"You'll crack eventually," Hermione said. She leaned back in her chair and pried her shoes off, first one and then the other. Heels were so uncomfortable. The clothing was what she hated most about being Dark Lady. Heels and corsets and crowns that pinched and gave her the headache. Why couldn't she be a Dark Lady in jogging bottoms and trainers?
"Tom," she yelled out toward the backroom. He was shirking again, off playing with that damn snake. "You told me you would help. Just gather the dissidents in, you said, and I'll help question them."
He stuck his head in the doorway. "Can't you finish this one?" he asked. He looked over at the prisoner, hands tied behind his back and furious expression of defiance on his face. "Just throw a couple of crucios at him."
"Crucio gives me a stomach pain," Hermione said. "And it's my monthly so I've got quite enough of that going on."
Tom made a face but relented. "Fine," he said. "Go take a bath or something. Honestly, sometimes I think I have to do everything around here."
She was halfway down the corridor when she heard him yell, "Merlin, are you going to just leave those shoes lying here? I almost tripped on them. If I fall and break my neck you'll be stuck running this empire by yourself, just so you know!"
A/N - Thank you to raindeer-flotilla for the prompt on Tumblr