AN- Hello all! its beenca while but im back with another update (And chapter 7 is half done! ) I hope you like this one, let me know what you think 3

Major Love to the very talented VinoAmore. Thank you for pushing me to be my best.

"It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business."

― Mahatma Gandhi

Hermione adjusted to life in the cabin much more comfortably than she anticipated. Her friendship with Reuben continued to grow, but what was more surprising was the comfortable companionship she found in Antonin.

That's what led her to sit cross-legged on the sofa facing him one Monday afternoon nearly two weeks after first arriving at the cottage.

"What do you mean you've never read The Tales of Beedle the Bard? It's a classic." Antonin raised an eyebrow.

"Well, children's stories weren't exactly on the reading list at Hogwarts," she adjusted in her seat and leaned on her elbow on the back of the sofa. "Besides, I was much too busy reading Hogwarts: A History for the tenth time."

He shook his head. "Well, please tell me you'll at least give your child a proper upbringing, and you'll read it to them. A magical child should be introduced to the tale of The Wizard and the Hopping Pot at a young age. It has a very important moral behind it."

She grinned at him, "And what would that be?"

"That, Kitten, depends on the version you read." Hermione whirled around to see Sirius leaning up against the wall by the stairs. "In the original version, the young wizard learns a lesson in using the magic he was gifted with to help his less fortunate neighbors." He turned to glare at Antonin, "though, I imagine Dolohov's parents read him the alternate baby Death Eater version."

"Watch yourself, Black." Antonin stood and moved across the room with determination, "I won't let you speak ill of my parents in the home they built. So I suggest you shut your mouth or leave."

Hermione followed close behind and put herself between the two men. "Hey, now, let's all get along, yeah?" She pulled Sirius into a hug, before leading him to sit down while choosing to ignore the low growl coming from Antonin. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me. How is everyone doing? Is there any news?"

"Things have been progressing. Now that we have Moony and Tonks with the resistance full time we have been able to start some more structured training. The manor is more than big enough for not only the old members but the new ones as well."

"New members?" she raised an eyebrow. "Who is recruiting? Do you know they can be trusted?"

"Well, as soon as they found out what really happened to me, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Fred, and George quickly made their choices clear about where they wanted to be. Ginny has been giving my brother a run for his money, too. He told me the other day he's never met a more headstrong witch" He threw his head back in laughter.

"What do you mean by what really happened to you?" she furrowed her brows.

The smile died on Sirius' face. "Dumbledore has been filling Harry's head with lies, Hermione. When he found out I was helping Reg, he told Harry that I was killed in a raid on an Order safe house."

"Oh, Siri-"

He held a hand up and continued to speak, "It gets worse. Dumbledore told him that it was you who killed me. Right now, we have Bill and Fleur still with the Order, and they're keeping a close eye on Harry, but Dumbledore has gotten paranoid. He rarely lets Harry out of his sight for very long,"

With a sharp intake of breath at the thought of Harry being manipulated in such a dreadful way, Hermione's hormones got the better of her. She averted her attention from Sirius to Antonin then back again. Sirius reached out and laced their fingers together as his eyes met her glistening gaze. "I assure you, Hermione, we are doing everything we can to get him, and everyone else who wants to leave the Order, out as quickly and safely as possible."

Hermione wiped a few stray tears from her eyes before leaning forward and throwing her arms around Sirius' neck. With her face buried in his shoulder, she wept. She wasn't sure how long he held her, but she was grateful for the contact and whispered words of comfort.

When she had calmed down and was back on the other end of the couch, he gave her a small smile as his eyes traveled to her noticeable bump. "Merlin Kitten, I didn't realize just how much you've progressed. You must be what 4 months now?"

Hermione grinned as she wiped away the last of her tears. "Right around there," she lifted her t-shirt enough to show her growing tummy and let her hand lovingly rest on it. "I only have two pairs of pants and a couple of shirts that still fit me." The sound of a throat clearing from across the room caused her to jump and lower her shirt.

"They may not be the most up to date styles, but you will find many clothes in the wardrobe in your bedroom. You are more than welcome to have and alter any of them you find."

Hermione caught the suspicious look Sirius gave Antonin but she paid it no attention as a warm smile spread across her lips. "Thank you, Antonin. Are you sure? I wouldn't want to ruin anything."

He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I believe Yax has removed all of my sister's belongings he wished to keep." He was silent for a moment before the weight of Sirius' stare got to him. Antonin mumbled something about looking for Yaxley and made his way up the stairs.

"So, things appear to be going well then?"

Hermione turned back to face Sirius, "Huh? Oh, you mean with them? Yes, it hasn't been as bad as I originally thought. Reuben has actually been quite a good friend. He's very knowledgeable about pregnancy, which has saved me from panicking a couple of times."

"And Dolohov?" he pressed. "He's not tried to hurt or scare you, right?"

She shook her head, "No, we had a rocky start, and we are far from friends, but maybe we aren't enemies either?"

Sirius nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. I'd hate to have to hurt him."

"No, you wouldn't," Hermione laughed.

A grin spread across his face as well, "yeah, I wouldn't."

"So, is there an estimated timeframe for me being here? Regulus didn't really give me much information before."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Hermione, we really aren't sure. We haven't made much headway on how to take Dumbledore down. I'm convinced that if we can get to Harry, the rest of the Order will crumble around him, but that's proving to be difficult. Plus, when we've dealt with the Order, there will also be Voldemort to deal with. I'm sorry to say this will be your home for the foreseeable future."

Hermione could feel her anxiety bubble up in her chest. She looked at him through tear-filled eyes, "I don't want to have my baby here, Sirius. I don't want to be alone when it happens. Being here with them is all well and good in general, but please don't make me give birth here."

Sirius closed the distance between them and once again wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her hair before laying his cheek against the top of her head. "I'll try, Kitten. Merlin knows I'll try."

Any further conversation was halted when the image of a silver wolf appeared in front of them. "Cousin, you are needed back at headquarters. Reg is calling for a meeting."

"Well, it sounds like they need you," Hermione brushed away another tear.

Sirius leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back soon. I promise. Keep your chin up, Kitten."

And with that, Sirius made his way upstairs to find Dotty.

Later that night, after Hermione had retired to her room for the evening, she decided to take Antonin up on his offer and started sorting through some of the clothes in the wardrobe. Soon, she had two piles of clothes lying across her bed.

One pile was full of some of the most well-tailored gowns and formal robes she had ever seen. One gown in particular, a deep green satin dress that cinched at the waist before flowing down into a nearly full ball gown bottom, caught her eye, and she couldn't help but wonder about the witch who had first owned it.

The second, more substantial, pile of clothes was full of casual items. Hermione carefully selected a few things that she felt would either fit her or would require little altering. She was most surprised to find two pairs of well-worn sweatpants hidden behind the rest of the clothes. She also set aside several large warm sweaters.

Holding one of the sweaters to her nose, she breathed in deeply. She sighed at the almost familiar scent. Hermione was reminded of when her mother would pull their winter clothes out of storage at the end of summer.

Happy with her finds Hermione put everything back in the wardrobe, making sure her new clothes were front and center. Just as she was about to close the wardrobe doors, a gold box in the back caught her eye. "Accio box," she said just above a whisper, and a moment later, she sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at a box that was filled to the brim with pictures.

Hermione bit her lip for a moment and looked to the doorway before pulling the first stack from the box.

The first picture to catch her eye was one of a young boy in Ravenclaw robes that appeared to be too large on his slight frame. She laughed as the image looped, as she watched him struggle to roll the sleeves up past his hands.

Making her way through the photographs, she watched as this young boy and his sister grew up. There were pictures of everything from the girl toddling around to her wedding and the first few years of her own daughter's life, and somewhere in almost every photo was the boy with a smile on his face.

A young and carefree Antonin is something Hermione had a hard time reconciling with. So contradictory to the image of him she kept in her mind. There was one picture in particular that she found it hard to believe that he was the same man that sat across from her at the kitchen table every morning.

He appeared to be no older than 21 and was in the back garden of this cottage. He was using an ax to chop wood. His shirt was hanging open, and each time he brought the ax down, she could see the ripple and tightening in his forearms and biceps. With a shaky breath she fanned herself with another photo before setting that picture on the nightstand beside her.

When she finished going through the pictures, she noticed there were also many letters in the box. Each written on pink parchment and folded neatly. She picked a small stack of them up, but feeling guilty about already having gone through Antonin's personal items, she put them back in the box on top of the pictures and set the box next to her bed.

The sound of her bedroom door being thrown open caused Hermione to shoot up in bed. In the doorway stood a very disheveled Antonin Dolohov, wand stretched out in front of him. He only lowered his hand after taking a moment to survey the room and realize there was no immediate danger.

"Nightmare?" he tilted his head.

"Um, yeah." Hermione bit her lip. "I hadn't had one in a while, but with all the changes and the hormones…" she sighed. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged. "I've had my fair share of nightmares. I usually chase them with whiskey. Though, in your condition, I dare say that's not an option." He thought a moment, "would you like a glass of warm milk?"

She looked at him cautiously. "That would be lovely. Thank you."

As soon as he left the room, Reuben was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Though it wasn't actually a nightmare, thinking of the bizarre dream sent a shiver down Hermione's spine. "No, thank you. It wasn't much of a nightmare, just a very… jarring dream."

He nodded, "Lilya used to be woken up by very, uh, vivid dreams. Now I'm no expert, but clearly, neither is Antonin; that being said, I wouldn't describe the sound that came from your room as a scream."

Her face flushed a deep shade of red.

Any further interrogation from him was interrupted when Antonin returned with a mug. He eyed Reuben curiously, but silently gave Hermione the cup and left the room.

When they were once again alone, Reuben turned back to her, "Was your dream about him?" He gestured toward the doorway.

"No, what would make you think that!" Her voice was higher than she intended, bringing a smile to Reuben's face.

He gestured to where the picture of Antonin cutting wood sat on the nightstand. "Perhaps you were having a dream about a handsome Russian woodsman?" He winked at her.

"Shit," she whispered under her breath. Her eyes widened when he laughed, realizing she'd been caught.

"And here I was hoping English bureaucrats were more your type," he winked at her again and chuckled. "Well, I'm heading back to bed, and I recommend you do the same. Though, should your intrusive thoughts become too much, I'm sure he'd be all too happy to help you out."

He walked toward the door, only to stop and smile at the crimson that stained her cheeks. "Good Night, darling. See you tomorrow."

A light knock on her door awoke Hermione the next morning. She sat up and adjusted where her shirt had fallen in her sleep. "Come in," she called.

The door opened, and Antonin nervously walked in. "Good Afternoon, Miss Granger. You hadn't come downstairs yet, and we, uh Reuben, was worried about you."

His eyes darted around the room before finally settling on the golden box. He cleared his throat, "Hermione" His voice was low and had an edge to it. "Did you go through that box?" When he raised his eyes to her, he was glaring.

"Oh, yes. I'm Sorr-"

"That's completely unacceptable," he cut her off, and his voice was rising by the second. "What gives you the right? I let you in my house and provide for you and ask nothing in return, and you repay me by invading my privacy?!"

"I didn't-" She tried again, only to be cut off again.

"-but what else should I expect from someone like you?" With a look of disgust, he shook his head "I knew I should have never agreed to this."

Hermione pushed aside the sting of his words as she stood up and rushed to stand toe to toe with Antonin. "Don't sit here and act like you opened your home out of the goodness of your heart, Dolohov. You didn't let me come here because you felt bad for me, or because it was the right thing to do. I'm here because it's what Regulus wanted, and you only joined him to save your arse from the monster you helped to put in power."

He leaned in closer to her and was now dangerously quiet, "You have no idea what you're talking about, Miss Granger. So I suggest you stop making ignorant assumptions"

"Or what? You'll kill me? You've tried twice already, and yet somehow, I'm still here. So, go ahead Dolohov give it a try again. If you fail, I'll kill you or the resistance will."

"Woah, ok." Reuben came into the room and pushed Antonin back so that he could put himself between the two of them. "Let's both cool down, yeah? Antonin, why don't you take a walk? Hermione, maybe you should go get dressed for the day?"

"Whatever." Antonin shook his head and turned to leave the room. A few moments later, the front door was slammed.

Reuben turned to Hermione. "Are you ok? Did he scare you?" When he noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks he pulled her into his arms and began to gently rub her back. "Shhh. It's ok, Hermione. It's ok."

When Antonin returned hours later, it was to find Hermione lounging on the sofa, having an animated conversation with Reuben. He had no sooner walked in the door than she promptly stopped laughing and excused herself, quietly telling Reuben she wasn't feeling well and was going to lay down.

"You went against my direct orders, Weasley."

The witch narrowed her eyes at the man across the table. "Well, Black, That's because your direct orders were stupid. I told you I could successfully infiltrate the Order safe house and get the information from Bill, but you underestimated me. Again."

Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ginny, I didn't think you weren't capable. I didn't want you to be put in danger needlessly. Yes, we needed to know who from the Order Bill has spoken with, but that information could have waited until we had a more concise plan. I hate to think about what would have happened if you'd been seen, or worse, taken captive."

Her eyes softened, and she reached out and took his hand in hers. "I'm safe, Regulus, Nothing bad happened, and I got the information you needed, and more importantly," she took a deep breath. "I found out my father is one of the people who are defecting. I have been so worried about him."

He raised his other hand and pushed her hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her cheek, "I know you were, and I suppose I should be thanking you." He chuckled, "I sometimes forget this war is all of ours, and other people want to fight it too."

Regulus leaned in closer.

"Ahem. I trust I'm not interrupting anything?" Fred grinned from the doorway.

Regulus jumped back, and Ginny glared at her brother.

"No, uh, Ginny was just debriefing me on her latest mission."

George pushed passed Fred into the room, "Sounds to me like some debriefing was about to happen." He winked at Ginny and dodged out of the way when she sent a hex flying toward him. "Anyway, we are just here to let you know Remus wants to get everyone downstairs for a meeting."

"Meeting?" Regulus raised an eyebrow, "a meeting for what?"

The twins both suddenly looked solemn and looked at each other. George was the first to speak up. "He just received a letter. It was from Harry."