Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own anything related to Nine Inch Nails (Not even Trent…God how I wish I owned him!) except for a few autographs and random paraphernalia…Obviously, this is just for fun, no money is being made.
AN: This idea came to me out of nowhere and it was AWESOME so it had to be written. This is a Non-magic AU story, obviously, but I hope you enjoy it regardless! It goes without saying that I am a huge Nine Inch Nails fan, and this was heavily inspired by them, not to mention I used some of their songs (because they just fit sooo perfectly for this story!) I am not sure how long this story will be, but this is only the first chapter…it's not finished by any means! Songs used for this chapter: "Meet your Master" by Nine Inch Nails, "Burn" by Nine Inch Nails, and "Reptile" by Nine Inch Nails….feel free to youtube those while you read! Love it? Hate it? Leave me a review! xo
~~{0}~~
The low heels of Hermione's Mary Jane's clacked on the tile floor as she walked purposefully to her best friend's dorm room. He had knicked her history notes yet again, and she needed them back so she could study for their upcoming test. As she approached the closed door, she could hear what she supposed was music coming from inside. She knocked loudly, and when no one answered she barged in as she usually did, placing her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Hermione! Come in, why don't you." Ron said sarcastically as he got up to turn the music down slightly.
"I did knock, Ronald, it's no wonder you couldn't hear me over that racket…what are you listening to by the way?" she asked rolling her eyes at her best friend's roommate.
"It's uh…it's pretty wicked, isn't it?" Harry asked with his feet propped up on a beanbag chair.
"It sounds like noise." Hermione said primly, "Are they even playing instruments?"
Ron scoffed, "Of course they are, but there is also digitally added sounds layered in too, which really add to the overall effect." Ron said defensively.
"To the noise, you mean." Hermione said smirking. She couldn't help herself; it was so easy to get Ron riled up, his face turning the color of his hair.
"Whatever, you have no appreciation for the arts." Ron said looking away from her and crossing his arms over his chest.
Hermione scoffed, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that.." she paused picking up Ron's phone to see who the "artist" was that they were listening to, "…Lord Voldemort should be counted among the greats such as Bach and Beethoven. What sort of name is Lord Voldemort for a band, anyway?"
Harry chimed in then, "Well, it's not a band, exactly, I mean…He is Lord Voldemort, and he has a band, but it's not about them really, he's the star of the show."
Hermione just raised an eyebrow at him, and sighed, "Well, I did come here for a reason, can I get my history notes back please? We do have a test to prepare for, in case you've forgotten." She said holding her hand out expectantly.
Ron rolled his eyes at her from behind her back, and Harry bit back a smirk and dug through his bag to retrieve her notes. He handed them to her, and she wrinkled her nose at the crinkled paper, "Thanks." She said sarcastically before she turned on her heels and strode out of the room.
As the door swung shut, Ron looked back at Harry, "Honestly mate; I don't know why you hang around with her."
Harry sighed, "Well aside from the fact that she is brilliant, and I'd probably flunk out without her help, she's been my best friend since we were kids."
Ron nodded in understanding and then smirked at Harry, "I suppose it doesn't hurt that she's smoking hot, too."
Harry threw his pillow at Ron and he caught it, "Oh come on, don't act like you haven't noticed."
Harry blushed a bright red, "Shut it, Ron."
~~{0}~~
"Oi! Hermione, how do you think you did on the test?" Ginny asked as she caught up to her in the quad, handing her a latte.
Hermione smiled gratefully at the red-head beside her, "Good, I hope. You are an angel, thanks for this." She said holding up the coffee in salute.
"Oh, who are you kidding? I'm sure you aced it, as always." Ginny laughed, and then stopped in her tracks, pulling Hermione to a stop with her.
"Oh God, there he is…he's so beautiful." Ginny sighed dreamily, nodding towards the bench that sat over by the fountain.
"He's a prat, Ginny." Hermione said scrunching up her nose as her eyes swept over the handsome boy with platinum blond hair and light blue eyes. "I mean, is that even a natural hair color?"
Ginny turned to glare at her friend, "Why do you hate him so much? What's he done to you?"
Hermione sighed, the truth was, he hadn't actually done anything to her, it was more a matter of principle.
"It's just his attitude; he acts like because he has money, he's better than everyone else. It's disgusting, actually." Hermione admitted.
"Well, I can honestly say that I wouldn't kick him out of bed, utter prick, or not." Ginny said laughing as she pulled Hermione along.
"Ginevra Weasley, you best hope your brother doesn't hear you talk like that!" Hermione scolded, chuckling at her friend.
"Oh please, Ron would be mortified and probably run from the room screaming if he ever heard me talking about sex. I'm pretty sure he still thinks of me as a five year old." Ginny scoffed, "Speaking of sex…I heard Viktor Krum has been texting you."
Hermione's eyes widened and she craned her head to look at her friend, a blush creeping over her cheeks.
"Hermione Jean Granger, you've been sexting him, haven't you!" Ginny laughed, slapping Hermione's arm playfully.
"I may have sent him a dirty text or three, but we haven't actually done anything." Hermione said biting her lip shyly.
"Yet…" Ginny finished, laughing knowingly at her friend.
"It's just…well, I've not done that yet, but he's making it awfully hard to say no." Hermione admitted.
"Awfully hard, huh?" Ginny said laughing, "I bet that's what he said."
Hermione laughed, "Ginny, you're so bad."
"But that's why you love me!" Ginny said winking at her.
Neither of the girls noticed the Blond's eyes following them as they passed by.
~~{0}~~
Hermione's phone buzzed and she pulled out her cell to see she had a text from Viktor
What color are your panties today?
Hermione blushed, and bit her lip, looking around to make sure no one could see what she was typing.
Pink, with a little white bow.
She pressed send, and pulled out her laptop at the table she had chosen in the library, as she prepared for another late-night study session. Her phone vibrated again in her lap, and she had to stifle her gasp when she saw Viktor's response.
Mmmm…I'd like to remove them with my teeth. Where are you?
She blushed, and bit her lip thinking that her little pink panties were now decidedly damp.
I'm in the library of course…and I like the sound of that…
She once again hit send and began working on her paper for her English Literature class
Any chance I can see you tonight?
Hermione frowned, she really wanted to see Viktor, but she had to get this paper done.
Probably not tonight, I have to finish my paper…tomorrow? :(
A few minutes later, she got Viktor's response
Sure, dinner at my place? Seven o'clock?
Hermione smiled, and once again quickly typed in her answer
Sounds great, I'll see you then xo
She dropped her phone in her bag, and forced herself to focus on her paper. It was midnight before she knew it, and the librarian was starting to turn off some of the lights to let the remaining students know that the library was closing. She tucked her laptop into her bag, and pulled out her phone as she slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way out of the library. She had received another text, this one from Harry.
Mione! You'll never guess what happened today…it's insane. Come by when you leave the library!
She looked at her watch, and figured that it was a Friday night, so the chances that Harry was still awake were pretty good, so she shot him a quick text before she walked over to his dorm
Just leaving the library, still up?
A minute later, he replied
Yeah, come by if you can
She tucked her phone back into her bag and walked over to the boy's dormitory, Gryffindor Hall, not surprised in the least that there were still several parties in full swing as she walked to Harry and Ron's room.
She knocked lightly, and opened the door, and once again, they were listening to the noise otherwise known as Lord Voldemort.
Hermione shook her head, "Still listening to that crap?"
All five heads looked up at her gaping, "This is not crap, Hermione, its awesome!" Seamus said from the other side of Harry, surrounded by Ron, Neville, and Dean.
Hermione rolled her eyes, and climbed up to sprawl out on Harry's bunk, "So what is this amazing thing that happened today, Harry?" she asked pushing his pillow under her chin as she looked at them.
"Oh! I was leaving Biology this afternoon, and I overheard Malfoy talking to his cronies about his dad being made the lead guitarist in a new band…" Harry said practically bouncing in his seat.
"And? His father must be what, fifty? " Hermione scoffed
"Actually, I heard his dad was younger, in his mid-thirties…apparently, he had Draco when he was really young, like seventeen or something." Dean chimed in.
"Oh…well, that's interesting?" Hermione said not sure what to say to that.
"Guess which band, Hermione." Harry said, his green eyes sparkling.
"Oh…let me think…Lord Voldemort?" she said sarcastically
"Yes! And get this…Apparently, they're having some swanky private party at their house, invite only, and Lord Voldemort will be there." He said excitedly.
"Um…okay, but I don't see why you are so excited about this, I mean, it's not as if you're invited."
Harry looked smug now, as he held up several tickets, "See, Hermione, that's where you're wrong!"
Her mouth dropped open, "How did you get those?" Hermione said climbing off the top bunk a bit ungracefully and striding over to grab one of the tickets out of Harry's hand.
Hermione noticed Ron scowl, and turned her attention back to Harry.
"Well, I was walking by when he was talking about it, and out of nowhere, he calls me over. I didn't even realize he knew my name, but he did. So, I walked over, and he says, 'Hey Potter, you're friends with Weasley, right?' I told him I was, and that Ron was my roommate, and then he says, 'He's got a sister, hasn't he?'" Harry said chancing a glance over in Ron's direction.
"Bloody prat better keep his hands off my sister if he knows what's good for him." Ron spat.
Hermione bit back a smirk. Ginny would absolutely die when she heard about this.
"So anyway, I told him that he did, Ginny, and he smirked at me. Next thing I know, he hands me a handful of tickets and says that we should come to the party, and to bring Ginny." Harry said chuckling.
"Have you told Ginny yet?" she looked at Ron raising an eyebrow.
"Hell no." Ron shrieked, and Hermione laughed.
"Hermione, you have to come with us. You know Ginny will only go if you do, and if I can't convince her to go, Malfoy would probably tell us all to piss off...and I really want to meet Lord Voldemort." Harry practically begged her.
Hermione sighed. This was so not her scene, but she could never say no to Harry when he gave her the puppy dog eyes.
"Fine. When is it then?" Hermione said pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Tomorrow night." Harry said getting the hopeful look in his eye
Hermione's face fell, "I'm sorry, Harry, but I have a date with Viktor tomorrow night." Hermione told him.
"Tell him you can't make it…that you're sick, please Mione? For me?" Harry begged.
She glared at him, "I'm not going to lie to Viktor because you want to meet some pretentious no-talent hack." Hermione said in annoyance.
Harry just continued to gaze at her with that same pitiful expression, and she finally relented.
"Fine. I'll tell Viktor I can't make it, but you owe me." she said picking her bag up off the floor, "I'm going to bed."
Ron snorted as he watched her leave and shook his head, "Bloody hell, she gets invited to an exclusive party with Lord Voldemort, and she said you owe her? She needs to sort out her priorities."
~~{0}~~
Hermione slapped her hand over her alarm clock and rolled out of bed. It was Thankfully Saturday, and she texted Ginny to see if she wanted to meet in the Great Hall for Breakfast. Her roommate, Lavender, was still asleep with one of those ridiculous eye masks covering her face. She would never say they were friends, but they tolerated each other. Lavender was overly girly, which Hermione found annoying. She would go on and on about makeup, and spent obscene amounts of time in front of the mirror taking duck face selfies to post on Facebook. Unsurprisingly, Ron had gravitated towards her, and she had caught them snogging on more than one occasion.
She took a quick shower and threw on a pair of skinny jeans and a long-sleeved tee with a pair of flats, and pulled her damp hair into a messy bun before she headed out the door to head to the Great Hall.
When she arrived, Ginny was already seated and waving her over to what was commonly known as the Gryffindor table, since that was where most of the boys from Gryffindor Hall would congregate. Since it was early on a Saturday, hardly anyone was there.
"Morning, Mione, was Viktor keeping you up late again?" Ginny chuckled taking a sip of her coffee.
"Very funny! No, I was at the library for a while and then went over to see Harry." Hermione said as she followed Ginny to the line to go get their breakfast.
"Oh? What did he want?" Ginny asked knowingly. Hermione may be blind to it, but it was obvious to her that Harry had a crush on Hermione.
"It's kind of crazy, actually, and well…it involves you." Hermione said biting back a smirk.
"Me? What does Harry want with me?" she said making a face.
"Oh, don't be so quick to turn your nose up, wait until you hear the whole thing." Hermione said laughing at her friend's obvious disinterest in her brother's roommate.
"I can hardly wait." Ginny said rolling her eyes.
"Apparently, Draco Malfoy invited Harry and a bunch of his friends, including you and I, to this super exclusive party at his house, and Draco specifically asked about you." Hermione said watching her friends eyes widen.
Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm, and spun her around to face her, "Are you shitting me? Draco Malfoy? He asked about me?" Ginny said practically bouncing on her heels.
"Yes, the very one. Harry seems to be under the impression that the only reason he got invited was because Draco knows he's your brother's roomate, and thought that maybe he could get to you through them. He practically begged me to go, because he knew you probably wouldn't go without me."
Ginny bit her lip, trying to hide her smile, "He's probably right, I mean, as hot as Draco is, I need backup…preferably not my brother or his roommate." Ginny laughed, "So when is this party?"
"Uh…Tonight, actually." Hermione said grimacing. She knew it was late notice, but she was fairly certain that Ginny would move heaven and earth to be at a party that Draco Malfoy wanted her to go to.
"And you are going?" Ginny asked, a hopeful look on her face.
"Yes, Harry already gave me the puppy dog eyes, so don't bother. I have to reschedule my date with Viktor, but I'm sure he'll understand." Hermione said sitting back at her seat at the table holding her plate of fresh fruit, a muffin and some bacon.
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll make it up to him." Ginny snorted, "Just tell him that you'll suck his-"
"Ginny!" Hermione laughed cutting her off before she could finish that sentence.
"What?" Ginny asked innocently, though Hermione was far from fooled.
"Oh, and there is one more thing" Hermione said rolling her eyes
"What's that?" Ginny asked taking a bite of her eggs
"Apparently Lord Voldemort will be there too." Hermione said dismissively, and Hermione was surprised to see Ginnys eyes widen.
"You're having me on…Lord Voldemort? As in The Lord Voldemort? Are you kidding me?" Ginny asked
"No, I'm not kidding…Draco's father is the lead guitarist in his band I guess. Not that I particularly care, it all sounds like noise to me." Hermione waved dismissively.
Ginny gaped at Hermione, "Hermione, you do realize that Lord Voldemort is like super famous, don't you? I mean, his music is sort of well…different…kind of Industrial I guess." Ginny began not quite sure how to explain it.
"Famous or not, It all sounds like a bunch of angry yelling and noise to me." Hermione scoffed.
Ginny snorted, "I dare you to say that to his face."
Hermione smirked, "Maybe I will."
~~{0}~~
After Breakfast with Ginny, she returned back to her dorm room to find that Lavender was thankfully gone, probably for the weekend. She dropped into her desk chair, and pulled out her phone to text Viktor.
I'm so sorry about this, but I can't make it tonight.
A few moments later, he texted her back, and she could tell he was annoyed.
Let me guess, another research project?
She was kind of hurt, to be honest, he knew when he first asked her out how studious she was, and now he was acting like he resented her for it. She was planning to tell him the truth of about why she had to cancel, but after his comment, she decided he didn't need to know.
If my academic pursuits bother you so much, why did you bother asking me out?
She hit send angrily; knowing that she was probably over-reacting, but she came to Hogwart's to get an education first and foremost. Dating had not, and wouldn't become, her priority.
I asked you out because I think you're beautiful and brilliant. I still do, only you barely make time for me. If you don't want to see me anymore, just say so.
Hermione sighed, she didn't want to end her relationship with him, and she knew he was probably just hurt because she didn't make much room in her life for him. All things considered, she supposed she couldn't blame him for being upset.
I'm sorry, Viktor, of course I want to be with you. Tell you what, I'm free Tuesday night if you are. We can do dinner then? I'll even wear the pink panties…
Hermione hit send before she could second guess herself and delete it. Almost immediately, he texted her back.
You're killing me, Hermowninny…
She laughed when she saw his response. When she had first met Viktor a few weeks ago in the library, she had noticed him spending quite a bit of time there, and looking at her, and she had thought to herself, since when are Bulgarian soccer players so concerned with academics? Eventually, he had worked up the nerve to approach her, and completely botched her name. She had laughed, of course, because how could she not being called 'Herm-own-ninny', but she found it completely adorable at the same time and before she knew it, she was snogging him senseless as he walked her back to her dorm from the library that night. It didn't take long before he had asked her out, though in truth they actually didn't spend as much time together as they both would have liked due to his intense practice schedules and her study habits.
I miss you…
She hit send, and shoved her phone into her pocket before she opened her laptop. She scrolled through facebook, noting Lavender's newest duck face photos, and rolled her eyes. She clicked on Viktor's profile, and smiled when she saw the photos he was tagged in by some of the other soccer players. He was rugged and muscular with a few tattoos covering his arms, with chin length hair and a neatly trimmed goatee, which she found extremely sexy. She loved that he was so much bigger than her, and she often fantasized about him throwing her up against a wall and having his way with her. Not that she'd told him any of that…yet. She scowled when she saw some comments from some girls on his page gushing over how good looking he was. He hadn't responded to any of them, though, she couldn't be too upset she supposed.
Remembering why she had opened her computer in the first place, she pulled up Google and typed in 'Lord Voldemort'. Page after page of news articles and interviews came up; everything from Rollingstone, to Entertainment Weekly. She clicked on images, and recoiled a bit when she saw a picture of him looking almost like a corpse, pale as snow, with almost bluish veins visible, and his face was rather…snake-like. His band members in the photo were all wearing long black cloaks with silver face masks. She clicked on one of the interview articles, and read it in it's entirely, since she was curious about how he had managed to go from being a relatively unknown entity to a megastar so quickly. According to the interview, he had inherited quite a bit of money after his father's untimely passing. With that money, he started his own record label, Morsmordre Records. He wrote and produced two best-selling albums in less than a year, which is almost unheard of, and is currently on tour. He put together a live band to play his music for the tour, which consisted of Lucius Malfoy on lead guitar, Roldolphus Lestrange on Bass, Severus Snape on Keyboards, and Fenrir Greyback on drums. His publicist, Bellatrix Lestrange, wife of Rodolphus, has also revolutionized the fan experience by creating an exclusive fan club called the "Death Eaters" that fans can join for a nominal fee, where they would have access to exclusive pre-sale concert tickets, meet and greets with Lord Voldemort, and an online forum. Thousands of fans have already joined and taken "The Dark Mark" which was a forum inspired idea for members to get matching tattoos on their left forearms as an identifier.
Hermione balked. People were actually getting this man's logo tattooed on themselves when they joined a fan club? That was insane. It sounded like a cult.
She opened iTunes next and pulled up their music so she could listen to samples. According to the music charts, "Meet Your Master" and "Reptile" were their most popular songs. She sighed, and downloaded both songs, vowing to give them a good listen before she fully made up her mind.
Grudgingly, she had to admit she kind of liked "Reptile", though she wasn't too keen on some of the other songs. Mostly, they all sounded dark, angry, and violent. If nothing else, tonight would be interesting for sure.
~~{0}~~
Right after Dinner, Harry was knocking on her door, and Hermione opened it to allow him along with Ron, Seamus, Neville and Dean to enter. Ginny had been with Hermione most of the afternoon agonizing over her outfit choice, since Draco would be there. Hermione hadn't the first clue as to what the dress code should be, but she did know that Ron would have a stroke when he saw that Ginny was wearing a black corset style top, with a black miniskirt and black knee-high heeled leather boots. She supposed she wouldn't stand out too much, considering this was a gothic/industrial sort of party. Hermione was about as far from goth as one could get, and no matter how much Ginny had begged, she was not about to go out looking like a trussed up street walker to Draco Malfoy's house. Instead, she opted to wear a pair of black skinny jeans, and a champagne colored cap sleeved silk top with matching pumps. As predicted, Ron about hit the roof when his eyes fell on Ginny.
"You are not wearing that in public." He ordered, but she refused to back down. In the end, she got her way, because she refused to go to the party unless he shut up about her outfit. She reasoned that she had five men there to protect her virtue, as well as Hermione. They had decided to chip in for a limo to take them to and from Malfoy's, since it was a fancy party, and it wouldn't do for them to show up in Ron's beat up old Cadillac. Harry passed out the tickets once they were in the limo, and Hermione rolled her eyes when all they could talk about was Lord Voldemort. She had never even met this guy, and she was already tired of hearing about him. She had a feeling they were going to be those embarrassing fanboys, so Hermione made a mental note to stick with Ginny, and look for Draco.
When the limo pulled up to the house, correction, Mansion, Ginny gasped. She knew Draco was wealthy, but this was ridiculous. She suddenly felt like she was in a real-life version of Annie, and that Lucius Malfoy would come strolling out to greet her as Daddy Warbucks, albeit in a silver mask and black cloak while she was wearing a corset.
Hermione saw other women she didn't recognize strolling into the mansion wearing corsets, so she relaxed thinking that Ginny wouldn't look out of place after all. She on the other hand, would, but that didn't bother her, since she could care less about this Lord Voldemort character.
The door to their limo opened, and they all stepped out, smoothing their hands over their clothes to make sure they looked presentable, and Hermione grasped Ginny's arm, and walked up to the large man working security at the door, and handed him their tickets. He stamped their hands, and motioned for them to go inside. Hermione hadn't noticed any ink on her skin from the stamp, but felt it's wetness. When she walked inside the dark foyer that was lit with black lights, The mark on the back of her hand started to glow; a snake in the shape of an infinity symbol, with a skull at the top, the snake protruding from it's open jaws. She recognized the symbol as the dark mark, which was Lord Voldemort's logo. The mansion itself was huge, she realized as she stepped into rather large ballroom, which was lavishly decorated with couches inset into the floor, with black silk pillows, and there was a bar to one side of the wall, a large dancefloor, and an actual stage. She could tell Ginny was nervous, so she pulled her over to the bar and ordered a drink for both of them since she was of legal age, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was an open bar. Hermione ordered a glass of white wine for herself, since she didn't want to risk a red wine stain on her silk blouse, and ordered a Gin and tonic for Ginny. A short while later, while Ginny was chatting with Hermione, Draco Malfoy stepped up behind them and tapped Ginny on the shoulder.
Both Hermione and Ginny turned, and Ginny's jaw practically hit the floor. Draco was wearing a fitted black suit, that looked quite expensive, and he took in Ginny's appearance with a wicked gleam in his eye. Hermione cleared her throat, getting Draco's gaze to break from Ginny's chest
"Draco Malfoy? I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ginny Weasley; I believe we have a few classes together." Hermione said politely, not wanting to be rude, seeing as they were in his house.
"Yes, I recall. I'm glad you could make it" he said looking directly at Ginny, as he lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles, "Enjoy the show tonight, and I hope to we'll get the chance to talk more later. " He said as he smirked at Ginny and then looked back to Hermione giving her a bored look.
Hermione scoffed quietly. She had always known he was a prat.
"He's so hot." Ginny sighed
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Yes, well, maybe after your nerves have settled, you should talk to him a bit more. It's pretty obvious he likes you. Me? Not so much." Hermione laughed.
"Well, you already have a hunky Bulgarian, don't you? So what are you complaining about?" Ginny asked laughing.
"Trust me, I'm not complaining." Hermione held up her hand at Ginny.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and all of the guests began to gather closer to the stage. Hermione finished her drink, and followed the crowd, standing somewhat off to the side so that she could take in the performance.
The room suddenly darkened to almost pitch black, and Hermione reached behind her to hold on to something so as not to lose her bearings. There was an LED screen behind the stage that suddenly flared to life with the Dark Mark, bringing only a small amount of light into the room, and the heavy guitar riffs could be heard echoing though the room. As the guitar riffs grew louder, the crowd started to cheer. Hermione kept her eyes glued to the stage, and watched, as several hooded figures in silver masks walked silently onto the stage taking their places behind their instruments, standing as still as statues, and then a lone cloaked figure that was barefoot, glided across the stage to the front with his arms outstretched like the messiah, a single green spotlight shining down on him from overhead. As the intro came to a close, the lights went out again, and the first few notes of a song called "Burn" began. Just as the song burst to life, the lights flickered on again over the stage, casting an eerie glow over the hooded figure who was now gripping the microphone with a black latex gloved hand, and with his other gloved hand, he pushed back the hood of his cloak to reveal the creepy pale snake-like visage Hermione had seen in the photos. She shivered as she looked at him, watching as he seemed to pour every ounce of passion and rage into his songs, holding onto the microphone as if it was a lifeline.
This world rejects me
This world threw me away
This world never gave me a chance
This world's gonna have to pay
I don't believe in your institutions
I did what you wanted me to
Like cancer in the system
I've got a little suprise for you
Something inside of me has opened up its eyes
Why did you put it there did you not realize
This thing inside of me it screams the loudest sound
Sometimes i think i could
Burn…
I look down there where you're standing
Flock of sheep out on display
Saw your lives burned up around you
I can take it all away
Something inside of me has opened up its eyes
Why did you put it there did you not realize
This thing inside of me it screams the loudest sound
Sometimes i think i could
I'm gonna burn this whole world down!
I never was a part of you
Burn…
I am the agent
I am corruption
I am the angel
Of your destruction
I am subversion
Secret desire
I am your future
Swallowed up in fire!
As that song came to a close, they played several more songs that Hermione didn't know, but despite the loudness of the music, Hermione was actually enjoying the stage performance. At one point, Lord Voldemort even had a rather large snake draped over his shoulders, and she could swear it was enamored with him. They ended their set with "Reptile" which thankfully, she did know, and she grinned as she spotted Harry and Ron in the center of the crowd when the lights from the stage flared brighter, looking like they were having the time of their lives. After several guitars, and the keyboard was thoroughly smashed to bits, The Lights went back out once more leaving only the Dark Mark hovering behind the stage in an ethereal glow. Eventually, the lights came back up to a dim setting, and many of the guests headed over to the bar to get a drink. Hermione spotted Ginny sitting in one of the inset couches with Draco, and winked at her when she caught her eye. Harry was over by the bar with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville, and she could see from where she was standing how he was absolutely gushing over the performance.
She was about to head over to them when a silky voice came from directly behind her, somewhat close to her ear.
"How did you enjoy the show?"
She turned, with her hand on her chest as if to calm her racing heart after the fright he'd given her, and she had to remind herself not to stare as she looked up at him. Simply put, he was by and far the most beautiful man Hermione had ever laid eyes on. He had silky black hair that fell over one light green eye, and he had on black eyeliner, which she had never before thought about on men, but looking at him now, she could easily say she was a very big fan of it. He had on a long black brocade jacket, with no shirt on underneath, and a pair of black leather pants. She didn't want to stare, but she was also pretty sure he had his nipple pierced as well.
"Uh…It was…something." Hermione said dumbly.
He gave her a knowing grin, flashing one of his canines as he did.
"You didn't like it, did you." It was a statement, not a question.
"Well, it was…different." She laughed, hoping to god that he wasn't in the band. She'd be mortified if he was.
"Different. That's the nice way of saying you think it sucked." He chuckled, his deep baritone rumbling through his chest. To Hermione, it sounded deliciously naughty, and she mentally slapped herself to get a grip.
"No!…I didn't say that! It's just that this is…all rather new to me, I suppose."
Just then, Harry stepped up to her smiling, still on a high from the show, when he threw his arm over her shoulders and said, "So, Hermione, do you still think Lord Voldemort is a pretentious no-talent hack?" before laughing and dashing away again to thank Draco for the invite.
Hermione felt the floor drop out from beneath her when she saw the hot guy she had been talking to raise an eyebrow at her at the comment.
"Hermione, is it? Forgive me; we haven't been properly introduced." he said as he grasped her hand in his
"I ah…I didn't catch your name?" she practically squeaked knowing that this guy had to be a band member.
"Lord Voldemort. But you can call me Tom." He said giving her a wicked smirk.
Hermione blushed a shade of red that probably hadn't even been invented yet, and she glared at Harry's completely oblivious back. She ardently wished the floor would swallow her up.
"So tell me, Hermione, what sort of music do you find interesting?" he asked curiously.
She blushed again, wondering why he was still talking to her after the obvious insult, although if anything, he seemed highly amused by it.
"Oh, well, I mostly listen to classical." She said lamely.
He bit his lip, and looked around the room quickly, seeming to make a decision, and then he grasped her hand
"Follow me." He said walking purposefully from the room, leaving her no choice but to follow after him. He led her down a long hallway and then into an elevator; the Malfoys had an actual elevator in their house. The elevator took them to the fourth floor, and they stepped out. He seemed very familiar with the house, and he led her to a set of double doors that led to a suite of rooms at the end of the hall.
As he opened the doors and led her inside, she could see that this was almost like a whole separate apartment, complete with a library, and a baby grand piano. Hermione gasped, she'd kill to have her own library like this someday.
"Since I spend a lot of time here when we're recording, Lucius set aside this wing of the house for me."
Without another word, he swept behind the piano, sitting on the bench, and placing his hands gently on the keys, and then began to play purely from memory.
The haunting melody of Moonlight Sonata floated through the room, with not even a single missed note. He even managed to inject a passion into it that so many others missed. She observed him while he played; his eyes had slipped shut, and his face was relaxed with the slightest upturn at the corner of his lips, as if the notes alone could incite happiness in him. His long fingers caressed the keys sensuously, and for a moment, she wished that those hands were touching her like that.
As he finished playing, and his eyes slowly opened again to focus on her. She was leaning on the piano, looking as if she had been completely enraptured by him.
"That was beautiful." She said softly, not wanting to disturb mood the music had brought.
"Thank you. I was trained as a concert pianist from the time I was a child. I always find myself coming back to it." He said simply, and she suddenly felt awful for what she'd said about him earlier back in the dorms.
"I'm truly sorry about before, I was wrong, you're very talented." She said feeling awkward once again.
He smiled at her again, over the piano, "I find your honesty refreshing, Hermione." He said coming around to stand in front of her.
She had so many questions, now knowing who he was.
"So how did you come up with all of this Lord Voldemort business?" she asked, grinning when he laughed at her
"Well, being a musician was something I've always known I was destined to be; being successful as a musician though is a double edged sword, because with fame comes the loss of your privacy. I am a very private person, you see, and in order to protect that, I created an alter ego; Lord Voldemort. I've never admitted publicly that we are one in the same, which allows me to keep that anonymity." He explained.
"It's a rather scary alter ego, Tom." Hermione chuckled, and then bit her lip when she noticed his fingers were lightly caressing her arm that rested on the piano.
"Are you afraid of me, Hermione?"
Hermione swallowed thickly, in this particular moment, fear wouldn't be the word to describe what she was feeling towards him; lust, however, would be very accurate.
She hesitated for only the briefest moment, "No…"
He leaned in close to her, close enough so that she could feel his breath tickling her cheek.
"Good." He said before he closed the distance between them and captured her lips in a demanding kiss
She moaned into his mouth, and her hands smoothed over the hard planes of his chest, and for one guilty moment, she remembered that she did, in fact, have a boyfriend who she was currently cheating on. The thought was enough to break the kiss and step back from him, no matter how much she had been enjoying it.
"I should get back, I'm sure my friends will be looking for me." She said not wanting to admit the real reason she had stopped.
"Of course. I'm sorry if I…" he began before she interrupted him
"No, no…It was...I liked it." She said biting her lip in embarrassment.
His lips twitched and he gave her a naughty grin.
"I'm in town quite often, and I would very much like to see you again, Hermione." He said leading her to the door so he could walk her back to the main ballroom.
She looked at him in surprise, "You…you want to see me?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, unless you know of any other Hermione's who think my music is shit." He laughed.
She blushed again, still feeling like a douche for giving the impression that she disliked his music. Honestly, now that she heard it live, it was kind of growing on her.
"You're not going to let me live that down, are you?" she said rubbing her temples.
"Not a chance." He said as he whipped out his cell phone from his long jacket, "Now, what is your number?"
She smirked at him, and gave him her number, and he fired off a text to her so that she would have his number too.
As they stepped into the elevator to head down to the first floor, he hit the stop button once the doors had closed.
"There is one more thing…" he said cryptically
Hermione furrowed her brows, "What?"
"I'll need you to sign a non-disclosure agreement that you will keep my identity a secret. No one, aside from my band and my publicist knows my real identity."
Hermione nodded, "Of course…why did you tell me, anyway?" she asked curiously
He gave her a naughty grin and raked his hand through his hair, "I don't know; maybe it's because you didn't seem impressed. I wanted to see how you would react, and I guess I really just couldn't help myself." He admitted, laughing.
"I suppose I deserved it." she said watching the way he was gazing at her mouth.
Looking back, she wouldn't be able to recall with clarity who made the first move, but before she knew what was happening, he had her up against the wall of the elevator, with her legs wrapped around his waist, and she was kissing him hungrily. One hand had gone up to tangle in his black silky hair, the other slid under his jacket and up his back. Suddenly the elevator doors chimed and slid open, and she squeaked in surprise, burying her face in his neck in embarrassment as a familiar head of blond hair stepped into the elevator with a shorter redhead.
"Hermione?!" The red head said surprise; looking from her friend to the ridiculously hot guy she currently had her legs wrapped around.
Hermione lifted her head to meet her friend's eyes, and her gaze flicked from Ginny and back up to Tom, and then back to Ginny again.
"Hi Gin." She said and nudged Tom to release her legs from his waist.
She tried to collect her dignity as well as she could, but she had been caught red handed. She glanced up at Draco, and he was desperately trying to avoid meeting Tom's eyes. He actually looked a bit frightened, which was odd, given the circumstances.
"Tom was just walking me back to the party. I uh…got lost…trying to find the ah…bathroom." She said lamely and Tom chuckled at her obvious lie.
"Oh…okay. The Boys had sent me to find you, and now I have so…I guess we'll be heading out then?" she asked, still looking uncertainly between Hermione and the man she had called Tom.
"Yeah, it's getting pretty late, I suppose we should. I'll meet you guys outside, okay?" she said, hoping for another minute alone with Tom.
Ginny nodded, and gave her friend a knowing smirk before she pulled Draco out of the elevator with her.
She turned to Tom, and sighed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I really should go." She said
"I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again." He said and he held up his cell phone as a reminder that he did have her phone number now.
"I'd like that. Good night, Tom." She said as she took a step back from him, out of the elevator, and turned to head outside to meet her friends. As she walked, she couldn't decide if this had been the best or the worst night of her life.