Chapter 25

Spring 2002

Hermione sat bolt upright in bed, her blankets clutched to her chest. The beats of her heart were wild. It was a nightmare, and she hadn't had any since Theo and Draco had come. The first reprieve in three years.

Their sides of the bed were cold despite signs someone had been there. Theo's indent still slightly smelled of him as she rolled off the bed. Grabbing her robe, she began to search for them.

Where on earth had they gone? They hadn't gone through the wards. They had to be near at hand. I just need to find them.

Anxiety for them made her quick to search through the house. When she came to the sitting room and she still hadn't found Theo or Draco, she had begun to panic. A movement drew her attention to the door to her back garden. It hung slightly open and she could hear the beginning of the dawn chorus outside. A light breeze from the outdoors rattled the window coverings and Hermione followed the sound outdoors.

The garden smelled fresh in the pre-dawn light. A soft dew had fallen over the place. The birds she had heard from indoors lightly trilled in the lavender light. The sun's first rays were starting to peek over the trees on the east side of her cottage.

She walked forward, surveying everywhere that they could be within the boundary of her wards.

Laying in her two outdoor chairs were her missing prisoners and she breathed a sigh of relief, sinking down to her knees. Theo was curled in a foetal position in front of her; the soft mist had dampened his skin. She leaned her forehead on his knee and stroked the back of his calf.

"Thank Merlin you are alright. I was so bloody worried, Theo." He didn't stir, but coughed in his sleep. He didn't feel too hot to her but she knew that he needed to get back into the warm bed inside and dried off. He was still too ill to be sleeping outdoors.

What had possessed the two of them to come outside? Had they gone together? Or had one wandered out here and the other followed led by the bond?

Hermione looked over at Draco reluctantly. She couldn't side along apparate both of them together. They'd probably get splinched and that wasn't part of Hermione's plan to continue flying under the radar as much as possible.

Hermione took hold of Theo's calf and shoulder, and apparated them straight into her bed. Theo jolted to consciousness, his back arching as he grabbed hold of Hermione like he thought he was falling. He held on, his fingers biting into her flesh. Hermione turned him onto his back.

"Theo!" Hermione soothed. "I'm here. You're safe. I'm sorry I didn't wake you before we apparated. That was awful of me." She ran her hands over him, and tried to soothe him with her voice. His eyes still seemed fuzzy, but he turned towards her, his hands grabbing her wrists as she slid questing fingers beneath his light shirt.

"Princess," Theo whispered, pulling her closer. He buried his face in her brown curls and breathed in deeply. Hermione cuddled into him, trying to turn him slightly to the side. She didn't know if putting pressure on his lungs was safe. She needed him to get well. They lay there wrapped around each other, and their shared breath lulled them to sleep.

Hermione had even forgotten to cast the drying charm on him and Theo shivered a bit in his sleep, even wrapped around Hermione who just ran a bit warm at night.

...

Waking up alone in the back garden, Draco looked around for Theo. He'd followed him out here and had lain nearby, staring at Theo while Theo stared up at the stars. Draco almost forced himself to talk to Theo, but what if he wasn't real? Draco was still so frightened that he would wake up to discover that he was still in his cell. His fear held him tight and kept him silent. It stilled his hand when he wanted to reach out and touch Theo's hand.

He had fallen asleep in the chair, the cool night on his skin.

Awake, he realised that Theo must have gone back inside. Draco made his way back in and into the bedroom. He stopped, shocked at what he was seeing. Theo was wrapped around Hermione, holding her tight. He longed for them both so much.

Were they really there? Was this reality? Had he really gotten out of Azkaban?

Draco stood and watched Theo shiver for a moment. He tucked a curl behind Theo's ear and put his lips to Theo's forehead to check if he was hot. Theo felt a bit clammy. Draco found a blanket that had fallen to the floor and carefully draped it over the two of them. He crawled into bed with them. Draco drew circles on Theo's back until he too fell asleep.

Theo never stirred.

...

When Hermione woke later that morning it was to the insistent tapping at her window of a large white barn owl.

She opened the window to let the bird inside.

It had a small letter to deliver. She recognised the writing on the envelope and ripped it open immediately.

Hermione,

Come as soon as you can. He's not well. Don't know who else to call.

Oliver Wood

Hermione hadn't expected to hear from her former Gryffindor house mate. Oliver had been so sure the Ministry would follow through on their promises to improve Azkaban into a more humane prison. She wondered if his disillusionment was as painful as hers had been. They'd had tea during the holidays. He told her he suspected she was up to something.

She had smiled and said that she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Hermione, you did incredible things behind the scenes to get the low threat Death Eaters out on parole. Not everyone noticed, but I noticed. And you got me to sign up to supervise. For Marcus. How did you know? The only way you could have known is if Marcus told and we never..."

"Does it matter how I know? Who better to help him readjust to society than you? Would you rather someone else take—. "

"No, no." Oliver had interrupted, "I'm grateful honestly, but I know you, Hermione. No plan of yours has ever been one step. I'm an Unspeakable now, I just can't be involved in whatever else you have planned. I don't want to know."

"Duly noted, Oliver."

What could be wrong now that he was calling her? Perhaps Marcus was ill like Draco and Theo were. Blaise wasn't well either. Were the conditions so poor that all the parolees were in the same state?

Bloody hell. She needed to get over there. Hermione rubbed at her face and tried to smooth her wild curls, but that was a lost cause. She needed to use some Sleek-Easy creme and a comb. Some hair charms were probably required. She recalled Theo falling asleep with his fingers embedded in her curls.

She Accio'd her wand from the bedroom and caught it as it came flying through the air. She pictured the night of the Yule Ball, dancing in Theo and Draco's arms in the Room of Requirement. She let her heart swell for a moment with the joy of the memory and then cast her Patronus.

"Something has happened. I need you to come and be here for a while." She sent the otter soaring off to Luna and waited. She'd learned to be vague over time with her Patronus. There was no telling who Luna might be with when the Patronus arrived and discretion was the better part of valour. Her Slytherins would be so proud of how underhanded and manipulative she had become in their absence, if they were ever well enough for her to share her plotting with them.

Stop. She had to stop thinking like that. They were already much better than when they had come a week ago? eight days? six? She needed to look at a calendar, she wasn't even sure. Everything was blending together. She needed to get a handle on herself.

Hermione knew that Luna would bring Blaise and be here as soon as she could. Hermione just had to wait. She tapped her wand against her leg for a moment and then realised she needed coffee and to get dressed. She quickly began to go through the morning motions. She had some toiletries in the guest bathroom and headed in there to make herself presentable before she went and grabbed some robes to wear to Oliver's house.

Upstairs, Draco rolled closer to Theo in his sleep. Theo, in turn, rubbed his sleeping face on Draco's chest and wrapped an arm around his waist. Draco's leg went over Theo's. The two entangled men held each other as they continued to sleep through the morning. Hermione's preparations did not disturb their slumber. Not even when she watched them sleep as she dressed and slid on heels. The clack of her feet against the floor echoed in the room, but did not find purchase in their dreams.