AN: Hi guys :) This is actually my very first own FanFiction, so I hope you won´t be too harsh on me. I really appreciate constructive criticism and definitely want to hear all you have to say about my story. If you have any suggestions or ideas for the storyline feel free to tell me :D
As far as inspiration goes: I´ve read a loooot of amazing Tom/Hermoine FanFictions here, but always had my own little story in the back of my mind I suppose. I had some free time this afternoon and have finally gotten around to writing the beginning down. Comments might keep me going ;)
One more thing: English is not my mother tongue so bear with me in case there´s any grammar or spelling issues. If anyone wants to be my BETA I´d gladly take you up on your offer :)
(I found the picture for this story here: art/Hermione-Granger-206852941)
Chapter 1 – Encounters
Her head was spinning. Somewhere in the distance she could hear people talking.
She wished they would stop.
She was feeling dizzy. She wanted to just lay there and drift into– No!
She had just remembered what had happened. Bellatrix, that crazy lunatic bitch, had hurled the killing curse at her in the middle of the final battle. She´d noticed too late, had been unable to avoid the ugly green curse racing towards her. It hit her. Right in the chest. Right into the time turner she´d held onto ever since all of the others had been destroyed in the department of mysteries, afraid that anyone might use this one against them one day.
The second the spell had hit her, her world began to spin around her. She had blacked out from the sensation of being hurled through the air several times only to wake again in the middle of the storm.
Was she dead now?
The weird, spinning sensation had stopped at least. But if she was dead, wouldn´t there at least be silence? Wouldn´t there be peace? Why wouldn´t those voices around her stop?!
She couldn´t make out what they were saying. She concentrated hard, trying to make out words. Slowly, after what felt like hours to her but in reality couldn´t have been more than a few seconds she heard them.
"…do you think she came from, Albus", a male voice spoke?
Odd, she thought, why would anyone talk to Albus? He died. I must be dead then, I suppose.
"Shouldn´t we call the Ministry to clear this up" another unfamiliar voice asked.
Hell, no! Don´t get these traitors here! She tried to force her eyes open to see who had spoken.
Slowly she moved her spinning head to the side and blinked several times, blinded by the bright lights.
"Look, she´s moving!"
Turning towards the man that had spoken she was able to make out three shapes. Blinking a couple of times she now saw them clearly.
"No bloody fucking way!" she cursed, earning her some shocked looks by the three males.
Dumbledore! One of the three men was definitely a very young, very much alive Dumbledore! The other man, a small, rather plump man with a long beard and a pointy hat, she recognized as the former Headmaster, Armando Dippet. The last one was a rather handsome looking boy, about her age eying her critically in his Slytherin uniform with the Head Boy´s badge on its front. It can´t be…
But there was no mistaking it. There, in the middle of the Headmaster´s office at Hogwarts, she lay at the feet of a young Lord Voldemort. Shit!
With that in mind she blacked out once more.
He eyed the girl suspiciously.
There he´d been, sitting in the Headmaster´s office, next to his most hated teacher, feigning interest in Dippet´s mindless chatter and pretending to be the perfect Head Boy everybody thought he was (well, everybody except for Dumbledore), when suddenly with a loud crash a girl fell onto the floor appearing out of thin air.
She literally appeared out of thin air! You can´t apparate into Hogwarts! How the hell had she managed to breach the wards?!
He took a closer look at the girl.
She was tall, long brown curls were spread around her face on the floor, her face looked dirty. Now that he noticed, her whole appearance was rather worn down. Her clothes were filthy with dirt and her skin covered with either blood or mud as well. She looked like she hadn´t eaten properly in quite a while and could definitely use a shower! Other than that though nothing seemed to be special about her…
The other two men slowly approached the girl, bending over her slightly to take a closer look as well.
"Where do you think she came from, Albus?", Dippet asked in his feeble voice.
Dumbledore didn´t answer and seemed to be staring at something on the girls clothes.
"Shouldn´t we call the Ministry to clear this up?" he asked, trying to sound like the law-abiding student he portrayed.
She stirred at that, slowly turning her head to the side, opening her eyes.
"Look, she´s moving!" Dippet stated.
Her eyes seemed to regain focus as she looked at them. Recognition flashed in them
"No bloody fucking way!"
He was shocked. Never, not once in his life had he heard a girl curse like that. Dippet and Dumbledore seemed stunned by her outburst as well, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by.
By now, he was intrigued by the girl on the floor, who had apparently had passed out again after making her… statement.
I wonder which other surprises she would bring.
"Ahh, now I recognize her. That must be my niece. I hadn´t recognized her in the state she is in." Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts.
"Your niece? Albus, I didn´t know you had a niece! How come you never told me of her?" Dippet immediately raised to the bait, while Tom eyed his Professor critically.
His niece? …as if.
"Ah see old friend, she is my brother Aberforth´s daughter. We hardly ever see each other as he had sent her to Beauxbatons. She was not supposed to come here unless she was in danger. I suppose she got caught up in Grindlewald´s affairs over there."
"How did she pass the wards, sir?" Tom asked with false politeness.
"My boy, I gave her that pendant around her neck as a present for her birthday and enchanted it so it would take her to me if she ever faced danger. Seeing as I am here now it took her to this office."
Tom threw a look at the broken pendant around her neck. It looked somewhat like an hourglass of sorts.
"What is her name, Albus?"
"All will be explained by her in short time I imagine. But don´t you think we should make sure that she is alright first? I will take her to the hospital wing if you don´t mind."
"Oh, of course." Dippet said, obviously embarrassed that he´d not thought of it himself and let his curiosity get the better of him.
Dumbledore flicked his wand and picked up the girl with a levicorpus spell. "I shall see you at dinner, Armando. Tom."
With that he took the mysterious girl out of the office, leaving Tom with a thousand questions on his mind. Questions he intended to get answers to!