I don't own any of the Harry Potter's characters or places. Everything else is mine.
Chapter 09 {Meeting A Lord}
Hermione could barely keep her excitement down. Today was the day. She was up extremely early and had everything packed. After the last 2 days, she had decided to stay the remainder time till school started at the Leaky Cauldron. She refused to stay with people who treat people as bad as they do the house elf.
They last few days were ridiculous. Hermione stayed at the very end of the table away from everyone. Not by choice but by their own decision to not let her down on their end. She also got the left over after everyone had filled their plate and with the Weasley family full of boys that wasn't much food. When not eating anytime Hermione walked into a room the people in it would walk out. The only ones that even tried to talk to her were the twins, but they didn't do it in front of the others for they didn't want to be treated the same.
Hermione quickly left the house and flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. She purposely dressed in some of her mother's old robes which made her look regal. As soon as she appeared in the Leaky Cauldron Tom the inn keeper rushed to her. "Hello, Miss, how can I help you."
"Yes, I need a room till September 1st," Hermione inquired politely.
"Very good, Miss" Tom said, "Our rooms are not ready yet but should be after lunch. I will hold one for you, shall I?"
"Yes, please do," Hermione smiled, "Thank you."
Then Hermione decided to go to Gringotts to see what her mother had left her in there. She had asked for the key yesterday from Lucius and he immediately sent it to her. This should be interesting, Hermione thought as she walked up to a counter. "Excuse me," Hermione said shyly hating to interrupt the goblin, "My mother was Diane Malfoy and I have her key. She is dead and left me her vault."
Hermione handed the goblin her key and the letter in her mother's handwriting letting whom it is concern that all her worldly possessions will be left to her daughter. "Come with me, miss," The goblin said leaving to a small office, "I am Kadegt. We need to do a magical blood test then if everything is in order, I will take you down to your vault."
"Very well," Hermione said hanging out her hand.
After the test showed that she was truly Diane's daughter she was led down to the vault. Hermione was amazed with how much was in the vault. "How much is in here?" Hermione asked.
"180000 Galleons, 400000 Sickles, and 50000 Knuts," Kadegt answered looking at a piece of parchment in his hands, "You also have 2 estates that you own I will leave you with this parchment. All you'll have to do is hold it and wish to go to them to Apparate there."
Hermione smiled and filled her pockets with gold. "Is there a way I can buy things without having to come get gold?" She asked.
"Just tell them to charge you vault," Kadegt said, "Just sign the ledger and place your vault number on it and they will get it from us."
"Great," Hermione said.
After leaving the bank it was close to the time to meet her uncle and decided to head back to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. As she entered the pub, she noticed the 3 men already there sitting at a table in the corner. As she got closer, she realized she saw them talking but couldn't hear what it was. As soon as she was about a half a meter to the table, she could hear them now.
All three men stood up as soon as they saw her. Lucius and Severus were smiling and Severus even held out her chair for her. Voldemort on the other hand had his chin on the floor and kept trying to form words but couldn't. Finally, he said, "you look so much like your mother."
"Thank you," Hermione blushed, "You are nothing what she described or anything like the picture I was left."
"Glamours," He muttered. "My old self is dead actually."
Hermione just sat there and watched. They ordered then stayed silent. It seemed like no one knew where to start. "I want Bellatrix's head," Hermione finally broke the ice.
The Dark Lord was startled, "She is one of my best followers. There better be a good reason."
"Oh, there is. She is the reason for my mother's death," Hermione said, "She gave you false information and you sent mother off without a second word. I am mad at you too, but you never knew how to trust people. So can't blame you but you put your trust in the wrong loyal women. She was doing it out of jealousy then really caring about you."
"Explain now," Voldemort growled.
Hermione pulled out both a vial and a book and handed it to him. "Read and view this memory and you will understand all."
The rest of the meal was pleasant enough. None of the men liked that she was staying here but she wouldn't hear anything about it. Plus, she agreed that they could come check on her every day. The men finally agreed, and the Dark Lord started to get to know his daughter. She was very intelligent and had a critical mind. He enjoyed talking to her. She was so much like her mother, but he could feel her power rolling off her. She even had some of his tendencies. He was slightly scared for anyone who crossed her. He also was worried about what he will find out by the 2 items she handed him. Did he kill his love? Did he send her to her death for no reason? If so then the person who caused it will pay dearly for the betrayal, he thought.
Before Hermione knew it, the all went their own way with promises to stay talking and to see each other soon. Hermione was very shocked at how well the Dark Lord functioned. She expected him to be crazed but he was intelligent, and she enjoyed talking to him. Maybe he wasn't as bad as everyone thought. Maybe her mother was right about the light side.
She went to bed that night with thoughts of the future. Plans that everyone she knew would be surprised with. Plans that will cause an uproar and will probably not happen without a fight.
In a distant estate, the Dark Lord was just coming out of the memory and he was furious. So much so that he didn't see the blonde sitting by the fireplace nursing a whiskey. "I poured you one too, My Lord," Lucius said.
"Did you know?" Voldemort asked.
"No," Lucius said, "If I did, I would have gone on that mission and defied you. She was my sister and I promised my father I would watch out for her. I failed."
"We both did," The other man was hurting, "I killed my love. The only women for me."
"Make up for it, My Lord," The blonde man said, "By the way don't do anything to Bellatrix yet. I believe my wife knew about her treachery; I just can't prove it yet."
"I will give you some time, but I will have my revenge," Voldemort said.
"Yes, My Lord," Lucius said.
Both men sat there in silence for hours sipping the whiskey and just caught up in their own thoughts. They both knew a lot would happen soon. They only hope their family would stay intact by the time everything had happened.