Pausing her writing, Hermione tilted her head to the side and listened intently. Faintly, she could hear the sound of footsteps. As she waited to discern their direction, she glanced impassively at the wizard laying on the hardwood. His breathing was light, but strong. Rising from her desk, a faint smile played across her lips, knowing that he was resting peacefully. When she recognized the distinct tread making its way down her hallway, she quickly made her way to stand by the door, the only way into her chambers. She glanced around the room, organizing her thoughts. The room was impressive in its size, doubling her parents old master bedroom. The furnishings were a mixture of Brownie carved oak and fine linens, a curious blend of magical and muggle. It suited her well, and was a place she found refuge. The yellows and blues were calming, and the furniture was delicate, a nod to her diminutive size. She smoothed her pale robes, and as the polished oak door began to creak open, a genuine smile lit her face for the first time in days.
"My Lord," she murmured, bending her knee and keeping her eyes on the creamy rug below her feet. "I am pleased to see you returned to us. What news do you bring from London?"
"The Minister is in good health and sends his regards. Your notes on Centaur relations were much appreciated and resulted in a favorable outcome for all parties. I am quite pleased to say that their lands have been doubled in size and they have agreed to their honorary seat in the Wizangamot. Who will be holding it is unclear, but they seemed quite taken aback at the offer. You are wise to have included them in your plans, Lutea, they have much to offer us," Voldemort smiled down at the witch, who was still gazing at the floor. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head gently, rubbing his finger across her chin as he glanced into her large brown eyes.
Blushing slightly, Hermione smiled at the positive outcome. "It was my honor to draft notes for Minister Malfoy, and I am thankful that they were beneficial in his meeting with the herd chieftains. I am pleased that they agreed to the seat, My Lord. There is so much to be learned from them, and I thank you for allowing them to have a voice in creating and enforcing the laws that govern them."
Turning to the armchairs sitting at the hearth, Hermione gestured for Voldemort to have a seat. Walking past the slumbering wizard, the Dark Lord raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, choosing instead to settle into his customary seat. As Hermione perched in the smaller chair to his left, she waved her wand and the teapot began to fill with boiling water. Raising her voice slightly, she called for an elf. With a low crack, she appeared, her ears wobbling as she smiled at her Mistress.
"Jilly, would you bring us some pastries? A sweet and savory assortment, please. I find I am quite hungry, and I do not believe My Lord has broken his fast."
"Yes Missy 'Mione, right away. Jilly knows just the treats to bring her 'Mione and the Dark Lord," the elf declared, the fringe on the purple flapper style dress she had discovered in the attic swaying, as though to further express her delight. "Would the Dark Lord be wanting Mistress Gini being brought to him?" The elf asked, her small face shining with pride. At Voldemort's nod, Hermione turned to her elf.
"That is so thoughtful, Jilly. I am so lucky to have an elf like you! Please bring Nagini in right away."
As the elf popped away to sort out breakfast and find Nagini, Hermione waved her wand again and the tea began to pour itself. She knew it was considered poor etiquette, but she had never understood the design of requiring witches to pour tea when they could be carrying on conversation, as she herself was doing. Continuing their discussion on Voldemort's visit to London, Hermione was eager to learn more about the outcome of Minister Malfoy's summit with those sentient Magical Creatures who had been marginalized for so long. She had sent the Dark Lord off with mountains of research, meticulously organised, on each species and the strengths they had to offer the wizarding world. She had also categorized their weaknesses, in the unlikely event the Ministry's terms were not favorably received. They talked at length about the Ministry's plan for Hags, Hermione expressing her distaste for the creatures. After a heated discussion about why the Ministry could not just burn the lot of them, the conversation turned to the vampires. More specifically, half-vampires. Voldemort was just beginning a story involving the Minister and Lorcan D'Eath, the delegate for WVA, or Wizards with Vampire Ancestry, as the sandy haired wizard on the floor began to stir from his place on the floor behind Hermione's chair.
"I still can't believe Minister Malfoy agreed to meet with D'Eath. He is so pompous. You would think he was a member of the Weird Sisters to hear him talk about his 'music career'. At least Lockhart had the decency to play at humility. Did I ever tell you about the first time I met Lorcan?" Hermione asked Voldemort, pausing to take a sip of her tea. As he shook his head, she smiled and continued. "I was speaking with Sanguini-by the way, did you know his real name is Fitzroy? Could you imagine being immortal with a name like Fitzroy? I can't blame him for changing it, even if Sanguini is a little on the nose for my tastes," Hermione giggled, the sound fully awakening the wizard, who sat up and began to stretch.
"When you see him next, ask him what he named his first cat," Voldemort smirked, stroking Nagini fondly. "It is quite a good thing he has had a few hundred years to practice bestowing monikers." As Voldemort spoke, the wizard stilled, the slight tension remaining in his shoulders the only thing betraying his anxiety.
"Oh now I'm going to be dying of curiosity," Hermione chuckled. "Anyway, we were discussing my research on those classified as 'Beings', and Lorcan, who must've been lurking nearby eavesdropping, strolled up and offered his 'invaluable expertise' on half-vampires. I demurred, obviously," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "and he gave me a card for his WVA group. As he was walking away, Sanguini observed how it was obvious he had been born to a vampire, as even a dehydrated vampire would walk right past him. With his enhanced hearing, Lorcan of course heard the comment, but when he turned to confront him, he upset a passing tray of wine and ended up covered in Merlot. Narcissa shooed him out of the party, hissing at him all the while for causing a scene. His face was priceless!" Hermione reached for a treacle tart, snapping the fingers of her left hand as she did so. As the wizard heeded her summons, she placed the tart on the waiting dish and turned back to Voldemort. "Was the WVA pleased with the terms that the Minister presented?"
"They seemed quite pleased with the final outcome, but Lorcan will not be holding the Wizangamot seat. He is preparing for another sold-out tour of housewives and teenagers." Voldemort scoffed. "A witch named Crillex will be holding their seat." Reaching for his own tea, he savored the delicate blend as he looked over at the small witch sitting across from him. Smiling at the picture she presented, sipping tea with a wizard kneeling at her feet, he decided had spoken enough business for the morning. "My news has been dominating our conversation, Miss Granger," he purred, enjoying the blush that crept up her neck at his words. "What have you been up to while I have been away? You've enjoyed yourself, I hope." He replaced his cup on the low table and smiled benignly at the witch, who had leapt up and was walking across her room to the desk under the window. Gathering a few pages of parchment and an old tome, she crossed back to her seat, her eyes glittering. Setting the dish with the treacle tart at her feet, she placed the book reverently on the end table it had been occupying. Retaking her seat, she passed her notes over to Voldemort.
"Draco invited me to lunch and a visit to the library at Malfoy Manor and I found the most delightful book. Helym's Night Magicks, are you familiar?" She questioned. Not pausing for a response, she continued. "As I was reading, I realized that the spells were all marked with one of two symbols. Draco had never seen them before, and neither had Narcissa. They graciously allowed me to bring it home for a bit of light reading, but I couldn't get those marks out of my mind. Spotting a similar looking mark in the Abbess' journal Thorfinn gifted me finally gave me a lead. A few hours in the library determined that they were Druish markings indicating left and right. I couldn't believe it! I've always casted with my right arm, as we are taught in school. These spells are centuries old, and indicated that wizards used a different method to determine wand hands. Using some muggle neurology books, I did some research to determine what effect our casting arm could have on the outcome of the spell casting. Scientists have determined that the left hemisphere of our brains activate when using logic, while the right hemisphere is more artistic. The spells that indicated the left hand should be used were those that required concentration, while the right hand spells were those whose outcome was based heavily on desire." Here Hermione paused for a sip of tea, her hand finding it's way into the hair of the wizard still kneeling at her feet. Stroking his hair absentmindedly, she took a sip of tea before continuing. "From the research I have accumulated so far, it appears that ambidextrous spell casting fell out of use around the 1600s, around the same time that using ones left hand was declared a mark of the Devil by the Muggle Church. I would wager the practice was discontinued due to the desire to keep ones left hand attached to the body, as the Church began to practise the barbaric act of cutting off the left hands of those who relied on them too regularly. I am only just beginning to study the implications of wand hands on the spells we use today, however from what I have seen so far it could change everything."
"My Lutea, how you continue to delight me. I know the book of which you speak, however I have only referenced it on one or two occasions, nothing that would have given me the insight that you have indicated. It continues to amaze me the things you can accomplish in such a short span of time. Please keep me apprised of your research." Hermione bowed her head, a pleased smile breaking out across her face. "However," Voldemort continued, a slight frown on his face, "I do hope you haven't spent my entire absence hold up in your rooms researching. You've had company, I see," Voldemort smirked, acknowledging the wizard for the first time since entering her room.
"I would remind you, My Lord, that you indicated I could spend my time however I desired while you were away. It has been so long since I was able to engage in a pursuit of my own choosing that I admit to spending most of my time researching. Not that I don't find your requests to be quite, fulfilling," Hermione added, a smirk of her own settling on her features, "but it has been delightful to study simply for the sake of gaining knowledge. Researching when one knows another party already holds the answers I seek just doesn't have quite the same appeal. I have thoroughly enjoyed this gift of idle time, My Lord, and I thank you again for it." Glancing at the wizard kneeling with his head bowed, Hermione gave a single nod. Lowering himself on all fours, he began to eat the pastry from the china dish she had laid down. Smiling up at Voldemort, she continued. "I have found a method of training that is most effective My Lord. If I could beg your indulgence one final time this morning I could give you a demonstration?"
Leaning back in his chair, saitied from the breakfast he had eaten, Voldemort smiled beatifically and gestured for her to continue.
"Most training techniques rely on reward and punishment to ensure the desired behaviors are learned. The implementation of those punishments and rewards can be quite varied, and have differing levels of success. I have observed that when one is training a sentient being for the desired outcome, that model is less than effective. For example, if I was upset that my floor was being dirtied by the crumbs of a messy eater, traditionally I might've rubbed his face in the mess and demanded he do better next time. That would then require me to wait until the next feeding to determine if the desired outcome had been learned to bestow a reward. Effective? Possibly. Time consuming? Certainly. There is much to be said for simply Crucioing those who displease them, but I find that being feared in such close quarters is distasteful. I'll leave that to Bellatrix and Theo, I think. It is much more satisfying to me to look upon my pets and know that they do what I wish, even against their will, because their desire to please me overrides their original nature. Instilling that desire to please requires finesse, and the end result is much more rewarding." Hermione reached down and grabbed the wizard by the hair at the base of his skull, roughly forcing his head up to look at Voldemort. Leaning down, she positioned her mouth next to his ear. "Our Lord has honored us with His presence and you have dirtied my floor. Have I not given you the best of my own meals since you've come to me? Is this how you honor me? I am ashamed of you. I am so disappointed." Releasing his head, she sat back in her chair. He sat back on his heels and tried to lean into her, but she crossed her legs and turned to face the fire. Whimpering, the wizard leaned forward and began to lick the crumbs off the ornate rug. Once the floor was cleaned, he resumed his position on his knees and bowed his head, trembling. Not turning back to him, Hermione whispered "Apologize to Our Lord for your slovenly ways." He froze, lifting his face to her, fear written on his face. Eyes softening, Hermione reached for him, her hand caressing the side of his face. "You only need to fear My Lord if you displease me. You want me to be happy with you, don't you? Apologize to him, and I will be so happy with you." His eyes fell closed as she touched him, the tension leaving his frame. Hermione continued to pet him for a moment, feeling Voldemort's amused gaze. Her other hand grasped her wand as the warmth left her voice. "Apologize. Now. My patience is wearing thin."
He crawled to Voldemort and lowered himself as his feet, kissing the hem of his robe. He remained in that supplicant position as Voldemort laughed, the delighted sound echoing off the painted walls of her room. "Lutea, you are a treasure. Merlin smiled the day you came to us at Malfoy Manor. Enjoy your new pet, darling. I will see you at dinner. Lupin, it's been a pleasure, as always." Rising to their feet, the pair crossed the room, Nagini following behind. Voldemort kissed Hermione's cheek before leaving, the door closing firmly behind him.
Turning back to the wizard still kneeling on the floor, a smile played across her lips. Raising the wand still in her left hand, she spoke. "Crucio." As the wizards screams filled the spacious room, she returned her notes to her desk and opened the text. His screams died away as she resumed her research, and when she looked up he had drifted into unconsciousness. Lifting the wand from the desk, she crossed back to the hearth. Scowling in disgust at the mess he had made of himself, she Evanescoed the mess and straightened his robes. Kneeling next to him, she tucked his hair behind his ear. Raising her wand, she whispered "Obliviate." Not bothering to replace the memory she removed, she returned to her desk, continuing to note the effects of the curse with her non-dominant hand. As she finished recording the results in her journal, she reflected on what she had discussed with Voldemort. While a heavy hand with torture would never suit her, there was certainly something to be said for the primal, unnamed fear that lurked in ones subconscious, far beyond the reaches of a memory altering spell. That sort of fear, she found, suited her quite nicely.
