Love Has No Boundaries.
Chapter Thirteen: Year Six.
"So what have you found out so far?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to Daphne one night a couple of weeks into the new school year.
"Well since Harry told us Riddle applied to teach here I looked into his interview," Daphne told the other girl as she pulled out her notebook, dedicated to their research on the Dark Lord.
"How'd you manage to get hole of that?" Mione asked her.
"Malfoy. Relax I didn't say anything to him," she said quickly, noticing the other girls face. "He's been gloating about Voldemort since we got back; all I had to do was listen in. And what I heard was the last interview He came for, was cancelled minutes before it even took place, but get this… Riddle still stayed in the castle for nearly an hour after the Headmaster left the castle," she revealed. "Which begs the question…?"
"What was he doing?" Hermione finished, realising where her friend was going.
"Exactly what I was thinking," Daphne said with a smile. "He couldn't have gone much further afield than the path to the Headmaster's office otherwise someone would question him, especially since it was during term time."
"Do you know why the interview was cancelled?" Hermione asked.
"Yep, there was a Death Eater attack on Diagon Alley. That was why the Headmaster rushed off and cancelled the interview," Daphne responded.
"Did Riddle leave before or after Dumbledore returned?" Hermione asked as she looked at Harry's Maraunders map.
"Before he returned, but apparently the attack on the Alley ended about fifteen minutes after he left Hogwarts," Daphne told frowning in confusion as she watched Hermione trace the corridors of the map. "What are you looking for?"
"What rooms are off the path to the Headmaster's office, it might give us some idea as to why he remained in the castle for so long," Hermione explained, her eyes narrowing as she looked closely at the small feet denoting Malfoy as they disappeared from the map. "I think I know where he went."
"Where?" Daphne asked moving around the table to sit next to the other girl so she could see the map more clearly.
"Just a second ago Malfoy was pacing on the seventh floor corridor and now look; he's nowhere to be found. That's where the Room of Requirement is," Hermione said pointing at the map.
"So you think Riddle went to the RoR while Dumbledore was out of the castle?" Daphne asked frowning.
"Well no one saw him wondering the halls did they otherwise they would have notified a professor and he would have been made to leave the castle. The RoR is the only place he could realistically stay for so long without being detected" Hermione explained.
"What was he doing in there for so long though?" Daphne asked.
"Doing where?" Hannah asked as she joined the two girls at the table.
"The Room of Requirement," Hermione asked as she sat back in her chair with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Well it's obvious isn't? The room is whatever it user requires," Hannah answered.
"So we need to know what he was doing. How are we going to find that out?" Daphne asked with a frustrated sigh.
"What about what he was doing before he interviewed?" Hermione asked looking between the two girls.
"He had just returned from his travels," Hannah said looked at her notebook which held a brief timeline of Riddle's life before his attack on the Potter's. "The last place he visited was Albania" Hannah announced. "Do we know anything about Albania?" Hannah asked.
"Not really," Hermione said shaking her head. "But what if he found something in Albania that he turned into a horcrux?"
"How many do you think he made?" Daphne asked frowning in terror at the thought of multiply objects needing to be tracked down.
"Harry had a meeting with the headmaster last night, and he seems to think that he created seven. It's a magical number meant to increase power," Hermione revealed.
"Saying that's true, is there anything of magical significance in Albania? Because I don't remember Albania being anything special," Hannah told the other girl. When both girls shook their heads despondently Hannah sighed before picking up her quill. "So for the time being shall we add it to the list of things to keep an eye out for," she said, writing down the word 'Albania' at the bottom of what was becoming a frustratingly long list. "Did Harry mention anything else from his latest meeting?"
"Just that Riddle was kind of obsessed with the founders," Hermione revealed, feeling slightly put out that they had reached yet another dead end.
"What do you mean obsessed?" Daphne asked.
"Well according to Dumbledore, Riddle sat down with each Head of House at least twice, trying to learn everything he could about them. They just thought it was natural curiosity from a muggle raised wizard trying to make sense of his new world so no one ever question it," Hermione revealed.
"What kind of thing was he asking about?" Daphne asked.
"Personalities of the founders, beyond the ones that are headlined for the houses. Their backgrounds, their lives, magical specialities, their founding objects, like Gryffindors sword for example," Hermione told them.
"Did he ever ask about their descendants?" Daphne asked as she pulled Hermione's battered old copy of Hogwarts, A History towards her.
"I assume so, why?" Hermione asked as she watched Daphne flick to the section dedicated to the founders quickly, "Be careful, that books on its last legs!" she told the other girl.
"Maybe we should look at it too then," Daphne said ignoring Hermione comment about being careful and sliding the book across to the other girls. "If Riddle was obsessed with the founders' maybe it was for a good reason."
"What do you mean? He could just have been curious," Hannah pointed out to her.
"Maybe," Daphne granted. "But if you were planning on becoming one of the most powerful wizards the world has ever seen, wouldn't you look at possibly the four most powerful and famous and most well documents witches and wizards known to the magical world to find out how they managed to do it. Especially when one was considered to be rather dark and dangerous," Daphne pointed out to them.
"So you think he took ideas from the founders, more specifically Slytherin?" Hermione concluded with a sceptical frown.
"He was sorted into Slytherin, all you hear about for the first couple of months when you get down into the dungeons is how evil and brilliant Slytherin is. Maybe it struck a chord?" Daphne suggested.
"Aren't we jumping the gun a bit here?" Hannah said calmly.
"Hannah's right, this is a lot of theorizing with very little evidence," Hermione said sadly, feeling as though there latest get together was turning out to be nothing but a disappointment. Seeing the determined look on Daphne face however she sighed and told the other girl, "Tell you what, why don't you look Slytherins descendants and see what you come up with. Hannah can do the same with Hufflepuff, Terry can do Ravenclaw and me and Harry will look into Gryffindor because you were right about one thing. If Riddle was obsessed with the founders, then there's a good chance that there will be something to garner from them."
"Sounds good to me," Hannah said with a smile as she gathered her notebooks up. "I'll tell Terry, I'm off to meet him now anyway. See you later," she announced before leaving the library.
"So are they together now then?" Daphne asked as she and Hermione also gather up their notes.
"Merlin I hope so, their dancing around each other is starting to make me feel dizzy," Hermione said with a giggle as the two girls parted way, both of them hoping their stubborn friends had finally seen the light, and each other.
"I'm going to kill you Harry," Hermione muttered as she hid behind a curtain at Slughorn's Slug Club party. Sneaking a look around the corner she saw McLaggen moving amongst the other students as he looked for her, she ducked back behind the curtain when his gaze skimmed over her hiding place. Stepping further back from the edge of the curtain, Hermione held in a surprised shriek as she bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said turning to see who she had bumped into, smiling when she saw the familiar black eyes of her former potions professor. "Hello Professor. How come you're hiding?" she asked him curiously.
"You're potions professor was hard to be around when I was a student. Now he's unavoidable as I'm a teacher as well," Severus explained to her. "It's easier to survive these little gatherings by hiding now. Plus it's harder to hold my tongue now I know him better," he added.
"Understandable," Hermione said nodding.
"What about yourself?" he asked.
"I made the stupid mistake of agreeing to accompany McLaggen here and now I'm regretting it," she informed him, an embarrassed smile playing about her lips. "It wasn't so bad until he started running his hands all over my back as he tried to get me to dance with him," she said shuddering at the thought.
"Understandable," Severus said copying her own word. "Why would you even agree to accompany him in the first place? The boys a moron," Severus said with a smirk as Hermione giggled slightly.
"I know he is, I sat next to him in class for a year and I think I some of my brain cells died during that time. He makes Ron Weasley look like a genius in comparison," she said nodding, her face serious causing Severus to chuckle lightly. She was about to tell him he should laugh more often when a commotion from inside the party caught their attention.
Turning to look behind the curtain Severus frowned before sweeping into the room and over to the source of the commotion. Peaking around the corner she saw Filtch holding onto Draco Malfoy's collar, talking to Slughorn and Severus. When Severus grabbed Malfoy's arm and pulled him into the corridor, Hermione quickly rushed off after them, making sure she was close enough to hear, but not be seen.
"…cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled-"
"I didn't have anything to do with it okay?"
"I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it."
"Who suspects me? For the last time, I didn't do it okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about – don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work – I can stop you!"
"Ah… Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"
"I'm not trying to conceal anything from him; I just don't want you butting in!"
"So that's why you've been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realise that had anybody else failed to come to my office when I repeatedly told them to be there, Draco-"
"So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!"
"You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of those things."
"You better stop telling me to your office then!"
"Listen to me. I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco-"
"Looks like you'll have to break it then because I don't need your protection, it's my job."
"What is the plan?"
"It's none of your business!" Draco told him before walking off down the corridor leaving a frustrated Severus behind.
Sighing dejectedly Severus turned to head back to Slughorn's party when he noticed Hermione leaning against the wall staring at him with a look of shock and fear in her eyes.
"Miss Granger…?"
"What have you done?" she asked in a soft whisper.
Signing and knowing he would have to explain, he gently took hold of her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom, warding and silencing the room once they entered. Turning back to the room he saw a frowning Hermione looking at him impatiently, her arms crossed. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Over the summer Narcissa Malfoy came to me and begged me to protect Draco. He's been given a task to prove himself to the Dark Lord and Narcissa is scared he'll fail and be killed. So she asked me to help him and look out for him," Severus told her.
"Right, I get that she wants you to look after her son, but what's with the Unbreakable Vow? Why would you agree to that?" she asked confused.
"It wasn't Narcissa that suggested I take the vow. It was actually Bellatrix that insisted I take the vow, she doesn't trust me as much as our master," he told her shrugging.
"I thought you said that you were back in favour with the Dark Lord," Hermione asked frowning.
"I am but Bellatrix is not as trusting as our master, that and she is unhinged from her years on Azkaban. Add into the mix that I've been in Dumbledore's pocket for the last 15 years, makes me highly untrustworthy in her eyes," Severus explained.
"Right, well, he clearly doesn't want your help, so what are you going to do?"
"I don't know, I don't even know what his task is so I don't really know how I can help him," Severus admitted.
"Why don't you just leave him to do it then?" she suggested. "Just leave him to do his task, presumably it'll take him to the end of the year to complete whatever it is he's been tasked with since Christmas is a couple of days away, and you can spend the break trying to get some information on what he's trying to do," she suggested shrugging.
"There would only be a couple of people who would know about the nature of the task, and none of them would tell me," he pointed out to her.
Frowning Hermione began pacing up and down thinking through all the options available. "Why don't you tell Him that Dumbledore is getting suspicious then? It might get you a little information," Hermione suggested shrugging, almost helplessly.
"I suppose it could help, but there's a chance it'll only push him to impose a shorter time limit on Draco," Severus pointed out. Seeing Hermione was about to make another suggestion to help him he quickly carried on. "Don't worry about Malfoy or my vow, focus on your own task Hermione," he told her with a soft smile before sweeping out the classroom.
"If I don't worry about you, then who will?" Hermione whispered to the empty classroom before leaving to go back to the common room, completely forgetting about her abandoned date as worry began to settle in the pit of her stomach, as though she could sense something bad was about to happen.
Soon.
It was madness. Everywhere you looked students were running and screaming; being pushed into walls and tripping down the stairs.
"Hermione have you seen Harry?" Daphne shouted to the other girl as they crossed paths in the hectic entrance hall. Before Hermione could answer though, a loud thump came from outside, the noise distracting the two girls- and everyone else- from their panic.
Cautiously the people by the door looked out into the court yard to see what had caused the noise, only for them to start screaming and crying at the sight that greeted them, causing everyone else to start panicking again. Allowing the crowd to push them out into the courtyard the two girls were shocked to see the fallen and broken body of Professor Dumbledore. Feeling someone touch the girls joined hands they looked up to see Harry, his expression both sad and angry as he looked down upon their fallen headmaster.
"Snape," he whispered, his eyes not moving from Dumbledore, even when McGonagall stepped forward, only to collapse in teats at his side.
"Snape what?" Daphne asked confused.
"He's the one that did it. He killed him, he killed Dumbledore," Harry told them, shaking his head, unable to fully believe it.
"No, I don't believe it," Hermione said empathically.
"It was him, Hermione. I saw it!" he told her angrily.
"There'll be a good reason! Remember what he told us after fourth year Harry," Hermione told him when she saw him shake his head. "Remember the story he told us, his reasons. There will be an explanation," she told him before turning and walking back into the school, "there has to be."
Well there you go, that was year 6! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, in terms of pages it's the longest one I've written! I did think of cutting it in half and doing two chapters but I couldn't split without having one long chapter and another with only a couple of sentences so I decided to keep it was one, but I think it works, what do you reckon? I also know I cut out A LOT of what happened this year but I just wrote the things that would work with where I'm going with this story. And I'm sorry if this disappoints anyone, it wasn't my intention.
Until next time.
Lady Mimi Alice.