A/N: Branmacmorn! Thanks so much for taking the time to review here and ao3. Your support for this series is greatly appreciated. It know it's not a typical Harmony story but it's encouraging to know it's appreciated by some!

Guest reviewer, you rock. I added some detail here to clarify the Albanian spell Tom used. Your questions are so helpful to see my blind spots. I should probably have a beta reader but I got you! Thanks for taking the time to read, review, and question. It's so appreciated.

To the griper with the minor gripe... I'm glad you got that off your chest. LOL. Can I gripe the gripe? Theories aren't proven hypotheses, research scientists never try to prove our hypothesis. The best we can do is design experiments to disprove them and if we can't we say we proven the null hypothesis. We can test a hypothesis in many ways and after serious research scrutiny some hypotheses are considered so thoroughly tested they are theories but not considered "proven".

Anyway. Two chapters today. When I divided up the text this chapter was a little shorter but it was the best place to break for the next so I'm posting 18 & 19 today!

Chapter 18: Gravitational Attraction

May 23, 1998 Saturday

The levitation charm and static field never dissipated but the shocks seemed to lose their edge over time. Whether that was because she was growing numb or the source of the energy was depleted she didn't really care. She thought she had been able to get an hour or two of sleep. With no windows or a clock her sense of time was dulled. Her best guess, it was early morning. Hermione heard movement on the other side of the door. That was the kitchen. She wondered if it was just Tom or if Bellatrix had returned from her mysterious errand. She let her head lean back. Noting the floor above seemed to be normal wood boards. It was a detail she filed away. Perhaps it would be a weak point in the room. If she ever got a wand.

Sounds of a lock disengaging announced the arrival of someone. She didn't bother lifting her head or looking to see who it was. Tom's whistling drifted through the room. She felt herself being lowered and the static around her disappeared. Slowly, she was placed on her feet in front of him. He released the final magical hold on her, and she pitched forward. Putting her hands out she had two choices, face plant or use Tom to steady her. Her hands gripped his biceps and she waited for feeling to return to her stiff muscles. Finally, she looked up at him. He was smiling down at her.

"Good morning, love. Sleep well?" he asked and ran a hand over her hair to finally rest it on the back of her neck.

She tried to take a step back, his right hand tightened on her neck and his left gripped her arm. Pressure on the healing gash on her arm sent a new pain up her shoulder and around her neck. Knowing she needed to simply stall for time, she didn't fight him off. The longer she could keep him in a good mood, the better off she would be.

"See. I'm not so bad," Tom said, pushing a stray hair behind her ear. He released her completely and let her use the restroom with the door open as before. She found him waiting for her at the table again. "I made you some strong coffee. I thought you might need the caffeine."

She eyed it warily. The water the day before came directly from the tap. The bread had been meant for him. It was reasonable to assume neither contained potions. The coffee was already poured, she couldn't be sure it wasn't spiked with something. Still the caffeine was in fact needed and she didn't want to anger him. When she sat, she hissed. The hard surface told her what her eyes had seen in the bathroom. Her body was covered in welts.

"I very much like that static spell. I learned it in Albania. It's more sophisticated than the cruciatus curse and there's no threat of making you crazy. Where's the fun in that? If you lose your mind?"

Her hand instinctively covered the wound on her bicep. She studied it. It was red and swollen. There were no longer any recognizable letters.

Tom pushed her hand aside to see. "That one too was taught to me by a great mentor. It was like a final test with him. See if I could control the zjarr i bardhë, the white fire. I practiced it for years. He'd make me practice it when I was angry, when my emotions were high. He told me if I could control the white fire when I was at my most unbalanced, it would force me to find my focus. It just came out last night," he patted her hand. "It will probably leave a scar, but you see, I still had control despite your rudeness."

Sitting back she tried to get some distance from him without being obvious, she tested the coffee with a small sip. Feeling no effects from a truth potion or otherwise and she took another drink. It felt good on her scratchy throat. "Tom," she started and then looked at him questioningly. "May I call you Tom?"

"I think we're on a first name basis, don't you?"

"I had a lot of time to think last night," she continued.

He smiled like she had shared an inside joke.

"What is it you want? You have a second chance to live. You have none of the baggage. You can go anywhere. Do anything. You're obviously just as talented as your brother, and seem more…"

"Disciplined?" he supplied when she paused.

"Yes. You seem to value the importance of your individuality. You wouldn't be held responsible for the crimes of your brother. Why not just start a new life? See what can be achieved by contributing to our institutions?"

"Just like that? The Ministry of Magic welcomes me back into the fold?"

"It wouldn't be easy at first. It's, of course, hard not to associate Voldemort with you, but I know you're not him. And I'd like to think I knew him better than most."

"I sense that's one thing he feared and welcomed. From his memories of you I have now. I think, deep down, he was insecure. Your ability to resist him, to evade him added to that insecurity. A school-aged mudblood," he said, and then threw up his hands. "His thoughts, not mine. But it still impressed him. He was also more guarded in his later years. You met him when he was inclined to show his true self. That made him uneasy. Made you unique to him."

Thinking about that person, Hermione's mind drifted to the Room of Requirement. The real Tom Riddle was cruel. She wouldn't forget that. This Tom certainly wasn't much different and she suspected that thanks to the horcrux his cruelty would eventually become sadistic. She needed to pretend he was different though. The longer he talked the less time he had to hurt her.

He stood and looked at the chest on the bar. There were still decades of memories to absorb. Each year he would be less himself and more Voldemort. "You think I want to be part of your institutions? To govern our people. Someday become the Minister for Magic?"

"Why not?"

When he turned his eyes were wide with excitement. "Because I don't want to govern. I want to rule. I don't want to persuade, I want to control. I want to show Albus Dumbledore, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Hermione Granger how misguided they are to dilute our power. Muggles should serve us . Every beast and creature should serve us. Every muggle and mudblood should be banned from mating with legitimate witches and wizards. Your way will be the destruction of magic and I cannot allow it," he lectured her and his wand came up.

She braced. He used Legilimens to force his vision on to her. His end goal. It was a world ruled by fear and manipulation. It was the world she saw from the prophecy. Loyalty was rewarded greatly while resistance was met with the most violent punishments. Gasping, she tried to stand to get away from the images. Her chair tipped over and she fell to the floor.

He advanced on her. "I am not Voldemort. I will be greater than him. Crucio."

The curse stopped her motion. Instead she curled up into a ball, trying to escape the pain. Stop the fear. Push away the despair. This curse wasn't just pain. It was affecting her mind. The horcrux was either perverting the curse or it was prolonging the legilimency visions. When he released her he was standing over her, waiting for her eyes to clear. "On your stomach."

Her intention was not to be quite so vulnerable. If she didn't follow his instruction voluntarily, she knew she would end up on her stomach anyway. It was a painfully slow process. She tried to move as quickly as she could so as to not illicit his "help." Finally, she was face down on the carpet in the middle of the room. When she turned her head to look at him, he was pulling out another vial of memories. He absorbed them, and struggled to stay upright. There would certainly be more punishment coming.

Before that happened, Bellatrix returned. Hermione never thought she would be relieved to see the witch.

Bellatrix surveyed the room. "Dark Lord—"

"—you will call me Riddle," he said harshly. "I am not your Voldemort. I will be better than him and I will do it with my own name. Not some name made up by a child."

He was angry. Hermione guessed he was losing his sense of self the more the memories took hold and it was scaring him. A scared Tom Riddle wasn't good.

"Master Riddle," she started, testing his reaction. He seemed agreeable. "I have what you asked for," she said, placing an ancient looking lantern on the table.

He looked up in surprise. It seemed Bellatrix had her uses. "Good. Very good."

She smiled at the praise.

"Do we need her?" he asked, motioning to Hermione.

"If your intention is to lure Harry Potter here, we should keep her alive for now. If you don't care about Potter, I don't think she serves a purpose."

Tom looked down at Hermione. "Do I care about Harry Potter?" He spun his wand in his fingers, contemplating. "Voldemort certainly cared. But look at where that got him." An imperceptible nod toward the lantern seemed to suggest that was part of the answer. A slash of his wand and the back of Hermione's shirt ripped open.

She froze. He hadn't seemed like he was interested in her physically. That didn't mean he wouldn't resort to threatening her in that way. The other Tom had done the same. Always toying with the threat but never following through on it fully.

"I think Hermione Jean Granger, umbra slayer, time traveler, your time with us is coming to an end. You could be useful, a flashpoint for purebloods to see their downfall. Alas, I've shared too much with you, and I'm learning you're more trouble than you're worth. No. I won't make the same mistakes my brother made."

His wand came up and she expected the killing curse. Bellatrix looked on with excitement.

"Ior torres," he said.

The pain of the firebrand took her breath away. She felt the rune burn along the length of her back. The consuming curse taking hold of nerves and tissues along the way.

Tom leaned over her. Stroked her cheek. "I think I'd like to watch you die. The killing curse just takes all the joy out of that, doesn't it?"

Hermione didn't move. Couldn't move. The combination of pain from the cruciatus curses and the consuming curse was nearly unbearable. Several times she thought she felt the curse on her back move and grow, like a parasite just under her skin. At the table, Tom was organizing the remaining vials.

"Why would he save 1982 to 1990? Why would he think I would want to remember eight years of weakness?"

Glass clinked as he set those years aside.

~~/~~

The atrium was nearly deserted. It wasn't unusual for a Saturday afternoon according to Tonks. She told him often, that since the end of the war, the weekends had been busier than normal. The few people coming and going was a sign to Harry that things were getting back to normal. He was heading for the floo network when he saw a Severus Snape coming out from a nearby fireplace.

Harry nodded. "You're back? Did Hermione come with you?" he asked looking around his former professor.

Snape's brows furrowed in confusion. "Miss Granger didn't come this weekend. I assumed she got tied up here. I came by to see if I could meet with her."

The tiredness Harry had been feeling from nearly twenty-four hours of work disappeared. "What do you mean she wasn't there? She left yesterday afternoon. Did she send you a message?"

"The only communication I'm aware of was Friday morning. She responded to Fernando's request as tentative," Snape explained. Both men turned on the spot and headed for the Auror's office.

They found Tonks and Williamson discussing the assignments for the rest of the weekend. "Hermione's missing," Harry blurted out, not even trying to hide his panic.

"What? Are you sure?" Williamson asked, looking between Snape and Harry.

"I thought she was in Portugal. She said she was going to work on a memory potion with Snape. He just got back and said she never showed up."

"Ok, Harry. We'll find her. Let's go check the house. Make sure she's not there," Tonks said calmly.

Harry shook his head. "She hasn't responded to my texts since yesterday morning. If she was home, she would have. I just thought she was preoccupied."

Williamson was already on his radio barking orders. "Who saw her last?"

"She has a new admin. Maddy. Madison Tailor," Harry supplied. Maddy was added to the list of people who needed to be interviewed and Auror assignments were abruptly changed. "You can't bring everyone in. We can't leave the cabin unguarded."

"Nelson and Penny are staying. I'm pulling everyone else back," his boss explained.

Tonks knew the unspoken message. She leaned in to whisper to Harry, "If Bellatrix has Hermione they weren't going back to the cabin. If she took her on Friday, she would have been there if that was her plan."

Harry's eyes got big. "The safe house. In Dumfries and Galloway. They have to be there."

Williamson heard the comment and agreed. "We need someone who's been there. Tonks, get Lupin and Albus to meet us there. Near the south side rock wall."

~~/~~

Hermione faded in and out of awareness. Minutes had slipped to hours. Bellatrix had tended to Tom as he took on each year of new memories. Finally they seemed to be done. Hermione chanced a glance and the pair were wrapped in an intimate embrace. It seemed the memories altered Tom's impressions of Bellatrix. They walked past her, their passion for each other caused them to forget she was unsecured. Though truth be told, it wouldn't have been incorrect to assume she was unable to escape.

With some shock, Hermione found she was unable to move her legs. The curse had likely grown to interfere with signals reaching her lower limbs. Realizing she had to move immediately or risk the possibility of being completely helpless and paralyzed, she propped herself up on her forearms. Dragged herself to the desk. Her legs trailing uselessly behind her. Pain radiated up her back, the curse pulsed.

At the desk, she reached as far as she could with her left arm while pushing herself up off the floor with her right. Searching blindly until her hand fell on the mokeskin pouch she sought. It expanded at her touch, making it easier for her tingling fingers to grasp it. Clutching the bag, she celebrated the minor victory and tried to think.

Could she apparate if she couldn't stand? She was certain the house was still protected against such magic even if she was able to get up on her feet. Scowling at her lower limbs, she fumbled for her druid vine wand. Once it was gripped tightly, her fear subsided a fraction. She needed to get out of the house, she needed help to come to her otherwise Tom and Bellatrix would get away. Sitting up, she leaned against the desk. Harry would be looking for her by now, he had to be. If something happened to her before he could get to her, they wouldn't know about Tom, about his horcrux soul, or about his plans to rebuild his following. There was more at stake than her life.

A small empty vial rolled near her leg. It had been discarded by Tom after he had absorbed the first year of memories. Her numb fingers wrapped around it. She studied it to make sure all of Voldemort's memories were gone. There was no residue left but the thought of her memories mixing with his was repulsive. She used her wand to sanitize the inside to be thorough. Satisfied, she copied her memories over the previous twenty-four hours. From the moment she arrived in Diagon Alley to finding the empty vial. The strands gravitated to her wand tip. Carefully they were placed in the bottle and sealed with a cork she conjured. Hermione put the memories in the mokeskin bag safely around her neck and slipped it under what was left of her shirt. Whatever happened, Harry would be able to find the memories. He would know what she learned.

That done, she needed to focus on freeing herself. She tried calling for Shiloh. The absence of the swooping shadow's appearance told Hermione what she had suspected. The protections in the house were significant. Suspecting Shiloh would be able to phase into the house, it was obvious that Hermione's ability to contact her was blocked.

Exhaustion was setting in. Pain was coursing up and down her punished body. Could she drag herself out of the house? What then? Would she be able to break through the protective wards? She could try sending her patronus again, but to where? She didn't know the location of anyone in that moment. Her eyelids were growing heavy. A shake of the ground beneath her jolted her alert. Had she imagined the disturbance was the question. Then another shake. It had to be spells attacking the protections around the house, trying to break down the wards.

Hermione gripped her wand tightly. The door unlocking reverberated into the room. She wished she had cover, but didn't think she could move.

Bellatrix rushed through the door. Hermione sent a stunning spell at the witch. Her aim was off due to the fatigue of her muscles. Her target was so focused on the lantern, Hermione was able to get another shot off. This one was blocked by a last minute shield. Knowing she'd need to defend herself, Hermione thought she could hold off one of her captors but not both. Hermione dove to the side, closed the door with a wave of her wand and put a protective shield around the door. She suspected that was the best she would be able to do to make sure Tom couldn't get to her. In all likelihood it would only slow him down. She couldn't worry about that and had to turn her attention quickly back to Bellatrix.

The older witch had taken hold of the lantern and tried to spin on the spot. Her face turned in confusion, then realization, and finally hurt. It was apparent that she once enjoyed an apparition exception in that room and it had been revoked. The split second delay was a disastrous mistake. Bellatrix recognized the threat. Her wand was coming up when Hermione hit her with a full body bind curse. Falling backward, the lantern tumbled from the stiff arms of its protector.

Suspecting she knew what was inside, Hermione decided to use her last bit of strength to stop the lantern in mid air. Her arm shaking, she returned the lantern to the table.

Suddenly the door flew open, she saw the look of surprise on Tom's face. She pushed herself back up to sit against the wall. Wand up in case he broke through. He tried to enter but the shield was firmly in place. The wall behind him exploded, revealing the afternoon sky. Tom turned to look at the damage and back to Hermione. His face contorted with rage and he disapparated on the spot. Hermione closed her eyes in relief. The curse on her back pulsed, causing spasms to ripple down her muscles. The pain was unbearable. Her vision blurred.

"Hermione!" Harry's voice called out to her.

She tried to focus. A figure appeared on the other side of her shield charm again. Trying to make out who it was, she was afraid to lower the shield.

"Hermione, it's me, let me through," Harry implored her.

Having lost all feeling below the waist now, she decided she had to take a chance. With a flick of her wand, the shield dropped. When Harry reached her, she knew it was him.

His hands framed her face. He brushed away sweat, dirt, and blood.

Her hand rested on Harry's arm. She tried to focus, couldn't quite get it. "Albus, I need Albus." She was certain her words hurt him, without the energy to explain it couldn't be helped. The consuming curse was creeping up her back. She could feel it inching closer to her neck.

"Professor! Professor Dumbledore," Harry called out. "In here! We need you in here."

Another form entered the edge of her vision. Reaching out, her hand flailed in the air until Albus took it. "Albus," she whispered. Her voice failing. "Ior." With her last bit of reserves she willed her vision to focus. Her free hand flew up to the back of her neck, trying in vain to stop the spread of the curse before it entered her mind.

"Harry, lean her forward," Dumbledore said, helping Harry preposition her. "Merlin. Severus!"

More activity erupted. She heard Albus using the triage spell to get a medical assessment and felt her body moving. She was insanely grateful for the rune. It was dulling the pain from the cruciatus curses. Something soft cradled her, and then she felt Harry's strong arms steady her.

"It has to be removed immediately," Snape said, horrified.

"It's going to take both of us. We have to start at the top, it's dangerously close to invading her mind," Dumbledore explained.

A whimper left her throat. Harry's arms tensed. She realized she was lying facedown on his lap. No words would form, no matter how hard she tried. The curse seemed to jump, sensing their intentions.

"Now, we have to do it now," Albus reacted.

In unison she heard them recite the purging spell. Talons clamped down on her shoulders. Digging in. She sensed both Snape and Dumbledore were holding the curse from advancing up her neck, but that was all. It wasn't reversing. It had been there too long, it was too big. Wanting to tell Harry she loved him, no words came. Only screams were possible.

"There Severus, you got it, hold it," Albus said.

Pressure that had been building in her head eased. She buried her face deeper into Harry's arms.

"They're going to get it, you're going to be okay," he comforted.

"Lupin, come. We need you to hold this right here. Don't let it retract," Snape instructed. "Good, just keep it there. Deiectionem."

New pains shot from her back. Then traveled down her arms. The already injured muscles cramped up painfully. When she jerked, three voices yelled out to Harry to hold her tighter. She wanted to tell him she couldn't help it. Harry's grip tightened. The increased pressure was nearly unbearable and she couldn't help the cry of pain. When she regained the use of her arms, she reached for Harry's hand. Trying to comfort him as much as was comforting her.

"That part there, where the rune lines cross will be the hardest to remove. We'll need to weaken it further before attempting it's release. I'll start on the other side. Severus, see if you can combine those tendrils with Remus'. We'll need both of us to purge the center," Albus' words had an edge of panic to them.

Hermione wondered if she was the only one to pick up on the underlying emotion in her old friend's voice. As he worked to free the tendrils near her lower pack, pain was returning to her legs, despite that she didn't think movement had returned. A fear that she might never walk again started to grow. She finally chanced a glance up at Harry. It surprised her that he was focused entirely on her. She assumed he would be watching the progress of purging the spell, feeling helpless. He was looking to her, trying to find a moment to comfort her. She reached up, trying to touch his face, didn't have the strength. Her hand would have flopped lifeless down if it hadn't been for Harry's catching it. He gripped her hand gently and brought it up to his mouth. Pressing her palm to his lips.

"It's almost over. They're going to remove it and we'll get to the hospital," he promised. Placing her hand down, he brushed her hair away from her face.

She could feel the sweat gripping the strands of hair. She must look a mess, she thought. The distraction was enough for her to be surprised when the pressure at her lower back suddenly disappeared. She knew the rune well, even if she couldn't see it this time. They had gotten both ends to release their hold but the center was the anchor.

"Revelare," Snape said.

She wondered what he saw. A quiet cry of surprise from Lupin told her it wasn't good.

"Albus," Lupin warned. "This might kill her. It could be spreading close to her heart or tangled within her spinal cord."

"If we don't remove it, it will kill her," Snape explained.

"I agree," Albus said. "How is she Harry?"

She swallowed hard. "Do it," her voice was a rough whisper and required a herculean effort.

"Hermione," Harry questioned. He knew Snape was right. He feared Lupin was as well.

"Love...you…" she said and gave a slight nod, hoping he understood she was ready for it to end.

"I'll pull up from this end, Lupin you do the same on your end and Snape will finish this," Dumbledore instructed.

All three wizards cast their purging spell. It felt like the air was sucked from her lungs. A sharp pain seemed to come to a point in the back of her chest. The point was moving up, like an arrow piercing her back and being pulled out in a slow agonizing process. Even as she sought the relief of unconsciousness, she felt an insidious spike of adrenaline keeping her awake for every painful centimeter of removal.

"Nearly there, don't rush it," Albus encouraged Snape.

Hermione very much wanted him to rush it but understood. If the rune broke or retreated it would be that much harder to remove. Finally, she felt a snap and darkness rushed in.