A/N: I'm an hour late! I had an exam today and I still had to look over this chapter for any errors. I'm sure there probably is still some left, but here it is anyway! I hope you enjoy it!
House of Stone
Chapter VII: The Vanishing Girl
Tom had spent the better part of three days sulking around the Dagworth-Granger home. He had had the company of Mrs Dagworth-Granger and at least one hit-wizard while he was wide-awake. Mr Dagworth-Granger was either at the ministry petitioning for a search party, or actually outside looking for Hermione. Daphne had explained to Tom that this was the second time that Hermione had spontaneously disappeared. They didn't know the reason for her disappearance, and the last time they had found her it had been at the orphanage where she met Tom. However, when she came back, she had no recollection of what had happened to her before she had shown up at the orphanage. Mr and Mrs Dagworth-Granger believed she may have come across someone while wondering around at the Quidditch match they had lost her at. She had probably heard someone she wasn't meant to and was cursed.
Mrs Dagworth-Granger had done a lot of crying, and she had held onto Tom's hand tightly the past few days Hermione had been gone. Maybe she thought he was going to disappear too. Tom had been sitting in the living room at the piano. Perri had walked into the room with a levitated platter of pumpkin pasties atop it. Tom had even seen Bonk following Perri around, and he barely showed his face on the main floor of the house.
Tom was absentmindedly pressing the keys of the piano, not playing any song, in particular, he was just listening to the sound. He grabbed a pumpkin pastie and popped it into his mouth. He sighed quite loudly, and Perri answered him with another sigh. Bonk retreated feeling awkward in the quiet situation. Tom and Perri both just sulked. Tom was wondering if Hermione was okay, he suspected that she was probably alone. He couldn't even think of anywhere she could be, the Rosier's were also keeping an eye out for her if she ended up returning to the house. But in the last three days since the Christmas party, there was no sign of here, not even hint or a possible lead of where she could be. It was as if she had just vanished into thin air. This unsettled Tom, out there in the world, someone had used magic to curse someone, someone like Hermione. Tom was about to start on another pumpkin pastie, but he decided not too. He quietly thanked Perri for the dessert, and the walked out of the living room into the long foyer. He walked until he met the staircase. He peered into the dining room and saw Daphne sitting attentively, she looked tired, and she was listening to the hit wizard as he seemed to be reciting something. Tom frowned deeply, and then made his way up the stairs. He stopped at the end of the top of the staircase and walked around a pillar, and straight ahead toward another wall. On the wall, there was a frame for a portrait, a portrait that he often found himself staring at. Sometimes there was a man sitting comfortably in an armchair with a pipe in his mouth, he remembered the movement of smoke, and the wink in his eye whenever he caught Tom looking. His hair was greying and his moustache had a curl to it, much like Hermione's father. This time around the man was not there. Hermione had called him her uncle on many occasions but he had never met him, not even on the Christmas holiday. Tom stood in front of the picture frame looking confused. 'Where could he have gone?' Tom wondered.
Tom tapped his index finger on his chin before he moved around the second floor. There were five doors in total. All of them were closed but one, Hermione's bedroom door.
Tom moved toward her bedroom and step inside, closing the door behind him. The sheets on top of her bed were changed. They were white in colour now. The curtains of her four-poster bed were tied to its posts. He sat down on her bed for a few minutes and then moved to her sitting chair by her bookcase. He sat down comfortably and looked at the book on the circular table where she had left a green leather bound book. Atop of the leather cover, in sharp looking letters there were the words 'Keep Out! Hermione's Diary'. Tom looked at the cover, debating if he should look inside to see if there were any clues on where she would be. But she suspected that the hit wizards had probably done that already. He refrained from looking at her diary, Tom knew that when she turned, if she returned, she would not be happy to know that someone had read her diary.
Tom stood up from Hermione's armchair and moved toward the shelf that held most of her knick knacks. There was a stone, it had a pretty shine to it. From the right side it looked like an iridescent pink, and on the left, it looked more like a pearl. He touched it carefully before a thought came into his head. Tim was the thought. If Tim were there with him he would be worried for Hermione too, even though they had only met once. Tim was just a caring and understanding person. He wanted to see people be happy.
Tom moved toward the window then, he had stood in front of this window with Hermione just before they had left for the party. It was the night of his birthday. He felt a lump in his throat when he looked at the landscape. 'Please com back, please come back' Tom wished in his head. He stepped closer to the window and opened it, letting in a gust of cold brisk air into the room. He could see a mill in the distance. It was maybe a two-hour walk from the house. The sun was on the horizon already, and the lump in his throat grew thicker. It was another full day with no news from Hermione when the sun would set that would make four days and Tom was growing more melancholic by the hour. Another great sigh escaped his mouth, as he put both elbows on the windowsill and looked out the window. The colours of the sky were just bright enough to let him see any movement in the field in front of the Dagworth-Granger house in Wiltshire. The grass was moving with the breeze, the winter air chilling Tom's arm. The snow had melted as soon as it reached the ground, so Tom was stuck looking at dead grass and bare trees. In the distance passed several hedges he could see a short mass moving around the same hedges. He couldn't really tell what it was, but he watched it carefully. He watched as it toppled over, and stayed lying on the ground for at least a minute before it got back up again. It was still walking, and it looked tired. Then what caught Tom's eyes was the lilac colour on the moving creatures body.
It was Hermione. The dark messy hair, the lilac dress, it had to be her.
With that thought, Tom bolted out of Hermione's room and down the flight of stairs.
"Tom? What's going on dear?" Daphne asked frantically as she watched Tom speed down the stairs and into the foyer. She got up as well and followed him quickly. Tom pulled the front door open and began to run toward what he expected was Hermione Dagworth-Granger. His lungs felt like they were about to burst out of his chest. But he could see her clearly now, it was really her. Tom could hear Hermione's mother shouting his name, but he continued to run because Hermione was so close.
In just minutes Tom's body collided with Hermione in the strongest hug he could muster. It was really her, she still smelled the same too. But she was freezing, and her hair was messier than usual.
"Tom," She said through chattering teeth, she tried to smile but she was just too cold. The hit wizard was now approaching and Tom let go of her. The hit wizard inspected her body to make sure she was okay.
"We must take her to St. Mungo's to run some tests" He took a brief pause. "To see if she will be okay." Daphne shook her head quickly, tears running down her face as she moved to hug Hermione tightly as well. The hit wizard then pointed his wand at Hermione casting a charm on her. Her teeth stopped chattering as the wave of the spell passed through her. The hit wizard picked her up carefully in his arms and the group of them made haste to get back to the house.
When they returned the hit wizard began his instructions. "I'll take her through the Floo network, it might be too dangerous to apparate. But you must find your husband, tell him that we've found Hermione. I will see you at St. Mungo's."
"Wait, I must go with her!" Daphne countered as the hit wizard was making his way toward the fireplace in the living room.
"Mrs Dagworth-Granger, you yourself told me that there was a possibility that your daughter could be cursed. She has just appeared again and we are running out of time to figure out what exactly has happened to her."
"All right," Daphne said as she wiped her tears away from her face. Then Hermione and the hit wizard disappeared in the green burst of fire, after the words 'St. Mungo's Hospital' rang through their ears. Daphne quickly grabbed Tom's hand, and she called out for Perri. Perri appeared in a short burst of smoke ready to do whatever Daphne asked of her.
"Perri, lock the doors and hold the house while we're away. Hermione is back and we will be at the Hospital, take care of Bonks and don't start any trouble."
"Of course mistress! Perri will make mistress proud!" Perri answered, saluting Daphne with her scrawny hands. Daphne then turned to Tom and put her hands on his shoulders. "We're going to the Ministry of Magic, Tom. You must tell me straight away if you get tired." Tom shook his head 'yes' in response. Daphne grabbed a handful of Floo powder from the pot by the fireplace, She clutched Tom's hand tightly, and through the powder inside, clearly stating 'Ministry of Magic' and then vanishing entirely with the green flames.
Tom and Daphne scurried around people exiting the Ministry of Magic through the fireplaces lined along the walls of the atrium. They sped past what Tom expected was a wizard sculpture in the centre of the atrium before meeting a strange elevator. Tom had barely had the chance to look around and see the ministry for himself, before being tugged on. They ran through several corridors, used the strange elevators and eventually came to a door that had a gold plaque on it. On the plaque, there were the words 'Hector Fawley, Minister for Magic' written in blocked, black characters. Tom took a gulp of air. 'The Minister for Magic was the prime minister for the wizarding community'. Daphne didn't even knock on the door and pulled at the handle, pushing the door inwardly. They both stepped in and met a handful of wizards. Hermione's own father sitting in a chair in front of the great oak desk.
"Goodness. I'm so happy you're here, my love." Daphne moved toward Hector Dagworth-Granger, and he stood up to embrace her. It appeared to Tom that they had interrupted some kind of meeting. Some of the men in the room retreated, leaving the Minister for Magic, Hermione's father and mother, and Tom left in the room.
"What are you both doing here? You must stay home in case Hermione returns." Hector took Tom by the shoulder and squeezed gently, but he didn't turn them away.
"We've found her. She's at St. Mungo's now. The hit wizard, Dirk, took her there. They are going to run tests on her. Oh, Hector, you should have seen her. She looked cold and tired. She had no idea what had happened to her." Daphne appeared frantic but also relieved.
"We must go then. Come now, Tom." Hector took Tom's hand, and curtly bowed his head at the Minister for Magic who was still behind the desk, but he stood up as the trio seemed to be leaving. Daphne stepped toward the desk, and the Minister, Hector Fawley, took Daphne's hands.
"Thank you, brother; for your help. I'll write to you once we get home. You should get some rest as well." Daphne spoke to the Minister of Magic in a motherly tone. Tom watched them carefully. The man behind the desk, he was the man in the portrait on the second floor of the Dagworth-Granger house. He recognised the moustache and the greying hair. He seemed slightly more flamboyant, in his wizard robes that were a dark shade of purple.
"Of course, sister. Send my niece some love" The minister had a charismatic look to him. Maybe it was the crooked smile, he couldn't pinpoint it but for some reason, it unsettled Tom. As Daphne turned away from him, the minister winked at Tom. Tom felt slightly uncomfortable and turned with the group as they went out the door and left the Ministry toward St. Mungo's.
Tom had spent two days sitting with Hermione on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital. Hermione complained at any chance she could. She would pester on saying that she felt fine and didn't understand why she had to stay in bed all day and be stared at by the healers attending her. Tom had overheard the conversation between the head healer in charge of Hermione's case and Hermione's parents. The healers had found no trace of anything that could cause Hermione's spontaneous disappearances and selective amnesia. The healer had given Daphne and Hector several notes to see how long it would take for her to disappear again, but in the end, they had to send Hermione home, because they simply did not know what was wrong with her, no matter how many spells they cast on
Hermione was happy to be home, and Tom was happy to see her at home. Tom watched her every second of the day wondering if she would just vanish before his eyes. Tom didn't want her out of his sight, he thought maybe the first two times that she had disappeared they had gotten lucky that she wasn't seriously hurt. They were eating together, reading together, running around in the garden together, riding broomsticks, drinking tea and visiting their friend Dorea and Abbas together. They had even made a new friend together, Piper Flume, her parents ran the sweetshop: Honeydukes. The only time they were really apart was when they went to sleep at night.
Tom would curl up into a ball in the centre of his bed, clutching the thick blanket close to his chest. He was fighting the urge to check up on Hermione and see if she was still asleep in her bedroom. He was relieved to hear her footsteps in the morning stop at his door, as she would shout for Tom to wake up for breakfast. He was on his toes for months. Months had gone by. Months where he was worried about Hermione and guilty about Tim.
It was the beginning of May and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. Mrs Dagworth-Granger had come home early from her meeting with the Daily Prophet. Tom and Hermione were sitting in the parlour playing a game of exploding snap. The pair of them had not noticed that Daphne was already in the house. Tom had the mountain troll card in his hand and he had a bad feeling about it. He couldn't tell if Hermione was trying to trick him into thinking that she had no strong playing cards in her deck, or was waiting her time out until her card could explode or Tom's would instead. Hermione placed her card down quickly, gaining no severe reaction from it. As Daphne turned the corner into the parlour Tom's Mountain troll card exploded as he placed it on top of the deck on the tea table. Hermione screeched in shock and Tom jumped back from the table. The silence after the quick explosion made Hermione laugh, and Daphne's hands soon moved to her hips.
"What did I tell you both about playing this game? Daphne had a stern look on her face as she walked toward them and began to collect the exploding snap cards in front of them. "You shouldn't play this game until you've at least learned some healing spells. I've told you both already it's not safe." Tom was silent, waiting for Hermione to speak first. It was she who asked to borrow the cards from Abbas Lestrange.
"Sorry mum," Hermione looked defeated.
"We're sorry" Tom added trying to bring the attention away from his friend. As if on queue, in from the open parlour doors, an owl came swooping into the room and landed on the tea table where the exploding snap cards had just been. The tawny owl was carrying two letters in its talons. Daphne took the letters from the owl and looked at the words on the front of the envelope to see who they were addressed to. After a quick glance, a smile appeared on her face.
"As expected," she handed one of the letters to Tom and the other to Hermione.
As the pair of them read the cover simultaneously, they both looked up at each other with excitement. It was their acceptance letters to Hogwarts.
Mr T. Riddle
444 Hookend Road
Honeymouth, Wiltshire
Tom forgetting all his worries in the world, slipped his finger inside the corner of the sealed paper and ripped the green seal of the Hogwarts crest from the envelope.
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Armando Dippet
Dear Mr Tom Riddle,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your confirmation owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Deputy Headmaster
Enclosed in the letter was a list of the books to buy, other learning equipment and supplies and a list of proper uniform. Tom could feel his heart swell. He felt this was what his life was leading up to. What he desperately wanted to do, was magic. Magic was what brought he and Hermione together, the whole prospect of magic encouraged him. He was ready to go to Hogwarts, absolutely ready. He looked up from his letter to meet Hermione's eyes. She looked just as excited as he did.
A/N: Please review and tell me what you think! :)
