January 1996
Hermione noticed the difference in Lilith's behaviour ever since she came back from Cave Hill. She was sure Lilith wasn't aware of her noticing it but she did. She was more on edge, more cautious, more jumpy than she had been before. The younger witch didn't know what happened at her meeting or who she was meeting with but it was clear it didn't go well. But for Lilith's sake, she kept silent about the change and pretended like everything was normal. And if she held her a little bit tighter at night or made sure to make some noise before entering the room to alert Lilith of her presence, her girlfriend didn't say anything. Lilith was secretive, she knew that, and if she pushed she risked her shutting down just like she almost did when Hermione asked her about her scars.
The scars were also off-limits. No matter how she tried, Hermione couldn't get an answer out of Lilith and it nearly blew up in her face the one time she pushed too far so she stopped and drew the line there. But it didn't stop Hermione from wondering. She had her theories, of course she did but she had no one to run them by. It frustrated her. She loved Lilith, she knew things about her most people didn't. But she knew there was a part of Lilith that she might never know. The only people who ever knew that part were Cedric and Fleur. Fleur. She felt a slight pang of jealousy when she thought about Fleur Delacour. She knew she was dating Bill Weasley and knew that she was Lilith's best friend but she couldn't help but feel inferior to her. She never voiced that feeling to Lilith though.
They were happy, well as happy as they could be, as they departed for Hogwarts. Once again, they had to abandon their little bubble and sneak around the castle to steal those precious moments of privacy. But it wasn't something they couldn't do, they've done it before. But with Umbridge lurking around they knew it'd be even harder. But Lilith kept her head high so Hermione did the same.
What she didn't expect was the news that waited for her once she opened the Daily Prophet on the second day of the term. Ten Death Eaters. Ten highly prolific criminals were now on the loose and the Ministry's only response was to blame Sirius. The only ones who seemed to take in the news were the teachers, her friends and as she looked across the Great Hall, Aveline and Sebastian who were huddled up together, clearly arguing about something with the Daily Prophet opened in front of them. Lilith was once again nowhere in sight. Her heart started to beat faster the second she spotted the name Antonin Dolohov and didn't stop as she read further through the report. The final nail in the imaginary coffin was the announcement of Broderick Bode's death. Someone wouldn't accidentally put a Devil's Snare in a pot and send it as a present. It was a murder. Clear as a day.
Hermione's thoughts ran a thousand miles per second. Something needed to be done. She looked at Harry and a thought came to mind. It'd be a great stretch but maybe, maybe it could work.
She sprung from the table, leaving her friends confused as she made her way out of the Great Hall. To her relief, she found the person she needed to speak with immediately. In fact, it looked like Lilith was looking for her because she was headed in Hermione's direction. It kind of confused the younger witch. They never openly socialized in Hogwarts, Lilith always avoided socialization with Harry in the open for some reason but now she was coming straight towards her, frowning as she clutched the strap of her bookbag.
"I need a favour." she said quickly without even sparing her a hello. Hermione frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, hello to you too Lilith." Lilith bit her lip.
"Sorry, hi." When Hermione gave her an appreciative nod she continued. "You still correspond with Krum, right?" Hermione blinked in surprise. It was no secret that they exchanged letters but Lilith never brought it up.
"As friends, yes. Why?"
"I need his address." Hermione stared at her as if she just publically asked her on a date.
"Excuse me, what?" Lilith sighed and adjusted her grip on the book bag.
"I need Krum's address."
"I heard you the first time. Why do you need Viktor's address?"
"I just need to contact him, it's urgent." Hermione held her gaze and Lilith's eyes softened a little. "Please." Hermione squinted at her, trying to decipher what was behind Lilith's intentions but instead of asking any further, she decided to use this to her advantage.
"Alright. But I need you to do something for me in exchange." Lilith raised her eyebrow, clearly taken aback by the suggestion but Hermione could see the corner of her lip tugging up a little bit meaning that she liked the situation.
"And what would that be, Miss Granger?" Hermione had to fight a smile that Lilith's playful tone managed to bring up.
"I need you to get me Rita Skeeter." Lilith blinked a couple of times.
"Excuse me, what?"
"I need Rita Skeeter."
"Why on Earth would you need Rita Skeeter?" she could see the confusion in Lilith's eyes.
"Why would you need to contact Viktor all of a sudden?" she could see that she won the exchange when Lilith sighed in defeat.
"All right, fair point. What do you need?" Hermione gave her a small smile.
"I don't need her now, I still have to get some things in order but I will need her soon. Could you take care of that?" Lilith looked around her, making sure the room was empty before taking Hermione's hand and kissing her knuckles. It was a simple gesture but it still made her blush like the first time Lilith did it.
"Anything for you, love." she smiled and let go of Hermione's hand. "And the address?" Hermione rolled her eyes before reaching into her bookbag, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill, scribbling down the address and giving it to Lilith.
"Thank you." she gave Hermione a quick peck on the cheek and departed just in time before other students started to pour out of the Great Hall. Hermione watched as her girlfriend disappeared behind the corner and bit her lip to fight another smile forming.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was about a week later when a letter arrived during the breakfast. When she saw Viktor's handwriting on the envelope, she frowned. It was rather unexpected for Viktor to respond so early. With his busy schedule, it usually took him two months to respond, not three weeks. Her frown deepened when she opened the letter.
Hello Hermione,
Merry belated Christmas and New Year to you too. I'm doing well, thank you for asking. My team is doing fine but with the weather, training keeps getting harder. Once I couldn't even find the snitch thanks to the snowfall. But otherwise, we're trying our hardest. The match in Poland is coming up soon so we are in high spirits.
My family is also doing fine. My little sister finally decided on her future career. She wants to be a healer. Says that she wants to make sure that I'm patched up properly if I fall off my broom. My mother and father are very proud, I am as well. How is your family doing? And preparation for your exams? The news you wrote to me about the new teacher is concerning so I hope at least your break was pleasant. However, I have to warn you.
I received a letter from Lilith Farrow, claiming to be your friend. I remember that she was friends with Diggory, and I know you wouldn't give her my address if you weren't on friendly terms so I helped her as I could. But I think you should steer clear of her. Anyone who's asking about Aleksey Fyodorov isn't good news. It's just my honest opinion.
I hope your next term is better than the last one. I'm looking forward to your next letter.
Viktor
Hermione stared at the letter. Who is the bloody hell was Aleksey Fyodorov? Her trance was interrupted by a murmur going around the Great Hall. As she looked up, she saw students exchanging hushed whispers and glances.
"What's going on?" she asked, confused by the sudden noise. Ron had to bite back a smirk before briefly gesturing and nudging his head towards the teacher's table.
"Look at Umbridge." Hermione had to search for a little while but when she saw it, her eyes widened in shock and she gaped at the sight. The pink woman sat there, pushing around the food with her spoon that she was clutching for dear life whilst her other hand covered the left side of her face. But her fingers were too small and stubby and couldn't cover everything. They could see it clear as a day. Three huge open gashes adorned the left side of her face, running from just under her eye, across her cheek towards her jawline.
"What the...?" she whispered and turned back to her friends who clearly enjoyed the show. "What happened?" Harry shrugged.
"Nobody knows."
"Maybe a stroll in Forbidden Forest gone wrong?" Ron joked before putting another piece of toast into his mouth.
"Or maybe she'll finally learn not to intercept other people's correspondence." Hermione's head turned swiftly towards the voice, seeing Aveline seated between the twins, a satisfied smirk resting on her face as she watched Umbridge. She looked between Aveline and the twins who tried to hide their cheeky smiles. Hermione knew those three were a piece of work but physically harming someone?
"It's your work?" she asked, feeling her mouth go dry. But Aveline sipped her pumpkin juice and shook her head. Fred and George followed suit. At least Hermione could breathe.
"I wish." her eyes bored into Hermione's as she raised her eyebrow. "Lilith beat me to it." Hermione's heart stopped for a second. She turned to look back at Umbridge and watched the gashes on her face that were still very red and very prominent. Lilith did that? How? She wanted to question Aveline more but Ron beat her to it.
"Your sister did that?" Avelinehummed in agreement and took another sip from her cup.
"Indirectly." Ron let out a small whistle.
"What a legend." Hermione smacked his shoulder.
"Ron!"
"What? She deserved that." Hermione shot him a look.
"It's called an assault!"
"And what would you call this, Granger?" Aveline jumped into the conversation, glaring at Hermione as she raised her right hand, the words I must trust authorities shining on the back of her hand, making Hermione gulp and look down at the plate in front of her.
"That's what I thought."
"So you agree with it?" Aveline shrugged.
"It's not like Lilith attacked her. Umbridge just should've minded her own business." Hermione frowned. She knew she needed to talk to Lilith. She knew that from the second she read through Viktor's letter but this was just another addition to her list of reasons.
That's why when no one was looking she pulled out the two-way notebook and scribbled down a quick note.
Astronomy Tower, 9 o'clock. I need to talk to you.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was a little over nine o'clock when Hermione heard the door creak behind her but she didn't turn around. The sky was clear and for the first time in months, she enjoyed the quiet and peace that the night brought, looking up at the constellations without the purpose of putting them down onto a parchment for Astronomy class. The familiar, warm tingle ran through her when she felt two arms sneaking around her waist and she shivered a little bit when Lilith planted a little kiss on the back of her neck.
"Beautiful night." she heard the raspy voice she loved.
"It is." Lilith leaned her head on her shoulder.
"You wanted to talk?"
"Yes."
"About what?" Hermione sighed, drawing small patterns on the back of Lilith's hand with her finger.
"How did Umbridge get those scars?" Lilith didn't seem too shocked about her question.
"She should've minded her own business." she responded nonchalantly and gave Hermione another brief kiss on the back of her neck. Hermione had hard time concentrating but somehow she managed.
"That's what Aveline said. Now I'm asking you. How did she get them?" Lilith was silent for a few moments before she laid her head back on her shoulder.
"Do you know why we use eagles as messengers instead of owls?"
"Enlighten me." Lilith let out a dry chuckle.
"Some of my family correspondence is time-sensitive and incredibly private. An eagle is very fast, yes, but he's also very proud and territorial. He'd fight with everything in him before he'd let someone take away what was rightfully theirs." Hermione frowned.
"She tried to catch Zeus?" Lilith chuckled.
"Bingo."
"That doesn't explain why Avy said you were involved." Lilith sighed.
"When I first heard about Umbridge's activities, those ruffled poor owls were very hard to overlook, I put a request for custom-made claw protectors for Zeus. Made from goblin's silver to be precise." Hermione's head snapped to the side to face Lilith, her eyes wide in surprise.
"Goblin's silver? But wounds caused by goblin's silver..."
"Don't heal. That's why I insisted on goblin's silver." Hermione turned in Lilith's arms, glaring at her.
"That's assault, Lilith!"
"No, that's protection of personal property. I was well within my rights to do that, and we both know I know the law by heart." Hermione couldn't argue with that. Lilith wouldn't do something if she didn't know the law was on her side.
"But still, you knew she would try to do that." Lilith hummed in agreement.
"I knew. But honestly, trying to capture an eagle? A messenger eagle? She might be the biggest fool I've ever met. And now everyone can see that she paid for it." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Has anyone ever told you you might be a little bit petty?" Lilith gave her a playful smirk.
"Once or twice."
"You're petty."
"That's the third time." Hermione tried to look stern but couldn't keep the facade when she saw the twinkle in Lilith's eyes. But she also had another thing she needed to talk about and for that, she needed Lilith as meek as possible. A little while ago she found out that Lilith got incredibly soft when she touched her scars, especially when her hands were warm. She could get almost anything out of Lilith when she did that. So without raising much suspicion, her hands slowly moved around Lilith's waist, slipping under her shirt. She knew the effect was instant when Lilith closed her eyes and almost melted when her hands started to stroke the raised skin on her back.
"Viktor wrote me." she started softly.
"Hmm?" Lilith almost purred at the contact.
"He told me to steer clear of you." Lilith chuckled.
"Too late for that."
"A little bit, yes." her hands carefully traced the lines, warming them with her fingers. "He told me you were asking about Aleksey Fyodorov." it almost like her words broke whatever spell Lilith was under because she felt her tense when she mentioned the name, her eyes snapped open, boring into Hermione. She could see a whirlwind of emotions in them. "Who is that, Lili?"
"He shouldn't have mentioned him to you."
"Well, the cat's out of the bag already. Who's Aleksey Fyodorov?" Lilith sighed and looked away from Hermione but the younger girl still continued to stroke her back which seemed to help her relax a little bit.
"He's a very dangerous man, Mione. A psychopath. He doesn't have particular goals, he just enjoys playing with people, with their minds, and their emotions, before he kills them. He might be the most dangerous man in the world." Hermione blinked in surprise at the revelation but frowned immediately.
"If he's so dangerous then why haven't I heard of him?"
"Because he didn't operate in Britain. Continental Europe, mostly. Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, you name it. That's why he got locked up in Nurmengard." Hermione's eyes widened.
"The prison where Grindelwald is being held?"
"The one and only." Hermione frowned, watching Lilith as she looked over the school grounds. She seemed almost unbothered, it was unsettling.
"So why ask Viktor about him when you know what you know?" Lilith sighed.
"Because I've read the Daily Prophet."
"What?"
"The report on the mass breakout. There were photos of the escaped Death Eaters and some from the crime scene."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Lilith chuckled humourlessly.
"Nothing. If you don't look closely at least." Hermione watched her. She could see Lilith was troubled by something but didn't know what exactly it was. "Aleksey... he's like a child. He wants everybody to know that whatever he did, it was his work. So he came up with a sign. A single Joker card. Whenever he'd done something, he left a Joker card behind. So imagine my surprise when I opened the Daily Prophet a week ago and I saw a single Joker card hanging between the stones that used to be Azkaban's wall. At first, I thought it was just my imagination because Aleksey's locked up. But I needed confirmation so that's why I wrote to Viktor. They both went to Durmstrang so I thought he might've heard something."
"And did he?" Lilith sighed.
"Oh, he did. Aleksey escaped four months ago. Vanished. And now he has a hand in the biggest mass breakout of this century, and nobody here even knows who he is. So you could say I'm a bit concerned."
"How do you know about him?" Lilith shrugged.
"He blew up a few of our businesses in Eastern and South Eastern Europe a few years back so my father gathered as much information as he could." Hermione tried to search in Lilith's eyes for a sign there was more but she couldn't find anything.
"Is that everything? Nothing more?" Lilith shook her head.
"That's everything."
"Do you swear?" Lilith gave her a playful smirk and rolled her eyes.
"I do." Hermione gave her a small smile.
"Good." she leaned in for a kiss that Lilith happily returned. What she didn't know, or didn't notice, was Lilith's hand disappearing into her robe's pocket, tightening around something hidden there. A single Joker card with six words written on it.
Knock, knock.
Did you miss me?"