CHAPTER THREE


Summary: Hermione's life is changed forever when she is saved during The Final Battle at Hogwarts by her Father. A man she didn't recognise. A man of great power. A man legends were written about. A man that gives her a new mission. A man that most certainly wasn't Richard Granger. Rated M for a reason.

Disclaimer: All canon events and characters belong to J.K Rowling. I'm not making any financial gain from posting this.

Q&A

Leonix2009 - Hermione is not going to be the dark lady in the sense that she is evil, it's more of the fact that she is to be paired with Tom, as his partner and equal.

Sab81790 – So very, very true...

Varanus Salvator & Fairyblue1132 - I don't plan to have Hermione moving into the Ravenclaw dorm rooms. I have given her, her own rooms for a reason and she won't have time to feel lonely either...

Roon0 – I have her with a room full of suspicious books and photographs for a reason, after all, do you think Merlin would provide her with those reading materials if he didn't have a plan? Possibly a plan Hermione wasn't aware of just yet, and one that will be revealed soon...


Page count: 8


Tuesday 19th September 1944

Hermione awoke from the best night's sleep she had ever had; her silk bedding had been soft and cool against her bare skin where her night gown had ridden up and she felt better than she had in a long time.

She heard the flapping of wings and sat up in bed, confusion entering her mind.

There was a beautiful phoenix flying around her room, before it swooped down and landed on the foot of her bed board, its talons gripping the material tightly, but she didn't care.

The phoenix was tiny, maybe the size of a loaf of bread, indicating its age to be very young. It had soft looking feathers, a fiery red and golden yellow, and she noticed a few of its tail feathers had blue hues in it. Its large black eyes were trained on her and she noticed the small package held in its beak by a bit of string.

"Is that for me?" she asked the small, rare creature.

The phoenix nodded and Hermione slowly reached over and removed the package from its beak and she jumped when the phoenix rubbed its head against her hand and she gingerly gave it a stroke.

Hermione then looked to the package and the note that accompanied it, and she thought it best to open the note first.

Hermione, My Dear Daughter,

Happy eighteenth birthday, I am sorry that you cannot be with your friends but I hope this gift more than makes up for it. Her name is Athena, named after the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Courage, Inspiration and Justice. She is now yours, treat her well as I know you will and she will show you loyalty and companionship.

Try not to parade her around, as I know you won't, but still, just a reminder. You wish to stay under the radar and having a phoenix will surely do the opposite. If you wish to contact me through letters, she will know where to deliver them.

I know you will do me proud, My Daughter, just as you have since the day you were born.

Love, Your Father

Hermione looked away from the letter in surprise and up to the small phoenix.

"Athena," she whispered. The phoenix flew away from the foot of the bed board and landed onto Hermione's shoulder gently, being careful not to hurt her with her talons.

"It seems it's just you and me, Girl. What do you think? Can we save the world?"

Athena gave an adorable squawk and Hermione chuckled and scratched Athena's head. Hermione then opened the small box and realised that it had been shrunken down and so she enlarged it.

With a flick of her wand the contents of the box emptied and settled in the room. There were several bags of treats for Athena, as well as a wooden perch for her to reside on and there was a smaller box, which she opened to reveal a thin silver chain with a phoenix pendent on, and with a sapphire for the phoenix's eye.

Another note was at the bottom.

Hermione,

As you know, the phoenix is my patronus and I was elated to see that yours is too, please keep this pendant close to you and I will never be too far away.

Hermione smiled and slipped the pendent on around her neck, feeling it tighten so it better fit her and the pendent fell into the valley of her breasts.

She too had been surprised that her patronus was a phoenix, especially with it once being an otter. But it connected her to her Father. Having a phoenix patronus was rare, very rare, particularly with the only other known person to have the magical creature as their patronus being Albus Dumbledore.

The phoenix represents strength and fire, which Hermione knew she had plenty of, and she knew she was stubborn and quick to anger, which she hated to admit. It represented growth and rebirth and in a sense, Hermione had been reborn. She wasn't the same person she once was when she was eleven years old. No, now she wasn't as naive, she was cautious and rarely trusted anyone. She was stronger and more knowledgeable; she had seen things no one should ever have to see, and done things no one should ever have to do. She was far from the eleven year old Muggleborn, Hermione Granger.

She was Hermione Merlin.

Hermione realised that she would have to head down to breakfast and if she didn't want to draw attention to herself, she would have to enter with the rest of the crowd in order to blend in.

With a wave of her wand she had Athena's wooden perch set up and in the corner of the room. Athena nipped her finger affectionately and flew over to the perch, landing happily.

Hermione climbed out of bed and headed for her bathroom. After taking a shower she put her hair up in a messy bun and dressed in her newly improved uniform.

She put on her white shirt and blue and bronze striped tie, she put on her newly adjusted skirt, so that it sat at her belly button and fell just above her knees, she put on a pair of white ankle socks and her t-bar shoes. Afterwards she put on her grey cashmere v-neck jumper and her robes over the top, leaving out the blazer completely.

She put her wand in her robe pocket and she laughed when she found a pair of thick black rimmed glasses and she put them on too. She didn't know why her Father wanted her to wear glasses, but it wouldn't hurt to put them on.

She looked at herself in the mirror and chuckled; it surprised her how she actually suited the glasses, making her look more intelligent and far less intimidating in her natural beauty. She needed people to think she was weak, a loner and the glasses surprisingly helped. She nodded to herself in approval.

She grabbed the satchel that had been in her trunk and quickly read through her class schedule for the day. When she memorised the lessons, she left to her common room and put the books she needed into her bag, along with some parchment, quills and ink pots.

She took another look at the photos and smiled sadly; she should be attending her final year with her friends and not the future Dark Lord. The thought just reminded her why she was there. She would keep her head down and stay out of trouble, how hard could it be? Given her track record the odds weren't in her favour, she realised with a sad chuckle.

She would surely get some looks from her fellow students and from her professors but she knew they wouldn't say anything because they would know about her circumstances.

She sighed and with a quick goodbye to Athena she left her room, and heading straight down to the great hall, she slipped inside with the bustling crowd and she made sure to sit at the end of the house table and she ate a simple breakfast, no one had noticed her presence for which she was grateful.

She quietly surveyed the great hall, students eating and talking, laughing, arguing and doing homework last minute, sights that she would see in her time, it was somewhat of a comfort knowing that some things never changed.

As her eyes flickered over the room, they landed on the Slytherin table and sat in the centre was her target, Tom Riddle. Her Father had shown her a photo of him as well as his followers, "know thy enemy," he told her.

She had been surprised at how handsome he had been, having only seen him as anything less than human, but she was floored at how much the photo of him hadn't done him credit.

And though she loathed admitting it, Tom Riddle was an exceptionally handsome young man. Black hair combed neatly and a slight wave to his fringe that fell just above his eyebrow. He had a chiselled jaw bone, icy blue eyes, a straight nose and thin lips with pale and unblemished skin. She didn't doubt he had a perfect smile that would melt the hearts of many a girl, and his uniform, or what she could see of it, was immaculate, not a wrinkle to be seen. He sat surrounded by his followers, quietly watching them as he sipped at his tea. He gave off the air of superiority and the appearance of a perfect little Pure-blood.

She snorted to herself. But she was not known for falling for a man's looks, and she would stay that way. She looked at the young men surrounding him, most of them easy to identify.

Thoros Nott sat next to Riddle. His light brown hair, the same colour as his future son's, but his green eyes darker and colder. He was tall and weedy and smirking at something that had been said to him. Next to Nott was Alfred Avery. Avery's hair was a mixture between brown and black, it was messy like it hadn't been brushed and it fell into his dark brown eyes. He appeared to be smaller than Nott, but just as thin.

Evan Rosier sat opposite Nott with his back to her. Short, dark brown hair that swept into his eyes slightly, and a large frame with broad shoulders. Sat next to Rosier was someone Hermione would recognise with her eyes closed, Lestrange, Richard Lestrange, the soon to be father of Rabastan and Rodolphus. He had short black hair and was a similar build to Rosier, except he was taller, she could see he had tanned skin, but the rest of him had his back to her.

The next boy sat on the other side of Lestrange, Hermione never wanted to see again, Antonin Dolohov, the man who had almost killed her at the young age of fifteen. He had light brown hair that fell covering his ears and broad shoulders, and despite not being able to see his face, she knew him to have eyes so dark they were borderline black, a straight nose and a chiselled jaw.

And finally the last boy was easily recognisable as Abraxas Malfoy, with the signature white blonde hair. He appeared to be of a larger frame than both his son and grandson; his shoulders broader but he was easily smaller in height, his blonde hair fell to just below his ears, shaggier than she had seen Draco's and Lucius'.

She was up against six teenage boys and the future Dark Lord. She had her work cut out for her and she hoped everything would go to plan, but based on past experiences, she knew not to get her hopes up as nearly everything almost always went wrong.

~000~000~000~

Hermione had been to her lessons and thankfully none of her professors had asked her to introduce herself, probably feeling sorry for the orphan who lost her parents less than a week ago. They didn't pull her up on her uniform either; she had turned a few heads, but no one paid attention longer than a few seconds before turning away from her.

She was now at her last lesson of the day, Potions, and unfortunately it was with Slughorn. She had not missed the biased Potion's Master, showering praises on his favourites and sucking up to students with famous or politically powerful parents.

She knew she would have to introduce herself the minute his eyes landed on her. A large grin lit his face and she had to physically stop herself from groaning and repeatedly hitting her head against the table.

She had only been there for five minutes and she already detested the man, it seemed the only thing that had changed about him in the future was the added wrinkles, everything else, the same, exactly the same.

He clapped his hands gaining the attention of the class. "Class, we have a new student, a transfer," he gestured to Hermione.

She tried, she really did, but she was unable to stop the glare she sent his way, but he didn't seem to notice. He practically dragged her out of her seat and in front of the class, who all stared at her. She knew she would have to act like the shy and anxious new girl, though it went against her nature.

"Please tell the class your name."

"Hermione Nilrem," she spoke quietly and looking down at the floor, refusing to make contact with anyone.

"And why are you here?"

"I'm a transfer."

"Yes, but why are you a transfer?"

"I don't think that's important, all that matters is that I am here to complete my education," she felt herself bristle, but she hoped it didn't show in her voice.

"I suppose it doesn't matter, but we are intrigued, we don't get a lot of transfers."

Hermione took a deep breath and looked up, openly glaring at Slughorn and no longer trying to hide the fact that she disliked him.

"Then you'll have to remain curious, I may have been previously home schooled, but I was taught that it is rude to pry into other's private matters."

Slughorn looked scolded with his cheeks turning pink, Hermione knew she shouldn't have snapped, but she had always had a short fuse. She quickly looked down at the floor, giving the appearance of embarrassment and nervousness and Slughorn cleared his throat and allowed her to return to her seat.

Class was pretty uneventful.

~000~000~000~

Hermione had just escaped potions and was making her way towards her rooms, when she was stopped.

"Miss. Nilrem," a voice called.

She sighed, stopped in her steps and slowly turned around. She was surprised to see Tom Riddle gliding towards her. Not walking, bloody gliding.

"Yes?" she said quietly but politely.

"I thought it best I introduce myself, I'm Tom Riddle, Head Boy," he gave her a once over, his eyes roaming her figure from head to toe. He kept an annoyingly passive look on his face as he did so.

He gave her a dazzling smile that she was sure would have every girl dropping onto their knees before him, but it didn't affect her; the prettiest things were usually the deadliest.

"Well, thank you for the introduction, Mr. Riddle, you're the first to actually show manners, but I'm afraid I must be going, I have a familiar I must check up on, nice to meet you," she gave a polite smile and then turned and walked away.

'Point Hermione,' she thought with a snigger.

"Nilrem, I haven't heard that name before, is it muggle?" he said with a slight sneer she was sure she wasn't meant to actually hear, and his long legs had him catching up to her and walking beside her before she'd even managed to get a few steps away from him.

'So predictable.'

"No, I'm a Half-blood, my Father a wizard and my Mother a Muggle."

"Perhaps I could show you around the castle; it must be confusing being in such a large and new environment, and I only wish to make your transition easier for you. You were homeschooled, correct?"

'Fishing for information, Riddle?'

"Yes, I was homeschooled. Thank you for your kindness, but I don't need a guide, my Father attended Hogwarts and he was very specific with the details. In addition, the floor plans for Hogwarts are in Hogwarts a History and I have memorised them, besides, I'm sure you have better things to be doing than showing around the new girl, I wouldn't want to take up your time." If he was surprised he didn't show it.

"Ravenclaw," he muttered, but she heard him.

'Try Gryffindor.'

"Miss. Nilrem?"

Hermione stopped and turned around at the sound of a second voice.

'Thank you for your timing,' she thought relieved.

Professor Dumbledore walked up the corridor; she felt the atmosphere become tense as Riddle and Dumbledore stared at each other, both with hatred in their eyes.

"I was wondering if I may have a word with you."

"Of course, Professor," she answered.

"I best be going anyway, Professor, Miss Nilrem," Riddle spoke, tipping his head.

"Mr. Riddle," she nodded in reply and he quickly disappeared down the corridor and around the corner, leaving her alone with Dumbledore.

"You should be careful, Miss. Nilrem, Tom Riddle is a brilliant but very dangerous you man."

"Thank you for your concern, Professor, he introduced himself to me and offered to be my guide, I turned him down," she explained.

He looked relieved but he quickly hid it from her. "Good, that's good. I just wished to discuss how your first day went; I heard there was a slight mishap in your potions class."

"I'm sorry Professor, Professor Slughorn made me introduce myself and he was prying into my personal life, asking questions that I did not think were appropriate, especially in front of a group of people I don't even know the names of. I politely declined to answer why I was a transfer student, but he was very persistent and I lost my temper."

"It is understandable, Miss. Nilrem."

"It's only been a week," she whispered, hoping to appear broken.

"I will have a word with Professor Slughorn."

"I appreciate it, Professor, thank you."

"As for dinner, I did not see you present in the great hall last night," Dumbledore spoke.

"I was feeling overwhelmed and didn't feel up to attending, dinner was something I always did with my Father."

He looked at her sadly. "Will you be attending tonight?"

"I can't say for certain, Professor, in all honesty, I don't feel hungry."

"You can't skip meals, Miss. Nilrem," he scolded softly. "Your Father wouldn't want that for you, if you don't mind me saying so, you already look under the weather."

"My Father and I went through some hard times after my Mother died, she was a muggle and killed by Grindelwald's men. They came back two years later because they wanted my Father's help, he refused and we were forced to flee or home. We ran out of food, before he was found. I escaped because of him," she said sadly. "I don't miss meals on purpose, I am just not hungry; my body isn't used to eating so much food."

He looked at her sadly. "If you do not feel up to attending dinner that is understandable, please call for Jinx, he will bring you food that will not upset your stomach."

"Thank you, Professor," she replied, fighting back a sigh of relief when he nodded and finally left her alone, allowing her to return to the privacy of her own rooms.

She had become far too good of a liar and she didn't like it, even if she only substituted a few lies for the truth and vice versa. She had been forced to flee; only it was with Harry and Ron, and she was underweight, after running out of rations during the hunt.

When she entered her room, she put her satchel on the coffee table and slumped down on the soft couch, Athena flying over to greet her soon after.

"Hey, Girl, how was your day?" She squawked in reply and Hermione chuckled. "Well it's only been a day and I've already snapped at a professor and had a run in with Riddle, I just hope he forgets about me. What was I thinking taking this mission?"

She groaned and threw her head back to rest against the back of the couch. Athena rubbed her head against Hermione's cheek and she chuckled.

"Thanks, I needed that. I've survived my first day, but I have a feeling it's only going to get more difficult."