The plan itself was simple. Grab Hermione and get out. Cedric took a small group of his best fighters. If the call for help was a trap, he wanted them to be able to escape with their lives, and if it was real then they could enact the mission. Probably not the best idea to bring Harry to Voldemort's feet, but just before he left Beauxbatons he had received many invitations to join professional duelling leagues.

Cedric scanned the room quickly, a brief moment stretching out into a thousand. Closest to him were Luna, Griphook, and Ollivander. Ollivander was gone. Fear, pain, and blood hung thickly in the air.

Why was Luna here? Xe was supposed to be in Greece with family. Uncle Phil told him so… showed him letters… No… xe had been here for months. He saw it in xyr eyes.

Where…?

Hermione was half sunk into the floor. Her body bruised and cursed almost past the point of recognition.

'Hi, honey!' her mind called out to him, as if he came home to find her serving tea with friends.

Voldemort snarled and hurled a spell at her, knocking her out cold. Any fear Cedric might have felt confronting him took a back seat to his anger.

"You're going to wish you stayed as a wraith!" he snarled.

"Make one move and she—"

Voldemort's wand flipped out of his hand as Harry burst in. The time for negotiating was done. Fleur, Merula, Diego, and Biggs ran in. As did Draco. He wasn't the strongest fighter, but he knew his old home and where she could potentially be held.

Biggs charged Voldemort, keeping him separate from the group. He was still the biggest threat and keeping him occupied would up their chances of getting away.

"Get the others out!" Cedric ordered. "I have her. Be quick!"

He spotted a rat running towards him with the intent to grab on and apparate with him when he left. Pettigrew. Yelling out, Cedric swung the khopesh in an arch over his head. It cracked the marble floor and the rat squealed, blood splattering. Cedric ran over to Hermione and swept his wand to release her from the floor.

He couldn't focus on anyone else. He wasn't her, he couldn't make sure that the stragglers were safe before following. Not anymore.

"NO!"

Voldemort surged forward. Cedric swept the khopesh, just barely catching him and sending him hurtling backwards. Cedric sheathed the sword. He scooped her up, wincing as her bones shifted, and ran out of the manor before apparating back home.

Biggs would take his tunnels back home. Apparition didn't agree with him.

Cedric appeared outside the house and carried Hermione in. She needed help. He brought her to the medical area they had ready and set her down on a cot.

"You're home," he murmured, kissing her temple. "I've got you."

He tapped his wand to his bracelet, thinking 'Snow', Chiara's code name.

R.H. ASAP

Harry ran in, carrying Luna, and Diego was close behind with Griphook. Then Merula with Ollivander, she carried him to the back of the room and laid him down, pulling a white sheet over him.

Cedric felt sick as he looked at Hermione. Her face was swollen, her lips in particular, the thread holding her mouth closed was taut. He hovered his hands over her, not sure what to do first. Cut the threads? Mend her bones? Drench her in dittany?

The door opened and Chiara and Penny ran in. They asked something, but his ears felt congested. He couldn't understand.

"Help her," he said, stepping back.

Chiara nodded and called Rikki, Tikki, and Dobby for assistance.

"Please, step out a moment," said Chiara. "Tell the others you found her."

Yeah… that was the best move. If he stayed he would only be in the way. If he stayed his anger would win out.

"I'll be back," he said.

"When she's in a place for visitors, I'll summon you," said Chiara.

Cedric nodded, then went out front to make sure no one was followed. Draco made it back looking pale and shaken.

"You good?" Cedric asked.

No, but he inhaled deeply and nodded anyway.

"I think… yeah," he said. "My dad was there. He tried to stop me. I checked to see if anyone else was being kept in the wine cellar. There wasn't. I hexed him then left. Probably better than what he deserved. Maybe I could've convinced him? To reject Our Good Friend like Mum did?"

"Hard to say," said Cedric. "Thank you for looking."

The ground broke and Biggs crawled out, his crystals skittering against his chest. There were chunks of stone missing from his arms and his side, but he seemed to be okay.

"They aren't following," he said in Spanish, likely missing his translation crystal. "Is Nia safe?"

"Yes," Cedric replied. "Chiara is helping her now. I… just wanted to make sure the rest of you came back and we didn't have any… uninvited guests show up."

"They will not," said Biggs confidently. "I think if she had given away the secret of this place they would have shown themselves already."

Cedric agreed with that.

"Thank you for fighting with me," he said and went inside to go tell the family.

He tapped his bracelet.

Recovered. SB.

He didn't want everyone to come rushing to Rosehill at once.

Back in his room, he grabbed the mirror and called Hawaii House. It had been hard telling them what happened. Admitting that he hadn't protected her.

It was the middle of the night in Hawaii, but when the mirror showed the living room, he saw the parents sitting in the pale glow of the television. Of course none of them would be able to sleep. They were worried sick, waiting to hear news.

"Cedric!" Manuia gasped and got up, moving the mirror closer.

"Found her," said Cedric.

"Oh! Oh, thank God!" He collapsed back into his seat.

"Can we talk to her?" Beatrice asked.

Cedric winced. "She… she's in a bad way. I don't want you to see what they did to her. She's alive, that's the best we could have hoped for."

Manuia inhaled shakily and pressed his hand to his eyes.

"I wanted to let you know," said Cedric. "And… I'm sorry I didn't protect her."

"You got her back," said Hana. "She's alive. That's important. And if she isn't in a place to lead, just send her home to us and we'll take care of her."

He nodded. It might be difficult to get her to Hawaii, things being what they were.

"Tell me," he said. "Is there any word to what the I.C.W. thought of her interview? Or the rest of the world? What's going on there?"

"Well, word on the street at Kilokilo is that Nia is brave," said Hana. "To try and protect others. Some think she should've let the culling happen. Those who have talked to me agree that it was unfortunate that the press showed up but… why did she consent to an interview?"

Cedric sighed. "She hoped it would make the I.C.W. react. If the world was watching then maybe they would do something too. I just hope they don't retaliate against her. She's just trying to help. What about the non-magic world?"

"It's still in the news," said Roger. "Think pieces and all. News in town says that it's all just a hoax. I think when people don't want to understand they pick the explanation that keeps them in their bubble."

"People put the cat back in the bag," said Hana. "They always do. You'll keep us updated on Nia?"

"Of course," he said.

Cedric.

He lifted his head. Her mind was crying out to him.

"She's calling me," he said. "I'll call soon so you can talk to her yourselves. For now get some sleep. She's safe for the moment."

"Thank you for calling us," said Roger. "And get some sleep yourself."

"I will," he said and disconnected the call.

'Cedric!'

He stiffened and ran down to the medical room. He burst in to find the danger, but only saw what he had left.

"What's wrong?" Chiara asked. "Do we need to leave?"

"I… no," he said. "I don't think so. Hermione cried out to me. Her mind did."

"Oh. I just removed the stitches. Um… there's not much else to do except wait for them to close up. If they even can."

'Cedrichard.'

Cedric looked over at Luna. Xyr hair hung limply in xyr eyes and xe was emaciated. Xyr mouth was swollen as well but xe had still stuck xyr thumb in xyr mouth and rocked back and forth.

Griphook sat quietly in a bed while Dobby carefully bandaged his hands.

"And you were all that was there?" Cedric asked.

Luna hiccuped and nodded, continuing to rock. Cedric went over and touched xyr back.

"I thought you were in Greece," he said.

Xe was supposed to be there. When xe was packing… xe'd been taken. Xenophilius hadn't kept wards. Undoing any Hermione put down, thinking that any of the charms he hung around would be enough. He continued to write Anti-Death Eater propaganda in the Quibbler. They took Luna as punishment, requesting that he turn over Harry or Hermione to ensure xyr safe return.

"Well, you're not going back home," he said. "Not for the moment. I'll tell him you're okay, but you're staying here."

He went over to Hermione's side. She was so heavily bandaged she almost looked like a mummy. Her eyes were closed but her hand twitched. She was searching.

"I'm here," he said, taking her hand gently.

She didn't tell. Rosehill was safe, their secrets were safe, but her mind… Suddenly he was launched out, like she realized someone was poking around.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I thought you wanted me to look."

'I'm missing my baby. Missing my baby. Missing my baby I gotta hold you tight and never let you out of my sight. Missing my baby.'

"It's okay," he said. "You're safe."

'Cedric. Did I betray everyone?'

"No, you didn't," he said. "We are just fine."

She closed off. It was okay. Once the pain left her body and she could open her eyes she would see she was safe.

He brought her hand to his lips, but the second he kissed her fingers he was launched backwards. His hair fluffed up and his back ached from where it collided with the bed.

"Whoa! You okay?" Harry asked, running over.

"Fine," he wheezed. "I think I know why her splints or bracelet weren't taken now."

Harry helped him up and looked over at Hermione.

"Maybe just… give her space," he said uncertainly.

Maybe he could bring the cats in and that would help… no, maybe not. If her mind had fragmented like he sensed it had then putting animals in her path might not be the safest thing. He'd wait until she was more healed. More aware.

Guilt gnawed at his stomach. He wouldn't blame her if she decided to end things. It must've shown on his face.

"Hey, she's not gonna blame you," said Harry. "If anything, she's going to beat herself up over getting captured."

"I could have helped," said Cedric. "I was too slow."

"Any of us could have sent a warning," said Harry. "Or even looked to see if anyone was out there instead of continuing to fight. Course, I was trying to keep Ron back."

Cedric went over to Luna. Xe laid down and pulled the blanket over xyr head. So he went over to Griphook.

"Welcome to Rosehill," he said. "You are welcome to stay here while you recover. If you'd like to join the Weather we'd be happy to have you, and if not we can take you wherever you wish to go when you recover."

Griphook nodded curtly. His mouth was also swollen from the stitches.

Cedric returned to Hermione's side and sat down in a chair next to her. It was tempting to reach out for her hand, but he didn't fancy getting launched across the room again. He only got up when he had to tend the cows and get dinner going.

Better call a meeting too.

'Cedric?'

"I'm here," he said, turning to Hermione.

The swelling from her face had gone down thanks to the salve. He touched her cheek lightly.

"I'm here," he murmured again.

'Did I betray everyone?' she thought.

"No, you fought well," he said and pressed his lips to her bandaged temple.

She zapped him, but not as badly as before. Just a sting. He adjusted her blankets so she was better covered.

A tug on his shirt made him turn around. Luna stood there with xyr thumb still in xyr mouth, xyr eyes wide and haunted.

"Hey, don't suck on your thumb," Cedric scolded gently. "You'll give yourself a sore."

Luna just stared at him.

"Alright, I'll make you something," he said. "You should rest, you know."

Xe gripped tighter onto his shirt.

"Come on, let's go see the cows," he said. "What would you like for dinner?"

'Gomono soup.'

Avgolemono. Luna couldn't say the name when xe was little and the name stuck. Cedric nodded.

"I think we can manage that," he said.

They went outside to the barn. The calves were growing up well and had yet again broken out of their separate stalls to cuddle in the middle of the barn.

"Trouble makers, the both of you," said Cedric, shaking his head.

Luna trotted over and laid down next to Clover. Clover sniffed xem and licked xyr hand. Luna made a snorting noise and cuddled close, resting xyr cheek on the cow's back.

Cedric went about the usual business, giving them a quick brush over, wiping down their udders, and refilling the water and feeding troughs. He also fixed the earmuffs for the calves since it could get a little cold in the barn and their licking knocked them askew.

"Looney-Tune, would you like to keep them company or keep me company while I cook dinner?" Cedric asked.

Luna patted Clover.

"Alright. I'll call you when it's ready."

He went inside and cleaned himself up before getting out the ingredients for dinner. He would give the all clear in the morning when he was certain Hermione hadn't accidentally given up the location to Rosehill. Her mind was such a mess at the moment he wasn't sure.

~o0o~

It was their first full meeting since Hermione had been taken. Cedric had tried putting it off for as long as he could, but after a month it just wasn't feasible. They needed to get back on track.

Hermione was attending the meeting, but was sitting between Daphne and Padma rather than taking her place on the soap box. Her eyes were distant as she squished some WWW thinking putty in her hands. Cedric did all he could to keep her grounded.

Daphne and Padma leaned heavily on either side of her.

She didn't look all that great yet. The swelling in her face was gone, but she had new scars. The fact she could barely string together a coherent sentence was worrying too. The only thing she seemed able to do was cook and that felt more like she was drawing from Hogwarts. He didn't like it when she did that, it seemed dangerous, but every time he turned his back she was in there kneading bread or chopping vegetables like some zombie chef.

"Right," he said. "This meeting has come to order. Hermione is taking a little breather from leading for the moment. I'm sure you're all wondering about our secrets and plans, but not to worry, all Our Good Friend knows is that we can't reach his horcrux. In… unfortunate news there's more left than we thought."

This brought up a wave of groans.

"I know the soul is infinite, but this is insane!" Cecilia huffed.

"Yeah, but in the meantime let's just focus on our current task," said Cedric. "Biggs has been kind enough to expand Rosehill further downwards, so we have a training space as well as rooms for our trainers. Please welcome Garnet, Neelam, Heliodor, Feroza, and Moonga."

The five trolls were medium height ranging from four feet tall to eight feet tall. Each of them except Garnet had two eyes and all of them had two arms.

"They will be overseeing your hand-to-hand combat training," Cedric continued, "and will select a few of you for weapon training after a month or so. I don't expect any of you to be experts by the time we're ready to act, I just want all of you to have the strength and endurance should the need arise. Some of you may not even need to fight, but Hermione feels it's in our best interest to have as many fighters as possible just in case. Better too much than not enough. I have divided you into groups based on age and current skill level so be sure to look up at the chart on the board to see your time slot. Bix, you wanted to say something?"

"Yes," xe said, taking the floor. "Your refugees are settling in at the Hearthstone. We have plenty of room and resources to keep them there for many cycles. Because we are housing them, the Venezuelan Magic Government has granted them official sanctuary, so they cannot be removed. We have been given resource grants. Just enough to ensure we have suitable supplies for fleshbags. Our Chief, Draal, has hand-picked these warriors for your training. Please treat them with respect. Only Garnet and Feroza speak surface languages, so Alejandro, Biggs, and I will oversee training with the others for translations while you learn the vocabulary."

Xe nodded, signaling xe was done speaking and returned to standing along the wall.

"Thank you," said Cedric. "Any questions so far?"

"How'd Granger escape the Death Eaters?"

"As far as I can gather, she engaged in psychological warfare. They wanted to keep her alive to try and get information out of her. When they were distracted, she was then able to call for help."

"How do we know the Dark Lord didn't get all our secrets?"

"Because I'm a better legilimens than he is and she can stop me," he said. "Part of the reason it's been difficult for her to reassume leadership is that every time she senses legilimency she's been sending her thought trains on tracks to nowhere. I'm sure once she recovers, she'll be back to it."

It had been a month though. Sometimes she was lucid, asking questions or would stay in long enough to cook a meal. Most of the time… she was like Neville's mother before she started treatment.

Even now she was rocking and humming 'I'm a Little Teapot.'

"Anything else?" Cedric asked. "No? Great, please get your training schedule before you leave. Meeting adjourned."

He went over to Hermione and touched her hands gently.

"Up we go," he said.

'For brownies use half white sugar and half brown sugar, whisk into melted butter cooled for thirty seconds to a minute. Add to dry ingredients.'

"Hey, Ced, a word?" said Neville.

"Yeah, sure, let's go in there."

They went to the kids play room. Hermione walked around in a circle, then knelt down to finish a puzzle that had been left behind.

"You're probably not going to want to hear this—"

"No."

"Let me say it out loud," said Neville. "I think you're making her worse."

Cedric narrowed his eyes. "How can you say that?! I'm the person she trusts the most with her mind!"

"Yes, but that was before she had Our Good Friend poking around in there," said Neville. "Forgive my analogy, but her mind was brutally raped. That's what he does. Her body is healing, but her mind is fractured. You said it yourself and I think poking in every day is stopping any healing."

Cedric clenched his jaw.

Neville sighed softly. "I know you love her. I know you wouldn't want to hurt her." Again. "But I think whatever is going on is bringing more harm than good."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Send her away," said Neville. "The Hearthstone, her family. Give her a month or two and really give her mind a chance to piece itself together. I don't think it's too late."

The thought of being away from her…

"I can stop," he said. "I can keep out."

"We all know you can't," said Neville. "Not completely."

Cedric worked his jaw. "I… I'll think about it. Come on, Mimi, let's go lay down."

"Nn…" she replied.

He led her upstairs to their room and guided her to lay down. She curled up. Her eyes focused slightly and she looked at him.

"Put me to sleep," she whispered. "Please. I can't."

"Am I making you worse?" he asked.

"No. How can you?" she asked, taking his hand. "Just help me sleep."

Cedric kissed her softly, then pressed his hand to the side of her head.

"Sleep."

And then he sensed it, like hairline fractures getting deeper with each hit, and his heart dropped into his stomach. Cedric worked his jaw and put her weighted blanket on her, kissing her temple. He got up and grabbed the mirror to call the parents.