DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling owns most of the characters and settings here—I own the rest.

In this particular chapter, Walden appears not so much like Joe Mangianello as the actor Angus Macfadyen, who plays Robert Rogers on "Turn."

The chapter title is taken from "Wild," by Poe. (Her "Haunted" album was the inspiration, back in 2001, for my original Snapefic. Go figure.)

Feel free to leave a further review in the box at the end of the chapter...on with the show!

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS
Chapter 32 – Your Precious Fence

"Avery is dead."

After this surprising revelation, Hermione dressed hurriedly and ran a wand twice over her hair to put it in a loose topknot. She wasted no time in heading downstairs after that—although she could have Apparated, she preferred, in this case, to take the time to compose herself before meeting with Lucius.

Lucius, Lucinda, and Evan were sitting around the table being served breakfast when she located them. Lucius was having a rather animated conversation with Evan, so he didn't take notice of her right away, but Lucinda gestured her toward the chair directly next to him.

"Ah, Miss Granger," Lucius said, as she got closer to the chair, after which he jumped up, bowed, pulled out the chair for her, and waited until she was settled. "I am delighted by your presence here today. Evan and I have just been discussing Hogwarts and how very much he's looking forward to it…especially the Sorting."

"I told him I want to be a Gryffindor!" Evan said.

"Yes, well, the world needs Lions, too, I suppose," Lucius said, as he picked up his tea cup and examined it.

"May I please be excused, Miz Wilkes?" Evan asked. "I'm all done with my breakfast!"

"Yes, of course, Evan," Lucinda said; the boy wasted no time in jumping from his seat and dashing out of the room.

"So very like his father," Lucius mused. "Miss Granger, may I presume upon you to put up some privacy barriers?"

After Hermione had flicked her wand in the air, Lucius cleared his throat.

"I assume you've heard the news I brought," and he nodded in Hermione's direction, who nodded, after accepting the coffee pot which Lucinda had just floated toward her. "It hasn't hit the Prophet yet, but I was given to understand that it would be in the evening edition. Since that won't reach you all until the morrow, I thought it best to bring the tidings myself. Lucinda, apparently Herbert never removed you from his will, so as his sole inheritor, you are now the proud owner of a house in Cheshire. It's a horrid place—I recommend you dispose of it forthwith."

"Would you be so kind as to handle that sale for me?" Lucinda said, without missing a beat.

"As always, I am at your service, my dear." Lucius nodded in her direction and poured himself a cup of tea. "Shall I contact Cynthia, or do you wish to do that on your schedule?"

"I'll send her an owl today. Would you have any details as to how it happened?"

"He didn't report in for his volunteer shift at St. Mungo's. The Healer in charge of his case contacted the Ministry. Aurors were dispatched, and they found…er, a bit of scorched earth at the scene, with trace evidence of his essence. His house-elves, who he'd just hired through the Placement Agency, were interviewed—one of them said they saw a flash of light and some smoke. His wand was found, snapped in two, and after a Scanner that revealed the connection was broken, he was pronounced dead."

"Are there any suspects?" Hermione asked.

"None have been mentioned." Lucius paused to take a sip of tea.

"And do you have news of….anyone else?" Lucinda asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot have such news," Lucius replied, softly, after which the trio spent several minutes glancing at each other. Hermione drank her coffee down quickly and poured another for herself.

"Cannot…." she murmured, after she'd sipped about a half-cup's worth. "I understand." She looked at Lucinda. "Are you similarly…bound?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"An Unbreakable Vow," Hermione said.

"I haven't taken one of those in years," Lucinda replied. Both glanced at Lucius, who had an inscrutable look on his face. Hermione continued. "It must have been done at the Ministry just before you spoke with me. And it must have been between you and Walden, because you were there when he came out…and he must be doing this, I think….possibly, to protect me."

"That would be very like him," Lucinda interjected.

"He did tell me once….well…that he was only cruel when he was fighting…or some such…" Hermione looked down at her plate, on which a single scone now rested, and let her mind drift back to that afternoon in Australia.

"I guess I'm tellin' ye because I want ye ta know I'm nae like that Weasley, I willna play with yer heart. They said I was cruel in the trials, I know ye heard that bit. And I can be, when I'm fightin' and huntin'. I canna change that."

"And you must have done some other charm on me, possibly a Confundus, to stop me figuring all this out. Walden's hunting, isn't he? He's hunting down those Death Eaters…the ones from Orla's docket…the ones who never recanted." Hermione looked triumphant, as if she'd ridden into battle alongside Walden like a Valkyrie.

Lucius remained silent; the only noise he made in response was the sound of his teaspoon as he stirred sugar into his tea.

Morale was not high at the de facto headquarters of the Resurgence when the four wizards were awoken by repeated, insistent chiming from all of their pocketwatches.

"Bloody hell!" Travers groaned. He'd not even properly got to sleep because the couch in the tent's sitting room wasn't long enough to fit him. There'd also been lots of odd noises surrounding the tent keeping him awake, even though he was positive that one or all of his comrades had cast Muffliato.

All the spells couldn't have failed at once, could they have? he thought to himself, as he slowly stood up and rubbed what little sleep he had gotten out of his eyes. He blinked several times and observed Selwyn and Yaxley stumbling out of the second bedroom door, and Macnair following closely behind them. Macnair was the only one among them who appeared to be in any sort of shape to mount an attack. He was wearing one of those damned kilts, high boots, a heavy dragonhide jacket, and a hat with a pompom atop it that might have looked poncy on anyone else…but Travers knew to not call Walden out on it.

Instead, he managed to croak out, "Nice skirt, Wally."

"Nae even gonna dignify that with a response, Toby," Walden said, giving the hated nickname a little extra sneer. "Get yer arse outside so I can take down me tent…hope ye didna piss all over me couch."

"I went outside to piss, you stupid git. And it was bloody well loud out there…wolves or something…went on for ages."

"Didna hear a thing, slept like a babby."

"I heard them as well, Tobias," Selwyn said, as he rummaged through the cupboards.

"What the hell are ye lookin' for, Selwyn?" Walden snapped.

"A glass, so I can have some water…."

"Just do Aguamenti and slurp it off the end of yer wand, should be easy enough for ye to handle," Walden said, as he lifted up the tent flap to reveal the first, very faint stirrings of daylight. "All of ye need to get yer arses outside now!"

"Keep it down, Walden," Yaxley's voice was so hoarse that he was nearly whispering. "Come along, brothers, let's not squabble." The four wizards filed out of the tent. Travers walked over to a nearby bush, lifted his robe, and began urinating. Selwyn cast Aguamenti and soaked his face, hair and most of his robe in the process. Yaxley leaned against a tree face first, groaned, and after Walden had packed up the tent and chairs and restored the clearing to its former appearance, asked, "You wouldn't have any Hangover Potion, would you?"

"Already drank me last bottle, sorry," Walden said, as he stashed his wand in its holster.

"Bloody hell…" Yaxley groused. "Don't mention drinking."

"I feel like shite," Travers said. "Why don't we just Apparate out of here?"

"Not bloody likely, I'd Splinch myself the way I feel….let's just get this over with," Selwyn said.

"Quit yer whingin', ye numpties!" Walden yelled.

"How far are we from the school, anyway?" Selwyn asked.

"About ten minutes' walk, it's around the next bend of that loch," Walden said, pointing off to the left. "Didna ye notice when we came here last night?"

"Don't recall," Selwyn said, as he shook his head to get the water out of his ears. "I s'pose we'd best get to it."

"Are we gonna pass Hogsmeade?" Yaxley asked. "I could summon some Hangover Potion from the Broomsticks."

"And give away our position?" Travers spat. "Such sterling logistics from the former head of the MLE. It's a wonder the Ministry's got along without you for all these years…."

"Sod off, Toby," Yaxley croaked. "My head feels like it's been split in two and put back together with Spellotape."

"We're nae passin' Hogsmeade, this is supposed to be a surprise attack, aye," Walden said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go."

"At this point you could probably breathe on Hagrid and knock him down, Corban," Travers said, as he began walking behind Walden, who was striding away swiftly, yet quietly.