Hello there :D
This isn't the first fanfiction that I have written, but it's the first one that I plan to go all the way with. I started writing fanfics a few years back, but I just despised my writing style. I still do, but I love the Tom/Hermione pairing so much that I couldn't resist having my own little input in their world!
I know my writing isn't near perfection, there's a reason I dropped English as soon as I was able to. But I really hope that at least some of you see the story in the way that I have visualised it. I have plot lines, I just can't seem to put them into words :p
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is J.K Rowlings world, not mine. I only wish that I inhabited it...
The first chapter is more of an intro, there's not really any Tom/Hermione interaction. It's a build-up I guess. Enjoy!
The girl's bathroom exploded.
The deafening bang it produced resounded through the abandoned room, causing the thick stone walls to vibrate strongly, but they otherwise remained undamaged. The room gradually reverted to silence, as if the previous few seconds never occurred, though this was quickly broken again by a chilling scream. The voice, belonging to a female, could not go unheard by the Slytherin prefect patrolling the corridor that night.
'I'm going to rip their mindless heads off!' Tom Marvolo Riddle scowled darkly as he stormed down the corridor towards the source of the noise, wand out and equipped with a mental list of a few not-so-innocent curses to intimidate the rule breakers that interrupted his peace. Forcing the door open with a sharp flick of his wand, the sixth-year glared daggers at the almost transparent figure that stood there silently.
"Myrtle." He snarled at the melodramatic ghost, whose vocal chords currently appeared to be failing her as she began to tremble in shock. He glanced around and frowned at the walls; every mirror had shattered into minuscule pieces. "May I know what has possessed you to-"
Riddle broke off mid-sentence as he followed the line of sight of the former Hogwarts student; his usually expressionless face contorted into one of alarm as they came to rest on the unpleasant sight before him.
A young woman- she couldn't have possibly been more than twenty years of age- lay broken on the cold marble floor; her limbs appeared to be twisted at awkward angles. Her thin face was of a deathly white colour and contrasted deeply with the scarlet red oozing out of her nose, ears and mouth. He approached the frail looking figure, allowing his perverse curiosity to get the better of him.
As he stood over her, the woman suddenly gasped, though she immediately began choking on the blood that had accumulated in her mouth. Her chest heaved as she painfully coughed the thick liquid out, before closing her eyes and falling into an unconscious state. Riddle noticed that her breathing was becoming increasingly shallow, and his thought process finally returned to a state of partial normality as he got onto his knees beside her, examining her deep wounds.
"Episkey" He uttered the basic healing spell to prevent more blood loss. Merlin knew she had already lost a galleon full.
Not knowing what else to do- one did not deem learning advanced healing spells a priority when one was trying to achieve immortality- he levitated her from the floor, and exited the bathroom, her crippled body floating behind him.
Finally reaching the Hospital wing he flung the doors open, and with a flick of his wand the unfamiliar girl landed softly on the nearest bed. His noisy entry into the school's infirmary awoke the Madam Rosary, the rather affectionate school Matron who was known for fussing over her patients as if they were her very own children. The middle-aged woman rushed out of her office, which was connected to the Hospital wing.
"Mister Riddle you are going to awake the entire castle… oh Merlin!" Madam Rosary gasped in horror as her now wide eyes fell upon the latest addition to the infirmary. She scurried towards the potions cabinet, rummaging through it as she demanded to know about her patient's situation.
Tom tugged at his raven black hair in an unusual display of nervousness yet he managed to speak in a composed, earnest tone. "I wouldn't know, Madam Rosary. I was patrolling along the second floor and heard an explosion. I entered the girls' bathroom and found her in the very state she is in now, lying unconscious on the floor. That is all I can tell you."
The old woman simply nodded without any further questioning and proceeded to assess the girl's injuries, sweeping her wand over her body as she attempted to identify the curses that she had been subjected to. Tom inwardly relaxed when she appeared to believe his words; the possibility of an accusation being made against him had worried him immensely.
It was at that moment when Albus Dumbledore, the school's well-respected transfiguration professor, swept into the room, his velvet robes billowing behind him.
"I take it that it was you who discovered her, Tom?" Dumbledore asked, masking his suspicion skilfully, though Tom knew this particular wizard well enough to realise that he was at the beginnings of an interrogation.
"Mr Riddle is unaware of how the girl was harmed. He discovered her in a girls bathroom whilst on his prefect duties." Madam Rosary replied on Tom's behalf. The animosity between the prefect and the professor was definitely not unheard of, and feeling the increasing tension between the two of them she steered the conversation in another direction. "Neither of us were able to recognise her- very peculiar since the girl could pass for a sixth year."
"No, she does not seem to be a student at this school." Dumbledore commented as he studied the girl's face, which had now been cleared of her blood.
'A Hufflepuff could have figured that one out.' Tom thought irritably, wishing the man would disclose some real information to satisfy his mounting curiosity. For starters, what curses were used on her? He would certainly like to have a go at casting some of them…
Dumbledore spoke again after a short pause. "Which leaves us to wonder how she entered the school undetected." He sighed, "How is her health as of now, Amelia?"
Madam Rosary had cast at least a dozen spells all over the girl's body to close up her wounds more effectively, mend her broken ribs and several fractures.
"Her body is in a fairly stable condition now, thank goodness. There is one major problem though. Some of her wounds have been created by dark magic and are frequently reopening. Tom's interest suddenly shot up at the mention of the Dark Arts. She'll need the cure quickly, or they'll stop closing at all. Oh Albus, I simply cannot even begin to comprehend why someone would harm anyone to this extent, let alone a poor child! I haven't seen that many dark curses used on a full grown man."
"Indeed, I can only imagine half of what this young lady has been through. Unfortunately I feel that her injuries weren't the outcome of a random assault, but that there was more to it."
"What are you saying?"
Dumbledore turned to look at Riddle, giving him a tight smile. "Tom, would you mind fetching your potions professor? I shall have him brew a few potions. Our wing isn't sufficiently equipped to treat injuries inflicted by the Dark Arts. It is not expected for a school to have to deal with this area of magic on a regular basis."
Tom swore he saw an insinuating look in Dumbledore's light blue eyes. Ever since the Myrtle incident last year the blasted old coot had been onto his case. Oh yes, Tom could easily fool the rest of the population at Hogwarts into thinking that Hagrid's little pet spider killed Myrtle, and he, the school's saviour, brought the half-giant to justice. But convincing Albus Dumbledore had been another story. The wizard was too intelligent for his own good, and Tom had despised him for it.
Not wanting to arouse further suspicion from the only person he considered a threat, he did not question the professor's orders, and instead muttered a 'Yes, Sir', before hurrying to find his head of house.
Dumbledore watched Tom stroll out of the Hospital Wing and waved his hand to place a silencing charm over the room, then turned to face Madam Rosary.
"There have been curses used on this child that can only be cast by a handful of wizards. It appears to me that she has been involved in a battle of some sort."
"Merlin forbid, you don't think it was one of Grindelwald's followers, do you Albus?
Dumbledore's usually shining blue eyes now presented not even a hint of a twinkle in them.
"Perhaps it was one of them. But considering how advanced the curses that were used against her were I suspect it was more of a personal attack, possibly by someone who sought vengeance. I doubt Grindelwald's followers would have the time nor a sufficient reason for them to harm a mere teenager using such horrific methods."
"And if that is the case? What should we do with her? I have searched her body and clothing; there is absolutely nothing that gives us the slightest inkling about her. What if her attackers are still looking for her?"
"There is nothing we can do until she has awoken. If she does make a good recovery, I will question her in private and take action from there. But for now she will remain under our protection at Hogwarts,"
Neither of them knew that Hogwarts was the last place that would provide a safe haven for Hermione Granger.
Please review! I don't think I'll see any point in continuing the story with no reviews, if I'm being honest. Okay so I might be a bit of a review whore... Constructive criticism is VERY welcome. That being said, a few nice comments wouldn't hurt either hehe :)