Hunter and Prey

Elinor was fussing and unhappy when Hermione lifted her out of the cot. They had another brief shower together. The little girl trying to catch the water droplets made her laugh, sustaining her through a visit to the master bedroom. She’d left a pile of baby’s clothes there and she quickly dressed Elinor extra warmly. Her own choice of clothes was similarly speedy but deliberate.

She was sore enough that she had to wear knickers, whatever her scruples. Hermione borrowed a pair of Elinor’s father’s boxers and his smallest pair of jeans. Tight on the hips, loose on the waist but she fixed that with a belt. One of Elinor’s mother’s singlets just managed to fit. She would have picked a t-shirt but Fenrir wanted to see the marks he’d made on her. That would provide her with reasonable cover even if the singlet didn’t.

Two football jerseys, one inside the other, got tied around her waist. Hermione planned to wear one and use the other as a sling to carry Elinor. She wanted a hand free when she had to run. Lastly, a pair of light cotton socks then ballet flats then a pair of thick fleecy socks to disguise the fact she was wearing shoes. A felt tipped laundry pen, twenty pounds from under a paperweight and a couple of handkerchiefs filled her pockets.

There were all sorts of other things she would like to take but if she looked like she was going to run, Fenrir would get violent. If she was lucky, he was asleep. If not, her plan was to feed Elinor and surreptitiously remove the louvers in the pantry window under the guise of making lunch. A half-hour head start, that’s what she needed, if the house was as isolated as it seemed. Rolling fields and copses of trees, one laneway and a barn were all she could see from the windows.

Hermione hastily checked under the bed. She had tidied the room but hadn’t found any wallets, mobile phones or keys. No computers either. Unless Elinor’s parents were Luddites or had been carrying their gadgets on them, there had to be some fragment of technology in the house. She found a lot of dust, a folded up exercise machine, half a dozen odd socks and a small silver oblong that proved to be a mobile phone and not the marital aid she had feared.

It had one red bar for charge and no bars for reception. That wasn’t surprising. Her team carried phones but telecommunications had yet to blanket Cumbria. Strong magical auras interfered with electronic devices. Some wizards said magic and technology were incompatible but they were incorrect. With proper shielding, as Hermione had demonstrated, the two could function quite well together.

Hermione tried to call Basingly just in case. She got no response so she quickly composed a SMS, hence the joke about her Department’s initials, then stored it in memory. As soon as she got the hint of reception, she’d send the message. With the felt tip pen, she wrote the same message on Elinor’s bed sheet then partially covered it with the blanket. Not obvious but a policeman would notice, she hoped.

The phone told her it was Saturday. It was quite possible no one would notice Elinor’s parents missing until Monday and not become alarmed until several days after that. Hermione turned the mobile to mute then turned it off to conserve its charge. Picking up the little girl, she walked quietly downstairs. Quiet, not stealthy. Werewolves had an instinct for sneaky. Centuries of being hunted had made them paranoid.

Fenrir was snoring. Hermione nearly cheered. She slipped into the kitchen and glanced at the backdoor. He had been outside then returned inside. He had not had the keys on him, she would have noticed. She doubted he would have hidden them anywhere uncomfortable. Crossing her fingers, the witch tried the straightforward option of just opening the door. The knob turned. Her heart thudded.

If he suddenly roused, she was just getting fresh carrots from the veggie patch. It was a feeble lie but she would make it work. The door opened without a creak. Hermione glanced back. Fenrir was just visible though the open door into the sitting room. Still snoring. She stepped outside, walked slowly towards the gate for as long as her nerve held then bolted.

She was free!