Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated characters. I just happened to come up with the plot for this ship. All credit to J.K for her amazing universe that she allows us to play in.

Warning: Rated M. Cursing, sexual innuendos, lemons and fluff ahead. Basically what you would expect from a romance novel nowadays. However, the lemons will be in the middle to end of this story. You're warned.

Music is my muse:
Song for this chapter: Centuries; Fall Out Boy
Lyrics: But you will remember me, remember me for centuries. And just one mistake is all it will take…

Riddle This

Chapter 14
Getting to Know

"He had blocked me from speaking with you, the wizard of the light who does such terrible things. Nagini will not have her master's child blocked from her-"

OooOoooOooO

Draco paced outside the bedroom as Bella, healed of her insanity by the damn snake about a month ago, rushed into the room with what looked like a bowl of lavender water.

"Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?" He called to his mother who wouldn't let him step foot into the room until his father arrived with Severus.

"Draco, she would not be safe and we have no idea what Nagini did. Until our Lord speaks with his familiar we are rather at a loss and can just make her comfortable."

Bella glared at the snake. "You awful thing, if it's anything like how it mind cured me it hurts worse than a Crucio."

The snake curled tighter around Hermione and hissed as the women stood helplessly at the bed.

Severus made it up first his face pale. "What happened?"

Draco gestured to the room. "I heard her scream like she was being murdered but couldn't get through the wards. Mother arrived but the snake won't let anyone near her."

Severus went even paler and clenched his fist. "Dammit!" He pulled up his arm and stuck his wand to invisible runes above his mark. Within seconds the Dark Lord and Lucius were standing in the room Lucius with confusion the Dark Lord looking bored.

"Is she ill?" Asked the Dark Lord. "Wouldn't Narcissa be a better nurse?"

"No Nagini did something," Severus said in as a polite a tone as he could manage.

Suddenly the Dark Lord went completely still and moved over hissing at his snake in his strange way.

"SHITE!" Was yelled by the snake-like man who instantly morphed into his human form and looked rather frantic.

"Did he just cuss?" Draco whispered looking utterly shocked.

Lucius tempered his reaction and Snape glared at the familiar still refusing to leave Hermione on the bed or letting anyone near her.

"What did the blasted thing do now? Can it be fixed?" Severus Snape demanded as he watched the girl on the bed seem to scream silently.

"She is a Parselmouth," The Dark Lord said sinking down into the chair by the fireplace clearly stunned.

Everyone froze and Bella looked from her Lord to the girl. "Yours, the girl is yours?"

With a snap of his finger, Bella's eyes went soft and vacant and he was hissing again at the snake who tilted her head before moving off Hermione and then up Bella's body. After a moment the witch collapsed and with a wave of the Dark Lords hand disappeared.

Draco knew he was pale but he had, of course, suspected this so he stood tall and said nothing.

"Severus how good is your godson's occlumency?" was asked by the Dark Lord in an impassive tone.

"Excellent, of course."

The Dark Lord ran a hand over his face as he watched his familiar slide back over to the bed and settle her head on Hermione's chest.

"Nagini removed the block fully, she has come into her full powers."

Draco swallowed looking over at the witch who he now noticed was crackling with energy.

Lucius nodded and bowed. "I will get a talisman, my Lord, at once."

Severus moved forward pulling out his potions kit and his wand. "Tell Nagini she can move or die, my bond is killing me standing here not helping her when I have potions that can."

This seemed to snap the Dark Lord out of his stupor for he gave a curt nod and hissed a reply at Nagini who hissed back angrily and then curled up on Hermione's abdomen protectively.

"Her core is pulsing," Snape said running a wand over her diagnostically. "The power is more than her body can handle all at once, it hasn't had time to gradually adjust," he glared at the snake. "You could have killed her you idiot serpent!"

The snake lifted its head and hissed before dropping it again and the Dark Lord looked up his face pale. "What?"

Severus paused but then went back to work when he realized his master was talking to his snake. Suddenly the Dark Lord jerked off the Gaunt ring and slid it onto his daughter's finger. It transfigured into a beautiful ring of goblin silver with a large blue opal circled my emeralds and then diamonds. The opal looked to be swirling with the magic it had just absorbed.

"What the bloody hell?" Severus said stunned.

The Dark Lord was just shaking his head. "It's a talisman. Bloody Gaunt's! All this time they had the ability to harness incredible power through the women of their line and never knew. Check her now Severus."

Severus did and then frowned. "Fine, just sleeping. How did Nagini know that?"

The Dark Lord sighed wiping his forehead wearily looking drawn. "I am not sure, recognized the magical signature perhaps? It's a changeling ring. On the male heir it is the resurrection stone and on a female a talisman, and a damn powerful one too. She can pull from that with no adverse reaction, and no one can get that ring off her. Not even if they tried to sever her finger. The protection runes I can glimpse burning up her arm are ancient and almost impenetrable."

Draco cleared his throat. "Um, she is wearing it on her ring finger. Am I to assume that is her engagement ring then?"

The Dark Lord swung around ready to curse the boy when there was a gasp of outrage from the bed. "Draco Malfoy, you prat, shove off."

Draco smirked and bowed. "Happy to see you are well, Hermione. I think I will head down to breakfast before the snake messes around in my head."

"Nothing there worth finding I am sure." Hermione croaked to the amusement of the adult wizards in the room.

Narcissa looked so relieved her husband had to grab her by the waist so she didn't pass out.

Draco glared at Hermione a moment before a half smirk formed and he saluted her moving off.

OoOOooOOoO

Hermione looked over at the Dark Lord, no Tom Riddle, no her father and sighed. "Might we have some time alone?" Her tone was hard but not unfriendly, she suspected that his blasted snake had messed with her emotions. She should be livid but surprisingly was, well she had some questions she wanted answered, now.

Severus Snape cast her a warning glance but grabbed his things and swept out. Lucius had to pull Narcissa out who was chewing on her lip with worry and she saw her godfather give her a warning glare as well.

"Do they think you will harm me now that I know? Or that I will harm you in a temper?" She asked curiously trying to shift under the massive weight of the snake.

"I suppose that you will lose your temper, you aren't about to burst into hysterics are you?"

Hermione glared at him. "I don't think so, I am uncharacteristically calm given the circumstances, probably the headache your bloody snake gave me. Are you going to harm me?"

Tom Riddle considered the young witch on the bed in front of him with his familiar curled up on her and shrugged. "I could not if I wanted to. Nagini for one would stop me. The necklace you wear holds a piece of my soul ready to sacrifice itself for you should it need to." He ignored her gasp and instead sighed. "It was your mothers," he paused and then looked away from her, "when she disappeared and I thought you both dead I went mental, suicidal mental, unhinged…"

"Who?" She was glaring at him angrily but was also stunned by what he had just revealed, she was wearing a piece of his soul? For her own protection?

"I cannot remember, but it did not stop my burning desire to die and the problem with Horcruxes is you can only die when making them. That is one of the main reasons why I attempted to kill the Potter boy," he frowned. "But the spell backfired somehow. Leaving me distraught, depressed, and alive. It took me a bit to temper that, even after returning. Hence the dramatics in the graveyard. I blamed your Mr Potter for making me unable to search for your mother and you, it has been my quest since I returned. Although Dumbledore knows nothing of it."

Hermione wiped a tear away from cheek her voice still rough and hoarse from screaming and her mind utterly stopped by what he had just told her. She could sense the truth in his words and he looked, different, rather ill actually. "Did you love her? My mother?"

She watched the man who fathered her sit back his face screwed up as if solving a puzzle. "I cared for her, I respected her, and she wanted nothing from me but my company. She was the only person I really could talk to, your mother. She tempered me. Do you know I originally thought to make seven Horcruxes?"

Hermione's eyes went wide. "Didn't you? Dumbledore thinks you did."

The man rolled his eyes. "I ended up with three. You wear the last one as protection."

Hermione bit her lip and lifted the necklace not sure how she felt about this. "So it was my mother's?"

"Yes, it's just a silly thing, made of simple silver and with a Muggle scripture on it she loved, but she put the runes on the back the day she found out she was pregnant with you and the date they said you would be born and gave it to me when she told me I was to be a father," his voice was slow and his eyes a bit vacant as if recalling a memory.

Hermione was silent letting him speak and amazed by what she heard.

"I had bought it for her at a fair, a Muggle fair of all places. I met her the summer she first came here, she was fourteen but such an old soul, and much like you and Mr Krum we exchanged letters. I can't remember how I ended up at the fair with her that day, she had been raised in a wizarding family so she found muggles fascinating. I found her fascinating, she didn't treat me with any kind of respect, she just treated me like a wizard," he paused, "No, a man. I had already made two Horcruxes and so I looked no older than twenty."

He was silent for a long time before he said with a bit of confusion. "She intrigued me as no witch had before and yet she was so young. I bought her the trinket, I had never bought anyone anything before. I later found out she had worn it every day after that until she gave it back to me."

They were quiet for a moment as Hermione took all this in and he stared at the wall still with that vacant expression, she was sure now he was reliving memories.

Finally, he sighed and continued talking. "It does indeed have protection spells, I put them on it as a lark, trying to scare her about Hogwarts, but also because I wanted her to be safe. Transfer students from Drumstrang are always viewed with suspicion. I was worried for her. When she gave it back to me I must admit I think she was being a bit cheeky. I got caught up in research and she wanted to make sure I didn't miss your birth. It burned against my skin when she went into labour and I immediately fled to her side," now he turned and looked directly at her. "You were a week early by the way."

Hermione nodded with a small smile but mostly she was turning over what he had just told her in her head. She couldn't believe it and she chewed her lip before she finally said in an amazed whisper. "That sounds like a love affair."

She could see that she had utterly shocked the man for he sat back stunned and then nodded his head slowly. "I think she loved me."

Hermione wanted to snort but didn't because suddenly she felt like she was talking to Harry. Were all men this dense? Of course, her mother must have loved him, but he completely missed her point. "But you deny loving her?"

She watched the man stand up and pace. "I don't know, Merlin, Severus is right when you get set on something you don't bugger off of it."

Hermione grinned but hid it and said demurely. "No, father," she did that just to shock the dark wizard and she succeeded.

He froze and rounded on her breathing heavily before he closed his eyes. "Love is a weakness. My mother, she loved a man and tricked him and he abandoned her, she died of a broken heart."

Hermione shrugged. "And you tried to kill yourself by making a Horcrux when my mother and I disappeared," she decided in that moment that yes, all men really were that dense.

He sank down into the chair and then laughed before he glared. "Fuck, you are a little swot. Fine, in my way I loved her, I adored you. You were a miniature of her, even as a babe."

Hermione grinned but ducked her head and then frowned. Good Lord the Dark Lord was her father, suddenly it all made sense. She knew she should be angry, but mostly she was a bit worried and utterly embarrassed she hadn't put all this together weeks ago. It made perfect sense now.

After about ten minutes she asked the question rolling around in her head. "What do we do? Won't Dumbledore notice the difference in me with the block gone? And the betrothal with Draco?" She grimaced at that and glared at him her anger returning in force. "Rude by the way, not to consult me."

He shrugged not looking at all repentant. "It meant they couldn't marry you off to someone on their side. They still can't unless you break the contract even after you graduate. Draco and the Malfoy's, I at least knew, would not force you into anything."

Hermione sighed and sat up a bit shifting the massive snake still upset but deciding arguing with him over that was probably a waste of her energy. "Why did your beast of a snake do that?"

She watched as the darkest wizard she knew grinned cheekily. "She was bored and wanted to talk to you, and I forgot to forbid her to come in here last night when I showed up."

Hermione shoved at the snake who looked up grinning, could snakes grin? Yes, she decided they could so she glared at the beast. "You gave me a terrible headache!" Hermione accused in a firm tone.

The snake seemed to shrug and hissed back. "But you can use all your magic and speak with me now."

Hermione looked up as the wizard laughed. "She is right, you can use all your magic now. I would tone it down in classes to not draw attention to yourself. I think the ring will keep Dumbledore in his blissfully addled state that his block is stopping you from becoming too magically powerful.

Hermione pondered that and then looked down at the ring, it really was pretty but Draco was right it was on a very important finger.

"Can we not move this thing?"

She watched her father – oh Merlin, he was her father- sigh and then shake his head. "My apologies, you can vanish it though so no one sees it."

Hermione sighed and nodded groping for her wand but jumped as cold fingers closed over hers and eyes now a blue-black laughed at her. "Just wish it invisible, Hermione. The runes as well."

She looked down and realized white ruins were tattooed all the way up her arm, she studied them and then closed her eyes, when she looked down after a moment the ring and runes were gone although she clearly felt the ring. "Will someone taking my hand feel it?"

She watched her father shrug and then grasp her hand before he said. "No, I feel nothing."

Hermione let out a small sigh. "Good, this would have been devilish to explain. Even more so than Draco and I being friendly. I don't honestly know how I am going to bring Harry around to me and Draco being friends, let alone all of this."

Her father nodded and then grunted. "What plan have you come up with in regards to Draco?"

Hermione smirked. "I am going to help him with Arithmancy and he will help me with Potions. Those are both our strongest subjects. To keep up the rouse I will ask Harry to work with me on D.A.D.A as he is top of our year. It would be assumed already I am helping Harry and no one would think Malfoy would help me without asking for something in return."

"Well done."

She didn't bask in his praise instead she firmed her shoulders and moved in to battle the dark wizard who was her father. "I will never forgive you if you try to harm Harry again. He is my best friend. I love him like a brother. Whatever it is you are planning, I want your promise Harry is protected, and I am probably going to continue to demand you promise me he is safe every time I see you. I'd demand an unbreakable vow if I wasn't wearing one of your bloody Horcruxes!"

There was a long drawn out sigh. "It serves me no purpose to harm Harry Potter, Hermione. Regardless of the fact that I honestly have no need to kill the boy, I understand what he means to you." Another sigh. "I am told you know about the prophecy?"

Hermione nodded chewing on her lip. "Doesn't it mean one of you has to die? That you have to kill one another?" She asked her tone soft and horrified.

A shrug and puckered brow. "I did die in a way. I failed to kill him and my body was destroyed. The prophecy was fulfilled. Harry Potter did kill me. I transferred my ability to speak with snakes to him and the power I knew not was that his mother's love protected him."

Hermione frowned at all this. "That simple? So did you make a Horcrux that night then? Why didn't you die if the spell failed?"

She watched as her father rubbed his temples. "I theorize that the prophecy kept me from making a Horcrux. I was concerned a piece of my soul had latched on to your Mr. Potter but that isn't the case. I can link to him but that is most likely due to us sharing such a dramatic magical event." He gave her a small grimace. "I dabbled in unknown dark magic, honestly I have no idea why I am still here and why Potter can speak to snakes and I can muddle around in his head. Perhaps you should research this?"

Hermione snorted but looked at him wearily. "You are sure he isn't a Horcrux?"

A firm nod. "I am positive, although Albus Dumbledore believes otherwise. That is why he is steering the boy towards a fight with me. He believes I have to kill him to destroy my Horcrux."

Hermione closed her eyes as terror washed over her. "He is really just sending him off to face you and die? That is his entire plan?"

"Rather disgusting when you think of it. He has no plans to even tell your Potter any of this until the very end."

Hermione shook her head. "I am going to protect him, even if that means I end up having to fight Dumbledore, or even you."

She looked up to see her father glaring at her. "Just because Dumbledore is a batty old wizard does not mean he is not very powerful, you will let him be."

Hermione just snorted and decided to change the subject. "Ron will be a problem I am afraid."

"Weasley?"

"Mmm."

"I can-"

Hermione held up her hand in annoyance. "Don't finish that sentence as I can stand you right now and whatever it is you might say could ruin that."

She watched her father cough out a laugh before he shrugged. "I was going to offer to write as your Muggle father telling the boy to let you be. You said in the muggle world marriages are not done at a young age."

Hermione looked up stunned. "No, my muggle parents would have wanted me to get a mastery or two first and settle into a job."

"Well if he becomes a problem I will send a letter as Mr Granger."

Hermione felt deep sadness move over her as they spoke of who she had believed was her father until just this summer. "William Granger. He was a good father, he taught me to ride a bike and encouraged me to study and work hard. He never told me I wasn't good enough or couldn't have something if I didn't put in the work." She sighed wearily. "In a way, I am glad they don't have to see how prejudice the world they let have me is. It would break their hearts knowing that I was not judged on my merits but something like blood. Williams's father fought in World War Two against the Germans and liberated a concentration camp. I loved Papa Granger, he was so soft-spoken but haunted by his memories of what happened during the war."

She looked over at her father and went bright red biting her lip. "It's why I fight so hard against blood purity. It reminds me too much of what my Papa fought. I felt like I was betraying his memory somehow if I didn't stand up for myself and muggle-borns."

She watched her father, Tom Riddle Jr., give her a long searching look. "May I see your memories of your childhood?"

She tilted her head before she nodded hesitantly. "Nothing more though," she added sternly.

A few minutes later Tom stood up. "You had a good childhood, Hermione. Better perhaps than I could have given you."

Hermione nodded with a tear-streaked face, she had relived everything too. "I won't see them again, will I?"

"No, Dumbledore would not hesitate to use them against you if he ever found them. In fact, Severus has already moved them three more times."

Hermione gave a shaky nod and let a tear fall onto her chest where she was shocked to feel Nagini flick it away.

"I will leave you to rest. You have had a rather tiring morning and I must be sure Bella knows nothing. Mind healed or not I can't trust her."

Hermione gave a small nod. "You won't wipe my memory?" She was honestly surprised by this, she had expected he would do so.

A heavy sigh followed this statement. "No. Send letters simply addressed to Father. They will find me and continue practising your occlumency shields which I am told would give anyone a headache to even attempt to tear down."

Hermione wiped at her eyes again and settled down shoving the snake off of her with a huff. "What about your snake!"

A small shrug followed this question. "She likes you better it would seem. Besides she has sensed you miss your familiar, where is it?"

Hermione cuddled down and frowned. "I left Crookshanks at Hogwarts. He hates travelling, he is a rather large temperamental cat."

There was a small laugh. "Most cats are."

She drifted off to sleep as the door shut behind her father and off into the darkness, too exhausted to think anymore.

Author Notes:

Want to see the ring? It's uploaded on my Instagram. It is a stunning piece by a jewler out of Texas, Regard Jewlrey and magical. Instagram: CrystalJeanRed

I have agonized over this chapter and re-read it so many times I lost count. But in the end, this is what I came up with. This chapter gave me hives, I swear. (No I really woke up with hives this morning, could be Lupus or this chapter!)

Dying to know what you thought.

Up Next: This is Hermione we are talking about, what do you think she is going to do? If your answer is research, ten points to you.

Cheers,
Cjean