Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's note: I just wanted to tell those readers who left reviews at the old version that I really appreciated them. I still have all of the old reviews in my email-box, and they have been very helpful in helping me improve the story during this rewrite. Although, I can't work every comment into this version, I did take each and every one of them under consideration and I hope you will all enjoy how the story progresses. Rest assure, those chapters which held those bits I believe everyone was enthusiastic about will return. *winks*

Now, I'd like to thank those who read and reviewed the last chapter (and your comments are also being considered and very much appreciated): StarzAngelus, Angelic Fanfic Writer, GoldenTresses91, Ilovenat1995, Rosiline, Jen103, BlueSkyHeaven, Lothloric, Bene Elim, Noon's Phoenix, Patie, Shinobinaraku, Siddyi, Medusaasaphoenix, ZarinaRiddle, and Blindfaithoperadiva.

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Special thanks to Serpent In Red for going over my spelling and correcting my sometimes weird mind, which has the ability to choose the wrong word at the wrong place for no good reason at all. *gigglesnort* Any errors are mine and mine alone.

xXxXx

Masters of manipulation: part 2

Chapter Three

'I'll try to be back before dinner,' Hermione said, kissing her husband on his cheek.

'No hurry, take your time with the real-estate lady. Rose and I are going to the amusement park and you know how hard it is to drag her away from the dragons,' Viktor replied, grinning at her from behind his bowl of cereal.

'Try not to let her bring one along this time,' she warned.

'Yeah, we wouldn't want the authorities knocking on our door now,' he jested. 'It would give Angela a heart attack.' Dramatically, he gestured with his hand. 'How could you let this happen, Viktor? Don't you know I am trying to start a campaign here? Don't you know how this will look in the papers? You've been totally irresponsible, and who do you think will have to clean up your mess as usual? Me—ME!' He ended his little enactment with his hand slapping on his chest as Angela did during moments such as these.

Hermione laughed out loud and Viktor leaned back in his chair satisfied, smiling at her with care. Her laugh died out abruptly, and her face turned serious. 'You know, I was thinking,' she said hesitantly.

'Oh?'

'Yeah, I could just take a condo in London, and you and Rose–'

'–could stay here in Bulgaria?' Viktor finished, amused. 'That would not only make Angela explode, but I think Victoria would–'

'This isn't about your sisters or about an election,' she hissed, shaking her head. 'I am—I am…' She took a breath. 'I am being selfish. You don't have to do this, Viktor.'

'And I already told you,' he said, rising from his chair and walking to her, 'that I would do whatever you needed,' he grabbed her by her upper arms and looked down seriously.

'It's too dangerous,' Hermione whispered, not meeting his eyes.

'Like it was for you when you got those vampires off of Angela and me?' Viktor reminded her. 'There were a dozen of them and you didn't hesitate for a second. You saved my life. You saved my sister's life. I owe you, Hermione. And I am not backing down on my promise just because you're getting cold feet all of the sudden. Now, go find us a house in the UK, preferably with some land if you can?'

He turned away from her as if that was the end of the conversation. She grabbed his arm. He looked back down with a smile when she leaned to him on her toes and kissed his cheek. 'You're too good for me, Viktor.'

'I know,' he joked casually, watching her spin on the spot and Disapparate.

He stared at the empty spot for a long time before taking a Muggle phone and dialling the unlisted number that seemed to belong to no one. He'd checked, but he had no clue who was really on the other end of the line.

'Marscha, it's Viktor again. I need you to narrow your search to the UK.'

'Are you sure this time, Viktor? I spent ages in Greece, coming up with absolutely nothing last time you had a hunch.'

'I am positive. In Greece, Hermione was suddenly in a hurry to leave, so I think you may have just missed him by the time you got there. But she has never been so concerned about us going anywhere before. He must be living in the UK.'

'Viktor, if you could get me a name or any description to go on that would be far more helpful. I am looking for a needle in a haystack. Do you have any idea how many dark wizards there are in the world? You don't have the funds to have me Avada them all.'

'I have tried, Marscha, believe me, I have tried; but she won't budge. However, seeing she left the UK after getting her N.E.W.T.'s and never went back except for the Potter wedding and their children's christening, I believe I am right.'

'She only went to James's christening. I checked and she was invited to the other two's, but never showed up.'

'What?' Viktor snapped, freezing in his motion of rubbing his beard. 'I knew it. Whoever he is, he is there. She'd never stand up Harry, unless it was for something really serious.'

'Yeah, well… without anything to go on, I can walk past every wizard in the country and…'

'Look into former Death Eaters or anyone that hasn't been caught. She left right after You-Know-Who's death.'

'Come on, Viktor. We're talking about Hermione Granger. I've met her. The woman scares the shit out of me. Do you really think she'd be on the run for some flunky?'

She'd met Hermione?

'I don't know, but the timing is odd,' he replied, wondering when, where, and why Marscha would ever have met Hermione and if he should be concerned about that, too.

'Potter himself told me she left to go see her parents and that, after their meeting, she decided to travel the world. It's more likely she met someone dangerous on her travels, who took an interest in her considerable capabilities.'

Viktor sighed. 'I know what you're saying sounds plausible, Marscha, but you didn't see her just now. She feels guilty about dragging me into this, and that guilt started to surface right after the notion of us moving to the UK became a fact. I want you to look into it.'

'Fine,' he heard her say rather snappishly on the other end of the line, 'it's your money.'

'Yes, it is.'

'I'll call you back if I find something of interest,' Marscha replied with a tired sigh at the end of the sentence, clearly indicating she didn't think she'd find anything useful. 'Though, it would be nice if you could get at least something from your wife for me to go on.'

'Can't do that. She'd get suspicious if I fish too long and you can't use that, can you?'

'If the authorities become aware of me over this assignment, Krum, you can't use that,' Marscha threatened right back. 'You'd be the easiest kill I've ever made.'

'But you don't work without getting paid, Marscha.'

'I can make an exception for once.'

'Find and get rid of that dark wizard, and I'll double your bonus fee.' A satisfied grin erupted on his face when the other party went silent after hearing that.

'Daddy, Daddy, are we going to go now?' Rose yelled from the hallway, excited. She ran in with her coat already on and her backpack strapped on.

He pressed his hand on the phone's microphone the second he heard Rose's voice. 'Did you take your pills?'

'Yeah, yeah, Mummy left them on my nightstand. And I already ate two sandwiches and drank my milk before you got up,' she informed him, bouncing on her feet.

'Your emergency potion in case you get sick?'

'Is in my bag,' Rose said, rolling her eyes tiresomely. 'But there could be vampires at the park if I need help,' she said, excited at the thought.

'It's broad daylight, Rose.'

'If they stay out of the sun, they won't burn,' Rose rebutted, glancing annoyed at the window through which the bright rays of sunlight entered the dining room.

'The park is outdoors and the weather forecast is bright and sunny for the whole day. I don't think we'll see any vampires today, dear,' he replied carefully.

He was sorry to disappoint Rose, but kept his fingers crossed they really wouldn't. Rose was used to the relatively harmless vampires of the Vasuki Clan. In these regions, it was more likely they'd run into a Dracul and that was never good news for one's health. He pointed with his finger to the horn, and Rose nodded, zipping her lips with her hands. He turned his attention back on the silent woman at the other end of the line.

'Marscha?' Viktor inquired in the horn.

'I'll see what I can do,' Marscha replied business-like.

The line went dead, and Viktor smiled. There was nothing like a little extra money to motivate an assassin.

'Okay, Rose, let's go.'

'Yay!' the girl cheered, taking his hand. He let her drag him to the hallway. 'I want to see a Hungarian Horntail.'

Of course she would pick the most lethal one out there.

xXxXx

Crack.

Two shadowy figures Apparated into the Vale of Glamorgan. It should have been broad daylight, but it almost seemed like the night had fallen already due to the immensely bad weather. Bellowing clouds soared above them, threatening to unleash their load, but so far, it had remained dry. Though in the distance, a soft thundering noise indicated a storm was approaching. The cliff-ridden coastline and the beautiful sandy beach below had lost their appeal to both tourists and natives, because the waves pounded relentlessly at the shore, and as the wind bellowed around the two men, their cloaks flared up in the air.

A sudden, extreme, violent brush made the tiny bloke of the two shriek when his purple hat blew away. He ran after it, but the wind swirled and swayed. Every time he almost caught it, the hat took another dive into a different direction.

Laughter sounded through the air, coming from his taller companion, who watched the show, amused.

After another failed attempt, the tiny fellow stopped and leaned forward; his hands rested on his knees. He panted from the unusual slow exercise he was unaccustomed to. He watched his hat, which was mocking him by lying still on the ground a few feet away from him. No doubt it would fly away the moment he started moving. Irritated, he glared at his laughing partner, but he didn't need or want his help. He could certainly manage to do this without magic.

He quickly looked around. There was no one in sight. No one would see.

And, within moments, he moved at incredible speed. So fast that if someone had been there to witness the event, they would have thought they'd blinked and missed the movement. The tiny bloke triumphantly pushed the hat back on his head a lot firmer than before and walked over to the other man, whom was definitely snickering now.

'Blasted weather,' grumbled the purple hat man.

'You'd rather have a clear day with lots of sunshine, Michael?' his companion responded ironically. 'Besides, I believe Boreas,' and he raised his hands up to the sky in adoration of the god of wind, 'tried to do you a favour. You'll never get a woman to go out with you as long as you wear that bird's nest on your head.'

'Lisa always said she loved my hat,' Michael said grudgingly.

'Lisa left.'

'Fine, mock my hat all you want, Gerard. At least I don't colour-coordinate the clothes inside my wardrobe.'

'Perhaps if you did, you would get some fashion sense. Those blue baggy jeans are so passé,' Gerard said, sighing.

He wouldn't mind giving Michael's name to the "a queer vampire eye on the straight vampire guy" show. They'd certainly love to get their hands on him. Michael was definitely a disaster area when it came to looks, and he could certainly use a complete make-over. It was no mystery to Gerard why women always ran hard in the opposite direction when Michael came around the corner. And it had nothing to do with his fangs.

However, Michael was also very skilled with his knives, and Gerard didn't fancy being on the receiving end of one of those tips, so he had refrained from the urge; but it had been hard, very hard.

Gerard was the exact opposite from Michael. Michael was a Muggle vampire, while Gerard had always been a wizard one. Michael was a short stature, small, mousy-haired, in a beady-eyed common face, deceivingly unimpressive-looking vampire. Gerard was tall, broad, handsome, and his hair began to become grey with strands of black in them instead of the other way around. He had considered dying it, but his partner Jerome liked the colour. Said it made him look distinguished, so he kept it the way it was. And due to his impressive build, Gerard only had to walk into a room for people to take notice of him.

Where Michael was sloppy and careless, Gerard was impeccably neat and precise in all areas. He always dressed himself in the finest and most expensive clothes, becoming the perfect example of a gentleman, and many women had been disappointed that Gerard turned out to be one of those too-cute-to-be-straight fellows. Still, despite the obvious differences between the two men, they'd remained friends for centuries.

And for now, the two friends stood at the top of the cliff silently. Michael still clutched to his ugly hat when Gerard began to complain about the lack of proper etiquette their appointment displayed by being so thoroughly late.

Michael grinned. He knew Gerard was quite anal in his timetables and hated it when someone disturbed his precious preset schedule. 'So, Betty didn't say whom we are supposed to meet out here?' he asked again.

'No,' replied Gerard, shortly.

Michael knew perfectly well the Countess hadn't told him a thing. It was most annoying, because now, he didn't know whom he had to curse for arriving so bloody late. And if this waiting had to continue any longer, the storm would break loose and his clothes would be ruined. He couldn't have that. Whoever it was, he or she'd better have a damn good explanation for keeping him waiting. He was utterly bored to his fangs. He needed some distraction, something to look forward to.

'I dare you to call Bárthory Betty to her face,' Gerard eventually said, having found something that could entertain him in the near future.

Michael snorted. 'Is that a Vampire Bet you're throwing at me?'

'Well, I believe it is, dear Michael,' Gerard said in a mock sweet voice. 'Do you accept?'

'I most certainly do,' answered Michael, daringly. 'You are so going to lose this one, and you know what I will ask in return.' He rubbed his hands together in sheer anticipation of his revenge.

'You are so dead. The Countess will tear you apart. I can't lose this bet even if I do,' Gerard said, hoping it would scare Michael off and he would win his bet. Then, he could send the vamp on the make-over he so desperately needed. 'Now, what is keeping this so-called emergency appointment of ours?' continued Gerard, and he whipped out his wand. 'I'm going to curse him or her to the sun and back again when–'

Crack.

A sway of black cloak Apparated before them. The two vampires stared in astonishment at the dark figure that approached them, before sharing a rather shocked sideways glance among themselves. Quickly, Gerard retrieved the letter from his jacket and handed it over quietly. The man accepted it, glanced at the writing on the envelope briefly, and Disapparated away without having said a single word. They both let out a relieved breath.

'You big baby,' Michael finally said, giving him a condescending glance.

'What? I didn't hear you doing any talking,' retorted Gerard, equally dismissive.

'I'm going to curse him to the sun and back again,' mocked Michael, repeating his previous promise. 'Pok, pok, pok, pok,' and he flapped his arms with his hands underneath his armpits, while circling around Gerard.

'Oh, shut up,' replied Gerard, annoyed.

'You should have seen the look on your face when you saw it was him; priceless. And the way you so bravely held on to your wand without so much as moving it an inch … wow, you really showed him for being late. He'll never dare do that again.' And Michael roared with laughter.

'Laugh all you want, but I don't think this is funny at all. This is going to become…,' but Gerard couldn't finish his sentence and watch his friend with a deep frown of concern on his face.

'Oh, come on, Ger. Remove that stake from your chest. There is nothing we ordinary vampires can do to change events such as these, so no point in worrying over it. Let's just get out of here, before the storm breaks free. Please.'

Gerard grabbed a hold of his friend and wanted to spin them on the spot, when he saw something very unusual happening in the ocean below. Perhaps even the answer to his concerns.

'Do you think Vlad knows the Countess is sending messages to Riddle?'

Michael looked up, confused. 'Why, no idea. How come?'

Gerard nodded down to the ocean and Michael stretched his neck to look over his shoulder. He blinked when he saw Hermione Granger, standing in the waves, together with a woman he didn't know.

'Oh no, Ger, no, no, no. Bad idea,' he warned, looking up at his friend in concern.

'She might be the way out for Vlad,' Gerard responded crafty. 'I'll have to talk to him.'

'Ger, please don't go there, I beg of you. Betty has never done anything without his consent and Vlad will never listen to you anyway. You know how he feels about you, and if Riddle finds out, you'll be—' but the rest of Michael's words got drowned in the familiar sound of Apparition.

xXxXx

Crack.

A large wave crashed into her, soaking her clothes from the waist down. Hermione sighed when she saw where the real-estate agent had Apparated them into. They stood in the ocean, and she was pretty certain she wanted her new house to be dry and land-based.

'Oops, this isn't it,' the woman muttered red-faced.

No kidding.

'What was your destination?' asked Hermione blankly, while another wave tumbled against her.

'The Vale of Glamorgan,' Miss Young replied embarrassed, not meeting her eyes.

Hermione turned her head around and watched the large cliffs on her right.

'Close enough,' she calmly stated, while the next wave splashed water in her face.

A strand of lightning crackled through the sky, illuminating the area and revealing the two dark figures on top of the cliff. Hermione smirked. We must look utterly foolish standing here.

Considering the threat the lightning posed to them in the water, she didn't hesitate. Hermione grabbed the woman, spun them on the spot, and Disapparated them away to the nearest town. At the end of the day, she was completely disoriented from all the travelling around, but she had bought a new home. She'd given up already and had ditched Miss Young to go visit Harry when she spotted the for sale sign on the house right next to his. It had the appropriate amount of land that Viktor had wanted, though the growth on said land was wild and unattended to. And, despite that the house was clearly a ruin, she really liked how close it was to Harry. That would definitely make things harder for Tom. So, she had not wasted any time, had gone to the address displayed on the board, and had paid ten percent above the asking price to make sure she'd get it. The papers were signed five minutes later.

She showed the house to Viktor that evening and asked him if he needed something changed in the layout of the building. He had a couple of requests, which she wrote down, and she came back the next morning with Rose on her arm. She had already set wards around the place and stabilised the structure, right after she'd bought it.

And now, she was going to make the place liveable before others would see it from the inside and wonder how she made those changes. For a second, her mind went back to Gryffindor's writings, and she smirked.

Well, it was a very useful theory after all. There was no need to let it completely go to waste.

Rose ran around the house and had already claimed three chambers as hers in a row.

'Okay, Rose. Have you decided on your room, yet?' asked Hermione.

Rose bit her lip and thought hard. The chamber on the first floor gave access to the biggest bedroom in the house, but the chamber in the tiny tower (though a lot smaller than all the others) still held an extreme appeal to the little girl.

'Can I have the one in the tower?' Rose asked, finally reaching a decision.

'Sure, but are you certain? It isn't very big.'

'Can't you make it bigger, Mummy? Like you did in Tokyo with my room?' asked Rose hopefully.

'No, I'm sorry, Rose. If I make that room bigger, the people outside can tell. This is a wizarding neighbourhood. And it is our little secret we can do that, remember?'

Rose nodded vigorously.

'Now, do you still want that one or do you choose another?' asked Hermione.

'I want the Vampire Princess Room,' Rose decided certain.

Hermione smiled caringly. A Vampire Princess Room. Thank you, Vishna. 'Do you remember what you need to do, Rose?'

'I have to think hard about my room, and then, you can make it as I want it to be,' Rose stated confident in her mother's abilities.

'Yes, and…?'

'I need to close my eyes and think only of my room.'

'Very good. Okay, are you ready?' asked Hermione, and she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Rose nodded, while pressing her eyelids firmly together. A big frown was visible on the little girl's face, as she envisioned on what her room should look like on the inside.

Hermione waved her wand around. A dash of gold left the tip of her wand and impacted on the nearest wall. A thundering, roaring sound emanated from the stones. The building shook, while the inner walls disappeared and reappeared elsewhere. Furniture began filling up the place, and after a minute or so, Hermione had finished changing the space to her exact requirements.

'It's done, Rose. You can go and check out your room now.'

'Yay!' Rose cheered, and she ran upstairs. The happy shriek coming from the tower made Hermione smile.

'Mum, I like my new room a lot!' yelled Rose over the barrister from the top of her voice to Hermione downstairs.

The girl turned away and a door got smashed shut after that remark before Hermione had the chance to respond. She made her way around the house to check whether everything was set in place alright. Rose's new room was the last on her list. She snorted when she saw the "Do not disturb this thirsty vampire" sign on the door. Underneath the bold letters it said in a fine print, "unless you're carrying an extremely large bottle of Haemo-Scotch or are willing to be drained to last drop."

She really needed to talk to Vishna about appropriate gifts for children.

Hermione knocked.

The incomprehensible mumbling she had heard on the other side silenced abruptly. A scratching noise and some more scuffling of furniture followed suit. Someone definitely moved stuff around. Absentmindedly, Hermione twirled her wand around, until the door opened and a dishevelled Rose became visible. She looked at the completely innocent expression on her daughter's face. It was pretty obvious Rose tried to hide something from her; but that did not disturb her, as long as it didn't involve turning her house into a zoo. Rose had a tendency to think everything was a suitable pet. Really, sometimes she reminded Hermione a lot of Hagrid.

'Is your room stable?'

'Yes, Mummy. I cast the Contro…contro…lucky…us spell and it turned green,' Rose said quickly.

'You've cast the Controspaciolumianus Charm?'

Rose nodded proudly. 'Just like you did in Tokyo.'

'Let's see it,' Hermione ordered, while walking in the room and seating herself on Rose's bed.

Rose pulled out her wand. The girl stood still, and a deep frown appeared on her face from sheer concentration. She made a small circular motion with her wand. 'Spacio!' Rose cast.

Nothing happened.

Rose narrowed her eyes at the room and tried again. 'Spacio!' she cast, raising her voice.

Triumph flashed through Rose's eyes when the jet of green-red light left the girl's wand and travelled through the room. Hermione's eyes followed the charm that slowly embedded the place and began shifting in colour, turning into a deep shade of green. The charm gave away a clear indication that the room was very stable indeed. There wasn't a single trace of red visible, which meant there was absolutely no chance of the room collapsing or anything else.

'Well done, honey,' said Hermione. 'But you remember the rules, don't you?'

'Yeah, yeah,' Rose said slightly irritated, and she recited them. 'Not showing people what I can do and not show them I have a wand, because it is not allowed.'

'Unless?'

'There is real danger,' Rose said, bored.

'And then, what do you do?'

'I cast the Isis Charm and wait for my Mummy to come kick their arses.'

'Language, Rose,' Hermione said, shaking her head, while holding in her laughter. 'Language.'

'Uncle Vishna always says that.'

'Uncle Vishna says a lot of things,' said Hermione, while getting up from the bed.

As she exited the room, a timid voice suddenly called out to her. 'Mummy?'

Hermione turned and saw an anxious face watching her.

'Now that we are in England … does—does that mean we won't be practising spells anymore?' asked Rose, worried.

Hermione smiled. 'Of course we will. We just have to be a bit more careful so nobody will notice. But why don't you go see the practise room? It's hidden in the basement.'

Rose's face immediately cleared up, and she ran past Hermione to go downstairs and investigate. Hermione watched her go with a slight twinge of concern in her stomach. She still wasn't certain whether she made the right decision by moving back to this country.

The sudden hoot of a snowy owl drew her attention away from her concerns. Harry!

'Hello, Angel,' Hermione said to the owl, while accepting the letter and donating an owl-treat.

She patted the owl on its head and read the dinner invitation. Harry and Ginny asked them to come over tonight if they had time with the move and all. Hermione quickly wrote down that they would be delighted to come over, and she gave the response to Angel. The owl, however, gave off no indication it was planning to leave any time soon. Hermione watched Angel confused, until she realised what caused the delay and handed the greedy owl another owl-treat.

'Really, one of these days you are not going to be able to lift off!' she shouted out after the spoilt owl.

That evening, the Krums went over to their neighbours' house for dinner. They walked the path towards the residence together when Hermione saw Harry and Ginny approaching, their children hanging back in the doorway.

Harry held out his arms widely. 'Hermione!' he said, and he hugged her senseless. 'You're finally home.'

'It's good to see you again, Harry,' Hermione said happily. 'You remember Viktor, of course.'

'How could I forget?' said Harry smiling, and he shook Viktor's hand, while Hermione said hello to Ginny.

'And you must be Rose,' Harry said to the bushy-haired girl that was the spitting image of Hermione.

Rose eyed him up and down, critically. 'Are you really Harry Potter?' she said disbelievingly, obviously expecting someone a bit more impressive.

'Rose!' Hermione reprimanded, slightly embarrassed.

It was definitely a concern of hers that Rose might have spent way too much time with vampires. After all, they had lived inside Vishna's stronghold for a long time. And vampires were simply not known for their silent and withdrawn nature. They called a spade a spade and were proud for doing so.

Fortunately, Harry laughed his lungs out about her daughter's remark. He had never cared about his fame and glory. He introduced his children to them, while Lily hid shyly behind Albus and James had already stepped forward to shake everyone's hands.

The dinner turned out quite lovely. Molly Weasley would have been so proud of her daughter.

Hermione felt it was really nice to talk to Harry and Ginny face-to-face again. Rose got along wonderfully with Lily, Albus, and James, and after dinner, the children soon left to go outside to play.

Harry shouted out after his son, James, 'No funny business!'

'No funny business?' Hermione asked Harry, slightly amused.

'Trust me,' said Harry, 'that boy is Fred and George all rolled into one single individual.'

'He is a menace,' added Ginny firmly. 'The other day he convinced Albus that you can go much faster on your broomstick if you ride it backwards. Albus came home with several broken bones and a concussion.'

'Well, Albus is a bit too trusting from time to time,' said Harry casually. 'I mean even Lily told him not to listen to James and he did it anyway.'

'Don't you go around making excuses for that boy, Harry James Potter,' Ginny said in a very Molly-like tone. 'Albus could have been gravely injured because of James's stupid suggestion. James knows that Albus wants to be as fast as you are on a broom. He wants to be a Seeker, just like his father, and James took advantage of that. You need to stop laughing every time he pulls one of his pranks. He knows you do and all the lecturing in the world won't help when you stand there smiling like an idiot. Some of those pranks really aren't funny.'

'I know, Gin, sweetie, and I'm sorry, but can we discuss this later? We have guests,' whispered Harry, while nodding his head in the direction of Viktor and Hermione who, all of the sudden, were very busy observing and critiquing the large painting on the wall to their right.

'Sure, stick your head in the sand again,' responded Ginny, annoyed. 'Just like with Riddle.'

A tense silence greeted that statement. Ginny turned her back on her husband and folded her arms in front of her. The situation turned very awkward with Harry not knowing what to say and Hermione and Viktor trying to ignore the spousal argument.

'Did we tell you Hermione is going to run for Minister of Magic?' Viktor suddenly intervened, changing the subject in a blink of an eye.

'No, you haven't,' Harry said, looking at Hermione surprised.

Ginny turned around immediately and walked to her, excited. 'When did you decide this? Oh, you have to tell us all about it,' she added. 'And if we can help, just let us know. Harry, you must convince Kingsley to support her.'

'I don't think he will need convincing,' Harry replied grinning.

So, when they left to go home later that evening, the atmosphere had cleared up considerably. Everyone was back in a good mood. Hermione looked at Viktor, while she ushered Rose up the stairs.

'Nice, subtle diversion,' she grinned.

'Well, it killed two birds with one stone. It changed the subject of the conversation, and we don't have to worry about Harry announcing he'll accept the responsibility of becoming Minister before we get a change to tell people you're running.'

'When are Victoria and Angela arriving?'

'I asked them to come over on Thursday. It gives us two days to settle down, before the gang gets here and all the peace in the world is forever lost to us.'

Hermione chuckled. 'Remember darling, you called them. I wash my hands in innocence.'

'Innocence, you? Pfftt… that'll be the day,' Viktor said snorting, before moving into the living room.

'Mummy? You promised to tell me a story,' Rose asked demandingly on the top of the stairs.

'Coming,' said Hermione and walked up the stairs, when Viktor stuck his head around the doorway.

'So, are we going to do something together tomorrow for the very last time in our entire life, now that peace will come to an abrupt end?' he asked exaggeratingly.

'I'll have to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to restock our Potions supplies, but I am free the rest of the day,' Hermione replied, halting halfway the stairs smiling.

'Splendid, it's a date then,' Viktor decided.

'Mummy!'

'Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way, Rose. Are you all ready for bed, yet?'

'Uh-huh,' the girl nodded affirmatively.

'Brushed your teeth?'

'Do I have to?' Rose whined.

'Don't let Granny hear you,' Hermione muttered, and she added a bit louder. 'Yes, you have to. Hop … off you go.'

Rose roared with laughter when her mother's Levitation Charm threw her in the air and glided her into the bathroom.

'I am Wendy!' she shouted cheerfully. 'I am going to Neverland, and I will hex the stupid fairy, vanquish the pirates, kill Captain Hook, and live happily ever after with Peter.'

Hermione snickered—a thoroughly, new interpretation. She checked the books in Rose's room. For a moment, she pulled out The Tale of Beedle the Bard. There really should have been a sachet of lemon drops attached to it, and she smiled broadly at the memory. Now, Peter Pan … where was it?

After she finished reading a part of the story, Hermione tucked her daughter in and kissed her goodnight.

'Mummy, can I go to Diagon Alley with you tomorrow?'

'I need to get groceries, too, Rose,' Hermione warned her daughter, who pulled up her nose at that.

However, the girl was still curious about the all-wizard alley, which was filled with all kinds of magical stores. 'But I want to see it. Can I come, pleeeaassse?'

'Sure, but I want to hear no complaining afterwards,' said Hermione resolutely.

xXxXx

'We've located the woman, my Lord.'

Tom sighed. Why did he always have to deal with these kinds of brainless idiots?

'Really? That is some achievement,' he sneered sarcastically. 'Do you want a reward now?'

Silence greeted that statement, and his threat remained lingering in the air. It obviously wasn't the response the man expected. Ainsley watched Riddle with a mingled expression of shock, fear, and uncertainty, while Tom smiled at him broadly—the perfect portrayal of kindness and harmlessness. He clearly hoped the man would be foolish enough to answer in an affirmative manner. When Ainsley seemed to remain in a stupor, however, Tom tossed the latest edition of the Daily Prophet at his feet and broke the silence.

'Page nine,' he shortly said.

Apprehensively, Ainsley picked up to paper and opened it at page nine. His eyes immediately fell on the headline: "Famous Quidditch Player arrives in Wales".

Desperately, he scanned the Skeeter article as fast as he could. The more he read, the more he began to fret. All was revealed in there. Ainsley was surprised to see that even the location of Granger's house was mentioned, next to the famous Harry Potter. He had nothing to add. Riddle already had all the information. He was so screwed.

'What would I do without you to bring me all the wonderful information on the world, Ainsley?' snarled Tom. 'Tell me, do you have anything for me that isn't already known to every single soul in this country and beyond?'

'My men have the place surrounded, Master,' Ainsley answered feebly.

'You have it surrounded,' Tom repeated, thoroughly unimpressed.

He lazily walked to the hearth in the room, positioned his hand on the stone marble rim, and stared at the flames contemplatively.

Worried he might be the next thing to burn in the room, Ainsley quickly added something else in hopes of satisfying his master. 'We tested the device while the family had dinner next door. It worked perfectly.'

Tom swirled around. 'You tested that device here,' he said quietly.

'Yes, it is working fine. The wards came down in a heartbeat,' Ainsley said upbeat again. He was very relieved he was able to give his master some good news after all and totally unaware of the danger the quietness in Riddle's voice represented.

'Of course it is working. I created it. However … I do not recall authorising its use to you in any other place than the Krum Mansion in Bulgaria,' Tom snarled menacingly. 'Care to explain to me why you thought it was a good idea to test it in this country with the Head of the Auror Department living next door to the test site?'

'I … I … I thought—AAAHH!'

Again with the thinking, he definitely did not need stupid initiatives like those ruining his plans. He watched the wizard writhing and twitching on the floor for a while, before lifting the Cruciatus Curse.

'Do us both a huge favour, Morty, and withdraw those morons you have working for you from the premises as soon as possible, because I will not be happy if they expose me.'

'I swear they do not know of your existence, my Lord. As you wished I have not informed them of your fortunate return.'

'And so it will remain, for now. The device?'

'My Lord?'

'Hand it over.'

Morty Ainsley pulled a small sachet from his breast pocket and gave it back to Riddle.

Tom glanced inside. Satisfied the contents were intact, he closed it again. He returned his attention back to Morty, who nervously shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

'That'll be all, Ainsley. I'll take it from here,' he said coolly. 'You're lucky I am in a good mood today.'

'Yes, Master. Thank you, Master,' Ainsley replied, bowing, while making his way out of the house fast.

Tom stood in front of the window, watching the man leave through the garden's iron gates. Morty had useful contacts in a part of the wizarding world he could not show his face in, yet. But other than that, the man was an utter fool. Now that Granger was back here, he would certainly have to become more careful.

He tossed the sachet through the air and caught it again.

However, she had made herself rather vulnerable by having a child. He'd have to think about it and his other options carefully. His previous plans were no longer useful now she was back in the UK, but he always made contingency plans from which he could proceed. He tapped with his fingers on his other hand. It would have been easier to get her to yield if she hadn't been living right next door to Potter.

Why did she have to move the very day he had found a way into Krum's house?

The window trembled when he slapped his palm against the glass in frustration. He needed to do something today to take his mind of anything Krum-related, because for the very first time in his life, he felt like grabbing a hold of a Beater's bat and use it to hit something a bit more satisfying than some stupid Bludger.

Maybe he could take a little trip to the bookstore and see if they had anything interesting to read?

It was a beautiful morning after all, nice weather to travel in or drop Vicky head-first from the highest altitude in the sky he could reach. Though, it probably wouldn't do any damage, he contemplated snidely. There was nothing substantial in the fool's head.

Really, what was Hermione doing with that moron?

He'd never thought he'd ever agree with Ron Weasley on anything, but this was it. Hell had frozen over and made him snicker with Weasley when he heard the very suitable nickname Ron had donated Krum with.

Surely, she hadn't picked Vicky for his looks, his magical capabilities, his mind, his fame, his money, and he could think of loads of other subjects Krum just didn't qualify for, since there were always candidates who fulfilled those requirements better.

So, why him?

Certainly, it couldn't be for the rumours he had heard about the size of Krum's equipment? A growl escaped his lips. If that were the case, he'd have the easiest remedy in the world to cure her of her Krum infatuation. He pulled on his cloak and paced out the door. He knew his temper was beginning to rise through the roof, and he needed some books to calm him down before he would blow his cover.

So, a slightly dishevelled Tom Riddle Apparated to London.

Flourish and Blotts had always been his favourite store in Diagon Alley, and now that they'd expanded by adding a few extra storeys on top of the old ones, it was an even more interesting place to be, or so Tom felt. He leaned against the bookcase behind him and pulled another book from the shelf in front of him. He skipped through the leaves, while resting his foot on the ladder that allowed access to the higher shelves.

'Mister?'

But he was already too entranced in the book to notice the little child's voice. He began reading the conclusions of the theory in the book when something or rather someone pulled on his cloak vigorously.

Another midget, no doubt, he thought, rolling his dark eyes to the ceiling in annoyance. They really should have had the good sense to avoid having a children's section.

'What?' he snapped and looked down menacingly. That usually scared them away, crying for their mothers.

'Could you move aside?' a bushy, brown-haired girl asked, unabashed.

Tom blinked. He didn't even have to ask for the identity of the girl, because she was like a little version of her mother. Could he possibly be so lucky?

He checked the pathway, and there was nobody else in sight. He was about to draw his wand when, unfortunately, the assistant manager walked around the corner and dumped a book back on the shelf, before giving him a courteous nod and walking away. Tom sighed when he saw his wonderful opportunity fly out the window. The man knew him and he hadn't spend fifteen years upholding this despicable façade to have it blown by some brat. He started reading again.

'Mister,' Rose said with clear emphasis, pulling on his cloak again.

Tom heard the soft trace of irritation that was evidently present in the girl's voice. He snorted. Definitely takes after her mother, he thought grinning. Rose was supposed to be her name if he remembered it correctly.

'Why?' he asked teasingly.

Rose stared at him, confounded.

So, he decided to elaborate. 'Why should I move aside?'

'You are blocking the passage,' Rose replied matter-of-factly. It was obvious from the look on her face she felt he wasn't too bright if she needed to explain that.

Tom pretended to check the floor around himself. 'So I am,' he casually said and returned his attention back to his book with a small smirk on his face.

Her annoyed growl made his eyes dart back to the girl in amusement. She stood there with her arms crossed in front of her chest, and those brown eyes of hers sparkled at him furiously. It most certainly was a familiar sight—a sight he hadn't seen in quite some time now.

'Will you get out of my way?' Rose hissed angrily.

Oh yes, definitely the spitting image of her mother.

Tom decided to try out his most menacing gaze on the girl. The dash of red that danced through his eyes did not result in the response he'd got used to. Grown men had collapsed to their knees upon seeing that gaze, begging for his forgiveness. Other brats that had disturbed him had run away fearfully and sobbing, but this one merely gazed back.

Definitely Granger's offspring. That woman should not have been allowed to procreate.

'Make me,' he said, now very entertained by the current situation.

He snorted when he felt two little hands trying to push him to the side, and he watched the quiet corridor with a wicked anticipation. Still no sign of Hermione, he was sooooo looking forward to see her face when she would walk around the corner to find him standing here alone with her daughter. Unless, of course, the brat was here with the idiot she'd married.

His face darkened. He wasn't completely certain whether he would be able to keep himself under control if Krum showed up. He had to figure out who the girl was here with.

'That Muggle pushing and pulling isn't going to get you passed me,' he whispered deviously.

'I'm not allowed to do magic,' Rose replied knowingly.

'Pffttt… rules and regulations,' rebutted Tom with a dismissive wave of his hand.

'I'm going to tell my mummy you said that.'

'Your mother is here?' he asked gleefully.

'Yes, and she is going to kick you arse if you don't let me pass.'

She's welcome to try, Tom thought, but raised his eyebrows instead. 'Such language from such a little girl.'

'I'm not a little girl. I'm five years old,' Rose squeaked indignantly.

'My mistake.'

'Now get out of my way,' said Rose bossily.

'And for whom should I be getting out of the way?'

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but something dawned upon the little girl's face, and she closed her mouth again. 'I'm not allowed to talk to strangers.'

'Easily fixed,' replied Tom. 'If I tell you my name and you tell me yours, then we are no longer strangers.'

Rose had to think about this one, but finally she replied, 'Yes, we are.'

'No, we are not.'

'Are too.'

'Do you really think so … Rose?' he taunted, leaning slightly toward her.

The girl's mouth fell ajar, and she stared at him with her eyes wide open. 'I did not tell you my name. I'm going to get my Mummy and Daddy.'

'Your father is here, too?' Tom asked at the girl's back, and that unwise desire to draw his wand and kill someone was back again.

Rose turned around, and after a brief hesitation, she said, 'Yes.'

Tom watched her, smirking. 'You're not a very good liar,' he whispered.

The girl's eyes darkened considerably and she swivelled her head back and forth down the corridor. Tom saw to his utter hilarity that this five-year-old was considering hexing him. It wasn't until he heard the first syllable of the jinx that he quickly disarmed her.

'That is not a very nice jinx,' he quietly reprimanded and quirked his eyebrow at the very illegal wand that was now in his hand. So, Hermione was definitely breaking the underage wizarding laws… interesting.

'You're not a very nice man,' Rose retorted angrily.

'True,' said Tom shortly, and he handed the girl her wand back before stepping aside and ushering her through. 'Well, it was a … pleasure meeting you, Rose,' he said smoothly, as she passed him, before he exited the row himself.

He heard her mutter something behind his back that was no doubt unflattering, though he could not decipher it. He grinned as he walked down the staircase—cheeky, like her mother. Let's see if he could find Hermione around here. He expected that she would probably be downstairs in the Arithmancy section. Tom was halfway down the staircase when he realised, he left his notebook lying in the shelf. Annoyed, he sighed, walked back, and snatched it off the stack of books it still lay on.

A blinding flash from across the corner were the children's section was located made him pause. What was that scuffling noise?

Cursing his stupid curiosity, Tom paced toward the children's section and watched what was in the corridor astonished. A very wobbly, two storeys high, tower of stools and chairs visibly swayed to all sides. On top of the tower stood Rose, trying to reach a book on the highest shelf.

Why didn't she just use…? It was when he saw the other books scattered all around on the floor, that he realised she probably had tried to summon the book, but had been unsuccessful in obtaining it.

Tom scratched his head and examined the situation—a quiet, empty corridor and a pile that didn't strike him as safe at all. It was like his thought made it happen. Rose shrieked in fright when, with a loud thundering noise, her pile collapsed.

Hermione!

Tom whipped out his wand, blasted the stools and chairs out of the way, swirled forward, and caught the girl in his arms. Shocked, he looked at Rose. All of his blood drained from his face when he realised that, for a brief second, he had confused her with her mother. She did look too much like her, and her scream was so similar; it had made his skin curl.

Merlin, this stupid bond made him insane. It made him do despicable good deeds. This was all Hermione's fault, her and her stupid compassion. Now Lord Voldemort caught children instead of letting them fall on their heads and laugh while it happened.

Reflex, it was only a reflex, nothing more—didn't mean a thing. I am still me. I've tortured Ainsley. I enjoyed torturing Ainsley. Yes, just a reflex.

'Thanks Mister,' Rose said cheerfully, and she looked at the book in her hand. 'I caught it just in time,' she added, holding it up triumphantly.

'Well, I hope The Little Vampire was worth almost getting killed over,' said Tom. He was still slightly irritated with himself, and remembering the books scattered on the floor, he added viciously, 'Next time, try a Summoning Charm.'

Rose looked at him, disgruntled. 'I'm not allowed to use magic,' she replied to cover up her failure.

'Yeah, so you said, but if those stools and chairs came together on their own behalf, I will eat my wand.'

'Rose!' Hermione shouted in the distance.

Oh for Salazar's sake, now she shows up.

He looked at the little girl, snuggled comfortably against his chest. There were so many things not right about Hermione finding him in this situation. It would ruin his reputation, and he'd never be able to make her believe he could harm her daughter to get her to yield if she knew he'd just rescued to kid from certain death. Said kid's big brown eyes (so much like Hermione's) met his, which made him begin to worry if he could actually follow through on the threat if he had to make it, because he, kind of, just a little bit, found Rose and her reactions rather ... enjoyable.

Quickly, he placed the girl on the ground.

'Ro-ose?' Hermione's voice sounded a lot closer now, an awful lot closer.

Knowing that he couldn't make any threats now, since Rose would undoubtedly tell her mother in detail all about what he had just done, he decided he needed to vacate the premises immediately without leaving any evidence of what had happened behind. It was when he noticed Rose looked at the mess with a concerned frown on her reddened face.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who wasn't looking forward to Hermione finding out about this. He flashed his wand. The books returned to their respective position on the shelves. The chairs and stools repaired their damage and returned to their original place in the different corridors of the shop. Finally, everything seemed neat and tidy again, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Rose, no, the girl looked up at him, happy.

'It'll be our little secret, alright? Don't tell your mother a thing; she doesn't need to know what a mess you made,' he said slippery and winked at Rose, who nodded vigorously in agreement to that. 'Until we meet again, Rose,' he added, before he spun on the spot and Disapparated out of there in total disregard with the rules of Diagon Alley.

'There you are. Didn't you hear me call you?' Hermione said, relieved.

Rose shook her head, not meeting her eyes.

Hermione smiled. She remembered how she used to pretend not to hear her parents whenever she was in a bookshop exploring the shelves for something interesting.

Looking at the book clutched in her daughter's arms, she asked, 'Did you find a book you liked?'

'Yes,' Rose said cheerfully, and she held out The Little Vampire to her mother.

'Oh, I really liked this when I was young,' Hermione replied, flipping through the pages, surprised to find it in a wizarding store, seeing she remembered borrowing it from the Muggle library at her primary school. 'It's a very good book and the first one of the series. But the vampires are different as those you've seen, and reading about a little vampire won't make you one,' she warned her daughter. 'Is this still the book you want to have?'

Rose nodded enthusiastically.

'Okay, let's go pay for it then.'

Rose took her hand and they walked away.

'How many more books are there about the little vampire, Mummy?' Rose inquired curiously.

'Oh, quite a lot, when I went to Hogwarts there were already eight books about Rudolph, but I am sure Mrs. Sommer-Bodenburg has written more after that.' She took the book from her basket and read the list which advertised all the other volumes written by the same author. Quickly, she counted them. 'There are twenty adventures now.'

Rose's face lit up at the notion of so many more books to read and she skipped ahead of her mother in joy. Hermione placed the book back in her basket and rubbed her chin. Sometimes, she felt Rose was a little too preoccupied with vampires. With Vishna having been around most of her life, it was not strange, but…

Oh well, it was probably just a phase. She worried too much. Once Rose was older, she'd learn to understand the downsides of vampirism and ... the dangerous creatures they could be.