Title: Ultima ratio
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
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Chapter Twenty: The Knights Of Walpurgis
Hermione woke the next morning in her Gryffindor four-poster and felt surprisingly well rested. She had come to savor ever night without one of her horrible nightmares. Though lately it seemed she had been spared more often than not. When was the last time she actually had one of her nightmares? Hermione wondered as she rolled on her side and closed her eyes again, trying to relish that feeling of comfortable calmness. It certainly was frightening to every night have to relive those terrible things that had happened to her. So whatever it was that had driven away her nightmares, she was surely not going to complain. But Hermione couldn't concentrate any longer on her sleeping habits as she now realized the chatter that was going on in the dorm. It hadn't penetrated her still sleep muddled mind but now that she was more awake she could hear that talking. And Hermione nearly groaned. The curtains of her four-poster were drawn but that didn't stop the voices of her dorm mates to reach her. Yesterday Hermione had been quite lucky because she had managed to slip back into the dorm without meeting them. But now it seemed there was no evading them any longer. She really didn't want to face them, not after what had happened yesterday. Her gossipy dorm mates had met her in one of the corridors as Hermione had been accompanied by Tom. She didn't want to think about what those girls made of that. Surely they had already spun some really for fetched stories about her and her supposed relationship with Tom.
It's not as 'supposed' as you would like it to be!
That angry part of her again screamed at her as she remembered how Tom had kissed her in that class room, just mere hours after she had decided to never see him again. What was it that made it so impossible for her to stay away from him? Hermione felt terribly guilty for letting him get so near her. She didn't want to imagine what her friends would do if they could see her. But they were so far away now. They had left her behind. Hermione sighed deeply before she sat up in her bed. She couldn't very well stay in bed for the rest of the day, trying to solve the chaotic state her feelings were in. So she reached for the curtains of her four-poster and drew them open. Just to immediately be greeted by the excited stares of her dorm mates. Hermione felt a headache coming up as she blinked back at them frustrated.
"Finally!" Rose screeched. "You are up!"
"We were just about to wake you," Lucia agreed.
She was standing beside her blindingly pink bed and nearly jumped up and down with excitement. Hermione was tempted to just draw her covers shut, lie back in her bed again and pretend this whole thing had never happened. But the nosiness radiating from her dorm mates was telling her that it would be impossible to hide from them.
Rose slumped down beside Hermione on the bed before she said in a shrill tone, "You've gotta tell us everything." Then she poked Hermione in the side before she continued in a self important voice, "What did you do with Tom Riddle yesterday?"
All girls were now starting to giggle even Diana who now sat down beside Viola on Lucia's pink bed so that they were now both facing Hermione. Hermione on the other hand didn't feel like laughing at all. However had she gotten into this mess?
"I never believed that Riddle was really after you," Viola said in her usual condescending tone. "But now that I've seen it with my own eyes…"
"Tell us, tell us!" Lucia seemed to burst with excitement now. "What did he do? Did he snog you?"
Rose giggled inanely, "I'm sure he did much more."
Hermione stared at her. How was she going to get out of this one?
"Now look, I really don't wanna talk about it," Hermione said stiffly.
What a lame thing to come up with, she huffed at herself. Those chatty girls would surely accept that. Hermione inwardly rolled her eyes.
"No, no," Rose said sternly. "You are going to tell us."
"Yeah, no secrets," Lucia threw in. "We are friends after all."
Hermione frowned at her. They surely were not friends. Just because they slept in the same room didn't mean that they were suddenly friends.
"He reminds you of your fiancé, doesn't he?" Diana asked her now in a soft tone.
Hermione's eyes shot at her. Once she was again mesmerized by those amazingly green eyes which looked so frighteningly similar to Harry's. But now Hermione furrowed her brow. What was Diana talking about? She needed a moment to remember that sob story she had made up before the break to get back at Tom for spreading that stupid rumour of her liking him.
Ironic, isn't it? a voice inside of her scoffed meanly. Not really, Hermione thought before she stood up from the bed. She finally had enough of this stupid chatter. She really didn't want to talk with the girls any longer.
"Where are you going?" Rose nagged in her whiney tone.
"It's late," Hermione said in a tightly controlled voice. "Marc, Richard and Amarys are surely already waiting for me down in the common room."
"Aww, Hermione," Lucia complained. "You can't always spend all your time with those boys." Then she grinned at Hermione before she said in a taunting voice, "Tom surely won't like that."
"Yeah," Rose threw in. "He might get jealous."
Hermione didn't say anything. Her patience was slowly running out. So she continued her way to the bath room.
"Ohmigod, ohmigod!" Lucia yelled almost hysterically. "Yesterday during breakfast we've seen you with Riddle and Marc. They were already fighting over you, weren't they?"
Hermione stared back at them. Those girls just didn't know when to stop, did they? Maybe she should just obliviate them and get it over with. It was tempting at the moment. Sometimes it would be nice to be a dark witch.
"Marc Longbottom likes you too," Rose then whined. "That's so unfair, two hot guys liking you."
Hermione stared at her. Longbottom liking her, too? That was…
… probably true. Considering his behaviour lately. Hermione inwardly rolled her eyes. Then she closed the door to the bathroom shut.
Sometime later Hermione walked down to the common room. Regrettably she was still accompanied by her dorm mates. And they were still trying to get more information out of her. As she arrived in the common room she was rather surprised to really find her three Gryffindor friends sitting on one of the sofas and obviously waiting for her. It was rather late already because Hermione had been deliberately slow in the bathroom, hoping her dorm mates would leave without her. No such luck there but why were Longbottom, Weasley and Lupin still waiting for her?
"Morning, Mione," Weasley beamed at her. "Slept well?"
"Quite." Hermione smiled at him. Then she continued, addressing all three boys, "Why are you still waiting for me? It's already late."
"Pff, I told you, didn't I?" Longbottom replied. "We are not going to let you walk around alone. It's not safe."
A voice coming from behind Hermione asked suspiciously, "Really? Why's it not safe?"
Hermione turned around and found her dorm mates still standing behind her and hearing in to the conversation.
"Not that it concerns you-" Longbottom said, turned to Rose who had posed the question. "-but Riddle's after Hermione so we need to protect her."
That statement only provoked a new fit of giggles coming from the girls. Hermione stood there in the middle of the common room and really wished to just be somewhere else. Preferably somewhere without silly girls blabbing about other people's lives.
After some time Lucia had calmed down enough and patted Hermione's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Two admirers, eh? Quite popular, aren't you?"
Hermione didn't answer anything and was very glad that the four girls then resumed their way to the Great Hall and left them alone.
"What's up with them?" Longbottom stared after the girls and ran a hand through his blond hair in confusion.
"I have no idea." Hermione said in a quiet voice, readjusted her bag and started to walk to the exit of the common room.
"Wait!" Longbottom shouted and hurried after her.
He, Weasley and Lupin followed her all the way to the Great Hall. Hermione knew that they were just worried about her but slowly this being always monitored got on her nerves. But sadly, there was no way to stop them as they were being extremely persistent on this bodyguard business. Well, she could tell them that they needn't protect her from Tom because he was no longer trying to kill her.
Are you really sure about that? that nasty voice echoed through her mind again.
Hermione sighed softly which only seemed to trigger a new barrage of concerned looks from her three friends then she passed the entrance to the Great Hall. As she walked over to her house table she couldn't help but notice how many of the other students seemed to observe her. Some of them secretly whilst others stared at her rather blatantly.
That was fast, she thought as she quickly walked through the hall. It seemed the rumour about her and Tom had already spread quite nicely. Though it was a mystery to her when exactly her dear dorm mates had had the time to start that rumour. Hermione tried to ignore the stares and, in some cases, glares, walked calmly over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Then she reached for the coffee pot standing right in front of her and poured herself a nice cup of black coffee. All the while she was well aware of all those pairs of eyes being fixed on her.
Well, she reasoned, it can hardly be as bad as the time they all thought I was a crazy stalker.
At least, this time, Tom wasn't going to fuel the rumour mill even further. Hermione's gaze slowly wandered over to Tom. He was sitting at the Slytherin table, looking as handsome as ever, and right now he smirked at her rather conceitedly.
Or it's going to be worse, Hermione thought frustrated and sipped at her coffee.
"What's wrong with them?" She heard Longbottom's confused voice.
"I have no idea," came Weasley's answer.
Hermione glanced at them shortly. They were sitting right beside her while Lupin had taken the seat opposite her. The boys had obviously noticed the other students staring at her nosily and the bewildered expressions on her friends' faces told her that the rumour had after all not reached everybody.
Then an angry sounding voice huffed at them, "You really don't know?"
Hermione looked up and nearly groaned out loud as her eyes fell on the girl who had just spoken. She didn't know the girl's name but she could remember her face and the faces of the two girls sitting beside her. They were the very girls who had met her and Tom after that stupid detention with professor McGray. Back then Tom had pulled that infamous act which had led to the student body hating her even more. And a while later those very same girls had tried to curse her. Hermione's eyes narrowed at the girl with the blonde locks. She was the one who had fired the Reducto curse at Hermione. Right now all three girls were glaring back at her darkly. Hermione wondered briefly why they were so persistent on hating her but soon found that she didn't really care. This whole affair was just ridiculous.
"Know what?" Lupin asked in his calm and collected voice.
The girl with the short, brown hair threw a nasty look Hermione's way before she sneered at Lupin, "That your little friend here is a cheap whore."
"Watch what you are saying!" Longbottom blustered at the girl enraged.
"Why? It's the truth," the girl with the blond hair spat at him. Then her blue eyes wandered from Longbottom to Hermione before she said in a depreciating way, "You are just a dirty slut, aren't you?"
Hermione had no idea how to answer to something like that. All of it was just so stupid. She really had nothing against those girls but still they seemed to hate her.
"Stop insulting her!" a new voice cut across the girl.
Hermione frowned and turned her head slightly to see who had just now defended her. As her eyes sweeped over the table in search of her defender she wasn't really surprised to find every Gryffindor following this dispute rather curiously. It seemed that it had been Lucia who had spoken just now. That was a surprise. Hermione hadn't expected her dorm mates to ever come to her aid. Though the next sentence Lucia spoke ruined that positive impression again.
"You are just jealous." Lucia looked at the other Gryffindor girl triumphantly. "Why don't you accept it? It's Hermione, Riddle likes. And not you."
"Excuse me?" Longbottom now stared at Lucia indignantly. "What exactly is Riddle doing?"
Hermione would have liked to curse Lucia as the girl threw her an apologetic look before she told Longbottom in a pitying tone, "I'm sorry, Marc, but it seems Riddle likes Hermione."
"Yes," Rose threw in and she seemed to enjoy the whole thing very much, judging from the glint in her eyes. "Riddle's in love with her," she ended her unnecessary speech while giggles shook her.
"He's not!" The blonde girl snubbed at her angrily.
"Yeah, are you insane?" Longbottom stared at Rose furiously.
That was the point at which Hermione had had enough. This relationship between Tom and her was already quite confusing. She really didn't need it to be discussed in the open. She threw a glance at the Slytherin table. Of course Tom seemed to be very interested in the things going on at the Gryffindor table. There was a smirk curling up his mouth as he looked at her in amusement. Hermione just rolled her eyes at him, then she got up from her seat and started to walk over to the exit of the hall. She hadn't managed to walk very far as Longbottom fell in step beside her. In the corner of her eyes she could see Lupin and Weasley following behind him.
"Really, what's wrong with them? Are they stupid?" Hermione heard Longbottom's enraged voice. "It's plain to see what's going on."
Her eyes darted back to him. Was that really so plain to see? She was a little panicky to find Longbottom staring down at her and looking quite enraged.
But then he said, "It's Riddle again. He's done it before. He's trying to ruin your reputation."
"Yeah, you are right, Marc," Weasley threw in. "He tried that before the break, too."
"Hmm, I don't know," Lupin demurred. "It doesn't sound plausible. Why would he do it again? It didn't work the first time. Why try again?"
Longbottom glared at Lupin and shook his head before he said, "He's evil. That's why." Then he continued in an offending tone. "And he's stupid."
"No, he's not stupid!" Hermione hissed at him with more force than necessary.
What was wrong with her? Why did she need to defend Tom now? Her eyes slowly wandered back to Longbottom. Right now he was staring down at her and there was confusion shining in his blue eyes.
She was quite glad as Lupin said, "You are right. He's not stupid." He now frowned at her. "And that's why he's so dangerous."
Longbottom's gaze left her and he looked at Lupin before he said slowly, "That only means that we have to protect Hermione even better now. That evil bastard is planning something."
Hermione nearly groaned as she heard him say that. Would she never get her freedom back?
She had been right. The protectiveness of her friends got even worse after hearing that rumour about her and Tom. After breakfast they had walked with her down to the Care of Magical Creatures class. Obviously professor Kettleburn was well enough to teach again, though he had lost what seemed to be a few fingers of his right hand. His class had taken place outside on the grounds of Hogwarts. Hermione had gotten rather peeved by her friends' behaviour during class. They had always stayed close to her as if they expected an attack any second. What did they think could happen to her during class. Even if Tom still tried to hurt her, he would certainly not do it during any class. Accordingly Hermione had been rather glad as professor Kettleburn had ended his class and they had walked back to the castle.
So right now Hermione was sitting in the Ancient Runes class room and listened to professor Nota. But she couldn't quite concentrate on the professor's explanations as she was again rather annoyed. Lupin was sitting right beside her but he wasn't the one who now annoyed her so. No, it was more that whispered conversation going on at the table behind her. It was a group of Ravenclaw girls who sat at that table and to Hermione's increasing displeasure they had only one discussion topic.
"So they found them in a class room?" one of the girls whispered to her friends.
"Yes," snother girl answered. "And obviously they had been snogging."
Hermione grabbed her textbook tighter as she felt her magic flowing through her angrily. It seemed that over the time the rumour had somehow gotten worse. But it was the next statement that really made her angry.
"No, no," an exited voice whispered. "I heard it from Susan. You know the Hufflepuff. According to her, Riddle and DeCerto were found in a broom cupboard. And-" Here the Ravenclaw girl added a dramatic pause before she whispered, "-they were doing it."
After that Hermione could hear muffled giggles coming from behind her. She felt anger bubbling up in her. Couldn't those girls see that she was sitting right in front of them? They were not exactly being quiet with their conversation. If they so enjoyed it to gossip about other people, they should at least have the decency to make sure the person concerned wouldn't hear them. Her right hand itched to pull her wand and curse those stupid girls.
Hermione was still trying to stop her magic from lashing out at those girls as professor Nota finally ended the lesson some time later. Hermione took her quill, parchment and the Ancient Runes textbook and stuffed it angrily into her bag. Then she got up from her table and started to walk over to the door.
"Look, Hermione." She heard Lupin say in a soothing tone. "Don't listen to what they say. They are just being stupid."
Hermione turned around to him. He was still stowing his things away in his bag. She just wanted to tell him how very right he was as professor Nota addressed him, "Mr Lupin, could you please stay behind?"
"Of course, professor," Lupin said politely.
Then his eyes wandered back at Hermione and she could see concern in them.
"You don't need to worry," she told him. "I can look after myself."
"Okay," Lupin said but she could see doubt on his face.
Hermione threw him a reassuring smile before she turned around and left the class room. As she strolled down the corridor, trying to ignore the curious stares of the other students, she decided to not go back to the common room. She wanted to be alone now. She didn't want to admit it but somehow that new rumour about her was getting to her more than she would like. It wasn't so much the fact that she was again the target of Hogwarts' gossip mill. No, the problem was that this time she didn't know whether the gossip was partly true or not. What was there going on between Tom and her?
Hermione decided to use this unexpected opportunity to be alone. It was quite bothersome that her friends still thought that she needed protection twenty-four-seven. She knew that they were really trying to help her but slowly it annoyed her. Right now she just wanted to be left alone so she had time to think things through. Especially her relationship with Tom. That the whole school seemed to be talking about it didn't make it easier for Hermione. She was very unsure of herself and her feelings. Sure she did like Tom. That much was clear and there was no use in denying it any longer. She liked him very much actually. But there was still a part of her which constantly yelled at her to stop seeing Tom. Maybe it was her conscience, Hermione didn't know. But it never ceased to remind her who Tom really was. It was undeniable after all. He was Lord Voldemort. His behaviour towards Longbottom was the best proof of that. But another thing was also undeniable. Hermione felt better whenever Tom was around. It was a long time ago that she had abandoned all hope to ever feel free again. Free of her sorrow and free of those horrible images that haunted her so mercilessly. Of course, the things she had experienced during the war were still troubling her. Most probably she would never be able to completely forget them but now that Tom was around they were no longer so unbearable. They were definitely less painful and even started to sometimes drop in the background. That was more than she could ever have wished for.
Hermione rounded a corner and now walked down another deserted corridor. Her steps echoed loudly as she walked on the stone floor. Right now she didn't exactly know where she was headed to. She needed some solitude. At first she had thought about heading to the Room of Requirement but then she had remembered that Tom knew about it, too. Most likely he used it for his little Death Eater meetings. The last thing Hermione wanted to do was to burst in one of those meetings. So she had ended up wandering rather aimlessly through Hogwarts' many corridors.
Still, she needed to come to a conclusion for her problem. Should she stay away from Tom or not? It was definitely dangerous staying close to him. Not only because he was the Dark Lord in the making but he was also very sharp and he loved it to solve secrets. Hermione had a lot of secrets she didn't want solved. Then there was Tom himself. Hermione didn't exactly know what Tom was feeling. Did he like her? Or did he stay close to uncover her secrets? Was he just playing with her? If she was honest with herself, she knew what she had to do. Her first decision had been the right one. She needed to stay away from Tom. It would be sheer folly to not avoid him. There were so many reasons why to stay away from him. She still was in the past right now. It already was a risk to even speak with the people here.
Hermione was brought out of her musings and her head shot up as she heard an oily voice, "DeCerto, what a nice sight for my sore eyes."
She was more than startled as she saw a group of Slytherins standing not far from her down the corridor. How could she have not noticed?
"Just the one we have been searching for. What a nice coincidence. Don't you think, Avery?" one of them said in a mocking voice.
Hermione recognized him, it was Lestrange. Right now he was smirking at her darkly. Avery stood right beside him and he, too, was smirking at Hermione. Though there also was an appreciative glint in his dark eyes as they wandered slowly over her form. Behind Lestrange and Avery Hermione could see a third boy. That was Black. And leaning against the wall beside his friends was Alba, the one Hermione had once stolen his wand from. Hermione had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Surely they didn't just want to chat with her.
"Yes, a very nice coincidence," Avery drawled in his arrogant voice.
Hermione started to scan her surroundings but she never let those Slytherins out of her field of vision. The corridor was completely deserted. Currently they were in a relatively unused part of the castle. Hermione nearly cursed out loud at her own stupidity. Why did she have to wander into this part of the castle? She had been so deep in thought, she had completely let her guard down. If something like that had happened during the war, she would have been dead by now. But no use crying over spilt milk.
Focus! she reprimanded herself.
A few metres down the corridor, Hermione remembered to have seen a door. Maybe that led into an old, unused class room. That could be helpful later. But maybe she was able to prevent a fight with them. Hermione glared at the four boys standing in front of her before she said in a strong and firm voice,
"And why have you been searching for me?"
Avery now started to walk towards her and Hermione instantly fell into her dueling stance.
"There is something we have to straighten out, little girl," he sneered. And Hermione could make out the threat behind his words.
"And what, pray tell, would that be?" she asked him cheekily.
Hermione could feel her right hand twitch in anticipation. She was ready for battle now.
"You know exactly what, you cunt!" Lestrange now yelled aggressively at her.
Hermione's eyes narrowed as they wandered from Avery to Lestrange.
"Please, do enlighten me," she replied in a soft and mocking tone.
"You have dared to offend our leader, slut. Did you think you would get away with that?" Lestrange hissed at her threateningly.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. She was confused. Their leader? That was Tom, surely. What did Lestrange mean with she had offended Tom? What was he going on about? Hermione stared at him confused until it finally occurred to her. Yesterday morning as she had argued with Tom his followers had been present. But she hadn't really insulted Tom. She had behaved in her normal way around Tom.
…okay, I was rather angry and snubbed at him…
Suddenly a thought flashed through her mind. Had Tom sent his followers after her? To put her in her place? There was a sinking feeling in her stomach as she had that thought.
"Does he know you are here right now?" Hermione glared at Lestrange angrily.
The small flicker of insecurity on his face was enough to tell her that Tom, in fact, didn't know about his followers' antics. She felt strangely relieved to know that.
"So, he doesn't know," Hermione stated in a firm voice. "Maybe you should get his consent first before you try to threaten me. Not that you are a threat to me in the first place." She smiled at the boys in front of her innocently.
Lestrange snarled at her and pulled his wand. The other boys followed suit. Hermione just flicked her wrist and her wand landed in her hand.
"I'll show you your place, filthy bitch," Lestrange growled at her darkly.
Then he waved his wand and a blue curse left its tip. The curse rushed towards Hermione but she didn't raise her wand to fend it off. That simple curse was just beneath her so she sidestepped it. The curse crashed into the floor behind her.
"You've got to have more than that to beat me!" she taunted Lestrange.
Which, admittedly, wasn't her best idea as now the other Slytherins joined the fight while a very potent curse left Lestrange's wand.
"I'll teach you to never talk back to our leader again!" Lestrange spat at her while he whirled his wand.
Hermione could glimpse a smug smile on his face as his curse sped towards her. The magic behind the spell crackled aggressively. And the other three boys now started to throw curses at her too. And those were powerful ones as well.
Well well, whoever taught them such dark curses? Hermione wondered wryly.
But now was not the time for sarcasm. She raised her wand and brandished it swiftly in a complicated pattern.
Aberrare!
Hermione watched satisfied as the curses rushing towards her suddenly turned off their course and crashed into the wall beside her. But the Slytherins, it seemed, weren't so easy to impress as they now sent another barrage of curses her way. Hermione ducked and threw herself towards the wall. She could feel the power behind the curses as they soared threateningly over her head. She was now crouched down with her back against the cold stone wall which wasn't a very good position to fight back. She needed to move now. To somehow take cover. A magical shield wasn't the best option as she wouldn't be able to attack while being covered by the shield. Hermione then remembered the door she had seen before. It was just a few metres behind her.
"Not so cheeky anymore, are you?" Lestrange sneered at her in a mocking voice. "You'll apologize to our leader on bended knees in no time."
Yeah, sure! Hermione nearly rolled her eyes but then she just waved her wand and thought, Tergus!
Immediately the corridor was filled by an impenetrable mist. Hermione used the confusion her spell had created and rushed back the corridor in direction from which she had come. Her spell wouldn't last long she knew. So she just dashed back to the wooden door she had noticed earlier. She wasn't fast enough. The mist she had just created began to clear up again. Then she could hear the Slytherins back in the corridor cast new spells. Hermione flung open the old wooden door and took cover behind the opened door. Seconds later the spells hit the wood of the door heavily. Hermione could feel the door shake with each impact. That door might look rather solid but now that those curses crashed into it it didn't seem to be a reliable cover at all. Just as Hermione started to crawl into the class room an especially potent curse hit the door. It crashed through and hit the floor, leaving behind a smoking hole in the now charred wood of the door. Hermione looked down at herself and found a deep cut in her left thigh. The blindingly bright curse had obviously grazed her. There was a rather large slash in her skin which now started to bleed heavily. She could see the blood flowing down her leg until it was soaked up by her stocking. It didn't hurt, though. Hermione knew there was too much adrenalin running through her body right now, damping the pain. But that cut was bound to hurt later.
Stupid Slytherins! Hermione thought angrily. And stupid, paper-thin door!
"So what, little slut? Want to kneel down already?" Hermione heard Lestrange yell triumphantly. "I wouldn't mind if you'll kneel down in front of me." His statement was followed by dirty laughter.
That was enough! Up until now Hermione hadn't unsheathed her more dangerous curses. She didn't want to really fight against students. But they were asking for it! She clasped her wand a little tighter and stood up from her crouching position. The door was still shielding her from the curses the Slytherins hurled her way. But she could hear them moving in the corridor. They obviously tried to get closer to her.
Good!
Hermione stepped a little away from the door, raised her wand and swiped it furiously at the door.
Subverto!
Her wand didn't touch the wood but the door suddenly burst and splinters of wood flew everywhere. Hermione used the same motion with which she had destroyed the door and performed her next spell. The flying splinters lost their momentum so that the pieces of wood now hung in the air like a cloud, unmoving. It looked like the exploding door had somehow frozen in time. Hermione's view of the corridor behind was now free so she glanced at the group of Slytherins. They had split up and were trying to attack but they were not really working together. Hermione could see Lestrange nearby. He now began to move his wand again. But Hermione didn't wait to see which curse he would hurl at her. She moved her own wand swiftly in the familiar pattern.
Exuro!
The splinters of wood burst into flames. Hermione now thrust her magic into those burning pieces of wood which were still suspended in midair until she could practically feel each of those pieces through her magic. Then she whirled her wand forward and the burning wood obeyed her. The pieces soared through the air, getting faster and faster, flying towards her attackers. Hermione watched as Lestrange and Avery each put up a blue shield in front of them. But she knew, it would be useless. Her fiery projectiles were protected by her own magic. Neither Avery nor Lestrange would be able to fend them off. Sure enough the splinters breached the shields before they impacted. Hermione smiled satisfied as she saw her burning weapons explode with her magic upon contact. Lestrange was hurled backwards as one of the pieces hit his chest. He crashed on the floor and slid a few metres. Avery, Hermione noticed amused, wasn't any better. Splinters had hit his leg and shoulder. Black and Alba hadn't put up a shield but tried to dodge the splinters. That was useless because there were just too many. So, they were also hit. It was rather entertaining to see those brawny boys being beaten by her magic.
But Hermione didn't want to linger and wallow in her success. Her nice, little curse had caused enough damage but it wasn't anything too dangerous. So the four Slytherin boys were already getting up again. And she certainly didn't want to still be around when they started to attack again. The furious look on Lestrange's face was funny enough she didn't need to see more. So Hermione smiled at Lestrange mockingly which seemed to enrage him further. Then she turned around and ran away. Down the corridor and away from that little battlefield.
She had run down four corridors until the first signs of pain coming from her left thigh hit her. Hermione was forced to slow down a little. The cut was still bleeding. The blood flowed down her leg making the injury look more dramatic than it actually was. As Hermione turned around the next corner she finally recognized where she was. If she remembered correctly there was a toilet if she turned left into the next corridor. And she was right. Hermione opened the door and stepped into the girls' toilet. Fortunately it was empty. She quickly waved her wand at the door, locking it so that she wouldn't be disturbed by anyone.
Hermione leaned against one of the many sinks that lined one wall and looked down at her leg. The cut was still bleeding heavily. She bent down a little to examine the cut closer. It was a rather deep but clean cut. It didn't appear to have injured anything vital. So Hermione waved her wand over the cut and whispered,
"Curatio!"
She watched as the blood crusted over thus making the wound look a few days old instead of a few minutes. Hermione waved her wand over the leg and the blood which had flown down her leg disappeared. At least now it didn't look anymore like someone had tried to saw her leg off. After another wave of her wand white bandages appeared out of nowhere and wound themselves around her thigh. Hermione gasped softly as the bandages wrapped tightly around her leg. It hurt.
Damn Slytherins! Hermione cursed silently before she slowly limbed over to the exit.
She stepped cautiously out into the corridor. But those Slytherin boys seemed to be nowhere around, she realized relieved. As she walked down the corridor her leg began to throb painfully. What to do now? Maybe she should head back to the common room and then lie down a little in her dorm.
Yeah, because your stupid room mates'll leave you alone and won't pester you with their nosy chatter. Hermione nearly rolled her eyes. Then just the common room? But that wasn't such a promising option either. Her friends might be there and Hermione didn't want to be confronted with their concern about her right now. That would only make her feel guilty. She still had her school bag with her, so why not go to the library and do some homework? Maybe no-one would pester her there and at the very least no sneaky Slytherins would attack her… hopefully.
So it was just a short time later that Hermione entered Hogwarts' library.
"Hello, Ms DeCerto," Ms Peters, the librarian, greeted Hermione while she smiled at her. "Back already?"
Hermione grinned at the librarian.
"Be careful or you'll waste away here with those old books," Ms Peters chided her lightly.
"That won't happen," Hermione promised while still grinning.
Though a little more wasting away and a little less getting attacked by overeager wannabe Death Eaters would be fine by her, Hermione thought as she walked into the library. She saw that most of the tables were already occupied by students doing their homework. There were still a few free seats but Hermione wanted a table of her own because she had noticed that right now some of the students were again staring at her. Especially that group of fourth year Ravenclaws, sitting right beside the section with books on ancient runes, eyed her rather blatantly. Hermione decided that she needed to be alone now. So she walked quite a distance until she found an unoccupied table. Luckily it was so far away from the books needed for homework that she was pleasantly undisturbed by the other students.
Hermione sank down on one of the chairs and sighed relieved. That cut in her leg had started to hurt nastily. She slid up her skirt a little bit to have a look at her thigh. The white bandage, she had conjured up previously, was still wound tightly around her leg. But there was a slight red stain where the cut was situated. Well, whatever, Hermione thought as she pulled her skirt down again, she'd had worse already. At least it wasn't a cursed wound. Maybe she would look after it later. She shrugged her shoulders, reached for her bag and rummaged through it until she found her Herbology book. Professor Sato had asked them in class yesterday to write a two foot long essay about the different uses of Devil's Claw. Hermione wanted to finish that essay right away. She opened the book and searched for the chapter about Devil's Claw. Somehow she wondered why she even bothered with homework. She didn't really have to work so hard for school. After all, she had no intention to stay here for long. The only reason she was here was to get the Elder Wand from Dumbledore, wasn't it? An image of Tom suddenly flashed through her mind. Now, that was uncalled for, Hermione thought.
The Elder Wand, remember? That's why you are here!
Hermione sighed and started to read the chapter in the Herbology book anyway. It seemed she wasn't completely able to abandon her bookworm-ish way.
After some time, she had already managed to write at least three foot, she felt someone sitting down on the chair beside her. She stopped her writing and looked up to find Tom sitting beside her. He was lounging elegantly in the chair and was right now skimming his fingers lightly over the cover of one of her books.
"What are you doing?" he asked in his deep voice while his grey eyes wandered over her parchment.
Hermione sighed. "Well, what does it look like I'm doing?" she said and looked back down at her parchment. "Homework."
"I've searched for you for quite some time," Tom said in a calm tone. Though there was a demanding tinge in his voice as he continued, "Where have you been the whole day?"
Hermione stiffened as she felt his fingers now skimming over her forearm. His touch again evoked that strange feeling in her. The feeling she shouldn't have. Not directed at Tom after all. But Hermione couldn't help but enjoy that tingling sensation his fingers left behind on her skin.
"And why should I tell you what I've been doing today?" Hermione asked him in a surprisingly firm voice.
'Surprising' because she wasn't feeling nearly as unaffected as her voice sounded like. She heard Tom chuckle softly before he leaned down to her and purred rather seductively in her ear,
"Because I don't want you to stroll too far away from me."
Hermione's eyes widened as she then felt him placing a light kiss on her cheek. After he had bent up again she cast a glance in his direction. Tom was eyeing her amused and there was again this self-satisfied smirk playing around his mouth. As his eyes were scanning her attentively Hermione was surprised by this unexpected softness shining in them. But there was something else. There was this strangely possessive glint radiating off Tom's eyes as they wandered over her form. Well, there was no getting finished with her homework now. So Hermione rolled up the slip of parchment on which she had been writing her essay for professor Sato.
"So, why did you search for me?" Hermione asked Tom while she stuffed her things back in her bag.
Tom leaned casually back in his chair and watched her stowing her things away.
"No real reason," he answered in an amused tone and Hermione didn't have to look at him to know that he was smirking at her right now.
She was getting irritated by him. Why was he always around her? Hadn't she decided that she should stay away from him? Yes, she should stay away from him! But just as she had formulated that thought she realized that she didn't want him to go away… to leave her alone. So many people had left her already. Hermione looked at Tom. He was smirking arrogantly down at her. Again she wasn't angered by his offending smirk.
You have to stay away from him, Granger! she screamed at herself as she again felt that traitorously feeling glowing up in her.
She grabbed her school bag and stood up. Tom followed suit, the smirk never left his face, though. Hermione tried to ignore him and started to walk away. As she put her weight on her left leg a blindingly sharp pain shot up from her thigh. Hermione gasped in pain and grabbed Tom's arm to steady herself. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain to ease up again. How stupid. She had totally forgotten the cut she had received earlier as the Slytherins had attacked her. It had been rather deep so she should take it easy until it healed some more. Hermione felt an arm being wrapped around her waist, steadying her. She allowed herself to lean against the body behind her.
"What's wrong?" Tom's voice asked worriedly
He helped her to sit down on the chair again. Hermione opened her eyes and smiled at Tom shakily. He was crouched down in front of her. His gaze wandered over her body seemingly searching for the cause of her pain. His eyes quickly fell on her left leg. The white bandage she had conjured up was only partly covered by her skirt. Tom's eyes narrowed dangerously as he spotted the bandage. He extended a hand towards her skirt, not hesitant at all, and then pulled the skirt up a little bit, exposing the bandage underneath. There was now a rather large red spot where the cut was under the bandage.
"How did that happen?" Tom demanded to know as he looked up at her again, his voice was cold and commanding.
Hermione raised her eyebrows as he fixed her with his piercing gaze.
"It's nothing serious," she said in a soft voice, took the fabric of her skirt from his hand and pulled it down, again hiding the bandage. Then she tried to get up from the chair but Tom put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her from rising.
"How did you get hurt?" he again ordered her to tell him.
Hermione locked her eyes with him. There was a great deal of anger glinting behind his eyes.
"Let's say I had a little encounter with your dear followers," she told him in a soft but firm voice.
His eyes widened a little in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Hermione sighed and leaned against the backrest of the chair. Obviously she wasn't getting away so easily.
"Well, your stupid followers don't seem to like me that much." She offered him as explanation. "And they certainly didn't like it how I've talked to you yesterday morning either. So, they tried to get back to me for that."
There was now an eerily crimson touch to Tom's eyes as he said in a tightly controlled voice, "What did they do?"
By now Hermione was a little unsettled by this fearsome expression on his face. But she answered him nonetheless,"They attacked me in one of the corridors."
Tom's dark magic started to crackle around him murderously and those eyes which still stared up at Hermione were now almost completely red.
"They attacked you?" he said in an eerily calm tone.
Hermione felt a chill darting down her spine as she gazed into those crimson eyes. That was certainly intimidating, that glare of his. She breathed in deeply to calm herself down. Then she got up from the chair and this time she didn't let Tom stop her. She took her bag and started to limp away, ignoring the sharp pain in her leg. Tom who had stood up, too, followed after her.
"Where are you going?" he asked her in a still cold tone.
Hermione flashed a glance at him. Still there, those scary red eyes.
"To the common room," she replied in a firm voice as she continued to walk away.
Tom took a hold of her upper arm thus successfully stopping her. Her eyes flew up at his face. He glared down at her and Hermione was unable to recognize any emotion in his eyes. The red colour made that impossible.
"I don't think so," he hissed at her in a commanding voice.
Her eyebrows shot up and she continued to stare at him with wide eyes. She felt like being petrified as she stood there caught in his gaze. Tom took her bag from her shoulder and readjusted his grasp on her arm before he started to walk away, half carrying her with him. Hermione was very alarmed by the curious stares the other students threw her way as she was being dragged through the library.
They left the library shortly afterwards. And she somehow still found herself following the dominant wizard beside her through the corridors, not really knowing why she didn't resist him. His hand was grasping her upper arm tightly but somehow he supported her so that she didn't have to put too much weight on her left leg as she walked. After a while Hermione glanced at Tom's face. She was rather relieved to find his eyes now being that beautiful shade of grey again.
"Where are we going?" she asked him.
Tom's eyes flashed at her shortly before he answered curtly, "Where you should have gone immediately after you were hit by that curse. The Hospital Wing."
"It's not that serious," Hermione said automatically.
Tom stopped, looked at her and frowned. Now that his eyes were back to grey Hermione was able to see some of his emotions. Tom seemed to still be angry but there was also concern now shining through his eyes.
After a while of staring at her he stated in an unemotional tone, "There is blood flowing down your leg."
Then he tightened his grip on her and resumed his way to the Hospital Wing. As she followed him Hermione looked down on herself. And he was right. There certainly was blood trickling down her leg. It was nothing compared to earlier but there were again traces of blood on her skin. The cut must have reopened again, Hermione assumed. After a while they finally arrived at the door leading into the Hospital Wing. Hermione really didn't want to be here. She still thought that the cut wasn't serious enough to warrant a trip to the Hospital Wing. But it was too late now as Tom just knocked at the door. A moment later Madame Dulan opened the door. Her eyes quickly wandered to Hermione's leg and she exclaimed in a worried voice,
"Oh no, what happened, dear?"
Then she stepped aside and permitted them in. Tom led Hermione to one of the beds. She sat down on the soft mattress. In the mean time Madame Dulan had hurried over to them and now eyed Hermione concerned.
"Oh my dear, you are an unlucky girl, aren't you?" she said while she shook her head sadly. "First your shoulder and now your leg. Unfortunately Healer Perry is not here right now," the brunette woman told Hermione. "But I'll do my best to help you."
Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion until she remembered that ancient looking healer she had met the last time she had been in the hospital wing. That had been shortly after her duel with Tom.
Madam Dulan eyed Tom, standing right beside Hermione and looking uncharacteristically upset. Then she said, "Now, young man, if you excuse us. I need to look after your girlfriend."
Hermione nearly choked as she heard that. Girlfriend? That woman seemed to jump to conclusions, didn't she? Hermione could feel her face heat up and it got even worse as Tom smirked down at her before he said to Madam Dulan in a polite voice,
"Of course, Madame."
Hermione then watched Madame Dulan drawing the drapes shut around the bed. Why was she making such an effort, drawing those drapes shut anyway? Hermione wondered. Why the fuss? It was just her leg that was wounded. Nothing Tom hadn't seen already. Her thoughts jumped back to the last day of the break, as Tom had slept in her bed. Hermione was very annoyed as the blush on her face was back.
"Did you conjure that up yourself?" Hermione was brought out of her musing by Madam Dulan's voice.
She looked down at herself and found Madam Dulan gesturing at the white bandage still wrapped around her now exposed thigh. Though in the mean time a huge part of the bandage had gotten red.
"Yeah," Hermione replied.
Madam Dulan nodded then she pulled her wand and waved it over Hermione's thigh. The bandage vanished and revealed the cut underneath. Madam Dulan examined the cut with narrowed eyes.
"How did that happen, my dear?" she asked Hermione in a kind voice.
"Er… a stray curse?" Hermione muttered.
The brunette woman sighed, shook her head and then started to wave her wand over the wound. Hermione felt a tingling warmth in her leg. After that Madam Dulan took a small potion vial and turned towards Hermione.
"This will help close the wound. But I'm afraid it will hurt a bit."
Hermione nodded. Madam Dulan opened the vial and then poured the red potion cautiously over the cut in Hermione's thigh. It did hurt a little but it was not really bad. As she was finished Madam Dulan waved her wand and a bandage wrapped itself tightly around Hermione's thigh. This bandage was a lot softer and thicker than what Hermione had conjured up herself.
"That's it. You'll be up and about in no time," Madam Dulan exclaimed. "I'm afraid there will be a scar, though." Here Madam Dulan looked at her as if a little scar was the end of the world. "I'm sure your nice boyfriend won't leave you because of it." She smiled encouragingly at Hermione.
Hermione inwardly rolled her eyes.
Yeah, they nearly cut off my leg but the most important thing is that my boyfriend won't mind the scar. The forties remained to be a foreign land to Hermione.
In spite of her thoughts she said politely, "Thank you."
After that Madam Dulan got up and removed the drapes again. Hermione was surprised to find Tom instantly by her side. He scanned her leg with narrowed eyes. Then his gaze wandered from Hermione to Madam Dulan.
As Madam Dulan saw his gaze she told Tom, "You don't have to worry about her. She'll be okay soon." Then she cast a glance Hermione's way before she continued, "There will just be a small scar. But nothing too big."
Hermione stiffened as she saw a red touch appear in his eyes as Tom heard Madam Dulan's last statement. Madam Dulan misinterpreted her reaction and put a hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"It really will be just a very small scar," she told Tom as if she tried to convince him not to abandon Hermione.
Somehow this situation was a little funny, Hermione then decided.
Who would have thought that there would come the day when a crazy nurse tries to convince Tom Riddle not to leave me?
"Thank you for tending to her," Hermione heard Tom say in his smooth voice.
Then he again clutched her arm and helped her to stand up. Hermione was glad to be able to leave the Hospital Wing again. Madam Dulan was really a nice woman but Hermione just didn't like having to go there. She allowed Tom to grab her by her arm and to lead her out of the Hospital Wing. That cut in her leg was really nothing serious but now that she walked again she had to admit that it did hurt quite a bit. So Hermione now leaned rather heavily on Tom, trying to put as little weight on the leg as possible. After a while of walking in silence Tom said in a quiet voice,
"Why didn't you tell me right away that they attacked you?"
Hermione's eyes wandered up at him but he wasn't looking in her direction.
"Why should I have told you?" she asked him confused.
Tom turned his head and now looked down at her.
"Because they could have attacked you again."
She frowned at him before she said, "I can look after myself!"
He sighed in frustration and his grip in her arm tightened a little. Then he said in an authoritative tone, "Next time you are hurt or someone assaults you, you tell me. I'll take care of it."
"Do you really think I can't defend myself?" she said in a firm voice.
"That's not a matter of how strong you are," he replied, still in that cold voice. Then his eyes wandered over her left leg. "And by the way it doesn't look like you can defend yourself well."
"That was a stupid accident," Hermione huffed. "Could have happened to anybody."
"That wasn't an accident. That was a dangerous curse," Tom said while he pulled her closer to him. Then he continued in a commanding voice. "In the future you are going to tell me if you are threatened by somebody."
Hermione glanced up at him. He was looking down at her sharply. His grey eyes were boring into hers daring her to contradict him. Why was he suddenly so tenacious about that matter? Why did he seem to be so enraged about her being attacked? Hermione didn't know what to make of that. He was so strange lately. Hermione knew that their relationship had changed over the Christmas break but she didn't know into what it had changed. What did Tom want from her?
As Hermione didn't reply to his statement or order or whatever it was Tom readjusted the grip on her arm and then started to walk again, dragging her with him. Hermione was too confused to do anything more than just follow him through Hogwarts' many corridors. As they walked in silence through the castle Hermione was deep in thoughts. Before the break Tom wouldn't have cared at all if she had been hurt in any way.
Even worse, he would have been delighted.
But now…
Now he seemed to be interested in her. The big question remained to be why he was so interested in her activities. She didn't like that sudden interest of his at all because it resulted in him being always around her. And that collided with her resolution of staying away from him. Even now as he had been so commanding and dominating again she still had enjoyed it how he had held her. He was way too near her now. His hand clasped her arm and she leaned on him so closely that she could even smell his pleasant scent. His closeness made her waver in her decision. That was something unacceptable. Hermione hated herself for feeling protected and safe when he was around.
Protected? With Lord Voldemort around? You must be insane! an enraged inner voice screamed at her. Yes, insane, Hermione thought as she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. After she had opened her eyes again she cast a quick glance at Tom. He was still walking beside her and held her gently so that she didn't have to put her whole weight on her leg.
What had changed? Hermione wondered again. Tom was still scary sometimes and certainly intimidating but somehow Hermione found that she wasn't afraid of him anymore. That feeling had been replaced by something else.
Something that is wrong!
After they had passed a few more corridors they finally arrived at the entrance to Hermione's common room. She was rather grateful for that because her leg had started to throb painfully. Hermione let go of Tom and turned towards the portrait of the Fat Lady. Before she could utter the password, Tom suddenly grabbed her by her arm again, pulled her over to him and wrapped his arms around her thus pressing her tightly against his chest. Hermione was taken by surprise as she felt his arms around her. As if they had a life of their own her arms snaked themselves slowly around his waist so that she clung to him. Then she even closed her eyes and leaned against him. It was so liberating, having someone holding her, to know that someone was there for her. Hermione had been so sure that this feeling had died with her friends, with her family in the future.
After a while Tom whispered to her in a tightly controlled voice, "Those idiots are never going to bother you again!"
Hermione stared up at him. He was looking down at her and his grey eyes burned with determination.
"You are not going to kill them, are you?" she asked in a weak attempt to joke.
"Not if they are repentant," Tom replied in a serious voice and Hermione wasn't completely sure if he was joking.
Then Tom bent down to her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Hermione's eyes fluttered shut as she felt him kissing her so gently again. She was still befuddled by his sudden actions as she felt him releasing her again. She reopened her eyes and found him now smirking conceitedly while his grey eyes sparkled softly down at her.
Then he turned towards the portrait of the Fat Lady and said in his smooth voice, "Plover."
The Fat Lady had obviously been observing the scene rather nosily and seemed to now be disappointed that it ended so abruptly. But the portrait still sprung forward and admitted Hermione in.
"Where did you learn the password?" Hermione asked Tom as she drowned him in an irritated look.
He didn't answer instead he just smiled at her charmingly which made her roll her eyes. Then she turned around and climbed through the entrance.
"See you tomorrow," she heard Tom's amused voice calling after her.
After he had accompanied Hermione back to her common room Tom stalked back to his own common room. Now that Hermione wasn't around anymore he allowed his magic to crackle around him furiously. How could they have dared to attack her? Tom's hands balled into tight fists as he remembered that bandage on Hermione's thigh. Those useless gits had really dared to act without his orders. Hermione was his. And Tom didn't like it very much when others stained his things. That was something he never tolerated.
He walked down the last metres to the entrance to the Slytherin common room and tried to rein in his magic. It was still dancing around him so delightfully angry.
"Anguis," Tom hissed the password to the Slytherin common room.
A stone door appeared on the bare wall and slid open, permitting him in. Tom entered the common room. His gaze quickly fell on a group of Slytherins sitting on their usual couch at the other end of the room. Tom started to walk over to them as he felt a hand on his arm. He slowly looked down beside him and his eyes narrowed in anger as he found Melanie Nicolls. Right now she was looking at him expectantly before she said in her pesky, shrill voice,
"Tom, where have you been? I've been waiting for you the whole day."
Tom had to consciously work to stop his magic from lashing out at her. Though he wondered briefly why he put an effort in it anyway. That girl really started to get on his nerves. Just because he had shagged her didn't mean she could bug him all the time.
"I don't have time right now," Tom answered her in a cold tone and pulled his arm free of her unwanted grasp.
He ignored the disappointed expression on Nicolls' face and continued his way towards the group of boys. His magic flared up threateningly as his gaze wandered over his followers. They were sitting there on the sofa, fooling around and laughing stupidly.
Not for long, Tom thought as a familiar coldness took hold of his mind. They noticed him walking over to them very quickly which wasn't really surprising as Tom didn't bother to completely reign in his furious magic. It now danced around him ferociously and glowed so delightfully with his anger. As he had finally reached the boys sitting on the sofa he let his gaze slowly wander over them. They had by now stopped their stupid babbling and were looking at him with a mixture of fear and reverence. But, Tom though coldly, they were not as afraid yet as they should be.
"Follow me!" Tom hissed at them before he turned around and walked towards the exit of the common room again.
He didn't look back to make sure that they were really following him. They knew too well what would happen if they dared to disobey him. So Tom led them through the many corridors of Hogwarts without once turning back to them or speaking one word to them. But still they followed him. After some time they reached that familiar passageway. It looked so inconspicuous but nevertheless hid the entrance to one of Hogwarts' many secrets. This time Tom didn't order one of his followers to open the Come-and-Go room like he normally did. Instead he himself walked three times by that familiar patch of bare wall until a door appeared. He stepped over to the door, opened it and faced the room behind. It was a very long, dimly lit chamber. Imposing stone pillars rose high up to the ceiling which was hidden in darkness. A green sheen seemed to lit the chamber somehow. Tom's mouth curled up a little as he stepped into the Chamber of Secrets. He swiftly moved further into the chamber's darkness, still not turning around to make sure the other boys were still following him. He could hear their hesitant footsteps echoing from the cold walls. Tom passed a few stone pillars on his way into the heart of the chamber. Snakes carved out of stone wound themselves around the pillars and reminded every intruder angrily of whom that room belonged to. Tom could almost feel the presence of the basilisk as he strode down the chamber. He had to remind himself that this was just a replication made up solely from his memory. The real chamber still lay deep down in the underground of Hogwarts. Thanks to Dumbledore, it was now unreachable to Tom. A burning fury boiled up in him at the thought of the transfiguration teacher and the air around Tom started to bristle irately with his magic again.
Then he passed the last columns and stepped in front of the statue of Salazar Slytherin. Tom let his gaze sweep over the stony figure of his ancestor before he turned around and faced his followers. They were standing just a few metres behind Tom and were huddled together as if afraid the chamber itself would attack them. Which wouldn't be so farfetched if this hadn't just been an imitation of Slytherin's chamber.
Tom breathed in deeply. It felt good being back here even if it was just a mere copy. It had taken him the good amount of four years to find the entrance to the chamber. It was a great loss that no-one would be able to see the chamber ever again now that Tom could no longer risk to enter it. Maybe he should take steps to ensure that Slytherin's noble work would somehow be continued. But now was not the time to dwell on those thoughts. His eyes flashed back at his followers and the white hot rage took hold of his mind again. They needed to be punished for disobeying him and for attacking his possession. So Tom gestured for them to come nearer and they were quickly forming a semi-circle around him. His cold gaze wandered slowly over the boys standing in front of him. Each of them squirmed uncomfortably, Tom noted satisfied. They seemed to be very afraid of Tom and they had every reason to be. He tried to restrain his magic from lashing out at those idiotic boys, at least for now. In his mind's eye he could still see the bloodstained bandage on Hermione's leg and how she had gasped in pain as she had tried to walk on that leg. That witch belonged to no-one but him. He was not going to allow anyone other than himself to hurt her. But his foolish followers had dared to do just that and their stupidity had left behind a mark on Hermione's body.
They are going to pay. Dark, icy cold thoughts swam through his mind, ensnaring him and demanding to take revenge. A murderous determination took hold of him and he knew he wasn't going to resist that deathly urge, he didn't want to resist.
"My dear followers," Tom began lightly and the tone of his voice was not transporting any of the wrath he was feeling. "Just now, word of your doings today has reached me."
His eyes glided over the Slytherins standing in front of him. His wrath burned unrelentingly inside of him as he saw a touch of pride in the eyes of some of his followers. Did they expect to be praised?
"So I decided to come here," Tom continued in his quiet voice which echoed eerily from the stone walls of the chamber. "To give you the chance to tell me about it without nosy people to hear in on us."
Yes, that was one reason he had come here. The other was that from inside this chamber no-one would hear their screams. Tom now started to pace in front of his followers, staring at each of them in turn. But none of them answered his request. Had they finally sensed the danger they were in? Tom stopped in front of Black who shrank back from him a little.
"You don't want to keep things from me, do you?" Tom asked and for the first time he allowed a little of his fury to seep into his words.
Black averted his eyes before he hastily stammered, "No, of course not."
Tom continued to fix him with his stare a little longer before he turned away from Black and now stepped in front of Avery.
"What did you do today?" Tom asked him. His voice was hard and he would not tolerate any lies.
He saw Avery flinch away from him. But then that fool seemed to muster up the little courage he had and answered Tom, "We just punished that insolent girl."
"You punished DeCerto?" Tom slowly asked in a deathly calm voice.
Hate was now rushing through him so forcefully that he was almost unable to maintain his calm appearance. His magic was ripping at him, demanding to be set free.
"I didn't order you but still you felt the need to punish her," he stated in that same emotionless voice.
Panic was now in Avery's eyes as he stared back at Tom. Then he rushed on in a shaky voice, "That slut insulted you. We were just trying to teach her some manners."
Finally Tom wasn't able to hold back any longer he raised his wand, pointed it at Avery and whispered, "Crucio."
Instantly the chamber rang with Avery's painful screams. He crumbled down, bashing and twitching with pain. Tom observed with cold detachment how Avery suffered. His anger cooled down a little as he saw that expression of pure pain on Avery's face. The other boys still stood on their spots, not doing anything. They didn't try to help Avery or to stop Tom. They were just standing there and hoping that they would not share Avery's fate.
After a while Tom ended the curse and the screams, echoing from the walls, stopped. Avery still lay on the ground and he was now breathing laboured. Tom just smiled down at him evilly but his wrath wasn't yet satisfied. It still burned inside of him. He turned his back towards Avery's fallen form and his cold grey eyes wandered up the statue of Slytherin until they landed on this ancient face carved out of the stone. Then he said in a quiet voice,
"I can't remember giving you the order to defend my honour."
Tom detached his eyes from his ancestor's face and turned around to his followers again. He could almost smell their fear in the air as he hit them with his deathly cold gaze.
"Say," he continued, still in that completely controlled voice. "did you assume that I was too weak to do so myself?"
He took a step towards the boys who still stood in that semi-circle before him. Now he allowed his magic to leave him and to crackle around him furiously. He smiled sadistically as he watched his followers shuffle nervously as his magic hit them.
Then he said in a dangerous, low voice, "Do you think I need your help to put that girl in her place?"
His dark glare wandered over his followers and Tom enjoyed the fear he could see in their eyes. After a while it seemed Alba couldn't take this pressure any longer. He stepped out of the circle and then stammered in a fearful voice,
"Of course not. Please, we just wanted to be of use to you."
Tom faced the boy standing in front of him and saw him shaking in fear. He raised his wand and allowed his furious magic to flow through the wand and formed it into a curse.
Sagitta!
His magic left the wand and now took the form of many small, glowing arrows rushing towards Alba. As the arrows hit him Alba screamed in agony and fell down on his knees. Though there were no wounds where the arrows had hit him Tom knew that he had done some serious damage. This spell was not designed to hurt the body but to attack the magic itself. Alba's magic was now mauled and would need some time to mend.
"Do you really think I need your assistance?" Tom asked and the cold hate left behind from the previously used curse still rippled through his magic.
"I do not need assistance!" he hissed in a sharp tone, emphasizing each word while he again twirled his wand.
Alba was hurled to the ground and Tom relished those painful whimpers coming from Alba's fallen form. But then he abruptly turned to Malfoy who stood right beside Alba. He was very disappointed with Malfoy. Normally he was reliable and never dared to contradict Tom in any way.
"Malfoy, tell me. Did you participate in this?" Tom asked him commanding voice.
"I did not," Malfoy whispered his scared sounding reply.
Tom's eyes wandered over his form. So he was not one of those who hurt Hermione? But still, Malfoy seemed to be unable to meet his gaze, Tom noticed.
"But you knew about it. And didn't tell me?" he asked in a low voice.
Malfoy's eyes shot at him shortly and Tom could see his guilt. So he just raised his wand and sent another torture curse at Malfoy. Just like Avery he fell to the ground and screamed in pain.
Tom had just ended the curse and Malfoy's screams still echoed from the chamber's walls as he said in a threatening voice, "Whose idea was it? I advise you to confess now. Believe me, I have methods of finding out myself. And you do not want me to force the truth from you."
His statement was met by an angst filled silence. Then a panicky voice tore the silence, "Lestrange! It was Lestrange."
Tom turned to Avery whose voice had just now given away the traitor. Avery had managed to get on his shaky legs again and now he looked at Tom, pure panic on his face. Tom stared into his frightened eyes and didn't hesitate to use Legilimens on the other boy. His mental assault breached Avery's unprotected mind. Tom cut though his vulnerable memories which made Avery hiss in pain. But it seemed he was telling the truth. Tom retreated again from the other's mind and Avery crumpled to the ground, holding his head. Tom didn't pay him any heed as he now stepped over to Lestrange. So, this was the one responsible for Hermione's wound? Tom's eyes narrowed as they scanned Lestrange. He had led the others to attacking her and hurting her?
An icy coldness wrapped itself around Tom's mind, suffusing him completely until there was nothing left than the murderous drive to cause pain. His magic sang in contentment with his malign thoughts, espousing and supporting them. There was no way to stop now, Tom needed to assuage that powerful need to hurt and to destroy.
"So it was you?" Tom whispered in a low voice. He was not able to hide his wrath any longer. It dripped from every word that left his mouth.
He watched without even a trace of pity how Lestrange flinched away from him and then stuttered shakily in a voice filled by nothing but fear, "Please, I was just trying to serve you. I would never flout your orders."
The other's display of submissiveness did nothing to calm down that piercing coldness which now was the only thing driving Tom's thoughts. There was no room for anything else but this burning hate.
Tom brandished his wand while he thought, Ensis!
A blindingly bright curse left the tip of his wand and soared towards Lestrange. It grazed Lestrange's leg before it smashed violently into to stone floor behind him. Lestrange screamed in pain and his hands flew to the now heavily bleeding wound in his leg. The sight of the blood didn't satisfy Tom's wrath in any way. He waved his wand again and Lestrange was instantly thrown to the floor. The power of the curse sent him skidding until he came to a halt a few metres away. A blood red stain followed the way he had been skidded over the floor. Tom walked over to Lestrange until he again stood right in front of him. Lestrange groaned in pain and Tom delighted in the agony, visible on the other's face.
"Forgive me," Lestrange whimpered. "I didn't mean to displease you."
Tom didn't reply. He just waved his wand again and let his magic wind itself around Lestrange. Then Tom ordered his magic to lift him up. Lestrange yelled in pain as he was brutally yanked up. Tom just laughed coldly at the other boy's agony who now hung in mid-air with his feet not touching the ground. With a small movement of his wand Tom forced Lestrange's arms to extend from his sides so that it looked as if he had been crucified. Then Tom's magic wound around Lestrange's right arm until it reached his hand.
The very hand he had used to hold his wand as he had attacked Hermione, Tom thought with a disturbing coldness.
He took a step toward Lestrange so that he now stood not even a metre away from him. His eyes bored into Lestrange's frightened ones as he said in a eerily calm voice, "You are never going to disobey me again."
While he hissed those words at Lestrange Tom's magic wrapped itself around Lestrange's index finger and bend it slowly upwards in the wrong direction. An abhorrent glimmer of amusement appeared in Tom's eyes as he felt through his magic how the finger was bent beyond the point that was anatomically possible. But he still didn't stop and Lestrange howled in pain. Then the bone of the finger dislocated from the joint. Lestrange's painful screams peaked and filled the chamber but Tom continued. His magic wandered to the next finger and began to likewise bend it in the wrong direction.
"Please, stop!" Lestrange managed to cry out. "I beg you!"
Tom cocked his head to the side and looked at Lestrange with that detached smile still on his face.
"There is no use begging me."
Lestrange's screams peaked again as the second finger, too, was broken from its joint. Tom sniggered as he now saw tears running down the other boy's face.
"Have mercy! I won't do it again! I won't do it again!" Lestrange whimpered.
Tom laughed a high pitched laugh then he said, "Of course you won't. And I will make sure that you really understand."
While he said that his magic wrapped around the next finger of Lestrange's hand and started to bend it up, too. Lestrange screamed in pain. His pitiful tears didn't stop Tom until he had broken every single one of the fingers on Lestrange's right hand. Then Tom pulled his magic abruptly back and Lestrange fell hard to the floor where he remained lying. He still cried in pain. Tom turned away from him and looked with unpitying eyes at his other followers who still stood where he had left them.
"Now listen to me closely because I won't repeat myself." His gaze wandered to Lestrange who still lay on the floor whimpering in pain then he looked back at his other followers. "You will stay away from Hermione DeCerto. She is mine."
Tom stared at each of them in turn, daring them to not accept his orders. But none of them did. They were too frightened by him, Tom noted satisfied.
Then he leaned over Lestrange who still snivelled on the ground and said in a disturbingly normal voice, "It seems you injured yourself during a Quidditch practice. How clumsy." Lestrange's pain clouded eyes looked up at him, understanding his hint to keep silent about Tom's involvement in his injuries.
Then Tom continued in a helpful sounding tone, "Maybe you should go to the hospital wing?"
Tom's laughter echoed from the cold walls of the Chamber of Secrets as he slid his wand back into his robe pocket and let his gaze wander over his followers. All of them looked terrified at him which made Tom laugh even harder. Then he just turned around and walked confidently towards the exit of the chamber.
{{{{{{{{+}}}}}}}}
Author's notes: Now here's another chapter for you to read. I'm glad I managed to finish it in time. Though I fear the next one will take a little longer. The evil gap, remember? Maybe two weeks (hopefully. can't promise though). I hope that's okay. I just need to work a little bit longer on it.
But now to this chapter. It again is rather long. Is it okay for you to read chapters this long? Or do you prefer shorter ones? I like to read reeeaaaly long chapters myself. But how about you?
And this chapter definitely is darker than the previous ones. And of course we owe that to Tom. Since that chapter where he captured Hermione and tortured her with the Cruciatus curse (which is quite some time ago) he hasn't done anything really evil. Okay, he attacked Hermione's friends in the last chapter but that was more something like self-defence. So, I didn't want you to think that all of a sudden he is nice. Because he really isn't. There still is this evil, voldemortish side in him. That's why I needed to show one of his evil deeds. And I wanted to, this time, show it from his point of view. He can be rather creepy I think.
Ah, and one more thing: I changed the entrance to the Slytherin common room. I don't know if anybody remembers but in one of the earlier chapters I already described this entrance. And I used a portrait. Which is just wrong. I read a few pages of book two again to see the description of the chamber of secrets and as I was doing this I stumbled over how the entrance to the Slytherin common room looks. So in this chapter it is now how it is described in canon. I somehow like it better that way. It will make an appearance in a later chapter so I changed it.
And again, so many thanks to my reviewers. It's so nice of you to take the time and write some comments to my story. It's always a pleasure to read them. Thank you, thank you!
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