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Beta: Grammarly
Alpha: Oh man, Steph, I_was_BOTWP, dyslexic penguin, crazy4wood and, um… well, anyone else who has sadly had to listen to me rant about how to write this fic. I love you, thank you all.

Music is my Muse:
Song: Sucker; Jonas Brothers
Lyric: I'm a sucker for you. Say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly.


Tonks stood up and wrapped her arms around Remus, "it will be okay, we will get him. If not I promise you can murder him yourself and I will help you hide the body."

Severus Snape gave her a long look, "I am sorry, did the sainted Auror from the Order of the Phoenix just offer to hide the body if her wolf can't be contained and murders someone?"

Andromeda rolled her eyes standing up and sending a stinging hex at the ornery man. "Oh bugger off, Severus. We all know we will be hiding a body for you if Dumbledore goes after your goddaughter."

Tom stood up, "you would all have to beat me to it."

Minerva let out a prolonged sigh of annoyance, "peace treaty! You can not kill him unless provoked. Now get to bed and stop plotting murder."

Riddle This
Chapter 43
Read The Fine Print

Hermione tossed aside another piece of paper and growled in frustration. Theo Nott looked up and gave a small jerky nod.

"Bloody frustrating isn't it?"

Hermione nodded and continued to chew on her quill as she looked over the rune codes they were trying to translate. It had been three days and they were all still stumped. Her father had taken to cursing random objects in his office with the diary he had. They had found out the first day that the same code had not been used in each diary.

Professor Babbage had her own table where she had parchment spread out as well as large blackboards hovering around her.

Minerva had given up after hour three saying some rather unpleasant things about runes in general.

Harry, who had never taken Ancient Runes, was indeed making sure those that had taken the class did eat.

Draco was off in a corner working with his mother, who apparently had gotten an O on her N.E.W.T's in the subject.

Lucius and Severus were working with Remus Lupin, surprisingly not killing one another.

Theo and Hermione had paired off, much to Draco's annoyance, as they had already been partnered during their OWL year and worked well together.

"He would come up with about twenty different codes," Hermione muttered irritably tossing down her quill.

Theo snorted and scribbled out something on his paper frowning at it before he sighed and balled it up tossing it aside. "I say we feed him to your snake."

Hermione grinned and glanced over at Nagini who was sleeping in a sunspot put up by her next to her table.

"Sadly, I think that breaks the peace treaty," she replied pulling the diary she was working on closer to her and staring at it.

Harry walked in with Dobby to pass out tea.

"Oi, you all need to eat!"

Draco grinned at him, "need a pillowcase to wear, Potter?"

Before Hermione could send a hex his way his mother had knocked him over the head and Hermione had to hide her giggle. Harry just rolled his eyes at him and tossed a cake at him.

"Harry! Don't throw food in a library!" Hermione yelled using wandless magic to set the cake down gently next to Draco.

Harry grinned at her and tossed a cake her way before walking over to set one down for Nagini.

"Can a snake eat tea cakes?" Theo asked curiously.

Harry shrugged, "this snake does."

Hermione snickered and tucked into her cake thanking Dobby for tea.

"How goes it?" Harry asked sitting down and handing his plate of cakes to an elf Hermione didn't recognise.

"We haven't made any progress. Theo votes to feed Dumbledore to Nagini and be done with it," Hermione said after polishing off her cake.

Harry blew out an irritated breath and poked at the diary. "While I am all for that, I think he would give her indigestion. Are you sure this is actually Runes?"

Hermione shook her head at him taking back the diary. "Yes, Harry, we are sure it is actually Runes."

Harry pushed up from the table, "well, I will leave you lot to it then. Minerva is teaching me how to use Advanced Transfiguration in duelling. It's wicked!"

Hermione gave him a sour look, "bugger off you prat, I have work to do."

Theo laughed as Harry, whistling, did, in fact, bugger off.

Three hours later Hermione had ink all over her hands, face, and hair. She had chewed up six quills and used up enough parchment to feel as if she should plant a tree in penance. But, if she just could get this one rune to fit-

"I got it!" she yelled triumphantly looking up and smiling.

Theo stood up so fast his chair fell over as he rushed over to her. She was waving her wand to rearrange the copied runes in the correct order.

Professor Babbling rushed over looking at the Runes flashing in the air her lips moving as she translated.

"That, well done Hermione. Did you notice a pattern that might help us with the others?"

Hermione grinned stabbing a section of her notes. "Every third Rune. Check every third Rune!"

Theo threw himself back in his chair and started rearranging the Runes from his diary. Ten minutes later he sat up in shock. "Bugger me! They aren't different codes! Mine is every fourth rune."

"What diary number do you have?" Draco asked looking at the spine of his diary.

"Mine has a four," Theo said looking at Hermione.

Hermione smacked her head, "oh goodness, mine has a three on it."

Narcissa was quickly rearranging the runes and nodded looking up in pure glee. "Take the number from the diary and work off those runes."

Severus Snape growled. "So bloody simple and we all missed it?"

Professor Babbling was laughing. "Well, who would think he would be that obvious, Severus?"

"Too right," Remus said in exasperation.

Lucius stood up, "I will tell our Lord."

"I would let Hermione," Severus said scribbling frantically on parchment. "He is least likely to curse her."

Nagini yawned and moved off hissing, "I will go tell master."

"Um, what is the snake doing?" Theo asked looking after her.

Hermione flushed and then shrugged rushing off after Nagini. Professor Babbage did not know that she could speak to snakes, and assumed she was the daughter of Remus. It had been a bit awkward but it was important to her father that she kept her true parentage a secret.

Harry found the situation of who her father was funny, Draco was resigned, and Hermione didn't know what to do.

OoOooOoOO

Nagini was already in her fathers' office when she arrived a few minutes later.

"Nagini tells me you had a breakthrough?" Tom asked running a hand through his unusually rumpled hair.

"What number is on the spine of the diary you are working on?" Hermione asked sitting down.

"Twelve, why?"

"Only translate every twelfth rune, father."

Tom Riddle stared at her in shock before he looked down and did what she said. Hermione waited for him to finish and then smirked as he started cursing.

"I don't know that word? What language is it?" she asked innocently.

"German, is this working on all the diaries?"

Hermione nodded and then frowned. "I had the idea the first day and dismissed it because it seemed too simple. But, when everything else failed and every diary seemed to have a different code I decided to give it a try. However, I didn't put together that my diary was the third until Theo figured out every fourth Rune translated and his diary was the fourth."

Tom shook his head giving a rueful smile. "I did start with that idea, but after six tries dismissed it. If I had gotten to twelve I am still not sure I would have looked at the number of the diary I was translating."

Hermione shrugged. "Well, we better get back to it then."

Tom stood up shaking his head. "You take a break, go train with Harry. Now that we know the code it should be simple enough to get these all translated."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her father but finally nodded. "I will grab Draco and Theo, I am sure they could use a break."

Tom smiled, "I will send them your way. They are in the south parlour," he said as he walked out briskly heading towards the Library.

OoOooOoooOOoO

Later that night Hermione sat on the bed waiting for Draco to finish talking with his father about something toying with her necklace. Her fathers' last Horcrux.

Draco walked in and smiled at her walking over to drop a kiss on her forehead. "What has you with that look on your face?"

"What do you think will happen when my father has no more Horcruxes?"

Draco went still and then shook his head frowning. "I- I have no idea. Do you?"

Hermione shook her head biting her lip. "No, and that worries me."

"Did you ask your father?"

"Do you think he would answer me?"

Draco nodded. "I do, and since I know you so well and know we will get no sleep until you have figured this out, run along and go talk to him while I jump in the shower."

Hermione smirked and kissed him quickly before rushing off.

OooOooO

Minerva sat with Tom Riddle looking him over carefully. "Your transfiguration is slipping, Tommy boy."

Tom jumped from reading the translation of diary number fifteen and frowned at her. "I have no idea what you are talking about Minnie."

She waved her hand at him frowning. "You are using a mixture of a charm and transfiguration in some kind of glamour. What I want to know is why?"

Tom sighed heavily and sat back before he waved his hand and cancelled his modified glamour.

Minerva stared at him a moment before she sat forward her eyes sharp. "You started ageing. When?"

"A few days after the trial that I noticed." Tom reapplied the glamour and picked up the parchment he had been reading before Minerva had interrupted him.

Minerva looked him over and shook her head. "What does this mean?"

There was a knock at the door and they both looked up startled.

"The wards?" Minerva asked frantically.

Tom gave a small smile, "are for once not breached. It is my daughter, however, and I would prefer if you did not mention this conversation with her."

Minerva picked up her tea giving a short nod her heart pounding.

Hermione walked in with a worried expression and was playing with a charm on her wrist. "Father- oh, hello Minerva."

Minerva smiled at her and waved her hand at her tea. "Hello dear, tea?"

Hermione shook her head. "Oh, um, no thank you. I was heading to bed actually. I just had a question."

Tom shut and rewarded the door. "I have no secrets from Minerva it would seem. If you don't object to her hearing your inquiry, ask away, daughter."

Hermione smirked and sat down. "It's about Horcruxes, actually."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at this but stayed silent.

"What about them?" Tom asked setting down the parchment and folding his hands on his desk.

Hermione seemed to hesitate and then asked softly. "When you have none anymore, what happens to you?"

Tom sat back and gave a slow nod. "Ah, I see. Well, you have a full soul."

Hermione frowned and then deflated. "That's it?"

Tom shrugged, "yes, I am afraid it is that simple."

Hermione smiled at her father brilliantly. "Good, I was worried- but-" she rushed forward and impulsively hugged the wizard and Minerva had to hide her smirk as Tom stiffened in shock.

She did smile when he patted his daughter awkwardly on the back. "Go on to bed now. I am sure Draco will be looking for you."

Hermione nodded and after a quick goodbye rushed out.

Minerva stared at him. "You are lying, or I am a Hufflepuff."

Tom sighed and added a few more layers to the wards on the office. "Astute as always, Minnie. When I visited the Dark Arts Master in Spain he warned me that once my soul was restored I would age again."

"So is the last Horcrux gone then?" Minerva asked carefully.

Tom shook his head. "I checked it when Hermione was in my office earlier, it is still there, ready to protect her."

Minerva frowned her face screwed up in concentration. "And when it is gone?"

Tom picked up the parchment again saying nothing.

Minerva scowled at him her tone growing shrill, "don't you ignore me, Tom Riddle!"

A small smirk played on the wizards' lips, "I would never ignore you, Minnie."

Minerva sat back stunned. "You don't know."

A short nod, "no I do not. I could simply catch up to the age I should be, or-"

Minerva interrupted him in a shocked whisper, "you could die."

Tom inclined his head but didn't look up from the parchment.

"You said once Dumbledore was gone you would regret that Horcrux," Minerva said after a moment.

Tom nodded regally. "Yes, I will."

"And if you die?"

Tom shook his head. "I die."

Minerva closed her eyes. "I am assuming you do not wish for Hermione to know this?"

"As always, you would be correct, Minnie."

Minerva set down her tea not saying a word, knowing her companion was done speaking about it. So, with a heavy sigh went back to reading the translation of diary number ten.

OoOOoOOoO

Draco came out of the shower to find Hermione waiting in bed smiling at him. He smirked back at her and headed to the bed, waving his wand at the fire to stoke it.

"Everything all right?"

"Yes, he said that his soul would just be complete again."

Draco pulled her over him kissing her deeply. "See, nothing to worry about."

Hermione grinned running her hands through his hair and kissing him back. "Well, that is a welcome change, isn't it?"


Author Notes:

We are rapidly approaching the end of this tale.
I can not express my utter astonishment at the love you have shown me and this crazy trip from canon you have encouraged me to take.
Thank you for always supporting me when I am sick, healthy, crazy, and even when I randomly decide to make Hermione Tom Riddles daughter.

I truly feel so blessed to have you all on this journey with me.

On a personal note. Yay for steroids, I have kicked bronchitis. Up next, we have the approval to remove the evil ovary! That surgery is next month, and I will have to be hospitalized to watch for blood clots and monitor my lupus. I am hoping to get a chapter out before then.
As always you can keep up with my utterly nutty life on Instagram: CrystalJeanRed

Cheers,
CJean