I didn't plan it for another four chapters, but decided to avoid beating around the bush, since I realized that these four chapter wouldn't bring much to the story.

HERMIONE GRANGER AND THE PRINCE OF SERPENTS

by CreatorZorah

Chapter 14

It was the last week before the Christmas holidays. Hermione wanted to see her parents and tell them everything about the school. Writing letters was good but not enough. Besides she wanted to get far away from Greengrass, because she hated the sight of Naga in the blonde's lap. Hermione began to hate Daphne. Even more so after the argument with Naga. Of course she understood Naga, but she couldn't help but feel insecure.

She was walking through the corridors without fear now, because during the last two weeks no one had managed to curse her. She either had dodged the spells or had used shields to deflect the curses. And since people had gotten the idea that it was useless to try bullying her, they had given up. Mostly.

Hermione opened the door and entered the classroom. Suddenly the door slammed shut behind her and she spoon around startled by it. It had happened so fast that she hadn't even noticed magic until she felt it around the door.

"Don't worry, Miss Granger, it's just a precaution." The sound of Professor Quirrell's voice came from behind. "I don't want anyone to interrupt our conversation or overhear it."

Hermione turned around and looked at him. Naga hissed loudly getting out of her robe, but Hermione could tell that the basilisk wasn't really worried, he was just confused. "Why? It was never necessary before."

"It's necessary because it will be our last meeting for the year."

"You mean for the term, Professor?"

"No," he answered. "I won't teach after the Christmas holidays."

"Why, Professor?"

He lifted his right hand in the air and studied it for a moment. "This body is breaking down and won't last much longer."

Hermione paled and asked, "Are you dying?"

Professor Quirrell laughed and shook his head. "Do you remember about the philosopher's stone?"

Her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "It can heal you!"

"I'm glad that you're so concerned about my health, Miss Granger, but I've discovered that Dumbledore has fooled me by using a fake stone. It's a trap he has set up for me. In vain."

"Why... would Dumbledore set up a trap for you, Professor?"

"Because he thought that he could defeat me once and for all. I confused you, Miss Granger, didn't I? Let me introduce properly. Professor Quirrell willingly let me posses him a year ago. My real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, I'm the heir to Slytherin. But you've probably never heard of me."

"No," Hermione answered stunned by the revelation.

"Because I'm better known under a different name. I can give you a hint. It's an anagram."

Hermione began furiously rearrange letters of his name. A few seconds later her eyes widened and she took a step back. It was impossible. He was dead.

"Why do you fear me?" the man asked. "I've never harmed you in any way. Besides, the snake of yours will get you out of here before I can raise a wand to do anything to you."

That reassured her a little bit, Naga would get her out, she was sure of it. Surprisingly, Naga was completely calm and obviously didn't feel threatened. "What do you want then?" She asked.

"To spend my last minutes in a pleasant company," he answered.

"I thought you hated muggles and muggleborns."

"I would be a hypocrite to hate muggles. My father was one."

Hermione blinked unable to believe his words. The Dark Lord's father was a muggle and he wasn't a purist? She shook her head. "I don't believe you."

"Do you still remember our conversation about the greater good?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said softly.

"I consider Dumbledore my greatest mentor even if he's a senile fool. He was once a very good friend of Gellert Grindelwald and they shared their beliefs in the greater good. However, Gellert's goals were wrong. Everything I do is in the name of the greater good. People fear me, hate me and curse my name, and they'll continue to do so even after my death, but that's exactly what I want. As long as I fulfill my goal everything else doesn't matter."

"The goal?"

"I entered Hogwarts as an orphan and didn't know about my ancestry. What's worse the bloody hat decided that I belong to Slytherin. I was just like you, a muggleborn in a snake pit. But we both aren't muggleborns."

"What? I am muggleborn," Hermione argued.

"You should be more interested in the history of your family, Miss Granger. Your grandfather Marius is a Black. A squib, though. He left the wizarding world and took the surname Granger after Blacks had disowned him. Half of the students here are your cousins."

Her grandfather Marius was a squib and she didn't even know that! But, well, she doubted that her parents had told him about her being a witch. They didn't speak to each other for years. But how did the Dark Lord know about it? Had he visited her family? A terrifying thought.

"But let me continue my story. It was even worse back then in the fortieth, but I managed to find allies. Augustus Avery, Frank Lestrange and Gregory Nott, they were more than allies, they were loyal friends. Yes, Miss Granger, you can find friends in Slytherin, it's just very difficult. They shared my belief that pure-bloods would lead the wizarding world to its downfall. We swore to prevent it."

"By killing muggleborns?" Hermione asked furiously.

"Do you think I started the attacks on muggleborns?" He raised an eyebrow. "You have to thank Dumbledore for that. After the defeat of Grindelwald he became a Chief Warlock and began to introduce new laws intending to protect muggleborns."

Hermione scowled and asked, "And what's wrong with it?"

"Ah, you see, the majority of muggleborns don't learn our culture and in their ignorance do quite stupid things. Dumbledore thought that the laws should be less severe. Suddenly love potions were made almost legal. Considering how the inheritance system works that was quite the blow to the ancient and wealthy families. Marriage and servitude contracts were declared illegal. These contracts were the very foundation of the pure-blood politics."

"But these contracts are barbaric," Hermione said.

"Perhaps, but thanks to these contracts the ancient families were able to coexist peacefully for many hundred years. And that's not all changes. Just put yourself in their position. What would you feel if everything you had been born with and believed in had been declared illegal? Of course, ancient families didn't like that and instead of talking about 'mudbloods' they began to kill 'mudbloods' that were destroying their world. I and my allies just took control of their movements banding them under a single leader."

"Why?"

"To use them. To minimize the losses. To lead them to their downfall, so that even the word pure-blood would become an insult."

"That's bullshit!" Hermione exclaimed loosing her cool. "You've killed children and you've even tried to kill a toddler. Harry Potter. How can you justify it?"

The Dark Lord glared at her. "Lies. Death Eaters have, but I've never intentionally killed a child. The only child I tried to kill was Harry Potter, because of the prophecy. I'd rather be damned than allow the brat to grow up rendering my sacrifices useless. As for my other victims, they were the necessary sacrifices on the road to the greater good."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Professor Riddle," Hermione said.

Tom hissed in pain and said, "I don't have much time left to argue with you. Will you join me?"

"Why would I want to join you?"

"The war is coming, I'll come back soon. You and your parents would be safe with me. Under my tutelage you would become the most powerful witch since Morgana. Even Bella didn't have so much potential in her."

Oh, the though of getting so powerful was appealing to Hermione, but that didn't change that the man was a monster. "Why do you need me?"

He hesitated for a moment. "I'm afraid that I can't fight the prophecy," he answered at last. "I tried to kill Harry Potter, but the result was disastrous. I'll need someone to continue my work if I fail. And I need people who I can really trust. Gregory, Augustus and Frank are dead. Bella is in Azkaban. You don't have to give me an answer right now. We'll meet again soon. Dumbledore's comming. For your own good tell him nothing about my offer and my goals. Don't forget about Occlumency."

The next moment the door flung open and she couldn't help but turn around. It was Dumbledore, his wand raised, pointed at the man behind her. Then her eyes widened in horror as she heard the Dark Lord saying, "Avada Kedavra." Before she could look where the bolt headed Naga jumped with her to the other side of the room. She saw the bolt hitting the wall, but Hermione knew that if she'd stayed there it would have hit her. She had been a second away from her death... or hadn't she? The Dark Lord hadn't wanted to kill her, had he?

However Hermione didn't think about it for long. She was stunned by the duel of the two wizards. Since she had gotten into the wizarding world she didn't see so much magic. It was like a fight from fantasy novels. Flashy, fast and deadly. Fire and water, light and shadows. They used everything in their duel. So deadly, so scary, but so beautiful.

"So, it's you, Tom," Dumbledore said. "That's your magic."

"Recognized me, didn't you?" the Dark Lord hissed. "We'll meet again soon, Dumbledore."

With that the dark wizard threw a spell at himself and a second later his body fell down at the floor right before Hermione's feet. She stepped back and stumbled, but was caught by Dumbledore's spell. He approached to her quickly and said, "It's alright, Miss Granger."

"Is he dead?" she asked in a trembling voice as other teachers rushed into the room .

"I'm sorry that you had to witness it." He turned around and said, "Severus, take Miss Granger to the Hospital wing."

Hermione didn't argue when Professor Snape asked her to follow him out of the classroom, but walking was more difficult than he expected. She could barely move her legs, her hands were shaking madly and she felt nauseous. It downed on her that she had been in the same room with the most feared wizard. Voldemort had been teaching her the whole term and she wasn't aware of it. Why had he wasted his time to teach her?

Furthermore Naga was unnaturally silent and she could tell that he was deep in his thoughts. She didn't worry that he could leave her for the Dark Lord even if he was a Parselmouth, but she wanted to know what was Naga thinking about.

He had asked her to join him! That was madness. Why would he want her? She was nothing special, just a normal witch that...

"Miss Granger, please drink it." The sound of a female voice startled her and she looked at the sourse. She was in the Hospital wing and the Hogwart's healer was handing her a potion. Hermione took it in her hand and looked at the nurse. "It's a Calming Draught," the nurse said.

Lying on the bed in the Hospital wing, she didn't know if the Calming Draught really helped. She calmed down almost instantly the moment Naga nuzzled against her cheek. She had no idea if it was the draught or Naga himself. Naga was here for her. She could always rely on him. "Thanks, Naga," she whispered. He hissed softly in return causing her to smile.

"Miss Granger." She turned around and saw the Headmaster approaching her. He looked older than usually and the way he glanced at her made her feel uncomfortably. He sat down beside Hermione bed and looked in her eyes. She felt the intrusion into her mind and in panic raised her Occlumency shields to hide the conversation with the Dark Lord and the fact she knew Occlumency. "Please tell me why you has been in the classroom with... Professor Quirrell."

"I was getting private lessons from the Professor Quirrell," she answered realizing how bad it sounded. She had been getting private lessons from Voldemort and was telling about it to the Dark Lord's greatest enemy. Bloody great.

"Since when?" Dumbledore asked.

"He has offered the lessons almost at the beginning of the term," Hermione said sensing the Headmaster's presence in her mind. She didn't try to shield all of her memories so that he would confirm that she was telling him truth.

"And what has Professor Quirrell taught you?"

"How to defend myself. Wandless sensing of magic and shielding charms."

"Is that all he has taught you?"

Blast! She couldn't lie, her shields weren't that good. "No," she answered. "We've talked about the idea of the greater good and if an end can justify means."

The Headmaster paused his questioning for a moment before asking, "And what do you think about it?"

"I think that nothing can justify deaths of innocents," she answered.

Albus Dumbledore nodded and gave her a smile. "I'm glad that you understand this. Now tell me what happened in the classroom today."

Well, now she had to tell him some elaborate half-truth. "I came there thinking that I would get another lesson, but he began to talk about the philosopher's stone and then he told me who he really was. He probably just used me to get to the stone, since he had given me a task to find out about it's defences. I had used Naga to learn about it and then spoke to him about them. And then when I became useless he threw the Killing Curse at me. I'm sorry, I though..."

"Don't worry about it, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "Many wizards and witches fell victims to his lies and manipulations. You're just a child and you did nothing wrong. Now get some sleep, Poppy will administer you a Dreamless Sleep Potion."

"Can Naga stay here with me?" she asked.

He smiled and said, "Of course, he saved your life today."

When the Headmaster turned around she said, "There will be a war again, won't there?"

Dumbledore stopped and whispered without turning to her, "Yes."

She was left alone with lots of questions. Did Dumbledore know about the Dark Lord's offer? Had the Dark Lord told her truth? Did he really have good intentions? Then she suddenly remembered words of the wandmaker. Were these the roads Ollivander had told her about?