Love, Lies and Lucius
Chapter 10: The Malfoy Ball
The feel of water cascading into the bath made Hermione's mind sooth. She slipped into the bath and the hot water instantly warmed her up. She closed her eyes and slid in deeper letting the lavender bath incense forced her mussels to relax and with her heavy sigh she let her mind wonder free...
An image of a small red headed boy with oversized robes standing next to a messy haired boy with the most brilliant green eyes she had ever seen. The both smiled at her and she finally felt like she belonged in a world that she was outcaste.
A mop of black hair flashed before her eyes as she found herself in the arms of Harry Potter after being paralysed in a bed for weeks. The feeling of love spread through her body. Breaking free she found herself in an Awkward moment of not knowing how to greet the youngest Weasley boy before a small smile and a laugh; her saviours.
Harrys arms wrapping around her as a shield when the werewolf came rushing at them. The fear spreading threw them; both their hearts pumping faster than the speed of light; the acceptance of death and the slim feeling of belonging in his arms.
A young man appearing blood stained, carrying a limp body. A Cheering crowd and the beginning of a musical fan fair. The gasp of the audience when they realised what was in his arms. The tears streaming down his face and yet it was only Hermione that saw the real fear reflected in his eyes.
A Scream as Harry watched Sirius fall into the veil. Watching Harrys utter despair as his only real family member fell into death. The collapse as Harry realises there is nothing he could do and the look of hatred on his face as he chases Bellatrix out of the room.
Giggling secretly as Harry gave cheek in class to Snape and realising that Harry made her laugh a lot. All the time really. He was always the light in the dark. Thinking about how this was the only free time they had to be kids with the war around the corner.
The Celebrations as they won the war and all of the death eaters scattered around the world looking for a place to hide. Slightly tipsy and high with the excitement harry looking down at her she gave a shy smile as his face came down toward her slowly making sure she wanted this too. She felt his lips on her and the felling of love spread through her.
The shock of seeing Harry on his knee with a golden ring which held a glowing diamond as he asked the question she had been waiting to hear. Images flying through her mind of what their wedding day would be like. Whether their children would have bushy hair and green eyes. If they would have their own house one day with a garden for the children to play in and for them to relax and not worry about any dark lords coming and disrupting them.
Without realising it Hermione let a single droplet fall down her cheek leaving a trail and before she could stop herself a sob escaped her lips. Could she really do this? Truly turn to the darkness away from all she's ever known and believed in. A Small pang hit her heart. It was what she wanted right? To get back at Ginny, to get back at Harry and To Get Back at Her step dad; bring it on!
Hermione immersed herself in water trying to drown her memories; trying to forget the muggle she had once been. Resurfacing she took a huge breath in to calm herself and she rubbed her eyes feeling her mascara smudge. She stood up in the tub and let the water run down her body as she looked around to find where she had placed her towel. She grabbed it, wrapped around herself and stepped onto the cold tiled floor. Another tear appeared. She walked over to the mirror and looked at herself. Hermione Riddle. Her hair had grown out slightly. She was paler then before – was that possible? Make up smeared around her eyes. She didn't look like herself. More tears started to fall. Even her eyes seemed different. There was no Hermione Granger anymore. The Mirror blew up.
The glass exploded into the air and showered down on Hermione. She screamed as the shards bit into her skin. More tears. She was angry and sad. All she's doing is messing things up for everyone. She shouldn't be here. Shouldn't exist. Her breath was coming out in huffs and she was half crying half hyperventilating. She fell to the floor in pain caused by her own thoughts, cutting more of her skin. She didn't even flinch. She lay in a ball cuddling herself and letting the blood and tears trail off her body and onto the clean floor.
This was the scene Bellatrix walked in on. After hearing a smash she had come to make sure everything was alright but could see from the broken girl in front of her nothing was okay. Bellatrix pulled out her wand and rid the room of broken glass before moving closer and cradling Hermione as she wept. She whispered calming words and rocked back and forth. It was almost 30 minutes before Hermione was in a fit state to talk. During her melt down she was thinking. This secret was killing her. She had to tell someone. And that's exactly what she planned to do.
It took a while for Hermione to get through the story calmly and even longer for Bellatrix to accept it but she finally realised that what Hermione was telling her must be true. And although she wanted to run and tell the world she knew she couldn't. She felt special being the only one Hermione had confined in. They were talking for what seemed like forever when there was a knock at the door and Janie came bounding in. She could see something was wrong but, never one to pry she tried to lift up their spirits by chastising them for being behind schedule. It wasn't long before they were all rushing around trying to get ready for tonight's events with Bellatrix shooting secretive looks to Hermione when Janie was around. Hermione felt like a little girl sneaking around with her best friend and it came as a shock when she realised she thought of Bella as her best friend. All the times she'd bitched about Bellatrix in the future and yet here she was spilling all her secrets to her. Wow.
Now that it was out Hermione felt so much better knowing she wasn't lying to everyone. Bellatrix understood and had even volunteered to swear an oath of secrecy to Dumbledore. However Hermione didn't truly believe Bella was 100% happy with it. She saw in Bella's eyes that it would take a while to set in. But at this very moment Hermione had bigger things to worry about. Like meeting Voldemort...
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"I'm Scared. What if he doesn't like me?" Hermione whispered walking through a huge crowd in the ball room. The ball had been going for only an hour and already Hermione could see board teenagers and she swore she saw people sneaking off.
"Don't worry. Everyone likes you" she shot him a doubtful look. "Just remember to be respectful with everything you say. Don't look him in the eye. You'll be fine, love. I promise." He smiled letting his eyes roam over her body.
She smile up at him and he gave her a quick kiss and winked at her, causing her to giggle. He then straightened up and she saw his mask slip into place.
"My Lord, This is Hermione Riddle"
The Man they were stood behind turned and Hermione was surprised at what she saw.
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"Don't talk to me like that Malfoy" Ginny snapped, "It's not like I didn't try! They were breathing down my neck. They think I'm at Luna's so you'd better not mention this to everyone. Now come on." She stormed off but after a few steps she stopped realising she didn't know the way. "Well?"
Draco let out a chuckle. "You're such hard work Red." He caught up with her. "This way" he started pulling at her arm. "He's in some disguise. I don't know what he looks like but I do know that my father will be with him. I will go and get him. You are to stay here and don't be seen" he came to a stop outside a pair of big double doors. He went to go through but stopped "Always be respectful. Don't look him in the eye. He doesn't like that." He finished bitterly, thinking of his own experiences with the dark lord.
Ginny looked at him. "Draco, I'm scared. What if he doesn't like me?" she asked seeking comfort.
"Then he will kill you." With that he left.
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Tom Riddle was a very handsome man. From what Harry had told Hermione Voldemort was a scary man with a monster like face and no nose. The man stood in front of her had a nose, he had a normal face and there wasn't a monster in sight. He smiled at me and I suddenly felt dumb struck.
This was my real farther. "Tom. Tom Riddle." He held out his hand.
Hermione let out a breath. He didn't seem evil. "Hermione Riddle." She answered before quickly adding "My lord." She bowed her head and smiled at him.
"If you'll excuse me Mrs Wighten, I have business to attend to with this beautiful young lady." He kissed this woman's hand and turned to offer his arm to me. I dared a look Lucius and saw him with a tight jaw but he nodded. I took my father's arm and we left.
He led me through some double doors and into a room with a roaring fire and a sofa. I thought it strange that this was where my meeting with the dark lord would truly take place. He sat down but didn't offer me a seat so I waited.
"You have the same name as me." It was a statement but it implied I was to respond.
"Curious. My lord." I could see him looking at me intently and then he looked right into my eyes. I remembered what Lucius had told me and averted them quickly.
"Very." He said shapely. Suddenly the air seemed to go cold around her and she remembered what Harry had told her, about him killing his muggle father. The father from whom he inherited his name. Did he think she was connected to his father's family? She prayed not.
"Look at me." Hermione wasn't going to say no. She looked at him and saw his eyes widen slightly. She felt a sudden pressure in her head and she saw all her memories from the past few months run by; Meeting Bellatrix, Halloween, Meeting Janie,
"Curious."
He dived back into her head; Meeting with Dumbledore, falling into Lucius' arms when she first arrived and then he hit a mental wall.
Hermione watched him frown in concentration. He hit the wall harder. He sighed in anger and tried again. This time he saw Hermione with a time turner in her hand and Draco Malfoy standing in front of her. He looked away almost in confusion. "No. Surly not." He looked back.
"You're a time traveller."
Hermione didn't know how to respond. "I see you have powerful magic in you. But this wall is no magic of yours. Dumbledore has put a spell on you. Tell me of the future."
Hermione opened her mouth to tell him who her parents were but nothing came out. She was like a gold fish with her mouth opening and closing. "Hmmm. Just as I'd thought, have you done any spells with Dumbledore? Any at all. Think" he demanded.
When she arrived Dumbledore had asked her to chant some words in Latin. He said it was to help with the headache I would get from time traveling so far. Maybe it wasn't. Was Dumbledore stopping her from talking? "Yes...yes I did a spell with him. My lord what does this mean?"
"Tell me do you know who I am in the future? Nod or shake." He looked at her intently ignoring her question.
She nodded sharply.
"So I can ask question and you can answer them. That will be useful. I believe you will be able to help me. I will make you a death eater. This coming Thursday. Be ready."
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"Hey Harry pass the butter, mate!" said Fred's voice cheerful voice from across the table.
Harry looked up from his musing and complied with his request.
"Cheer up Harry!" George said.
Fred added, "We will find her..."
"...eventually. Just Keep..."
"...looking up. The Orders doing..."
"...everything they can." George finished
Harry tried to smile but it wasn't very convincing.
He tried to reply but Ron's voice cut out, "Hey Mum! Where's Ginny?" he stuffed some turkey into his mouth and took a swig of his drink.
"She's gone to Luna's for the evening. If it makes her happy then anything for my little girl." She said with a sigh and a look at the family picture on the wall. Ginny was smiling and messing around with Bill.
"She's going to be aright though isn't she mum?" Fred asked looking down the table toward his mother.
"I don't know Darling. I really don't know."
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Ginny paced back and forth in a side room waiting. Her heart was beating wildly and her head was pounding. She wanted this so much. She was scared and excited at the same time. She looked over at the ornate fireplace that had flared to life as she walked in. She knew it was a trick of the mansion and not from her power.
Her eyebrows fell as she remembered not being able to use magic. That first day when she realised it her heart had broken. It was all she had ever known, there was no way she would be able to live without it. When she had got slowly better she felt little bits of power come back but still she could not do anything. She took her wand out and tried to make the fire bigger. Her eyes focused on the fire, her mouth spoke clear the incantation, her hand made the correct movements with precision and still nothing happened. There was a small flair within the flames but nothing to the extent that she knew she was capable of. She had a long way to go. She had to get better.
There was a knock at the door and the knob turned. She watched in surprise as her innate magic flared in excitement and anticipation which made the fire flair to great heights. Her eyes widened and she felt truly happy for the first time in quite a while.
"My lord, this is Ginny Weasley." Draco's velvet voice broke the silence.
Ginny glimpsed as she looked at the dark lord. It was hideous. His skin was pulled over his skull in a sickening way that made him look like he was made of plastic. His eye sockets were drawn and gaunt with eyes so red it looked like blood was spilling from them. His nose was nothing more than two slits reminding Ginny of a snake and she wouldn't have been surprised if his tongue was split in two. She stared at him in silence before she remembered everything Draco had said. And so she bowed very low to the floor and lowered her head in respect wishing she could see the devil again. With a sick fascination hey eyes darted up every few seconds to take a glance at him.
"Leave Draco." He demanded.
Draco bowed from the waist and turned to leave without even looking at Ginny.
"Now," He hissed, "What have we here? A Weasley. A Blood Traitor. SCUM. Come to seek forgiveness for her family's sins." He left those words lingering in the air before continuing in a slow quiet voice, "Poor little girl. Don't you know how dangerous this is?"
Ginny let him speak but after a two second silence she stuttered, "Y-Yes My Lord."
"Do not address me as Your Lord! I have not yet accepted you into my family! You have some cheek." He moved forward as if to hit her but at last minuet stopped.
"You do not flinch girl." He said softly pulling her face up to look him in the eyes.
Ginny avoided eye contact at first but then let her eyes meet his, "I deserve whatever you give to me, sir."
A smile crept over the dark lord's face. Ginny didn't know what scared her more this or his angered.
"I think…this could work. You will start at the bottom a lowly death eater but I want you to rise. You will be my Spy Wealey. I need you to be my eyes and ears within the Order. Otherwise…" he left his threat ringing in her ears and disappeared before her eyes.
Left in his place was a scorched piece of parchment that read. 9pm. Here. Thursday. Then this two vanished in a puff of smoke. Ginny stood silently for a minuet taking it all in. She was going to be a death Eater. She moved suddenly towards the door and had to stop and steady herself before she carried. She had to keep up appearances no one must know she was still ill. No one must see the way her skin hugged her bones and how each day she looked in the mirror wishing she was slightly smaller. No one must know anything. This was her secret and her secret alone.
She pulled open the door to see Draco slouched against the door frame.
"So?" he drawled lazily
"I'm in."
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Hermione walked back into the ball room on the arm of the dark lord looking and feeling very pleased. She had finally met her real dad; not that he knew that but somehow, Hermione vowed she would let him know. He didn't seem evil. Hermione frowned slightly he was already creating his secret army so there must be evil in him somewhere.
"Well, miss Riddle. It was a pleasure to meet you. I will be back here on Thursday." He waltzed away leaving her to find Lucius. Luckily for her he was nearby waiting for her return. Hermione's eyes spied Lucius watching and her face lit up in a smile. He excused himself from his company and made his way over.
"It went well, I assume?" he asked taking her hand and kissing it. Well maybe chivalry isn't dead. He led her to the dance floor. Hermione smiled. "It did. He's coming back here on Thursday." Lucius sighed in relief.
"Good. After all, he's only trying to purify our race." He mused swaying Hermione back and forth. "Sure the way he's going about it is a little...dark but it doesn't matter. Once he's got what he wants, what we all want, I'm sure everything will be fine."
Hermione made a noise of agreement. She laid her head on Lucius' chest, closing her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of it. She was his. There was no way there would be a repeat of Harry. Lucius loved her. Sure Harry did but maybe not enough.
Hermione opened her eyes slightly looking at all the adults moving around gracefully interacting with one another. It all seemed so phony. False laughter echoed around her. For the second time that day she missed home. The parties shed attended with Harry were full of real laughter, happiness and love. This was fake. And yet she knew this was where she belonged. Had she have grown up in this circle she wouldn't have battered an eyelid but she hadn't. She could see what she had missed growing up. It wasn't much. She turned her eyes away, saw Janie talking to Tom. They did make quite a couple. They both looked gorgeous and Hermione felt jealous. They were her parents and she hadn't inherited any of their good looks; Janie's sleek dark hair, tom's bright blue eyes, not even Janie's cute button nose. They looked truly in love. What happened to them?
"Well, there aren't many teens around are there?" Lucius asked in a mocking voice close to her ear. Hermione let her eyes roam round again. She noticed the uptight adults again but noticed that there were only a few teens dotted throughout the room. A pale blond girl stood talking to a tall male and a petit girl in violet coloured dress. Across the room was a group of 4 sat at a table laughing and shooting looks at the door. There were a couple dancing near but that was it. Hermione hadn't even battered an eye lid when she saw a group of girls leaving the room earlier but now she realised. Lucius and Bella had told her all about the after party. The fun they got up to. The trouble.
She lifted her head and looked at Lucius. "No there's not." She responded with a lopsided grin. "How long do we have to wait?" she looked around when she saw Bellatrix come into the room. She surveyed the room and walked over to the trio that was across the room the blond turned and Hermione realised it was Narcissa. The group then walked out with Bellatrix. Two seconds later she waltzed back in and started talking to the boys that sat around the table she happened to look up and saw Hermione's questioning look. She all but skipped onto the dance floor and squeezed her way through the crowd.
"What are you two still doing out here? Come on!" she started pulling at Hermione arm and straight back through the crowd. Hermione followed giggling and slammed into the back of Bellatrix when she came to a stop. Luscious managed to catch up as his parents started speaking,
"Having a good time, girls?" Mrs. Malfoy said smiling politely down at them. She was holding a flute of champagne and Mr. Malfoy was holding her around the waist.
"Yeah, it's really fun. Thanks for having us here Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione said respectfully with a small smile.
"We were just on our way to freshen up." Bellatrix added.
"Oh, Hermione, when are we going to meet your family?" Mr. Malfoy said before the convocation could go any further. Both Bella and Hermione looked at each other knowingly.
"Farther-" Lucius said quickly.
"I was asking her, Lucius." He snapped giving Lucius a hard look.
Hermione took a deep breath and ushered the words, "There Dead."
There was a short pause. No one quite knew what to say.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. Let talk about thins some other time. Come on, There's Charlotte I hear her son was in trouble with the ministry..." her voice faded away as she led her husband away from the teens.
"Well let's go!"