Quiet.
It almost felt too quiet.
Her laboured breathing and the crackling of the snow under her footsteps were the only sounds cutting through the silence.
No birds singing, no tree branches rustling in the wind.
The heavy snow blanketing the harsh landscape dampened it all.
While it was unnerving, Hermione supposed there was also a peaceful quality to it all. The air was crisp, unpolluted and the cold reddened her cheeks. She had never been one for winter but this was a far cry from the dirty, grey snow days one experienced in the city. It felt like taking a stroll through a painting. A masterfully painted pastoral scene; the snow, the trees without their foliage, the cabin in the distance. She could get used to it.
Antonin would be there.
She wondered if he would be surprised by her presence or if he had known long before she did that one day she would join him.
She remembered scoffing at the first letter, a bitter laugh passing her lips at the display of sheer audacity.
As if she wouldn’t attack him on sight.
As if she wouldn’t turn him in to the DMLE to face justice.
As if she would ever join him in Russia.
Her hands were wrapped in rabbit fur mittens and her wand was safely tucked into her cloak as she approached the cabin.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
The rhythmic sound seemed disproportionally loud against the muted backdrop. It wasn’t entirely a conscious decision when she ignored the front door and followed the sound to the back of the cabin.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
She watched the sharp edge of the axe fall on the log, splitting effortlessly in half before being replaced by another. Her eyes trailed from the blade to the man wielding it, the large hands gripping the wooden handle, rolled-up sleeves exposing strong forearms tensing with every down stroke and finally, the man itself.
He did not turn her way as he spoke. As if he knew it would not be anyone but her.
"So you came," he said, his voice deep and accented.
She swallowed before answering, “So I came.”
He finally met her gaze, resting the axe against the large tree stump, "Are the aurors behind you?"
She shook her head.
"So you came to stay," he said.
It wasn't really a question.
She answered it nonetheless, “So I came to stay.”