Minister Riddle Will See You Now
Chapter 3: Bad Decisions
**NOTE: This story considers Voldemort and Tom Riddle as two different people. They are not the same people. Pretend for the sake of the story that Voldemort was once a boy called Farmer Bob, for all I care. He is not, was not, will never be Tom. Tom in this story is a "normal" person.
NEWTs began with and with each one she took, Hermione felt a bit lighter. She had three NEWTs on Monday; History of Magic, Divination and Ancient Runes. She spent her time from after a meager breakfast until a little bit into dinner testing.
She had revised until nearly midnight Monday and forgot to mail back the package to Riddle so it was Tuesday before she had a chance. With only two NEWTs that day, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures, she had enough time to write a nice note and mail the package back to him.
She wrote a heartfelt thank you for the very thought of the gift and she wrote of her regret that he felt that he owed her anything after being so kind as to accept her interview in place of Miss Lovegood's. She left a quote at the bottom of the parchment for him from Henry IV figuring it was a classic he might recognize, being so intelligent himself.
"Since all is well, keep it so: wake not a sleeping wolf."
Wednesday rolled around with her feeling like she'd been steamrolled. She accepted a calming draught and invigoration draught from Madam Pomfrey before three more NEWTs, Transfiguration, Arthimancy and Herbology.
Not that Hermione had noticed but the school around her was excited about the drawing to a close of the school year. Ginny and Luna had finalized the lease on their flat without her as she'd been working the previous Saturday and that suited Hermione fine. She'd not be on the lease but renting a room from the both of them. She trusted them not to evict her and it saved her a boring meeting that would have detracted from work or revisions. Ginny and Luna had even taken the opportunity to move some of their things in and make the flat a little more livable. They promised to help Hermione unpack her own things when they moved in. Each of them were only taking 6 NEWTs and far more leisure time as evidenced by their ability to found The Hogwarts Happenings.
By Thursday Hermione's brain was a little more focused. She only had three more NEWTs to take and only two of them were difficult. Defense Against the Dark Arts took place on Thursday and Astronomy that night. In between she was able to study for Potions and felt comfortable falling asleep after the Astronomy NEWT without feeling the need to cram some more.
By Friday she was ready for the hardest NEWT, Potions. She had worked on her personal project all year and was certain she would get extra points for it. Not all Potion NEWT students managed to create an entirely new potion that actually worked. Most only adapted or improved a potion. She brewed everything they required her to brew in record time and of an unblemished quality, she was sure. When it came time to present her independent project, she proudly explained in details the process she underwent and the ingredients and how they interacted and showed them how to brew it. She'd already petitioned the Ministry for a patent and the panel was certain that she would be granted it.
Nothing could prepare her for the excitement of showing the panel the potion working. She rolled up her sleeve and allowed the panel to look at the scar on her forearm from where she'd fallen from a tree as a child. The scar was jagged and ropelike. She applied the potion and watched the scar vanish. The panel was impressed but it wasn't until she revealed a cursescar she'd received a few years back that had never healed well.
A dark wizard named Voldemort had died when she was a baby but his followers were still around. A couple of his crazy followers had attempted to kidnap her from Diagon Alley once when she was 15. The man had cast a dark curse at her that nearly killed her if it were not for Professor Snape, the school's potions master. She was left with a large scar that bisected her from one side of her breast down to the other hip. She removed her robe and uniform shirt, ensuring the panel that she was not going to reveal anything inappropriate. She'd already transfigured a bodysuit into a garment that was open in the center with strategic cutouts to display her scar without showing her breasts. She only had to push her skirt down a little to reach the end of her scar on her hip bone. She allowed them to test the scar and ensure that it was caused by dark magic before applying the potion.
When the potion worked, she received a standing ovation which made her blush more than stripping down to a bodysuit and her skirt had.
When she returned to her dorm Friday night, she was in high spirits until she saw the package she'd returned was back on her bed.
Her buzz thoroughly doused, she stormed to her bed and snatched up the new note.
Miss Hermione Granger,
What an enigma you are. I admit to having never met another person like you.
I want you to have this so you must accept it. I insist.
I'll see you in a couple days for graduation.
Sincerely,
T.M. Riddle
She was puzzling over why the Minister of Magic should wish to spend money on her when Ginny came into the dorm and read the note over her shoulder.
"What the fuck?"
Her curly brown hair whipped Ginny in the face as she spun, clutching the note to her chest.
"You started me," Hermione said, hoping that the red head hadn't actually had a chance to read the note.
"Yeah, yeah," Ginny waved her off impatiently. "Why is the Minister sending you a gift? What did he send?"
Hermione felt torn between having this conversation with her so she could get another girl's opinion and avoiding it all together.
Her friend was too smart to Hermione's tendencies and snatched her by the wrist, pulling her to her bed where she pulled the curtains closed. She spelled them to stay locked shut, then cast a silencing ward and turned back around expectantly.
"Spill. From the start."
And so, she did. She relayed her rush to arrive on time after Luna's untimely accident and how she'd tripped into his office and ripped her bag open. Usually her friend would laugh and tease her but she didn't which meant that she knew this was an important situation.
She gave Ginny the details from the interview that she had left out in her discussion with Luna. From the way his dark eyes trained on her, to the way he smiled at her as though amused and the way he'd leaned into her by the lift.
When her friend didn't interrupt, but was instead enraptured by the tale, Hermione continued and pulled out the original note card and the scrap of parchment he'd left inside the Merlin book. She handed them to Ginny wordlessly.
She watched Ginny's eyes flit over the papers. "What does he mean by you standing at the edge of an abyss?"
Shrugging, Hermione continued to tell Ginny about how he had found her at work last week. She described the way he had asked her to pick a book for him and had done the rest of her work in order to take her for a drink.
"Wait, you said Cormac McSlaggin was there?"
She blinked and grimaced at the nickname. "Yes, Cormac arrived while Riddle was there. He flirted with me and I rejected him. Again."
Smiling, Ginny asked, "And how did our dear Minister react to that?"
Frowning, Hermione recalled. "Well, he asked if he was my boyfriend and told me no one had the right to "handle me" against my wishes."
Now the grin on her friend's face was so big it could split at the corners. "He likes you. What happened next?"
Uneasy with the way Ginny was bouncing on her bed like a child being told a bedtime story, Hermione shifted. Well, he escorted me to get a drink. I've never seen manners like his before. It kinda…"
"...kinda makes all these boys around here seem like pricks? Yeah. I agree."
They shared a laugh.
"What did he want to talk to you about?"
"Oh, well, he took me to the Hogshead and oddly enough, he didn't seem to have a point in mind for our discussion. We had a drink, just one. We didn't stay at the tavern long. I needed to revise. He was upset that I was carrying my beaded bag instead of the satchel he sent."
"Satchel?" Ginny asked eagerly, eyeing the brown package at the foot of the bed.
"Yeah, he mentioned it in the notecard," Hermione reminded her, handing her the first notecard for her to reread.
"So is it hideous or something?"
Sighing and flopping back on her pillow, Hermione told her, "No. It's gorgeous. Luxurious. Expensive. I told him I couldn't accept it and that I was planning to return it to him."
"Did that bother him?"
"He was angry but he let the subject drop. I sent it back and he returned it to me sometime today during my potions NEWT."
They were silent for a moment as Ginny eyed the package like it was going to explode.
"Open it," her friend said.
"I've already opened it, Gin. I know what it looks like and I'm going to have to find a way to return it so that he can't keep playing owl-tag with me on it."
"What if he added to it?"
Blinking, Hermione sat up and pulled the paper off. The box looked as did the satchel sitting on the bed of crushed velvet. She heard Ginny gasp over her shoulder. She flipped up the flap and reached into the satchel to find the Merlin book with the dedication was still inside. Hermione tucked a strand of curly brown hair behind her ear and she opened the book to find another slip of parchment. She passed the book to Ginny so that she could read the inscription on the front cover. While her friend was occupied, she read the quote on the parchment in what she was now recognizing as Riddle's handwriting.
"Sometimes the things we want most, the things we desire with our every fiber, are not what fate intends for us to have. We must decide if it's worth fighting fate to have what we want or relinquish our lives to its control."
Stroking her fingers along the letters in the ink, she admired the precision with which he wrote. She knew where this quote was from. "Lavina's Plight." Her quote had been meant to be taken in the context that they had parted the interview on good terms and he should not disrupt it by sending her gifts that were unnecessary. He had responded more obscurely by talking about desire and fate.
Ginny reached a hand out so she handed it over. She watched her friend's eyes flit across the parchment and then prompt covered her ears as Ginny squealed.
"Hermione, he likes you. He's interested and he's pursuing you. Actively. He hinted that he'll see you at graduation and I don't think he meant just in the 'I'll catch your eye in the crowd in the Great Hall' type of way. I think he'll speak to you directly."
Clearing her throat, Hermione tried to keep her heart from beating out of her chest. This new giddy feeling was odd. "Yes, well, I'm Head Girl. I'll be giving a speech the same as he. We'll be on the platform together. I think you're wrong though. I don't think he's interested in me that way."
A V formed between Ginny's eyebrows. "Whyever not?"
Eyes darting away, Hermione folded her arms across her chest. "Isn't it obvious?"
Shaking her head, Ginny laid a soft hand on her forearm. "Not to me. Why would he not be interested? You're smart, kind, and gorgeous."
Hermione refused to reply but found herself in a hug.
"I wish you could see yourself the way everyone else does, Mia," Ginny whispered.
Saturday turned out to be a fun day on campus. NEWTs were over and the teachers were busy grading exams and preparing for the graduation ceremony the next day. Most of the younger students gathered around the lake, laying around on conjured blankets and laughing. The jocks all took to the quidditch pitch and played another scrimmage game with the houses mixed together rather than house vs. house.
Hermione spent her morning sleeping in and packing her things. The train was leaving Monday but as graduated 7th year students, they would all take the boats back across the lake and then apparate from the train station as per tradition.
That night almost every 7th year student was down at the Three Broomsticks. Hermione had been subjected to an hour of Ginny's attention on her hair and wardrobe before giving up. Hermione was adamant that she did not need to dress up simply to visit The Three Broomsticks for a drink with friends.
Her hair had always taken more work to tame than she'd prefer but over the years she'd learned the right heat and way to dry it to avoid frizzing. Her potion's prowess helped her develop a serum that she added a single drop to her shampoo bottle and as long as she used the shampoo once every two days, she had glossy and sleek locks of curls. Her hair was so long, though, that Ginny was aching to put it up or fix it. Hermione was able to get out of it by promising her that she could tomorrow before graduation.
She'd slipped on her jeans, trainers, and a tight black t-shirt. Ginny had rolled her eyes and transfigured the neckline to a deep v-neck that showed the tops of her breast. If she moved just wrong, the black lace of her bra could be seen. For the first time in years, Hermione was happy to display her chest since her scar was no longer there.
All in all, Hermione was feeling pretty good when she slipped into The Three Broomsticks. Her NEWTs were done and she felt good about them. Her room was packed and she had finished and all but memorized her speech. Perhaps that was why it was so easy for her friends to ply her with alcohol. She had only ever tasted it before. Tonight she found glasses being handed to her from friends in all directions. Harry had bought them all a round and when that was drunk, Neville shyly asked if he could buy her a drink. She accepted and spoke with him while the rest of their friends played games and danced to the music outside the backdoor under an awning that Madam Rosmerta had set up to help extend the space for all the graduating 7th years who were celebrating.
The third drink was from Seamus who made her blush as he stared at her chest while asking her about her plans following graduation. She was feeling pleasantly buzzed when she decided to use the loo. She hopped off her stool and stumbled sideways.
"Easy there, luv!" said Dean Thomas as he caught her when she veered into him.
She made it to the hallway to the loo to see a line of witches waiting for the ladies. The men's loo was empty so Hermione shrugged and went in. She remembered to cast a locking spell at the door as she eased down to relieve herself.
Tom. Tom Riddle. Minister Tom Riddle. Who did he think he was, sending her expensive gifts and asking about her boyfriends? Oh, yeah. The minister, that's who he was. Annoyed that he thought he could do whatever he wanted just because he's the minister, Hermione pulled out her wand and cast a patrunus spell.
"Who do you think you are to send me gifts and then give me warnings? Just because you're the minister doesn't mean you can give gifts to whomever you want!"
She sent her patronus on with her message and began to wash her hands when a patronus appeared in the loo, startling her. A silvery-white serpent stared at her and opened its mouth to reply to her:
"Miss Granger, are you drunk? Where are you?"
Snorting, Hermione whipped her wand out and conjured another patronus.
"You don't need to know where I am, Tom. It's 'not worth fighting for' anyway according to your confusing notes. Just take back your gift when I send it."
A few odd looks came from the wizards who were now lined up waiting on the bloke's loo when she came out made her giggle as she went to the outside space created to see Harry and Ginny dancing among other couples. Hermione's face flushed as what they were doing could barely be considered dancing. She hoped they didn't get caught in a broom closet tonight.
The cool breeze felt nice as Hermione looked around for someone she knew to converse with. Some...not dancing.
"Hey, there you are! Here, I brought you another shot," called Ron.
They toasted to their futures and Hermione tossed her shot back. She saw Ron watching her, waiting for her to cough, sputter and make a face but she refused. He raised an eyebrow as though to convey surprise and she smiled.
"Let's dance, yeah?"
With a feeling of trepidation, she let Ron guide her to where the others were dancing. Ron had been her friend for so long. She had always thought him cute and handsome and charming in a boyish ebay but she'd never wanted him as more than a friend. The past two years Ron had been casting increasingly intense looks her way. So far she'd been able to duck out of any conversation that would force her to shoot him down but she always feared in the back of her mind that it was going to happen someday.
"This is nice," Ron said in her ear. He was swaying a bit but didn't seem too drunk.
Hermione laughed. "A few shots and drinks and dancing isn't too scary anymore, is it?"
"S'not as bad a troll," Ron teased back, referencing the experience that had bonded herself to Harry and Ron in friendship their first year.
"You smell nice," Ron said, his large hands tightening on her waist pulling her tighter to him.
She put her hands on his chest to show resistance but Ron kept tugging her to him anyway. He was stronger than she was so she ended up her chest to almost his chest and her forearms pinned against him.
"Ya'know 'Mione, you're probably the best witch around."
She was aware of his eyes on her. She pushed against him hard and surprisingly he stumbled back away from her.
"Ron...I don't want...that...with you. You're my friend," she whispered.
She stumbled away from him before he could respond and made it to the bar. She pushed her way through people, teetering a few times before she came out through the front door of the establishment.
She walked to a bench nearby and dropped into it. It was dark where she was because the light from The Three Broomsticks didn't reach this far. She felt tears make their way to her eyes and she swiped her eyes dry angrily. She hated crying and she hated Ron making passes at her when she'd never encouraged it. He'd forced her to be the one to say aloud that she didn't want more with him, making her the bad guy; the reason their friendship would fall apart. It was so like him to cowardly put her in a position to have to make the rules and then resent her for it.
Suddenly a patronus appeared in front of her. The snake was back. She tried to remember why the snake was familiar. Her mind was so fuzzy. Then she recalled sending the Minister himself a patronus not too long ago in the loo.
"Stay where you are. I'm coming to take care of you."
She blinked. How did Tom Riddle know where she was? Just hearing his voice, smooth and commanding, sent a chill through her.
"Can we talk bout this?"
She turned to see Ron stumbling a little as he approached her. Not wanting to be so vulnerable sitting, she stood even though he was more than a head taller than her.
"Talk about what, Ronald?" she asked purposefully being obtuse.
"About this...whatever this between us is. I want you so much it hurts. Don't you feel it?"
Horrified as he reached out to touch her face, she backed up and tripped. She hit the side of her arse and hip hard on the bench but she had no time to stand before he was leaning over her, arms on the back of the bench.
"Ron, no, please don't make me do this."
"Mione," he breathed, eyes closed as he moved closer.
"I don't feel the same, Ron. We're friends. Best friends. I don't want it to change," she whispered.
"Can I just...just once know what it's like?" Ron said, sounding a little tortured.
Confused by the alcohol in her system she scrambled sideways and felt a tear in her eye when Ron's face followed, looking to kiss her. And then, suddenly, he wasn't. She opened her eyes to see Ron laying beside the bench, petrified. Standing a bit away from him was Tom Riddle and Draco Malfoy, both looking pissed.
She stood up fast and wiped her face quickly. She knew they'd seen her crying but she didn't want the evidence on her face any longer than necessary.
"Did he hurt you," Riddle asked tightly.
She shook her head quickly. Riddle surged forward, tugging off his suit jacket and slipped it around her shoulders. She hadn't realized she was cold until his arm was around her back holding her still from the shaking.
"Draco, I'm going to take her to safety. Can you handle taking care of it?"
"Or course, Godfather," Malfoy said. She vaguely registered that Malfoy had called Riddle 'Godfather' but didn't comment as she was busy feeling embarrassed by the situation she found herself in. Suddenly, her stomach felt sick and she didn't know if it was from the alcohol or the situation.
"Hey, I've got you," Riddle said and she slowly, with a much delayed reaction time, turned to look at him. He was so beautiful to look at. "I'm going to take you back to your room."
She shook her head. "No, I don't want to go back to my room."
Her Head Girl room in Gryffindor was something she'd shared with Ginny Weasley even though it was her own private room. After the curse scar she'd received, she'd always felt better with someone else nearby when she slept. She'd tried sleeping alone but ended up crawling in Ginny's bed usually. So, eventually, Ginny just moved in. That room was either going to be occupied by a very busy Ginny and Harry for a few hours or worse, filled with an angry Ginny, the sister of Ronald, who would want to discuss what her brother had done.
Riddle's eyes narrowed a bit in confusion. He ran his hand through his neat hair and Hermione stared at it, fixated on how good it looked all tousled.
"You can't stay here. You're drunk and that boy just tried to force his attentions on you," he said quietly.
"Why?"
"Why what? Why did he try to kiss you after I heard you tell him 'no'? He's an idiot, I expect," Riddle said angrily as he cast another look at Ron's petrified form on the floor.
"Why are you here," Hermione stated, hearing her words sound a little slurred.
"Because I knew you were drunk," he said simply, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
Hermione forgot what she was saying as she stared at him, having realized he was wearing expensive muggle jeans that looked very good on him.
She shook her head in frustration as none of it made any sense.
"People get drunk. Look around. Do you make it a habit to materialize anytime people get drunk?"
A smile stretched across his face. "No, Hermione. Just you. You had some things to say that sounded like I should be here in person to discuss them with you rather than send patronuses all night."
Draco Malfoy appeared again with Neville Longbottom. She hadn't realized he'd left.
Draco levitated Ron's body. "We're taking him back to his dormitory."
"Thank you, Draco. Sorry for cutting our visit short," we'll catch up soon after graduation.
He nodded nonchalantly.
"Hermione," Neville asked softly. "Are you okay?'
Taking a deep breath and feeling secure with Tom's arm still around her, she nodded. "I'm okay, he just tried to press a conversation I didn't want to have. He made me mad is all."
Neville's eyes searched hers and he nodded reluctantly. She knew he didn't believe her but in front of the Minister of Magic he wasn't going to press for details. The concern on his face was evident.
She moved forward to hug him. "I'm fine, Neville. Thank you for helping."
Finally he smiled at her and walked along Malfoy as they levitated Ron's petrified form up to the castle.
They both watched them disappear into the darkness, a jarring juxtaposition to the laughing, hooting, and hollering coming from The Three Broomsticks behind them.
"Look," Riddle drew her attention. "You need somewhere safe and quiet to be right now and there's nowhere in Hogsmeade open to take you. I can't really go to Hogwarts and talk with you without it looking suspicious. I can deliver you to the front doors but that's about it. You're a 7th year and you don't have a curfew. Would you let me take you somewhere we can talk?"
Right now she'd go anywhere to get away from here so she nodded.
Riddle stared into her eyes. "I don't really think your decision making skills are working properly but they are working in my favor so I'm going to ignore it. For now."
She shivered at the command of his voice. How could he do that? With just a tone she felt a rush of desire flood her whole body.
"I should tell," she blurted.
He blinked.
"I should tell Luna I'm leaving. Ginny might eventually wonder where I am."
His mouth quirked to one side and she fantasized about kissing it for a second. "She's...err...busy...with her boyfriend."
Rolling his eyes, Riddle reached to her back pocket and pulled out her wand to hand it to her. Send a patronus to whomever saying that you're fine and will be back late and not to stay up waiting."
She sent her otter to Luna and then sent a second to Ginny telling her that she was staying elsewhere and to enjoy the room.
When she looked over to see Riddle's eyebrows raised, she blushed. "I'll crash in the regular 7th year girls' dorm."
He said nothing more to her but his other arm wrapped around her as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"The home of Tom Riddle is Hangleton Manor," he said just before he apparated her away.