A/N Sorry for the long update time, but here you go :)
Hermione and Scabior made their way back to the cabin, walking slowly and talking. It wasn't until they got back inside that Hermione brought up the subject that had been bothering her.
"Okay, I just have to ask you this...about what happened on the beach earlier, were you with me or Anabel?" She immediately felt her face redden and wished she could take back her words. Scabior looked at her for a moment, and then walked over to the window.
"Hermione...its been a long time since I've felt this way about anyone. Something about you captivated me from the moment I first sensed you next to me, that day in the forest when I could smell your perfume. Yes, I with you. And enjoyed every second of it." He turned back to face her. "But I'll always love Anabel. She is dead because of me, its the only thing I can give her now." Hermione nodded, trying to understand what he was saying but also feeling confused and hurt.
"But Scabior, she isn't dead because of you! She is dead because Crouch..."
"Don't say that name out loud!" Scabior roared, making her jump. He turned back toward the window and ran his hands through his hair, exasperated. Hermione started to go toward him, and then stopped herself.
"Sorry." She spoke softly from where she stood. Scabior nodded once, keeping his back to her.
"I'm not saying the name..." She dared, heart pounding, "but what are we going to do now? You can't go to prison, you're innocent! We'll have to go to the ministry, show them the memories in the Pensieve, and clear your name..." She answered her own question in the same breath.
"Hermione, if it were that easy, don't you think I would have done that? The ministry isn't going to listen to me. I'll be thrown back into that hellhole without getting the chance to say two words. The only thing left for me to do is keep running."
"But you can't do that!" Hermione cried, eyes shining dangerously. "I'll help you, I work there, I'm part of the group that helped defeat Voldemort, they'll listen to me!"
"I don't know." Scabior said, defeat in his voice. "I can't go back there..."
"And why ever not?" A new voice spoke up from the doorway. "It'd be my guess that the dementors will be so happy to see you, might even have a little kiss for you, don'tcha think?" Hermione and Scabior whirled around, and he held her wand outstretched.
"Expelliarmus!" The spell came from the window on the other side of the cabin, and Harry Potter climbed through and caught the wand as it flew into his outstretched hand.
"The wards..." Scabior muttered. "How could I have been so careless..."
"Because you're a stupid Snatcher." Ron explained cheerfully from the doorway. "Nice one, Harry. Hermione, are you okay?" He held his arms out as though he expected Hermione to run into them, thanking him for saving her.
"I'm fine, Ron. You need to sit down, there's some things you need to hear..." Ron dismissed her with a wave of his hand and addressed Harry again.
"He's Confunded her. C'mon, let's get this piece of scum back to the Ministry for sentencing..."
"No!" Hermione screamed. "I'm not Confunded! Ron, you need to listen to me!" He ignored her, muttered a spell, and Scabior fell to the floor, gagged and bound. He raised his wand again to send Apparate Scabior to the Ministry, but Hermione jumped at him and the spell was deflected.
"What the hell...? Okay Hermione, I know you're not yourself, but you're getting in the way of official Ministry business right now..." He directed his wand at her, and she found herself also bound on the floor. She sought Harry's eyes with her own, and pleaded silently. Harry looked extremely uncomfortable for a moment, and then stepped toward Ron.
"Ron, mate, wouldn't hurt to hear what they have to tell us..."
"Why, so we can all have a good laugh?" Ron sneered. "I know we're friends and all, Harry, but I'm in charge of criminal apprehension operations!"
"I'm not saying you're not." Harry spoke soothingly, still moving closer to his best friend. "But Hermione's our friend too, and we owe it to her...Expelliarmus!" Without warning, he disarmed Ron and effortlessly caught his wand. Ron started to protest, but his anger and shock caused him to merely sputter incoherently. Harry flicked his own wand and released Hermione. She stood up, wincing a little from her fall to the floor.
"Thanks, Harry."
"I'm listening, Hermione. I trust that you have a good reason for making me disarm Ron."
"Yes, of course I do! It's Scabior, he's innocent! I can prove it!" Harry looked incredulous, but didn't say anything. Ron, on the other hand, had plenty to contribute.
"Harry, of course she's Confunded! There's no way this git is innocent! Everyone in this room knows it! Give me back my wand!" Harry's response was to wave his wand in Ron's direction, and his speech was abruptly cut off. Harry crossed his arms and looked sternly at Hermione.
"You don't have much time." He told her. She nodded, and quickly explained what she had witnessed in the Pensieve.
"I'll need to see those memories." He said when she had finished. Hermione ran to retrieve the Pensieve, and placed it before Harry. She looked apologetically at Scabior on the floor.
"I know you are protective of your last memories of her. But its the only way you can be free." His eyes revealed nothing, so Hermione indicated to Harry to get on with it. He nodded at her, still not convinced, and touched his wand to the swirling contents, while Ron scowled wordlessly in the corner. Hermione watched Harry disappear into Scabior's darkest memory, and she knelt next to him and stroked his hair. Ron's eyes widened as he realized what was going on, and his face turned a bright red. Hermione did not notice this, however, and continued touching Scabior's face and murmuring to him softly.
She turned at the sound of Harry coming back to them. His face was white, he was breathing heavily, and his hand was gripping his wand tightly. He raised his horrified eyes to meet Hermione's, and they shared an exchange of understanding.
"This changes things." Harry spoke to Ron, his voice strained and on the verge of breaking. "You have to see this..." He buried his head in his hands as if trying to shake away the terrible events he had just witnessed.
In that moment, Ron suddenly leaped forward and grabbed his wand out of Harry's other hand. He pointed it at himself and removed the Silencing Spell.
"I need this capture! I won't be humiliated!" He pointed his wand at the swirling Pensieve.
"Accio Pensieve!" Hermione screamed as the large bowl flew toward him.
"Do something, Harry!"
"Ron, stop!" Harry shouted. "You don't know what you're doing!"
"I'm doing my job!" Ron shouted back, eyes wild with rage. "I set out to capture this Snatcher, I won't have that opportunity taken away from me! Confrigo!" Hermione screamed again and covered Scabior with her own body as pieces of the Pensive flew in every direction around the cabin, shattering the windows. She heard Harry moving fast, and realized that he was beside of them. He used his wand to remove the Body Bind and restraints and then pressed Hermione's wand into Scabior's hand.
"Go...quickly!"
"Hermione..." Scabior spoke softly, reaching out to touch her.
"Go!" She almost shouted.
"We'll meet again..." He waved the wand, and disappeared with a faint crack. Ron cursed, enraged as he bounded toward the place where Scabior had been.
"What happened? How did he get that wand?"
"I ran over to make sure Hermione was okay and he somehow managed to grab it from me." Harry lied smoothly. "He's gone now, we need to get back." He pulled Hermione to her feet, noticing that she was sobbing. "After effects of the Confundus curse." He explained to Ron, who looked justified.
"I knew it! If you had believed me in the first place, Harry, he wouldn't have gotten away!" Harry shrugged.
"You know me, Ron, always have to let people have their say..." Ron only shook his head, gave the shack one more bitter glance, and Apparated them all back to the Ministry.