Disclaimer: I do not own the rights of Harry Potter. It remains with the respective writer. :p
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What would happen when the brightest witch for her age meets the darkest wizard of all time? Find out how Hermione Granger and Tom Marvolo Riddle handle the situation! And find out how the hatred that Hermione Granger had developed against Tom Riddle blossomed into love and affection!
CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE
Hermione Granger had been known as the brightest witch for her age, as she always scored the highest mark in every examination; although she was not as gifted with Defence against the Dark Arts as her best friend, Harry Potter. Hermione had scored very well in her OWLS, as she had managed to obtain 11 Os [Outstanding] and an E [Exceed Expectations] for her Defence against the Dark Arts. All the school teachers have high expectations set upon Hermione; they was sure that the brilliant little witch would be able to somehow bring fame and glory to the world around her and also to herself. Hermione, on the other hand, does not have confidence that she would be able to succeed. She was always worried after every examination. She would stay behind after the examinations, to ask the teachers how she had done. Nevertheless, she too hoped that some day in the future, she would be able to bring fame and glory upon herself. However, Hermione have been prevented from excelling further due to the war that broke out after her sixth year at the school.
Not a year ago, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have undergone a war, where the dark forces fought against all the others in the school. The rivalry between the darkest wizards of all time, Lord Voldemort, or also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle and Hermione's best friend, Harry Potter, had ended well. Harry had managed to defeat Lord Voldemort, and Hogwarts is able to return to its glory again, although—sadly to say, some dear lives have been lost.
Currently, Harry, Hermione and their other friend, Ronald Weasley had returned to Hogwarts to finish school, and sat for the NEWT examination, before they were able to graduate from Hogwarts and find a job. Finishing school was always Hermione's plan, but this was not the case with Harry and Ron. Ron had apparently opted to finish school as he had no choice. His parents refused to let him to follow his dream, i.e. to train to be a well-known Quidditch player, as they believed that there was little future in the job. Ron's application for a job in the Ministry of Magic failed too, as they had established that he lacked experience and his OWLS grades do not meet the expected standard. Hence, his parents had talked him into going back to Hogwarts, and after a few tantrums and protests, Ron finally gave in.
Harry, meanwhile, had little trouble in applying for a job in the ministry, as he have been known as the best and most established young wizard of his time, after he defeated Lord Voldemort. However, Harry had chosen to join both of his friends at Hogwarts, and wished to complete his studies. He had also tried to locate his aunt and uncle after the war, but his attempts do not work out. It was clear that Vernon Dursley and his wife, Petunia, had not wished to contact him again after the war. Harry had no idea where they were at this moment, and he had told Hermione that he would continue to look for them. Hermione had sympathized with him, but she hated that idea. She wished Harry would concentrate more on his studies, as the NEWT is very important and would determine their future. She wished that Harry would not be distracted by other things the whole year.
XXXXXX
"Harry, are you listening to me?" Hermion snapped angrily at Harry, who is sitting opposite her, with his arms crossed. They are in the Gryfindor commonroom, which was quite deserted, as most of the other students have gone to bed after dinner. It was an hour after dinner now.
"Yes, Hermy. You don't have to snap at me like this," Harry snapped back. Hermione can detect the flick of anger in his green eyes.
"We would be having our potions examination tomorrow. What are you waiting for? Get out your cauldron and ingredients. We need to practice," she said evenly.
"Ah, yes. You and your exams, Hermy…"
"Stop calling me Hermy, will you? I hate it."
"Ah, you never protest when Ron called you that. Why can't I call you Hermy?"
She started to open her mouth to argue, but know that it would be pointless to do so.
"Harry, it's really over between us." Hermione said this dryly.
"Us? I thought we were just friends, Hermione?" he looked enquiringly at her.
"No! I mean that Ronald Weasley and I are not going to be together again. It's over. As I have told you six months ago," Hermione snapped furiously. "I hope your brain stills have that memory. Or should I bring you to Dumbledore's pensive to refresh your memory?"
"I know, Hermione. Calm down. Don't be so emotional, okay? I'm not saying anything more on this topic. Now, where's Ron?"
Hermione glowered at him. "No idea. And, if you think that Ron is more important than your exams, find him yourself. I'm going down to the dungeons, to practice making potions for tomorrow."
At that precise moment, Ron entered the commonroom, scowling. He carried a stack of books in his hands.
"What's the matter, Ron?" Harry asked.
"Mum and dad just sent these. Percy's old notes. They said that I should have a look at them before going to bed tonight. They think that this would help me…"
Before he was able to finish the sentence, Hermione quickly put out her hand and said: "Can I have a look, Ron" I want to make sure that I don't miss anything."
"Oh, come on, Hermy. You don't have to do this. I don't even bother opening these. Junk! Totally junk! PERCY HAD GIVEN HIS NOTES TO Penolope before, and sees what she got for her NEWT? Only a few…"
"Oh, shut up, Ronald! I want to have a look, if you please," Hermione reached out, and snatched the books from Ron's hands.
"Hey!" Ron shrieked. "Hermione Granger! I'm not your boyfriend anymore. So, I have no need to listen to you anymore. And you know why? Because, you are the most crazy and idiotic tart that I've ever met in my life. Bossy, always want others to follow your instructions. I broke up with you because I just can't tolerate this any longer!"
Both Harry and Hermione were perfectly shocked. Hermione stand rooted to her spot, a few feet away from where Ron was standing, and Harry sat at the armchair, speechless. They have not expected this sudden outburst.
For a moment, it seems that Ron had just realized what he had just done, and he too, stood rooted to his spot, looking first at Hermione, and then slowly turning to Harry.
After a few minutes, Ron drew in a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak again.
"And, I haven't finished yet…"
Before he can utter another syllable, Hermione stride towards Ron, and punch him hard on the nose. Ron drew back in surprise, and tried to back away, but Hermione was faster. She pointed her wand at Ron and spat: "Ronald Weasley! I've never expected this from you. And I'm warning you now. Don't you dare to say anything more? I'm also fed up with you. You never seem to take our relationship seriously. You…you…" Tears started to form in Hermione's eyes, but she blinked them back fiercely.
"Hey, can both of you stop this? I'm still here. Ron, get a grip on yourself. Hermione, please don't use your wand at Ron!" Harry, who had finally found his voice said hotly.
Hermione spun round and looked at Harry angrily. Ron backed away, and sat in an armchair near the fireplace, which was on the far right side of the commonroom.
"Take it! Take it! Take it, you stupid Muggle! Read it!" Ron burst out with rage from where he was sitting, throwing the books one by one at Hermione.
"Ron!" Harry shouted angrily at him. He started to get to his feet.
"How dare you, Ronald! How dare you call me a Muggle?" Hermione shrieked at the top of her voice. "You will be sorry for this, oh, you will!"
And with that, Hermione picked up all of the books that Ron had thrown at her and flung them into the fireplace. The fire crackled slightly, and the books started to burn in a few seconds.
"Hermione!" Harry tried to calm her, but Hermione was already climbing out of the hole and asking the portrait of the fat lady to move aside, in a rude voice.
"Hermione! Come back here…"
Harry tried to run after Hermione but stopped, as he knew that it would be useless to do so. Hermione Granger would not listen to a single person when she is in a tantrum.
Harry turned back to Ron, who was still sitting by the fireplace. Ron made no attempt to retrieve the books from the burning fire.
After a few minutes, where both of them were silent, Ron finally stretched and said: "I'm going to bed. Good night, Harry. And, good luck for tomorrow."
Before Harry could open his mouth, Ron had stood up, and takes the stairs to the boy's dormitory upstairs. Harry sighed, and went back to sit in the chair in which he had been sitting on earlier. He rolled up the scroll of parchment that he had placed beside him, who contained his notes for potions, and gathered up all his books. He was going to bed too, he decided.
XXXXXX
Hermione walked briskly through the dark corridors. The portraits on the wall didn't seem to pay any attention to her. Hermione walked and walked until she reached the dungeons. Clutching her books in one hand, and slinging her bag which contained her cauldron and potions ingredients on her other hand, she walked briskly until she reached the dungeons.
"Lumos!" she whispered, and the light emitted from the end of her wand. She carefully walked to a table, placed her ingredients there, and walked back to close the door behind her. After that, she uses her wand again to light a fire in one of the old and unused cauldrons in the dungeon, which was previously the office of Severus Snape.
Then, he sat down at the table where she had placed her things on earlier. Her temper was flaring. How Ron could call her a Muggle? After all this years. Hermione admitted that she had indeed try to tolerate Ron and try to make things work out between them, but all her attempts had failed. Ron was clearly not going to be her other half.
But still…how could he? After all these years, how could he treat her like this? She stifled a sob, and wiped her eyes furiously on the sleeve of her robes.
After she had managed to calm herself, Hermione turned and look around her. The office has not changed much since the last time she had entered it in her second year, to steal some ingredients for the Pollijus potion. The tall bottles and jars containing potion ingredients such as large betle eyes still stood at their respective spots, untouched. Snape's desk, which contained various drawers was dusty, and other cupboards were locked. The other teachers have still not managed to unlock these. Snape had put a spell on them, and no one knows how to break them—not even Hermione herself!
Hermione started to take out her cauldron and books. She arranged all the ingredients that she needed and started to try her first potion: making a sleeping potion.
She carefully measure out all the ingredients that she needed, and started to put them into her cauldron. She stirred them every now and then.
"There. It's just fine." Hermione smiled at herself, and watched the bright pink liquid swirl and glitter in her cauldron. "Beautiful." She mutter to herself and smiled at her work. "Now, it's time to move on to the love potion…and after that, oh my, the list just goes on and on…"
A few hours later, Hermione had managed to make all the potions that they required for the examination on tomorrow. Now, she was confident with herself. She decided to go to bed.
She started to pour all the potions she had made into small bottles, and put them neatly in a row on an empty shelf in the office. Then, she started to gather all her books. Just as she was placing the final book on top of the stack, a piece of parchment dropped out from within the book. She sighed, put down the book, and picked up the piece of parchment.
The parchment was old and its edges were torn. Nevertheless, the writing was still readable. Hermione frowned, and looked at the book in which the parchment had dropped out from. She smiled.
The book was their potions textbook for the sixth year, and this was not Hermione's own copy. She had mistakenly taken Harry's copy of the book in her hurry in leaving the commonroom just now, thanks to Ron. Harry's book was the one owned by Snape earlier. Somehow, he had managed to retrieve it from the room of requirement after the war, where he had hidden it earlier. It was surprising that the book was able to survive the fire. Harry had taken the book out from the room and had shared it willingly with Ron and Hermione. They had learned new spell, which Snape had written in his small, cramped together and packed handwriting. Hermione had secretly started to love the book, though she would not admit it to either Harry or Ron. They both would tease her, as she was against the book earlier, and had told Harry off for countless times.
She gives her attention back to the piece of parchment. The writing on the paper was not Harry's, nor Ron's nor Snape's! It was written in green ink with a very neat flow.
THE MAGICAL DRAFT
Ingredients:
500 ounces of snake skin, 2 scoops of betle eyes [large], a drop of the love potion mixture, a drop of the sleeping potion mixture and a few of truth potion.
May you find the greatest pleasure in making this draft, as it would unleash truths, emotions and other feelings from within your soul. May you drift off slowly into a wonderful and deep sleep, which you will awake to find that the world around you have evolve and change according to your desire. May you survive the dark times that is going to come…And mind you, my friend, you would be traveling back in time into a world that you yourself could not have imagined.
Steps and guidelines:
Mix the truth potion, love potion and sleeping draft together.
Measure the betle eyes and snake skin. Slice the snake skin into smaller portions and add them into the mixture. Beware of the bubbles.
Finally, add in the betle eyes and stir the mixture.
Your potion should turn from yellowish brown to an "avada kadevra" green. [Hermione shuddered at this].
Let the mixture sizzled and boil. Wait for 30 minutes before pouring it out into a glass/bottle/bowl.
Now, the potion is ready for your consumption. Enjoy!
Hermione stared at the paper again. She wondered who have written it. It could be Dumbledore, but she heard that he was not gifted with potions. Or perhaps Slughorn! N, it couldn't possibly be him. He would have told them about it in his classes. For a fleeting moment, she thought that she would clarify this with Slughorn, as his office was not far from Snape's office. However, after glancing at her time turner, she decided that this was out of the way, as it was already passing midnight, and Slughorn would probably be snoring into his pillow now. She chuckled at the thought of the potions master sleeping soundly.
Then, Hermione decided to do something that she know would be silly. She decided to try out the potion. She was curious. Although she knows that this was not a smart thing to do, she was too curious and could not resist the temptation to try it out.
So, she put down all her books, smoothed the parchment and placed it on the table and set to work. She measured all the ingredients, and climbed onto a stool to retrieve the jar of truth potion that Snape have brewed and hidden from Umbridge the toad-like woman. Hermione glowered at the bottle angrily at the thought of that woman.
After gathering her ingredients, Hermione started to mix the potion. In less than an hour, the potion was ready. She reached for a bottle, and poured all the avada kadevra green liquid into the bottle. Then, she sat back and considers her options.
Should she drink the potion? Or should she bring it back to the Gryfindor commonroom to share what she had made with both of her friends? Hermione thought that the latter option would be better, so she packed up all her books and trotted off, humming softly, in the direction of the Gryfindor tower.
XXXXXX
When she entered the commonroom, it was completely deserted. Hermione stared at the now empty room, and the feeling of anger started to return. How could both of them leave matters as such? How can they do this to her? It is so unfair, Hermione thought. Why wouldn't Harry talk some sense into Ron?
"Guys. The problem with them is their ego." She hissed softly. She was so angry now.
Finally, failing to calm down, she decided that she would try out the potion on her own. At least both of her friends would be sorry if anything will happen to her. Let them feel what it is like, Hermione thought, and a wicked grin formed on her face.
She believed that the potion would be harmless. Or else, why would anyone bother to write it down?
But Hermione Granger had not realized that she was wrong.
Gingerly, Hermione tucked the bottle into her robe pocket, climbed the steps to the girl's dormitory and plopped down on her soft four-poster bed.
After putting away her books and preparing the necessary things that she would need in the morning for the potions exams, she sat on the edge of her bed, and take out the bottle from her robe pocket.
The green liquid glittered in the dark, and it swirl slightly as Hermione tilted it upside down.
She uncapped the bottle slowly, and brought it to her lips. The smell was so good and refreshing; it was the mixture of butter beer, malt, fire whiskey, pumpkin juice and hot chocolate. The smell wafted through the air and Hermione could not resist it any longer. She takes a deep breath, and pressed the liquid to her lips.
She swallowed six gulps of the potion, and found that she liked it. She continued to sip it, until the bottle was empty. She put the bottle down, and waited.
Nothing happened for the first 20 minutes. Maybe this is a joke, thought Hermione. Maybe this is just a crazy potion, Hermione thought. Someone had probably made up this draft just to have fun. Nothing bad would happen to her, she thought.
However, she was soon to find out that she was wrong.
A few seconds after, Hermione felt a sudden dizziness. She tried to push herself up from the bed, but she found that she could not do so. Her knees buckled, and she feels an icy cold passed through her whole body. Suddenly, her body began to twitch uncontrobally. She tried to scream, but her throat was too dry, and no sound could be heard. She grasped the edge of her bed, but she fingers began to shake so tremendously that she almost fall off the bed.
The last thing Hermione saw was a blinding flash of green, before she sank into her bed into oblivion.
XXXXXX
**Thanks to Microsoft word spelling check and my sister, Ginny Hean Ai, who had checked it. I hope there is no mistakes. :d
**Hey…This is the first chapter…The idea just pop into my head, and I got excited. I hope all of you liked it. I made up the potion draft, after some thought, and I think it would be fun, but quite weird. Anyway, please read and review…The next chapter would be up soon. :d
~Hermione Hean Fui