Nocens Locus Chapter 10: Of Tears and Twisting, a harry potter fanfic

So, so sorry for the long wait. I (Cheshire) completely blame myself. The next chapter will DEFINATLY be up much, much sooner. Thank you for all the reviews! We are now over 100! Even though we don't reply personally to them, we do read them and are very grateful to all our reviewers.

Chapter 10 - Of Tears and Twisting

Hermione ran.

And ran.

She didn't even know where she was going but she had to keep running.

Maybe if she ran fast enough, far enough, she would get over the betrayal that was slowly building up inside her.

Maybe.

She wasn't even sure why she felt betrayal...

I'm not friends with Death Eaters. I don't care about them.

However, no matter how many times Hermione told herself this, it didn't make it true.

She cared about them all... And they had tried to kill her.

The pain she felt was like being back in Malfoy Manor with Bellatrix cackling over her.

No! I have to forget about that! It's in the past! Hermione screamed to herself.

No... It's in the future, A small voice whispered inside her head.

That brought it all up again... Hermione was adjusting to living fifty years in the past but... How was she supposed to survive with no friends? With no one to rely on?

She couldn't.

That was the simplest answer.

She was a strong witch, and not many things could beat or wear her down. But no matter what she told herself, she always needed her friends around her.

With tears starting to escape her eyes and her breath coming raggedly, Hermione came to the Entrance doors of the castle. She opened one with a spell and started running again, out onto the school grounds. The gamekeeper's hut zoomed past her in a whirr of colour.

Not Hagrid's hut... The small voice piped up again.

Hermione didn't listen to it and ran around the borders of the lake, as close to the Forbidden Forest as she dared. After what felt like hours of running, the pain still hadn't gone away and Hermione was forced to stop to get her breath back.

She didn't want to pass out so close to the forest.

The most likely thing to happen was that she would be dragged away by some hungry hybrid.

Hermione sank to her knees, gasping down deep gulps of air that stung her throat. The tears were flowing fast now and her legs hurt.

Lots.

A noise sounded in front of her and Hermione looked up to see a figure, facing away from her. They were tall and in black robes, with shining black hair. It reminded Hermione of someone...

"Harry?" Hermione whispered, hardly daring to hope.

The person didn't seem to hear her but Harry had always been bad with his hearing. With a grin, Hermione launched herself at the person and started hugging them, muttering quickly into their robes.

"Oh, Harry! I'm so glad I've found you! It must have all been a dream!"

Tom sighed. He was currently in the Forbidden Forest with a Ravenclaw Prefect (Corvus Stretton) and two boys who had been caught stealing from the caretaker's store. He was a mean old man who liked nothing better than punishment and that's exactly what Aaron Brown and Jeremy Godwits received.

They had to scour the forest for Belladonna, which was to be used for potions class. Funnily enough, this plant didn't grow in the school Greenhouses, and had to be picked outside at night...

Which meant that Tom had to waste his precious time escorting those two Gryffindor halfwits around the Forbidden Forest.

They had spent two hours trying to find and identify some Belladonna, before Jeremy had wandered off, deeper into the forest.

If it was up to Tom, Jeremy would have been left there for a werewolf or some other creature to snack on.

Instead, Tom was with two others so he gritted his teeth and spent another hour searching for the last the task was finished (after one o'clock in the morning!) and the group was headed back to the castle. They stopped outside the forest, the lake just in view.

Tom spun around, ready to give the boys their warning (as was Prefect custom) and to collect what little of the plant they had managed to properly collect.

As Tom opened his mouth he felt two arms wrap around his waist from behind before realizing that a crying girl was hugging him...

And calling him Harry of all things...

Tom froze up, his first reaction to throw whoever it was off him and curse them for daring to lay a finger on him. He then realized that he was being watched by two Gryffindor 4th years and Stretton, a Ravenclaw Prefect.

So instead of doing what he wanted, he slowly embraced the shaking figure and looked down. When he saw who he was holding he almost dropped her.

Westron?

Two thoughts entered his head as he stared down at her with wide eyes.

Firstly, why would she be hugging him of all people? Secondly, why wasn't she dead?

"I-is she ok?" the Stretton asked awkwardly.

"Does she look ok?"

One of the Gryffindors had saved him the trouble of answering.

Well...We should take her back to the castle. She doesn't look well..."

Tom couldn't argue with that. She was pale white and was not only shaking because she was crying, she was also ice cold.

"Tom, do you think you could take her back to the castle?"

It was probably the last thing Tom wanted, yet he couldn't argue with all these people.

Besides, if something happened and he was the only person left unharmed then old Dumbledore would have more "evidence" to prove his theory that he was evil...

Westron had stopped crying, but was still mumbling so Tom scooped her up in his arms and started walking towards the castle, without waiting for the others.

He was sure they would follow...

Tom looked down at her as she was completely helpless and vulnerable, exactly how he'd wanted her from the day he'd met her. Yet...something was wrong when she wasn't being strong and acting her usual, annoying and completely strange self.

He thought about how reckless he'd been acting, all but ordering her death. That wasn't like him. Usually, he would have a lot more stealth, subtlety. There was just something about her that irked him to no end. He was good at reading people, but she seemed strange...wrong almost. It was as if she knew more than anyone...and way more than she let on.

She was a complete paradox. She was smart, almost as smart as him, yet she refused certain knowledge. She was a Slytherin yet she was talking to elfs as if they were people and Tom had never heard her so much as utter the word Mudblood. She felt small in his arms, compared with how big she was in every other aspect except her stature.

Tom almost laughed.

He was behaving like a hot headed Gryffindor.

He decided to call off his Knights from killing her. There was a lot he wished to find out and he had a funny feeling Westron could help him...

Hermione was dreaming. She was sure of it.

She felt safe and warm and...happy.

She was at the Burrow and could smell Molly's cooking from where she was outside. She was currently under a tree, reading a book while watching Harry and the Weasleys play Quidditch. It was a warm summer's day, unlike the harsh cold she had felt before the darkness came.

She sat there reading for another few minutes before she felt some-one sit down beside her. She marked her page and set the book down, turning to face whoever it was.

"Harry!"

"Hey, Hermione."

Harry was exactly as she remembered him, messy hair, glasses, scar and the rare grin that lit up his face on the few times he didn't have the pressure of the world on his shoulders.

Hermione smiled back at him.

"I've missed you so much!" Hermione couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes as she said that."I missed you too Hermione. Things have been a lot harder without you around."

"I'm so sorry Harry. If I could help you I would. You're my best friend." That statement was true. She would do almost anything for Harry.

"Funny..." Harry's face went stoic. "What? What is it Harry?"

"I just thought you had replaced me. You are keeping Death Eaters company now. I'm just wondering if you've said the same thing to them..." His eyes were becoming frostier by the second.

"How-how could you think that Harry?"

Harry shrugged and turned his head away from her. "It's true though, isn't it?" He muttered, still not looking at her.

"No, Harry! Of course not!" Hermione cried.

How could he even suggest something like that?

Harry didn't say anything but a small humourless laugh escaped his lips. Finally, he slowly turned his head back to her, his emerald green eyes frosty and cold.

"How can you even deny that, Hermione?" He scowled, glaring at her like it was her that had killed his parents, "Every second you're away... You get closer to the dark... Closer to Him."

"Him?" Hermione whispered in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"I wonder what Ron would think..." Harry was continuing as if she hadn't spoken.

As if summoned, Ron was standing before them, no longer flying, with all the Order a few steps behind him. They were all standing before Hermione, casting long shadows over her and leaving her in darkness as they glared angrily at her. Remus Lupin stepped forward and pulled Ron back, but not before spitting at Hermione and muttering one word.

"Traitor."

"I wonder what everyone would think..." Harry said slowly, "Knowing that you betrayed us to Lord Voldemort."

And just like that, the dream smashed like a mirror into a thousand jagged pieces that pierced Hermione's heart more than a knife ever could.

Tom scowled as he stood in front of the Room of Requirement, thinking as Westron lay limply in his arms.

I need a place to put her...

I need a place to question her...

A door popped into existence and Tom strolled awkwardly inside. The Room looked plain as always but there was also a soft King sized bed and many book shelves around the room.

With a sigh of relief, Tom dumped Hermione on the bed before gazing down at her.

Who was this girl?

The question jumped into Tom's mind but he honestly didn't know the answer. And the next minute, Hermione was awake, screaming at the top of her lungs as Tom tried to calm her down.

Knowing you betrayed us to Lord Voldemort...

KNOWING YOU BETRAYED US TO LORD VOLDEMORT!

Harry's words bounced around Hermione's head as she woke up screaming.

She didn't betray them.

And she never would.

SHE DIDN'T BETRAY THEM!

Hermione opened her eyes as the screaming stopped. She didn't know where she was... It was a large room with only a bed and a few bookcases lining the walls. It certainly didn't remind Hermione of anywhere...

"Miss Westron?" A voice said hesitantly.

Hermione's head snapped around the room until she caught sight of the person speaking.

"Are you OK...?"

Knowing you betrayed us to Lord Voldemort...

With another scream, Hermione jumped off the bed and launched herself at the door.

A/N :I just realized we are so mean. We always leave cliffys and sometimes don't update quickly...sorry about that...