Just a warning: There are some references to physical abuse or domestic violence, and also a tiny bit of alcohol abuse. So, please know this before you read.


"Antonin?" Hermione questioned out loud into the quiet library.

"Took you long enough. I've been waiting here for days, Myshka. You're lucky that I didn't leave like I wanted to."

"Antonin, it's been like 20 minutes!" Hermione sighed and threw her hands up.

"Yeah well, that's 20 minutes too long for me," Antonin muttered back.

"Oh, whatever. What did you want? You said you were looking for me earlier."

"Maybe if you wouldn't have taken so long, I'd still remember the reason." His eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "As it is, I no longer remember, thanks to you." He sneered out.

Hermione tried hard to curb the impulsive eye roll that she so badly wanted to demonstrate. Scoffing, she replied. "Antonin, I was only gone for half an hour! You're acting like I've been gone for twelve hours!"

"Well, it bloody feels like it!" Antonin's voice rose.

Hermione dropped a hand onto her forehead and sighed out in exhaustion. Wanting to prolong the conversation, she gave him a proposition. "Okay, let's just… How about we just talk?"

Antonin looked at the witch in front of him with a questioning look on his face. His eyes were squinting as he watched her from head to toe. "He wanted you," the wizard blurted out.

Hermione looked confused, and Antonin thought that might have been a rare sight to see such an intelligent witch look stumped. "Who?"

"The Dark Lord," Antonin said with a nasty smirk on his face. "He wanted you for quite a bit."

Antonin wanted to laugh at the expression of shock on Hermione's face. Her little button nose was scrunched in disgust, and her eyes were wide open. "Explain."

The wizard raised a dark brow in contempt. "Excuse me? Are you just going to demand me like that?"

"Are you serious right now?" Hermione asked. When she saw that Antonin was not going to reply, she gave in. "Ugh, fine. Would you explain to me what you meant, please?"

"It'll do, I suppose," Dolohov said with an amused face. "Anyway, the Dark Lord knew everything about all of Potter's little friends, so, naturally he knew everything about you. You infuriated him. Everyone knew when the day would be a bad day because he would constantly complain about Potter and his friends, and specifically you."

"Why?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he answered her. "You bested him. The Dark Lord does not take lightly to those who try to pull one over on him, and he knew that none of his Death Eaters would even think of doing it. But, you… You were always a small step ahead of him."

"Your stunt with your parents was one of the worst days for him, which he took out on us. He had been planning on taking your parents and holding them captive to lure you to him. But, when he sent Rowle and a few others out to catch them, they came up empty. The Dark Lord didn't believe them, and went there himself, looking all over the house. When he had realized that they were truly gone, he went mad."

"Really? I had no idea…" The witch said as she raised her hand to cover her mouth in surprise.

"Of course you didn't know," Antonin scoffed. "How would you? None of us dared to speak of you, much less to you. A lot were angry as well. Bellatrix would drone on and on about how you were just a Mudblood, and that you weren't good for her Lord to even think about. He didn't like that. I still remember seeing Bellatrix fall out of her chair onto the ground while screaming. She learned the hard way."

"To be quite honest, he got tired of you slowly but surely. You were much too defiant, and he knew he would have a hard time breaking you. Breaking a witch was his personal favorite. But you would be too brave, and he had no time for that. I think he was much more interested in your brain. You were almost as intelligent as him, and he needed the challenge. He wanted to argue over spells and potions, and I hate to admit it, but a lot of the Death Eaters were mediocre at best. Not much smart." He looked even more amused as he thought of his next comment. "You remind me a lot of him when he was younger."

Hermione didn't know how to reply to that. How the bloody hell am I even closely similar to fucking Voldemort?! He was literally a Dark Lord!

Shaking off her thoughts, she posed another question to the older wizard. "Antonin, what was he like? Back in Hogwarts."

"Why do you ask?" He asked in suspicion.

"Perhaps I would simply like to know."

Letting out a sigh of resignation, his eyes got a faraway look on them as he began to speak. "He was a leader. He was cunning, of course. He was clever and devious. He was a right bastard, truly. But I looked up to him. As I said before, he was incredibly intelligent. He could manipulate any teacher to get them to do what he wanted, besides Dumbledore obviously. I was the youngest out of all of them. He called us his 'Knights.' If you ask me, it should have stayed that way, instead of this stupid 'Death Eater' name."

Hermione ignored his last comment and decided that she needed to dive deeper into this conversation. "Do you regret it? Everything that you have done, the killing and the torture and even cursing me."

"Why are you so insistent today Myshka? If you're feeling frustrated, you know I can surely help you out…" The wizard spoke with that familiar sly smirk.

"Antonin, stop! This isn't about sex anymore. I need to know, okay? I need you to tell me if you have any feelings at all! Do you care about the people that you killed? Do you care that I laid in the hospital wing for weeks because of your curse?!" Her voice was shrill, and she paused to calm herself down before she spoke again in a quiet voice. "You wanted to kill me, Antonin… I need to know if you still want to. I know that you physically cannot harm me, but please, I need to know if you still feel like you want to."

Antonin was determined not to answer her, and Hermione took that as a cue to continue her speech. "Am I still inferior to you? Do I not matter? I'm running out of ways to prove my worth to you! I know that I am worth something, that I matter. But do you? Do you realize how all of this is going to affect me? I am so terrified that I will come home one day, only to find out that you have been thrown into Azkaban because you went on some killing spree! I don't know what to do anymore, okay? I'm scared, and I'm nervous for you. For me, for the rest of Wizarding Britain… Haven't you ever wanted a family of your own? To feel genuine love for someone?"

"I can't save you, Antonin. You must save yourself. But, you can't do that if you bottle everything up… You have to open up. I'm begging you; please give me something… Please don't make me have to put you in Azkaban myself…"

Antonin's face twitched slightly when she spoke to him through her tears. Her voice broke when she began to beg him, and he couldn't help but feel a little guilt. No, no she is wrong. I don't need love, what good has it ever done for me? She's just a Mudblood… Antonin's jaw clenched as he called her that name in his head. No, I mustn't feel sorry for her.

The wizard's body straightened up, and he looked definitely at the witch standing in front of him. "Well, Myshka, tell me when the Aurors get here, will you? I think I will clean myself up a bit, maybe eat a good meal before they lock me up."

Hermione's stomach dropped when she heard Antonin say this. She was utterly shocked. She thought that he would maybe open up a little bit to her, but she couldn't have been more wrong. For a second she had hope when she saw his facial features soften as she spoke, but now all hope was gone. She barely realized that she had been holding her breath this whole time since she heard his answer. Breathe, Hermione. Breathe.

Nodding slowly she looked back up and him and arranged her body and her expressions as if she was Lucius Malfoy himself. She looked hard and cold.

Then she spoke with a voice that sounded almost dead.

"As you wish, Antonin."


People in the Ministry's halls were shocked as they watched Hermione Granger march herself towards the Minister's office. She looked deadly. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, not a single muscle in her face even twitched.

Hermione was enraged. Antonin Dolohov would not beat her this time. She knew that there were feelings inside of him. She just needed to find a way to get them out, or a way to trigger them. And she would find it, without a doubt. Hermione was given a new mission, and she would see it through. She would break down his walls.

Once she had reached Kingsley's office, she didn't even bother on knocking. She walked straight into his office and dug through his files as he protested behind her.

"Hermione, what in Merlin's name do you think you're doing? That is confidential information! I can't allow you to leave with those papers!"

Hermione scoffed as she found the file that she was looking for and began to read. "Don't worry Kings; I won't be taking them with me. I just need the information that is on them. Don't ask right now, just know that this is important for me. Research purposes, shall we say? I'm about to make a breakthrough, and you have the information that I need, so, therefore, I am getting it."

"Hermione, I really must caution you-"

"Aha! Found it. Right, Kingsley, I need to use your floo, is that alright? Unfortunately, it is the closest international one at the moment. Perfect, thanks."

"Hermione Granger!"

"I'll be back in an hour or so. See you then? We can speak more when I am finished. It was so nice seeing you Kingsley, you look good!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in the middle of his office in complete and utter confusion. "What is that girl up to now, oh Gods…"


Hermione stepped out of the floo and into the Russian Ministry of Magic. Alright, I just need to find the Minister… Oh, nope that's the loo… Godric, this place is enormous! I'll have to speak with Kingsley about perhaps upgrading our Ministry… Ah, and here we are.

"Privet, ya zdes', chtoby pogovorit' s ministrom ot imeni Kingsli Sheklbolta, ministra magii dlya Velikobritanii. YA dolzhen pogovorit' s nim kak mozhno skoreye. (Hello, I am here to speak to the Minister on behalf of Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic for Britain. I must speak to him as soon as possible.)" Hermione spoke fluently to the blonde woman sitting behind the front desk.

"Konechno, pozhaluysta, dayte mne mgnoveniye. (Of course, please give me a moment.)" Hermione stood waiting as the woman got up from her desk and went around the corner. Within a minute, the witch had come back around and nodded at Hermione, and gestured for her to go ahead. "Spasibo. (Thank you.)"

Hermione walked quickly into a lavish office that looked extraordinarily cleaned and organized. "Finally, someone who understands what a real office should look like…" Hermione muttered to herself.

Suddenly she heard a loud bellowed laugh come from the man sitting behind his massive desk. "Ah, someone who appreciates my methods."

Hermione blushed a bit when she realized that he had heard her. "I apologize, Minister. I wasn't aware that you could speak English."

The old man smiled and stood up as he extended his hand over his desk. "Do not worry. May I ask who you are?"

She grabbed ahold of his hand and shook it as she spoke. "Hermione Granger, Sir. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The man nodded in recognition. "Miss Granger, I have heard plenty of great things from Kingsley about you and your friends as well, though just between you and I, I think he has a bit of a soft spot for you." Hermione laughed along with him and felt a little guilty. Yeah, we'll see if he still has that soft spot once I return…

"So, what brings you here?"

"You see, Minister, I am looking for some information on the Dolohov family. I understand that this could be sensitive to you, so I am willing to take anything that you can give."

"Yes… Yes, you are right. The Dolohov family; most people do not speak of them. We are aware of their allegiances during your war… Tragic, really… They used to be such a prominent family. Maximillian Dolohov was where everything went wrong. As a child, he was cruel. Quite ruthless I must say. Everyone thought that when he had married his wife Wilhelmina, that perhaps he would change his ways. She was such a kind girl, very intelligent too. A powerful witch, that woman. When she had a son, Antonin, as I'm sure you have heard, that was the downfall of the family. Max, he taught the boy horrid things. His mother tried very hard to dissuade him from his father's notions, but it was useless. Eventually, Max got angry with his wife's 'sabotaging' as he called it. The relationship turned violent at that point. They got physical with each other, and then Max turned his fist to Antonin. The boy became cold, and distant after that. He caused much trouble as he got older, and when Maximillian had died from alcohol poisoning, the boy disappeared. We know now that he had gone to that Hogwarts school. What he was running from, though, no one knows. To this day, his mother is still clueless. Poor woman…"

Hermione perked up as she heard this. "So, the mother, Wilhelmina, she is still alive?"

"Oh of course she is. That woman is a fighter; she may outlive all of us someday."

"I bet she will. Do you think you could tell me where she lives, or perhaps apparate with me there? I really would love to meet this woman; she seems very admirable. She may also be able to give me more information, if possible."

The minister nodded slowly and hesitantly spoke up. "I suppose I could take you there. I wouldn't expect too much if I were you, though. She rarely speaks of the past. She has become very secluded, so this may be a shock to her. Please tread carefully, Miss Granger."

"Of course, Sir. I will do my utmost best to be polite and respectful. You have my word."

The minister held out his pudgy arm, and Hermione grabbed ahold of it before she felt the twisting feeling of apparating. She clutched onto the man's arm as they landed outside of a large gated home. It looked old and run down, though the flowers were oddly still being taken care of.

Walking up to the gate, he touched the iron bars with his wand and an old elf appeared in front of them. "Eta devushka zdes', chtoby uvidet' tvoyu lyubovnitsu. Ona ne vredna, ona drug. (This girl is here to see your mistress. She is not harmful; she is a friend.)"

The elf nodded slowly and snapped its fingers as the gates opened, and then Hermione felt the minister pull his arm out of her hand, and patted her shoulder. "Just follow the house elf, and you will be fine. Will I be seeing you after your visit?"

Hermione smiled in thanks and nodded back. "Yes, I will be back to say goodbye. Thank you, Sir. For bringing me here."

He nodded and then popped away.

The elf looked curiously at the witch and began to walk towards the front doors. Hermione followed behind and hesitantly stepped inside of the house as the doors had opened. The elf had stopped a few steps in the house and apparated away. After about two minutes of awkwardly standing there, she heard the sound of footsteps echoing behind one of the doors.

Out stepped an aged woman with dark brown hair, that was twisted into a bun on the back of her head. She wore standard robes, something that would be worn to go to the village. Her eyes were as dark as her hair, and she was expressionless. She stood in front of Hermione, her hands clasping together in front of her body. "Kto ty? (Who are you?)"

"Oh pardon m- Um, fuck, I mean, YA Germiona Greyndzher. (I am Hermione Granger.)"

The woman raised a brow at the curse and appraised Hermione from bottom to top and then sneered slightly at her. "I can speak English, Miss Granger. Now, what do you want? I have nothing to offer you, so if you're looking for money, then you have come to the wrong woman."

Hermione shook her head. "No, you're mistaken. I've come to have a conversation with you regarding your son, Antonin. Nothing more, nothing less. Mrs. Dolohov, I would like to caution you before you decide to throw me out or lie to me. I do not take lightly to prying into other people's affairs, so you must understand the importance of this meeting, else I would not be here."

"Is that so? You come into my house, and you request to question me, and you are telling me that I must think twice before tossing you off my property? You've got nerve, child." Hermione felt her anger rising at the way the woman circled her like a vulture. "You remind me of myself… So hot-blooded, so brave… So ignorant."

"Pardon me? How dare you! Do you believe I traveled all the way here just to be made a fool of? I may be uptight, a swot, a know-it-all, but I am no fool. I survived a curse shot at me by none other than your son. You think me ignorant? If we are as alike as you say, then what does that make you?"

The older woman's eyes widened at the mention of her son and the courage the girl had, but she quickly composed herself back to her original expressionless state, though a small smirk was pulling at the edge of her mouth. "Alright, Miss Granger. I will speak with you. It has been ages since anyone has stood up to me. And, as I said, you remind me of myself. Come along, then."

The woman turned around and began walking towards the library. When the doors had opened to show all of the books, Hermione fell in love again. It seems like the standard trait amongst purebloods is their monstrous libraries.

As the woman guided Hermione towards a chair, she almost missed the picture frame that was sitting on one of the tables. "Is this Antonin?" Hermione asked out loud without even realizing and smiled a little at the picture.

A small boy was standing next to a beautiful lady, his mother, and was gripping tightly onto her hand like a baby deer who was attempting to walk for the first time. And that's precisely what he was doing, trying to walk. The picture looked so old, but Hermione could still see the resemblance of the small boy to the now grown Antonin.

"Yes, that is him."

"He looks happy…" Hermione whispered into the room.

Mrs. Dolohov cleared her throat, making Hermione quickly spin around to resume her place in the chair across from the woman. "So, explain yourself, Miss Granger. Why are you wondering about Antonin?"

"Do you still love him? Your son that is."

"Of course I do. He's my son."

"Do you know why he left?"

"No. I presume he did not wish to stay with me. That I had done something to anger him."

"Did you hear about him, his reputation in Britain?"

"Snippets, yes. He had come back once, not here, but into the village. I was told that he was wearing some odd garb, all black. People said he had a mark on his arm, that he was sweating and he looked like he was ill. He had gone to his father's grave, and he demolished it. He smashed the stone, so it only lay in pieces, and he lit the grass on fire. Apparently, he left after he had finished. No one has seen him since, but people found out what that mark on his arm had meant. They heard that he was working for a Dark Lord and that he was one of the most vicious followers. So yes, I have heard about my son."

"Did you know that he died?"

"Yes… I had heard of the war that was happening, and I had waited days for any news. The body count, the names of the missing people, everything. I saw the names of the dead, and I saw my son's name towards the very end. I knew something was wrong, I could feel it in my heart. And when he died, it felt like someone had torn off a piece of my heart. Mother's instinct I suppose." The witch nodded as she continued. "I know who you are, Miss Granger. You were on the front page of the paper. I've heard all about you and your little friends. You are a brave girl; even I can admit that. Self-sacrificing, yes. But you have courage. The curious thing is how you know my son… You told me that he had cursed you, correct?"

"Correct. It was a curse that he created himself, so there was no sure way to fix it. Upon some luck, the healers were able to save me, but I did nearly die."

"Interesting… So, why then did you smile when you saw that photo of my son? I wouldn't think being cursed by someone could warrant a smile like you just had. No, that was a genuine smile. Why, Miss Granger, did you smile?"

Hermione felt her ears get warm and cleared her throat. "He's a brilliant wizard, your son. As much as I hate to admit it, and as bad as it makes me sound, his spellwork is extraordinary. Of course, I do still resent the fact that I nearly died from one of these curses, but I must give credit where credit is due, I believe. I presume he got it from you. His strength, it's admirable. His vengeance, and his temper; it's compelling. Antonin is indeed a very powerful man… Unfortunately, he is filled with resentment and fury."

She was cut off from her admiring words. "Miss Granger. Enough with the gloating on behalf of my son. Now, do get to the important things."

Hermione let out a sigh and revealed everything. "Madame, I have accidentally brought your son back from the dead."

Hermione heard the woman gasp and she continued quickly. "I know, it sounds mad… But he's back. The issue is, I don't know how to get him to open himself up to me. He has done things that make him worthy of his death, but there has to be some sort of feelings there, right? I asked him, 'Haven't you ever wanted a family of your own? To feel genuine love with someone?' and I could have sworn I saw him look effected from my question. But, a second later, he was the same cold man. I told him that I am terrified that he will do something bad again and he will be thrown into prison. And I told him that I am even more scared that I will have to be the one to turn him in because he is not safe to be around. He just looked at me and told me to do it. But that can't be right, Madame. There has to be a way, isn't there? I am soul bonded to this man, I am married to him and six others, and I am expected to carry all of their children. How do I do that when they wish I were dead?! He hates me, and I don't know how to make it better. If anyone should hate someone, it should be me! He almost killed me! I thought that maybe he would be different now that the world is safe again, but he's not… He still despises me. He doesn't want me, but I want him. What am I supposed to do? Please… Please help me. I can't do this alone…" Hermione was on her knees by now, and she was sobbing into her hands in frustration.

Then, she felt a set of arms wrap around her, as the woman murmured to herself. "Oh, goodness girl… I-I'll help you, okay? So stop this crying… Goodness you've brought my boy back…" Hermione heard the woman gasp again and she had pulled her arms back from Hermione and set them on her shoulders instead to look at her in recognition.

"The box… You opened the box. That's how you brought him back… I've been looking for that foolish thing for years; of course, he would have taken it with him… Alright, clean yourself up. I am going to change, and we will leave. Okay? We will leave right away. I will speak with Antonin; we will fix this."

Hermione nodded as she wiped her face and the woman popped away and was back within five minutes. She hadn't changed much, she just grabbed a traveling cloak and fixed her hair a bit. Hermione looked at her, and the woman shook her head.

"Didn't I tell you to clean yourself up? You can't go back looking like this. We must never let anyone know that we are vulnerable. That is the number one rule. Always look prepared." With that, the witch waved her wand and Hermione felt her hair smooth out, and her face became dry. Her eyes didn't feel as heavy or puffy anymore, and she assumed that she looked just as she did this morning.

Grabbing Hermione's arm, she walked to her floo. "We will floo to the Ministry first, I presume?" Hermione nodded, and the woman stepped into the floo and left, the young witch following.

"We can go right to the minister's office. I told him I would say goodbye before I left. We can use his floo to travel."

The elder woman nodded and hooked arms with Hermione as the young woman lead them to the office. She nodded at the woman sitting at the front desk, and the woman responded with a returning nod. She knocked on the door twice before the door opened in front of them.

"Ah, Miss Granger, I've been awaiting your arrival! And Madame Dolohov, it's a pleasure to see you. Will you be traveling along with Miss Granger?" The older witch nodded, and he smiled with glinting eyes. "How grand! I hope you both have a great travel, and Miss Granger, it really was an honor to meet you. Tell Kingsley I say hello, will you? And Madame Dolohov, it has been great seeing you." Both witches nodded, and Hermione went first as an example for the elder witch.

Fuck, Kingsley is going to kill me when I get there…

Hermione stepped out of the floo into the Minister's office and saw Kingsley sitting in his chair with his hands crossed over his chest in anger, looking like he had been waiting for her the whole two hours that she was gone for.

"Kingsley, I've been eager to come back and talk to you. How has your day been going? Mine has been hectic let me tell you that. Have you found any new cases for me to assist in?"

"Hermione Granger. Do not speak a single word until I am finished. What on Earth do you think you are doing?! You cannot just barge in here, read confidential files, and then leave. Listen here, Hermione-" Kingsley was interrupted by the sound of the floo going off again, and Antonin's mother coming through. Kingsley looked confused, and Hermione quickly shuffled over to the woman to speed things up before the truth came out.

"Kingsley this is Lady Wilhelmina Dolohov of Russia. I had to go and see her because I have been researching the spell that I was cursed with during the altercation at the Department of Secrets, and I had hoped that she could give me some… Insight, on her son. I had to come over as soon as possible; you know how I am Kings. I was on the verge of a breakthrough, and everything else sort of slipped my mind. Although, Lady Dolohov and I really must get going. I am bringing her over to my house to continue our chat. I will speak to you soon, sometime this week. I promise! Have a good evening Kingsley, and thank you for letting me use your floo!" Hermione grabbed the elder witch's forearm and gave her a nod before they both popped away from the flustered wizard.

Hermione landed in the sitting room of the manor and sat Wilhelmina down to speak for a second. "Okay, so this is it. We're at the Rosier's manor. I brought back Evan Rosier, but you won't know him. Just in case someone else shows up unannounced, I want you to know that I also brought back two Black's, two Prewett's, and a Lestrange. You are safe here, but I rather think you already can handle yourself anyways. When you speak to Antonin… Do you mind if I am there as well? I don't have to speak or anything, I just want to be apart of this. To sit there and understand."

"Yes, that is acceptable. Do you think we could do it in the library though? There is something about libraries that calm me very much."

Hermione smiled and nodded her head. "I completely understand. I feel the same. Okay, let's go to the library and then I will have Tillie, one of the house elves, tell Antonin to meet me in there. Then you both can talk."

The other witch nodded, and Hermione retook her arm and brought her up the stairs to walk to the library. When they had both gotten inside, Hermione noticed that it was empty. She nodded and called for Tillie. The elf popped right in front of both of the women and Hermione smiled down at the elf.

"Hello, Tillie, would you mind giving Antonin Dolohov a message from me? Could you please tell him to come to the library? If he ignores you, I permit you to apparate him straight here, okay?" The elf nodded, and Hermione settled the older witch down onto a chair, and Hermione sat next to her on a separate chair close by.

Both witches sat in anticipation until they heard the door creak open. Hermione turned her head to see Antonin turning around to shut the door behind him. She took a look at his mother and noticed that she hadn't turned her head to look at her son, and her hands were slightly trembling. Hermione hesitantly extended her hand towards the woman's shoulder and set it gently on top.

The woman looked over at her and Hermione whispered quietly to her. "Thank you, for doing this for me. I am glad that I met you. No matter what is said during this meeting, just know that I will be here if you need someone to talk to, alright?" The elder woman nodded and sniffed before she clenched her hands and sat straight up, waiting for her son to come over.

"Alright, what do you want now, Myshka? Are the Aurors here to take me away yet?" Antonin said as he plopped himself down on the couch across from Hermione and his mother, who he had not yet noticed. He went to continue talking, but his words caught in his throat when he had finally noticed the woman that Hermione was sitting beside.

"Mama? Mama eto ty? (Mother? Is that you?)" He looked completely shocked, and he had gone completely still.

His mother looked at him with hard eyes, though they were glistening a bit when she spoke. "Da."

Antonin's head whipped over towards Hermione, and he spoke in a low, grating voice. "What have you done? Why is she here?"

Hermione gulped and shook her head. She didn't reply, but instead, his mother spoke out. "Why did you leave, Antonin? Why didn't you say goodbye? You left me, your own mother. Answer me, boy. Why did you leave?!" The woman was now clutching the arms of the chair as she raised her voice at Antonin.

"Mama, I-"

"Answer the question Antonin Dolohov."

He sighed and sat back down on the couch and grabbed his hair on his hands. "I'm not doing this with her here, Mama."

"You will. She is apart of our family now, and you will respect her. Now answer the question."

Hermione couldn't help but feel a small pang of disappointment when Antonin refused to speak in front of her. She understood that sometimes things need to be discussed in private, but his mother was right. She was apart of their family now, whether Antonin liked it or not. She deserved to know what he had done.

"Fucking hell. Okay! I couldn't face you anymore. I didn't want to remind you of him every time you looked at me. And I couldn't look at you knowing that I couldn't save you from him. I was so angry… I felt so angry, I felt like him. I wouldn't subject you to any more of that; I couldn't. So, I looked into the family history and saw that we were Sacred. I saw that almost all of them were in Britain, so that's where I went. And that's where I stayed."

"But, you came back. Why did you come back? Why didn't you come and see me?"

"Dammit, Mama… I killed someone, okay? The day that I came back, I had killed someone for the first time. I was so angry… All I could think about was him… That he made me this way, that it was his fault that things turned out the way that they did. I-I couldn't even think straight Mama. I was so blinded by rage, and all I could think to do was get him back, to get revenge on father. So, I destroyed what was left of him. After I did that, I thought about coming to see you, Mama… But I couldn't. How could I come back to my mother and burden her even more by admitting that her son had just committed murder? You didn't deserve that. That is why I didn't visit you."

When Antonin said this, Hermione couldn't help but let her head drop forward. It made sense now… Why he left, why he didn't come back… Why he was so hostile, and angry.

"I deserved to know this Antonin. You should have told me this. I have been through a hell of a lot of things, and I could have handled this. I am not weak, not anymore. You didn't even give me the chance to have a happy life together once the antagonist was gone. I needed you Antonin Dolohov. How dare you, leave like that and then live your life as a follower of some sadistic 'Dark Lord.' You were worth much more than that, my boy. It led you to your own death, and then you dare to patronize the one person who brought you back?! You have a second chance! I have a second chance, don't you understand that? My son is back, and you're mad if you think that I am going to let you slip away again. Hermione has brought you back, and you need to acknowledge this properly," his mother spoke in a demanding voice.

Antonin seemed to roll his eyes at this, and his mother was livid. She turned to look at Hermione and gave her a look of guilt as if she was apologizing ahead of time, and then turned towards her son once again and began to speak.

"She cares for you, son. She broke into the Minister's office and walked right over to his floo and traveled all the way to Russia. She befriended the Russian Minister and persuaded him to take her to our house. She came into the manor and had the nerve to stand up for herself, even though she knew it would offend me. She is one of the very few who have had enough courage to do so. She walked past a picture of you as a child, do you remember the one where you were trying to walk out in the yard? That was the one."

"Da Mama, I remember."

"She smiled at it. Not a snarky smile, but a genuine smile of care. She said you looked happy in it as if she had never seen you genuinely happy in her entire life. I assume she has not. You know what she did? She gushed about you for almost two minutes. She told me that you are brilliant, especially with your spells. She told me that you're such a powerful wizard. I had to stop her from continuing. Now, tell me, Antonin, do you know of any witch besides myself, who has ever spoken about you in such a way? You practically killed the girl with one of your curses, and she can still find it in herself to not only forgive you but to speak quite highly of you as well. I've never seen anything like it."

Antonin seemed skeptical for a few seconds, before he turned his head to peer at Hermione, looking somewhat shocked but impressed. Her cheeks were now red as roses, and her ears felt as if they were on fire. Looking over at the woman next to her, she leaned over and began to whisper quietly to her.

"I know you did that on purpose, and it worked I have to admit. But, next time, if you want me to vacate the room then please just tell me straight out. I don't mind, I have already heard enough, and I don't believe that my presence is helping as much as I was hoping. Will you meet me in the sitting room when you have finished? I would like to say goodbye before you leave." With this, Hermione stood up and began walking to the doors, quickly shutting them behind her.

Antonin looked at his mother and noticed the somewhat displeased face that she had on, but then it turned into a smirk. "She's a smart little chit. It's almost annoying…"

Antonin had a look of contempt on his face. "You just noticed that? Get used to it Mama."

"She is knowledgeable though. Loyal, brave, feisty, cunning, and strong… And this is coming from a woman who just met the witch no less than an hour ago." Antonin let out a laugh at this.

"She begged me, you know. She was on her knees, sobbing. What have you done to the poor girl, Antonin? She's running out of patience, my boy. How could you not want a woman like her? She's not perfect, but she is quite beautiful. Her personality traits are colossal. She is beyond powerful, Antonin. This little girl could replace that bastard that you served under, that's how powerful and strong that she is. I understand that it's difficult to imagine being with a woman while sharing her with multiple other men, but she has it even harder than all of you. Do you know this, Antonin? Tell me that you understand what I have just told you."

"I understand Mama. I know that she is powerful, and I know that she is the one who is being affected most by this…"

"She told me that she asked you if you ever wanted a family of your own, yet you said nothing. Have you ever thought of it, Antonin? Your own child… You could make this right again. You can be the father that you wished that you could have had. You have a wife who actually cares for you, and you have me, too. You hate her because of her blood, yet you both share the same blood now. If you do not learn to like this girl, then you are going against the traditions of all purebloods. You are going against your blood, your magic, and your soul. The fates have chosen you, Antonin. And I know that you have feelings, but she does not. You must let her in. SHe will continue to care for you, even when you are vulnerable around her. That girl is special, son. And you'd be a damn fool if you don't recognize that. I expect you to listen to what I am telling you. You will do your part in this. But I expect you to open yourself up to her. I am not getting any younger, my boy, and I rather like the idea of grandchildren, don't you agree?"

"Mama, I've never thought about having children of my own. It was not exactly an option for me while I was serving under the Dark Lord."

"Well, it's more than an option now, Antonin. The least you could do is be civil with the poor girl. She is going through a lot, son. This is not a request; this is an order coming straight from me. If I find out that you have done anything to that woman, you will regret you ever were brought back. I mean it, Antonin. Give her a chance."

"Alright, alright," Antonin groaned out.

"Now, tell me…"


Hermione was brought out of her book when she heard the sound of heels on the wooden floor of the sitting room. Putting down her reading material, she stood up and turned around to face the old witch. "How did everything go?" Hermione asked with a glimmer of hope in her voice."

"Everything went fine, Hermione. Do not worry. I had a good talk with him, and I have a feeling that he will be a little more accommodating in the future. But, I must go now and sort some things out. I will speak to you soon, alright?" The woman spoke in a flurry.

"Uh- Yeah okay! I am glad everything went well, thank you so much for coming," Hermione spoke in a confused voice.

Right as the witch left, Hermione was faced with Antonin. His eyes were dark, and his teeth were bared in a sneer. "You're a brazen witch, Myshka. Telling my mother on me, is that so? What is it that you want from me?" Antonin asked Hermione in a growling voice.

"I want you! I want all of you. Hasn't it gotten through your head yet?! I don't know how you don't understand it yet." Hermione spoke with an enraged voice.

Closing her eyes, she let out a deep breath. "Antonin, I like who you are. But, I want to know all of you. And I'm not going to abandon you. Is that what you think that I will do? Do you think that I despise you? That I am plotting your death behind your back? All I want is for you to be honest with me, to tell me things when you wish to, instead of holding it all back. Is it my fault? Do you not trust me even in the slightest?"

"Trust you?" Antonin growled out in questioning. "I don't trust anyone, Myshka. Why should I trust you? What does that change if I do? I am not a good man; you know this. Why would you want to be with me, knowing everything that I've done?"

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER? IT DOESN'T! You're not the same person Antonin. You can keep assuming that you are, but you aren't! People change every day! I have changed! I can't help what I feel, alright? I want you Antonin Dolohov!"

"But why?! TELL ME WHY!" He shouted back at her.

"Why?! Can you really not imagine why? Do you see nothing good about yourself?" The witch asked with wide eyes.

"Tell me," he said, "persuade me, Myshka. Give me a reason why I should believe you."

Hermione had enough. Her hands fisted together tightly, and she held them tightly by her sides. "Gods, you're infuriating! You drive me completely mad, and I like it! I like that you test me. I like bickering back and forth with you. I like how powerful you are, how demanding you are. At the same time, you can joke around. And I want to go to you when I am struggling and feeling down, or when I am happy and excited. I want you to be there. I want you to be here, Antonin. I want you to stay because it wouldn't be the same if you weren't here. You don't fade into the background; you matter just as much as the others. I want you to live, to really live this time. I want to see you flourish… To see you smile, again, like in the baby photo. I liked that smile."

Hermione lifted her head and faced him straight on, staring directly into his eyes with a heated look. "I fucking love when you look at me like you are going to devour me. Like I matter. I love how confident you are, and how rugged you look. Your stubble, and your scruffy hair- I just want to touch you all of the time. I want you to touch me. You make me feel like I am on fire, my entire body burns at the thought-"

Hermione didn't even get to finish her sentence before she felt Antonin's large hands grab her around her waist, his lips attaching to hers roughly. His teeth were nipping at her lips and Hermione could do nothing but stand within his grasp and respond in a lust-filled daze.

"I am going to make you mine, Myshka. I am giving you this one warning before I ravage your pretty little pussy. I suggest if you have any objections, that you voice them right now."

The curly haired witch looked at him with hooded eyes. "No. Do it, Antonin. Fuck me like you want to; like I want you to. I need to feel you," she practically whimpered at the end.

Antonin threw all caution out the window at her words and apparated them both to his bedroom. His hands ripped off her clothes, leaving them to fall to the floor in tatters. Pushing her onto her bed, he turned her around so that she was laying on her stomach, her legs hanging off of the bed. He stood behind her body and basked in the view of her for a short time. The dip of her back, the curves of her hip, her little arse wiggling with impatience and entirely on display.

Sinking to his knees at the end of the bed, right in between her legs, he spread her tanned thighs apart to reveal the sight of her heat. Lifting a hand, he brought forth a finger towards her, and slowly began to drag his index finger down her arse and through her folds, circling once around her clit. Then Antonin trailed his finger back up to run over the hole where he so desperately wanted to be at that moment. Biting his lip, he felt his finger run through wetness that was seeping out of her from the stimulation, and couldn't hold himself back from grabbing her waist once more and pulling her pussy towards his mouth.

Hermione let out a squeak when she felt him pull her over the soft sheets, and the sound turned into a whimper when she felt his tongue sliding through her folds. She jerked her body when she then felt him nip at her, in between sucking on her clit and his tongue pushing inside of her. His stubble was scratching against the inside of her thighs, and Hermione moaned at the contrasting sensations of his warm and wet tongue, compared to his spikey and burning stubble. Suddenly she felt two fingers enter her and clutched at the sheets with purchase.

"Antonin, please. I-" Hermione broke the sentence with a moan when she felt the vibrations of Antonin laughing.

"Are you going to cum, Myshka?"

Hermione's reply was a groan when she felt Antonin once again bury his entire face into her lower body from behind. She marveled at his hands that were running up and down her legs, causing her to shiver at the feather-light touch.

"F-fuck…" Hermione whined out when Antonin had moved his hand up to her arse to squeeze it tightly underneath his palm.

She yelped as the wizard had brought his hand down hard onto her right cheek, feeling the burn of his smack and jolting from the small sting. She found herself pushing back into his face and his hand, wiggling her pink arse in invitation for him to spank her again.

Antonin massaged the hand shaped mark that was left on her arse, and released his hand that was on the other side of her hip to bring it down to the buttons of his pants, hurriedly trying to at least let up a bit on the pressure that his pants had against his erection. He growled into Hermione's cunt when he had finally gotten a hand inside his pants to grasp at his hard cock. Tugging tightly on himself, he sped up his ministrations on the beautiful witch laying in front of him, moaning his name between various profanities.

Hermione knew that she was close to her climax, especially when the wizard had introduced the pain combined with her pleasure, wished she could reach back and touch him so that he could feel as good as she was feeling. Her legs started closing around him, and Antonin brought his hand up to her arse cheek once again and spanked her roughly, which only pushed Hermione over the edge. Her voice filled the room slowly, and Antonin's fist tightened around his length.

"A-Antonin stop…" The witch whined out when Antonin continued to lick and suck at her sensitive center.

The wizard heeded her warning and pulled away from her, and stood up, sliding down his trousers along with his briefs, ripping his shirt over his head quickly. He reached forward and lifted Hermione by her hips and pushed her further up onto the bed, as he got crawled onto the mattress as well.

Hermione raised herself onto her hands and knees and turned her head around to catch a glimpse of the sexy wizard that was situating himself behind her. His eyes lifted to hers, his hand still pumping his cock. "I'm going to fuck you, Myshka," came the dark growling voice.

Hermione groaned as she turned back around and dropped her head onto the bed, her cheek resting on one side. She felt his skin touch hers when he went to guide himself into her. He pushed in all at once, in one quick and hard thrust. He held himself inside of her tight walls and growled when he felt her cunt throbbing around him, still coming down from her last orgasm.

Hermione's eyes squeezed shut when she felt Antonin pull out of her and begin his thrusting. He set a brutal pace, and the sound of their bodies meshing together could be heard throughout the room, along with Hermione's moans and Antonin's occasional groans and growls. She felt like she was on fire- her body burning from his touch and his ministrations. His hips that were slapping against her arse only confirmed how rapidly and profoundly he was pumping into her.

Hermione's skin raised with chills when the wizard had slid his hand that was previously gripping firmly on her hip, all the way up her spine, his slow and teasing fingers was a complete opposite to the way he was fucking her.

Hermione's head was suddenly pulled back; her chin raised from the bed. Dolohov's large hand had seized her by her curls, and he was tugging her so that her head was now facing the ceiling. Her body pitched forward with each of his plunders, and she was trying her hardest to keep herself held up by her trembling arms, as they were barely able to stabilize her.

She let out a breath of relief when she felt him pulling her even further so that her back was now pressed against his chest, and his hand had released her hair from his grip. The wizard's hand traveled around her body so that it was gliding down to her abdomen. Hermione's voice burst out when one of Antonin's robust digits had started rubbing her clit, and one of her own hands had wrapped itself around his wrist.

"Do you like this? Do you like when I fuck you like this, Myshka? I can feel every part of you. Your sweet body feels so good against mine; we're a perfect fit," the dark wizard grumbled against Hermione's back.

His hand removed itself from rubbing her heat and moved up to her stomach where the large scar followed across the expanse of her chest. His fingers brushed over the ragged diagonal line ever so carefully and gently. "You're mine. This right here is mine, " he muttered out before he grabbed hold of her breasts that were bouncing from the force of his thrusts. "Your tits fit completely within my palms," he said as he squeezed them. "You're perfect."

His hand then made its way to her collarbone. He traced her skin mindlessly until his fingers ended up crawling, even more, higher up, now gently curling his hand around her delicate neck. The witch's breath hitched in surprise at the action.

This was unfamiliar territory for Hermione, but it's not like she was against it. In fact, she was quite curious, but she refused to get lost in her thoughts. Her hand was still holding his wrist, so she had control of him, and she could pull him away or indicate that he should stop, so she was not frightened.

Antonin leaned his head forward to her ear from behind and whispered. "What do you feel, Myshka?"

"You… I feel you, inside of me. Against me. Holding me," Hermione whispered out.

Antonin relished in the weight of his hand holding her neck. This was power. She would need to trust him fully to let him do this. He had the upper hand, and she was at his mercy. His eyes closed at the sense of that raw power. She felt like an extension of himself like they were attached to the skin. As if they always had been, like he had never known a life without feeling her. He knew how powerful the witch was, and he also knew how strong Hermione was. She was fire.

Antonin groaned at her words that she had spoken before, and felt himself pump quicker into her, also tightening his hand on her windpipe. Just enough to feel a small pressure, not enough to choke. Hermione's head fell back onto his shoulder when she had felt his fingers squeeze her more firmly into her neck. His lips came into contact with her cheek, and he nudged it with his nose as he moved lower to her jaw, where he left kisses that turned into licks.

Hermione was shaking at the multiple things going on and warned the wizard of her impending climax. "Dogoroy, I'm… Shite, I can't take it any longer. I-I'm going to-"

"Not until I say so," Antonin demanded the little witch.

"But-" Hermione whined out in distress.

Antonin disregarded her pleading and focused on going faster. On catching up with her. He wanted to feel her squeezing around his cock as he shot his seed deep into her. This is what he'd been waiting for. His other hand that he had been using to grasp onto her hip slid forward to her abdomen, and he pressed his full hand to her lower stomach. He could feel the pressure on his cock that was driving itself in and out.

Hermione could also feel him drag against the walls of her cunt, and moaned at it. His hand tightened even more around her neck, and Hermione's mouth dropped open.

"Now, Myshka. Cum now." Antonin's deep voice growled into her ear, and she now let herself give into the pleasure.

She was in bliss.

Her body pushed back into his, and she went completely rigid, besides the shaking limbs. Her mind went blank, and she could only focus on the pleasure.

Antonin had released himself a fraction of a second after Hermione did. He continued to thrust into her, in small jerks. He could feel the throbbing of the witch's cunt around his cock and groaned. The wizard had to remind himself to let go of the grip that he had on her neck, as he felt himself periodically loosening and tightening his fingers.

Hermione's body slumped forward onto the bed as she felt like she was boneless. She lay on her stomach with her eyes closed, regulating her breaths.

Antonin pulled out of her and moved to the right side of her on the bed. He lay with his hands behind his head, indulging in the pleasure that he had just felt. After a few minutes, he was broken out of his daze when he felt the body beside him begin to move. His eyes opened when he noticed her small hand rubbing his chest in circles, twirling the black chest hair. He took a chance and lifted one of his own hands and fingered mindlessly at her messy brown curls. Fuck, this feels so right.

"So…" Hermione started to speak. "Do you believe me now? That I truly want you?"

"Oh, definitely not, Myshka. You're going to have to try harder," Antonin spoke with a small smile on his face.


Notes: Hello everyone! Sorry I didn't post this over the last weekend. I had planned on it, but I had some technical difficulties, and I have been busy reading some fics tbh. Anyway, here is the chapter for all of those Antonin lovers out there! I love Antonin's character. Now, coming up with a story for him was quite tricky, so please don't get angry with me for coming up with an excuse for him being "evil." I think this backstory is pretty justifiable. As I have said before in the other chapters, you can check my Pinterest if you are interested in seeing all of the characters' boards, including Kingsley and Antonin's mother, now! I hope you all enjoy this installment and thank you for reading as always!