Hey! Sorry this chapter took so long to upload! My beta accepts part of the blame but I also was very busy in the last four months with school. The good news is that I passed and now I can focus on fanfiction for the next four months. That's if work doesn't kill me...Enjoy!
Draco rolled over lazily, slowly adjusting his eyes to the darkness. He cursed Pomfrey when he saw an empty glass on the night table. To his misfortune, she had discovered that he hadn't been drinking the sleep potions. Hence, he was put to sleep for the entire afternoon since it was only the weekend. Merlin, he despised the woman for not sharing his belief that bones heal faster while awake.
So what if he hadn't slept lately and his body was taking its sweet time to heal? In fact, it was his deepest wish to prolong his stay in the Hospital Wing. He knew Hermione's condition was deteriorating without hearing it from Pomfrey, the professors or any of the St. Mungo's staff.
The signs had been coming for some time, but the defining point was when they avoided his questions last night.
The wizards and mediwitches had been constantly surrounding her bedside every single hour of the day. Now, they had disappeared into the cool evening air without a trace and yet she remained on the bed in the corner of the room.
He squinted to check if it was really Hermione sleeping. Her state undoubtedly hadn't improved since her veins remained dark blue. She was unconscious and facing the ceiling like a statue. If he were to approach her bed and place his ear above her lips, her shallow breaths would barely be distinguishable to him. He didn't blame Pomfrey for placing injured students in other rooms. Her deathlike appearance would haunt even the fiercest Death Eaters he knew.
The door suddenly creaked open.
Draco expected to see Pomfrey or some other St. Mungo's official entering the room but was stunned at the sight of a tall dark hooded figure. Draco immediately closed his eyes and gripped his wand firmly. The person crept over to his night table and smelled the glass.
"Sleep potion," the voice muttered. He noiselessly set the glass back on the table. He paused at the table for a short period of time before leaving.
That's when Draco reopened his eyes and spotted the person lowering his hood near Hermione's bed.
Tom.
Draco would have jumped out of bed if it was not for his curiosity. Tom glanced suspiciously in his direction but assumed that he was asleep. He carefully placed stones at Hermione's feet, head and hands. Draco strived to identify the spell he was using but only recognized one of the stones. The two stones at her head and feet were white with black lines and the stone at Hermione's right hand was a green color.
The huge rose stone with black patches on Tom's side was surely a Rhodonite. It was widely popular in many dark arts spells and he was no stranger to it either. It helped the user reach their maximum magical potential.
Wrapping his fingers over the rhodonite stone, Tom began murmuring a spell which instantly produced a dark shield around Hermione's lower body. Draco tried forcing himself to move but couldn't and felt that he had been tied to the bed with invisible chains.
Draco watched as Tom pulled a dagger from his robes and cut his palm. He stopped for a short period of time, contemplating his actions before grasping Hermione's hand. His fingers had barely snaked around hers when she grabbed his arm aggressively. Tom nearly fell backwards as the sudden shock coursed through his arm and slammed him into the next bed.
"Tom," Hermione's parched voice called.
Tom looked closely at Hermione and found her still asleep as her arm's grip weakened gradually. Staring perplexedly at her, he warily cut her palm before entwining both of their hands. A book suddenly appeared in front of him and he read a passage in a hushed tone.
The windows were all blown open as a draft of hot air blew into the room, sending Tom nearly into Hermione's bed. Draco continued to watch confusedly as some colour crept into Hermione's cheeks and she clutched Tom's hand so tightly that his face whitened increasingly with every second. As her face slowly returned to its regular appearance, Tom was contracting flashes of her illness. His veins darkened and his pupils approached the color of sand as he crashed faintly to his knees.
"That's enough," Tom breathed, yanking his hand from hers and collapsing into the next bed. He luckily had placed a silencing spell on the room in advance. Tom struggled to stand and stared at Hermione placidly. All the stones had become dark black while the green one seemed to have burned into a pile of ashes. He anxiously pointed his wand to the bed sheets and removed the gathered powder.
Tom glanced hesitantly at Hermione, whose serene face was turned towards him. She represented everything that he wasn't. Never had he been more tempted to cross the bridge from the darkness he had always considered as a safe haven. If only to quench his curiosity for a second, he reached out his hand to move the hair that had blown into her face but stopped awkwardly. His fingers curled into a ball as his arm fell.
Alas, some times curiosity was best left in the dark.
He left the room abruptly, only pausing to cast a dark look in Draco's direction.
The hand retaining his fellow Slytherin classmate was finally released, leaving another to his own curiosity. However, Draco soon felt his eyelids became heavier and a slight drowsy feeling overcame him. He plunged back into the bed, his wand falling freely from his hands.
Early next morning, Draco woke up in a daze. 'Was it a dream?' he thought, glancing at Hermione's bed. Honestly, he felt completely out of it when he approached and found her sleeping calmly without any symptoms of the illness. The bed's surroundings came across perfectly normal with not even the slightest proof of Tom's presence.
Nevertheless, he bent down and swabbed the floor with his finger to check for ash remnants of the burned stone but discovered none. When slowly rising, he detected a fleck of green powder resting on the side of the furniture. His thumb had scarcely brushed it when there was a light tug on his shirt's collar that made him leap forwards and knock a table down.
He pointed his wand at the attacker. "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?"
Hermione gazed at him in wonder before placing her hands menacingly on her waist. Glaring at him, she said dangerously, "If you don't put that wand down at once Draco Malfoy, I'll make sure that there won't be any little blond ferrets running around."
He lowered his wand and towered over her intentionally. With one eyebrow cocked and his trademark smirk which made many from the opposite gender (or same for the matter) melt, he said coolly, "Love, who said they had to be blonde when they can carry after such beauty as yours…"
Hermione slid her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag, "You mean to say that actually works for you? You? Me? Naaaauhhhh. Not even if - "
"We were to return to the future and find ourselves dealing with the sexual tension of being the last surviving of both the Muggle and Wizarding race?" he said quickly, "And the sole responsibility of repopulating weighing down our shoulders."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "That's so cliché." She stretched her legs and arms while ignoring Draco's attempt to appear disappointed. "I feel like I've been sleeping for days."
"You have," Draco stated, staring at Hermione as if she was mad when she energetically jumped off the bed. Her face brightened up with her smile but it instantly faded when she nearly collapsed. He caught her swiftly and pulled her up.
"That was a bad idea," she said anxiously. She rested her chin on his shoulder and shivered against him. "Why is it so cold?"
Draco tossed one of the blankets across her shoulders, securing its sides to maintain her position. He laughed, "You're the one who was acting like an air freezitioner or whatever Muggles call it."
"Air conditioner?" Hermione asked weakly, taking a step back to examine Draco in astonishment. "Since when do you know about…"
"If you haven't noticed, I'm forced to take a Muggle course," he said exasperatingly.
Hermione grinned, shaking a strand of her hair away nervously. She glanced up at Draco and said softly, "Admit it. You missed me."
The blanket sagged in his hands as he glimpsed at the room tensely before opening his mouth to respond.
"MR. DEVEREUX!" Pomfrey shouted, her face reddening as she burst into the room, "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"
Her mouth dropped and she shrieked when she saw Hermione staring back at her vividly, while leaning on Draco for support.
"Oh dear me," Pomfrey said, approaching to observe Hermione thoroughly, "Devereux get the Headmaster at once."
"But I'm injured," Draco whined, cradling his arm, "I don't feel so great."
"GO NOW," Pomfrey demanded, "How do you feel Miss. de Lioncourt." Draco dragged himself out of the room and ran to alert the professors.
When he returned with Dumbledore and Dippet, Hermione was being fully examined by Pomfrey who was so overly amazed by the recovery that she continuously praised it vocally.
"Good morning, Miss de Lioncourt," Dippet said cheerfully, knowing he wouldn't need to lose sleep over two students falling dangerously ill, "How do you feel?"
"Great," she replied, her eyes regaining their former sparkle.
Draco remained at the bedside and noticed Dumbledore wipe his fingers across the table.
Studying his hands, the professor said softly, "Calcite powder." Draco should have known that Dumbledore wouldn't miss even the smallest detail. "Draco, do you know where this came from?"
Draco shook his head and gazed at Hermione instead.
She was alive and that's all that counted even though he might somehow be in debt to Tom Riddle. Dumbledore accepted his answer but persistently watched him until he departed.
"Everything seems fine," Pomfrey said, "You'll be able to return to class in two days. As for you Mr. Devereux, I'm afraid that your time is up."
"Are you sure? I have this unusual tingling in my-" Draco said before being interrupted.
"No, not this time Mr. Devereux," Pomfrey said condescendingly. "Miss. de Lioncourt must rest." After Dippet and Dumbledore both wished Hermione farewell and good health, Pomfrey administered the sleep potion and left.
"Back to what I was saying before," Hermione murmured with a faint laugh, "I knew you needed me. So I came back."
"I need you?" Draco sneered, rolling his eyes at her comment. He sat at the edge of her bed. Her eyes closed and she missed his nervous look.
He thought that she had drifted off to sleep until she whispered, "To fight one nasty villain."
She gulped nervously and took a deep breath. "He saved me."
"Who?" he asked, knowing fully well who she meant but perplexed at how she knew.
When she didn't respond, he watched her sleep for a minute before muttering,
"That's what I'm worried about."
He tentatively bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
When Hermione was dismissed by Pomfrey two days later, Draco visited and didn't hesitate to bring up the topic. "That day when you said 'he saved you,' who did you mean?" He had not brought up anything about her 'quick' recovery especially after Dumbledore had told him that the St. Mungo's witches left after declaring that there was no possible chance for her survival. The infection had spread to nearly 90 of her body a few hours before Tom came. Draco still hadn't said anything to Dumbledore about Tom's presence.
"You know who," she said, candidly.
"No I don't," Draco said strongly.
"Don't lie," Hermione said irritatingly, "You were fully awake when Tom entered the room."
"What the-," Draco said, his eyes widening, "You weren't even conscious."
"He put a spell on you so that you wouldn't interfere. I don't know what happened after that," she said, shrugging.
"How do you know this?" Draco said, studying her carefully.
Hermione looked away for awhile, "There was completely nothing passing through my mind and then," she said, pausing, "when he touched me…."
"That's impossible! Tom excels at Occlumency," Draco said, pondering how it could be possible.
"Some times powerful spells can cause the best occlumens to slip a few thoughts," Hermione explained, "What I want to know is what he did…"
Draco described what happened in full detail.
"What made him do it?" Hermione wondered out loud.
"Three is a charm," Draco responded in a distant voice, making Hermione stare at him in confusion. "This is the third time he has saved you."
"No," Hermione said firmly.
"You're forgetting the broken windows," he said, almost accusingly.
"He was clearly protecting himself," Hermione said defensively.
"There's more than what meets the eye," Draco said frigidly as he glanced out the window at the Quidditch field.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked angrily, forcing him to look at her.
He stared fixedly at the floor, "The unbreakable vow is one malicious spell, isn't it?"
She gazed at him in wonder, "You've been sworn to secrecy? For what?"
"Yes, it was all part of a wonderful initiation by the Order of the Phoenix," Draco said sarcastically, "The treaty is held between McGonagall and I. The bonder is Lupin."
"Why can't you tell me?" Hermione asked, desperately. The only group of people she trusted had turned their backs on her.
"They don't want to mess with the future," he said guiltily at her reaction.
"So all of this has been lies?" Hermione asked, frustratingly.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, "I'm there for you, Mione, and I would tell you…"
"I understand," Hermione said, nodding in frustration.
"You can do it," he said quietly, avoiding her eyes.
"Right," she said, sighing. Both of them did not speak and walked towards the Great Hall when Hermione stopped. "I don't think I'm going to come." She glanced at some of the students passing by, "I need to think about a few things."
Draco nodded and left.
Hermione entered her common room after what felt like an eternity. Closing the door behind her, she leaned on it. The common room was a complete mess with papers and books scattered on the front table. Tom was always the type to have everything, including his schedule, in order so that living with him had not been as bad as one would think. In fact, seeing the room in such a state had utterly shocked Hermione. It forced her to reconsider her opinion of him
Wasn't Tom Riddle perfect? No, everyone had their faults. Perhaps it was only that everyone from both sides considered the future Lord Voldemort to be immortal. Well, he had gone as far as to create horcruxes of himself so it was partially true.
Approaching the table, she didn't find school textbooks but dark arts books instead. One book was prominent since it was right in front of the Head Boy's chair.
She leaned forward and picked up the book. Hermione read the passage rapidly, her heart thumping faster in her ears with every word.
While quite powerful, the anima spell is quite deadly if done incorrectly. Anima binds two people together if they are equals. A theory once formed by Salazar Slytherin, he believed that a wizard or witches' true potential could be reached when combined with their equal. Strength can be transferred between equals. An injured person can be alleviated by their equal as far as bringing them back to life. Nevertheless, each healing process or new life comes with an equivalent consequence. A limit is placed for the number of anima transformations possible due to the consequences.
Beware that if performed on a person who is not an equal, it may kill the person of weaker disposition. The spell can be performed with the following stones.
Hermione searched through the list to find descriptions that matched the two stones that Draco had not recognized.
Agate, the most powerful healing stone
That sounded reasonable enough to Hermione.
Calcite, clears negative energies for the object or person in question. It intensifies clarity and attracts love.
Attracts love? 'Oh dear,' Hermione thought, thinking about how the stone had burned. 'Why did he pick that stone out of all of them?' She glanced at the next page, expecting more information but found something more staggering.
"Don't you have work to catch up with instead of sticking your nose in my things?" Tom said behind her in an unusually calm voice made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Hermione yelped and turned around to face him.
He towered over Hermione, casting an ominous shadow over her. There were dark circles around his eyes and his hair was not neat like usual.
"It's time that we talked," Tom Riddle said to her, pausing to reflect his next words, "Hermione."
He wrapped his fingers little by little on the edge of the book and began pulling it out of her hands lightly. The second page was the only thing that remained on her mind.
It was the Death Eater mark.
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