WARNINGS: DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PUTRID SCENT, MENSTRUAL BLOOD, AND OVERALL GROSSNESS; AGE DIFFERENCE (Tom Riddle is 30 years old in this story, Hermione is 18 years old. )
NEW WARNINGS WILL BE SET UP IN THE SECOND CHAPTER.
Hermione had been feeling sick lately. She had convinced herself that she was only getting anxious about the upcoming NEWTS exams next month.
But as days passed by, her condition turned for the worst. She constantly felt a painful cramping sensations in her abdomen, as well as in her pelvic region. At first, Hermione had dismissed it as a gnawing hunger and nothing more.
It wouldn't be a surprise to her that it was since she had regularly skipped meals, or eat little, where she would hurry her way back to the library and ensconced herself with the compelling aroma of leather-covered tomes, new parchment, and the scent of burning candle growing short by the hour as Hermione studied well into the night.
However, apart from the abdominal cramps, there were also that foul smell and the unusual vaginal discharge, plus the severe itching down there, which Hermione couldn't treat with healing salve that she had rubbed over herself, though the anti-histamine topical cream had helped soothe a temporarily. (She even had to magically removed her pubic hair down there with the thought of lessening the irritation, but to no avail.)
The symptoms persisted, and still she reasoned that she was experiencing this because her body was undergoing some hormonal changes after she had her menses.
Of course, to be quite honest, Hermione had been purposely delaying the inevitable of having to visit the Hospital Wing mainly because of the new Healer.
Before the school term had started, Madam Poppy Pomfrey had retired, leaving the position opened for anyone who would like to take the post as the Hogwart's Healer. With Dumbledore's untimely demise and shocking death, it had been Minerva McGonagall, who had introduced the new appointed healer in front of the students during the start-of-term feast.
The visually-pleasing man - with cold, cobalt eyes beneath thick long lashes; perfectly-combed wavy, dark hair; and smooth, pale skin - was named Tom Riddle, or Mister Riddle to the Hogwarts staff, and Mr. Eye candy/Hot stuff/Tom-cat/ Adonis - or what other outrageous names that the female population came up with.
That's one of the many reasons why Hermione hadn't fallen in line to get herself admitted into the Hospital Wing, like the girls in school were doing in the past few months since Mr. Riddle started working in school.
So she played pretend. She ignored the symptoms mostly because she couldn't afford to lose her momentum when it came to her study schedule. Thus, it had resulted to her forgetting about the tampon that she had place inside her, where she had subsequently added another one after thinking that she had already removed the previous one.
Due to her very hectic schedule, and the frightening length she spent in the library and pouring over large books, she had failed to remember about both tampons inside her, and it had been there for days.
Still she had been a fool for making excuses to avoid going anywhere else other than her dorm (for either sleeping or late-night studying), the great hall (for eating), to her daily classes (learning, participating and gaining house points), and also to the library (more studying).
Until finally, something happened that immediately sent her to the Hospital Wing.
Hermione had been feeling feverish and slightly dizzy that day. Both Harry and Ron had told her to go visit the Hospital Wing because she had felt too hot to the touch. Not wanting to worry them further, Hermione decided not to mention about the terrible cramps she was experiencing or the fact that she indeed have a fever.
"Alright, alright!" Hermione had burst out that day when Harry had persistently bugged her. "I'll go visit the Hospital Wing after class or after dinner, whichever is the most convenient. No need to constantly remind me about it."
"Merlin, Hermione," Ron began, frowning. "We're only worried about you. You've been looking really ill these past days and haven't been joining us for meals lately."
"I'm fine." She assured them, even when she was slightly sweating beneath her robes. "I promise I'll be fine after going to the Hospital Wing."
She promised them but failed to follow through it.
As per usual, Hermione had instantly gone to the library after class and just started studying. Even though she had taken an over-the-counter medication for her fever early in the morning; albeit that had been more than ten hours ago, and now her fever had come back with a force of a volcanic eruption.
She was blistering hot beneath her robes. After nearly two hours in the library, Hermione had a difficult time concentrating in the book she had been reading. She was already breathing hard, her vision was getting blurry, and sweat dotting her nape.
A second later, she tipped over from her seat and fainted.
Just nearby, someone heard the crash.
It was Neville Longbottom who found her lying on the floor and immediately called for help. Considering that Neville was not good with spells for first-aid treatment, he decided to do the smart thing and asked the people who were still there to assist him in bringing the unconscious witch to the Hospital Wing.
The library was nearly empty since it was well past ten, (Madam Pince was busy returning the books which were left on the tables to their appropriate shelves) and the only other people there were Justin Finch-Fletchly, Ernie McMillan, and the current Head Boy, Draco Malfoy.
It was Justin and Ernie who voiced out their concerns for Hermione and offered their help. Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, had been the only one who looked unperturbed by the sight of Hermione being unconscious. The blonde Slytherin had simply watched as Neville and the other two hurriedly left the Library with their unconscious burden levitating behind them.
Soon they found themselves arriving in the Hospital Wing a few minutes after.
The new Healer saw them coming in at once.
"What happened to her?"
Neville heard Mr. Riddle asked as the man ushered them to the nearest vacant Hospital bed.
Tom had been preparing healing salves in the prep-trolley next to bed number seven, when the three had appeared. He thought one of them had been injured until he saw the form floating behind them.
There had been brief flash of recognition in Tom's eyes when they had landed on the unconscious girl.
Hermione Granger. He thought. Of course, he knew of her. Who wouldn't know the Head Girl and the Top One student in Hogwarts?
"I don't know, Sir. I just heard a crash and saw her lying on the ground." Neville explained, watching as Mr. Riddle used the levicorpus spell to transfer Hermione unto the bed.
"Alright, I'll examine her and see what had caused her to collapse." Tom said to them distractedly, his brows knitted in concentration as he started checking the girl's pulse with a simple spell.
It was beating weakly.
"She's been studying herself too hard, Sir." Ernie remarked in concern. "The NEWTs are coming up and she hardly spends time anywhere else other than the library."
And how would you know about that, Mr. MacMillan? Tom glanced at the boy briefly. Unless you've been watching her too closely…
The Ravenclaw flushed after Tom shot him a perceptive look. Fortunately for MacMillan, both Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley weren't able to notice the his slip.
What a surprise...You've got yourself an admirer, mudblood. Tom thought in amusement.
A minute later, Tom was finished with his initial assessment.
The girl had a fever. Tom mentally recorded. That much he could tell from her high body temperature and her laboured breathing pattern, and her low blood pressure.
Turning around to the three boys, Tom said to them:
"I'll take over from here. You three should leave or you will be caught outside of curfew. Ms. Granger here will have to be admitted in the Hospital Wing tonight. But don't worry, you may visit her the next morning and hear more about her progress. I'm sure she would like to thank you for helping her once she is awake."
As he heard the door shut, Tom continued with the next step of the examination. He cast a spell to scan the cause of the girl's condition.
"Detecteur maladies," he uttered the detection spell. The tip of his wand produced a soft blue glow that traveled on the girl's body from head to toe, before going back up again. It repeated twice before it finally stopped. The blue glow started pulsing in a certain spot; an area that caused Tom to be alarm.
Frowning slightly, Tom caught a foul smell that undoubtedly came from the girl.
He cringed, disgusted at the possible horror that awaited him if he ventured there. Yet he couldn't possibly allow that repulsive smell to continue tainting the air. It was unhygienic. It's only reasonable that he had to removed it and what else he found.
"Verifier luterus."
With an advanced spell, Tom scanned the affected area. The spell allowed him to provide an image on what was happening beneath. Tom saw fluids concentrated inside the girl's womb. A red glow indicated that it was blood, and the blow glow told him that there was something else there. From there he determined that the accumulated blood, which he had seen, had to be remove. It was the main cause for the infection that resulted to other symptoms.
He removed the days-old blood first, but at the same time, using an advanced scanning spell to make sure that it's the only portion that had been cleansed without affecting anything else.
Tom didn't touch the blue glow that he could see through the scan, for fear of causing damage to the surrounding tissue. Also, because Tom can't perform something too invasive without the girl's expressed permission. Tom needed the girl awake before he could proceed.
Once the area was cleansed, he could distinctly see what might have cause the fever and made the mudblood to collapse, which—to his greatest disgust—was from something lodged inside the girl.
The little impression that he had of the mudblood plummeted further; it turned sour, like the horrid scent he was currently smelling.
With a flick of his wand, Tom hastily cleared the air and flooded the area with the fresh whiff of jasmine.
Now, Tom could breathe normally.
He directed his attention towards the girl again. Tom already thought of the girl as nothing but inferior. But now...this was just...utterly revolting. Why would the girl leave that thing down there? His first assumption was the object was some kind of toy for sexual stimulation, and perhaps she had let it stay there to possibly… prolonged her pleasure?
Tom made a face of disgust. Teenagers these days. He just couldn't make heads nor tails about them.
The object, plus the blood accumulation that had possibly been left there for days, might have caused an infection that resulted to her fever, the foul odour, and other symptoms that I may not be aware of yet. Tom concluded, wrinkling his nose in apparent revulsion.
But why was there blood in the first place? As far as I can tell, I hadn't seen any open wound during the scan. Tom wondered. Unless...she had been having her menstruation when she placed it inside her...
He was getting disturb as he arrived from one horrifying conclusion to another.
Is this some kind of new sex fetish that this generation is trying out? If it were, I don't know want to know what other things they come up with. Tom shuddered.
He had always regarded the mudblood as someone, who was so uptight, and too focus on her studies, that she likely didn't have the time to think about remarkably as less interesting as sex.
Tom glared at the unconscious girl for quite a while before finally deciding. He was certain that Granger hadn't purposely gotten herself sick like the other foolish schoolgirls that had been throwing themselves at him. Though the fact remains that the mudblood was stupid enough to have placed something inside her without taking it off for days.
To better understand the girl's condition, Tom needed the patient to confirm his suspicions regarding the offending object lodge inside her.
"Renervate," he muttered the spell.
There was a trickle of awareness at first, then there was the throbbing ache on her temples as Hermione regained consciousness.
Very slowly, her eyelids fluttered open.
"Why am I here?" was the first thing she managed to say through parched lips. Everything was a blur, her eyes were still adjusting to her new environment, but she could still distinguish the hospital bed that she was currently lying in.
She was in the Hospital Wing. That much was certain. But last thing she remembered was studying in the library.
I must have fainted. Hermione realized.
She abruptly propped herself up into a sitting position. It was a mistake because a sudden wave of dizziness assailed her, causing her to nearly topple off from the bed. Indeed, she would have, if it weren't for the strong hand that caught her by the shoulder and steadied her.
Hermione leaned into the person, suddenly feeling nauseous and dazed. For a few moments, she allowed herself to regain her equilibrium. Gradually, she was able to and her eyes drifted off to the person who was holding her.
Hermione's eyes widened in shock when she recognized the face in front of her.
Mr. Riddle was standing next the Hospital bed, his tall frame dwarfing her even with her sitting atop the bed.
"Take it easy, Miss Granger." Tom advised, letting go of her when he was sure she wasn't going to fall down. Continuing to hold her even if she was able to sit on her own would be completely unnecessary.
Tom really didn't want to dirty himself by touching the mudblood too long.
"I'm glad you are now awake. How are you feeling?" He asked pleasantly.
"I'm...not feeling well actually." Hermione admitted, feeling the perspiration gathering at her temple and the heat she was radiating.
I must be what? Around 39 degrees celsius by now? Hermione assumed. Perhaps I should ask Mr. Riddle for a potion that would lower down my temperature.
But before she could ask, the man had a question of his own.
"Do you know why you are here, Miss Granger?" Tom asked her with a slightly annoyed tone after noting her faraway look.
"Amm… it's because I fainted?" Hermione said, feeling intimidated by the man.
Even though this wasn't actually the first time that they had seen each other, Hermione felt like she was being silently persecuted as she met those cobalt-blue eyes of his. There was something about Mr. Riddle that was giving off a wrong sort of vibe that she couldn't quite place a finger on.
Hermione had been there when Ron had taken the bludger to the head and had been admitted in the Hospital Wing. That had been the moment when she was able to see the new Healer up close, but not too personal. Mr. Riddle had taken care of Ron and Hermione had greatly appreciated how the man hadn't made such a fuss like Madam Pomfrey had tend to do.
He had been very professional. However, that hadn't been enough to make a lasting impression on Hermione, and she had never thought much of the man, apart from hearing snippets of him from other girls who constantly talked about him.
"Yes, you did, and Mr. Longbottom, and two others, were kind enough to have brought you here."
"Oh… I will have to thank them later then," Hermione stated, making a mental note.
"Have you discovered what ails me, Mr. Riddle?" She asked after a brief pause. "I've been experiencing this for the past days but I haven't got the time to visit the Hospital Wing."
"Yes, as a matter fact, I've already made my first assessment on you."
Hermione's eyes widened. He's been examining me while I'm unconscious? She thought in consternation.
"Don't worry I wasn't very… invasive." Mr. Riddle assured her when he saw her expression. "I merely used a malady detection spell to discover what may have caused the fever and made you lose consciousness."
There's another tensed silence as the Healer regarded her with a penetrating stare.
Hermione fidgeted in nervousness.
"Do you want to know what I had discovered, Ms. Granger?"
For some reason, she felt an increasing sense of dread about what Mr. Riddle was about to say.
"Miss Granger, mind telling me what may have caused that horrendous smell coming from you?" he asked. It was a loaded question, if Hermione heard one.
A bright flush stained Hermione's cheeks. Now, she looked red as a tomato as she stared in mortification at the man standing beside her bed.
OH. MY. GOODNESS. was Hermione's screeching thought when she realized that Mr. Riddle had caught a whiff of that horrible smell that plagued her for days.
"What are you trying to say, Mr. Riddle?" Hermione queried in false bravado, but on the inside, she was covering her face in embarrassment and groaning.
"I'm saying that my detection spell has traced the cause of your ailment, and…." Tom's nose twitched, trying his best not to look repulsed. "-and discovered that it's from something that's inside you."
"Inside me?" Hermione parroted, looking blankly at him.
"Yes, inside you… in your…" Tom scrambled for the right word without sounding crass. " - in your cherry garden, Ms. Granger."
Cherry garden. Hermione mentally repeated. If she wasn't currently in a humiliating situation, Hermione would have laugh out loud at the man's hilarious choice of words.
However, instead, Hermione was horrified of what the man was implying.
"But - but - that's impossible!" Hermione spluttered, straightening up her spine.
Suddenly, she felt dizzy again. She was still feverish and the back of her shirt clung to her as sweat trickled down her spine.
Closing her eyes, and breathing heavily she said, "I didn't put anything in my -"
She trailed off, remembering that she had her last menstruation days ago.
Something clicked inside her mind.
Oh no, oh no, I forget the tampon, didn't I? Hermione inwardly groaned. I really forget about it! This is just so embarrassing!
Deciding to save face, Hermione faked a laugh.
She realized where this was going and she didn't like it one bit. Hermione wasn't going to confirm Mr. Riddle's suspicion, and let him examined her down there if she had a say about it.
Oh no, she wasn't going to let him look into her cherry garden and be the one to take that thing out of her.
Nope. Not going to happen.
"What are you talking about, Mr. Riddle? I don't have -" Hermione began, but as she met the Healer's piercing and knowing stare, she clamped her mouth shut.
"Don't deny it, Ms. Granger. I've already seen the partial outline of the thing through a brief scan."
He had already seen it! Hermione thought in horror. Just thinking about this man finding about the tampon that was rotting inside her.
Oh Gods above! Please kill me now! Hermione mentally moaned in utter humiliation.
Tom was watching her carefully and saw her expression of embarrassment. He didn't really care much about the mudblood's feelings but he needed to act his part as a Healer.
So he tried to assure her.
"Don't worry, Miss Granger. This isn't actually the first time that I've seen something like this happened."
It was a lie of course.
She was actually his first.
"Really?" The girl sounded quite skeptical of the possibility that she hadn't been the only one who had experienced such a mortifying situation.
"Yes," was Tom's short response, waving his hand dismissively. "Perhaps we can talk more about that particular subject later. I still need to treat your fever first after all."
"Oh, ok..." Hermione replied, frowning.
"Stay right there and let me get the potion." Tom ordered. "And I suggest that you don't move about or you might find yourself on the floor."
Then, he was gone. It only took a few seconds for him to be gone right before Tom came breezing back in.
"Drink this," He said briskly, handing her a small vial containing a yellow liquid. "It's to reduce your fever. I won't be doing anything yet pertaining to the issue down there until I'm certain that the potion has taken effect. It will take around three minutes at the most. It's enough time for me to begin preparing you for the next step that I needed to do."
Hermione mutely took the vial, undid the stopper and gulped it in one go.
"In the meantime, can you tell me other signs and symptoms that you have been experiencing in the past few days?" Tom asked as Hermione return the vial back to him, already empty of its contents.
"Yes, of course." Hermione said automatically, folding her hands on top of her lap. "I don't really remember when I've started feeling the symptoms but I did recall the cramping pain on my stomach. It was far worse than I have ever experience during my period. Then, there was the...err..smell…" Hermione paused, blushing for a bit. Tom's face remained expressionless. " -there's also that...unusual discharges...and persistent itching,"
Please make me stop talking now. Hermione pleaded with her eyes. This was getting uncomfortable for her as she slowly revealed the humiliating details.
The man in front of her didn't as much as acknowledge her look.
Thus, she continued on, squirming on the inside.
"Three days later, I started having rashes all over my….ammm.." She hesitated.
"Go on," Tom encouraged.
"Amm…I have rashes around my chest area," Hermione stared at him, trying her best not to fidget beneath his scrutiny.
The dark-haired man regarded her for a few seconds before pressing for more information in a monotonous tone.
"Let me clarify this. The rashes started three days after, correct?"
"Yes,"
"And have you noticed it spreading in the last few days?"
"Yes, it has spread since it appeared."
"Does it resemble that of a sunburn and is peeling off –"
"Won't it be better if I showed it to you, Mr. Riddle?" Hermione interrupted, wondering why he hadn't asked that he needed to inspect it himself. There was another paused while Mr. Riddle regarded her closely.
"I was about to suggest it, but I thought you might find it inappropriate if I did." Tom explained. Truthfully, Tom really didn't want to touch her if he could help it.
"Oh," Hermione frowned. "But it will allow you to gauge the severity of it, yes? So I don't mind at all."
It wasn't like she was going to flash Mr. Riddle some cleavage. Hermione was only going to show him the red rashes that had climb up to her clavicle, which she could simply do by unbuttoning two buttons without showing anything else.
After hearing her words, Tom was a bit surprised. He had presumed the girl would take this opportunity to keep her modesty. Apparently, he was mistaken, like he had made plenty of mistakes about his preconceived notions of her.
"Well, that will be good if you do so, Miss Granger. It will be easy for me to discover what other things that I might need to treat and help improve your condition," Tom was watching her closely with no flicker of emotion on his face as she began to unbutton her shirt, slowly slipping the buttons out from the holes.
Hermione was wearing a camisole underneath, plus a periwinkle bra under it. It was double barrier. She had no need to worry about exposing herself to him, but she felt anxious as those eyes remained transfix on her.
She finished slipping the second button out. Afterwards, she tilted her head to the side, pulled the collar away and showed him the redness on her collar bone.
"Does it still itch?" was his first question when he leaned closer to inspect the rashes clinically.
"Yes," Hermione watched him from the corners of her eyes, tensing slightly at his nearness. "But I've already placed a topical cream on it. Although that was after dinner, five hours ago to be exact."
"Muggle methods are far less effective, Miss Granger. You should know this by now. As being said to be the brightest witch of your age, I half-expected you to use your knowledge in magic to help you at any cost, and not fall back to your…muggle roots…especially if it concerns your health."
Hermione heard his reprimand. Her eyes met his cobalt gaze, and she couldn't mistake that contemptuous look on his face.
Silently, she fumed.
"Yes, but magic doesn't always solve everything, don't you agree Mr. Riddle?" Hermione remarked with a tight smile on her lips. "It's just so happen that the healing salve mixed with crushed enchinacea root aggravates the rashes when I applied it. This might sound odd to you but some people do have allergic reaction to certain ingredients, and I'm no different from them. So I have no choice but to fall back unto my muggle roots as you like to put it."
"I apologize for sounding so…impolite. I have forgotten that you are still a student. Of course, you wouldn't know about the new healing spells that have already been developed. Moreover, you have no access to books for advanced healing arts in the school library, and thus limiting your knowledge to only primary level treatment." Tom paused, considering her for a second. "However, if you would like, I can show you the spell that will be of help to you in the future. It's a spell that would relieve any kind of skin allergies or other maladies. Here, I want you to watch carefully."
Tom reached out a hand, but paused saying: "May I?"
Hermione could only frown but nodded all the same.
Once he had her permission, Tom took hold of her hand that was holding her collar. Hermione instantly froze, and had stopped breathing altogether as his large hand covered hers which had accidentally brushed against the skin of her neck.
The grip she had on her collar tightened, she was trying to breathe normally, but with the man standing too close to her, it was difficult.
Their eyes met.
Under his guiding hand, he pulled her collar slowly aside, exposing more of her skin.
He was so close. There's only like two feet that separated them. His hand was warm above hers, and large.
Hermione's fingers twitched under his grip.
Tom felt her skittish movements and was instantly amused.
Without breaking their eye contact, he murmured: "Shall I begin?"
Hermione could only nod mutely, suddenly unable to speak. There was a lump on her throat that she tried to get rid of by swallowing, but she had to gulped down again to clear the rest.
He was close, too close, and he smelled… pleasant. She had to silently admit that she liked the smell of him.
Her thoughts were disrupted when the Mr. Riddle's wand unintentionally scraped against the underside of Hermione's chin. At once, she had to suck a lungful of breath at the tingling sensations that it had elicited against her skin.
She shivered, his scent flooding her senses until it made her heady.
Outwardly, Hermione tried to pretend that his nearness was not affecting her at all, but she was only eighteen after all, and she wasn't blind either. With an attractive man standing close to her, obviously it was enough to force Hermione to act like a hormonal teenager.
Sometimes she wished she was made of stone to stop herself from making a fool of herself.
"Watch," Tom said as he pressed the tip of his wand at the skin on her collar bone.
Without realizing it, Hermione's other hand had reached out to grab a hold of his robe.
Tom looked at her for a brief moment.
"The incantation is Cutis Lenio," he began, and Hermione watched him closely. "And this is the wand movements."
Thankfully, Hermione's mind work differently unlike the other girls her age. So when there was new knowledge that was readily shared to her, her attention easily snapped to deadly focus.
"First, you twist your wand counter clock wise and make a quick wave upwards before muttering the spell. Just remember to visualize the redness receding..."
Hermione listened to him as he taught her the wand movements and the proper application. Afterwards, she asked him a question when he was done.
Tom was ready for her and answered her in a courteous manner.
She was just considering about asking Mr. Riddle if she could visit him and learn more when she reminded herself that she had limited time as it is.
NEWTs. were just a month from now, after all.
It was only when she felt the tip of his wand pressing against her skin that Hermione was brought up to the present.
Tom was calmly waiting for her and was ready to apply the new healing spell on the rash.
Hermione found herself locking gazes with him again.
"I will place it on you now," He informed her, "You might feel a bit of sting at first, but overall, it's going to relieve most of the itch."
Hermione nodded her head, saying: "Ok,"
Then, she watched as the man did the wand movements before he said, "Cutis Lenio,"
There was a stinging sensation, and Hermione's hand involuntarily tightened around his robe. But the sting vanished half a second later, and was soon followed by an overwhelming warmth and pleasant soothing tingle that forced a half-moan and half-sigh from Hermione.
Unbeknownst to her, Tom was watching her closely through hooded eyes; a gleam of calculation flashing in his gaze.
"Better?" She felt fingers tracing a horizontal path against her collarbone and Hermione shivered.
"Yes, thank you." came her breathless answer when she met his eyes.
"Good," Tom said, holding her gaze.
Hermione's heart suddenly took up a galloping beat. If only she could ride it like a horse so that she would be out of there fast because she knew what was going to happen next.
Tom let go of her hand and took a step back.
"Well then, let's move on to the… other issue you're experiencing."
OH. HELL. NO.
Three minutes have elapsed, and Hermione started to feel the effects of the potion that she had taken.
Now, it seemed there was no delaying the inevitable.
Mr. Riddle barreled right through the matter without hesitation.
"We both know what needs to be done. Don't make this harder for either of us -"
"I'm not letting you near my cherry garden!" Hermione blurted without a thought, and covering her mouth at once when she realized what she had said.
"I was just about to say that you can remove the object on your own." Tom said dryly. "If it is what you wish, that is."
"Oh…" was the only thing Hermione could say, flummoxed. "Oh, of course! I'll do it on my own. I'm so sorry for suddenly bursting out like that. I thought – I thought..."
"No need to apologize, Miss Granger." Tom was quick to assure her as he began walking away. "It's perfectly understandable that it might have caused you some distress for assuming a different…solution to help with your problem."
Hermione looked at him as he halted near the curtain, his hand pulling it aside.
"So, I believe you know how to do the rest?"
She nodded quickly, eager to see him leave and finally end this embarrassment.
Tom stepped out of semi-private cloister and was about to close the curtains behind him when he saw the mudblood girl patting her pockets in search of something.
She looked completely frantic and Tom let out a long suffering sigh before stepping back into the space he had just vacated.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I'm sorry. I don't have my wand with me. It must have fallen off when I collapsed in the library," Hermione informed him. And it must have rolled somewhere where Neville and the others weren't able to spot. I must go find it.
"May I remind you, Miss Granger that you're unfit to leave the Hospital Wing with you still experiencing fainting spells? It's inadvisable if I let you retrieve your wand at this point." Tom said as he saw the girl's intention written plainly over her face.
"Then, how can I remove it?"
Her question nearly drove Tom to walk out of there and forget about her when he suddenly realized what he had gotten himself into.
Within his mind, Tom was letting out a string of curses.
On the outside, he raised a brow and said: "Isn't it obvious?"
Hermione was horrified and openly gaped at him.
"But – but – " Hermione blustered.
"I can assure you Miss Granger that I will be very professional about the entire procedure," Tom said while trying not go on a murdering rampage at the thought of putting a finger on a mudblood.
I must keep my appearance. I must not think about feeding her to the basilisk due to her utter stupidity. There are three people who knows that she's here and if something ever happens to her, you'll be blamed for it. So c alm down and don't kill her.
He failed because his face crumbled into a glower the moment the girl started protesting again.
"Wait, perhaps I can take it out by using my - my fin…gers.." Hermione trailed off, flushing at her suggestion.
Tom tried to hide his look of revulsion. "Using magic is a far more effective tool in removing it, Miss Granger. So stop arguing with me and let me do my job!"
Hermione was about to open her mouth and say something again when Mr. Riddle beat her to it.
"Look, I have no choice on the matter, alright?" Tom said, pinching the bridge of his nose before directing a ferocious glare at her. "You have no wand and I'm not going to lend you mine. Now, can you please stop being unreasonable and not make this situation more complicated? The object must be remove. If I allowed the thing to remain there longer, your condition will get worse and might even kill you due to blood poisoning, or from other complications. I know you're a smart girl and understand what the possible consequences if I don't intervene. Should I have to remind you that the Headmistress have appointed me to be the Healer of this school? I'm only doing what is expected of me, Miss Granger…and also, I won't have someone dying on my watch."
Pretty words for such an unworthy mudblood. Tom thought sneering.
Hermione stared at him, fiddling with the bedsheets and biting her lower lip as she contemplated the things he said.
Hermione, stop being so irrational! Do you want your condition to get worst because you're being stubborn? Just do it! Let him take it off of you and simply forget this ever happened. A part of Hermione was saying, until at last, she gave in.
"Fine," came her grudging words. "You do it."
Tom should have felt relieved at her acquiesce. However, he only felt annoyed. He had been hoping that the mudblood would deny him.
"I can't very well go on with the procedure if your skirt and your...underwear.. is hindering me, yes?" Tom looked at her pointedly. "They have to go,"
Couldn't he find a way to do it with my skirt and underwear on? Didn't he imply that magic can solve almost anything? Hermione wanted to open her mouth and protest.
"Miss Granger," Tom warned, noting the sudden rush of rebellion that had crossed her face.
Hermione wanted to bolt out of there but she could hardly stand up, much less run away. Mr. Riddle had only given her something for her fever and soothe the rashes with a spell, but she was certain she would become disoriented if she rushed out of there.
Mentally, she scolded herself for being such an idiot as to leave a tampon inside her for days.
"Alright, I will take them off." She allowed.
"And please do it quickly. If you must know, I still have other things to do." Mr. Riddle informed in an impatient tone. "I'll wait outside to give you some privacy. Just call out when you're done and don't forget to pull the sheet to cover yourself."
Once Mr. Riddle stepped out and pulled the curtain back, Hermione bit her lip and started panicking. Hermione told herself that this was the rational thing to do. Mr. Riddle was a qualified healer and even looked the part.
You can do this, Hermione. Hermione tried to soothe her frayed nerves. It's not like Mr. Riddle hasn't seen a vagina before, right? He's probably seen a hundreds of them in his years of experience as a healer.
Unbeknownst to Hermione that Mr. Riddle's years of experience had been falsified credentials so that the man could get a position within the School and fulfill his own agendas.
After finally assuring herself, Hermione pulled the bedsheet over herself and started removing her skirt. Her fingers fumbled over the zipper, getting anxious as seconds passed by.
A moment later, she pulled her skirt down her legs and off her. The bed creaked beneath her at the movements. She folded it neatly and placed it on the side table next to the bed.
Now, Hermione was down to her practical-looking, white underwear. Carefully, she lay back down on the bed and then proceeded to hook her fingers at the sides of her knickers. She raised her hips as she pulled the article of clothing down her legs.
It didn't take long for her to do it. Afterwards, she folded her underwear and hid it beneath her folded skirt that was on the side table.
Despite the fact that she knew the gravity of the situation, Hermione had never felt so nervous.
This would be the first time that someone, other than herself, could see her down there. She had never even done some self-exploration of her own because there were more important things in her life than indulge in something like cringe-worthy-masturbation. Her classes, and studying, and her grades, those were crucial things to her than her own sexuality.
And now, Mr. Riddle was about see her…her and just the thought of it made Hermione wanted to grimace and moan in despair.
She hoped she won't end up embarrassing herself in front of him.
Meanwhile, outside, Tom occupied himself by sterilizing his hands with a simple spell. Once he's done, he waited for the mudblood to finish removing her clothes.
He had no need to worry because the girl was quick.
"Ok, I'm ready."
Tom heard her call out.
He immediately entered the cloistered area. As Tom turned around, he instantly saw the girl lying on the bed with the bed cover pulled up to her chin.
She had an expression on her face similar to a deer caught in a headlights.
He could practically feel her anxiety oozing off her. Despite knowing that, Tom didn't have the time to comfort her, especially now that he was going to do something that he found abhorrent.
"Scoot over here, Miss Granger." Tom coldly ordered, pointing to the foot of the bed. "You're way up. I won't be able to reach you from up there."
It seemed that Hermione's body must have locked up unto itself because she could hardly move a muscle.
She was mentally freaking out.
Growing impatient, Tom growled threateningly. "Unless you want me to crawl up there and get you myself?"
Hermione had never moved faster in her life. In a few seconds, she was sitting at the foot of the hospital bed and careful not to let the bed cover slip off her.
"Place your bottom just three feet above the edge of the bed and lie back down."
Like an automaton, Hermione did, her nerves were chafed raw by the time her head settled on the mattress.
"Bend your knees up and part your legs for me, Miss Granger."
Hermione did it in silence, her body breaking down in cold sweat.
"Lift the bed covers up to your knees and hold it there."
This time, Hermione did nothing. Her inaction prompted the man standing near the foot of the bed to make a sound of frustration.
In a dangerous voice, Tom said: "Miss Granger, I said to lift the bed covers up to your knees and hold it there."
With fingers shaking, Hermione slowly gathered some part of the bed cover, and gradually lifted the bottom part of it up to her knees.
She felt the cool air stirring and kissing against her neither region.
Meanwhile, Tom had already turned his attention to other things than watched the mudblood slowly reveal herself to him. To ensure that he won't get revolted by the possible smell, he cast a spell that kept the air clean and flooded with a jasmine and lemony scent.
Afterwards, he cast another charm to coat his hands with a pair of magical gloves. The material was translucent and thin yet remain a strong barrier. It blended well with his skin color when he put them on, making it appear as if he was not wearing any gloves at all.
"Spread your legs wider," Tom ordered as he cast a perfunctory glance at the mudblood, noticing that she had parted her legs only two-hands-span apart.
Hermione's face must be the color of maroon by now, and perhaps even her entire body must be flushing furiously.
Summoning every bit of courage within herself, and praying to the Gods for more, Hermione did as he said. Mr. Riddle was looking at her face when she gradually - and shakily - widened her legs further.
"We don't have stirrups for you to place your legs on. So you'll have to keep your foot planted on the bed and your legs in that position." Tom informed, looking at the girl who was gripping the bedcover on her knees until her knuckles were white.
By the end of this procedure, the mudblood was sure to shred it to pieces. Tom mused.
"Relax, Miss Granger. I'll make this quick. Though I want you to answer one last question before I go on." He said.
Tom needed the right visual image to summon the foreign object, which meant asking the girl for its description in perfect detail; albeit Tom would secretly extract the image from her mind just to make it easier for him.
"Can you tell me the exact description of the object? It'll make this procedure done faster if I use the summoning spell." Tom explained, noting how the girl's eyes had rounded at his proposition.
Can this be any more awkward? Hermione mentally squirmed.
"It's small and cylindrical in shape," she said to him immediately, trying not to cringe when she stared at him. "It's also very light, almost weightless and superabsorbent."
Tom didn't say anything. He had already plucked the image from her mind when they had made eye contact.
Giving her a small nod, Tom finally, finally turned his attention to the area that was the root cause of his current dilemma.
The instant he saw her, Tom tried not to stare very hard.
The mudblood had apparently removed the tuft of her hair down there, which allowed Tom to see everything without the minor hindrance.
He had to grudgingly admit that she looked...
She was a pleasant surprise, for the lack of a better term.
TO BE CONTINUED...
OUTTAKES:
Neville, Justin and Ernie slowly walked towards the door. They heard the sound of the Hospital curtain being drawn as they slowly trickled out of the room.
"I wonder if she's going to be alright," Ernie began when the three of them were finally outside. "She's been in the library almost everyday that it must have taken a toll on her body for staying up late and studying."
"I hear that she's been skipping meals as well." Justin divulged.
The two boys who have spoken first were amongst those who were scrambling for the Top Five Highest marks in Hogwarts. They too must have been studying in the library as earnestly as Hermione, enough for them to notice her constant presence there.
Either that, or Ernie and Justin were eyeing their competition and simply tried their best and try to outdo Hermione at every turn. Notwithstanding Draco Malfoy, who was also doing the same, and was the current second Top Ranking student just after Hermione Granger.
Though there's also the possibility that the two were simply smitten with the Head Girl and had been watching her from afar, pining and hoping for her to notice them over the thick books that seemed to serve as a barrier to keep anyone from disturbing Hermione.
Neville knew this because he had been trying to talk to her for the past months.
"Let's just hope she'll be okay," Neville said at last.
. . . .
Now, he thought the mudblood no better from the hormonal teenager girls in the school, and finding ways to get themselves admitted to the Hospital Wing just to get a personal examination from him (This forced Tom to place a complicated charm on the door that would only admit people with injuries, ailments, or individuals with a good reason to be there).
But most often than not, Tom had contemplated about murdering those same girls and leave them in the Chamber of Secrets.
Nonetheless, as tempting as the prospect may seemed to him, he couldn't blow his cover up just yet. He still had some unfinished business that he needed to do.
…..
Hermione's heart suddenly took up a galloping beat. If only she could ride it like a horse so that she would be out of there fast.
Tom let go of her hand and took a step back.
"Then, let's move on to the other issue you're experiencing."
Hermione was uncertain what her mind had screech, whether it's the former, OH. HELL. NO!, or it was the latter, OH. YES. PLEASE!
Overall, she was doomed.
