A/N: I personally needed a bit of a reset after the last chapter. This one is much lighter on the spirit and welcomes a universal favorite into the characters-with-names pile.

Appreciation to HarryPGinnyW4eva for the reviews. Thank you for taking the time to share your reactions!


Hermione woke well before dawn and, by the sound of it, well before anyone else at the campsite. Her body was heavy and when she moved slowly to stretch out her limbs, she felt aches in muscles she didn't even know she had. Slowly, the previous day's events leaked into her muddled mind. She winced at the recollection, squeezing her eyes shut as she processed just what had happened—and in front of whom.

Malfoy had now been witness to two of the most terrifying and humiliating moments of her life. Brilliant.

Deciding there was no use in moping in her comfortable sleeping bag—oh cushioning charm, how I've missed you!—Hermione gingerly crawled out of her cocoon. She sucked in a breath and stifled a whimper as she remembered, too late, the swollen bruise that her teeth had left on her knee the night before. She shuffled to her rucksack, noticing absentmindedly that her gear was laid out in its usual barrier in the center of the tent (though she had no memory of setting it up that way), and summoned a container of the bruise paste she'd stocked up on at the twins' shop. Gently rolling up her pant leg, she daubed it generously onto her knee. The salve was cool and soothing, and she closed her eyes for a moment as it began to work its magic.

Hermione swallowed roughly, trying to imagine the tension and embarrassment from the night before oozing away as well, trickling through her pores and vanishing against the chilly morning air. Every day is a fresh start. A lump formed in her throat—her mum's voice was back.

Water, she decided. You're probably dehydrated. As she reached for her water bottle, she noticed amid the blockade of gear a teacup sitting on a small crate. A closer look confirmed that it was full of a soft honey-colored liquid under a stasis charm. She stared at it dumbly for several long moments.

He brought me tea.

She had forgotten that part of the evening, so caught up in remembering the panic that had gripped her and feeling the wash of humiliation that her childhood bully had seen her so weak, so lost, so out of control. Now, she couldn't help but acknowledge that he'd been much more… helpful? sympathetic? kind? Whatever it was, Malfoy had been more of it than she would have thought possible.

Hermione shook her head. Water.

When she lifted the bottle, she noticed a message emblazoned on the side, the color indicating that it had come from Malfoy. Right, she thought idly, I suppose I was expected to check in last night. Taking a deep breath, she read the brief correspondence.

Made it to the new camp and met the team. Great to have an established connection to local centaur herds. How long do we have with this research crew?

Hermione exhaled quietly and felt herself relax a fraction. She hadn't necessarily expected Malfoy to immediately blab to her boss, but apparently the possibility hadn't been off the table according to her subconscious mind. She lifted the bottle to her lips and drank greedily, closing her eyes and taking long, delicious pulls as she realized just how thirsty she was.

She sat in silence for a few moments, trying to calm the frantic terror that sparked in her heart every time she thought about leaving the tent. Ultimately, it was the idea of still being there when Malfoy woke up that spurred her into motion. As quietly as she could, Hermione collected a fresh set of clothes, her hygiene supplies, and—after a few indecisive seconds—the still-full teacup, opened the tent flap, and slipped out into the morning.

She must have closed her eyes again as she crossed the threshold, though it wasn't intentional. The cool air felt damp and thick on her skin and she took a slow breath in through her nose. The forest was not yet awake, and Hermione welcomed the quiet into her mind, hoping that if she clung to the peace of the moment, it might wash away the memories of the place itself. She opened her eyes slowly and took in the misty morning, a pale light filtering through the trees and heralding the sunrise soon to come. Hermione was grateful for the morning. She'd never been snatched in the morning.

Once she'd gathered herself, her first thought was to return the teacup to the main tent. As kind as it was for Malfoy to bring it to her, she would much rather see any evidence of the night before go right down a literal drain. But as she turned in the direction she remembered the main tent being, she realized it was hidden somewhere in the fog.

NOPE

Agreed, she thought. Turning to look around at what she could see through the mist, she noticed with relief a blue tent on the edge of her visual range—showers, from what she remembered of Char's breezy tour yesterday. A shower seemed very nice.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Hermione might never get used to this whole bigger-on-the-inside thing. The interior of the blue tent was spacious enough to hold four showers, two changing rooms, and five toilet stalls, with sinks and mirrors lining an entire wall. She marched herself to the nearest sink, lifted the stasis charm from the teacup, and dumped the contents into the basin. Chamomile, she noted, the fragrance rising as she watched it circle down the drain. She turned on the faucet for good measure, washing away just a little bit more of last night's misery.

When the last remnants had disappeared, Hermione sighed and stepped into one of the showers, warding the door behind her and placing her fresh clothes on a charmed-dry shelf. She slowly peeled off yesterday's clothes, paying attention to the muscles that cried out piteously for relief as she stretched and folded her body. She almost melted with gratitude upon discovering that the magical piping worked better than she could have hoped, and she was soon surrounded by steam so thick that she could imagine she was anywhere else but here.

Hermione washed her hair and massaged soap into her skin, rubbing her aching muscles gently in the hot spray. Little by little, the tension continued to unwind, and by the end of her shower she felt marginally better and distinctly more relaxed. She dried herself off and wrapped a towel around her hair, dressing for the day ahead. A day working with researchers, with scientists who are passionate about collecting knowledge and discovering new things! she told herself, trying to restore some of her enthusiasm for the expedition she had been so looking forward to these past few months.

After brushing her teeth and setting her hair in a simple side braid, she took a breath and stepped back into the forest that had haunted her for years.

"Hermione?" She was only a few steps out of the tent when she was caught unawares by the familiar, friendly voice.

"Luna!" The two women embraced and Hermione felt her friend plucking the air around her torso with one hand.

"They told me I'd be seeing you," the blonde said, smiling serenely. She looked Hermione up and down. "Oh, but you've had a terrible night."

Hermione grimaced and shrugged, realizing with the movement that she was still holding the empty teacup.

"Do you take tea with your showers, too?" Luna asked with a nod of approval. "Daddy says it's all wrong to do so, says it mixes the steams in a way that confuses the aura. Imagine," she said with a far-off look, "my father, of all people, questioning an eccentric behavior." Hermione could only stare, her mind still too shuttered to do much else.

"Of course, that's just silly," Luna continued after a moment's pause. "What better time to cleanse your insides than while your body is warm and relaxed?" She patted Hermione's hand, the one still holding the teacup, softly. "I think that's just what you needed this morning."

With a small shake of her head and a smaller smile, Hermione hugged her friend again. "Well, that's not quite what I was doing, but I will keep the advice in mind," she said, pulling back. "I was planning to return the cup to the main tent this morning but I…" she paused, trying and failing to find a plausible explanation. "…had forgotten where it was," she finished quietly.

Luna gently lifted the teacup from Hermione's slackened grip and looped their arms instead. "You've been holding it too long," she said simply as she started walking them into the fog away from Hermione's tent. She felt immeasurably safer with Luna guiding her. "Friends are quite good at helping one another carry things."

"Thank you," Hermione murmured, unable to stop the few tears that fell as a teacup's weight was lifted from her.

Luna was still looking forward, steering them toward the large shadow of the main tent in a meandering stroll. "I was surprised to hear who was with you on your expedition," she said softly. "It must be very difficult for you to be around him after what his family did." Then, after a pause, "And how he treated you, too."

"I…" Hermione's voice faltered. She had processed and moved past all that had happened during the war. She had. She'd filed Malfoy under the label of 'childhood bully and absolute prat' and moved on with her life. Since signing on with the Ministry, she had been adamant about starting fresh—applying her know-it-all brain to a greater cause while surrounded by like-minded peers. This was decidedly not that.

"I don't really like to talk about it," she said instead, her voice sounding hollow.

"Yes, I understand," Luna replied, patting Hermione's arm gently. "Communication is ever so helpful, but it can be quite challenging to know how to start."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, well… yes." They walked in silence for a few moments before she could contain her question no longer. "Have you been able to? Talk, I mean. You and your father… you went through so much during that time."

"Oh yes," Luna smiled patiently. "For a while it was very difficult to share with anyone, even Daddy, who's known me my whole life." Hermione snorted lightly, but Luna continued unfazed. "Everything that had happened to me was festering inside, and my mind was so tied up that even the wrackspurts refused to spend time with me. Eventually I found myself at my mother's tree in the wood behind our house and I asked for her help.

"She didn't answer, of course," Luna said, glancing shrewdly at Hermione as though anticipating her friend's skepticism. "But even just reaching out—even to someone who hadn't been able to answer for most of my life—it brought me a bit of peace. I spent most of that summer with her tree, sometimes just sitting with her roots, sometimes talking about unrelated things, but little by little I started to share what happened. And it really felt like she was listening to me." Luna shook her head, smiling sadly. "I felt better. Not healed, but better. You deserve to feel better, Hermione."

"Thanks, Luna," she whispered. Blinking a few times, she cleared her throat. "So, what's the food situation like here?"

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

They had been sitting at the long table in the main tent, reconnecting over breakfast and tea (or toast and tea, in Hermione's case, as she didn't quite feel capable of stomaching anything richer) when she felt Luna's hand rest gently on her leg.

"Good morning, Draco," she said airily. Hermione tensed and raised her head. Malfoy had frozen upon entering the tent, whether from the unexpected appearance of his former classmate or the casual use of his given name Hermione couldn't tell, but he quickly collected himself and continued toward the serving station.

"Lovegood," he said politely, nodding slightly as he passed their table. "I'd heard we'd be running into you today."

At this, Hermione did meet his eyes, her brows furrowed. Had they said so during the meet and greet last night? Granted, she had been somewhat… removed from the situation at the time, but she would have thought she'd grasp onto the promise of seeing a dear friend soon and hold tight to the comfort the next day would bring.

Malfoy shrugged and turned to prepare a plate. "One of the guys mentioned it after you turned in," he said over his shoulder. She was grateful he didn't say more.

Breakfast and tea in hand, he sat down across from Luna. "So, Lovegood, how long have you been working with this team?"

"Oh, time isn't really something that fits into my perspective of things," she replied lightly. "I've been on this research assignment long enough to work smoothly with my colleagues, not so long that I've grown complacent, and not nearly long enough for me to feel that I've gotten everything I can from it, or given everything I can to it." She smiled dreamily over Malfoy's shoulder. "It really is a wonderful team."

He glanced uneasily behind him toward the entrance of the tent and Hermione suppressed another snort. No one was there, of course—Luna was just being Luna.

"Tell me about them," Hermione said, touching her friend's arm. "What are they like? We met Char yesterday…" She trailed off, suddenly unsure if she'd actually met anyone else the evening before. But Luna had jumped right in.

"Oh, Char is lovely. I've known her the longest. She's a wonderful team lead, don't you think?" Hermione had barely started nodding her agreement before Luna continued. "David is the oldest and oh, Hermione, you should see his hair. It's magnificent! You'll have met Christopher as well, he has the most beautiful handwriting. Then there's Jodie, she was in Hogwarts with us, I've never met anyone who thinks like her. And of course, Forrest. Imagine being named for trees!" That dreamy look was back, and Hermione couldn't help smiling at her friend. It was doing good things to her soul, listening to Luna describe a team of researchers in the least-academic way possible.

By that time, the rest of the team had started wandering into the main tent, bleary-eyed and seeking fuel. A man with sleek, thick auburn hair down to his waist waved to them.

"Mind if I steal you for a tick, Luna?" he asked.

Luna nodded pleasantly. "Excuse me for a moment," she said, and all but floated away from the table.

Hermione chanced a look at Malfoy, who was staring after Luna with a furrowed brow, his mouth slightly open.

"Well," she said lightly after a moment, and his eyes snapped to hers. "That'll be David, I'd wager."

Malfoy blinked, then let out a huff of laughter, shaking his head as he watched Luna move her hands fluidly around the man's head as he stood with his eyes closed. "I never knew her well in school," he admitted. "She's… was she always like that?"

Hermione chuckled. "Yes," she said simply.

He grunted and, with a shrug, turned to what was left of his breakfast. After a long pause, Hermione took a calming breath and said, "Thank you for representing us so strongly yesterday. It was good to know I could rely on you to take the lead when I was… that is, when I couldn't."

"Sure, Granger." He glanced up at her from his plate and reached for his tea. "Are you… how are you doing today?"

"Fine," she said quickly. "Better."

When she didn't expound any further, he simply nodded. "Good."

Hermione excused herself from the table soon after and walked back to their tent to pack up her rucksack for the day's excursion—whatever that may be. There was half an hour before everyone would gather in the main for the daily brief, and she intended to use that time to gather her inner strength for the unknown number of days ahead in the forest of her (very much recurring) nightmares.

She made her way toward the line of gear in the center of the tent, shuffling her things neatly to the other side of her sleeping bag so there was more room to maneuver. This would be the first time that they could leave their tent set up from day to day, and she just couldn't let herself come back to clutter. As she lifted her water bottle, she noticed a new message from her department head.

Good to hear. You'll stay 3 nights total with the team. Make it count!

One down, two to go, Hermione thought with a defeated sigh, then she grabbed what she needed and walked out of the tent to properly meet her new research partners.