AN: Hi all, fancy that, seeing an update for this story … It's only been nine months or so (don't rush things, right?). This chapter has been written (with much frustration) several times and then some, changed POVs and I even toyed with just abandoning it. My excuses? Well, I lost my muse for this story … big time. There's nothing more frustrating than writing a story, knowing the ending and then your writing not living up to how you imagine certain scenes in your mind. So that's why I spent so long sitting on it.

I want to dedicate this chapter especially to: AwesomePersonlolxx, I know you've been waiting (and hinting, lol) for this update for a while ;) and thank you for always reviewing and supporting my stories. You're an absolute gem. And also, the anon reviewer "just an ordinary 17 year old" (Lidija from Croatia!), for leaving me one of the nicest reviews I have ever, EVER received. Thank you, thank you, thank you :)

Chapter song recommendations: "Lonesome" by Unwritten Law, "Rabbit in your Headlights" by Unkle, and "Blood on the Ground" by Incubus.

XXX

"So sorry to interrupt," the man said mockingly as he slowly approached them, stopping within mere feet from them.

Hermione tensed, her posture becoming immediately defensive. The man looked somewhat familiar, and judging by his dangerous expression, Hermione doubted very much that this was someone who she would be on friendly terms with. She immediately reached for her wand, which she had been keeping in her handbag.

"Oh, come now, no need to get on the defensive straight away, little mudblood," he said, looking between her and her wand. "If you just listen to what I have to say, I'm sure we can come to some kind of mutual understanding."

"What do you want?" Hermione asked, her voice uncharacteristically hard. She now recognised the man. He looked healthier now, but he had definitely been one of the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries fiasco during their fifth year.

"Well firstly, don't you think we should introduce ourselves? I mean, I know you're Hermione Granger, but do you know me?"

"A Death Eater."

"Well done," the man sneered before his face twisted back into some sort of polite mockery. "But yes, Rabastan Lestrange at your service," he replied with a feral glint in his eyes as he looked her over.

Lestrange! Of course it was him. Hermione felt sick at the possible implications. How had he managed to evade the Ministry for so long, yet still be in Britain? She remembered the conversation she'd had with Harry and Ron not all that long ago. Had he been following her? For how long? A knot of fear formed in the pit of her stomach. He had obviously been following her, thankfully, the wards had kept him out of her flat. But she had been careless and overly confident, thinking that the man really wouldn't be bothered to target her.

"So, now those introductions are taken care of, let's cut to the chase shall we?" he asked. "You are going to leave your precious, little muggle boyfriend and come with me," he began, a look of disgust appearing on his face when he briefly moved his gaze to Tom. "Then we are going to go somewhere private and have a little chat about the natural order of the wizarding world."

Hermione's eyes worriedly flickered to Tom. She hadn't even had the chance to tell him the truth and now he was in terrible danger. This was the worst possible way that he could find out about her heritage. She had to find a way to protect him, and somehow get word to either Harry or the Ministry. However, this could be thought about later. Right at this moment, she needed to concentrate on Rabastan Lestrange. She only hoped that Tom wouldn't be a obstacle.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Hermione replied. "The Ministry will catch you, you know. You made a mistake coming here."

Rabastan chuckled. "Oh really? Not going anywhere, hmm? Well, I must say then, that your parents do have a lovely home. Do you think they would like it if I went over for Sunday roast?"

A chill instantly gripped her heart. No, not her parents. After everything she had done to protect them during the war, and then to have this … scumtry and hurt them. Hermione would not allow it to happen.

"Leave my parents out of this. They're innocent!"

Rabastan sneered. "They can be left out of this, if you do exactly what I say. Now, be a good Mudblood and cooperate."

Hermione's head was spinning. She didn't know what to do, and then there was Tom to think about. If Rabastan only wanted her, perhaps Tom could get away and send for help. But before she could say or do anything, Tom stepped forward, much to her complete surprise, and took a defensive stance in front of her.

"Tom, no—" But the words died in her mouth when he drew a wand—Bellatrix's wand!— and pointed it at Lestrange.

What in Merlin's name was going on? Why did Tom have that wand? Hermione inhaled sharply, unable to control the heavy stutter in her chest. Millions of thoughts ran through her head, but the most predominant was only one: had he been lying to her, this whole time? Everything was happening at once and she didn't know what to think. Why would he lie to her about being a wizard?

"I don't think she'll be going anywhere with you," Tom announced in a cold drawl that, instead of making Hermione feel protected, only made her feel instinctively uneasy. She carefully examined his stance and expression and it was like she was looking at a completely different person. Worry gnawed at her gut.

"Oh, and who are you exactly?" Rabastan asked.

Yes, who are you?

"You say that you're a Death Eater?" Tom asked, instead of answering Lestrange's question.

"Yes—or were you too fucking deaf to hear it the first time around? How did you get your hands on Bella's wand, you little shit? Are you some kind of pathetic Auror sent to protect the Mudblood?"

"An Auror?" Tom replied. "Now that isan interesting theory," he said, before pausing, as if he was enjoying the situation. He gave Rabastan a mocking smirk. "You're Arsenio's boy, aren't you?"

"How do you know that?" Rabastan demanded.

"You're his spitting image," Tom replied smoothly.

Rabastan shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable for a moment. "So what? What's it to you?"

"I knew your father well," Tom replied easily.

Hermione's insides immediately turned to ice. Tom knew the Lestranges? Betrayal instantly swept through her. She felt as though a stranger was standing in front of her, not her boyfriend of several months. Had this been some sort of game for him, dating her? There was a painful lurch in her chest as the negative emotions filled her.

"How could you possibly know my father?" Rabastan asked disbelievingly.

"We went to school together … he was part of a little group of mine, you might have heard of them … the Knights of Walpurgis."

Hermione froze. No, no, no.

It all clicked for her, right then and there. Tom Smith was Tom Riddle. Voldemort. Suddenly many things—which previously seemed completely random— instinctively fell into place. It was like she was having a bad dream that she couldn't wake up from. The kind where you had to run, but your legs wouldn't carry you fast enough. Or you knew something bad was about to happen, but you couldn't stop or change the sequence of events leading up to it. If anyone asked Hermione what her actual thought process was in those precious few seconds, she would not have been able to recall them.

How the hell was he here? Hermione had seen Voldemort fall to the ground, dead. Yet, apparently, the man was standing right in front of her … in some sick semblance of protecting her?

It was an out-of-body experience. She felt as though she was watching herself stumble backwards, watching as Tom turned around to look at her. Leave! Her mind commanded repeatedly. She had to get out of here. It didn't matter where. She would find Harry and …

Why wasn't she leaving? She looked between Rabastan and Tom. Rabastan had a triumphant expression on his face. He must have put a Anti-Disapparition jinx up around the park. She pointed her wand between the two of them.

"Hermione, lower your wand," Tom said calmly and took a step towards her.

Hermione stumbled back, not lowering her wand. "Stay away from me, Voldemort!" she snarled. "Expeliarmus!"

However, unlike Harry, she was unsuccessful. Tom easily deflected the spell as if it were a bothersome insect, and Hermione felt her panic levels reaching previously unknown levels. How could she win in a duel against two Dark Wizards? What was he playing at? It was obvious Rabastan—who was now looking at Tom with a weird reverence— didn't know he was Voldemort, at first. Now, it was like all his Christmases had come at once. Not to mention that he had Bellatrix's wand, which he had stolen from her flat. Was he living some kind of undercover life? What were his plans? Hermione was actively trying to now ignore the part of her brain that was telling her she was fucked.

"Give me your wand, Hermione, and you won't get hurt," Voldemort said with that same calm voice from before. It irked Hermione immensely.

"Oh, sure, I'm really going to hand my wand over to you," she spat back sarcastically.

Tom shrugged. "Either way, I will have it. I don't want to hurt you, but you will not ruin anything for me. Do you understand?"

How had things changed so instantaneously? Instead of responding, Hermione threw another hex at him which he easily deflected again. She was trapped and her only thought was that she had to get out of the park. Appararition would be possible once she got out of the park. Hermione thought fast on her feet; she knew that she needed something that would give her time, a distraction.

"Incendio!" Hermione shouted, and watched as the two men had to jump back as large flames almost exploded right in front of them. In those critical seconds, she had managed to turn and run.

And now it really was like those dreams. Her legs were moving but her mind was repeatedly telling her that they weren't moving fast enough. She thought she had heard a shout of surprise from behind her, but everything around her seemed muted as the greenery of the park rushed by her. She pushed on, the only thing she could focus on was the edge of the park, at least a hundred metres away from her. She could do it. She'd get away and go to Harry. It was all she could think of.

Her lungs were burning. Hermione had not run this fast since the War itself. She wasn't exactly a fitness fanatic to begin with, and groaned as her breathing became erratic and her legs began slipping slightly on the thick grass underneath her.

She was tempted to turn around, but was worried she would lose pace if she did. There wasn't far to go, anyway. She was almost there. Pushing herself, she grit her teeth and let out a grunt of exertion. She was on the tip of relief, only a few metres to go …

Until she heard someone shout, and then she was falling. Her legs collapsed awkwardly underneath her and she winced as she realised she was going to hit the ground face-first. She let out a pained scream. The world went black around her, and the last thing Hermione felt, was her heart break.

XXX

Tom carried an unconscious Hermione through the Manor that Rabastan had brought them to. She was now in a bewitched sleep, and he would not allow her to awake until he had her somewhere secure, and he could discuss a few things with Rabastan.

"This is the Tallis Manor, you say?" he asked Rabastan who walked several steps in front of him.

"Yes, my Lord. Louise Tallis has been letting me stay here for a while now."

"I know Louise."

"Yes, apparently she knew my Father," Rabastan replied and paused at large, ornate door. Muttering a couple of spells, he wove his wand in a strange manner, which Tom recognised easily as setting up several privacy wards. "These guest quarters are hopefully to your standards, my Lord," he said and stepped aside as Tom walked through the doors and into the large suite.

Tom almost rolled his eyes. It was your typical Manor guest room. Large, expensive looking furniture, heavy drapery, and ugly wallpaper. Understated, but ostentatious at the same time. He went and placed Hermione on the bed and then turned to Rabastan.

"This will do. Leave me be for a few moments, then we shall go discuss the current situation."

"Yes, my Lord," Rabastan replied and quickly left the room.

Once he was alone, Tom looked around the room and noted any possible escape routes. He didn't know how long his discussion with Rabastan would take, and it wouldn't do for Hermione to awake and attempt to escape. He went around the room and magically sealed the windows, the french doors which led out to small balcony area, and then searched for any possible escape routes in the attached ensuite. Once he had completed that, he looked around the room with a satisfied smirk. He really did not want to have to tie Hermione up, that would just make things worse. There weren't many things she could use as missiles, though he did vanish several glass vases and some ugly ornaments.

As he left the room, he placed several wards around the room which would not only alert him if there was movement, but also ensure Hermione could not leave. Rabastan was standing on the other side of the hallway and noticeable straightened when Tom appeared.

"There's a study just down the hall, my Lord, if you wish to speak there," Rabastan said.

"Lead the way," Tom replied and gestured for the man to move.

Rabastan started walking and Tom followed closely behind. He had a lot to think about. His plans had now changed exponentially. Hermione knew who he was … and, if was completely honest, he wasn't sure how he would play this. She would be difficult, that much he knew. But he didn't want to let her go. She was a powerful witch, and she was his. He knew that he couldn't approach her like any other idiot he usually dealt with. Tom knew that the one thing he could use was Hermione's compassion. He also knew a key part of this was admitting that he didn't know her when he met her, there was no 'nefarious' plan to begin with and that the Ministry had a lot of explaining to do.

Rabastan entered a room down the end of the hall and held the door open for Tom. "Silence the room, Rabastan, we don't want anyone to accidentally overhear anything."

"Of course, my Lord," Rabastan replied and began intricately waving his wand.

Tom went and stood by a large mahogany desk, running his fingers along it before looking back up at Rabastan who was standing in the middle of the room waiting for Tom to begin.

"Rabastan, tell me of my other … Death Eaters," Tom asked.

Rabastan swallowed heavily. "I haven't been in contact with any other Death Eaters since the war, my Lord. When we thought you were ..." He swallowed, a nervous look passing over his face.

"Dead." Tom rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Yes, yes, the Ministry did a fine job of covering my death up," he said sarcastically. "Fools, all of them. I travelled the world experimenting, learning … for them to be so naive to think that I would die at the hands of that boy … Potter," he spat. "The Ministry, in their quest for no one else to know about me, foolishly thought they could make me forget … Again, they underestimated the power or Lord Voldemort. I am proof that magic is might."

"I have never questioned your power, my Lord," Rabastan quickly said, his eyes aglow with excitement.

Tom looked at the man in front of him. Obviously one of his more loyal, less questioning followers. Not like his father at all, who often had to be disciplined for speaking out of turn. This was a powerful Wizard too. He couldn't believe his luck. This was exactly the kind of follower he needed. Speaking of which, he needed to know what happened to his other followers.

"So, what of my other followers?" he asked.

"They were either killed, put in Azkaban, or might have even left the country completely. I haven't seen any other Death Eaters since the war." He looked nervous about revealing such information, but after what Tom had managed to glean from the books and Prophet in Hermione's flat, it was pretty much what he was expecting to hear.

"What made you decide to stay in the country?"

"I have been underground for some time. I had to limit my magic, and then Louise found me. Recently, I had been considering leaving the country … perhaps going somewhere that doesn't kowtow to the British Ministry."

"Hmm, yes, that is an … option. Especially now that Shacklebolt will be trying to cause trouble. I do not want those … imbeciles to make things worse."

"My Lord, if I may, I have remained faithful. I have always been one of your most loyal. I will, of course, be serving you with utmost dedication in your plans."

Tom smirked. "Of course you will, Rabastan," Tom replied smoothly. "And you will be rewarded for your obedience and loyalty."

"Thank you, my Lord," Rabastan said smoothly. "My Lord, if I may ask a question?"

Tom paused for a moment, enjoying the returning feeling of power for a moment. "You may."

"What of the Mudblood?"

Tom arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, why are you with her, my Lord? She fought for the li—"

"And?"

"I-I …"

"Save your bumbling, Rabastan. Please refrain from calling Miss Granger such unflattering names," he said and smirked at the fear and questioning in Rabastan's eyes. "I admit, it is strange … but her power is unquestionable. She is my Mudblood. Do you understand, Rabastan?" The underlying warning in his tone was enough.

"Yes, my Lord," he replied. "I simply wondered, as Potter will not let her go without a fight."

"Ah yes, Potter. I look forward to the possibility of … reacquainting myself with the boy."

Rabastan smirked. "I'm sure it will be a lovely surprise."

Tom's eyes glinted. "Indeed. Now, Rabastan, there is something I need from you," he said and moved towards the man until he stood facing him. "Legilimens."

XXX

It felt as though she was coming out of a long, deep sleep. She rolled over, snuggling further into the soft, silken sheets before it suddenly hit her. Her eyes snapped open, and her breath stuttered as she took in the foreign surroundings. Where was she?

Then it all came back to her. Voldemort. Voldemort was Tom Smith, her muggle boyfriend, of all people! Before she could even think of controlling her emotions, she felt tears prick her eyes and a thick, uncontrolled sob escaped her. Clasping her hand to her mouth, she resisted the urge to be sick. How could this have happened? Voldemort was supposed to be dead! Instead, he was apparently very much alive and had been posing as her boyfriend. Hermione's stomach lurched as memories of their time flitted through her mind like a bad movie.

Hermione quickly sat up, ignoring her spinning head, and looked around the bedroom. There were two doors, and one was slightly ajar, revealing the white tiles of a bathroom. Another wave of nausea hit her, and she could feel the vomit like it was at the back of her throat. She jumped off the bed, ran straight into the bathroom, and emptied the contents of her stomach in the toilet. Her parent's lunch… Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she tried to control her rolling stomach.

After what seemed like a few minutes, Hermione pushed herself off of the cool porcelain. Flushing the toilet, she then turned and locked the door and almost laughed out loud at the action. As if she could keep him out by locking the door, but she still did it anyway, needing to at least have the sense of privacy. Turning on the taps at the sink, she splashed cool water on her face and then looked at herself in the mirror.

She certainly was a sight. Her face was blotchy, eyes red-rimmed and her hair was a mess. Drawing in a shuddering breath, she looked away from the mirror, not wanting to look at her reflection any longer, and sat down on the edge of the bath-tub. What was she going to do? Could she possibly escape? She stood up and walked out of the bathroom. Going straight to one of the large windows, she knew it was a long shot but tried opening it anyway. It refused to budge and gave her a small, painful zap just for good measure. Magic. Of course he had warded her room. He may not have tied her to the bed, but she knew he probably didn't bother because he was already confident enough in keeping her in. She looked around the room. There were no real objects she could try and throw through the glass. She wondered how much time he had spent in the room, making it 'escape-proof'.

Hermione couldn't help but shudder at the thought of him being around her while she was unconscious. Of course, this couldn't help but make her think of everything else. She unconsciously bit down on her tongue, hard, as a wave of anger and disgust passed through her. She had slept with him … Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and angrily rubbed them as the anger turned to shame. Memories of the intimacy they had shared flashed through her without prompt. Again, a choked sob left her, but she furiously wiped away the tears that automatically appeared. She couldn't, no, she wouldn't sit and cry over what had happened between them. She hadn't known. And right now, that was the only thought keeping her sane.

She refused to cry over Voldemort. He had already done enough damage, she was not going to add to it by crying over sleeping with the man. She would not be his victim. She had fought too hard for the freedom to feel accepted as a witch … she was proud of who she was. And yet, she had left the magical world, and look what had happened. Taking a deep breath, Hermione straightened her shoulders. This was just another fight, her mind simplified … she had helped defeat him once before, she could do it again. She desperately wished Harry and Ron were here. Especially Harry.To Hermione, Harry was the only one who had seen what was inside of Voldemort—Professor Dumbledore being a close second.

What would Harry do in her situation? Or, more importantly, what was Hermione going to do? She needed to be prepared … She needed to have a think about what his weaknesses were, and how could she use them? Subtly, of course. She knew that he'd be using what he viewed as her 'weaknesses', so why not fight fire with fire? For the first time since she awoke in this room, a small flicker of hope lit within her. Well, fuck Voldemort, she was going to turn her weaknesses into her strengths. Especially for him.

XXX

Tom left Rabastan's mind and stepped back. The man swayed a bit under the pressure of the Legilimency. It all matched what he had read in the books and newspaper articles, though it was interesting to see the glimpses of him in the years he couldn't recall. The glimpses which couldn't be captured by newspaper reports, or books. The side the 'Light' would never had seen, and the side that would only be seen by the Death Eaters closest to him.

The man Tom had become had power beyond all measure, yet, he had to admit, had been defeated by Harry Potter. Well, he would never repeat those mistakes. Expelliarmus, honestly.

Rabastan's level of loyalty had seeped through him the entire time he was in his mind. It only added positively to the power he was feeling right now. He could feel his magic buzzing around him. Though, he knew Hermione was awake now, and had been for some time. He really needed to get back to her room. The sooner he got this over and done with, the better.

"Rabastan, you have pleased me," Tom said smoothly. "Lord Voldemort always rewards those who are loyal to his cause. It appears you are one of my most loyal who still remains. Therefore, we begin strategising, tonight."

Tom could practically feel the excitement radiating off of the Death Eater in front of him. "Yes, my Lord. It would be my honour—"

"Yes, yes. Excellent," he cut him off in a bored voice. "Well, I think it would be prudent to go advise Miss Tallis that you've brought some guests. I think you know what I expect. Do not kill her, her blood—no doubt—keeps the protective family wards in place. My Mudblood has awoken, I must go see to her."

Rabastan bowed. "Yes, my Lord. Most certainly." With that, he quickly left the room.

Tom stood there for a few moments, thinking about how he would approach Hermione when he went to her room. She would be furious, of course. But he would find a way to calm her down. He walked from the room and down the hall to the room. Waving his wand, he unlocked the door, wondering what he would expect on the other side. Hermione continuously had the ability to surprise him, and he knew that it was a high possibility that she would have completely different emotions to what he was anticipating.

He stepped into the room and immediately had to duck as a … bar of soap? was aimed directly at his head. Well, this was going to be interesting. He looked up to see Hermione, standing in the corner of the room, near one of the large windows, and she had moved a coat and hat stand as though she had been trying to break the window with it.

"You're wasting your energy," Tom said smoothly, as if she hadn't just thrown a bar of soap at him.

Hermione turned her attention from the window to him and he couldn't help the familiar tug of excitement at the sight of her. Her hair was wild, eyes bright and angry, mouth set in a thin, angry line. She looked poised for attack. He could feel her angry magic from the other side of the room. Of course she looked utterly devastated. How could he deny the true potential of this witch? It made him all the more determined to ensure that she would eventually, and willingly, see things his way.

"Get away from me, Voldemort," she spat. "Don't come any closer!"

Tom held up his hands, his wand clearly visible. "This doesn't have to get nasty, Hermione."

"No, it doesn't, if you stay away from me," she replied.

He watched her with something akin to growing excitement; she was like a caged wild animal. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes darted anxiously around the room, as if hoping for an escape route.

"What do you want, Voldemort? If you think I will let you get to Harry through me, you've got another thing coming," she said. "You're supposed to be dead, I saw you die!"

Tom smirked. "I have seen magic you could only dream of … seen the impossible made possible. Do you think, for a minute then, that I wouldn't have more insurance on my own immortality? and I can assure you that I don't give a fuck about your friend, Harry Potter, any more."

"Oh, so what, you had a change of heart on Muggleborns? What, you just sought me out because you liked my personality?" she replied sarcastically, before scoffing.

"I actually had no idea who you were when I met you, Hermione," he began, knowing it was time to put his plan in motion. "You see, you precious Minister, that fool Dumbledore, thought it would be a great idea to Obliviateme."

Hermione stilled instantly, and Tom relished the look of utter surprise on her face. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice only a whisper.

"Oh, yes, I was Obliviated. When I met you, I did believe I was Tom Smith," his lip curled in distaste. "But you," he began, looking her dead in the eye. "Even as a 'Muggle', I knew there was something different about you, Hermione Granger."

"Why should I believe you?" she asked and he couldn't help but note the way her bottom lip trembled.

"Well, why would I say such a thing otherwise? The more time I spent with you, the more I started to remember. I didn't realise it at the time, but I could actually feel your magic, Hermione," he said, and watched as she seemed to unconsciously flush under his gaze. "You're a very powerful witch."

"It doesn't matter," she finally replied. "You won't get away with this—"

"Oh, but what would you say if I told you that I already have got away with it," he smirked triumphantly at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your Minister knows, dearest. He knows that I have my memories back, and he knows who my girlfriendis."

Tom watched as something changed in Hermione's body language. Whatever she had been holding prior to his 'big reveal' seemed to disappear as Tom revealed that her precious Minister was well-aware of her current relationship status.

Hermione released a shuddering breath and looked down at her hands, before looking back up at him again. "No, they wouldn't do that. They wouldn't allow it,"she muttered.

"Oh, but they did. So where is your Ministry now, Hermione?"

Hermione looked away from him quickly and he watched as she brought her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes. When she turned back, her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Seizing her moment of vulnerability, he swept over to her, standing directly in front of her. When she didn't react to his close proximity, he decided to try something else and gently pulled her into him, running his hands across her shoulders.

She remained rigid, and he then ran a hand down her spine and felt her shudder. Leaning down, nuzzling her hair, he whispered in her ear, "But who has protected you, Hermione? Who protected you, and who has not hurt you? Why has your Ministry not rescued you from me? I knew who you were for some time … I know everything now, do you understand? And yet here I am, still. Here I am, asking for you to stay ..."

She stiffened immediately, before trying to pull herself out of his grasp. Tom held tight, he wasn't going to let her go.

"You have some thinking to do," he finally spoke again, after she had calmed down. This time he moved one of hands to her chin and lifted it, so their gazes met. "I'll leave you for tonight, Hermione, but I expect a response by tomorrow."

XXX

AN: Sooooooo, how about those boyfriends who go around being someone else, eh? terrible, terrible cads. Anyway, I don't think I really have much to say after all that drama. I'm all "drama-ed" out people! But I hope you liked reading it, and all reviews are welcome, as I love reviews like I love Sirius Black (oh, baby), so please share. Now, please note all anon review replies can be found at the Tomione convention forum (link in my profile).

Cheers

Shan