A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know that the last chapter was really rough with poor Marius. In canon, we know that Marius was blasted off the family tree, and so I thought that was a reasonable explanation. It won't be the last that we hear from him, though, either. Hermione will continue to show glimpses of her old self, so please stick with this! It is going to be a really long story, and I can tell you that while it will be dark, Hermione will find happiness. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! Huge shout out to alpha reader, Kreeblim Sabs!
Please let me know what you thought of chapter ten and be on the lookout for chapter eleven soon.
February 14th, 1931
She wasn't exactly sure when she'd figured it out, but Cygnus had a pattern. He could get into the foulest moods, unwilling or incapable of seeing how it affected the others in the household. After a certain amount of time, though, he would realize his 'mistake' and apologize with gifts and other grand romantic gestures. But Hermione was beginning to realize that he was never going to learn from his mistakes either.
Their most recent argument had been over a bit of legislation in the Wizengamot, actually, and Cygnus scolded her for believing everything that she read in the Daily Prophet. It didn't take long for him to suggest that she couldn't possibly know anything about the subject matter, or even have an opinion on it, essentially because she was a stay at home mother.
It didn't take long for her to ward him out of their shared bedroom. Where he went, she wasn't sure, but she hadn't been able to hide her smirk when she heard him on the other side of the closed door trying to dismantle her spell. He'd even cursed the blood wards for not responding to him, and she'd had to bit her tongue to stop herself from shouting that she was just as much a Black as he was after their marriage.
She liked giving him glimpses of the witch that she'd once been, the brightest witch of her age, best test scores in a century. It took a lot of resistance to not show him her dueling prowess, and she knew it was only a matter of time until they fought each other with wands. She knew that Cygnus would be disappointed.
When he'd invited her to an exclusive dinner for Valentine's Day, she should have known that he was up to his old tricks, just wanting to get back in her good graces, and back in her bed. She wondered how long his apology would last this time before he tripped up again.
It was times like these that Hermione really regretted marrying someone that she'd only known a short while. She hadn't known any of the things about him that would grow to irritate her. And she was positive that Cygnus hadn't been expecting a bride who would not sit in the corner, trying not to be seen. She was positive that she was not the docile, pureblood girl that he had expected she would be.
With her hair curled nicely, and make up on her face, Hermione stood in front of her closet, trying to decide which robes to wear. Maybe she needed to put a little more effort into her relationship with Cygnus. Of course, she could recognize that it was a two-way street. Cygnus made mistakes, but she was also incredibly stubborn, and she knew that sometimes she could focus all of her energy on the children, and didn't give him the time of day that he deserved.
Part of the problem was that she knew she didn't love Cygnus. At this point, she wasn't sure that she could love Cygnus at all, or if she just hadn't opened her heart to him. Perhaps this dinner could signal a change in their relationship, a start of something new.
Knowing that he loved her in green, Hermione picked a daring green cocktail dress that he'd purchased for her, but that she'd never before worn.
May 22nd, 1931
Hermione rarely ever came by Cygnus's office in the manor, seeing as she almost never had any reason to visit him there. He spent most of his days at his office in the Ministry of Magic, but he occassionally had people over to discuss "business". Hermione had smirked when she realized business just meant smoke expensive cigars, drink vintage firewhiskey, and gossip about other men.
She'd been playing hide and go seek with Dorea and Tommy, though, when she heard voices coming from his office, so she crept down that way, thinking that she might find two mischevious little children if she was quiet enough. If not, she was sure she could offer Cygnus and his guest refreshments, seeing as it was nearly lunchtime.
Pressing her hand on the doorknob, she opened it slowly, hoping to make as little noise as possible. With the door open just a sliver, she could see in the room clearly enough. The occupants were too caught up in each other to notice one another, which Hermione figured was a small miracle.
There, draped over Cygnus's large desk was Irma Black, her long red hair hanging over the side of it, her pinched mouth open in pleasure while Cygnus worked between her thighs. He hadn't even bothered to undress them, just pushing her robes up her hips, and pulling them down in the front to expose her breasts. His blond head was bowed over her body, so he didn't see her.
Stepping back, Hermione felt her heart pound, blood rushing in her ears until she couldn't hear anything. It was a rather...passionate encounter, she knew, and she wondered if she and Cygnus had ever experienced anything like that. It was clear that they felt more for each other than just lust, and suddenly, the failures in their marriage didn't seem to be her fault. She'd previously thought that she wasn't being open enough with her heart, but perhaps it was just that Cygnus had already given his to another woman.
Tears formed in her eyes, and she walked away from the room, unwilling to imagine the pain of Irma and Cygnus catching her. She didn't want them to know how much it affected her. Hermione had sacrificed so much, coming back to this time, and she didn't have anyone to love her. She wanted to experience that kind of passion, the kind where you just couldn't keep your hands off of one another.
At least she had Tommy, Hermione consoled herself. The little boy that she adopted, the little boy who had the potential to become Lord Voldemort, loved his mother so much. If he could, she was positive that he would spend every waking moment with her.
Wiping the tears from her face, Hermione knew what she needed to do now. She would focus all of her eneregy on providing Tommy with the best possible life. He would never doubt the love that she felt for him, and of course, it was never too early to begin working on his schooling. Once Dorea went off to Hogwarts in the fall, she would start him on basic magic. You could never start too early with the theory, in her opinion.
She was a great witch, and it was undeniable that Tom Riddle would become a great wizard. With her guidance, perhaps he could even become the most powerful wizard alive, surpassing even Albus Dumbledore himself.
…
The next time that Hermione saw Cygnus was at dinner. It was odd to see him walk in, pretending as though he hadn't just been fucking his mistress in his office. Instead, he bent his head over and pressed a kiss against Hermione's face. Before asking Tommy and Dorea what they did that day, listening patiently. It was odd, in a way, for Hermione to realize just how little it bothered her to learn that he had been unfaithful.
Really, she should be crying, upset that there was no chance of them ever having a happy, loving marriage. That there was never going to be some great romance kindled between them. She should be upset, that as his wife, he didn't respect her enough not to screw around outside her bed. But, in reality, it wasn't a surprising find for her. She knew what kind of man Cygnus was the whole time that they were married. He was always far too flirty of his own good, giving the wives of his associates looks and touches that lingered too long to be socially acceptable. Perhaps the question she should be asking herself was how many other women did he have besides Irma. She wasn't naive enough to think that there had only been the one since she'd been married to him.
It was probably a small miracle that Irma hadn't fallen pregnant with another of Cygnus's children. She was glad that she had one additional year before she and Cygnus had agreed they would start trying to have children. Still, she couldn't imagine being cuckolded by your own father, raising your siblings as your own children. As much as she didn't like Pollux, it wasn't as if he deserved that either.
No, it was shocking for her to realize that she would never love Cygnus, that she never felt anything deep enough for him to be bothered by his cheating with Irma. She'd only grown to resent him and his attitude as the years went on. The cynical part of her wondered how long he'd kept the promise he'd made that Christmas week two years prior. She'd be surprised if he'd even lasted half a year.
It was times like this, though, that she wished there was more that she could do. Unfortunately, there was no divorce in wizarding marriage, as the blood magic used to bind them together was too perilous to dismantle. It really was til death do us part. So she was stuck with Cygnus until one of them died. Though some small part of her would like to fantasize about what would happen if Cygnus was dead, she wasn't so dark as to plan his murder.
But that didn't mean that her life couldn't be happy. Ensuring that Tommy had the best possible life would be rewarding, even if that meant continuing to pretend that there was nothing wrong between her and Cygnus. The less Tommy knew, the better.
"Hermione, darling? Are you alright? You've barely said anything at all tonight." Cygnus asked, a bite of beef wellington perfectly balanced on his fork. She had to hand it to him, Hermione thought, he really did look concerned for her.
She sighed. "Yes, Cygnus. I am just a bit tired today. Running after the children all day long took a lot out of me." She lied. What was one more lie in the pile that she already committed?
"Perhaps you and the children should spend less time playing and more time studying. After all…" He trailed off for a moment, almost as if he didn't want to jinx what he said next, in case it didn't come true. "Dorea will be headed to Hogwarts this fall." Although they never spoke of him, and all the traces of him had long since been obliterated, the spectre of Marius still lingered in the Black manor.
She gave him a weak smile at the suggestion, wanting to tell him to leave the parenting to her. After all, he only swooped in for exceptional moments, and did almost nothing to ensure the day to day schooling of the children. "Yes, dear." She said demurely. "It is so hard to keep them cooped up when summer is just beginning."
Their dinner resumed in silence and Hermione was overcome with a sense of resentment for her husband. Just because she knew about his cheating, and there was nothing she could do to dissolve the marriage, didn't mean she needed to make it easy for him. "I was actually thinking about contacting Irma." She said, staring at her husband, face serene.
She had to hide a smirk when she saw him flinch, nearly imperceptibly, but she knew him better, at the name. "Irma? Whatever for?" He asked.
"Oh, I was thinking that I could set up a playdate with Walburga and Tommy. After all, I think its a good idea to start socializing him with other children his own age." Hermione said cooly. Dorea and Marius had plenty of other pureblood children that they had played with growing up, and she wasn't about to let Tommy be treated any less.
Cygnus relaxed. "Oh, yes of course. Wally could definitely use a little socialization herself, or else she will be so spoiled by the time she gets to Hogwarts, no one will want to spend any time with her."
Hermione couldn't hide a smile at that. It was true, Walburga was very comfortable always getting what she wanted. She wondered if that played into her marriage to Orion at all. It was very odd to have cousins - even second cousins - get married in pureblood circles, but then again, Hermione was quickly realizing that the Black Family was more twisted than she ever could have imagined.
September 1st, 1931
If Cygnus had been worried for Marius's Hogwarts letter, he'd been nearly paralyzed with nerves that Dorea might not get one as well. Hermione tried to tell him that Dorea displayed magic all the time, but he couldn't or wouldn't trust her this time. Dorea herself was fairly traumatized from the situation with her older brother being banished from the family on his eleventh birthday, so it had taken a lot of encouragement from Hermione to get the girl out of bed and down to the table for breakfast.
But, all of their concern and worry and tears were for not, because waiting at the table was a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, inviting Dorea Black to join them September 1st. Cygnus had been so relieved that he'd given Dorea permission to get a familiar.
Hermione had happily taken Dorea and Tommy into Diagon Alley to get all of Dorea's school supplies as well as her familiar. It went very well, and Dorea's excitement was so infectious, Hermione had to stop herself from sharing all sorts of stories from when she was at the school. Tommy had been a bit put out that he wasn't getting a familiar himself, but he helped Dorea pick out the most beautiful kitten with soft, luxurious white fur and brilliant blue eyes. Hermione teased Dorea that she just picked the animal that looked most like her. It didn't take long for the kitten to be dubbed "Countess Whiskers", which the kitten loved if her proud expression and rumbling purring could be judged.
When September 1st finally rolled around, Hermione and Tommy helped Dorea pack up her trunk, though Tommy was mostly just unfolding all of Dorea's uniforms. If Hermione wasn't mistaken, she was sure that Tommy was just feeling upset about being separated from his step-sister. Hearing the great grandfather clock chime in the parlor downstairs, Hermione knew that they had to get a move on to Kings Cross if they were going to make it in time.
Waving her wand, Dorea gasped as all her items neatly piled in the trunk, before the trunk closed and shrank to pocket sized. "Wow! Do you think I will be able to do that someday, mother?" Dorea asked, always in awe of the complicated magic that Hermione did.
"I am sure that if you study hard, you will be able to do all sorts of magic, soon." Hermione told her checking the half-up hair style that kept Dorea's long blonde hair out of her face. "You are going to be a brilliant witch, Dorea, I just know it."
They met Cygnus in the parlor, and the family of four apparated off directly to platform 9 and ¾. Dorea stared at the great Scarlet steam engine in awe, before turning to face her parents. "Goodbye daddy." She said sweetly. Cygnus dropped to his knee, pulling his daughter in for a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Make sure you write us to let us know where you are sorted." Cygnus said, pulling on one of her curls. Hermione knew that he would be vastly disappointed if she didn't end up in Slytherin, but Hermione hoped he wouldn't let it show if she ended up somewhere else. Personally, she thought Dorea was mischievous enough to end up in the dungeons, but let Dorea know that they wouldn't mind if she ended up something else.
Dorea hugged Tommy next, and finally Hermione. "Goodbye mother. I am really going to miss you." She whispered, her grey eyes beginning to look a bit more nervous at being separated from everyone else.
Hermione hugged her back and tried to give her step-daughter some comfort. "Oh, I am going to miss you too, Dorea. It will be lonely without you. But, remember, you can write to me at anytime, and about anything. I am just a Floo call away." She wasn't positive that students would be allowed to floo call home, but she was a part of the Black family know and that carried some special perks. She was sure that if she demanded it, the Headmaster would cave.
Nodding, the tiny girl gave them one final goodbye before hurrying off onto the Hogwarts Express. Cygnus, Hermione and Tommy waited until the train had pulled away to go home. Hermione lifted Tommy into her arms, seeing as he was looking particularly sullen now that Dorea was gone. "Mummy, how come I can't go to Hogwarts?" He asked, a small pout evident on his lips.
She gave him an indulgent smile. "You are still a bit too little for Hogwarts, love, but in a couple of years, you will go to Hogwarts too, and learn all about becoming a wizard." Hermione promised him. "But, until then, you will just have to stay with me at home. How would you like that?" She asked.
Tommy wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into her curly hair. "I get mummy all to myself." He said, proudly.
Hermione laughed at his words. "Yes, certainly. We will have so much time, just the two of us together, and we can do all sorts of fun things in the garden, we can cook with Opal, and soon, we can even start to learn some magic to prepare you for Hogwarts."
Her little boy seemed to perk up at the prospect of all that time with her, and it warmed Hermione's heart. It made her feel so much better to know that she'd already made such a strong connection with him. She couldn't imagine that if he'd grown up at the orphanage, he'd be this open with anyone. It gave her a new determination, a new focus, to keep improving his life.