A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know the last chapter has us on the edge of our seats, so I will just throw us into this one. 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 thirteen and be on the lookout for chapter fourteen soon!
Rabastan hadn't been sleeping well since he had his argument with Hermione. Every night that he climbed into bed, his mind would race, thinking over everything that she'd said to him. His stomach was sent to churning with nerves and fear, upset with himself that Hermione had found out about what his brother was trying to rope him into in the first place.
He cursed that fucking Harry Potter and his big fucking ears for coming into the one bar that he had no business being at, and being there at the absolutely worst fucking time. Mostly, though, Rabastan knew that he had no one to blame but himself. He was the one who agreed to Rodolphus's plans, after all.
Didn't she see that he didn't want anything to do with his brother? Didn't she understand that the only reason he'd gone along with it in the first place was to keep her safe?
Of course, she didn't.
It made him angry that she couldn't try to see things from his perspective. Her life was easy, simple, with none of the baggage that his background carried. She didn't understand what it meant to be a snitch, what kind of people that he was involved with, and what would happen if he didn't just go along with them. He no longer had just himself to think about.
He didn't have the easiest childhood. His mother had left them when he was still just a child, not even off to primary school yet, and left him and his brother to their father. Their father had been a rich man at one point but had squandered it all on alcohol and gambling. That had left Rabastan and Rodolphus to their own devices.
Rodolphus had not been that nice brother, always looking out for his little tagalong kid brother. He'd been nearly ten years older and the last thing that he wanted was a child to look after. That was until Rabastan slowly became useful to him.
First it had started out slow. A tiny body could jimmy itself into places that a teenager could not, and Rabastan became very good at climbing through narrow windows, only to turn around and let his brother in. He would have done anything to just have someone pay attention to him that he was happy to do as Dolph said, even though he always knew it was wrong.
By the time Rabastan was a teenager, he'd been a full member of the little motorcycle gang Dolph had joined. He wasn't proud of it, but he did as he was told and was mostly respected. That was until he'd gone to jail, of course.
He'd made a promise to himself that he was done chasing after Rodolphus, wanting to actually live his life instead of being kept behind bars as a dangerous criminal. He'd done the right thing, kept his mouth shut, and look where it had got him. He was over thirty and could barely look after himself.
But, now, could he really tell his brother no? Rodolphus was literally the only family that he had left in his life. Who could he count on if not his brother?
Hermione's words kept haunting his brain, though, as he was forced to recognize what had been staring in his face his whole life. Rodolphus would never do anything for his benefit. Dolph was selfish and only looked out for himself. He'd let Rabastan take a fall for ten year, just to save himself extra years. But it wouldn't be the same if it had gone the other way, would it? Rabastan was certain his brother would sell him out if it meant he walked free. Fuck, he was sure he wouldn't even try to protect Bellatrix if Dolph had to make that choice.
Shaking his head, Rabastan knew that there was no point in agonizing over this now. He'd already agreed to the plans and he knew that they wouldn't take no for an answer at this point. If he wanted to keep Hermione safe, he'd have to go through with it. Then, he'd tell them that he was finished.
If Hermione would ever speak to him was another story, but he knew that was an issue for another day.
The morning of the planned robbery, Bellatrix and Rodolphus came over to his flat to make sure that he was still on board. He'd dressed for it, keeping a bandana tied around his neck so he'd be able to conceal his face when the time called for it, and they'd seemed pleased to see him all in on it.
Rabastan frowned when he noticed the white powder clinging to Rodolphus's mustache and wanted to say something. He never had a reliable temper to begin with, but coked up, he was downright volatile. "Are you sure that was a good idea?" Rabastan questioned, pressing his finger at the space between his nose and upper lip.
Rodolphus wiped at his face with his sleeve, not bothering to hide his anger. "Mind your own fucking business, Rabastan," he groused. "You know what you need to do, right?"
He nodded in agreement. "Of course, I already found the car I'm going to take," Rabastan said. He'd been around the block where the house stood a few times earlier in the week and he knew which one he was going to take. And older model Volkswagen that should be easy to hotwire, not like these new cars that had all kind of anti-theft deterrents built-in. Of course, it wouldn't be the nicest ride he'd had before, but it would get the job done.
"And you know to be waiting in the alley at ten o'clock sharp?" Bellatrix tittered about. "You cannot be late."
Rabastan scoffed. "Yes, of course Bella," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Haven't I always done my part?" he prodded further.
Bellatrix smiled at him fondly, pinching his cheek. "Yes, little Rabby," she cooed in the baby voice that still made his hair stand on end. "I just knew that we could count on family." Patting him against his cheek, she gave him a self-satisfied smile, knowing that she'd gotten her way. "Don't worry, you can crawl back to your little slut when we're done."
"Maybe take her somewhere nice with the money you'll get," Rodolphus added with a smirk. "That is if you've managed to fuck her yet," he added with a roll of his eyes, clearly discounting his younger brother. "I know how those goody two-shoes are."
Rabastan had to bite the inside of his cheek hard to not snap back to the pair about Hermione, about how she wasn't a slut and how they shouldn't speak of her that way. The less that they thought he cared about her, the better. It wouldn't do for them to think that they could hold her over him again. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "Might just fix up my bike," he said casually.
Rodolphus gave him a knowing smirk. "Knew you couldn't seal the deal, Rabby," he teased. "Alright, I think we've fucked around her long enough. Let's move," he ordered his wife and brother before heading towards the door.
Bellatrix gave him a penetrating look, perhaps seeing through his lie. "Are you sure you don't need us to help you with the car?" she pressed. "Because you better be there."
"Fuck Bella, have I messed up yet?" he practically snarled, wanting his day to be over as quickly as possible. Not waiting for her to answer, he put his hands on her shoulders to steer her towards the door. Locking the door behind him, he took a deep breath and hoped that he was making the right decision.
Once they were out on the street, the trio went their separate ways, with Rabastan headed towards the Tube station to get cross town to where they were meeting. His oyster card felt heavy in his hand when he remembered how Hermione had helped him get his, even loaning him the money to buy his first few rides. It felt gross to use the same one to help himself commit a crime.
By the time that he got back out on street level, he navigated the roads with practiced ease, remembering where the car was. It didn't take him long to jimmy the door open, using a thin, metal blade to slip between the window and the rubber strip. Slipping inside the car, Rabastan took a deep breath, looking around to see if anyone had noticed him.
The street was empty for the night, with cheery lights left in only a few of the residential windows. Glad that he hadn't been detected, he reached under the dash to find the wires that would start the car. It took him a few tries, but he eventually got it going.
Easing the car out into the middle of the street, Rabastan felt the adrenaline begin to kick in. With white knuckles on the steering wheel, he couldn't stop himself from looking in the rearview, paranoid and positive that someone was going to find him. In his gut he knew that this wasn't worth it, but he felt as if he was in too deep.
The alley that he'd been instructed to drive down was easy enough for him to find, and he was sure that he could have done it in his sleep, but as the car rolled closer towards its destination, Rabastan felt himself slowing down. Hermione's words echoed in his mind and how easy she had made it seem. Saying no to his brother.
Noticing movement up ahead, Rabastan peered down the alley, until his headlights reflected on the bright white of a police car, with bobbies already in position. His eyes widening in concern, he knew that this was his chance to get away. He could try to get to his brother and Bellatrix before they broke in and warn them about the police, or he could let the men do what they had came to do.
He would have to make the decision between his family and himself.
Slowing to a halt, one of the police officers jogged over to the beat up Volkswagen. Rabastan stared at the man with wide eyes, hoping that he didn't realize that Rabastan was implicated in the crime that they were waiting for. The man looked into the car for a moment, before wrapping his knuckles on the hood of the Volkswagen and twisting his finger in the air, instructing him to leave the scene.
Feeling his heart thundering against his chest, Rabastan did not need to be told twice. He didn't believe in a god, but this sure seemed like a divine intervention. Backing up out of the alleyway, Rabastan turned back out onto the street, letting go of a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding.
He drove back towards the street where he'd gotten the car and returned it to it's parking spot. Pulling off his bandana, he wiped the steering wheel for fingerprints on the off chance that the theft was discovered, before walking back to the Tube.
With shock he realized that he was crying. He needed someone to talk to. And there was only one person that he could think of.
Hermione was woken up by the persistent ringing of her cell phone.
Rubbing her hands against her eyes, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness. It took her a moment to remember that she wasn't in her own bed, but rather in one of the many guest rooms at Grimmauld Place. Ever since her fight with Rabastan, Hermione had felt way too raw to chance running into him.
She'd called Harry and he'd arranged for her to stay with his godfather, Sirius Black. So far, he'd been a great host, leaving her to her own devices, but also offering her scotch that was worth more than she knew when she would tear up occasionally in the parlor. Mostly, he'd left her to her own devices, provided that she continued to eat.
He didn't ask about what had happened, and Hermione wondered if Harry had even tried explaining the situation with Rabastan to him. Sirius had always had a special spot in his heart for her, but even Hermione realized that even Sirius probably wouldn't like the idea of her dating a felon.
Her phone rang again, and she looked at the green display blearily. Not recognizing the number, Hermione wondered just who could be calling her at this time of night. "Hello?" she answered, hearing the sleep in her voice.
"Hermione?" Rabastan's voice came through, crackling.
"Rabastan?" she asked, even though she knew she should still be mad at him. "Is everything alright?"
"Fuck, everything's going to shit, Hermione and I just-" he paused for a moment. "I really need someone to talk to, and well...will you hear me out?" he asked.
Hermione took a deep breath, considering his words. She had told him not to call her until he was going to choose himself, but she didn't know if he'd done that. But whatever it was must be serious, because despite giving him her phone number months ago, this was only the first time he was actually calling her. "What happened?" she asked, wetting her lips, wondering if she was just setting herself up to be hurt again.
"Tonight was the night," he said, all in a rush. "I went along with them, and I stole a fucking car, but when I got to the meeting point, I just knew that I didn't want to do it."
She felt as if she'd been kicked in the gut when he casually mentioned stealing a car, but tried not to judge him outright. "Go on," she pressed, wondering what he'd ended up doing.
In her mind's eye, she could imagine him leaning with his back against a wall, cigarette hanging out the corner of his mouth while he ran a hand through his hair, anxious. "It felt like it was too late to back out. I kept thinking over what you told me, Hermione. About Rodolphus never doing anything for me, and ... fuck, of course you are right. He's never looked out for me once."
Hermione could feel tears prickle at the corner of her eyes, her heart filled up with hope. She hoped that her words had made him think twice over his choices, as she'd been so impressed with his progress since getting out, and she hated the idea that it could all come crumbling down the minute Rodolphus bent his finger. "I'm glad you realized that," she choked out, hoping that he couldn't hear her crying. "What-what happened?"
"I was driving down the alley, and well, the police were already there," he whispered, still unbelieving of his luck. "They saw me and didn't even question why I'd be there. The policeman he looked right at me, and just motioned for me to leave. So I left them," he told her with disbelief in his voice.
"That's-that's so lucky, Rabastan," Hermione said, her mind racing over his words.
"Bella and Dolph, they are going to come running out of that fucking house, expecting to find me waiting, but they'll run right into the police," he said, almost starting to hyperventilate. "It's not going to take them long to realize that...that I'm not there with them. I'll...fuck, they'll think that I ratted them out to the police."
Hermione could tell that he was growing increasingly agitated and sought to calm him down. "Rabastan, take a deep breath," she instructed, already getting up out of bed and pulling her jeans on. "It's no good thinking of possibilities. Take things one step at a time."
"It's hard not to jump to the worst conclusion," Rabastan said darkly. "I know what they are capable, and I just...I wanted to keep you safe," he said, sounding miserable.
"Rabastan, where are you?" Hermione asked, pulling on her trainers and her jacket, not bothering to change out of her pajama top. Even though they were fighting, she knew that he needed her right now, and she wasn't about to turn her back on him when he was feeling so vulnerable.
"Home. I tried knocking on your door, but you weren't there," he answered, curtly, though he didn't sound accusatory.
"I'm...at a friend's," she revealed, biting her lower lip. She wondered what he would think if he knew that she'd left because seeing him had hurt her too much. "But, don't worry, I'll come home right now," she promised.
"Fuck, I'm sorry, Hermione, I shouldn't have called you," he said, sounding extremely sorry for himself. "I just, I really needed to talk to someone. Well, not talk to someone. I needed to hear your voice," he revealed quietly.
"It's okay," she answered, touched that he would think of her first, when the week prior he'd implied that she didn't understand him at all. "I'll be there in just a little bit, and then we can talk as long as you need to."
"I just...I don't know what I'm meant to do now," he told her, his voice helpless and small, reminding her of how he must have sounded when he was just a teenager, arrested for attempted murder. If she had anything to say about it, she wasn't about to let him take a fall for something that he didn't do.
Glad that he couldn't see her half-smile through the phone, in case he were to misinterpret it, Hermione left Grimmauld Place in a flurry. "We can figure that out together," she told him, firmly. "I'll see you in less than twenty minutes."
Ending the call, Hermione practically sprinted to the Tube stop, hoping that she could catch the last train. She would feel better when she could finally look Rabastan over.
