Chapter 1

Dear Hermione,

If you have received this letter then we have won the war against Voldemort, and Severus and I are dead. Well done, for I have no doubt that you assisted Harry on his quest. But I am sorry to say that I must ask one more thing from you.

Voldemort may be dead, but Tom Riddle is not.

When Harry stabbed Riddle's diary in your second year the piece of soul trapped inside began to die, but before it could a stray phoenix tear from Fawkes touched it and restored it. The soul's connection to Voldemort had already died and so it healed into a whole soul: the soul of a sixteen year old Tom Riddle.

Hermione, I know he has not yet committed most of the atrocities that Voldemort had but he is capable of them if his followers shall ever restore his soul to a body. Therefore, I must ask you to destroy him before this can happen. To do this you must create a body to house the soul- the potion method for this is hidden behind the tapestry of the phoenix on the fifth floor. To enter, just recite what the Sorting Hat spoke to you in your first year.

He must be stopped, Hermione, and with both Severus and I gone the only one who has the ability to complete this potion is you. The soul is trapped in the Chamber of Secrets but once you restore his body the spell will not hold him.

Be safe, Hermione, and do not tell anyone of your venture, not even Harry. Voldemort's death will have ensured that the Death Eaters that roam free are fixated upon Harry and they cannot find out about this.

Good luck,

Albus

Hermione struggled to draw in a breath as the letter fell from her grasp and floated to the floor. Tom Riddle was still alive, more or less.

She could have taken a moment to think about this, but Hermione was used to being in the thick of things now. The war had taught her that it was better to get things over and done with instead of putting them off. She wouldn't be able to leave for Hogwarts until Ron was home though, she would have to tell him that she was leaving for a little while.

She packed for a couple of weeks; most potions took under three months to brew except those most complex. And while she was sure this would be complex- the destruction of Tom Riddle- a potion to conjure a body shouldn't be too difficult to complete.

After sending a hurried note to McGonagall, Hermione sat down at the dining room table as she waited for Ron, drumming her fingers on the table as a mark of her impatience.

He finally stumbled through the door with a smile on his face and sat down opposite her, noticing her bags.

"You've got a new task at work then?" He asked with a smile.

Hermione was a researcher for the Ministry and she often took business trips to private libraries for her research. "Yes. This time I'm at Hogwarts, so it's not too far." She didn't like lying to him, but she had no choice and it was only a small lie. It was a new task after all, just not a Ministry assigned one.

"How long will you be gone?" Ron waved his wand at the kettle in the kitchen to set it off boiling while they talked.

"It's hard to say really. A few weeks, a couple of months, could be either." She didn't often leave for more than two weeks but Ron took it in his stride, nodding in agreement. She was glad he wasn't being difficult, he was very possessive and sometimes displayed jealousy when her assignments took precedence over him.

"Ron, I've got to go. I'll miss you." He stood up to kiss her goodbye and walked her to the door.

"I'll come and visit you at the weekend?"

"I'll get this assignment finished faster if you don't." Hermione hated pushing him away but she didn't want him to guess what she was up to when he arrived at Hogwarts. With a final look back at Ron, she apparated to the gates of Hogwarts.

Minerva was waiting for her at the gates.

"Let me guess, you got a message from Albus?" Minerva's lips were tightly pursed and Hermione knew she hated secrecy. Hermione nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, a few people have received final orders. He seems to have prepared for the end of the war before he had even died." It was a relief to know she wasn't alone although she doubted few tasks would be as distasteful. Destroy Tom Riddle indeed, Hermione would have to become a killer for that.

"I'll show you to your room. I was told something on the second floor would suit your needs." Minerva led Hermione into the castle. Hermione had assumed she would be in the dungeons to brew the potion but it would appear Albus wanted her to do it in the Chamber of Secrets, why else would he place her so close to its entrance.

Her room was spacious, with a massive four poster bed decorated in creams and light blues. She blinked in surprise, often her accommodations were basic and sparse but she wasn't going to complain about this. It even had an attached bathroom with a giant tub.

Hermione dropped onto the bed still fully clothes. Suddenly she was exhausted and she knew she shouldn't begin her potion like this. It could wait until tomorrow, when she was finally rested.

She fell quickly into a deep slumber and didn't wake until late the next morning.