Hermione still managed to get a few hours. When she woke, she readied in her disguise and went downstairs to get breakfast going. When the house was all quiet and nobody woke up to bother her or complain, she was most at peace. She never thought she would enjoy cooking so much. Before her bond with Hogwarts, cooking was a boring chore that she was terrible at. Now, she was anxious rather than understanding if someone didn't like her food.

It was something to make people happy, and if they were eating, they couldn't whine.

As she was soaking the rice for the porridge, Cedric came in through the mudroom with a large box in his arms. He kicked off his boots and pushed up the inventor's goggles sliding down his forehead.

"Hey," she said. "Did you come in at all last night?"

"Er, no," he admitted. "I figured I could sleep in the car, but I finished these for you."

He set the box down on the counter and brought out five four-slot toasters, lining them up in a neat row. He'd fixed them up with Elestial Quartz so there was no plug-in required and had made them look good as new. Each one was a different bright color and he set them up in rainbow order.

"Ooh! This will make breakfasts so much easier!" she gushed and hugged him. "Thank you so much."

"I thought you'd like them."

She got the sliced bread out and put a couple slices in the pink one then continued getting the rice porridge going. They were having a special breakfast today since it was the start of getting everyone out. She thought maybe a hearty breakfast would help their attitudes.

"You know that I can't help thinking?"

She looked over at Cedric. "Hm?"

"How this place is gonna fall apart when you're away," he said and grinned at her.

Hermione snorted. "That's mean."

"But is it a lie?"

"Well… I'll just give them the benefit of the doubt," she said. "We'll be gone for a week, the place won't burn down. It's physically impossible."

She fixed the porridge up with vegetable broth, garlic, and ginger. It would take about two hours, but she'd have it ready by eight o'clock breakfast time. She hadn't been playing her music this past week. There were people sleeping in the next room over she didn't want to disturb, and she was worried if she put her headphones on she might miss an emergency.

Or attack someone for 'sneaking up' on her.

The toast popped up, perfectly made. Hermione buttered the slices and cut them in half. She took a bite and nodded.

"It's perfect," she said. "Thank you, Cedric. This makes me really happy."

She bumped her head against his shoulder.

"I'm glad," he said. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not just yet," she said. "I won't start the eggs and beef bacon until the porridge is farther along. I was thinking soft-boiled eggs might be best."

"That's a safe option," he said. "If it's all the same, could I keep you company? We aren't leaving until ten, right?"

"That's right," she said. "I'd like the company."

They didn't speak much, but it was nice to not be alone with her thoughts. Hermione hummed softly, making sure the rice didn't burn or dry out, adding more liquid where needed. When it was in its last fifty minutes, she got out the eggs and bacon. The bacon would be cooked in the oven and the eggs would be soft-boiled, each one cut in half to stretch it out.

With Cedric's help, she didn't feel as frazzled. He also got the coffee and tea going and set up the trays and bowls.

"Good morning!" Fred entered the kitchen with his arms behind his back. "Something smells good."

"It's technically ready," said Hermione, transferring one of the final batches of bacon onto a platter lined with paper towels. "I can put together a bowl for you."

"Yeah, that'd be great," he said and brought out a pretty gold-colored tin. "For you."

"Oh. Thank you," she said, putting the empty pan in the basin. "What is it?"

"Er, just some chocolate," he said, face flushing.

Hermione accepted it and looked at the little booklet listing what chocolates were inside. None with strawberry or almonds.

"Thank you," she said, placing it on the counter under the book. "I appreciate it."

"What are those?" he asked, looking at the counter.

"Toasters," she said cheerfully. "Cedric made them so we don't have to toast our bread on the stove or in the oven anymore."

"Oh. Cool."

The tension between the two was palpable. Hermione pretended not to notice as she put together Fred's breakfast.

"Look, you get porridge," she said almost too brightly, presenting the tray. "And it's happy to see you!"

She had arranged the egg halves as eyes and used the bacon strip as a mouth. The toast was already cut in half and arranged on the bowl like ears and she had an empty cup he could fill with the beverage of his choice.

Fred looked at it and laughed.

"Thanks," he said, taking the tray.

"I didn't season the eggs," she warned. "I know everyone has their own preference."

"Right." He ate nearby, likely intending to go straight to the lab when he was done or help them distribute breakfast.

"Good morning, Miss Sanchez," said Derrick, strolling in with a bouquet. "Roses for a rose as lovely as you."

"NO!" Fred smacked them out of Derrick's hands as he was gearing to shove the flowers in Hermione's face.

She backed up, holding a towel over her nose. Cedric stood between them.

"Oy!" Derrick protested. "What'd you do that for?"

"She's allergic to roses!" Fred huffed.

Cedric banished them with a flick of his wand and made sure there were no stray petals.

"The thought is nice," said Hermione with a strained smile. "But I'd prefer not to have an allergy attack when I have a ten or more hour drive ahead of me."

Valentine's gifts… what else could she do but accept them with a smile and a 'thank you'? It was nice to be thought of and it wasn't like they were expensive gifts. Even so, she felt weird about all this. It had to be the war. Anticipation. Fear. The thought that if you miss your chance now, you would never get it. Once it ended, they would find perfectly nice girls who looked at them like they hung the moon.

"What flowers would you prefer?" Derrick asked.

"Er… Don't worry about it," she said. "Ring the meal bell, would you?"

He wilted slightly and rang the bell hung up on the wall. Hermione made the happy face in every bowl of porridge she distributed. Cedric and Fred helped her by keeping the coffee, tea, and toast going. As she did, she started to worry about how the cows would fare since Cedric was the main one taking care of them.

She decided to make Cecilia and Tonks pinkie promise to feed the cows and clear out the stable. As it was still cold, they wouldn't have to worry about herding them to pasture.

"I'll be taking mine upstairs," said Hermione once her own breakfast was fixed. "Ced, I'll help you and Draco with your makeup until you get the hang of it."

"Thank you," he said.

Draco complained a bit about the makeup. How it felt, how weird he looked as his features were reshaped. Frankly, she'd be worried if he wasn't kvetching about something or other.

Cedric wasn't changed too much, just softened a bit since people had weird concepts of gender. He had already changed so much since he was eighteen, but he still needed to cover his scars. He wore the same outfit as yesterday and she let him borrow her ankle cuffs since the silver moons tied together whatever boots were worn to the outfit.

Draco had a sleeve that looked close to his skin tone over his dark mark and on top of that had a fake sleeve of tattoos. It was kinda bulky, but not too weird if it wasn't stared at too long. Since it was winter, it would be mostly covered.

"Vanessa, Inigo, and Drago," said Hermione, pointing to each of them. "Don't forget your names."

"Why was Drago picked for this one?" asked Draco. "Isn't it too close to my name?"

"We can call you Gogo for short," said Cedric.

Draco groaned. "Ugh, I think I hate that more than Duckie."

"Too late, it's stuck," said Hermione, holding up her lipsticks. "I've got electric blue, black, and purple. I think they'd all look nice."

"Mm… black," said Cedric, taking it and applying it. He studied his face in the mirror.

"You look great," said Hermione. "Come on, let's go. Quicker we're into it, quicker we're out of it."

The three of them went downstairs, though Hermione stopped halfway on the stairs and magically projected her voice throughout the house.

"Will Group A please gather in the Entrance Hall," she said calmly. "Group A in the Entrance Hall. Please have all luggage with you and your identification ready. Anything left behind will be labeled and put into storage until you can return for it. Thank you."

The first group entered. Three families and two singles. Even if all she took were five people in one group and twenty in the next, it was easier to divide it by family groups as opposed to number. Hermione checked their information and watched them put the files away in their bags.

"Now you'll be hidden in the space under the van," she said.

"I put a water closet down there," said Cedric. "Don't ask the details, just trust that it works. It's a ten hour drive, but expect it to be twelve or more if the driver needs to take a break. We'll have food and drinks for you. Any questions?"

Hands raised.

"Not about me wearing a frock?"

All hands lowered.

"Right," said Hermione. "Let's load up. Draco, you can sit in front on the way there, Cedric will sit there on the way back. Let's keep it fair."

Draco sighed in relief.

They loaded everyone in, plus their luggage.

"Stay low, stay quiet, and no fights or I'm turning the van around," said Hermione. "We'll get there when we get there."

She closed the trap door, placed the carpet over it. And rolled out the single-sized futon over it.

"When we go through security, you'll have to sit in the chair and buckle up," said Hermione, stacking their luggage and instruments next to it. "If something falls on you just say, 'Ow!'"

Cedric snorted. "I'll be alright."

He climbed in and closed the doors.

Draco settled in the passenger's seat and Hermione got in the driver's. The van had been given a glamor to look like one of those funky 70s vans. Barely detectable. An invention by Fred and George. They had different settings: 70s love machine, news van, and plumbers. To start. It worked a bit like their daydream charms. You saw what was expected, and if it fooled Hermione and Cedric, both who expected nothing and yet could see through anything, then it was sure to fool the Death Eaters.

"Any music requests?" she asked.

"Whatever you want," said Cedric. "Driver gets to pick."

"You're going to pick Selena anyway," said Draco.

Hermione nodded sheepishly and put in a tape.

Bug was in her purse so she wouldn't get jealous. It wasn't like anyone else could drive anyway.

Draco leaned back in the bucket seat and opened up his book. He'd had to select a non-wizard (at least not exclusively wizard) author.

Hermione drummed her fingers along the steering wheel and focused on the road ahead. As they entered onto the M25, Hermione shivered.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"Mm… this whole thing…" she said, slowing to a stop in traffic. "There's wards here. Major ones."

"Any we oughta be worried about?"

"There's apparition wards," she said, picking apart the colors in the iridescent bubble. "They can tell you if someone is entering the city, that layer with it probably tells you their location."

"Can they see where we go if we apparate out?" Draco asked.

"Mm… probably just the direction but no more than that," she said. "It's not picking us up, but our extension charm is difficult to detect. Pocket dimensions are weird magic, you can only see it when you're on the inside. As long as we don't cast any big magic, we should be alright."

"How could he make wards cover that wide an area?"

"Well, I think it helps that the M25 and several of its major roads creates the shape of a rune."

"It does?"

"Yes. A really old one. It's the one that is the basis for all wards. You always use it at the beginning of combinations. Check it out on the map if you don't believe me."

Draco opened the road atlas and skimmed through it before finding a map that showed what she was talking about. He traced the outline and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh… but it's a Muggle-Made structure, isn't it?"

"Well, monkeys and typewriters and all that."

"Hm?"

"There's this theory that a thousand monkeys on typewriters would eventually, through sheer accident, recreate Shakespeare. Er, Shakespeare—"

"I know who Shakespeare is. He was a wizard. Two of his sonnets are included in the collection Sonnets of a Sorcerer."

"'Oia kā?"

"What's that mean?"

"Oh yeah?"

"Then why not say that?"

"If I stop using the vocabulary I know, I might forget it," she reasoned. She hated how little she knew not having grown up with it.

He hummed and looked out the window.

Hermione scowled and slammed on the horn.

"Come on!" she shouted. "That's a shoulder not an extra little road for you to use to cut in front of everyone! Jackass!"

By the time they made it off the M25 and onto the road to get to the Eurostar, Hermione wanted to smash her head through the steering wheel.

"Ced, we're almost there," she said. "Time to buckle up."

Her heart pounded heavily as they went through the checkpoint. She relaxed only a little bit when they were on the train. She used the loo and walked circles around the outside of the van to stretch her legs. She also took out a W.W.W. candy and popped it into her mouth.

Before long they were in line for the checkpoint. They all got their passports glanced at and stamped, plus a cursory look through backpacks for fruit and stuff.

"Reason for visiting?" asked the young woman.

"We're a band, we got a gig," Hermione said in that deep James Earl Jones voice, gesturing to the equipment in the back.

"Oh? Are you famous?"

"Nah. Just bars and basements for now."

She looked disappointed and waved them along. Hermione tried not to feel offended by that. She released the breath she was holding and headed towards Versailles. She was growing exhausted as the evening wore on.

"Hermione…"

"Hm?"

"When we get back, start giving me driving lessons," said Cedric. "Serious ones. I can fix up the van a little more with some safety features that shouldn't trigger any alarms."

"Right…" she said. "I'll think on it. I'm a bit worried about doing too much, but we can get started right away. Duckie?"

"Yeah, I'll learn," he said.

Hermione had to do a little apparition jump since she couldn't very well drive the van through the actual gardens. That was the problem with pocket dimensions. It seemed possible to leave the town from any direction, but it wasn't actually plausible. All "exits" just brought a person right back to the secret door in the gardens.

One entrance and one exit could be really safe or really dangerous. Much like the fidelius charm, she supposed.

She maneuvered down the streets, which were mostly empty at this time of night. Finally, she pulled up to Sirius' house and parked.

"Draco, could you?" her voice had mostly returned to normal from the candy.

Draco got out and went up to knock on the door.

While he got Sirius, Cedric opened up the bottom of the van and helped everyone out. Hermione stayed in her seat and kept watch after removing her contact. No spies.

Sirius greeted the guests and showed them inside to their rooms.

"Nia, Duckie," he said. "You can have your rooms from last time if you wish. Ced, we've got one for you, too."

"Thanks."

They cast a cloaking spell on the van just to be safe. Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen setting out good amounts of food. The guests were already partaking.

"Eat, rest," said Mrs. Weasley. "I'm sure you've had a long journey."

"I think I'll just go to bed," said Hermione. "I'm exhausted."

"Mimi, at least grab some bread for the road," said Cedric.

She grabbed a couple rolls and stuffed one in her mouth as she headed upstairs. They'd take tomorrow off and then would head back home the following day. She barely managed to brush her teeth and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The following day, Bastien and Apolline (ever the empty nesters) came by to fuss over Cedric since he was the closest they had to a visiting child right now. He seemed to soak up the attention.

"By the way," said Bastien. "I have spoken to my good friend in Paris, she and her partner run a club with a stage. It is a non-magic place, they get more business that way, but she said you may perform anytime."

"That'd be great," said Hermione. "Though, she hasn't heard us yet. What if she doesn't like our sound?"

"It's just for the cover," said Sirius. "All you need to do to maintain it is play one song and then run off the stage before the beer glasses hit you in the head."

"Speaking from personal experience?" Draco asked.

"He usually threw the first glass," said Remus with an affectionate smile.

"We're not bad," said Cedric. "I just think the act is missing something. Of course, we're not looking to become famous, are we? Just sell the cover."

"Well, why don't you play something for us?" Apolline suggested. "We will be your first audience."

He looked at Hermione, who shrugged.

"Yeah, alright."

Setting up for their "concert" felt a lot like being a little kid and putting on a play for your parents and relatives. Not that Hermione had ever really done that, but the little triplets put on performances.

She set up her board and Cedric made sure his guitar was tuned.

"One, two, three, four."

Hermione started the one song they had managed to practice. She tapped out the bass beat with her left hand before setting it on a loop and used the keyboard with a twinkle-like sound setting for the harmony. Cedric played the melody on his guitar. They didn't have lyrics for it, but it didn't really need lyrics, did it?

She liked the sound anyway. It was one she would like to dance to. And they didn't need to push messages with their music. It was a cover, not a life goal.

Still, she always put her all in everything she did. No halfway.

"It's… cute," said Sirius. "Doesn't really fit your punk image, but it's cute."

"It could use something else," said Apolline. "Perhaps another instrument."

Cedric tipped his head. "Draco, what's your suggestion?"

"Don't read my mind!"

"I'm not, but your urge to speak is overwhelming. Say it."

Draco huffed and rubbed his neck. "Maybe… a violin? To bridge the guitar and the sound board."

"Great, know someone who plays the violin?"

"Er… I do."

"We have a violin," said Remus. "It's actually my mother's violin."

He stood and fetched it from a stand.

"I can't play much," he said. "I just make sure it's in good condition."

Draco accepted it and studied it for a few moments, no doubt testing its durability. His eyes bugged out.

"Do you know what this is?!" he squawked.

"A violin my mother loved," said Remus, looking confused. "It's been in my family for generations."

"You see this mark? It was made by one of the top magical violin makers! It's a Salvatori! Only three are known left to exist, now four. Do you know how much these are worth?!"

He looked at their mild reactions and scoffed.

"Plebs!" He adjusted the violin and played a quick scale to check that it was in tune, then a warm up.

"Nice," said Hermione. "Let's improv. Draco, do you give consent to project what you're thinking so Ced can pick it up?"

"Er, sure," he said. "Why not? Pick a tempo, Granger."

Hermione thought a moment, then tapped out a bass beat on the pad before setting it on loop. Draco let it play twice before starting on something that sounded like a concerto solo. Hermione and Cedric listened for a couple measures. Cedric jumped in, adding to it. Hermione let them duet before adding on a funky beat.

"That's the stuff!" said Sirius, nodding his head. "I don't think it'll be for everyone, but nobody following you will doubt the Piranha Plants are a real band. You should record some demos! Get some gigs!"

"Sirius, focus," said Hermione, making a note to ask Lee for some songs. "This is a cover, we can't put all our effort into a cover. Not when I'm hitting a wall."

"A wall?" asked Apolline.

"It means I don't know what to do next," she explained, switching off the beat. "Yes, we're doing important work, but this war isn't going to end if I can't take Our Good Friend down."

"You're doing your best," said Cedric.

"It's not good enough!" She jumped to her feet. "What am I doing? I've hardly trained all week! I'm getting soft."

"No, you're not," said Cedric. "You could still take us out with one hand tied behind your back."

"And that line of thinking is a slippery slope to laziness!" She hurried upstairs to change into her workout gear.

"Mimi!" He ran after her.

"What?" she huffed.

He hesitated and flushed slightly. "Please don't freak out…"

"I make no such promises."

"Fair enough." He slid his backpack off and brought out a ziplock bag. "Take this."

She accepted it and saw it had been filled with a couple pads, some pain relievers, and a heating patch. She furrowed her brow.

"It's not for another week," she said.

"Well, it's either early or you miscalculated," he said, avoiding eye contact.

She thought about it. "Oh! I never fixed the calendar after the time turner…" She pursed her lips. "Excuse me."

"Er, yeah," said Cedric, turning around and going downstairs.

She could have made a big deal out of it, but ultimately decided that 1) he probably already went through the mental debate about it, 2) it was probably his heightened sense, 3) with her magic vision she could technically watch people all the time and really how was that any different, and 4) He was better prepared for it than she was, so she should probably be grateful he had it ready.

Ooh, she still had those chocolates Fred gave her.

She still dressed for a work out, but vowed to not go as hard as she was planning. Instead, she went to the training room and did tai chi. Char got her into it as a warmup, claiming she did it with her granny and Hermione found she liked the constant movement better than holding poses like yoga. A lot of the movements reminded her a little of the hula Nana taught her.

What was Char doing right now? Was she alright? Was she coping? Was she safe?

Hermione never gave her a notebook, though she had intended to. And she didn't have the courage to ask their mutual friends how she was doing.

Oh, she was crying now.

Hermione let the weight of her guilt and hurt pull her to the ground. She usually tried to save it for a private area. Though the training room was fairly quiet. At least, people tended not to bother her when she was training lest she assign a chore to them.

Almost nobody.

"Hermione?"

She inhaled sharply and hid her face in her knees.

"What?"

"I… are you okay?" Cedric asked.

"Fine. I'm in child pose," she lied. "It helps with cramps."

"Oh, right. Should I, er, leave you alone then?"

"Please. I can't look at you right now. It's not about the period thing, it's something else."

"Er, alright. Okay. Erm, I'll just… I'll let you know when dinner is ready."

"Fine."

After a while, she got up and dressed in a disguise.

"I'm going out," she announced. "I don't expect an attack but Draco, want to come with?"

"Yeah, alright," he said.

"Before you go," said Sirius. "Here. This arrived from your grandmother."

Hermione opened the envelope and swiped her thumb along the cash. Perfect. She stashed it away.

"Let's go," she said.

It was good to get out. Do a little shopping. After exchanging the currency, she bought some new yarn and went to a thrift shop. She gave Draco a bit of the money so he could buy himself a few things as well. The rest would go towards keeping Rosehill going.

By the time they went back to Sirius', she compartmentalized everything again and was ready to pretend she was a functioning person for dinner. She didn't speak much. Or at all. Her voice was eluding her again, but nobody noticed, too wrapped up in their own conversations.

Well, Cedric probably knew, but he had sat outside her line of view as a way to give her space and not make her feel like he was stalking her or being over-bearing and she appreciated that.

"You three have an early start tomorrow," said Mrs. Weasley. "We've got clean up managed, you should get some rest."

Hermione hurried upstairs. She made sure she had everything packed and ready to go. She hadn't really unpacked, but what if she took out something to access something else? Forgetting something wouldn't be the end of the world, but with her current mood it would certainly feel like it.

Once she was changed and had done her nightly routine, teeth brushed, hair in a bonnet, she tried to lie down and go to sleep.

Instead, she looked up and watched Cedric. He moved around a bit, but he seemed to mostly be working in one area. His steps had changed. He used to walk like he was trying to break the earth with each step. Now, if her senses weren't heightened she would never know he was there.

The house settled down, but he didn't. What was he working on?

Sighing softly, she got up and grabbed the things she bought for him. As she snuck through the house, she heard couples converse quietly about what they were going to do. Kids slept on, their breathing soft and even.

Hermione stopped outside Cedric's door and tapped the pads of her fingers against the wood.

"Come in."

She entered and closed the door behind her. Cedric glanced over and furrowed his brows.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She opened her mouth and closed it.

"Voice gone?"

She nodded.

"How can I help?"

'I think I just need a hug,' she projected.

"I can do that." He stood up and let her take the initiative.

She set the shopping bag on the desk and wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. He held her tight and for a second she could pretend that things weren't complicated.

"Am I overstepping bounds?" he asked.

'No. I prefer your honesty and I'm pretty sure we know each other better than anyone. You can't erase that.'

"No, you can't." He squeezed her once and slackened his hold, but didn't quite let go. "Better?"

She nodded.

"So, what's in the bag?" he asked. "A present?"

She nodded again and handed it to him. He opened it and lit up, pulling out the clothes she bought for him. She had tried a bunch on and gotten clothes slightly looser than what would fit her well. She could tailor them to fit him when they got home. She got him a black dress with a lace overlay, a suspender skirt in a pretty lavender with white polka dots, and a pair of white coveralls with a bit of paint splattered on them.

"I love this one," he said, holding up the dress. "Oh! You're right, these coveralls would look amazing if we went with the splatter all over and hemmed them." He looked at her. "You want me to keep the lace shirt?"

"It looks good on you," she signed.

He smiled. "Thanks, Mimi. And you're fine with me…"

He gestured vaguely at himself.

'You should be allowed to explore your gender identity. And clothes are just fabric. I think a strict binary is ridiculous. Wizards are all, 'I don't understand Muggle fashion until a guy puts on a frock!''

"Exactly!" Cedric covered his mouth and reached out to take her hand. 'The house is asleep. Thank you for the clothes, Mimi. I'll be happy to feel more like myself.'

She smiled slightly and hugged him again.

"I love you, Mimi," he said. "You don't have to say it back, I just wanted to tell you."

"It's okay," she whispered. "I love you, too. I'll always love you, I just…"

"I know." He stepped back. "You should get some sleep, we've got a long drive tomorrow."

She nodded. "Good night."

"Good night."