Secrets and Masks

46. I wish you could see ...

18th December

"Draco cannot seriously expect me to live here? You wait until I get hold of him, I'll wring his pale neck until his face turns blue."

Hermione tried her best to ignore the petite blonde as she carried the last box into the abandoned farmhouse. Astoria had been on this rant from the moment Hermione had apparated the both of them here from Malfoy Manor, and in the forty-five minutes Hermione had been going back and forth between the two buildings, transporting supplies, Astoria had yet to take a breath.

"I mean, honestly! He comes from money! The Dark Lord pays him for his services in land and gold, he's worth a fortune. The man is dripping in Galleons, and this is what he gets us as a safe house? Surely he can afford an upgrade! Slip someone a bit of money and get us somewhere nice?"

"That's not exactly how espionage works, Astoria," Hermione chuckled as she set the last box down on the kitchen table, ignoring the way the ancient wood creaked in protest. "There isn't exactly a catalogue of possible safehouses we can flip through and pick whichever takes our fancy. We need to think strategically, and strategically, this place has everything we need."

In truth, Hermione thought the farmhouse that Malfoy had found for their potential safe house was lovely. It was a lot smaller than the manor, but it only made it feel more homely, and it had everything they needed.

They needed security, four walls they could safely hide behind with windows big enough to keep a lookout in case anyone found them.  The farmhouse had that. It was small, but solid. The floors were all panelled with pine boards that matched the beams that ran across the ceiling. There were plenty of windows, all scattered around the house meaning they could see threats coming from every angle.

They needed somewhere large but covered where Narcissa could sleep, and just outside, there was a metal overhang that was filled with hay and straw. The farmers that previously resided here must have kept their cattle and livestock inside of it. It was rusting in places, but with a little work, they could easily accommodate it into a nest for Narcissa to sleep in. Without magic, it would have been a tight fit, but Hermione knew enough extensions charms to make it work.

Narcissa usually slept outside under an open sky, but she was too easily recognisable, so the overhang was the perfect place to keep her hidden - and the number of cows and goats in the nearby field were sure to sway any aversion the dragon may feel about her new sleeping quarters.

They needed somewhere remote and out of the way, somewhere enough distance from the cities that no one would find them, somewhere they could get lost. The farmhouse had that. It was in the middle of nowhere. Apart from the herds of animals, there was nothing else there. No buildings, no houses, just fields all around. Miles and miles of just green with no signs of machinery or civilization as far as the eye could see.

Yes, it was small and neglected. Yes it only had three very small bedrooms. Yes, the wallpaper was peeling back from the walls, and yes the kitchen and living room were dusty and cramped, but Hermione found it had a certain charm to it.

Her favourite part of the safe house, however, was the living room. It was small and in the corner of the house, with a stone curved archway instead of a door. There were two leather sofas and a matching armchair in the room and a bookcase that was filled an entire wall, stacked with titles she'd read before. But it wasn't the furniture that she admired - or the books, oddly - it was the fireplace. A huge, open space with a metal basket of logs next to it.

In another life, she could've seen herself living in a place like this.

If the war hadn't have happened, if things were different, this safe house was just the sort of place Hermione thought she would have lived in. Could just see herself peering through the large open windows in the morning, watching the sunrise from the comfort of her own bed. Could just see herself walking around the fields in the day and curling up in front of the fire at night with a book.