Disclaimer: these characters are not mine – they belong to JK Rowling
AN: Hi all! I haven't had any reviews yet for this story, so I have no idea if you all like it or not...so if you are reading it, and you like it, please take a moment to let me know! I sincerely appreciate it! Oh, and as far as a plot point in this story, Tom does play quidditch. Even though that's not exactly canon, I figure he wants to be the best at everything, so why not make him a quidditch captain all star chaser in addition to being a Dark Lord. Why not, right?
Chapter 2 – Welcome to Hogwart's! Again!
Hermione blinked sleepily, and the memories of the night before hit her, and she jolted out of bed. Harry was still asleep, snoring softly.
"Harry! Harry, wake up! It's almost time to meet Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione shook him
When he didn't make any effort to open his eyes, and instead snorted and rolled away from her, she grabbed the comforter and pulled it off of him.
"Wake Up! Oh…" Hermione blushed furiously, realizing Harry was only wearing a pair of boxer briefs which, unfortunately, left little to the imagination.
"Hermione!" He screeched and grabbed the blanket and pulled it back over him, belatedly; she had already seen everything anyway.
"Oh God, I'm sorry! I didn't need to see that!" She laughed, her cheeks burning in embarrassment.
"Well, I'm up now." He said pinching the bridge of his nose.
Hermione turned around to give him some privacy, and asked the room to supply them with some tea and scones before their meeting with Professor Dumbledore and Headmaster Dippet.
Once Harry was dressed, he made his way over to the small table and took a seat across from her.
"Right, so we are the Jones's. You're my sister, we are mugglesborns who were homeschooled by Eunice Murray. She also taught me how to play quidditch. She died last year, and with the defeat of Grindelwald, our parents thought it best to ship is off to Hogwarts to formally finish our education." Harry summarized their cover story.
"Exactly." Hermione agreed. "Now remember, when Headmaster Dippet sorts us, you absolutely cannot be surprised by whatever happens…we have to make him believe that we have never been here, and we don't know any better. Natually, we wouldn't have any bias towards any of the houses. If you end up in Slytherin, you will smile, and seem happy about it." Hermione said pointing at his chest, making sure to drive her point home. "If we don't pull this off flawlessly, it will blow up in our faces. I am talking Oscar worthy performance…that's what we need to do."
Hermione picked up her tea, and looked at him, thinking for a moment, that something looked…different. Suddenly, she dropped her tea cup, and it shattered on the floor, and she gasped before she could stop herself.
"Harry! Your scar! It's…gone!" She said pointing at his forehead.
Harry stood quickly, and strode across the room to the large floor length mirror. He brushed his messy black hair away from his face, and just as she had said, his forehead was smooth, and completely unmarked. What could this mean?
"Hermione, what do you think this means?" Harry asked, not daring to hope it meant what he thought it meant.
"I'm not sure Harry, but if I had to guess, it's say that it's gone because Voldemort hasn't tried to kill you yet…"
Her word hit him like the bolt of lightening that has scar had been…if that was true, that meant…
"Then he hasn't killed my parents either…" Harry breathed, a look of hope daring to cross his face.
Hermione felt a spark of hope flare within her chest, and she heard Professor Dumbledore's words from the future/past echo in her mind, 'Before this night is over, more than one innocent life shall be spared.'
"Harry, this may have been an accident, but this is our chance…we have the power to change it all!" she said excitedly
Harry looked at the clock and saw that they needed to start heading down to Professor Dumbledore's office. "No time like the present" he said, chuckling at his second bad pun in two days.
When they reached Professor Dumbledore's office, the door opened quickly and they were ushered inside.
"I trust you slept well?" the professor asked them
"Yes professor, the room of requirement was most hospitable." Hermione told him.
"And I trust you have come up with a passable explanation as to your…situation?" The professor asked again.
"Indeed we have, Professor. The official story, is that we are brother and sister, Harry and Hermione Jones. We are from a muggleborn family, who due to fear of Grindelwald's reign of terror, were kept at home to be homeschooled by our witch governess, Eunice Murray – yes, that Eunice Murray – who was a good friend of our mother's family. She taught us everything we'd need through fifth year, and also taught Harry to play quidditch. He's quite good actually…he ought to try out. Sadly, she passed away last year, and what with your brilliant defeat of Grindelwald over the recent months, our parents have agreed it would now be safe for us to formally finish our education at Hogwarts." Hermione explained, as she folded her hands in her lap.
Professor Dumbledore looked suitably impressed. "That will do, Miss Jones." He told her, and Hermione was pleased to see a twinkle in his blue eyes as he looked at them both appraisingly over his half-moon spectacles.
"Now, I shall escort you to the Headmaster's office. I will explain your story to him – the official story, not the real one you understand, and then I will personally take care of the paperwork myself to ensure there are no questions. As I told you last night, you will have to be sorted into your houses, since officially, you have never been sorted before. Are you ready?" Professor Dumbledore asked them
Hermione took a deep breath and stood up. "Let's get this over with" she said, pulling Harry up from his seat.
Twenty minutes later, Harry and Hermione found themselves bored to tears in Headmaster Dippet's office. The Headmaster had been babbling on about Eunice Murray for the last fifteen minutes, suitably impressed that she had been their governess. Professor Dumbledore provided all of the reassurances to the headmaster where needed, and assured him he would take care of the registration paperwork so that he may focus on his many other duties. Finally, it was time to be sorted.
The headmaster picked up the dingy looking hat from one of the shelves, and carried it reverently over towards Harry. He placed the hat delicately on Harry's head, and suddenly the familiar voice of the Sorting Hat was whispering in his ear
"Hmm, difficult. VERY difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh yes. And a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?"
Remembering what Hermione had said earlier that morning about not reacting to the sorting hat, Harry waited patiently for the hat to make the decision.
"You could be great, you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that….SLYTHERIN!"
Harry kept the smile plastered on his face, not betraying the distress he felt at being placed in the house of his enemies. Hermione kept her features in check, and didn't show a hint of shock of what had just happened.
The headmaster then took the Sorting Hat from Harry's head, and placed it on Hermione's head
"Yes, curious and intelligent I see, and clever too, lots of courage to be sure, Ravenclaw or Gryffindor would encourage all that, but there is a desire for knowledge and recognition…better be SLYTRHERIN!"
Hermione was just as shocked as Harry had been, but continued to keep her emotions in check. She plastered a fake smile on her face, just as Harry had done. She did feel a little relief, to be honest, at the fact that at least they wouldn't be separated. If she was going to be stuck in Slytherin, at least Harry would be in hell with her.
"Excellent! I'm sure you'll be a credit to such a distinguished house. Now that that is taken care of, I'll have one of the Slytherin prefects escort you to the Slytherin Dormitories so that may get settled. Welcome to Hogwart's!" the Headmaster said, as he gave Harry a firm pat on the back.
Harry made eye contact with professor Dumbledore, who had the gall to wink! He knew Harry was truly a Gryffindor, and probably more than a little unsettled by the change, but apparently, he thought it was amusing.
A few moments later, the office door opened, and in stepped a boy, who appeared to be the same age as Harry and Hermione. He had dark hair and eyes and a prefect badge on his school uniform, and Hermione immediately felt her stomach do a little backflip at how handsome he was. Viktor Krum had nothing on this boy. He walked across the office floor, and took Hermione's hand in his and kissed the back of her hand; Hermione practically swooned.
"So pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Jones, I'm Tom, the Slytherin sixth year prefect. The headmaster has asked me to escort you and your brother to the Slytherin dormitories." Hermione couldn't control the blush or the grin the spread across her face at his chivalry, and the thought crossed her mind that it was such a shame that this tradition failed to be passed down to the boys of her time. She turned to Harry, and noticed he had visibly paled, and was staring at the object of Hermione's current infatuation.
"Are you quite alright, Mr. Jones?" Tom had asked Harry, extending his hand in greeting.
Harry mentally shook himself. He couldn't make any mistakes, "Sorry, Tom is it? I'm fine. Long night is all." And he forced himself to grasp the boy's outstretched hand in a stiff handshake.
Hermione threw a look of confusion at Harry, before he was able to mouth 'later' to her.
"Yes well, the castle can be a bit overwhelming when you aren't used to it, perhaps once you're settled you should have some chocolate. I find it helps." Tom said politely. "Follow me please"
He flashed a grin, full of perfectly straight white teeth at Hermione before heading out the door. Hermione grabbed Harry and pulled him along behind her and whispered to him, "Get a grip!" before forcing the pleasant smile back on her face.
The Slytherin common room was exactly as Harry had remembered it from his second year when he and Ron snuck in using polyjuice while impersonating Crabbe and Goyle to interrogate Malfoy. The common room boasted very gothic cathedral ceilings, stained glass windows, sconces burning along the walls, and a few Victorian style couches upholstered in black leather. It was the very opposite of the well-worn and cozy décor of the Gryffindor common room. This room was the very definition of pretentious. After Tom showed Harry to the boy's dormitory, he introduced Hermione to Dorea Rosier, a fellow sixth year Slytherin, and asked her to show Hermione to the girl's dormitories so that she could get settled. She still couldn't fathom what Harry's issue was, but she chose a bed by the window, and found that a trunk had been placed there for her with all of her books and school uniforms, most likely sent by Professor Dumbledore. Hermione quickly changed into her new uniform, which was a little bit more modest than the school uniforms she had been accustomed to wearing in her time. The skirt was a matronly knee length, and they were required to wear tights. It wasn't proper to have any bare skin showing. Luckily, when they had arrived, they were wearing muggle clothes, that weren't all that dissimilar to the muggle clothes of the Fourties…at least, she hadn't thought they were different enough for anyone to notice.
Hermione met Harry back in the common room, and whispered, "What's got into you?"
Harry looked at her completely gobsmacked, and then realized that she didn't know…how could she have known? She hadn't gone down into the chamber of secrets with him to save Ginny, nor had she ever been privy to the memories Dumbledore had kept in his pensieve…
"Hermione, Tom is…" Harry was trying to figure out the best way to put it.
"Spit it out, Harry, what about Tom?" She whispered in annoyance, thinking Harry was being over protective, especially since it was pretty obvious that she found Tom attractive.
"Hermione, He's Fucking Voldemort!" Harry said in frustration
A look of horror crossed Hermione's face just then and she managed to say, "You mean…He…and Voldemort…" Hermione was growing more horrified at the visual scenario playing through her mind
"Are one in the same, yes." Harry finished
Hermione clutched her hand to her chest and blew out a relieved breath, "Oh thank goodness, that is what you meant." She said
Harry looked confused, "Hermione, how can you be relieved? I have to share a dorm room with the fucking dark lord, in case that had escaped your notice." Harry whispered incredulously.
Hermione laughed, "NO, no…when you said that he was fucking Voldemort, I thought you meant…" Hermione cut off as Harry's eyes widened in understanding.
Despite himself, Harry chuckled at her misunderstanding but then ran a hand through his messy hair, "Hermione, how am I supposed to keep this up? All I want to do is kill the bloody git and be done with it. Instead, I have to pretend I don't know who he is, or what he is capable of, and Godric help me, I have to allow myself to actually let me guard down enough to sleep in his presence. This is too much."
"Harry, remember what we talked about earlier…he hasn't done any of those things yet. You told me once that Dumbledore told you that he suspected that the two of you actually had a lot in common; you had wondered why you turned out good and well…normal, when he went as far in the other direction as you can get. Dumbledore told you that it was because you had experienced love, and friendship, and that he never had. Harry, we could change all of that. Maybe he'll never turn into the monster we know he could become.
Was she really asking him to be his fucking friend?
Harry looked at her thoughtfully. She was right. He was harboring prejudices against him for crimes he had not yet committed. His scar had disappeared. He was no longer the chosen one, because the prophecy had never been made. Clean slate.
"You're right, Hermione…I honestly don't think I can get past what I know to truly be his friend…at least not now, but I will try to be more…open minded." He said grudgingly.
Hermione smiled at Harry, just as the object of their conversation walked over to them.
"Harry, Hermione, how are you settling in?" Tom asked politely.
"Fine thanks," Harry said, forcing a small smile to his face.
"You're looking better, I see." Tom observed.
Harry held up a small bar of chocolate and Tom nodded.
"Hermione, would you care to accompany me to Breakfast?" he held out his arm towards her, and she deliberately gave Harry a pointed look, and took his arm. She felt a little more conflicted about it now, knowing that he was essentially a teenage Voldemort, but when he flashed her that smile, and saw the pink tinge to his cheeks, she threw caution to the wind and strolled out of the common room on his arm. And she definitely didn't take any pleasure in the fact that the other Slytherin girls were shooting death glares in her direction. None at all.
Harry sighed and followed them out, down to the great hall. He noticed a lot of the heads turn when Tom walked in with Hermione on his arm, and watched as people began to whisper furiously trying to get a good look at the school's newest transfer students.
"Have you been given your class schedules yet?" Tom asked Hermione while holding out her chair for her to sit next to him at the Slytherin table.
Hermione blushed at his act of chivalry once again, and nervously brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Yes, actually, there was a course schedule in my trunk along with all of my books. I'll be taking potions first, then Transfiguration, Charms, Defense against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, and Muggle Studies."
Tom's posture went rigid at Hermione's mention of Muggle studies, and Hermione noticed. Ever since Harry had told her who he was, she was watching him very closely. She wanted to get to know him, and understand him. It was at this moment, that Hermione, ever the champion of ill represented causes, decided that today would mark the start of Operation Volde-No-More. He was broken, and she was going to fix him, and that was that.
"It seems we will be having quite a few classes together. I am in all of those same classes, except for Muggle studies. I have History of Magic at that time." Tom told her.
She was pretty certain she knew why he wasn't taking Muggle studies, but to his credit, History of Magic was a really interesting class…if she could only get that time turner back from Dumbledore…NO. That stupid time turner got her into this mess.
"I'm surprised that you've decided to take Muggle studies, especially being a Slytherin." He said smoothly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye while he buttered his toast.
"Oh? Why is that, Tom? I am a Muggleborn after all." She replied smoothly, wanting to gauge his reaction to her revelation. It wasn't a lie after all, and she knew she was playing with fire, but she felt like the best way to handle this particular bull was by the horns…
Tom stilled his movement, toast halfway to his mouth, and then regained control of himself before trying to once again to seem unaffected. "How interesting." was all he said before taking a bite of his toast.
Hermione wasn't going to let him off the hook so easy…it was most assuredly a very uncomfortable conversation for him to be having, especially in public, but she thought it best to see what happened if she stood her ground.
"How so? Is there some reason why Muggleborn's should be kept from Slytherin house?" She pushed back.
"Hermione, I wouldn't expect you to know the history of the Hogwart's founders, such that you're new to the school, but it is pretty common knowledge among witches and wizards that Salazar Slytherin wasn't a fan of Mud…Muggleborns. He quite clearly made his preference known that only purebloods should be allowed entry into Hogwart's to complete their magical education. Slytherin house is quite literally his tribute. There haven't been any muggleborns in Slytherin house…well…ever."
Hermione was speechless. She of course knew all about the Hogwart's founders, as well as Slytherin's disgusting views on blood purity, however, she had most emphatically not known that up to that point, there had never been a muggle born sorted into Slytherin. Since both Tom and Harry were half-bloods, despite the fact that Harry was only pretending to be a muggleborn, she actually was a muggleborn…She made a mental note to sneak into the headmaster's office and have a little chat with the sorting hat.
"That is interesting. So my brother and I are the first." Hermione said, and she actually smiled.
Tom looked at her incredulously, "How can you think that this is a good thing? Surely you realize that a number of your housemates would view this as a blemish on our noble house's reputation? There are many who may feel it is their duty to…do something about it." Tom replied stiffly.
Hermione turned to him then, and flashed her most charming smile, placed her hand on his arm and leaned towards him to say, "Well, in that case, I am so glad that someone as open-minded and caring, such as yourself, has been chosen as our prefect. Just knowing that you'll be watching out for me makes me feel much safer, Tom." She gushed.
She could tell by the blush rising to his cheeks that he had taken the bait. Apparently, flattery got you everywhere with the dark lord.
She turned in her seat, once again focusing on her breakfast, when she heard Tom address Harry.
"So, Harry, I hear you have been introduced to Quidditch. Do you plan on trying out for the Slytherin team?" Tom asked
Harry turned towards Tom, shooting a look at Hermione that told her he'd rather be doing anything than sitting here chatting with Tom fucking Riddle, "Yes actually, I heard that you're looking for a Seeker. You're a chaser, aren't you?" Harry asked, doing his best to be polite.
"Yes, I'm the team captain, actually. We're holding try outs tomorrow afternoon on the pitch. You should come down, if you think you're up to it." Tom added as a silent challenge.
"Wouldn't miss it." Harry said, not willing to back down from Tom's challenging glare.
Hermione, sensing the tension, looked at her watch, "Look at the time! Tom, since we have class together, would you mind walking me to Potions? This Castle is positively enormous!" Hermione blushed innocently
Receding back into his polite façade, Tom wiped his mouth on his napkin, and stood taking Hermione's arm, "Of Course, Miss Jones" he replied smoothly
Hermione stood and squeezed Harry's shoulder and said pointedly, "I'll see you later."
Harry finished his breakfast, noticing the obvious glances he was receiving from many of the other Slytherin students; one in particular, who was obviously a Malfoy, judging from the blond hair, slid a seat down until he was sitting directly across from Harry.
"So it's true then. You and your sister are Mudbloods?" He said sneering.
Harry took a deep breath, willing himself not to throttle the obnoxious boy seated in front of him, and glared at him over his glasses before saying, "Yes it's true, is that a problem for you, Malfoy?"
The boy's eyes widened, before remembering himself, "I'm sorry, we haven't been formally introduced, but apparently, my reputation precedes me. I'm Abraxas Malfoy."
"Honestly, I don't care what your name is. If you have a problem with me, just spit it out." Harry spat incredulously.
"Tsk. Manners, Mister Jones. No need to come out 'wand's blazing' as they say, that sort of thing is more Gryffindor's style... Are you sure they put you in the right house?" Malfoy sneered.
Harry actually snorted at the truth of that statement, which caused Abraxas to look at him in confusion until Harry finally said, "Look Malfoy, I get it. I'm not a pureblood like you, and you can insult me all day long for all I care, but if you want to truly see if I am worthy of my magic, I dare you to put your money where your wand is."
Malfoy looked aghast, "Is that a threat, Jones?" he said raising a finely arched eyebrow.
Harry wiped his mouth and stood, "It is. We can either settle this like men…er…wizards, and be done with it, or you can keep on peacocking all you like to try and cover up the fact that you're a coward…when you decide what you want to do, you know where to find me." And with that, Harry strolled confidently out of the great hall, not noticing the two witches sitting at the end of the Slytherin table whispering and giggling to each other as he walked by.