A/N: Terrible day! The haze around here is getting worse. So, could not go anywhere, as it made me so uncomfortable. Oh my God, I couldn't breathe properly here! The air is so terrible and foggy, and I feel as though I'm trapped in a swirl of mist. Hope the haze would clear out soon, before I really get mad. Feeling frustrated now, but I'll manage to control my temper anyway. Don't worry; I wouldn't be mad like Tom, lol.
So, I think that it is better to sit at home, and log in to to post a new chapter of my story. Haha, lol. So, there you go, the new chapter is up! Hope all of you enjoy reading it, and do continue to review. Special thanks to those who reviewed for the last chapters.
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Chapter 10: Unforgivable Curses
Sunlight was streaming through the window in the Heads' commonroom when Hermione opened her eyes. Her body was stiff and numb, as a result of sleeping on the couch without moving a muscle. She had fallen asleep after figuring out what her task was. Plans were beginning to form in her head, and in the midst of deciding which one would work best, she had drifted off to sleep.
The pain in her muscles was still unbearable, and Hermione whimpered silently as she tried to push herself into a sitting position. Her swollen lips had subsided after she had healed it yesterday, and some dry blood was still visible on them. The scratches on her skin had healed, and the pain in her ribs where that psycho had kicked her yesterday was also ceasing.
She stretched out her hands, and flexed her fingers. There were still numb and hurting. She closed her eyes, and gulped in a few breaths of air before opening them again. With a great effort, she finally managed to sit up, and leaned on the couch. She looked around the commonroom. The fireplace was cold and dry, and the crackling fire had died down. Hermione shivered slightly as the cold autumn wind blew in through the window and touched her skin. She hugged herself tightly, and pulled out her wand from her pocket. She casted a warming charm on herself. She had modified the charm herself, so that the effects were stronger and it would last for a longer time.
Hermione felt much better as her body felt warm and comfortable again after a few more minutes. She figured that she would be late for her classes if she does not get out of her dormitory by now.
Trying not to hurt herself too much, Hermione gripped the back of the couch for support, and tried to push herself off the couch. After a few attempts of trying, she finally managed to get up from the couch. Her legs were wobbling slightly as she started to take a few steps forward. She grabbed onto other furniture's in the room for support as she wobbled along until she reached the staircase leading up to the room. She gripped the banister tightly, and started to climb the staircase. By the time she reached the top landing, she was sweating and panting all over. She leaned against the banister, and rested her chin on her elbows for a moment. After regaining some of her strength, she straightened up, and walked towards the door of the room. She hoped that Riddle was already on his way, as she did not wish to endure another round of torturing from him. She did not think she could stand it for another time for now.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the doorknob and turned it silently. She pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Luck was not on her side again, it seemed. Riddle was still in the room, sleeping in his bed. He was lying on his back, and she could just make out his mass of black hair on the pillow, below the folds of the green and silver quilt, which he had pulled up to his head. Was it that cold, she wondered? She had not seen anyone sleep like that before. At least they have a sense of putting on a jumper or something else if it was too cold. She stared at the sleeping dark lord in disgust, and shook her head before turning away slowly. Hermione wondered whether he always sleep that late into the morning. However, she was shocked to find that it was only a quarter after six when she glanced at her wristwatch, which she had put on before going out for dinner yesterday. How it could be so bright outside, she wondered, when it was still so early in the morning.
"Funny thing, weather," she mumbled to herself. She tiptoed towards her bed, and started to get ready for the day. She smoothed out a new pair of uniform on her bed, and rummaged in her trunk for the bottle of pain relief potion that she had always carried with her in her beaded bag. She always carries various healing potions around with her, since she, Harry and Ron had started their hunt for Voldemort's horcruxes. One never knows when these potions would become handy. At least her presumptions were quite true, as she had managed to cure Ron with one of the potions after he got himself splinched as a result of the apparition from the Ministry of Magic. They had gone there to obtain Slytherin's locket from that good-for-nothing old toad, Delores Umbridge. Hermione suppressed a snort from escaping her throat when she thought about Umbridge's silly mistakes back in her fifth year. That toad was definitely pissing everyone off, and she had finally learned her lesson in the Forbidden Forest at the end of the year. It was Hermione herself who had fooled that woman after all, and she could not help feeling secretly proud about it.
Hermione uncapped the bottle which held the potion, and tipped the entire contents into her mouth. She figured that she would have to down the whole bottle, so that the effects of the curse would wear off more quickly. She did not wish to be absent for classes. She needed to prepare for her NEWTs, and she always put her education at the top of her priority list. Furthermore, she could not let Minerva and the others notice that something was wrong with her. They would be suspicious if they saw that she was suffering in pain, or did not turn up for classes, and she did not wish to tell them what had happened, after that psycho had warned her. No, Hermione Jean Granger was definitely not going to risk this chance. She would have to figure out her next move quickly, and complete her task. If all was well, she would be back in her own time before Christmas.
She banished the empty bottle with a single flick of her wand, and sat down on the bed to wait for the potion to take effect.
She closed her eyes, and let her thoughts take their tow on her. Memories were flashing before her; happy and sad ones. Hermione succumbed to them. She let herself go completely, and let her thoughts stray off on their own accord. For a fleeting moment, Hermione just let everything around her sink and melt away. She retired to the beckoning calls of her memories, and dived into them.
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[Flash backs]
Minerva McGonagall had arrived at her house, and informed her that she had been given a place at Hogwarts. Tears of joy ran down her parents' eyes when McGonagall gave them her acceptance letter. She bobbed up and down on the couch, excitement evidently plastered over her small face. Her mother wrapped her arms tightly around her, and gave her a big kiss on the forehead.
She was on the Hogwarts Express, helping Neville to locate Trevor, his lost toad. She met Harry and Ron there as she helped Neville to ask about his missing toad in various compartments of the train.
She was pushing through the crowd of students on the stands of the Quidditch pitch. She must find Snape and try to break his curse on Harry's broomstick. Finally, she managed to locate Snape, and started to set fire to his robes. Harry's broomstick immediately behaved normally again, and he was beginning to regain his balance once more.
She was on the third floor corridor with Harry and Ron. They had managed to lull Fluffy, the three-headed dog into a deep slumber. She stepped over the dog's legs, and approached the trap door. She started to fall down, down, and down until she hit damp ground. The three of them had then been trapped by the Devil's Snare, and it was she who had freed all of them, thanks to her knowledge in Herbology and the attention she gave Professor Sprout when she was teaching. Both Harry and Ron were proud of her.
She was in the Great Hall for the end of year feast. Dumbledore had awarded Harry, Ron and her extra points after their outstanding performance during the mission of trying to get the Philosopher's Stone. The three of them were beaming happily, as Dumbledore announced that Gryfindor had managed to win the House Cup for that year.
She was walking down the corridor leading out of the library. She needed to tell Harry and Ron what she had discovered. The mirror and parchment was clutched firmly in her hands. As she turned into a corner, and as she gazed into the mirror in her hands, she found a pair of large yellow and beady eyes staring back at her. Her whole body went numb, and she faded into oblivion after collapsing hard onto the stone floor.
She was beside Harry, who was trying to conjure his patronus to get the dbementors away from Sirius. "Hermione, help me, will you?" Harry had said. "I…I…can't, Harry." "Expecto patronum!" Harry was screaming at the top of his voice. "Expecto…" she tried, but her hands were trembling too much. Her body felt cold all of a sudden and she passed out cold before she knew it.
She was standing a few feet away from Ron in the Gryfindor commonroom after the Yule Ball. Her hair had started to become bushy again, but she did not care. Both of them were screaming insults at each other. She was furious at Ron, for accusing her of not bothering about him, and only fancying hot guys like Crum.
She was in the Room of Requirement. Dumbledore's Army had just been set up, and Harry was walking about in the room, teaching all the members the patronus charm. Joy overtook her when she managed to conjure her patronus; a silver otter that bounded happily a few feet away from her before fading into a mist. The boy-who-lived gave her a warm smile after watching her performance. She returned it with a broad grin.
Dumbledore's Army had been discovered. Umbridge was now starting to round up all the members of the D.A. The school was in chaos as Dumbledore left on the same night.
She was in the Department of Mysteries, firing curse after curse at the Death Eaters. Antonine Dolohov advanced on her, and they started to duel. The purple jet of light shot out from Dolohov's wand without warning, and hit her squarely on the chest. She collapsed and passed out cold on the floor.
Belatrix Lestrange was torturing her madly, and her whole body was aching. The woman cackled madly as Hermione thrashed and twitched on the ground. Her screams were terrible, but the madwoman continued to torture her mercilessly.
Harry and Hermione had gone to Godric's Hollow. They were in Bathilda Bagshot's upstairs room, where the small cloaked figure had leaded them. Suddenly, without warning, a snake appeared and began to strike at both of them. It was Nagini. The large snake was uncoiling itself, and slithering swiftly towards both of them. Frantically, Harry leapt back and pulled her away as fast as he could manage. She could tell his scar was burning; Voldemort was near. Harry's face contorted into a mask of pain. "Confringo!" she bellowed frantically, as the snake lounged forward for another attack, and everything began to shatter and tear apart in that room. Harry had passed out, clutching his scar with both hands. Hastily, she pulled him away as fast as possible. However, she was shock as she discovered that she had broke his wand into half in the process of the spell just now. Masking her shock and panic, she pulled Harry, who had passed out in pain close to her on the floor and apparated away to another safe location.
She was in the Chamber of Secrets with Ron. He held out a handful of Basilisk fangs to her. She took one of them firmly in her hands, held Helga Hufflepuff's cup tightly in her other hand, and pierced it with all her strength with the fang. A loud scream echoed around the silent chamber, and a black mist evaporated into the air. There was a soft crack after that. And then, all was still and quiet again. The cup shattered into thousands of small shards, and she pocketed them satisfactorily.
She was in the Great Hall, huddled together with Ron and the remaining Weasleys. All of them watched in terror as Molly Weasley advanced on Belatrix Lestrange. Surprisingly and to everyone's shock, Belatrix fall dead on the floor after a fierce struggle; Molly Weasley had managed to get back at the dark side for her dear Fred's death at last. Horror struck her again as the dark lord directed his wand at Molly. "Protego!" a familiar voice shouted. She blinked, and opened her eyes again. It could not be possible; she did not believe her eyes. There, standing in the centre of the Great Hall was none other than the boy-who-lived. He had survived after all. For a moment, all was silent, and then the long awaited moment came. Both the long time and legendary adversaries stood facing each other, gripping their wands firmly in their hands. Her heart was racing and she was shaking all over. In a flash, both Harry and Voldemort flicked their wands, and a jet of green and red light shot through the air. And, it was all over after that.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw the dark lord collapsed onto the ground, as the killing curse which he had casted rebounded, hitting him squarely on the chest. Harry Potter managed to catch the Death Stick in his hands after it had flown out from Voldemort's grip when he collapsed. Triumphantly, he turned and faced the crowd who was still watching the battle, and smiled widely. Tears of joy were pouring out of her eyes. They had succeeded at last. The Great Hall erupted into loud shouts of joy and cheers. She ran towards Harry, and gave him a tight embrace. He kissed her fondly on the forehead before they broke apart. Then, Ron took her into his arms, and the both of them shared another wonderful moment together.
She was standing outside the remains of the small cottage that she had left her parents in Australia. The place was all in rubble now. Broken glass littered the outside of the house, and shatters of wood were scattered everywhere. The Dark Mark hung above her head, glaring back at her fiercely. She blinked back her tears. She could not believe this. She started to walk towards the cottage. "Hermione…" Harry was saying something softly in her ears, but she never registered a single word. Her mind had blanked off, and her vision was beginning to turn blur. "Hermione…" Harry was saying. Two firm and strong hands encircled her waist, and she felt that someone was pulling her away in the opposite direction. "No! No! Mum…Dad…you can't die now, no! Don't leave me…" she mumbled to herself. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Hermione, let's get away from here, shall we, dear?" Mrs. Weasley's soft voice came from behind her. She felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace. She leaned into the soft arms embracing her, and started to sob. Darkness suddenly clouded her vision, and her knees gave way. She faded into oblivion.
[End of flash backs]
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Hermione opened her eyes. Tears were beginning to stream down her cheeks again. She hugged her pillow tightly, and buried her face into the soft feathers, sobbing. The memories brought back her past again, and she cried bitterly as each event played out again and again in her head.
She sniffed, and wiped the tears away furiously on the sleeve of her robes. She should not be crying now. It was all over now. This was the past, and it would not happen again. She would make sure of this. After she had completed her task, all would be well, and her worse nightmares would not ever occur at all.
Remembering this, Hermione felt hope bubbling up in her. She could do this, she told herself. She would stop the cause at its root now and here. Tom Marvolo Riddle would be sent to his death soon, before he could become that evil monster and take away another innocent life. She would ensure that this happen, Hermione decided with determination. She was going to kill him, no matter what the consequences were.
With full hatred, she dared a glare at the opposite bed. A pair of midnight blue eyes was staring back at her, and she quickly turned away, slightly shocked. She had no idea that the psycho was already awake. How long had he been looking at her, she wondered. She did not care at all, she decided finally. He can stare at her as much as he liked, and she would just pretend not to have noticed it. She was determined not to let him haunt her life again.
Straightening up, she reached for a laced handkerchief in her pocket, and blew her nose. Then, she swung her legs over the bed, and started to make her way to the bathroom. She closed the door softly and bolted it shut behind her.
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Tom pulled the green and silver quilt up to his head. The weather was very cold, and the coldness seeped through his skin, making him shiver. The warming charm that he had casted on himself earlier had ceased to take effect, and he would have to cast it again later, when the cold is unbearable. He wrapped the covers more tightly around his body, and rolled over onto his side. The cool autumn air still blew through the open window, and Tom growled frustrated, as his body went through another shiver. With another irritated growl, he directed his wand at the window, and flicked it once. The window immediately shut itself, and with another flick, the shutters were pulled down.
This did not work either, as he was still feeling cold and shivering. He hugged himself more tightly, and put both hands under his pillow to warm them. He closed his eyes, and tried to catch a few more minutes of sleep. It was still early in the morning, he noted, and he would be in no hurry to rush to his classes today, seeing that the first period is Transfiguration. He wanted to avoid the old codger Dumbledore as much as possible. His hatred for the professor had increased, after he had ignored him for the rest of the term after the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Tom knew quite well that the old codger was trying to push his buttons to irritate him further. He would not let that old fool get what he wanted; he would not allow Dumbledore the satisfaction he craved for. He would be out of here without a single tint on his good-student reputation, and he would make sure of this.
A soft click made him jump slightly. He peeped through the small gap in the curtains around his bed. Merope Granger stepped into the room, closing the door silently behind her. She still looked weak, Tom noted, but she maintained her posture well. She started to walk to her side of the room with slow and confident steps.
Tom sighed, and closed his eyes once more. By now, the coldness had ceased, and he felt warm and comfortable. He started to drift off to sleep again.
A sniff from the other side of the room roused Tom from his light slumber. He opened his eyes, and peeped out through the gap in the curtains again. Merope Granger sat with her back to him, and her legs crossed. Her face was buried in a pillow, and she was sobbing silently, sniffing at intervals.
An irritated growl escaped his throat. Why was the girl crying again now? He stared at her. Her body shook slightly as she sobbed into the pillow. Tom wondered whether the war back in France which had caused her to lose her parents had affected her greatly. He did not want to believe this stupid story at first, but the girl's behaviour made the story seemed true. She had terrible nightmares, and would cry at certain times. She had also tried to maintain her stance when he threatened her yesterday. All of these seemed to show that she had been through a lot of hardship during the war and each of her actions seemed to match her story perfectly. After all, Tom could not deny that Grindelwald's forces were becoming stronger, and their attacks were very brutal. He would find out later nevertheless, Tom decided. If he found out that she had indeed told the truth, and nothing but the truth, he would consider putting the matter at rest for the time being.
The girl continued to weep silently. Then, she looked up, and a peculiar expression crossed her face. Tom noticed that she was deep in thought, as she drew her eyebrows together and her forehead creased slightly. And then, she smiled. Tom was getting puzzled. One moment, the girl had cried her eyes out, and next, she was smiling. What was the meaning of all this, he wondered.
Then, an even more peculiar thing happened. The girl wiped away more tear stains on her cheeks, and turned to look at him. She had that same disgusted look plastered on her face; the look she first gave him when they met for the first time in Dippet's office. The look turned into a glare moments later. Tom continued to observe her. This girl was definitely something, he decided; something that he himself could not figure out yet. How dare she give him that look after he had warned her yesterday? Anger was welling up in him. The girl would be thought another lesson later, he decided, and he would not let it be as easy as last night's lesson. She would have to see the full extent of his capabilities, as she was still irritating him in some way after his warnings.
The girl seemed to have noticed him staring back at her somehow, and quickly turned away. She got up from the bed after a few more minutes, and walked towards the bathroom. Tom glanced at her retreating back, and suppressed a yawn.
Then, he threw the quilt to one side of the bed, and rolled over. He stretched, and pushed himself out of bed. With a lazy flick of his wand, the bed was made up neatly, as though no one had slept in it at all the night before.
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Just as yesterday, the day passed peacefully for Hermione. Luckily for her, Charles and Minerva did not seem to notice that something was wrong at her, as she had managed to put up a very well façade in front of them. Before heading for breakfast that morning, she had gone to the hospital wing to obtain some ointment to heal her swollen lips from Madam McCarthy. The matron had taken one look at her, and rushed into her office, returning with the ointment Hermione had requested earlier.
"Merope, my dear, whatever happened to you?" she asked, her face betraying her worry.
"I had a run in with a few Slytherins," Hermione quickly lied. "They managed to push me onto the floor before I knew it, and I had accidentally bitten down on my lips when I fall."
"Oh, you poor girl. You would want to be careful around those boys, you know," Madam McCarthy said, taking out a reel of cotton wool, and dabbing some ointment onto Hermione's lips.
"Don't worry. I will mind my ways around them," Hermione said. "After all, I'm the Head Girl, and I'll ensure that they got their detention for this."
"Good," Madam McCarthy said, dabbing another drop of the ointment onto Hermione's lips. A few seconds later, Hermione felt a pulling sensation on her lips as the skin healed. She thanked the matron, and walked out of the hospital wing.
"Take care of yourself, dear. Don't get hurt again. It's just the beginning of the term, you know?" Madam McCarthy's voice sounded from behind her. Hermione turned, and offered the matron a small wink before stepping out into the corridor and closing the door quietly behind her.
She headed to the Great Hall for breakfast after that. Breakfast was enjoyable as usual, with Mariana gossiping away about the hottest boys in school in this term, and Minerva and Charles having their usual friendly debates. Hermione merely laughed along with them and cracked jokes when she feels like it.
Dumbledore was also quite happy that morning, Hermione gathered. He entered the Transfiguration classroom, bid them a very good morning and immediately started the lesson. This time, they learn the conjuring spell, where various objects can be conjured out of other objects or out of thin air.
Remembering what Dumbledore had done during her third year, Hermione smiled, flicked her wand and a dozen purple sleeping bags were conjured. Everyone in the class looked at her admiringly. Dumbledore gave her a warm smile, and awarded thirty points to Gryfindor for her brilliant performance. Hermione could not feel secretly proud with herself. After all, she had taken three months to perfect the spell as she had figured it out on her own after a lot of research in the library.
"Why, Ms. Granger. I would think that I'm attending a slumber party rather than a Transfiguration lesson now," Dumbledore joked merrily, and faked a yawn. Hermione chuckled at this. The jovial look on Dumbledore's face remained there for the rest of the lesson.
"Wow, Merope," Minerva said, "that was just so amazing. How ever did you manage that?" She flicked her wand, and a few silver goblets appeared out of thin air.
Hermione blushed. "You're amazing too, Mini," she said, giving Minerva a warm smile.
She looked at Riddle, who was sitting opposite her. He had conjured a few silver pebbles out of thin air, and was engraving something on them. She tried to peer more closely, as she was curious. Before she could take a better look, Dumbledore walked in front of her, blocking her view. He began to approach Riddle. Hermione noted with disbelief as Riddle quickly banished the pebbles before Dumbledore had managed to have a proper look at it. What the hell was he up to now, Hermione wondered. Was he trying to piss Dumbledore off? She was not surprised at all if this was indeed the case. Only Dumbledore can see right through him, and he would be bound to hate the old professor.
Dumbledore looked taken aback for a moment. Then, he quickly wiped the disgusted expression from his face, and turned away without saying a word to Riddle. From the corner of her eyes, Hermione saw Riddle smirked, jammed his textbook back into his worn-out schoolbag, and stormed out of the classroom. The other students who were busy with their conjuring spells did not seem to notice this turn of events. Sighing, Hermione turned back to Minerva and Charles, and helped them a bit in improving their spell.
As the bell rang, Hermione, Minerva and Charles filed out of the classroom, talking and laughing happily. They headed for Charms next.
"We'll be having two periods free after lunch," Charles said happily, as they walked towards the Charms classroom, on the next floor. "Professor Merrythought is not back from her business with the Auras' Office in the Ministry yet. So, I expect we'll not be having DADA this week."
"Oh," Minerva's face fell. "I missed her classes. She was so entertaining, you know."
"You called that lady entertaining?" Charles said, eyeing Minerva with disbelief. "Come off it, Mini. She's strict, and it drives us all crazy."
"If only you'll pay attention in her classes…" Minerva trailed off lazily.
"I'm an expert in dueling, you know. I don't need that woman telling me how to hold my wand properly and stuff like that."
Hermione smiled. Charles was so unlike Harry, she noted, despite the resemblance in their looks. He was more carefree and more jovial compared to Harry, she noted, and he also likes to boast a lot about himself. Harry was more sullen, as a great burden was being placed upon him and he would never show off his abilities like Charles.
As they turned the corner that leads to the classroom, they heard a moan behind them, and turned around. Hermione looked up and saw a Ravenclaw prefect coming towards them. She had brown curls, which were bouncing on her back when she walked. Hermione thought she looked like someone from her time, but her brains could not remember who that person was now.
"Hey Cindy! What's up?" Charles said, offering the approaching girl a smile.
The girl smiled back at him before answering.
"You know Professor Merrythought's not back yet, right?"
"Yeah. So what?" Charles asked, giving Cindy another smile.
"I thought that we'll be having the two periods free," Cindy said, "but Nuala just informed me that someone would be replacing her class for today."
"Oh, is it?" Minerva said with excitement. "I wonder who that would be."
"None of us know yet," Cindy said thoughtfully. It was then that she noticed Hermione.
"Oh, you're our Head Girl, right?" she said, extending her hands.
"Holy Slytherin, I forgot," Charles started; "To think that we've been chatting away without an introduction, eh?" he chuckled before continuing.
"Merope, meet Cindy Clearwater, seventh year Ravenclaw prefect."
Clearwater? No wonder she looked familiar, Hermione thought. She was perhaps Penelope Clearwater's ancestor.
"This is our hot and spotting Head Girl Cindy. Meet the honourable Merope Granger," Charles joked, laying a hand on her shoulder. Hermione slapped his hand away from her shoulders playfully, before taking Cindy's hand and giving it a warm shake.
"Nice to meet you," Cindy said, smiling at Hermione for the second time.
"Hey Cyn!" there was another shout from behind them.
"Oh, Charlotte's calling me. I guess I'll be off to Arithmancy now. See you guys in DADA later." Cindy said, waving to them, before turning around and ran towards the opposite side of the corridor. "Coming, Lottie!" they heard her said before disappearing around the corner.
The three of them turned and started to make their way to the Charms classroom.
The classroom was already full by the time they arrived. Minerva managed to find a table at the end of the classroom, and the three of them hurried over to it and put down their belongings beside their seats. Hermione smoothed her uniform, flicked some brown locks away from her face where it had fallen earlier, and plopped down on her seat, which is between Minerva and Charles.
Five minutes later, the professor entered the classroom, carrying a stack of parchments under his arms. Unlike Professor Flitwick back in her time, Hermione noted that this professor was taller, and had a strict look on his face. His moustache made him look more fierce and burly, and Hermione noted that he talked in a slightly hoarse voice.
"Good morning class," he said, "I'm Professor Beerie, as all of you have known, since I've taught you all for the last six years." The classroom erupted into laughter. Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. She could not imagine that this teacher can be so friendly, despite his looks.
"Well, don't judge a book by its cover, Merope," Minerva said from beside her, noticing Hermione's surprise look. "He can be nice when he wanted to, you know."
"Yeah, and I can tell you straightaway that I prefer Beerie rather than Merrythought," Charles cut in, giving Hermione a sheepish grin.
Hermione smiled at both Minerva and Charles, and turned her attention back to Professor Beerie, who had walked to the front of the class.
"Now, as all of you know, this is an extremely important year, as you'll be sitting for your NEWTs soon. So, I would ask you to give your fullest attention while I'm teaching. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," the whole class echoed.
"Good. Now, today we'll be doing something exciting," Professor Beerie said, clapping both hands together. "As I had promised all of you last summer, before you went off for summer break, we'll be doing more advanced charms this year. Today, I'll teach all of you an exciting charm, and I'm sure all of you will be interested."
Everyone was silent, giving their fullest attention to the professor.
"Please take out your textbooks, and turn to page 145," said Professor Beerie. Immediately, books appeared on the table, and rustling sounds can be heard as the students ruffled through the pages of their books until they found what they were looking for. Excited chatter started to broke out amongst them.
Hermione turned to the appropriate page, and glanced at the heading. A small smile spread across her face. She had learned this charm already, and had practiced it a thousand times, thanks to Harry. She was sure that she could handle it now.
Professor Beerie cleared his throat, and the class was quiet again, as the chatter of students begins to die down.
"The patronus charm is one of the most advanced charms used by witches and wizards. When this charm is casted correctly, one would be able to produce a patronus. Now, as I expect that all of you are familiar with the characteristics of this charm, as I've asked you to read up on it earlier during summer break, I'll not waste my time explaining them to you now. We'll be doing the practical straightaway."
Ignoring moans from the class, Professor Beerie tapped his wand on the board, and the incantation appeared.
"Now, who can tell me how to pronounce this charm in the correct way?" he asked, looking expectantly at all the students in the classroom.
As usual, two hands shot up into the air. Professor Beerie raised his eyebrows, and looked at both the students.
"Ah, shall we give Ms. Granger a chance, Tom?" he asked, beaming at Riddle. Riddle just lowered his hand without a word. Hermione was pleased with this.
"Now, Ms. Granger, can you tell me how to pronounce the incantation correctly?" Professor Beerie turned towards her, after giving Riddle another bright smile.
"Yes, professor. The correct pronunciation is "expecto patronum"," she said confidently.
"Very good, Ms. Granger. Five points to Gryfindor," said Professor Beerie, giving Hermione a thumbs-up. "I know that this charm is quite difficult. So, I'll not be surprised if some of you cannot perform it at the end of this class. Nevertheless, there's no harm trying, is there?"
The class was still silent.
"I'll demonstrate how to cast this charm first, and then I'll let you off to practice on your own," Professor Beerie said, holding up his wand. All the other students sat up straight, and gave their attention to Professor Beerie.
"Expecto patronum!" Professor Beerie said, waving his wand. A silver badger erupted from the end of his wand, and bounded across the classroom for a few seconds before disappearing into a swirl of mist. The students clapped and looked impressed.
"Now, you may practice it on your own, or you may find a partner. You may begin now," Professor Beerie said, as he started to walk around the class, observing each student.
Scraping sounds can be heard, as students started to get up, and walked to different ends of the classroom. Some of them dragged a partner along with them. Hermione, Minerva and Charles decided to practice on their own, and the three of them made their way to one corner of the classroom, before standing a few feet apart from each other.
Hermione took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, and thought of a happy memory.
She remembered the cheerful looks on everyone's face when the final battle was over. Harry was smiling triumphantly, lifting the Death Stick into the air and the Great Hall boomed with cheers of joy and laughter, as the remaining Death Eaters begin to flee the Great Hall after their leader's downfall.
"Expecto patronum!"
A silver otter burst out of her wand. Hermione watched it as it bounded across the classroom, before disappearing in a swirl of silver mist.
Hermione did not realize that all the other students were staring at her now. She was still enjoying every bit of the memory. Finally, the dark lord had been vanquished forever. There would be no more innocent lives taken away mercilessly, and the wizarding world would be free from the evil again.
"Wow, Merope," Minerva's voice jolted her from her thoughts. Hermione turned, and looked at Minerva. The other girl had an admiring look on her face. Charles had joined them, clutching his wand in his right hand.
"That was brilliant, Merope. How ever did you manage it? The rest of us were struggling with it. Even Riddle had not managed it yet," Charles said, giving Hermione a grin. Hermione smiled back shyly at him.
"That was nothing at all," she said, "I learned it years back, when my friend thought it to me. He was such a great wizard, you know." Memories of Harry flooded her thoughts, and a pang of sadness overtook her. She missed Harry now. She wished he was beside her now, sharing her joy.
"Oh, that was wonderful. Can you teach us, Merope?" Charles said, looking hopefully at her.
"Of course," Hermione said, smiling. She dared a glanced at the opposite end of the classroom, where Riddle was standing. Perspiration was forming on his forehead. His brows were furrowed in deep concentration, and Hermione could tell that he was having difficulty with the charm. He gripped his wand so tightly that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. He brought his wand down in a swift movement, but nothing happened. A silvery mist emitted from the tip of his wand, and disappeared into thin air moments later. Hermione noted that Riddle was beginning to get frustrated.
She smiled at this. Of course the dark lord would not be able to conjure a patronus. After all, what happy memories that he had? He had none at all, as he was an emotionless person, and could not feel anything at all.
"Merope?" Charles' voice jolted Hermione away from her thoughts again. She quickly turned, and smiled at him.
"Hmm?" she enquired.
"Are you going to teach me how to do it?" he asked excitedly.
"Certainly. Just close your eyes, think of a happy memory, and said the incantation."
"That's it?" Minerva asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Yes," Hermione replied, smiling at the other girl.
"Let's try it then, shall we?" Charles said, giving Minerva a wink. The both of them started to move a few feet away from Hermione, excitement clearly plastered on their faces.
After a few tries, Minerva managed to produce a silvery form, which disappeared into thin air a few seconds later.
"Yay! I almost did it," Minerva said, smiling happily. Charles also managed to produce a silvery form just like Minerva after a few more tries. He smiled happily at Minerva, and gave Hermione a wink.
"Thank you, Merope. I'm sure I'll be able to master it if I continued to practice," he said.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do it find. After all, this is only the first lesson," Hermione said, beaming at both of them.
"Well done, Ms. Granger. I must say that I'm impressed with your performance just now," Professor Beerie said from behind her, and Hermione quickly turn around, startled. She had not realized that the professor was behind her.
"Thank you, professor."
"Twenty points to Gryfindor," he said, walking away and giving Hermione a warm smile. Then, he turned back abruptly.
"Ms. Granger, since you're the only one who managed to produce a patronus, would you like to give the class another demonstration of how to do it?"
"Certainly, professor," Hermione said, her face beginning to grow hot. She did not notice that she was blushing.
"Go on, Head Girl, show us! Show us!" Charles said, giving her shoulders a push.
Hermione tried to look calm as she walked to the front of the classroom. Her knees were threatening to give way, but she continued to push herself forward. She had never been in the spotlight before, and she was nervous about it. All eyes were on her now. She noticed that a particular dark-haired Slytherin was staring at her with midnight blue eyes wide opened. Riddle was probably surprised and curious how she had managed the charm, Hermione decided.
Finally, she managed to reach the front of the classroom, and turned around to face the others.
"Now, please give your attention to Ms. Granger, class," Professor Beerie said, stepping beside Hermione.
Hermione took another deep breath, and closed her eyes. She summoned another happy memory from her thoughts.
She was attending the end of the year feast. Dumbledore awarded her fifty points for Gryfindor, for solving Snape's riddle in the mission of obtaining the Philosopher's Stone. Harry, Ron and Neville also earn points for their house, making Gryfindor win the House Cup of the year instead of Slytherin. The Great Hall cheered excitedly at this.
"Expecto patronum!" she brought her wand down in a swift movement and the silver otter once again burst out from the end of her wand. It bounded a few feet away, and then disappeared in a swirl of silvery mist. The whole class applauded her, and Hermione blushed again.
"Well done again, Ms. Granger. Take another ten points for Gryfindor. Very impressive indeed, my girl," Professor Beerie said, giving Hermione another smile.
"Thank you, professor," Hermione said, returning the professor's smile before walking away to join Minerva and Charles who were busy talking to Roger and Bilius at the back of the classroom.
Professor Beerie was now talking to Riddle, Hermione noted. No doubt giving him some advice, she decided. The professor patted Riddle on the shoulder shortly after a few more exchanges, and smiled at him before walking away. Riddle's face remained blank without any emotion throughout the whole exchange. Hermione was not surprised about this at all.
For the third time in two days, Hermione felt secretly proud of herself, of having bested Riddle in something.
"It won't be long, Mr. Riddle. I'll ensure that you fall to your death before another unforgivable escape your mouth," Hermione muttered to herself, before gathering up her things, and walking out of the classroom with Minerva and Charles as Professor Beerie dismissed the class.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Tom stormed out of the Charms classroom angrily. The Head Girl had managed to best him again today in Charms. How dare she do this to him, after his warning?
He would get rid of her tonight, he decided. She was going to learn it again once and for all, and Tom would ensure that she would never dare to disobey him again.
He was already angry during Transfiguration. The old codger had ignored him for half of the lesson. He noted with disgust as he praised Merope Granger's handiwork, and joked about it merrily. Tom scowled, and flicked his wand to produce what he wanted. A dozen silver pebbles appeared, and he started to carve some Runes on them. He moved his wand in a complicated motion, delicately guiding it around the pebbles which he had arranged in a circular pattern on his desk, carefully tracing the pattern of the Runes which he had in his mind.
He was just putting the final touches to the last of the pebbles when the old codger turned his attention to him at last. Anger was boiling inside of him, and he tried to control it as best as possible.
Before the old codger managed to have a proper look at his handiwork, Tom hastily flicked his wand, and banished all of the pebbles. If he was offended, the old codger did not show it at all. He merely gave Tom a disgusted look, before turning away. Tom smirked satisfactorily. If the old codger was so keen to play games with him, he would happily go along and play the same game too, Tom decided. He jammed his textbook into his bag, and stormed out of the classroom without looking back.
Tom continued to walk down the corridor thoughtfully. How she had managed to produce a patronus, Tom wondered. He himself could not even do it, after trying for countless times. He had tried to imagine the happiest memory that he had ever had, but everything he thought of did not work at all.
He had tried thinking of the day when he received his letter.
"Expecto patronum!"
Nothing happened at all.
He tried another memory, where he had discovered that he was the heir of Slytherin, and had managed to open the Chamber of Secrets.
"Expecto patronum!" Still nothing happened.
He imagined the frightened look on Tom Riddle SR's face when he killed him.
"Expecto patronum!" Nothing burst out of the tip of his wand. He was beginning to get frustrated. Why wouldn't it work?
Then, a certain brunette caught his attention. She was standing opposite him at the other end of the classroom, clutching her wand in her right hand. Tom saw her taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes.
For a moment, Tom observed her. Merope Granger did not do anything at all. She just stand there, with her eyes closed and her face screwed up in concentration. Tom could not help wondering what she was thinking. He longed to read her thoughts. He decided to do it using legilimency and occlumency tonight, as he had already mustered all of this last summer. While he breaks the girl, he would read her thoughts as well, he decided.
He was about to turn away, when Merope Granger waved her wand and brought it down in a swift motion. Immediately, a silver otter burst out from the end of her wand, and began to bound a few feet away from her. Then, it disappeared in a swirl of silvery mist.
The whole class was now staring open-mouthed at her. Tom himself was surprised after witnessing this. He could not imagined that she would be able to do this so beautifully in the first lesson.
Anger was welling up in him. How come he couldn't do this?
What is it that prevented him from producing a patronus? He took a deep breath and tried again. Still, nothing happened at all.
Finally, after a few more tries, he managed to produce a silvery mist, but it disappeared into thin air just as quickly as it had appeared seconds before. From the corner of his eyes, Tom saw a pair of hazel brown eyes gazing at him, before looking away quickly. The nerve of that girl! Could she just stop staring at him for just a moment? He was beginning to get angrier as the seconds ticked by.
Of course Professor Beerie was happy with Granger's performance. He had asked her to demonstrate the charm to the whole class. Tom noted with disgust as the girl stepped to the front of the classroom, blushing slightly. He could not help noticing how beautiful she looked when she turned red, her dimple glowing more warmly than before.
Realising what he was thinking again, he immediately jabbed himself hard in the ribs with his wand, and concentrate once more on the charm. Granger had just produced her patronus for the second time. Tom and the others watched with amazement as the silver otter bounded across the classroom for a few seconds before disappearing. The whole class applauded after that, and gave her admiring looks.
Tom quickly turned away. He could not stand this any longer. He was just heading out of the classroom, when Professor Beerie approached him.
"Oh Tom, m'boy," he said, "There's no need to worry, you know. Most students got stuck with this charm for some time. I'm sure you'll be able to manage it after a few more tries."
Plastering a fake smile on his face, Tom turned and faced Professor Beerie.
"Yes, professor. I know. I just feel a bit disappointed with myself for not managing to cast this charm in my first lesson," he said in an emotionless voice.
"Not to worry, m'boy. You'll manage just fine," Professor Beerie said, giving his shoulder a light pat before walking away.
Tom looked around him. All the students had left the classroom by now. He bolted the door shut quickly, and turned back to the classroom. His magic was crackling dangerously around him, and he was prepared to let it out now.
He pointed his wand to the teacher's table, and with a flick, he blasted the table into pieces. Then, he turned and blasted all the desks and chairs in the classroom. He punched the blackboard furiously with his fists, and kicked the dustbin to one side of the classroom, spilling the rubbish out into a messy heap onto the floor.
Then, with one swift flick of his wand, the room was restored to its normal condition again. Feeling satisfied, Tom let out a deep sigh and walked out of the classroom.
With a smirk, Tom took out the crumpled piece of parchment that Professor Merrythought had given him earlier, and smoothed it out. This was a written instruction from Merrythought, giving Tom the permission to replace her for DADA for this week, as her official business with the Auras' Office was not over yet. She had given him the permission to conduct the class, telling him exactly what to teach the class. Tom was pleased with that. The DADA professor had started to like him the first time she set eyes on him, during his first year. She thought that he had the potential to become a great wizard in the future, and Tom was not going to let her down. Throughout the years, he had proven to Merrythought that she was not wrong. He had excelled in her classes, mustering all the spells she thought him. In fact, he had also invented a few spells on his own, which he did not share with Merrythought and the others. All the other students admired him when it comes to DADA. Tom felt superior and proud about this.
He was the apple of Merrythought's eye. He had talked her into letting him take some of her classes sometimes, but she had declined politely. He could not believed that she gave in to him at last. She was now completely wrapped around his little finger. Tom smirked at this.
Being a DADA professor was in fact always his dreams. He imagined himself one day in the future, standing in front of the classroom and teaching students how to cast certain spells. This thought made him feel happy for a moment, but the happiness quickly disappeared as other thoughts entered his head. He doubted that the old codger Dumbledore would let him have the position if he was Headmaster by the time he applied for the job. He hoped that Dippet would live long enough until all his goals were achieved.
Tom glanced down once more at the spidery and cursive script written in Merrythought's hand, and smiled. His day could not have turned out better; after all he had endured this morning. At least this was a topic that he liked. Merrythought had instructed him to lecture about unforgivable curses, their uses and allow him to demonstrate all three curses to the class. This was exactly what he was waiting to do. Merrythought's last sentences, which were scripted at the back of the paper made him, chuckled.
"Mind you, do not harm a student using those curses. Just use a small animal, such as a flobberworm or a spider to perform these curses. You are only allowed to do this once. Headmaster Dippet allowed this after I talked him into it. We need to be careful at these times, and learn everything that can be used as self defence now, as the war with Grindelwald is still raging now."
He stuffed the piece of parchment back into his pocket, and walked towards the DADA classroom. He decided to skip lunch, and get prepared before the other students arrived. He was sure that he would have an enjoyable afternoon.
He reached the classroom, took out a wooden key from his pocket and turned it in the lock. When he heard a click, he muttered the password which Merrythought had given him and pushed the door open. He stepped into the classroom, closed the door quietly behind him and sat down at the front of the classroom on Merrythought's chair. He ticked off the seconds using his fingers, and waited patiently for the bell to ring.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After having lunch at the Great Hall, Hermione and the others began to walk to the DADA classroom, which was situated on the fifth floor corridor. When they reached there, the Ravenclaws and Slytherins were already gathered outside the door. It seemed that they were having a combined class again, Hermione noted.
The door was already open, and students were filing into the classroom, chatting away noisily among themselves. Hermione could see that who ever replacing Professor Merrythought was clearly not here yet. She walked on more briskly beside Minerva and managed to find a seat at the front of the classroom. Surprisingly, it was not claimed by Riddle, Hermione noted. He always claimed the front seat, she had observed from the past few days. Why would he sit somewhere else now, she wondered.
Her question was answered five minutes later. Minerva, who was sitting beside her, let out a small gasp. Charles poked Hermione's arm to get her attention. She hastily looked up, and could not believe what she saw.
She blinked and opened her eyes again. This could not be true, she thought. How could it possibly be like this?
There, standing at the front of the classroom was Tom Riddle. His black hair was neatly combed and parted to one side as usual, and his robes were smooth without a single crease on them. He was holding up his hands, to get the students' attention.
Hermione tried to calm her racing heart. Perhaps he was going to make some announcement, she comforted herself. After all, he was the Head Boy.
"Is he…" Minerva trailed off from beside her.
"Holy Slytherin!" Charles muttered, looking at Riddle disbelievingly.
"I can't deny he's good in DADA…" Minerva trailed off again.
"Bloody hell!" Charles continued to exclaim under his breath.
The classroom was now silent. All eyes were on the figure standing in front of the class, who was now twirling his wand with a relaxed expression on his face. Riddle cleared his throat and started to speak in his smooth and silky voice. Hermione looked at him with disgust before quickly turning away.
"Good afternoon, my friends," Riddle started, giving them a smile. A few Slytherin girls started to giggle stupidly. Hermione just ignored them. She was not surprised that all of them were impressed with Riddle's persona. He was indeed an excellent actor after all.
"As all of you know, Professor Merrythought cannot make it back to Hogwarts this week, as her official business with the Auras' Office is not over yet. So, she had kindly allowed me to replace her class for today. I've got her written permission right here," Riddle said, holding up a piece of blue parchment. Hermione squinted at the writing in disbelief. How can someone such as Merrythought be so dumb as to allow that bloody psycho to conduct the class? She was boiling with anger now. He was definitely going to teach them dark magic, she reasoned.
The signature was clear enough to speak all that the other students wanted to know. All of them looked at Riddle admiringly. Satisfied with the responses he get, Riddle smirked, put the parchment back into his pocket, and walked to the front of the classroom.
"Wow, I can't wait to see what's he got up his sleeves. After all, he's our star student for DADA," Hermione heard Roger said admiringly from behind her. She ignored his comment completely. She was beginning to get angry, and she hoped that she would not throw a tantrum in front of the whole class soon.
"So, if there are no objections, and all is good, we'll begin our lesson for the day," Riddle said, still twirling his wand between his thin and long fingers.
All the students were silent now.
"Oh my God," Hermione heard Mariana's idiotic squeal from a few rows behind her.
"Oh my God," Roger and Bilius echoed after her. The three of them started to giggle.
"What in the name of God is going on?" Minerva sighed from beside her.
"No idea, Mini. I think Merrythought's lost her nerves. How can she ask a student to replace her classes?" Charles said.
Hermione ignored all of this. She was trying her best to control the anger which was welling inside her. She clenched her fists tightly and places both of her hands in her lap.
Riddle's smooth voice brought Hermione out of her thoughts. She straightened up, and stared straight ahead of her, preparing for what is going to come next.
"Today, we'll be learning something very dangerous and advanced. I have Professor Merrythought's permission to teach it to all of you. Owing to the war, there is a need to know all the possible spells, as a measure of self defence. In fact, Professor Merrythought told me that she was going to teach the same topic if she was available today. So, I'll be honoured to take her place just for today and taught all of you the same topic myself. If there are no objections, we'll move on." He eyed the class questioningly.
"What are we learning, Tom?" a Slytherin prefect asked. Hermione looked at the girl, and noticed she looked exactly like Pansy Parkinson, the cow, back in her time.
"Ms. Parkinson, if you'll be patient, I'll get to it soon," Riddle said, giving the girl a small smile.
"Parkinson indeed," Hermione scoffed inwardly. "I'm not surprised at all."
Parkinson blushed, and quickly turned away, giggling. Hermione gave her a disgusted look, and turned back to Riddle, who was standing a few feet away from her table now.
"Is there any objections at all?" he asked again.
Everyone shook their heads. Riddle smiled satisfactorily, and straightened up.
"Good," he said. "Today, we'll be learning the unforgivable curses."
Hermione tensed. She knew it! Still she was not prepared for this. How could he teach them all of this now? Of course he would be happy, Hermione noted. He had performed all these curses for countless times, and she was sure that he had no trouble at all casting them. It would definitely give him more pleasure to watch others suffer. Once more, she wondered how Merrythought had so willingly passed the class to him. Something seemed not quite right, she noted. Perhaps Riddle had talked her into it; after all, he was a sweet talker, and would get what he wanted with his well put up façade. Or perhaps he had put Merrythought under the Imperius curse. Hermione figured that the latter seemed more probable. She was not surprised at this. Lord Voldemort always gets what he wanted, by using whatever means which is possible. She remembered with disgust the trap he had set for Harry back in their fifth year, where he had purposely opened up his mind for Harry to enter into his thoughts. He had cleverly constructed false images which had lead Harry to believe that Sirius was in danger, to lure him to the Department of Mysteries. Hermione's fists clenched at this memory, and she gritted her teeth tightly together.
"Its time for you to pay for all you've done, Tom Marvolo Riddle," she muttered silently under her breath. "I'll make sure of this, yes I will."
Remembering what Riddle had just said, she shuddered slightly. She could not help feeling a bit scared at the thought that they are going to learn the unforgivable curses today. After what Barty Crouch JR who disguised himself as Mad-Eye Moody demonstrated all the curses to her whole class during fourth year, she was still shaken from the experience. Torture at Malfoy Manor and the war had also left her shaken, after witnessing the curses which were cast by the Death Eaters. Not to mention her torturing session with the psychopathic Lord Voldemort yesterday. Hermione Jean Granger was certainly not prepared to endure this for another time.
Her heart was racing now. Her whole body was trembling. Hermione sucked in a deep breath, and tried to calm her nerves. Beside her, Minerva and Charles exchanged a confused and frightened look and Hermione could tell that they were nervous too.
Hermione looked around the classroom, and found that most of the students had turned pale. Malfoy and his gang were huddled together at one corner of the classroom, franticly whispering to one another. Parkinson and her gang of giggling girls looked shocked and had turned quite pale. Mariana, Roger and Bilius had cupped their mouths with their hands, staring disbelievingly at Riddle.
With hatred, Hermione finally looked up, and stared straight at Riddle. His face was still blank without emotion as he surveyed the class with his midnight blue eyes, while tapping his foot absent-mindedly on the floor.
"Don't worry," he finally said, chuckling softly. "Professor Merrythought thought that this would help all of you to boost your confidence. With the war raging on and Grindelwald's forces becoming more powerful, one must be prepared for anything."
The class remained silent.
"I'll explain about all the curses in detail, and then I'll demonstrate all of them just for once to all of you. There is no need to worry, my friends. We'll not be practicing these spells, you know. Professor Merrythought thought that it would be sufficient just to let all of you witness how to use these curses."
"What a brilliant excuse," Hermione scoffed again. "Professor Merrythought this, Professor Merrythought that. Just tell the class you're going to perform unforgivables right now, my Lord."
"Merope?" Minerva said from beside her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hermione quickly said, before forcing a smile onto her face.
"You've turned so pale," Charles said, "and you're mumbling to yourself for the past ten minutes. Is there something wrong?" He eyed her with concern.
"No, everything's fine. I've just got a headache, that's all," Hermione lied, pressing her fingers to her temples and pretended to massage them.
Minerva gave her shoulder a light squeeze.
"Relax. I don't think he's going to actually do it in front of us, you know," she said.
"I'm not so sure about that, Mini. Did you see the mad glint in his eyes just now?" Charles said, looking scared.
The other students were muttering quietly to themselves, as Riddle began to explain about the curses.
"So far, witches and wizards had managed to develop three different unforgivable curses," he started. "The first one is known as the Imperius curse. This curse would cause a person to obey the spoken or unspoken command of the caster. A person who is controlled by this curse will experience a wonderful sensation, and felt as though they are completely released from any sense of responsibility or worry over his or her actions, at the price of their own free will. However, it is possible for a person to resist the effects of this curse, if they have a strong enough will, but the chances are very small. Research had shown that most people were unable to resist this curse until now."
The classroom was silent. Hermione was getting angrier as the seconds ticked by. There was the stupid psycho, teaching dark magic in front of the class, poisoning their brains with his favourite dark spells. She must stop this from going further, she reasoned.
"The spell is "imperio"," Riddle said, tapping his wand on the board, and the words appeared. "Now, watch this," Riddle said. Hermione's heart raced faster as Riddle stepped towards the teacher's desk and picked up a small box. He opens it, and Hermione saw a small spider inside it. Riddle tipped the spider onto the desk, and straightened up.
"No!" Hermione screamed inwardly. She was not going to watch this again. She could not stand it for another time.
"Engorgio!" Riddle said, and the spider begins to grow. All the other students looked at him, speechless.
When the spider had grown big enough so that the whole class would be able to see it, Riddle stopped the spell with a lazy flick of his wand.
"Imperio!" he said quietly. Hermione noted the glee in his voice, and her insides cringed with disgust. She wished she could do something, but her legs were too numb to move. She just sat there, gazing at Riddle.
"Come to me," Riddle started to command, in the same soft voice. The spider crawled away from its place on the desk, and advanced towards Riddle.
"Flip over," Riddle commanded, and the spider obediently flipped over onto its side.
"Tap dance for just a bit, will you?"
The spider immediately stands on its legs, and began to dance, wobbling slightly. The class started to laugh. A few Slytherins begin to cheer.
"Go back to the desk."
The spider started to crawl obediently towards the desk.
After it had climbed up once again onto the desk, Riddle flicked his wand, and lifted the curse.
"That's wonderful, Tom," Parkinson said. "Can you teach me how to do it?"
Riddle smiled at the girl again. "Maybe next time, Parkinson. This is extremely dark magic, and I myself did not wish to repeat this. I regretted my actions just now. The act was simply evil."
"Look who's talking," Hermione scoffed inwardly. "I wish I can record this conversation now, and show it to Harry later. He'll turned nuts and laughed himself till he's crazy."
Hermione started to laugh softly.
"Merope, are you okay?" Minerva asked, looking at Hermione with a worry expression on her face.
"Yeah," Hermione quickly said, trying hard to suppress her laughter. Riddle was watching her now. A puzzled expression crossed his face. Hermione did not care about this.
"You laughed like a madwoman just now, you know?" Charles cut in.
"Oh, I was thinking about a joke one of my friends once told me. Sorry," Hermione lied quickly, covering her face in embarrassment.
Minerva and Charles just gave her another quizzical look, before turning back to Riddle.
"Now, we'll be learning the second curse. This is much more terrible, and I'll ask all of you to bear with me," Riddle said.
"The curse is known as the Cruciatus curse. It inflicts unbearable pain on the recipient of the curse. This is the worse form of torture which one can ever imagined. The incantation is "crucio"."
All the students looked frightened and scared.
"I'm sorry about this," Riddle said, advancing towards the spider.
Hermione noticed that his eyes were gleaming red with madness now. She was surprised that he still managed to put up his façade for that long. She gave his back another disgusted look, before gazing downwards at her feet.
"Crucio!"
Hermione looked up and saw that the spider had begin to twitch uncontrollably, its legs stretching out from its body. It tossed and turned and twitched on the desk. Hermione cupped her hands to her mouth. She was reliving her past again. The world around her began to spin and spin. She could hear the faint gasps of the other students as the spider continued to twitch and thrashed about.
Finally, Riddle lifted the curse. All the students were now clutching their chairs, with scared expression clearly plastered on their faces.
Malfoy and his gang had huddled closer to each other, Hermione noted. They looked white as a sheet, and did not utter a single word. Parkinson looked stunned, with her mouth hanging open.
"Tom, that was…that was…" she started to said, but trailed off quickly, and turned away.
Riddle merely gave the girl a quizzical look, before turning away. He faced the class once more, and cleared his throat softly. Immediately, everyone's attention snaps back to him.
"I'm sorry, but the next one is worse. Please be prepared and bear with me. The faster we get this over with, the better it is," Riddle said. "I'll dismissed the class after this, I promise."
Hermione felt that she was going to faint. She was not ready for this. She was not going to let Riddle take another innocent life away again, even though it was just a spider. The insect had every right to live just as an ordinary human being, and she would not let it die just yet.
"The last of the unforgivables is the killing curse," Riddle said quietly, his voice laced with malice. "No one would be able to survive it. The person hit by this curse would experience a painless death. The incantation is "avada kedavra"."
Hermione shuddered at this. He was going to kill the spider now.
Riddle pointed his wand at the spider.
No, Hermione thought. This would not happen again.
"I'm sorry," Riddle said quietly, and Hermione noted that he forced the three tiny words out of his mouth unwillingly. All the students started to fidget uncomfortably in their seats.
"Are you going to kill it, Tom?" Parkinson asked in a small voice.
"Yes, and I'm really sorry about it. It would just be over in a few seconds though. Just is patient. Try not to look at it, will you?" Riddle said in a soothing voice.
"Riddle…" Charles started, getting to his feet.
"Is there a problem Mr. Potter?" Riddle asked, raising his voice slightly.
"Are you sure that this is wise, performing a violent act like this in front of the whole class?" Charles said confidently.
"Mr. Potter, I've been given the permission to conduct this class, in case you've forgotten," Riddle said, holding up the blue parchment which he had dumped on the table just now. "Professor Merrythought had talked this over with me. She asked me to demonstrate all the three unforgivables, including this one to all of you. It'll just be once, and then all would be over. I regret doing this, but I think I do not have much choice in the matter. If you have any problem with this, you can talk to Professor Merrythought herself when she returned next week."
Charles just looked at Riddle, and then drew back quickly. Riddle was getting angry now, Hermione noted. The softness on his face which had been plastered earlier faded and was replaced with a hard look.
"Now, will you please get back to your seat, Mr. Potter, and let me finish this off once and for all?" Riddle mocked. A few Slytherins gave Charles a dirty look, and snickered.
Charles backed away, and plopped down on his seat. He looked very angry, Hermione noted. Minerva puts a hand on his shoulder, and whispered something into his ears. After a few more exchanges between them, Charles brightens up, and gave his attention back to Riddle.
Riddle walked the last few paces until he was a few feet away from the desk. He gazed at the class, and raised his wand.
"Avada kedavra!" his voice was so smooth and silky as the two words left his mouth.
A jet of blinding green light shot out from the tip of his wand, and moved towards the spider.
"Stop it!" the scream came out of her mouth before she knew it. "No!"
Without knowing what she was doing, Hermione's body moved on its own accord. She quickly sprang up from her seat, and lounged forward to grab the spider from the desk.
Horrified screams filled the classroom. Hermione stretched out her hands as far as possible to try and grab the spider. Feeling its soft body, Hermione quickly clenched her fist tightly around it, and drew away. The jet of green light was advancing towards her now. Hermione did not notice this until it was too late. She let out a surprised gasp.
"Merope!" someone screamed behind her. "No!"
Hermione turned, and saw Charles getting to his feet, lounging forward to grab her waist. Panic was clearly shown on his face. Minerva's face had turned white, and she pulled a protesting Charles firmly by his collar, preventing him from moving further. Hermione sucked in a deep breath. Death was coming to claim her now. She, Hermione Jean Granger had finally fall into the hands of Lord Voldemort now. She was prepared to die. She would die proudly, just like Sirius, Dumbledore, Lupin, Thonks and all the others. She closed her eyes and waited for the curse to hit her body.
Just before the jet of green light hit her, two strong arms wrapped around her waist, and pulled her out of the way. Hermione could guess that it was a male student, judging by the strength he used to guide her body away from the killing curse, but she did not bother to look up to see who he was. Screams were still echoing around the classroom. However, Hermione barely registered this.
She heard a loud blast, as the curse impacted with the teacher's desk, and blasted it into pieces. More screams filled the classroom. Some students were running out of the door, their footsteps echoing noisily against the floor and into the corridors.
Hermione began to tremble uncontrollably. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She opened her still clenched fist, and looked down at the spider. It was still moving. Hermione uttered a silent prayer, and throw the spider onto the floor gently. It immediately crawled away under one of the desks.
The person who was grabbing her released his grip on her waist. Hermione staggered a few steps forward, before her knees begin to buckle and give way under her. Her vision was beginning to get blur. Swimming images filled her eyes. She could still make up some forms moving about her. No doubt her friends were trying to help her, Hermione noted. However, her brain could no longer register what they were saying. She straightened up, and tried to ignore the dizziness which was overcoming her.
Before she knew it, Hermione collapsed in a heap on the cold stone floor, and fainted.
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** There! It's finally done! Hope all of you liked it. Please read and review as usual. Thank you.
** Next chapter will be up soon!
^^ Hermione Hean Fui ^^