"Stop it, Caden," Hermione told her son as she took the plate back from him. She placed it back in the suitcase and looked away from the stubborn look on his face. Caden grabbed another plate and put it down beside him on the table. He sent her a look, telling her he would not give up.
She let out a sigh. "Caden, honey, put the plate back."
"No, Mama." He shot back. "I don't wanna move."
Caden grabbed his teddy bear, which was sitting beside him on the table, and left the kitchen. He marched to his bedroom and slammed the door closed. Hermione rubbed her temples and let out a breath. Quickly, she grabbed her wand and instantly all of their belongings that were in the main room, were packed up and ready to go.
Hermione quietly walked up to her son's bedroom door and pressed her ear against the wooden door. Inside, she could hear Caden crying. She could also hear him telling his bear that if his hero, Roland, was here, he would be able to stop his mother from making them move. Hermione knew how hard it was, forcing her son to move out of the only place he has ever known, but she must.
The war had been over for two days now, and Hermione was aching to get back into the real world. She did not want to hide in the cottage she had been staying in ever since Caden was born. It was in the middle of a large forest, which was only inhabited by animals. Hermione wanted to see another house, or building. She wanted to get back in touch with her friends, who probably thought she was dead. She wanted Caden to make friends with other children and visit other places.
Deciding that the move was still important for them, Hermione slowly opened her son's bedroom door. Caden wiped the tears out of his eyes and glared up at her. When she sat down on the bed beside him, he changed his position so his back was facing her. She sighed and noticed that his blue teddy bear was next to her. She slowly picked it up and smiled down at the bear, remembering the day she gave it to her son.
Caden glanced behind him and noticed that she was holding his bear. He quickly snatched it out of her hand and held the bear close to him. Caden returned to his position where his back was facing her and quickly glanced down to see if the bear was still intact.
Hermione was able to catch the look of concern he gave the bear. It was a pretty old teddy bear. Its left foot had a small hole in it, causing the stuffing to leak out. One of its black button eyes was long gone. His blue fur was losing its color and at times the bear would smell because of age. Hermione would have tossed the bear away if anyone else gave it to her, but the look in his eyes when he told her to keep it and give it to Caden said otherwise. She smiled slightly and began to rub Caden's back.
"Is the teddy bear OK?" She asked Caden softly.
He looked at her, startled that she had touched him and was now talking to him. But looking down at his bear, he knew that his mother was trying to make amends. "Bear's alright." He told her.
"That's good," Hermione replied with a smile.
Caden let out a sigh. "Mama, why do we have to move?" He asked once more.
"Don't you want to see the city? And meet new people?" Hermione tried.
He shook his head and replied, "I like it here, Mama. We don't need anybody else."
"But Caden, sweetheart, it's good to get out and see the world, not hide away from it." Hermione told her son. "And," she added, "I bet you Roland would not be afraid to see what else is out there."
Caden looked at her, and then down at the bear. "I'm not afraid," he said softly, but determined. "But… where will we go?"
Hermione frowned for a moment. She had been too excited to finally leave the cottage that she had almost forgotten to find another place for them. They had little money at the moment, and Hermione was not sure if she had any money in her vault. She quickly developed a list in her mind of places to stay. Her parents had died shortly after finishing school. Hermione had sold the house because the Weasleys offered Hermione a room that was just right for her.
She bit her lip as she thought about the Weasleys. Hermione wondered if they still kept the room and if they would allow her and Caden to stay until she made enough money for herself. Would they accept Caden? Although she had a feeling of what their thoughts would be about the situation, Hermione was desperate. She needed to get Caden out of the cottage and out into the world.
Caden looked up at her when she did not reply as quickly as he liked. "Mama?"
Hermione looked down at him and ran her fingers though his soft black hair. "We're going to stay with some friends of mine for a while, OK?"
He did not look pleased, but said nothing. Hermione knew he was nervous about the whole situation, but she knew it was best. "Go and pack your things, Caden." She told him as she got off the bed. Caden sat on the bed and watched her leave for a moment before jumping off and begin to gather his things.
She left her son's room for her own bedroom. Since Caden was of a young age and not allowed to use magic, it would take him a while to pack his possessions. To pass the time, Hermione began to pack her own things without magic. She was gathering up some clothes on the floor when she noticed something green lying under the bed. Picking up, Hermione instantly knew it was the green flannel blanket. She scratched her head, wondering how bad her dream must have been if her favorite blanket ended up on the floor.
Caden walked in her room with his bear in his hands shortly after and hopped up onto her bed. Hermione folded the blanket and placed it on her bed. "Are you done?" She asked him as he rested his head on the blankets. He quickly got up and nodded.
She looked at him suspiciously before taking out her wand and used it to fold the rest of the clothes on the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione noticed Caden tracing the pattern on the blanket with his finger. Suddenly, he asked, "Mama, where did you get this blanket?"
"A friend gave it to me," said Hermione, quickly. Caden looked at her for a moment, before returning to the blanket.
"Can he give me one?" He asked. Hermione let out a small laugh, before nervously asking why.
"I like this blanket, Mama. It's comfy and soft and I like the color. It smells good, too." Caden explained.
She looked down and quickly finished packing the rest of her items. Caden got off the bed when she was ready to shrink it, but he held the blanket in one hand and his bear in the other. Hermione took it from him and told him to grab one of the empty suitcases out in the main room. He returned with a suitcase in hand and Hermione placed everything she owned in that suitcase. After shrinking that, she followed Caden to his own room.
Caden left quickly to grab another suitcase for himself when Hermione entered his room. She could not help but roll her eyes and laugh when she saw that Caden had gathered everything in his room and piled it on his bed. He came back with another suitcase and watched her silently as she shrank his things, placed them in the suitcase, and then shrink that.
After a few minutes, everything that had been in the cottage was now in Hermione's pocket. Caden's teddy bear was the only thing she left its regular size. Caden clutched it tightly as he looked around their empty cottage. Hermione put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump and look up at her with his big brown eyes.
"Mama," he said to her. "I lied before. I really am scared."
Hermione crouched down to his level and hugged him. "Don't worry, sweetheart. You'll learn to love your new home, and who knows? You might not want to leave."
By the look on his face, Hermione knew he was going to protest, but he decided against it. Instead, he asked her, "You promise, Mama?"
"I promise, Caden."
She had just finished counting every single stone brick in her room one by one, when the door flew open and he came into the room. Hermione sat up straight on the bed and watched as he marched into the room carrying a tray of food. He slammed it down on the wooden table a few feet away from her and pulled up a chair. He sat in it so the back of the chair pressed against his broad chest. Their eyes locked as Hermione slowly got off of the bed.
"What's this?" She asked him as she sat in the chair opposite of him.
He glared at her with his green eyes. "Food," he snarled and pushed the tray towards her.
Hermione pushed the tray back towards him. "No thanks. I'm not hungry."
In truth, she was starving. She had been on a hunger strike for the past four days, ever since he brought her to this dungeon. The room had no windows, and the door appeared whenever some one entered, which was usually the house elf that brought her the food she refused to eat. There was a bed with a worn down mattress and pillow in the room. The blanket on the bed was brown and smelled of mold. The table and chairs they sat in were the only other furniture.
This was the first time she had seen him since the day he kidnapped her. He was wearing similar black robes to the ones he was wearing earlier. His black hair was not a mess as it had been, but instead it was slicked back, making his handsome features visible, as well as the scar on his face. His jaw was now shaved clean and it tightened as he continued to glare at her.
He pushed back the tray. "I'm not leaving until you eat every last bite." He said angrily to her.
"Then you'll be here for a while." She told him as she crossed her arms.
He copied her position. "That's alright."
Hermione frowned. "Don't you have anything else better to do than watch me?" She tried to reason.
"No." He replied. "I cleared everything today."
"You'll need more time then that." She told him.
"You think?" He asked as her stomach grumbled. She silently cursed herself as he gave her a knowing smirk. Hermione glare at him and ignored the food. He rolled his eyes, but returned her glare. She knew he was not going to give up until she finished her meal.
Two hours passed without a word. He was now sitting correctly in the chair, watching her from the corner of his eye as he drummed his fingers against the wooden table. Hermione was still glaring a hole through his head and her arms were still crossed. Expect for the sound of his fingers tapping, it was completely silent in the room. So silent, Hermione wondered if this man even breathed.
"Would you stop that tapping?" Hermione snapped suddenly.
His eyes wondered over to her, but his fingers did not stop. "Eat and then I'll stop."
"No." She shot back.
Without warning, he suddenly was on his feet. The chair he had been sitting in had fallen to the floor with a loud bang, causing Hermione to jump. The look on his face was terrifying. Hermione honestly thought he would not hesitate to blow her into oblivion that very moment.
"You must eat. You will die if you don't." He told her.
Hermione shot him a look. "Then I will die."
The man frowned. "Why? To show Potter you would not eat good food when you were starving? Do you really think that is what he wants?"
She was silent for a moment. "The food is not good. It could be poisoned for all I know."
"How do you know it's not good? You haven't even tried it." He said to her. "And I'll prove to you it is not poisoned."
He conjured a fork and took a small bite out of everything. When he was done, the fork disappeared and he crossed his arms to show he was fine. "Now eat." He ordered.
She protested, but he insisted. In the end, Hermione picked up the fork that was on her tray. She glared at him as she took a bite out of the chicken. But she wished she had not for the man was right, it was the best chicken she had ever tasted. He smirked at her as she sent him a look before eagerly diving back into the chicken and the rest of her food. She finished in a matter of minutes.
"See? I told you the food was good," he pointed out. She rolled her eyes and sent him a glare. He smirked back at her. "You'll learn to trust me eventually, Hermione."
Although she was shocked he knew her name when she did not even know his, she did not let it display on her face. "How can I trust someone who keeps me locked up in this place?" She asked him, but mostly herself.
"Don't worry, sweetheart," she looked away from him when he called her that. "You'll learn to love your new home, and who knows? You might not want to leave."
As he turned to leave, Hermione let out a sigh and said quietly to herself, "I doubt that." But he must have heard her, as she could have sworn he chuckled as he closed the door and it disappeared