She had settled her bill the day before so they didn't have to stop on the way out. Harry chucked the keys on the bar and a few steps later they were on the street, heading towards the neighboring town.
He kept hold of her hand while they walked even though they were both silent. When the village was mostly out of sight, she realized with a start this was where she had been attacked.
"Oh," she said with a startled gasp and Harry whipped his head towards her, wand out.
"What is it?" he asked tensely.
"Sorry, it's just this is where it happened. The other night," she clarified, scanning the trees to see if there was any evidence of the short battle.
"Show me," he said tersely and dropped her hand, bringing his wand around and casting what she could only assume were some sort of detection spells.
"Well, it's hard to tell really. It was dark, and it was hard to see. And then there was that pesky fighting for my life thing," she snapped, still irritated with him from earlier and then there was the whole holding her hand incident and she was understandably on edge.
He didn't rise to the bait and she fought the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him.
She walked a few more yards down the road and then called out, "Here. There are spell marks on these trees, and the ground's disturbed. I think this is where I fell." She tried to sound as detached and unaffected as she could, but the longer she stood there, the more she remembered how frightened she had been that night and she wrapped her arms around herself tight.
His hand brushed over her back as he came up behind her and she was glad she wasn't alone this time.
After a few minutes he turned back to her. "There was certainly a battle here. Multiple spells. Too many actually. It's hard to work out which ones are yours and which ones are theirs."
"I'm guessing mine won't include any unforgivable," and he inclined his head in her direction as acknowledgement. She had thought she had seen one green spell miss her by a few feet but she didn't want to bring it up. The look on his face told her he knew anyways.
"Any way to tell who it was?" she asked
"Not really. Too much of a mess and I'm not really familiar with the...well, let's just say it's been a long time since I've been around here."
"I wonder if he's been to the town. It's the closest wizarding village in over two hundred miles."
"I asked around some yesterday. No one's noticed anyone new besides you."
She looked at him in surprise. "I never thought they even noticed me."
"Post master said you come in once a year, midsummer." He left the statement open ended, expecting her to fill in the blanks for him.
"Yeah. I did." She almost thought about leaving it at that. "I'd send a note to Hagrid on your birthday to ask if he'd heard from you. He never had."
He was quiet again. "No, he wouldn't. When I left you that day I never returned. Haven't been back to England until yesterday."
While she was still processing what he said, he was making his way down the road.
She jogged a bit to catch up with him and he didn't say anything else until they entered the next town.
"The bus won't arrive for almost an hour," she said, looking at the sign.
"How about we get something to eat while we wait," he suggested, and she pointed to a little coffee shop she had been to before.
Two cups of espresso and a couple of croissants later they were still sitting silently at a small table under a red awning.
"Is this how it's going to be?" she asked suddenly.
His eyes shot to hers. "How do you mean?" he asked even though he knew exactly what she meant.
"Is it going to be awkward and weird between us? I don't want that," she answered honestly.
"It doesn't have to be," he replied and slid his hand over hers, squeezing it gently.
"That's good. That's very good," and she gave him a small smile.
Just then the bus pulled in and they made their way over. It was only the two of them and a man waiting to board. It didn't escape her notice that Harry maneuvered her in front of his chest and kept a hand low on her back, while still managing to not let the stranger out of his sight.
There were plenty of open seats and Harry directed her to a grouping in the back that was mostly empty. The man who got on with them sat closer to the front and struck up a familiar conversation with someone who had already been on the bus. Their accents were definitely local and she didn't think there was any way the man could be suspicious.
Once the bus started she leaned in close to Harry and waited for him to tilt his head down towards her. "Could we stop by my flat? There are things I should get. Arrangements I should make."
She saw a muscle ticking in his jaw and she knew he didn't like the idea. "Ten minutes. That's all I'll need. I promise. And my flat is close to the bus stop."
"Ten minutes," he conceded, although she could tell he was not thrilled with the idea.
The walk to her building was tense. Harry was constantly scanning their surroundings and she could tell he was nervous about being there, and that he wasn't used to feeling nervous.
From the end of the hall she could see that there were several notes stuck to her door, most likely from Sarah. Harry moved himself in front of her and had his wand out as he approached.
He cast the same detection spells he had in the woods and when he was finished brought her wards down with little effort, much to her chagrin.
"No one else has been here. Not since you left," he confirmed. "You've got ten minutes," and then he moved to look out the windows.
She considered giving him a piece of her mind but realized it would cut into her `ten minutes'. She stalked back to her bedroom and brought down a decent sized duffel bag from the top of her closet. A few more changes of clothes and her shrunken down trunk were the only things she really wanted. Everything else would keep until she came back.
In the living room Harry was still moving from window to window keeping an eye out. He didn't even turn her way when she entered the room.
Her laptop was where she left it and as soon as it booted up she sent apologetic emails to her department head and the chair of her dissertation committee, telling them she had an unexpected family emergency back in England and she would contact them later about rescheduling her defense, even if it meant her graduation would be postponed.
She dashed a quick note off to Sarah and turned to Harry with two minutes to spare. "Ha!" she said with a flourish. "Didn't even need the full ten minutes."
He didn't smile at her though, barely even spared her a glance.
"When does the next bus come?" he said tersely
"Half past. What's wrong?"
"I don't know. Just have a weird feeling," he said while staring out at the street below. "You ready?" he asked, finally giving her a look. "What's with the bag?" gesturing at her normal sized duffel.
"I thought it might look weird for two people to be traveling so much without any luggage. Thought we were supposed to be flying under the radar."
"Of course. Good idea," he replied, clearly annoyed that he hadn't had that thought himself. "So let's get going. If we get a car soon we could be in Calais tonight in time to get the last train to London."
They were halfway to the stop when she had the feeling again, that prickle on the back of her neck. "Harry," she said low "I think we're being watched," but she didn't break her stride or turn around as much as she wanted to.
"I know. Just keep walking." His left hand was on the small of her back again, and she could see him reach into his jacket with his right and leave it there, no doubt holding his wand.
She clutched the strap to the bag tighter and fought the urge to run. The stop was only a short distance away now and she could hear the bus coming up the street, not that the bus was guaranteed safety, but she knew she would feel better once she was on it.
They were the only ones waiting this time and Harry was crowded behind her, forcing her up the steps almost as soon as the doors opened. They chose a seat towards the back again, Harry at the window which he looked intently out of until the campus was out of sight.
She let her head fall back with a sigh and let her eyes fall shut, feeling her heartbeat begin to return to normal. Harry's hand covered hers where it rested on her thigh and gave it a squeeze.
"How long until you think we can get a car?" he asks and she knows he's trying to get her mind off of what had just happened.
"The nearest decent sized city is maybe sixty miles from here. We've probably got almost two hours by bus." That muscle in his jaw ticked again, he didn't want to spend that long in one place, especially one where they were sitting ducks.
"How'd you know something was wrong?" he asked after a long bout of silence.
"I had that feeling again," she admitted
"The pain?"
"No, that... I don't know how to describe it. It's just sort of this awareness I guess. That I'm being watched or that someone magical is there. I got it when you were in my room yesterday as well."
"And you've never felt that before?"
"Other than the past week? No. Never." She thought for a bit and then continued, "And I think it's fair to say that the feeling wasn't as strong this time."
He didn't respond.
"What do you think it means?" she asks, slight edge to her voice as she wasn't enjoying this taciturn and tight lipped Harry sitting next to her.
"Not sure."
"Don't lie to me Harry. I said I would try to not fight you, but you said you would tell me what was going on. So tell me!" The last part was spoken in a harsh whisper and a woman a few rows before them shifted in her seat slightly.
Harry turned his head so only she could hear him and his voice was deadly calm when he spoke. "I'm telling you what I know. But you need to keep your voice down, unless you'd like to make yourself even more of a walking target than you already are."
Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, partly due to shame for being petulant and being called on it, and partly because she didn't think she particularly liked `Auror Harry' and she just wanted her friend back.
He must have seen her struggle for control or recognized he had been a bit harsh because he was lifting his arm to wrap around her shoulders and pulling her towards him. "Come here. I'm sorry. I just need you to be safe. Why don't you try and rest until we get there."
She hesitated at first, but she hadn't had decent sleep in so long the invitation was too good to resist.
She let her head rest on his chest and laid her left hand across his middle, feeling where his wand sat in a holster under his jacket. His hand ghosted across her hair and between the lulling of the bus and the stress catching up with her, she was asleep sooner than she expected.
The next thing she knew he was shaking her slightly and whispering her name. She lifted her head and blinked owlishly before looking out the window and seeing that they were now in a much more populated area. Cars whizzed by, bicyclists careened around corners, and the sidewalks were busy.
She sat up all the way and rubbed self consciously at her cheek, wondering if she had any marks on it. She gave him a slight smile "Thanks. You make a good pillow." She had been going for light and funny, but the second the words were out of her mouth she wished she could take them back as she had a flash of memory to the night in the tent where she had also used him as pillow, just one with much less clothing on.
He must have had the same thought because he cleared his throat roughly and turned to look out the window, refusing to look at her.
She shut her eyes tight and took a deep breath. She finger combed her hair as best she could and straightened her clothes. When she was done, Harry seemed to be over it.
When the bus finally stopped they stepped into the aisle and Harry once again maneuvered himself in front of her, reaching a hand behind him in clear invitation for her to take it.
She didn't even bother to roll her eyes to herself this time and merely slipped her hand into his, not able to suppress the little thrill that shot through her when his thumb stroked once as a silent thank you.
Hermione stopped and asked the driver where they could get a car before they exited, and thanked the man when he told her of a place not too far from where they were.
Once they were on the street Harry pulled her in close to his side and hurried them away from the crowd as quickly as possible. She translated where they were heading and was glad to see that after a couple of turns the crowd thinned out and it was easier to see who was around them.
However, the one drawback to there being fewer people around was that it made it easier for whoever was following her to attack. They learned that the hard way.
The building they wanted was in sight and she could feel some of the tension ease out of Harry's shoulders. Just as they were about to cross the street, a bike messenger came flying around the corner and narrowly missed her. Only Harry jerking her out of the way kept her from being run over. It also kept her from being hit by the spell that went by right where she had been standing.
They didn't say a word, they just ran. Harry headed to the left and she followed him, wands out.
The corner of a brick building provided adequate cover and he pressed her back with a hand across her middle until she pushed it off. Harry peeked around the corner, but there was no one there. No bike messenger, no pedestrian. Nothing.
"Get to the shop. I'll cover you," he said, voice strained, and she knew better than to argue with him.
"Now," he said and she darted across the street, not daring to look back.
As soon as she was inside, she tried to calm herself down quickly so they didn't look out of place. A few seconds later the door opened and Harry entered, looking like absolutely nothing was wrong. The only tell she could detect was when he grabbed her hand and held it harder than usual. His eyes asked if she was alright and she gave him a smile and a nod to reassure him, but she could tell he was vibrating with tension and just wanted to get out of there.
They made their way to the counter and the oblivious clerk. She handled the transaction since she spoke the best French. When it came time to pay she hesitated. She may have a fake passport, but her credit card was not in the same name and she knew she didn't have enough cash on her to pay the full amount. Just as the feeling of panic began to set in Harry reached around her and laid more than enough bills on the counter to cover the car.
"There's enough there to make sure no one follows us," he whispers in her ear, with a smile for the clerk, making it seem like he was telling her intimate things for her only.
She couldn't suppress the shiver that went through her and she covered it by giving a fake little giggle.
She turned back to the clerk and separated out the extra money, making sure he noticed it and then concocted a story about how a jealous ex of hers had spotted them in the next town, followed them here, and they just wanted some peace so would he be so kind as to not mention that they were here renting a car if anyone came looking for them? She made her eyes as wide and innocent as possible and bit her lower lip in pretend distress and the poor man didn't know what hit him. He assured them no one would know they were there and she couldn't stop herself from leaning across the counter to buss the blushing man on both cheeks.
"Merci," Harry said cheerfully before grabbing the keys and paperwork. "Coming dear?" he asked innocently before they headed out a side door where the cars were kept.
Their car was a dark sedan. Harry had asked her to get something with some power, and the newer Mercedes they walked up to would hopefully do the trick. A button on the key fob opened the trunk and she tossed their bag in.
Harry already had the car started and a map out when she got in the passenger's seat.
"Know where we're going?" she asked with a slightly teasing tone.
He studied the map carefully and then turned to her. "Yeah, should be about four hours. If we don't make too many stops we could get there before the last train leaves. I don't like the idea of having to stay over another night." He handed her the map. "Want to be my navigator?"
"Telling you what to do and where to go? I think I have some experience in this area," she said with a grin and took the map from him.
"Forget I said anything," he threw back, and she was glad to see he'd relaxed some, although she caught him looking out the rearview mirror quite a bit until they were out of the city.
But as the miles ticked by she could see him begin to get anxious again. The hand on the steering wheel tightened and the set of his jaw was harder. She knew he was thinking about their surprise attack.
"Any idea who it could be?" she finally asked, breaking the silence
"No clue. Don't have enough information to even begin to guess."
The hand that wasn't on the wheel began to drum incessantly on the steering column and she looked at him worriedly. Then suddenly that hand formed a fist and he banged it down once in frustration on the dash. "Damn!" he cursed harshly and she jumped at his outburst.
He rubbed a tired hand across his forehead before sending her an apologetic glance. "I never asked any questions about Ron's attack. I never asked how it happened or what they had found out. I just assumed it was an attempted robbery. But it's connected to what's happening here, it has to be."
She ran a soothing hand down his arm. "It'll be ok. You can ask all the questions you want when we get there tonight." He didn't answer her, but he gave a stiff nod.
When he felt they weren't being followed and were far enough out of the city he pulled off at a small town where they grabbed something to eat and she ran into the bathroom quickly, although she knew he wasn't happy for her to be out of his sight.
When she came out he was waiting with two to go cups of coffee and some sandwiches in a bag.
They ate as they drove, and about two hours from their destination they went through another small city which seemed to make him nervous.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"When it gets crowded like this it's hard to tell if we're being followed."
She was silent, and sat stiffly in the seat, studying the map in case they needed to find another way.
They broke away from the city and were on a mostly desolate stretch of country road when suddenly their speed increased dramatically. She looked towards Harry but he was completely focused on driving. "We've got a tail, hang on," he ground out, eyes darting to the mirror every other second.
The roads were hilly here and often had sharp bends to them, but the car was solid and it handled well. Still, she found herself shutting her eyes when he took them around the next turn and the wheels screeched in protest.
There was a long straight stretch and Harry kept speeding up, trying to put distance between them, when suddenly the back window exploded in a shower of glass.
"Get down!" he yelled, pushing her down below the back of the seat and whipping his head around to see who was behind them.
Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel little bits of glass in her hair. She pulled her wand and risked rising up some so she could see over the seat.
"Hermione! What the hell are you doing? Stay down!"
But she ignored him and knew that he couldn't risk taking his hands off the wheel to deal with her just then.
She fired a reducto spell at the front tire of the large black car right behind them, but it swerved out of the way in time.
"I swear to Merlin, if you don't get the hell down. RIGHT NOW!" he roared, and she ducked back down, but not because he told her to.
He jerked the wheel hard to the left and she banged her head on the dash and was grateful she had left her seat belt on.
Once again she ignored him and took aim at the tire, but before she could fire she saw the faint glint of a wand sending multiple spells in quick succession and she had the prescient thought that there would be no way to avoid what was about to happen.
"Har..." she began in warning and then everything went black.