TWENTY-SEVEN
Thursday, 21 April 2005
For the first few years of being at the Manor, she rarely went anywhere unless Riddle was with her. Granted, back then they weren't at the Manor much. They spent most of their time at the lab in Manchester and either at the British Ministry or going on trips to other territories. He had only started leaving her behind at the Manor within the last year. Now, she understood why; he had been gearing up for Phase Two and hadn't wanted her to know about it.
Before, she couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't grown bored of her. That one day he could come home to tell her he had changed his mind and no longer wanted anything to do with her. That he would take away her magic and memories before casting her out into the streets like the other Muggleborns. Or simply kill her as he said he had always should have so he could wash his hands of her.
But somewhere along the way, things had changed.
In the few days that followed the destruction of the lab, Hermione kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Riddle's anger to suddenly get the best of him in the ways it usually did. Every time she saw him during the day, she expected a harsh invasion of her mind; for him to scream and yell or pick a fight with her. Instead, he said nothing unless it was to ask her something about their plans or to inform her about a change.
It was the same for when they retired to their quarters for the evening. She expected retribution in the form of initiating something and not letting her finish. But he barely did anything more than brush his lips across her cheek as he bid her goodnight and drifted off to sleep on his side of the bed.
As far as his plans for a Summit, nearly half had responded saying that they would agree to meet. The ones that hadn't were the larger ones such as MACUSA, Russia, and Japan as well as the ones that were extremely loyal to those territories. Hermione wasn't sure if Riddle's insurances were put in place in the larger countries, but a part of her felt silly for doubting him at this point.
While they waited for the other responses to come in, there was still the matter of where the Summit would be held. They all knew it would be foolish to host an event at the Manor; that it would leave them open to attack. They had brainstormed a few things, but Riddle shot all of them down for one reason or another.
She used that time to Occlude. While the others around them tried to plan for war and where to meet the countries that agreed to sit down to the meeting, Hermione got lost in her own mind. Normally she wouldn't do this in his presence, but despite him being at her side those past few days, his attention was elsewhere. Mostly, it was her way of keeping her mind away from Draco. About the future he promised they would have together and what that might entail. It did not, however, stop her from rubbing the ring on her hand.
Frustrated with the lack of action, Riddle dismissed everyone from the throne room shortly after noon on Thursday. Once they were alone, he slumped in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is it that you are looking for?" she asked, angling herself in her seat to look at him. "All you've said so far is what you aren't."
"Large enough to hold everyone I invited. A place where we can be sure they cannot Apparate in or out of no matter what and that we have full control of. Somewhere we would see an attack coming long before they struck."
Hermione's lips moved faster than her brain could tell her it was a bad idea to say, "Like Hogwarts?"
She honestly couldn't remember a time he had looked so excited. His eyes were the brightest shade of grey and a genuine smile stretched his lips. "How long have you been sitting on that one?" he asked.
She shook her head. "It just came to me," she assured him. "But school's still in session. Easter has already come and gone so there aren't any more breaks until the end of term."
The last thing she wanted was to involve young and innocent witches and wizards should something truly awful go down. The castle had seen enough bloodshed in its time already. As it was, she hadn't set foot back inside the castle since Riddle had carried her away from the Battle almost seven years ago. Typically on the anniversary of his victory, he would throw a party and she would attend, but only begrudgingly.
As for Hogwarts, it was one of the things that she had been adamant about from the beginning. She had been surprised to find that he had agreed with her rather quickly. He had told her that he had been in a different mindset when his Death Eaters took over for what would have been her Seventh Year. That he was more worried about his own well being than anything else, but now that he had what he wanted, the castle would be a neutral place. The focus would be on education as it always had been with professors who were highly skilled in their areas instead of just blind followers.
The only thing that had truly changed about the student body was that Muggleborns were no longer in attendance. He had agreed to only go after those of age, but no longer were the underage ones added to the list to be informed of their heritage or invited to come to the school at the age of eleven.
"We can send them all home for an impromptu holiday," he said after a moment of consideration.
Hermione's lips pressed into a thin line as she nodded. "Every student and all adults not directly related to the Summit must be gone from the premises long before anyone shows up," she insisted.
"We will inform the Headmaster this weekend so that they have time to make preparations."
Her heart skipping a beat at the idea of going back to Hogwarts. "We?"
"Is that a problem?" he asked, a single brow arching as he stared at her.
Normally, if she said yes, he would still make her go and spend their time there making her miserable. But with his newfound attitude towards her, Hermione decided to risk it and answered, "Yes."
"How so?"
She rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. She turned towards him and folded her arms over her chest. "I lost a lot of people I cared about the last time I was there," she said. "It's not somewhere I care to revisit."
He was out of his seat in one fluid motion. Her head tipped back slightly as he stood before her so she could meet his gaze. "Surely not all your other memories of Hogwarts are bad."
She wet her lips as she allowed herself a short trip down memory lane. "Not all of them, no," she replied, unfolding her arms to make sure the mark on her arm was visible. "But enough of them."
His gaze flickered down towards her arm and she saw the way his lips curved down. It no longer hurt to be touched, but normally his touch made her flinch with phantom pains of the day he had carved it into her skin. This time was different. His touch was light as his fingers curled around it to move her arm back to her side. "Then perhaps we should set about making better memories upon our return."
Her brow furrowed and her lips parted with the intention of asking him exactly what he meant by that, but he was faster. He silenced her by slanting his lips over hers and reaching up to pull her close to him. She stilled as he moved his mouth over hers, but he pressed on as if trying to coax her into a state of arousal.
He drew her with him as he sank back down onto his throne. She straddled his lap as she had done countless times before. The skirt of her dress rode up nearly all the way to his hips and he swallowed a quiet moan from her as he dropped a hand to her thigh. He wasted no time in sliding up along her skin and brushing his fingers through her slit. He teased at the bundle of nerves until her hips rolled in a wanton manner; desperately seeking for more.
Hermione set one of her hands on his shoulder, letting her fingers curl around the fabric as he moved lower. Her other hands sank into his hair and tugged his head back so she could deepen their kiss as two of his fingers sank into her core. He matched the movement of her hips and she could feel herself growing wetter each time his fingers sank back inside of her.
Needing to breathe, she broke their kiss and tipped her head back. He leaned forward so he could nip at the spot below her jaw that made her cry out at the same time his thumb swiped at her clit. He crooked his fingers inside of her, hitting places that made her breath hitch and her vision blur. He pulled his head back when she tugged on his hair and when she peered down at him though hooded eyes, he was simply staring back at her.
Usually at this point he was saying things. Sometimes they were threats of what he might do to her or those she still cared about. Sometimes it was reminders of what he had already done. Others it was just about what was happening in the moment, but he was never silent. On top of everything else that was different about him these last few days, Hermione still wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.
And yet, the intensity of his gaze and the increased pace of his ministrations pushed her to the brink in a matter of seconds. She continued to grind her hips against his hand as she clung to him. He never stopped; just kept touching her to prolong her pleasure. Even when she squirmed atop of him, thinking it was over, he added a third finger to her core and pushed her over the edge again.
She collapsed against him; her head on his shoulder when he finally withdrew his touch. She panted for air as her thighs quivered and shook around his lap. She swallowed hard at the sound of him cleansing his fingers of her essence. When she sat back, her hands went towards his lap to free his cock that was straining against his trousers.
He placed his hands over hers and when she lifted her head up, he shook his. Hermione tipped her head to the side as she leaned back. "You're saying no?"
His eyes darkened and he inclined his head; his gaze flickering towards something behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck raised as she slowly turned around. Her entire body flushed as she discovered they were no longer alone. Her attention snapped back to Riddle, glaring at him, but when she tried to move, he placed one hand at the small of her back and the other gripped her thigh to keep her there.
Hermione dropped her head onto Riddle's shoulder and took a deep breath as she wondered just how long they had had an audience for.
"I believe I dismissed everyone, Lucius," Riddle said. "Is there a reason you have returned before a summons?"
"Forgive me, my lord, but there's been an attack," he said, urgency thick in his voice.
Hermione and Riddle both went completely still at that for a moment. "The Resistance?" he asked, pushing her off his lap and standing up beside her while she fixed her dress.
Lucius gave a slight shake of his head and when the acronym, "MACUSA," fell from his lips, a chill crept up Hermione's spine.
Draco sat on the couch. He had one hand bouncing on his thigh with nervous energy while the other held a glass of firewhiskey he had poured long ago but never drank. Instead, he just stared straight ahead, lost in thought.
The day had started off well; the hopes of finally having struck Riddle and his regime. And this time, the only casualties weren't those on Draco's side. That wasn't to say all the deaths were just; sometimes innocent people were caught in the middle. That was war. It was how the game was played.
The attack had been well organized on all fronts. The Ministry's of Germany, France, and England had all been hit at the same time in the same manner. A precise blow that nearly decimated everything within sight. Draco's people had provided the intelligence while MACUSA and the Russian Ministry sent their own operatives to make it work. It was their response to Riddle's request for a Summit. They wanted him to not only hear their public refusal, but to make sure he understood they didn't fear him.
It was successful.
But so was Riddle's counterstrike.
None of them had counted on him having something prepared. Especially not something of that caliber. They should have seen it coming; should have believed when he said he had no intention of letting anyone take what he deemed as his. That was already a lesson Draco had learned once before. One he apparently hadn't learned well enough the first time.
The loss of the Japanese wizarding community was felt in the hearts of everyone. When the reports started coming in that anyone with a drop of magical blood in their body were dropping like flies, Draco had felt sick to his stomach. It was like Slovenia all over again, but on a much larger scale.
Then Riddle's call for a ceasefire; something more akin to a final warning, came through the airwaves on the wizarding radio. He told them that Japan was an example. That those same methods of mass genocide had been put in place all over the world over the course of his reign. That should anyone attack him again, he wouldn't hesitate to activate every last weapon he had and take them all down. That he expected everyone to be at the Summit.
And they had no choice but to bow down to him.
"Do the others know?" Luna asked as she took the tumbler from his hands before sitting on the coffee table before him. She stared at him with that signature dreaminess in her blue eyes as she sipped at the amber liquid.
"Know what?" he countered.
"That you're going to Hogwarts for the Summit."
His jaw clenched in response, earning a hum from her. He hadn't told anyone his plans, but the moment Riddle had announced the date and the location for the Summit, he had made up his mind that he would absolutely be in attendance. He just had to figure out how.
"I won't try and stop you," she informed him, taking another sip. "I realize it would be a fool's errand at this point."
He snorted and reached forward to take his glass back. He downed the rest of it and made it disappear. "That makes one of us," he said, pushing himself to his feet and taking his leave for the night.