Chapter Twenty

Fucked. Utterly and completely. There was no other way to describe Jack in his current predicament. He was fucked. And not the good kind either. No, the kind that could very easily end in his painful and drawn out death. Why did he think it would be a good idea to sneak into the manor late at night? It was madness. There were security wards, no doubt and house-elves, properly freed and working for wages of course, ready to report his arrival without question to their employer. Likely Haldor Rowle knew the second he stepped onto the property.

And he was not happy to have company, especially not in his private office. One look at the furious expression on his face was enough to confirm that uncomfortable fact. Jack knew he made a foolish mistake. Was becoming more like a Gryffindor contagious? Did he catch it like a virus from kissing Hermione or was it transmitted through skin to skin contact? Or perhaps most distressing of all, he had some latent Gryffindor traits that were only beginning to manifest themselves thanks to his recent close proximity to the woman he loved? Not that it really mattered in the grand scheme. He merely thought it interesting the odd places his mind traveled in the midst of a serious crisis.

If he wasn't extremely careful with how he proceeded from there on out, he would be in even more serious trouble than he could possibly imagine. There was still a tiny, little bitty crumb of a hope that he could figure a way out. He decided on a whim to play it all like it was one big joke. As soon as he made eye contact with the horrible uncle, he burst out in loud, obnoxious laughter. Startled by the unexpected sound, it took Haldor a moment to compose himself before slapping the unamused, furious expression back on his face. Jack acted as if he was intoxicated as he tried to stumble up to his feet. Maybe there would be some lenience if it was believed he wasn't in his right mind?

"Finn told me to meet him here, but I think he forgot about me."

His lie wasn't effective. He could tell that the moment he said it. Haldor stepped fully inside his office further frustrated and annoyed by the intrusion.

"My nephew isn't here nor do I expect him to be here. Don't lie to me, boy."

He was caught. Again he wondered why he did something so rash and reckless without telling anyone anything. Rowle could make him easily disappear. Hadn't he already proven himself dangerous? Jack had no doubt in his mind that the wizard knew something about Hermione's disappearance. Knowing he couldn't keep up the lie, he sighed and stopped pretending to be drunk. The charade wasn't working anyway.

"I apologize, Mr. Rowle. I shouldn't have tried to lie to you. I have too much respect for you."

Haldor was not amused.

"Why are you really here?"

Though far from being dumb, Jack wasn't always capable of thinking quickly under immense pressure. Any further attempt to lie unsuccessfully would not bode well for his future existence. He thought about the night Thorfinn mentioned his little sister to try to make Hermione jealous. Where did that thought come from? He was about to shake it out of his head when a terrible idea came to him. Would she play along? He really had no other option. If she didn't, maybe the delay would be enough to let him escape.

"I was actually here to meet Reina."

All anger slid from Haldor's face to be replaced with a resigned, mild frustration. At least he didn't seem on the verge of wanting to disembowel his unwanted guest any longer. Small victories would be accepted and celebrated. His soft sigh further encouraged Jack that he wasn't going to murder him in a rage.

"Why she thinks she has to continue to try to hide what she does, I don't understand. I was young once."

His soliloquy was mostly muttered under his breath for his own ears to ear. Jack wouldn't dream of asking him to repeat himself, not when it looked like he might actually buy it. The wand that had been pointed in Jack's direction was turned to the uncle's neck. He cast a spell to amplify the sound of his voice to be heard in every corner of the large manor.

"Reina, come to my office immediately."

Perhaps only a minute or two passed before Thorfinn's pretty, younger sister stepped inside the office dressed in her own dressing gown, but Jack could've sworn entire generations were born and died of old age in the waiting. His heart pounded against his chest. Was it possible to die of a heart attack when he was only thirty-one, nearly thirty-two? He would believe it. Reina's wide, confused eyes when she saw Jack standing there didn't help put his mind at ease. If she wasn't careful, she could ruin it all with one wrong word.

"Jack, what are you..?":

"You can stop pretending, Reina. He's already told me why he was here. You're a grown woman. You don't have to sneak your visitors inside. Of course I would prefer you marry one of them."

It was clearly an old argument for the both of them just based on their nearly identical facial expressions of frustration. Far from old, Reina was still expected to act like a proper, well-brought up Pureblood witch and secure an advantageous marriage with another Pureblood from a good family as soon as possible. It always annoyed Jack to see some of the brightest, funniest witches he knew be reduced to nothing but a bargaining chip between two families. It happened in all the Houses, especially amongst the older families, but far more often in Slytherin. At her age, Reina should've already had at least one baby according to the rules of the society she'd been brought up in.

"Now it's late and I'm exhausted. Please do everyone else in the manor a favor and use silencing charms. It makes pretending I don't know what you're up to a lot easier that way."

Haldor made his escape from his own office without saying another word to Jack. Was it possible that he was all right? Had his lie really worked? Of course the moment Reina grabbed his hand to drag him down the corridor towards the wing he knew the bedrooms of the family were located, he was faced with an entirely new set of problems to solve. How could he gently reject her without hurting her feelings?

He was no closer to a solution when she opened her bedroom door and pulled him inside. When the door was shut behind them and she began coating the room in the requested silencing spells, he knew he couldn't delay the explanation a second longer. He was ready to tell her she'd misunderstood the reason for his visit up until she turned around to reveal she was angry.

""What were you thinking coming here in the middle of the night, Jack?"

Or perhaps he was the one who misunderstood. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he was all but certain he understood what a woman was thinking when it turned out he didn't know at all. Given the chance to keep living a little while longer, it would probably happen again.

He didn't know what he should tell Reina. If she learned too much he would only put her in danger, but he supposed he'd already done that by lying about why he was there in the first place. Could he make a bigger mess of it all if he tried? He sat on the foot of her bed, his shoulders drooping under the tension. No one ever prepared him for how lost and terrified he would feel. Every second that went by where he didn't know where Hermione was or what happened to her, he went a little bit madder. He had to find her soon or he would go completely insane.

"You're really missing her, aren't you?"

Reina sat down next to him and gently grabbed his hand to offer him some support. Surprised by her question, he looked up to find her smiling kindly. How much did she know? Clearly more than he ever realized.

"I can't even imagine. I've never been in love before."

"How do you..?"

Her smile grew brighter. Truthfully, if he hadn't fallen irrevocably in love with a tenacious and sometimes irritating Gryffindor, he could've done much worse than to capture the affections of his best friend's younger sister. Someone would one day fall madly in love with her and he hoped she experienced nothing but happiness.

"You should know already how terrible of a gossip my big brother can be. From the first time he came to see me since you have both been back, he's told me about your mission of love."

Reina's teasing helped to lessen some of the perpetual tension that seemed to constantly follow him around. After gently squeezing his hand again, she released it.

"Of course I had no idea you were in love with Hermione Granger until yesterday. That was a shock. Almost didn't believe it when Finnie told me."

Jack chuckled. Even he had to admit it was a bit bizarre. If he hadn't been present for every moment, he might not have believed it either.

"How did you manage to fall in love with her during the war when you were supposed to be on different sides?"

"It's complicated."

"So my brother said. One day I want to hear all about it, but first, tell me why you were really here in my uncle's office."

How much could he really tell her without causing even more of a mess? He thought up another lie. Just as he was going to say it, he stopped himself. If Thorfinn trusted his sister, he felt like he could too. She was being far too kind for him to repay her with deception.

"I came to kill your uncle's boomslangs. I thought if there no more skin available, they would run out of polyjuice potion."

Reina sighed.

"Oh, darling, it's a good thing Uncle Hal caught you before you could try. His nasty little snakes are well-protected. You wouldn't have gotten past his protective wards. I think maybe Fiendfyre could get past them, but I'm not sure what else."

He felt like such a fool, further proof he was in danger of losing the last shreds of his sanity. Of course the damned snakes would be well-protected with the strongest magic. Not only were they necessary for their fucking cause, they were also extremely dangerous. He was grasping at straws, just asking for more trouble. Thorfinn should've kept him tied up in the Knockturn Alley flat to keep him from doing something else stupid. But, fuck, even that reminded him so much of Hermione he could hardly breathe.

"If there was a way I knew of to destroy them, I would gladly help you. I hate having them here. I live in constant fear one is going to get out of its habitat and I'll find it slithering between my sheets."

Both of them shuddered in disgust at the very idea of a loose snake. Boomslangs were venomous and unlike other snakes content to avoid humans as much as possible, had been known to attack and kill people. Poor Slytherin he might be, but Jack would never allow a snake to live inside his home, especially not one so dangerous.

"Then why do you still live here?"

He didn't know why he asked such a personal question of a woman he really didn't know very well. It was none of his business.

"Like your uncle said, you're a grown woman. You could leave."

Her smile was sad.

"And go where exactly? I'm not welcome in most polite company because my brother is a fugitive Death Eater."

It was far too easy to forget the destruction they left behind when they ran after the war. So concerned were they with saving their own sorry arses, the Death Eaters who ran didn't think about the pieces their loved ones had to pick up. Jack didn't think he would ever not feel guilty for the havoc his poor choices created.

"There's always speculation around me wherever I go that I've aided my brother in running. Which is true, actually."

Reina's sad smile morphed into something a little cheekier when Jack looked at her with wide, surprised eyes.

"Who do you think sent you two money when you were nearly out?"

To be honest, Jack never wanted to ask where Thorfinn came up with the money sometimes at random times when they were desperate. Unfortunately that had happened many times. Jack just assumed his best mate was engaging in some illegal activity he wanted nothing to do with or even know about. Because he made such an effort not to ask his family he left behind for help, he assumed Thorfinn had done the same. It made him sad to know that Reina felt like a pariah in her own country because of the assistance she'd given them.

"Thank you for helping. We shouldn't have asked."

"It was my decision. I'd do anything to keep my brother out of Azkaban."

She had always been far too kind to be a Rowle. There were black sheep in every family, he supposed. His cousin Katie certainly didn't feel like she belonged at times. Reina looked just like all of the Rowles. Their blood was strong, as his gran would say when he complained about not being as tall and strong as Craig. His Muggle mother's family all looked just alike, except again for Katie. There was a reason why the other Death Eaters liked to tease Thorfinn about his sister being a fairy changeling. If Jack believed in those tales, he'd believe Reina was left by the fairies and the real witch was stolen.

"Now, it's obvious you haven't gotten enough sleep for days. Not that I blame you."

"Maybe I should just go back to Knockturn Alley."

"No, you're not. We don't want Uncle Hal to be suspicious of your true motives for being here. You're going to spend the night sleeping and in the morning we will sit across from the breakfast table from my uncle and make him terribly uncomfortable imagining all you did to his sweet, innocent niece."

Her wink made him laugh. Perhaps she wasn't as different from her brother as he realized. She had a sense of humor he never knew about. Again he thought if he hadn't fallen for Hermione, he could've easily developed feelings for Reina.

To his relief, there was a sofa in the bedroom that was long enough for him to fully stretch out on. If there wasn't, he would've just curled up on the floor. As kind as Reina was and as innocent as the whole situation truly was, it would've still felt wrong to be anywhere near her bed. Hermione would've understood and probably even been very grateful for the other witch's help in covering his arse, but he respected both witches too much to add even a hint of complication to the ordeal.

Sleep came easily to him to his surprise. Reina hadn't been wrong when she made the remark he hadn't had enough sleep. He hadn't. There was too much on his mind to truly relax. Not to mention the giggles and moans coming from the bedroom Thorfinn and Luna claimed hadn't helped. Once he laid his head down on the sofa he was deep asleep.

Hands shook him awake some time later. He had no idea how long he'd been sleeping. Long enough to have a dream he wished he could crawl back into. Hermione had been there. Wherever she was, he wanted to be.

Only an emergency would force Reina to wake him up after she told him he needed sleep. Jack opened his eyes expecting to see his hostess. He didn't. His old boss Corban Yaxley stared down at him, disgust and anger etched all over his face.

Sleeping inside the suitcase prison was a difficult task for Hermione and Kingsley on the best days. It wasn't that their individual beds were uncomfortable. No, on the contrary, the beds were quite nice. Likely the suitcase was never fully intended to be an actual prison before their kidnappings. She'd heard of witches and wizards who either liked to or were forced to travel a great deal who also desired more comfort than could usually be found inside an unfamiliar hotel room. The suitcases with the bedrooms inside were a fad decades earlier.

No, as far as beds went, she didn't have much to complain about. But the tendency of their captors to move their prison around when they were trying to sleep was frustrating. One had to be very careful when transporting people inside one of the portable bedrooms. Exactly the reason why it was suggested that no one actually be inside the suitcase as it was being relocated made perfect sense the first time Kingsley and Hermione had to hold on tightly to their beds as they moved across the floor with every step. By her estimation, they'd been moved no less than eight times. The hope they would ever be discovered diminished with each new location. How far were they taken? Each move made her worry she was moving too far away from Jack for him to ever find her again.

Her thoughts kept her up even when her body was tired. The night she spent in the abandoned house with her love felt more and more like a dream that never actually happened. Was she losing her mind inside the suitcase? It seemed not only possible, but probable. She remembered how paranoid and jumpy Mad-Eye Moody seemed after his long imprisonment in his trunk was discovered. Would that be her fate if she managed to find some way to survive the ordeal?

Somehow she was able to fall asleep long enough that she dreamed. What it was exactly, she couldn't be sure. The details were hard to remember. All she knew was she was with Jack and they were happy. Nothing else really mattered she supposed. Just as the dream really started to get good, the entire world began to shake.

She woke up immediately. Some moves were gentle and only mildly inconvenient if the one carrying the suitcase was thoughtful. The violent jarring that woke both of the prisoners up wasn't one of those moments. Only lasting a matter of seconds, the suitcase remained still. They each waited for the movement to happen again. When it continued to be still and quiet, Kingsley sat up in his bed. He looked concerned.

"What do you think that was?"

He shook his head, clearly at a loss. It didn't feel like all of the other moves. Perhaps it had been accidental. Someone might have bumped up against the case or even tripped over it. Every little movement of the suitcase outside could be felt inside. It had been a miserable week or however long they'd been trapped. They struggled to keep an accurate track of what day it was. Their captors didn't find it necessary to feed them at regular times. The longer they were there, the more depressed she became.

Loud shouting outside of the suitcase made her jump. Movement could be felt, but sound was a bit trickier. The voice would have to be exceptionally loud to hear it from inside. It was difficult to understand exactly what was said. She thought maybe she heard the word 'office' . Were they somewhere inside the Ministry of Magic? That would be a bit ironic, wouldn't it? Or maybe no one was yet aware they were even missing. Marietta might have grabbed her hair when she was pushing her into the suitcase. There could be another Hermione out there living her life and no one would know.

Except Jack would. It wouldn't take him long to figure out there was an imposter. She had to believe that.

"I think whatever has happened is over. We should try to go back to sleep."

Trusting Kingsley knew more than she did helped her feel marginally better. In the back of her mind she ignored that negative little voice telling her he was just as lost as she was. She settled back down in her bed with a heavy sigh. Trying to keep positive and hopeful kept getting more difficult.

"We won't be in here forever."

Hermione wished she could believe Kingsley. The urge to point out that Mad-Eye Moody spent nearly a year locked up in his own trunk before being discovered was strong. There was no reason to believe their situation would be any better just because he seemed so certain. Did he even believe what he was saying or was it all for her benefit? She didn't have the energy to argue so she kept her thoughts to herself and rolled back over onto her side.

A much more aggressive shaking of the room woke her up again. Kingsley was awake too. All they could do was hold on to their mattresses as all of the furniture in the room shifted and hope the motions would end soon. A forceful jarring knocked Hermione onto the floor, thankfully onto her uninjured shoulder. Her fellow prisoner was on his feet in a matter of heartbeats to make certain she was all right.

"I'm okay. It wasn't far to fall."

More muffled shouting outside caught their attention. They couldn't understand the words that were said but the spirit of the conversation was clear. Whatever was happening was violent. Was it an attempted rescue? She hardly dared hope out of fear her heart might break with disappointment.

The scratching sound of the trap door in the ceiling several meters above their head spurred Kingsley quickly into action. He grabbed the footboard of his bed to start dragging it across the floor.

"Do you want to see her again? Here's your chance."

Though she could finally understand the words being shouted, she didn't have the chance to really analyze them. Hermione realized nearly too late why Kingsley was trying to move his bed. Her shoulder was still sore but she was determined she would do what she could to help.

"Hermione, look out!"

Kingsley's reflexes after a career of being a respected auror were quick. Once the bed was directly underneath the open trap door, he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her back. Not a moment too soon either. A body fell from the ceiling narrowly missing crashing on top of Hermione. The newest arrival bounced harmlessly off of the mattress instead of landing on the hard floor. At least their efforts to move the bed could spare them their own dislocated shoulder.

Above their heads the trap door slammed shut so abruptly the only lamp in the room fell off its table plunging them all in darkness. Everything happened so quickly Hermione wasn't even sure who joined them. It had to be someone they knew.

The Minister crossed the small room to pick the lamp up and turn it back on. Finally able to see who was just thrown into the suitcase, Hermione gasped. Jack was just as surprised to see her.