Between Fine Lines

Eight

"What have you got going on in there?" Ron questioned. The four of them stood in an alleyway as Hermione continued to summon and pull clothes out of her small, beaded purse.

"Clothing, we have to change, get off the streets and try to blend in. I've had this packed for days, after Regulus and I ob-" Hermione paused. "Obviously... left my home and Harry made it clear that he wanted to hunt for horcruxes-I got all of this packed with emergency essentials. I suspect we'll be on our own for a while."

"Speaking of Regulus..." Harry muttered and Hermione and Ron looked at the Black heir to see that the appearance spells Hermione cast on him were now gone. "The spells must have broken when I had to focus on apparting all four of us."

"Almost got us run over by a bloody bus," Ron grumbled as he took the clothes Hermione was shoving into his chest.

"She already said it was an accident," Regulus hissed at Ron, already making quick work of tugging off his fancier clothes he had borrowed off Remus to change into something more comfortable. Hermione quickly glanced away, handing Harry clothes for himself. She tapped her dress with her wand, configuring it into jeans and a top with a sweater over it, tapping on her shoes to change them to sneakers.

"Well I could've bloody done that," Ron shook his head.

"No you couldn't have," Hermione and Regulus both stated at the same time, giving each other a look as they shoved the other clothes back into Hermione's bag.

—

The four of them sat in the Luchino Caffe, Harry glancing around every few seconds as Ron bobbed his knee. The two of them sat across from Regulus and Hermione, who had their backs to the door. As the waitress came over to the table, the three men looked at each other with confusion as Hermione ordered herself a cappuccino, whatever the hell that was.

"I'll have... that," Ron nodded, handing the menu to the waitress. "Coffee, black," Regulus decided with a small nod. Harry nodded in agreement, gathering the rest of the menus and handing them to the waitress. "Coffee, two sugars."

There was silence as the waitress walked away and Ron looked down at the pattern on the red table. "I hope everyone is alright... should we try to reach out? Go back at some point?" he looked up at Hermione and Harry.

"We can't go back-too dangerous, we'll find a way to check in at some point," Harry assured his friend. "How are we supposed to find out what's going on?" Ron questioned, clenching his fists on top of the table.

"We know what's going on, Voldemort's taken over the ministry," Hermione exclaimed quietly. Regulus sighed, putting his arm over the back of the girl's chair, eyeing the waitress walking back and forth past the window as she prepared their drinks.

"Honestly, how long do four drinks take? We're the only ones here," he muttered to himself. The bell over the door made a small chime and two gentlemen in worker's clothing walked in, heading over to the counter. The waitress came out of the back room, setting down her tray before going back into the back again.

"I think if anything we should try to get a patronus to my dad or Lupin...somebody," Ron whispered, trying to prevent the two men from hearing him, the last thing he needed was muggles asking about their conversation.

"Do not move," Regulus whispered to Hermione as he slowly slipped his hand from the back of her chair to curl around her hip, quietly tugging her wand from her jean pocket.

"What is it?" Harry mouthed, trying to appear normal and calm.

"Death eaters," Regulus mouthed back. The second he had pulled Hermione's wand free, chaos ensued.

"Expulso!"

The first death eater went flying over the counter and into the wall, wands being drawn as Harry and Ron flipped over the table near them, using it as a shield as they set out to stun the other death eater.

"Flippendo!" Ron called out, but the other death eater dodged his attack, a stream of green poured out of the death eaters wand and Harry blocked it with a shield spell.

" Incarcerous!" the death eater shot his spell again, quick on his feet and watched as he successfully bound Ron with the ropes of the spell.

"Bombarda!" Harry exclaimed, but the death eater ducked and Harry's spell crashed into the wall, a gaping hole forming in the brick.

The death eater peered over the table, his eyes immediately locking onto Regulus. "You!" he exclaimed in shock. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Hermione used the moment of distraction to grab her wand from Regulus, shooting a quick 'Petrificus Totalus' at the death eater and watching him fall over to the ground, silent and frozen.

"Finite," Hermione murmured, pointing her wand at Ron and Harry moved to help his friend up.

"Are you bloody insane?" Ron questioned, his temper rising at Regulus. "Were you going to tell any of us you can still do magic?"

"Hermione knew. Good enough," Regulus barely hesitated as he went over to the two death eaters to get a better look at their faces.

"Dolohov and Rowle, I'm surprised they're both still alive, they look ancient," Regulus kicked Dolohov's arm, the death eater still out cold from the curse that Regulus had thrown his way.

"What do we do with them? Should we kill them? I think that one tried to kill us," Ron looked over at Rowle, and although the death eater was frozen, the fear in his eyes was unmistakable.

"No, that would draw too much attention," Harry said, shaking his head. "Where's the waitress?" He went into the kitchen to find the girl cowering in the corner.

"Ah, Hermione, some help here!" Harry called out. Hermione stood, staring at Dolohov's unconscious form, a rage bubbling inside of her as she absentmindedly reached for her side.

"Mi," Ron nudged her lightly. "Kitchen."

Hermione looked up, going into the kitchen without another word to alter the waitress' memories. Regulus watched her with concern before he crouched down next to Rowle.

"Thorfinn, you stupid bastard, I'll be taking this," Regulus smirked, picking up the wand that was on the floor next to the older man. "Do you feel like you're looking at a ghost?" he questioned quietly. "How does it feel to be haunted?"

"I finished altering the waitress and Dolohov's memories... Ron and Harry are cleaning up," Hermione stood a few steps away from Regulus and Thorfinn.

"What's with you and Antonin over there?" Regulus questioned, his eyes flickering to Dolohov and back to Hermione.

"Fifth year discrepancy in the battle of mysteries, permanent reminder that he's smart enough to make his own hexes," Hermione lifted up her shirt a bit to expose the bruise on her side. Regulus' face hardened, pressing his lips together. "Dolohov did that to you?" he questioned and Hermione nodded, letting go of her shirt, the fabric falling back into place.

"So... Do you want to alter his memory or should I?" Hermione questioned, referencing Rowle with her wand.

"How confident do you feel about apparting five people?" Regulus questioned looking from the petrified man to Hermione.

"You want to take him with us?" Ron questioned in surprise and Regulus shrugged. 'We want answers, and I bet he has a few of them."

"And after we have our answers?" Harry questioned cautiously.

"I'm going to kill him... don't worry Potter, I'm not afraid to handle the dark stuff," Regulus informed him, unnerved. Harry opened his mouth to object, but Hermione cut him off.

"I know exactly where we can go."

Regulus smirked, grabbing the death eater by the scruff of his poor disguise and took Hermione's hand. Hermione reached out for Harry and Ron, not noticing the uncertain glance they shared with each other, as she apparated them to a new location once more.