Hunter and Prey

She woke clear-headed at dawn with a throbbing face and a sore knee. Hermione got out of bed, heading to the bathroom. It was as big as her living room. Everything was ivory even the porcelain. She felt as though she should dress up to wash her hands. The mirror simpered at her as she inspected the bruise on her face. That would not be a good look for the party, she smirked and winced.

Hermione investigated her mouth. No broken teeth but there were several lacerations and a lot of swelling. Next time she was going to dream of silver hand grenades. She mended the damage then messed about with her hair as she considered what she had learned.

Unfortunately there was nothing she could pin down as unknown to her. The dream connection could be her subconscious providing answers. She would have to go back again as little as she liked the idea. Hermione was less revolted than she had anticipated at discovering she had a remnant of the werewolf in her. Of course, she already knew she did. She had only to look down.

They were quite active this morning. They still had room to roll around. She was not out of the woods yet. She was due the second week in December but multiples rarely went full term. Thirty four weeks was about the average, which took her to around Halloween. Hermione had a superstitious feeling about that. She had conceived on the equinox. Chances were she would birth on Samhain.

Well, it was unlikely she would have to worry about her children being Squibs. Lovely. Fabulous. Manic optimism was evidently the strategy for today. Hermione gave up trying to make her hair behave. She brushed it and left it to do its own thing. A subtle cosmetic charm to bring out her glow but no perfume as the garden was full of flowers. The Malfoys never threw anything out so she borrowed a wafty blue gown to avoid looking like a poor relation.

Draco gave her a briefing on etiquette. They greeted guests as a couple, smiling and making small talk as the pavilions filled with people. Hermione recognised many from Hogwarts. A surprising number of them did not recognise her. The questions rained but she lied like a trooper. Malfoy was born to this, mingling effortlessly. After the fourth conversation on the theme of ‘my god, you’re huge and no ring’ she ducked out into the owlery for a break.

A couple of replies had come in, including one from Harry. Hermione made a note to tell him the Selwynns were back in the country. The elder Selwynn was wanted for questioning and had wisely not shown his face at the party. But if his heirs were slinking back he might have crawled home too like the cockroach he was.

Molly had given her the telephone number of her second cousin. She must be feeling guilty as the tone of her letter was quite pleasant. Hermione shook her head. Ron had also answered. She had just finished reading the sender’s details on the back of the envelope when a broad hand plucked it from her grasp.

“Naughty little witch, getting letters from lovers.” Marcus Flint held the letter out of her reach and leered affably at her. A bludger to the face had forced him to correct his teeth but he looked even more like a troll than he had at school. Ron had complained endlessly about his tactics but he had taken Falmouth to the Championship last year.

“Can we fast forward this, Flint?” Hermione glared at him. She was not in the mood for teasing. “Wink, wink, ogle, you say ‘I likes a girl with spirit’ and I knee you in the nadgers.” She gestured at the envelope but did not try to grab for it. “Kindly give me my letter back. It is none of your business.”

“That’s where you are wrong, love.” He grinned. “You are carrying on shamelessly with a friend of mine. I have every right to be interested in whether you are doing him a bad turn.” He pawed her over with his eyes, leaning forward to look down her cleavage. Hermione slapped him across the face hard enough to leave a mark.

“You lying ratbag. You are no friend to Draco.” She protested on Malfoy’s behalf but she hit Flint because of what he had done to Ginny and for daring to slime her with his gaze. He just laughed, dropped the letter into her hands then sauntered out of the owlery. Inbreeding at its daftest, Hermione observed to herself, wondering what that had been all about.

Ron was also wearing the Stupid Hat today. After a page of barely legible rant over her sending him a Malfoy owl, he finally answered her question. He did have a spare key to her house as it was still technically his house too. Cue further rant. Finally, at the end of the letter she got the meat and potatoes. When he had shown up to apologise and interrupt Greyback’s visit, the key had not worked. He accused her of changing the locks. She had looked into that but her lawyer had advised against it until the divorce was settled.

Hermione did not know whether the Department wards on her house would shut her in if the werewolf visited but Ron’s inability to get the door open suggested they would. The fact her ex-husband had not been Stunned unconscious by the wards she had personally set against him was also interesting. Circumstantial evidence abounded but she wanted solid proof before she nailed the guilty to the wall.

She had told Harry her suspicions and he had agreed to quietly convey a sample of Fenrir Greyback’s alleged corpse to Professor Snape, where he could run a few tests outside Ministry oversight. That was the reason why she had sent an owl to Minister Shacklebolt’s home not his office and had marked the letter with an Order of the Phoenix sigil. Assuming Ryan was working alone was a mistake Hermione did not intend to repeat.