know why I should be so surprised."
Rabastan knew that Rodolphus was just trying to unsettle him, leaving him feeling unbalanced and adrift so that he'd have no choice but to rely on his brother to anchor him. But, that didn't mean that his words didn't hurt. It wasn't as though he were some socially inept poindexter. He'd had girlfriends before in the past, not to mention girls who were up for just a casual tumble in the sheets. Crossing his arms over his chest, he narrowed his eyes at the pair that seemed utterly out of place in the bright light of the supermarket. "What do you want, Dolph?"
"How dare you speak to your brother that way!" Bellatrix, his brother's shrill wife, hissed, drawing the attention of the little old women out just trying to finish their weekly shop.
Rodolphus shook his head slightly. "When were you going to tell us that you'd gotten out?" he asked, pointedly.
Rabastan, unsure of what to say, shrugged his shoulders, feeling more like the young teenager that had just wanted his older brother to spend time with him than he ever had. Looking at Rodolphus and Bellatrix, though, he was reminded that he could never have that sort of relationship with him.
Rodolphus was seven years older than Rabastan had been, and Rabastan had always wanted to follow his brother around when he was little. They'd had a close relationship until Bellatrix came into the picture. Then, the woman had gotten into Rodolphus's head until he was utterly dependent on her. They had an incredibly toxic relationship, and Rabastan unfortunately got pulled into their orbit. They had introduced him to drinking, drugs, stealing, fast motorcycles, and the crew that they ran with - the Death Eaters.
Now, at nearly forty years old, Rabastan struggled to see any of the glamour that he'd thought their lifestyle held. The decade in prison had not done them any favors, and they both looked haggard and old. His brother was too thin, his cheeks hollow, giving his eyes an unpleasant, feral look. He had wrinkles between his eyes and around his lips that showed the perpetual frown that he wore.
"I was just trying to get on my feet," Rabastan finally said, keeping his gaze over towards the produce, feeling the guilt set in that he had more or less ghosted the only living relative that he had left. "It's been harder for me to adjust than I thought it would be."
Bellatrix gave him a shark like grin, showing off her crooked teeth. "Rabby, we're family," she teased, with a voice like saccharine but was about as soothing as antifreeze. "You know that you could have come to us if you needed help adjusting. The rest of the guys have been dying to see you again."
"We've been through so much together," Rodolphus said, pressing his hand to Rabastan's shoulder - a move that their father had been fond of. "There is no reason to let that relationship rot now. Not when we can finally taste freedom again."
"Yeah, well, I don't want to throw that freedom away again so carelessly," Rabastan snarled back, wrenching his shoulder back from Dolph's grasp. All of the guilt of ignoring his brother evaporated when he remembered the circumstances that had lead him to prison in the first place. It had been Bellatrix and Rodolphus's bad ideas that had landed him in trouble the first time. Of course, he knew that he was just as guilty because he'd participated, but he didn't want to be talked into something stupid again. He was older and, he hoped, wiser. "I've already missed out on enough of my life."
"And we haven't?" Bellatrix questioned, unveiled fury on her face.
Sensing how volatile the situation was becoming, Rodolphus stepped between his wife and his brother. Wrapping an arm around his brother's shoulders, he dropped his voice to a low whisper. "Look, we know that we can count on you," Dolph said quickly. "We can't talk about it here of course, but we have another job. We need your help."
Rabastan shook his head firmly. "Find someone else. Barty's out too - why don't you ask him?" he sneered. "I don't want to do any more jobs."
Dolph only pulled him in closer, tighter, not letting Rabastan go. "I think you'll change your mind when you remember that you owe me, Rabastan," he said, menacingly. "I'm your brother. We're family. We're meant to depend on one another. And I know that I can depend on you for help with this, Rab."
He let his brother go then, straightening the younger man's jacket with a false smile on his face. "We'll be in touch, Rabastan," he said finally, after taking a calming breath. "Expect to see us again real soon."
"And say goodbye to your little girlfriend, Rabby," Bellatrix said with a laugh. "It's a real shame that we didn't get to talk to her much this time. But, I'm sure we will get to know her real well."
After the couple left him standing alone, Rabastan felt dread settle in his stomach. He'd not been looking forward to coming face to face with his brother and sister-in-law again, but he'd known it had been inevitable. He just wished it hadn't had to happen while he was with Hermione. Rodolphus and Bellatrix were very dangerous - hell, he was dangerous - and he knew that Hermione didn't deserve to be exposed to them.
Walking through the store, he found Hermione waiting for him in the frozen foods, holding a pepperoni pizza. She seemed relieved to see him, her eyes wide and concerned. "Is everything alright, Rabastan?" she asked, in her precious little voice.
He faked a smile and nodded. "Yeah, just...old friends," he lied. "I wasn't expecting to see them again. Come on, let's get out of here," he suggested, before pushing their trolley towards the front of the store. They went through the check out line in silence, Rabastan feeling too upset, too mad at himself for exposing Hermione to his brother. He felt a bit of comfort to know that they didn't know who she was yet. She was so good and sweet, just a student, and he'd muddied her with his past.
They left the store after that, Rabastan balancing the cat litter on one shoulder, and carrying his and Hermione's grocery bags in his other hand. She chattered away, asking him questions, but quickly realized that he was too distracted with his thoughts to answer, before falling into a silence to match his own. Their walk back was not nearly as pleasant as the rest of the morning had been.
When they reached their flats, Rabastan stepped into Hermione's warm, inviting home to retrieve Salazar, who was snuggled in a sunbeam with Crookshanks. She had cooed at the sight and commented about hating to break up the precious pair.
"Listen, about what happened at the store...do you want to stay and talk about?" she offered, nibbling away at her lower lip, the way that she did when she was nervous about something. "I could put on the kettle and we could have some tea?"
Rabstan nearly flattered, thinking that he would love to have someone to talk to about his fucked up past, but Hermione had already done too much for him in the last day, and he didn't want to take advantage of her. Besides, the clock that ticked above her head reminded him that it was nearly time for his shift at work, and he couldn't chance being late so early into his employment.
He put a sly grin on his face, hoping to put her mind at ease. "Wish I could stay, babe, but I've got work," he said smoothly, only to feel his heart clench when he saw how her face fell, how much her shoulders drooped at his rejection.
"Oh, okay," she said, looking up at him with hurt eyes. "I've got a lot of studying to do anyway."
"It's not you, I promise Hermione," he said, hoping to make things up. "My shift starts in less than an hour. I did have a great time with you today. And, I'm sure I'll be bothering you again real soon," he told her honestly, wanting nothing more than to reassure her.
It was difficult to leave her alone, but he knew that it was necessary. He lingered at the door for as long as he could, before he finally slipped out, tiny grey kitten in his arms, with ideas in his head of what excuse he could use to see her again.
As soon as possible.
