...~oOo~...
Chapter Fourteen: Meeting Riddle
Hermione believed that Theodore was developing something of a crush on her. He'd increasingly become more and more determined to be right up against her when they were looking for the diadem, so much that it was becoming impossible to plant the Diadem under her robe without him seeing her take it out.
The day before she had suggested casually to Theodore - "call me Theo," he'd say - that they split up when they were looking for Ravenclaw's tiara. He'd agreed, though reluctantly it seemed, but it had been the most logical idea so that night he was obliging.
Theo still talked loudly from across the room, though. He held up most of the conversation. He talked a lot about Quidditch which made her roll her eyes. He was not unlike every other young wizard and his stupid love for the sport. Sometimes he'd speak reverently of the Dark Lord and how he was going to take power of the wizarding world and how they were going to help him do it. Hermione knew this was how Hitler and Grindelwald took power - these eager minions and they willingness for a cause.
It was after midnight that Hermione decided it was time to "find" the diadem.
Cutting into Theo's chatter, she called out, "You said the diadem had a blue gem, correct? And was silvery?'
"Yes!" he answered casually, still shuffling through things, not noticing anything strange about her inquiry.
"Because, Theo..." She turned with a put-on smile, holding up the Horcrux. "I think I've found it."
Theo looked at the item in her hand and his jaw dropped. He sprinted, leaping over trunks and swerving around shelves to reach her and look at it closer with awe. "Where'd you find it?"
"Just there," she said, pointing to the case where she had first found it in her Fourth Year. She was still grinning excitedly even though she felt sick at handing the Horcrux back up to the enemy. "On the shelf in the box. So, is this it?"
"Oh, it definitely is," he said with glee. He reached out for it, but she yanked it away.
"Not quite yet, Nott," she said evenly. "I'll be holding onto this. I will be the one to return it to the Dark Lord. Not you, not Bellatrix, and not Lucius. Me. I'm the one who found it after all."
Theo's excitement fell from his face into a frown. "You're still a strange to them. I'm trusted. They won't just let you in to see the Dark Lord."
"I think the will," Hermione said confidently, looking at the diadem as if for the first time. "Something tells me this is very important and if I want to give it to the Dark Lord myself then I don't think that would be so difficult to arrange, correct?"
Theo scowled. "That sounds an awful lot like blackmail. No one blackmails the Dark Lord."
"And I'm not," Hermone explained. "I just want to credit I deserve. I'm sure you understand."
Theodore Nott sneered. Obviously he had been hoping to soak up the credit for this, and she just wasn't going to let it happen so he said, "Fine. I will signal Bellatrix and Lucius. But you will only speak when spoken to and follow my lead, understood?"
Hermione nodded.
Theo walked to the Vanishing Cabinet and opened the door. He took a marble sphere off a shelf and threw it in, quickly shutting the door before it could hit the back of the wardrobe. There was no thunk. It was as if the sphere had disappeared...and it had.
They waited for ten minutes before there was noise inside the Cabinet. The door flew open to reveal two people.
One was Bellatrix Lestrange, looking as crazy as ever, her wild black hair framing her face.
But the other Hermione knew right away as well, but it was weird to look at him. Young Lucius Malfoy looked so much like Draco that Hermione nearly laughed. His hair was longer than Draco ever let it get, yes, but his face and his stature was very much the same. Hermione knew she had to be careful to not accidentall call him by his unborn son's name if she was going to spend time in the Death Eater ranks.
"You've found it?" Bellatrix hissed eagerly to Nott.
"Actually, I did," Hermione jumped in. Nott sent her a harsh look for already breaking one of the rules he set, but she kept her chin high.
Lucius and Bellatrix looked over to Hermione for the first time, each of them looking her up and down slowly. Lucius remained expressionless, but Bellatrix's look was scathing.
"If it isn't my baby cousin," she said darkly. "When Nott said that you showed interest in our cause, I admit I didn't believe him. You are engaged to ickle Sirius, our family's blood traitor in the making."
"I plan to change that," Hermione said calmly.
Bellatrix cackled. "Change Sirius? Good luck. You have the same chance at changing Sirius as I do at changing my sister. Or haven't you heard? Baby Andromeda is a bloody blood traitor! Or haven't you received an invitation to her mudblood wedding?"
Hermione just stared.
"Then again, you have been at school," Bellatrix purred, still glowering. "Walburga probably wants to keep such a disgrace away from her precious children. Doesn't want you and the boys knowing your cousin's been stricken from the family tree."
"Just because your sister wants to go and marry a mudblood," Hermione said, trying to be convincing - the word felt like acid on her tongue - "doesn't mean that my fiancee is as stupid or traitorous. He may be...liberal for now, but that will change. Now if you do not mind, cousin, I have something that the Dark Lord seems to be very eager about getting back." She held up the diadem.
"I must say, Bellatrix," Lucius intoned, "she does remind me quite a bit of you."
Hermione wanted to vomit - but hid it - and Bellatrix sneered. "She's adopted, you fool."
"Not physically," Lucius amended, "but...in spirit. I think we should let her do as she pleases."
Bellatrix gawked. "You want her... to return it to our master...tonight?"
"He did say he wanted to bring the person who found the item straight to him," Lucius said slowly. "And while that person is, regrettably, not Mr. Nott, then I say we respect his wishes still."
And he said it with such finality no one dared say anything in response.
...~oOo~...
Malfoy Manor was just as Hermione remembered it. Large, cavernous, cold, and dark. The ballroom was a place Hermione still associated with excruciating pain and death, but as she entered the room and saw the man sitting in a seat far across the floor she forgot everything she ever knew about the room or anything and could only think about him.
She did not know why, but in Hermione's mind she was still imagining him as the hairless, nose-less, hissing half-man that she knew with the glowing red eyes. Now she felt stupid for thinking he'd be the same because Voldemort was still completely human in this timeline.
The realization was very unsettling. It was easy to think of a monster killing innocents and trying to take over the world - it different to think of them as human.
Voldemort was a tall, lean man with brushed back dark hair and eyes so dark it looked like the iris swallowed the pupil. His skin was pale and his mouth was set in a mocking little smile. He wasn't handsome and he wasn't ugly, but he had a strong jaw and he had dark circles under his eyes that didn't make him look tired, but dangerous.
"I hear I have someone to thank for the retrieval of my diadem," Voldemort intoned.
Bellatrix and Lucius stopped several yard away and bowed. Nott and Hermione followed in their steps and did the same.
"My cousin, my lord," Bellatrix said, still bowing and gesturing to Hermione. They all remained keeping their heads down in respect. "She is the one Nott was telling us all about."
"Indeed," Voldemort said, sounding mildly amused. "The fan girl. Please, rise. I want to see all of your faces."
They obeyed.
"Ahh..." Voldemort said, standing from his arm chair and strolling forward slowly. With each step closer, Hermione felt the temperature drop.
Tom Riddle radiated something very Dark. It was more than just power, it was something far more ancient, and it was something worse than evil. Hermione almost choked on the atmosphere he engulfed them all in with his presence.
"A plain girl," the Dark Lord observed. He wore a simple set of trousers, tailored shirt, and unbuttoned vest. Hermione's calculations placed him in his fifties, he barely looked a day over thirty. Hermione knew of the physical altercations of creating Horcruxes - like his future serpent-like qualities or his currently black eyes - but never imagined they could actually halt growth. In a sick way, it made sense.
"But I hear she is...intelligent?" Voldemort directed the question to Nott.
"Top of our class, my lord," Theodore confirmed. "Smarter than most of the teachers."
"Hmm..." Voldemort mused. "Is that true Bellatrix?"
"All my aunt ever says about her," the crazy woman said with a slight amount of disgust, "is that she has perfect marks in everything."
Voldemort considered this and held out his hand. Hermione placed the diadem carefully in his palm. His hand curled around it and his smiled again. "You could certainly be an asset. You come from a noble family - even if not by blood. You are pure, though, and that is good enough. Your friend Nott has vouched for you at meetings and I've spoken to other sources about you. You would be a valuable addition to my Knights. But I am hesitant to bring you in completely."
Voldemort strolled away back towards his chair, leaving the chill of his aura behind. "For now I will ask you to look after a pair of classmates of yours who have been proving their worth. Perhaps you could guide them, befriend them, and watch them."
"Of course, my lord," Hermione answered automatically.
"Their names are Severus Snape and Peter Pettigrew, my girl," Voldemort said. "And also, I would like to meet with you again, a more personal visit. I trust Sunday evening will suffice?"
The first thought Hermione had was, That's the full moon! but she pushed it away and answered without hesitation, "Yes, master."
"Come through the cabinet around ten," he said. "You are all dismissed. And Hermione...I look forward to getting acquainted with you."
Hermione nodded, but certainly could not say the same without throwing up.
...~oOo~...
It was a beautiful day, the first real day of spring. It was so nice out Hermione almost didn't believe that her night before in Malfoy Manor ever truly happened. She couldn't sleep because she felt so rotten, but now it was almost like a bad dream.
Hermione and Remus were studying by the lake and Sirius and James were pretending to study but were really drawing naughty comics and showing one another, exchanging giggles. She noticed that every once in a while her and Remus's knees would brush and she'd have to suppress a smile, but nothing could stop the blush from blooming on her cheeks.
"Hermione, are you alright?" James asked. "Your face is all red."
Her face got redder, but she said, "It must be the change of weather. I'm not used to the warmth yet."
"Should we go inside?" Remus asked.
She shook her head hard and looked away, down at her book. "I'll be fine. I'll jut take off my robe." Hermione shifted out of her long black cloak and set it on the bench next to her. "See? Better."
"You have something, right here," Remus said, pointing to his own hair.
Subconsciously, Hermione touched her frizzy mass of curls.
"Here," Remus said, "I'll get it." He reached out and plucked whatever it was, a piece of grass, from her hair and she blushed again at the contact.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sirius asked. "You're all red again."
"I'm fine," she said firmly. Then she saw the book that was in front of James. "James, what is that?"
"A naughty comic," he said as if it was obvious, holding up the picture.
"No, the book," she said, pointing at the text book.
"Oh, this?" James said with a mischievous smile. "It's Snivellus's potions text book. I pinched it from him in class. It has all these weird notations and made-up charms. And get this, some of them actually work."
Hermione gave him a hard glare. "You should give that back, James. You bully Snape too much."
"I don't bully him enough," James said with a grin. It was times like these that Hermione was shocked at how much James could look like Harry but be so different. "As a matter of fact." He stood up off the grass. "I think I see Snivellus himself over there by that tree sitting all alone. Perhaps, Padfoot, we should go offer up some friendly company."
"I couldn't agree more, Prongs," Sirius said, leaping up and following after eagerly. "Come along, Moony!" he called out as he and James jogged over towards the big tree by the Lake.
Remus gathered up his books and stood slowly.
"You're not going to follow them, are you?" Hermione asked.
Remus shrugged. "Yes, I am. They're my friends. If they want to harass Snape, then so be it. I can't control them." He started after the other boys and Hermione was quick after. She had to regulate the situation.
"Oh, Snivellus!" Sirius sang out.
Severus Snape looked up from the book he was reading with a half-sneer half-frown. He knew what was coming and it was very clear on his face. He was bracing himself for whatever blows his two tormentors had in store.
"Isn't it just a lovely day?" Prongs said animatedly, working up to something. Students enjoying the sunny day were looking on now, knowing something entertaining would happen now that James Potter was around. "Whiskers was just saying how warm it is! But Snivellus, you're wearing all your robes, why is that?"
"I think we should help him get more comfortable, don't you, James?" Sirius said, crossing his arms with an evil grin.
"I couldn't have put it better myself!" James said with a broad smile. He took out his wand, uttered an incantation and Severus was suddenly flipped into the air, upside down.
Bystanders laughed as Severus's robes fell and revealed a pair of grayish underwear and skinny, knobby legs covered in dark hair. Severus was wigging and scowling and cursing.
"You let me down, Potter!" Severus shouted, looking murderous.
"Yes, let him down!" another voice interceded. They all turned to the source. Lily Evans, her hair glowing like a fire in the sun, and her green eyes blazing with ire. "Now, Potter!"
"Good day, Evans!" James said with a big smile. "You're looking beautiful as ever! Maybe I'll let him down if you agree to go on a date with me, yeah?"
"I'd rather be drowned by mermaids," Lily said with conviction, "than go on a date with you."
While Hermione had a certain amount of dislike towards Lily that was born from their competitive spirits in classes and in exam scores, Hermione couldn't help but smile at her temper in that moment.
Even Sirius let out a bark of a laugh at that.
"That's too bad," James said, sounding less gleeful. He turned to Snape. "Your girlfriend won't even bail you out of this one, mate! How does that make you feel?"
"I don't need a mudblood like her bailing me out of anything, Potter!" Severus burst out.
The crowds watching then out an ominous, "oooh". No one called Lily Evans a mudblood, ever. She was too smart and too pretty to be picked on for blood status.
Lily froze and her glare darkened ever more. She sneered at her friend - not ex-friend - Snape and then James and pushed her way through the crowd, tears rolling down her face.
"You made Evans cry!" James said angrily. "You'll pay for that, Snivellus! How would everyone like to see ickle Snivelly's pants come off?"
"YOU STOP IT THIS INSTANCE, JAMES POTTER!" Hermione screamed, shoving James aside harshly right into Sirius. Both boys stumbled and Hermione whipped out her wand to levitate Snape back to the ground. "You absolutely disgust me!" she shouted at her friend in the glasses. "As do you!" she admonished Sirius. "And you!" She pointed to Remus. "You are no better! You get them both inside and into their rooms!"
Hermione turned to the crowd that had gathered. "Every last one of you sicken me! Leave! Now!"
They all quickly scampered away, as did her Marauders, although they dispersed slower. They were staring at her with a mixture of horror and hurt. They walked away, though, as she ordered.
Everyone was gone and Hermione turned back to Snape.
"You stupid witch!" Snape growled. "How dare you! I didn't need your bloody help!"
"From my standpoint," she said, "I saw otherwise. A simple thank you will do."
"Why should I thank you! You're always hanging around them like their pet or something," he hissed, standing from the ground, his dark eyes glaring down the length of his nose at her. "You're no better than them."
"Did I not just save you from mooning the entire school against your will?" she inquired icily.
"You may think you're the only one with friends, but you're wrong," Snape snapped back.
"I didn't see Avery or Mulciber coming to your rescue," Hermione reported grimly. "And they were standing right in the crowd."
Snape hesitated ever so slightly, but still glared. "I'm still not going to thank you."
"I honestly didn't think that you would."
...~oOo~...
A/N. PLEASE REVIEW!
Challenge: 1. What do you think Voldemort wants to meet Hermione about on Sunday night? 2. How do you think she's going to explain to the boys about missing the full moon? 3. Hermione has officially given up a Horcrux, what now?4. Favorite part and favorite line? 5. Poor Snape *frowns* (not an actual question)
~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~