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Hermione stood in the window, hands curled around a mug of tea as she watched her husband play in the garden with their children. She had needed some uninterrupted time to wrap the last few presents, and that wonderful man had promptly taken the children outside to build a snowman and memories. It was snowing lightly, the few flakes dancing lightly on the air as her children giggled and her husband laughed.
It had been snowing that day too. The day they had found them.
~*~*~*~*~ Hermione&Gideon ~*~*~*~*~
Harry, Ron and Hermione were captured by Antonin Dolohov and his band of snatchers. They had been stripped of their wands and apparated to a house in the middle of nowhere. Gnarled trees and jagged rocks the only clues to their location before they were roughly pushed inside.
One of the men joked about having some ‘fun’ before they turned them over to the Dark Lord. That had been the instigating factor for Harry and Ron. Harry had started throwing punches, ducking past their spells in the close quarters provided in the living room. Ron had gone for Hermione’s bag and pulled the Sword of Gryffindor, using it to impale one of the snatchers.
As he died, screaming in agony brought on by the basilisk venom. Hermione used their inattention to elbow her captor in the gut and retrieved their wands.
Wielding all three at once, she sent powerful stunners at two of the men, bringing them down. Harry was still keeping Dolohov occupied, and Hermione winced as the purple curse Dolohov had once hit her with whizzed past Harry’s ear, ruffling his hair.
She threw Ron his wand and together they sent curses in Dolohov’s direction. When he snarled and turned away from Harry, she threw his wand to him and together the three of them worked together to take down one of the Dark Lord’s most powerful Death Eaters. Hermione landed a stunner, but all it did was slow him down. Thankfully it was enough that Ron’s cutting hex landed, as did Harry’s Impediment Jinx. With his now sluggish movements, they were able to hit him with more stunners. Finally knocking him out.
“We need to… to get them out of here,” Ron panted.
“Any ideas?” Harry asked as he nudged one of the Snatchers beside him.
“I could create a portkey,” Hermione said after a moment, “we could dump them on the ministry?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Harry nodded.
Hermione began pulling books out of her bag, the one that detailed how to make portkeys was in there somewhere.
“Uh, Ron?” Harry said hesitantly.
“Yeah, mate?”
“You know that you kinda killed two guys?”
Ron started, and Hermione’s head jerked up. She looked to where Harry was kneeling over Dolohov, and then she noticed the pool of blood beneath him. Harry was bringing his hand back from checking Dolohov’s pulse point.
There was a heavy sound as Ron fell to his knees. He looked as though he’d been hit with the slug curse again as his face took on an ugly greenish shade.
Harry rushed to his side and quickly drew him outside, telling him he needed some air. Hermione swallowed around the lump in her throat as she took in the bodies before her. Ron had done what he’d had to, to save his friends. Now it was her turn to help him.
She had just found the book about portkeys when Harry walked back in, closing the door behind him.
“Is he alright?” Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head, “He will be though, I think he’s just in a bit of shock. What can I do to help?”
Hermione grabbed a glass off a nearby table and showed it to Harry, “Incarcerous spell? Tie them together, and I’ll charm this.”
Nodding, Harry set about moving their downed enemies, dragging them across the room to lay haphazardly across each other. Multiple incarcerous spells ensured they couldn’t move even an inch.
Hermione turned to the book. Luckily portkeys weren’t hard to make, though the knowledge was supposed to be restricted. She had been able to summon it along with the Horcrux books. Tapping the object and whispering ‘portus’ she levitated it over to the pile of bodies. As it fell onto the chest of one of the men, they vanished.
“Right,” Harry said matter-of-factly, “shall we get going?”
Hermione was about to nod when she glanced out the window. It was beginning to snow as an idea came to her.
“Harry… did they mention whose house this was?”
Harry scratched at the stubble beneath his chin, “yeah, I think one of them said it was Dolohov’s.”
“Dolohov’s dead,” she reminded him.
“Yeah? And?”
“This is his house… it’s starting to snow, and it’s pretty cold in that tent…”
Harry’s eyes went wide, “You want to stay here?”
“Why not?” she shot back, the idea solidifying with every passing thought. “I can cast the Fidelius Charm. We can make this our base of operations. I couldn’t do it at Grimmauld because it was already under one, but here....”
“And they never told us the address, so this one can’t be?” Harry surmised.
She nodded excitedly, “Exactly!”
Harry rubbed the back of his neck as he thought it over, “Well,” he said, “Why not?”
“I’ll start looking for the ward stone,” she said, a sense of determination and invigoration rolling through her.
“And I’ll go tell Ron.”
She nodded and sent a cleaning charm at the blood on the floor. It wouldn’t do for Ron to see it upon his return. She began to investigate the house, her wand out and scanning for where the warding stone would be, looking for masking magics. It drew her to a seemingly innocuous wall, and Hermione began to cast revealing spells. Her wand tapping away gently as she pried her way past the defences.
She could hear Harry and Ron murmuring in the kitchen, the banging of cups and the whistle of a kettle the giveaway to where they were when she finally had it. The wall ‘clicked’ and began to slide away, revealing a small, dank room.
And two men chained to the walls.
“HARRY! RON!”
Harry and Ron came running quickly, gasping at what she had found.
The three of them acted quickly. Harry and Ron unchained them and took them to the bathroom, cleaning them up as Hermione transfigured one of the spare beds into two singles. She moved next to the kitchen, and began preparing a thin stew with what she could find in the house — feeding it to them before allowing them to sleep.
She searched that room again, finding the ward stone this time and she quickly swore Harry to the Fidelis charm. Breathing a sigh of relief as the magic took hold. They were safe now, even in a Death Eater’s home.
They had found Ron back in the room with the two prisoners and he looked at them with wide, stunned eyes.
“I think… I think they’re my uncles.”
~*~*~*~*~ Hermione&Gideon ~*~*~*~*~
That had been ten years ago. Gideon and Fabien Prewett had recovered quickly once Hermione and Harry had snuck into Saint Mungo’s and stolen several potions to promote their healing. They had become an invaluable help to them. First, with their knowledge of spells and their help in building successful plans, and once their strength was back, they had two powerful, secret wizards on their side.
Hermione waved as Gideon looked toward the window, his gaze bright and his smile wide. His boyish curls fell on to his forehead as he turned to grab their youngest daughter by the waist. He hoisted her into the air so she giggled and clung to his strong arms. Their son, who seemed to have inherited the Prewitt disposition for cheekiness, threw a snowball at their eldest daughter and soon a playful snow fight had broken out.
Placing her mug on the windowsill, Hermione went to join them.
~*~*~*~*~ Hermione&Gideon ~*~*~*~*~
Having finished putting their children to bed, Hermione made her way to the living room. Gideon would have finished cleaning in the kitchen by now and this was their time to spend together before bed. She was surprised to see he was not in his usual place on the couch, but instead, he had set up the bay window with a multitude of cushions and throws. Their nightly cup of tea floating on a tray beside him.
He smiled as he saw her, and patted his thigh, inviting her to come and sit with him. She smiled softly back and made her way over, sliding into the space he made for her and leant back against his chest. His hands pulled the throw over their legs and his arms wrapped around her waist as he pressed a kiss behind her ear.
“Hello,” he said quietly.
She hummed and tipped her head back, offering her lips for a kiss. He immediately obliged her.
“Hello yourself,” she said as he pulled back.
“You’ve been thoughtful today,” he murmured.
She hummed in response, “Just thinking about how lucky I am,” she replied.
And she was. The war had ended rather swiftly, with minimal loss of life. Fabien and Gideon’s presence at Hogwarts had been hugely impactful, Fred would have died underneath piles of stone had Fabien not summoned him out of the way. Greyback would have killed lavender Brown had Gideon not shot silver through his heart. The brothers had saved countless others, and once the battle was over, Molly had cried with joy, and not sadness, as she reunited with her younger brothers.
Gideon had accompanied her to Australia to track down her parents, and they had been able to fully restore their memories thanks to his field of work. He was a Healer in St Mungos during Voldemort’s first reign of terror. He had specialised in the Janus Thickney ward. They had grown close over while on the run, and closer still as they travelled Australia. Hermione’s parents had led them on a merry chase as they took up the tradition of grey nomads.
They had brought a caravan and travelled the countryside. Forcing Hermione and Gideon to do the same. They couldn’t apparate the between the vast distances her parents crossed. The expected week of searching had changed to a four-month-long holiday, one which Hermione had revelled in — finally taking the time to relax and be at peace.
It did the world of good for Gideon too, and she had found sides of him that he had suppressed during the war. A playful, cheeky side, and one that charmed her very soul.
Upon their return home to England, Gideon had taken her in his arms and told her he wished their trip didn’t have to end. And when she smiled and told him she wished the same, he’d kissed her.
Two years later, they were married, and two years after that, Hermione had announced she was pregnant with their first child. She had made her way to the top of the Department of Regulation of Magical Creatures and changed it to the Department for Magical Beings.
They had lived a charmed life, Gideon had been accepted back to Saint Mungo’s and was now heading up the pediatric ward. Their friends and family were happy and content with their own lives, and Hermione could honestly say that her life was perfect.
She looked out the window, her husband followed her gaze to see a deer standing in the snow, looking toward them.
Gideon’s lips pressed against her ear as he whispered to her, “The Chinese believe that the deer is a symbol of luck, success, longevity and prosperity.”
Hermione smiled and tipped her head back to look at him, “I think that sums up our life quite perfectly.”
He hummed, smiling in agreement before capturing her lips with his again.
~ fin ~