Minister Riddle Will See You Now

by Mudblood88

After conducting an interview of the Minister of Magic, Head Girl Hermione Granger catches the attention of Tom Riddle. As she struggles to graduate and create a career for herself, Minister Riddle shamelessly pursues her. Who can resist the charms of the dark, handsome young Minister? His commanding personality and dominance are a new and heady experience. *Inspired by 50 Shades*

5. Chapter 5: Graduation

Minister Riddle Will See You Now

Chapter 5: Graduation

*Disclaimer: Don't own HP or 50 Shades (or Twilight)

**I may have mistakenly said Hermione was taking only 11 NEWTs in an early chapter. There are 12 NEWT subjects offered and Hermione took them all. This error will be correct for precious chapters soon. Also, I previously had Tom with 11 NEWTs, all Os except one EE in Divination. He has 11 Os. I'll fix that soon.

Hermione arrived in her private quarters at Hogwart with her lips still tingling and her mind a whirlwind. She ignored Ginny's attempts at acting casual as she picked up clothing from the floor and tidied whatever mess she and Harry had made last night.

"Why did you floo in rather than using our knock? You gave Harry quite a fright!"

Forcing her heart to calm down, Hermione laughed. "I was elsewhere and got permission to use someone's floo to avoid walking through the castle. I gave a warning signal. I've been awake for a while and I really wanted to come back to my own room."

Ginny thanked her profusely for being so cool as to sleep elsewhere to allow her and Harry a night together and she did not correct her assumptions. The redhead threw on some robes and went off to eat breakfast, threatening to come back soon to help Hermione get ready for graduation.

Once Ginny was gone, Hermione laid down on her bed and cast a few privacy spells on her curtains before pulling out the terms of the vow that Tom had given her.

Vow of Silence

I, Hermione Jean Granger, hereby vow upon my magic that I will never so long as I shall live, impart knowledge of anything that Tom Marvolo Riddle allows me knowledge of without his express permission. I will not hint, omit, gesture, indicate or use body language to divulge information. I give my consent upon this vow for the magic that is invoked to stop me from doing any of these things. If I willfully or purposefully find a way around the vow, my magic will be forfeited from me with no ability to be regained, rendering me a muggle.

*Information that is contained by the vow will be determined by Tom Marvolo Riddle but will be loosely outlined as personal health, sexual history and preferences, family history, Minister of Magic details not known by the general public, financial information, and property deed details. Hermione Jean Granger will assume any and all knowledge that is even remotely connected to these topics to be embargoed. She will ensure Tom Marvolo Riddle knows if any information that is secret kept poses an issue or a threat to her magic. If a secret-kept piece of information needs to be revealed, she will ask and Tom Marvolo Riddle may release certain information to me to speak freely with others if he deems it appropriate.

**By entering into this vow, I acknowledge that the purpose is to protect the intellectual rights and freedoms of Tom Marvolo Riddle and to protect Hermione Jean Granger from those who might want to harm her to get the information. By accepting the vow, Hermione Jean Granger also accepts responsibility for determining ahead of time what information Tom Marvolo Riddle considers to be affected by this vow.

Signed _

Signed_

As she read over the information Hermione's eyes kept stopping on the golden colors of her full name. Tom must have filled in her name before he handed it to her. She hadn't realized he knew her middle name. Each time her name, or even his, was used, it had first middle and last names listed. She was certain this vow was ironclad. By signing this, she was agreeing to keep quiet about just about everything that he didn't want people to know. She gathered that he had woven a fairly complex spell on this vow to discern which information he intended to be private and which pieces did not matter.

Hermione hauled herself to the library for possibly the last time in her Hogwarts career. She pulled out every book she could find on magical vows and on losing magic to a vow and she spent about 4 hours reading and devouring information. She hadn't even realized she'd missed lunch until a shadow blocked out her light source.

"Miss Granger, may I ask why you feel the need to take up half the books in the library on graduation day? You realize, of course, that no amount of studying or research can earn you extra credit on the NEWTs, right?"

Professor Snape stood over her, arms crossed over his chest and a sneer on his face as he towered over.

Hermione stretched her neck side to side and winced at the cracking sound because it gave away how long she'd been there. She sheepishly looked around at her table.

"Sorry, Professor Snape. You know how I can get," she laughed as she stacked up books, angling the titles away from him.

He smirked and said in his silkiest voice, "I'll help you, shall I? We both have to oversee the first through sixth years boarding the Hogwarts Express in half an hour, after all."

Knowing that to protest would spark his curiosity further, Hermione said nothing as she magically reshelved books. She pulled her new satchel up to the table while Snape's back was turned to levitate books to their proper place, and stashed her notes. She was just reaching for the scroll containing the vow when Snape turned back around, eyebrow raised.

The scroll had rolled to the other side of the table meaning Hermione would have to walk around to reach it or lean her body over the table. In horror, she watched as Professor Snape picked it up.

"You're not doing anything illegal, are you Granger? I'd really rather not have to do paperwork to punish you on a day like today."

She shook her head and hoped Tom was right about what he'd told he spelled the scroll to do. He unfurled the scroll and scanned it before turning to look at Hermione with a surprised sneer.

"Really, Miss Granger?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said quickly. She didn't. Whatever he saw on that scroll, she did not know what it was and was unsure how to respond without putting Tom in a position to get caught asking her to take a vow of silence.

"You have no knowledge of why this scroll turned to gibberish when I tried to read it?"

She shrugged because her words would only get her in trouble.

Snape's eyes looked over the satchel on the table next to her and his eyebrow returned to it's usual place. "I see."

Swallowing nervously, Hermione shifted to put the satchel over her head and the bag portion of it was partially hidden from him as it now rested on her hip rather than on the table in front of him.

Slowly, Snape extended his hand with the scroll to return it to her.

When her fingers touched the scroll, Snape's hand did not release it.

"I am aware of what you are holding in your hands, Miss Granger, though I know you cannot release information about it. What I am about to say is as a professor to a student: be very sure of what you promise in a vow. Only the caster of the magic can release you from a vow of silence. Death does nothing to a vow like this."

She worked hard to keep her face blank. To make any indication would give information away.

"Now, as a former professor to a former student, may I give advice to you?" he asked as her released the scroll.

She pulled the scroll towards her and tucked it into her satchel. "I would appreciate any advice from a person as wise as yourself, sir. If you think I'll find an application for the knowledge, then I would be glad to listen to it," she smoothly stated, not able to meet his eye.

For a moment there was a lull causing Hermione to look up to see what was keeping Professor Snape quiet. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

"As a former classmate and a current friend, I have some knowledge of what you may be getting yourself into here, Granger. I want you to keep in mind that your self worth is not defined by any one person and that sometimes knowledge can lead you down a pathway you didn't ever intend to travel. That doesn't mean it's the wrong path for you but if it turns out to be a dead end, know that I would be happy to talk to you about anything you wish to discuss. I'd be willing to lend an ear. You've become much less swotty as you aged and I can stomach your inquisitive nature for almost 20 minutes at a time."

She laughed good naturedly as she recognized Snape's brand of humor. After all the hours she'd put in the potion's lab after hours, she'd learned a few things about Snape that other students didn't know. He was actually funny if a person knew what to look for.

She gathered from his Slytherin-speak that he was telling her that he was friends with Tom and knew whatever it was that she was going to learn if she signed the vow. She didn't know what he meant about the path and the dead end but she knew that until she signed the vow, she could not ask questions.

"I appreciate that, Professor Snape. Most students never fully understand how much effort you put into your teaching and I want to thank you for pushing me so hard these past seven years and not letting me coast. You've taught me the most, I think, but please don't share that with the other faculty," she gushed.

He smirked but said nothing. They walked together in silence down to the carriages and watched the younger years loading up and leaving the castle to board the train. When all the students were gone, Snape held out a hand to help her into the last carriage heading to the train station to ensure all the students were loaded up in time.

"You missed lunch," Snape drawled into the emptiness of the carriage.

Startled from her perusing of the forest on her side of the carriage, she turned to him.

"I wasn't very hungry. Did I miss something important?"

"No. I just know that you won't get away with skipping meals in your near future and I thought you should be aware of that and eat something when we return."

Her thoughts returned to breakfast that morning and Tom's dark gaze as she put only fruit on her plate. He had not been happy with her breakfast even though she had eaten as much as she could manage at the time.

"I can't help when I'm hungry and when I'm not," she said softly to her lap.

A snort grabbed her attention. "That excuse won't work," he warned as he stepped out of the carriage and offered his hand to her.

She allowed him to help her down and they both went about their duties. The headboy was already milling around and helping firsties with their luggage. Hermione said goodbye to the younger students who waved at her and hugged a few of the younger Gryffindors who thanked her for her tutoring and kindness.

At long last, the train was loaded and she was waving it off. This was the last time she would see the Hogwarts Express from this angle and she felt a tear in her eye. She might see the train at King's Cross in 15 to 20 years when her own child boarded it for school but she would probably never see it leaving Hogwarts like this again.

Terry Boot wrapped and arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "It's a bit sad, isn't it? Well, come on Granger. We've got speeches to give, diplomas to accept and dancing to do!"

She allowed Terry to steer her to a carriage and she stepped into it without the assistance of a hand. Strange that these boys her age seemed to lack chivalry like the older generation. Even Snape had manners that he treated her to when they were one on one. Or, at least he had today knowing that she knew Tom Riddle. Maybe his manners were only a courtesy to her due to her connection to the Minister. That thought made her sad. If she was...acquainted with the Minister of Magic, people would treat her differently. Perhaps she could use the vow to her advantage. Then again, that would make her a dirty secret. She didn't know how she felt about that.

Back at the castle, she decided to stop by the kitchens and asked the house elves politely for a cup of tea and a sandwich. She ate quickly and tried to tell herself that she was only eating because it was smart to do so and not because she got the idea that Snape and Tom were friends and that he might rat her out or something.

While eating, she pulled out her inkwell and quill and cast another look at the scroll containing the vow of silence that Tom was requiring. On one hand, she could ignore it and consider it more. She had until about 7 or 8 am tomorrow morning before the parchment would self-destruct. Her other options were to sign now or destroy the scroll now.

If she waited to sign or if she destroyed the scroll herself, she would continue on with her life as if she had never met Tom Riddle. He would be her Minister and that was all. If she worked at the Ministry in her future, he would be her boss's boss's boss at most. She would never get to know him personally and she would never be allowed to kiss him the way she had today.

Without thinking, she raised her shirt up to her nose and breathed in. She could smell his soap on her skin. Her memory conjured such realistic memories of his hands around her waist, his fingers tipping her chin up. His tongue licking her bottom lip made her flush in memory.

Hormones needed to be left out of the equation, she knew. There were probably lots of men who could make her feel the way he had this morning if she gave them a chance. The thought of Ron or Neville or even Cormac holding her as Tom did was repulsive, though. They weren't confident and smoldering the way Tom was. They couldn't have an intelligent conversation with her like he could.

Doing something Hermione never did, she decided to trust her gut. Most Gryffindors were led around by gut feelings and their hearts. Hermione had been a hatstall for three different houses and the Ravenclaw and Slytherin side of her made her shudder at ignoring the logical side of herself as she signed the vow.

With a pop! the vow disappeared. There was nothing she could do now but deal with the fallout

Back in her quarters, she dealt with an upset Ginny and Luna who were preparing for the graduation ceremony and felt that Hermione should have been there hours ago to primp and dress with them.

Luckily, they only laughed at her when she said she'd gone to say goodbye to the library before doing her Head Girl duties.

She allowed them to shove her into the bathtub where she relaxed despite having showered that morning. She was sad to wash the scent of his soap off of her but perhaps if she was lucky she could find a way to get some of his smell back on her.

The intensity of her thoughts surprised her. For the first time in her whole life she was curious enough to wonder what the intimate touch of a man felt like. For only knowing the man a week and only having encountered him in person three times, Hermione was very interested in anything he had to offer. She could relate when he claimed he was captivated by her.

The odd subject of Snape came to mind as she focused the depilatory soap on her legs. She and Professor Snape had always had a decent student-teacher relationship despite his prickly nature. Other students hated him for his biting remarks and strict teaching methods but Hermione, who was praised for the slightest of her efforts, appreciated that her usual memory-recall and application knowledge would not be enough to impress him. He always graded her down from what other professors gave her and it gave her something to work for.

Over her years of schooling, she'd learned what he meant behind the words he said and even more importantly, what he meant by his actions. What he didn't say was another league of deciphering alone. The man could be a spy, he was so layered. When the class got quiet and he said nothing, Hermione could determine what he was conveying in his fury and learned to work with it. Her fellow students never reached this point. It was her ability to learn from him and not cower that allowed her time in her personal lab during her 6th and 7th years at school. The past two years she'd clocked a lot of time in the lab brewing to better herself and experimenting to create. He'd given her more attention in private to educate her beyond an NEWT level. If they weren't student and teacher, Hermione would have called him a friend.

It was knowing him better than other students that made it so odd to discover his friendship to the Minister. Hermione did the math and realized that Professor Snape and Tom would have been at school together. The research she'd done after her interview with him had turned up just enough information for her to put this piece together. Tom had graduated in 1988 making him 30 years old now. Professor Snape was a few years older than that but she didn't know how many.

Tom had been magically adopted before his 4th year by the Malfoy family but Lucius Malfoy was older than Tom so she wasn't sure how that connection had come about. Lucius, Draco's father, must be at least 7 or 8 years older than Tom. He had to be for Draco to be possible. Draco was not yet 18 but he would have been born in 1980. If Lucius graduated in 1980 how would he have met Tom? Unless Draco was born during his Hogwarts career. Now there was a new mystery to solve. Hermione knew very little about Draco or the Malfoy family.

She knew Professor Snape knew the Malfoy family from comments made by Draco throughout their schooling. He called him "Uncle Severus" in private, she knew. If Professor Snape went to school with Lucius then perhaps neither had known Tom in school but instead knew him from the time after his adoption going forward? It hardly mattered how they knew each other, Hermione supposed, but she was terribly curious how and why Professor Snape knew Tom so well that he recognized the scroll and gave her a warning. What was he hiding that everyone who knew him took a vow of silence?

Shaking the thoughts loose, Hermione used the depilatory soap on her genitals for the first time. She'd never been a witch to care about fashion or beauty charms but she couldn't deny that she was beginning to feel a strong arousal around Tom and that she was hoping for more of what happened earlier today. If and when it happened, she needed to be prepared. She very carefully removed all her hair except for a small patch in front, the way she knew Ginny and Luna both did.

The curly hair on her head was a matter that she would leave up to Ginny and Luna. All she could do was make sure her legs and underarms were hair free. She stepped out of the tub and into a towel so she could moisturize and clean her teeth. She preferred the wizarding spells followed by the muggle method of teeth cleaning and wrapped up with her own personal mouthwash that kept all germs, tartar and buildup off the tongue, mouth, lips, and teeth for 24 hours. Her mouth wouldn't taste like the food she'd eaten after a meal this way. Her father was still a practicing dentist and she had been taught to be very thorough and careful with her oral hygiene.

When she returned to her bedroom, Ginny and Luna attacked her hair while it was still wet. A few drops of a special serum Hermione had developed in her shampoo and for the most part, her wild and frizzy hair was manageable without looking like she spent hours on it. Proper temperature-based heating charms to dry her hair was the next key to her hair's management, according to Ginny. This was the step Hermione usually skipped, allowing it to dry naturally.

"I don't understand why you're both taking such measures to make me look good. It's just graduation," Hermione whined as each of her friends held her curls lock by lock, drying it subtly to help the curls lay silky, shiny, and smooth.

"Because," Ginny gritted out, "There will be a crowd of people staring at you all evening."

Hogwarts graduation ceremonies were something that were held for the 7th years, their families, and a few key speakers from the wizarding world. A few celebrities were often invited but it usually depended on who was graduating. From what they had been told, the ceremony would involve the class walking into the great hall the same way they had as first years except this time they would all be dressed in black dress robes of their own choosing. They would sit at one table together, but still grouped by houses. The headmaster would speak, the deputy headmistress would speak, the headboy and headgirl would speak, and the guest speaker for the year would speak. Diplomas would be handed out as they walked across the top platform until they all had accepted them. Then, there would be a dinner and some dancing before the 7th years would all leave the castle, walking to the boats and drifting across the lake the way they came as first years. On the other side, they would apparate to wherever they chose to go.

"I'm only giving a speech and I've timed it to under 4 minutes so it's not like I'll be bearing a lot of scrutiny," she protested.

Her friends shared a look of exasperation behind her back that she caught in the mirror and scowled.

Luna patted her shoulder. "There's a lot of opportunities tonight so we want you to feel confident, okay?"

Unable to argue with that, Hermione fantasized about what her time with Tom tonight would bring while they finished drying her hair.

They still had about an hour before any of them were expected to arrive in the atrium outside the Great Hall. Ginny and Luna both had their own hair and makeup fixed so it was Hermione's luck that she had both of their attention as they applied magical charms to darken her eyelashes. They claimed the charm was better because it actually darkened your lashes without being a glamour and didn't rub off unlike regular makeup.

Magical makeup was charmed not to rub off but Hermione never liked having to remove it after the evening was over. Ginny lamented that the charm didn't thicken eyelashes so she used makeup on her own but Luna pointed out that Hermione had nice thick curly lashes and the charm was the perfect solution for her. Never before had Hermione felt lucky about her appearance compared to someone as beautiful as Ginny.

The rest of her face was minimally affected. She blushed enough that Ginny and Luna left her skin alone. She was blessed with clear skin despite how often she stressed and her skin tone was nice and even enough that she had no use for concealer or cover up. Her lips were charmed a shade of bright red that made Hermione blanche.

"It's a bit much," Luna agreed with her to Ginny's dismay.

The shade changed a bit until they found an acceptable soft blush rose that looked almost natural. A shiny balm was patted onto her lips by Luna's soft fingers with promises that she wouldn't feel like she was eating it all night since it was charmed to stay on for at least 6 hours. Then all she had to do was wipe it off.

She slipped on the chair to dress before the girls resumed playing with her hair. She located her trunk and opened it to summon a set of knickers. When her pair of black cotton knickers zoomed out, Hermione paused. She summoned the only set of racy knickers she had, a gift from Ginny that she had never work before as evidenced by the tags.

"No!" Ginny exclaimed from across the room.

Hermione turned to look at her, not having realized she was being watched but so surprised she dropped the lingerie.

The redhead flurried across the room and held up the knicker and thrust the tag in Hermione's face.

"You've seriously not worn these yet?!"

Swallowing, Hermione shook her head and looked away.

Her friend's demeanor softened and she was pulled into a hug.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad, I was just surprised. I had thought that by now you'd have worn them, you know?"

Shrugging, Hermione pulled out of the hug and took the knickers back. She removed and vanished the tag and slipped them on under her towel.

"What opportunity would I have worn them for?"

Luna's lyrical voice called out from across the room, "Ron? Neville? There's a lot of boys that we could guess, all just as likely as the next. We know you're not the type to flaunt public displays of affection so we assumed you were being discreet."

Huffing as she summoned a lace bra from her trunk, Hermione snarked out, "What makes you think I don't have a hidden pile of lingerie other than the pair you bought me,Ginny?"

Laughter was the girls' reply which only made her feel more irritation.

"No offense, Mia, but you are too practical to buy anything but plain knickers. You may wear black knickers but it's because they make more sense under our black school skirts. You aren't one to waste money on frivolous things. That's how we know," Ginny's eyes sparkled with good-natured humor as she elbowed her a little to show that she was only teasing.

With a sigh, Hermione stopped arguing. They were right, of course.

"I think," Luna said slowly, "that the better question is why are you wearing those tonight?"

She froze in the act of laying her bra on the bed so that she could remove her towel to put it on. Tom had said she could say they were going on a date but did she really want to tell them that? They would be like a thestral with a slab of meat.

"I have a date after the ceremony tonight," she stated as she dropped her towel.

She picked up her bra and looked up to see Ginny's mischievous look as she prepared to badger her in order to determine who her date was with. Luna was staring at Hermione's body appreciatively. She hooked the bra behind her and pulled the cups up.

"Can I make a few adjustments?" Luna asked, approaching with her wand.

Hermione nervously held her arms out to the side and watched as Luna turned her plain black lace bra into something longer and more reminiscent of a corset. It didn't come down to the top of her knickers like a corset, only approaching the top of her navel. There was a layer of ribbon detailing added to the back that laced it up tightly, making Hermione's breasts puff at the top of the cups. Ginny added her own wand to the transfiguration process and shortened the fabric of the cups, reinforcing the underside of the cups instead so that the finished look was a very generous cleavage that made Hermione look like she had more than was really there. She felt a tingle on her back and she turned to look at Luna finishing the laces.

"That was a spell that makes it so that you can't remove the bra yourself," Luna said with an evil smile.

"W-what? Why would you do that?" Hermione gasped.

Giggling, Ginny answered, "To give you an excuse to ask him for help, that's why."

Her face must have shown her anxiety over this so Ginny rolled her eyes. "Look, if you come home from the date and need help, one of us can unlace it for you. It's no problem, relax."

She wasn't sure how she felt about the situation. If things did go well and she and Tom did get intimate, did she really want him to know that her roommates put a spell on her bra so that only another person could remove it? Would it be better for him to think she had done it to entice him? Maybe she could just say nothing and he would remove it on his own and she'd not have to say anything. Or, there was a very real chance that they wouldn't be naked together tonight and she'd be going home to her new flat with Ginny (and probably Harry) and Luna and one of them could remove it for her.

Her dress robes were a bit more revealing than she preferred but Ginny and Luna and about three other yearmates who had been in the shop at the same time had insisted they were perfect for graduation. The gown part of it was a satin fabric that stretched across her body tightly. There was a slit in the front on her thigh so that when she walked, her leg would show all the way up to her mid-thigh.

The top of the dress had two inch straps of satin that joined in the back in a V-shape just like they did in the front. The difference was that the front showed a lot more of her cleavage than she was used to. In the shop in Diagon Alley a few weeks ago, Pansy Parkinson of Slytherin had told her she'd be an idiot not to buy those dress robes because they looked good on her. Parkinson never gave Hermione compliments so she had bought them, a little shocked.

The outer robes were worn open almost like a very long and satiny cardigan. The hood was overly large and lay against her back smoothly. The sleeves of the robes were wide at the openings and had a small place for her to slip her middle finger through a loop to keep the sleeves of the robes down at her hands rather than bunching up at her shoulders if she were to raise her arm above her head.

Hermione slipped in her graduation present from her father, a pair of diamond studs, into her ears and smiled. She rarely wore jewelry but she admitted to herself that these studs looked good and that perhaps she should wear them regularly.

She sat down and let Ginny and Luna pull some of the front and side of her hair back into some pins. The bunched it up giving her a half-updo sort of look that seemed like her curls were piled up on top of her head and fastened by invisible pins. A few curls were teased out of the pins so that she had a piece at her temple and at her ear that was loose.

"You girls are good," Hermione confessed as she admired their work.

"Stating the obvious," Ginny bragged, as she tugged on her heels, "But thanks, love."

A tap at the window grabbed their attention. Hermione vaguely recognized the owl as the one who delivered her satchel so she approached the window and opened it.

The owl had a simple scroll of parchment and a rose to hand her. She summoned an owl treat from Ginny's trunk and promised to pay her back. The owl accepted the treat and took off again so she assumed he didn't expect a reply.

"Not that I mind giving you owl treats for mysterious owls, but what did you get?"

Hermione looked over her shoulder to see Luna and Ginny were too far away to read over her shoulder so she opened the scroll.

Hermione,

Imagine my excitement when only hours after I gave you the vow, I received it back; signed. Tonight cannot come fast enough. I will do all that I can to endeavor to earn your trust, regardless of the vow. Anticipation runs through my bones at the thought of seeing you tonight.

Tom

She swallowed at what she thought was an innuendo. Anticipation was coursing through her "bones" as well.

"Hermione… are you okay?" Luna asked softly.

She turned to look at her friends who seemed worried. "O-of course!"

Ginny approached her but she didn't attempt to take her letter. Instead she fingered the rose.

"I know you better than almost anyone," Ginny reminded her as she guided her by the shoulder to sit on the chair she'd been sitting in all afternoon.

She took the rose and used her wand to clip the stem short before Hermione could protest. The redhead's fingers were placing the rose in the pile of curls at the side of the back of her head as she continued talking. "I know what each look on your face means and I know when you're hiding something. Ron told me what happened last night."

Hermione turned to look at her friend, suddenly worried about what story she'd been told.

With an eye roll, Ginny snorted. "He told the truth because Neville was there to correct it. He said he tried to ask you out and you ran from him. He said he followed you and asked again and you freaked out."

Well, so far Ron wasn't entirely wrong but he had left out how persistent he'd been, backing her into a bench despite her protests.

Luna's hand on her forearm commanded her attention. "He said the Minister of Magic showed up and threw him to the ground and petrified him."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione contested, "He did not? He merely petrified him as he was trying to force me to kiss him. He had me backed horizontal onto a bench outside The Three Broomsticks. When the spell hit, he hit the ground beside the bench."

Ginny's mouth popped open and she sank onto the bed beside her. "Hermione! Why did you not say! I would have hexed his bollocks off!"

Unlike Fred and George, Ginny and Ron's older brothers, Ginny and Ron were twins that were opposites. They both were sorted into Gryffindor but other than that, they were much alike. Their older brothers Fred and George were identical twins who practically shared a brain. It was jarring to be around them after listening to Ginny and Row row constantly.

"I don't need you to hex him for me. I could have done it myself I just...I had hoped I wouldn't have to," she defended herself.

Luna, usually the pacifist, gripped her hand and stared at her before saying quite seriously, "The next time a man tries to force any touches on you that you don't welcome, you hit them with a localized freezing charm or I will."

Taken aback by Luna's vehemence, Hermione nodded. Yes, if Ron ever did try that again, she would be hexing him for sure.

"Look," Ginny began, straightening the neckline of her dress robes in the mirror, "I know you're hiding something. You're seeing a guy tonight and you are reluctant to tell me who. You didn't come home last night-don't look at me like that, Lavender was chatting this morning and your story doesn't check out- and I don't want to force you to talk but I'm worried. You're suddenly acting differently and it's happening so fast. Any man who can turn Hermione Granger's head and make her start acting strangely makes me wary."

A side glance confirmed that Luna agreed but was not going to speak. "I'm not acting differently, I just-"

"-stayed out all night, disappeared all morning, have received and are still receiving mystery gifts and letters? You just, what, suddenly want to wear sexy lingerie for the fun of it?"

A sigh escaped Ginny's mouth and she was pulled into another hug. "You're my best friend and I know who you are receiving messages from. Can you at least confirm if they are from the person you're dating tonight?"

A nod was all Hermione was willing to give her. Tom had allowed this information but she wasn't sure how much more she wanted to give out.

"I think Tom Riddle is a catch, Mia," Luna said serenely.

Ginny laughed and Hermione joined in. They had both given up being irritated that Luna discovered everyone's secrets without trying to, much to the dismay of the people around her.

Her heels were handed to her and a few spells were cast on them for extra soft cushioning and stability. She slipped them on as Ginny and Luna completed their final touches. Hermione looked around the room as she packed up the last of her belongings into her trunk which she then shrunk and stored in her satchel. Her satchel was shrunk and placed into the interior pocket of her dress robes. She snatched up her parchment with her speech on it and stored it next to her belongings. The robes were charmed not to show bulges or lines from whatever was in the pocket so she smoothed her robes down and cast a last look around the Head Girl's quarters before leaving them for the last time.

In the atrium off to the side of the entrance hall, most of the 7th year students were gathered. They were all milling about, talking and laughing and watching behind an invisible barrier that kept the guests who were arriving from noticing them. Hermione sadly watched the parents of her classmates walk by to enter the Great Hall. Her father was a muggle and muggles couldn't see Hogwarts. The spellwork was too strong to allow muggles in. Her father had understood and promised to take her out sometime next weekend to celebrate. He was in a dental conference this weekend anyway. Hermione's mother and her newest stepfather lived in Australia so they weren't planning to visit her just to celebrate her graduation from a school they couldn't even visit. Hermione had promised to visit her soon as a mini-vacation gift after graduation. She had to get a job secured first to afford the port key.

Justin Finch-Fletchley stood beside her as she watched people entering the Great Hall. Neither of them spoke but she knew he was feeling the same way she was; wistful.

Staying on opposite sides of the atrium from Ron was not as difficult as she would have thought it would be. Ron never approached her and there seemed to be plenty of people willing to share small talk with her as they waited in the atrium as they had their first night at Hogwarts.

It wasn't too much later that Professor McGonagall arrived and asked them to line up. Hermione and the Head Boy took the front of the lines as they had to sit at the Head Table to give speeches. The door opened in front of her and she tried not to act like she had as a first year, staring all around.

The Great Hall had been decorated in silver and gold and bronze and black. There were tasteful paper lanterns floating around the room that made the room glow. The long house tables were now smaller round tables that families gathered together around. She spotted the Weasley family and the Potters sitting together near the front. They smiled at her as she passed them.

When she and Terry Boot reached the front of the room, she turned to one side and he turned to the other. There was now one long table across the front of the room parallel to the Head Table but down on ground level. She walked all the way to the end of the table, leading her line to follow her while Terry did the same on the opposite side. The table was long enough that no one had to sit on the bench that would put their backs to the Head Table. When all the 7th years were standing, grouped by houses, behind the bench, Professor Dumbledore motioned for them to sit. As one, all 7th years except for Hermione and Terry took a seat. Hermione approached the two steps that led to the platform of the Head Table and a hand was offered to help her up. She looked up to Remus Lupin smiling at her as she accepted his hand and climbed the steps, praying she wouldn't break an ankle.

Professor Lupin guided her to an empty seat near the center of the Head Table. Headmaster Dumbledoor was seated in the very center seat with Professor McGonagall seated to his right and to the left of the headmaster was Tom Riddle, Minister of Magic. Severus Snape sat to Tom's left and Terry to the left of him. Filius Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw, sat on the other side of Terry.

Hermione's seat was to the right of Professor Spout who was seated to the right of Professor McGonagall. She felt eyes on her as Professor Lupin pulled her chair out for her. She blushed and sat. He pulled his own chair out and sat down to her right.

The crowd quieted as Professor Dumbledore stood and walked around the head table to approach the grand podium that he used for addressing the student body.

"Welcome," he began, "to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We the faculty of Hogwarts are very pleased to be able to confer the graduation of a particularly fine group of students this year. From the tender age of eleven, our faculty and staff recognized almost immediately that this year's graduating class was full of innovative and world-changing humans.

The accomplishments of this group of students will amaze you, I believe, as you listen to them tonight. This evening is a night of bragging and we the faculty are eager to sing the praises of a very superior group of pupils. Let us begin."

And so the awards began. She listened politely as awards and speeches were given. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were awarded with athletic awards each for their captainship of their teams over the past three years. Harry had broken several records which had him embarrassed as Madam Hooch retold his exploits to the crowd who relaxed and laughed at the jokes in her speech.

Ginny's acceptance to the Hollyhead Harpies was announced and her friend looked beautiful as she allowed Madame Hooch to hand her the contract offered to her from the team. Ginny never blushed but her friend was a little pink as she retook her seat.

Neville was awarded an apprenticeship with Professor Sprout due to his ability to create a new breed of plant for his seventh year project. He accepted his apprenticeship medals with confidence that had Hermione tearing up a bit. He was so different from the nervous and shaking first year on the train that she had met.

Susan Bones was awarded a merit for her donated time in the Hospital Wing and her apprenticeship at St. Mungos was announced. She accepted an award from a witch who approached the platform from the crowd but did not make a speech.

Next came the part where extraordinary NEWT scores were revealed and Hermione's fingers tightened on the arms of her chair. She heard Professor Lupin chuckle lightly under his breath before he whispered, "Relax. Breathe," to her.

Professor McGonagall approached the podium to give this speech and Hermione was a little sad that she could not see her Head of House's face during the speech.

"It gives me great honor to be the faculty member chosen to announce this year's outstanding NEWTs. We have much to celebrate and many accomplishments to share so you can imagine the fight the faculty had amongst us to determine who got to announce this year."

There was a round tittering from the crowd as no one could imagine the teachers fighting over who got to give a speech but over who had to do it. Remus leaned closer to her and murmured, "She's telling the truth, we did fight over who got to give the speech this year."

She smiled softly as she kept her eyes on Professor McGonagall.

"Our students worked hard all year with the goal of NEWTs and graduation in mind and this year, they have, as one group, broken a new record: not one student in this year's graduating class failed a single NEWT."

Her speech was interrupted by a thunderous round of applause. There were a few whistles and cheers before the speech could continue.

"Each student passed each NEWT that was taken and this had never happened in the long history of Hogwarts and this is an accomplishment and a new standard to which we will hold future generations."

She paused for another round of clapping. PRofessor McGonagall adjusted her spectacles. "This year's graduating class had several students who scored well and we would like to acknowledge them in particular. IF I call your name, please approach the platform and stand beside me to accept your award."

Luna Lovegood, Terry Boot, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass, Theo Nott, and Susan Bones were all called up to the platform where they lined up.

"These students all took at least 5 NEWTs and scored at least an Exceeds Expectations on each of their exams granting them the Deputy Headmistress's award of excellence. They have studied and worked hard for this honor and I am proud of each one of them."

There was more clapping as Professor McGonagall turned around and shook their hands and handed each of them a small plaque declaring their honor. To some of the students she whispered something to them as she shook their hands but to Hermione she said nothing, just smiled and shook her hand and handed her the plaque that hovered beside her with her name embossed on it.

When they had all accepted their plaques, Luna, Draco, Daphne and Theo turned to leave the platform. Hermione started to follow but Terry reached out to stop her. She paused and saw Professor McGonagall was back at the podium ready to speak again.

"You'll notice we have two students still standing. Terry Boot and Hermione Granger, our Head Boy and Head Girl, have served Hogwarts tirelessly all year. They've performed duties that other students have never had to do from staying up comforting homesick first years to assisting their professors with chaperoning duties. They have both also been known to offer their assistance to professors who needed help grading during exam season even though they both had their own exams to study for and sit. Hogwarts has flourished under their leadership this year. I speak for the faculty as I compliment them on not only their ability to perform their Head Boy and Head Girl duties more admirably than we've seen in a long time but also on their abilities to achieve nothing but Os on their NEWTs, qualifying them for the Headmaster's award for academic excellence."

Hermione's eyes were wide as she realized what this meant. If she had achieved all Os, she would have beaten the record. She stood there stunned as Professor McGonagall handed them each another plaque with their names on it and shook their hands. This time she whispered between the two of them so that they could both hear.

"Mr. Boot, you may retake your seat. Miss Granger, please remain standing."

Realizing that she had her hands full, Hermione subtly crooked her finger and wandlessly and non-verbally levitated her plaques behind her to the table in front of her seat. She tried to only glance without turning her head in order to see where to place the plaques. She wasn't trying to show off but she didn't want to whip her wand out in front of the crowd.

There was whispering among the crowd as Professor Dumbledore replace Professor McGonagall at the podium.

"We may have allowed Professor McGonagall the honor of the last two awards but as Headmaster I had to play my trump card for this one," he laughed with the crowd as Hermione fought the urge to blush, drop her eyes and fidget.

"Our Head Girl, Miss Hermione Granger, has broken the school record for NEWT achievements so of course we had to award her efforts. Never before has a student taken all 12 subjects offered here at Hogwarts and achieved an O in each subject. The previous record holder is here tonight and we thought it fitting that we allow this segway into the next award that he is to present as well. Would you please welcome your Minister of Magic, Mr. Tom Riddle."

An enormous amount of applause rocketed through the room as Tom approached the podium. He and the Headmaster shook hands very firmly before Tom turned to smile a dazzling smile at her.

"It is certainly an honor to be here at Hogwarts this evening presenting an award to the witch who broke my NEWTs record. I hope that she is as proud of herself as the faculty is. Never have I heard such praise from the professors of Hogwarts during my quarterly visits," Tom told the crowd.

Internally, Hermione gasped. He knew who she was before she interviewed him. He had just admitted that the faculty spoke of her to him all year long when he was here on visits. He acted like he didn't know who she was when she interviewed him. He had only pointed out her Head Girl pin as an explanation.

"Hogwarts as an institution, has done itself proud when it turns out so many distinguished students as it has done this year, its Head Girl in particular. The brightest witch of her age, I've heard many of her mentors refer to her as. In addition to being the newest holder for the record of Hogwarts NEWT achievement, Miss Hermione Granger is also here to be presented with another award for her potions achievement. As much as I would like to tell you about her achievement, I'm going to yield the podium momentarily to the potions master," Tom said as he stood aside and waited for Professor Snape to take his place.

"In all 15 years as a professor of potions I have never known such a swotty know-it-all as Miss Granger," he said. Hermione flushed not because she was insulted but because she knew he was teasing her in front of the whole crowd. She heard laughter from her classmates as truer words had never been spoken.

"Miss Granger demonstrates all the qualities one looks for in a library: she contains a well-rounded amount of information, can present her knowledge at any given moment, and is quiet unless she's answering a question or asking one."

There was more laughter but she knew it was directed more at the tone of Professor Snape's voice than at the words he was saying.

"If allowed, the faculty would take turns singing her praises all night but we have to draw the line somewhere so let me simplify her seventh year potions project for you in order for Minister Riddle to present her award."

The crowd quieted as they could sense the importance of something that was about to happen. Neville had created a new breed of plant but his experiment was not not outlined nor was he given a particular award for it. This was something serious and even Hermione, who knew what she had done, was intrigued.

"For her seventh year potions project, Hermione Granger plagued my personal laboratory. I am glad to be able to tell you her time annoying me was well spent," he drawled out to a snicker from the collective crowd who knew Snape's reputation well enough to know that he was annoyed by everything.

"She was able to create a potion that will completely reverse damage caused by dark curses," here there was a lot of gasps from the crowd. "For her NEWT, Miss Granger brewed her potion and demonstrated its application on a dark curse that had scarred severely and could not be cured by the best efforts of St. Mungos. Her potion was patented before she took her NEWTs but in the paperwork, Miss Granger refused to accept royalties for the potion recipe. She patented it and then offered it freely to anyone who has need of it. This recipe can now be found at any apothecary or by prescription at St. Mungos, free of charge."

The crowd exploded into applause and Hermione was horrified to see them all stand to their feet one by one in a standing ovation.

She dimly watched Professor Snape take a few steps back and Tom returned to the podium.

"I think we can all agree that Miss Granger deserves an Order of Merlin, third class. Let's give her another round of applause for her dedication, devotion, and kind heart," Tom coaxed the crowd before turning and holding up a medal.

His steps were slow and measured as he approached her. The medal was a soft burgundy color and the medal was bronze in color. He grinned at her as he carefully maneuvered the neck of the medal around her hair and smoothed it under the back of the hood of her dress robes. He took her hand and shook it before bringing it to his mouth for a kiss.

"I love the rose, Miss Granger. Thank you for your service to the wizarding world of Great Britain," he whispered to her hand.

And then he was beside her, her hand cold and bereft. She looked out at the crowd and noted the people she recognized but felt her eyes water at knowing her own father wasn't here. He would have been the proudest of anyone to know that she had developed a potion that would help others.

Another plaque floated from the podium to where Tom stood and he took it from the air and waved his hand at it. His name disappeared from the plaque and her own name appeared before it was presented to her.

"As the record holder before me stated, congratulations on your reign of record hold and may you hold it for as long as it takes for another worthy student to come along. I am proud of you," he stated, staring into her eyes.

She accepted the plaque and found her voice. "Thank you, Minister Riddle. I am very humbled to receive this award from you."

She was allowed to take her seat for a moment as did Tom. Filius Flitwick stood below the podium with a sonorus charm and announced the Head Boy, Terry Boot who gave his speech that Hermione barely listened to.

Her shock was causing her mind to be one big blank. She'd not seen an Order of Merlin coming. She was shocked to her core and had to be prodded gently by Remus when the applause for the pronouncement of her name and title was given.

Numbly, she approached the podium and reached into her robes for her speech. She took a moment to visualize a sandy beach and calm waves as she smoothed out the parchment. When she looked up at the crowd, she had her professional face on.

"Good evening faculty, staff, students, peers, colleagues, family members, and esteemed guests. I am honored to be standing here tonight serving in the capacity as Hogwarts' Head Girl, class of 1998.

"Throughout our years here at Hogwarts we students have learned. We've learned how to leave home, and how to make a home away from home. We've learned how to make friends, and we've learned how to deal with the rejection that comes from not being liked.

Hermione paused as she scanned the room occasionally, as good speech givers do. She saw Harry, Ron and Ginny smiling up at her. Neville gave her a thumbs up of encouragement.

"During our time at Hogwarts we've had trials and tests that have made us question everything about ourselves. We were raised by our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, godparents, and friends of the family. Those people taught us to walk, to talk, to chew with our mouths closed and to count to 20. When we arrived at Hogwarts, they had each prepared us the best way they knew how and they supported us as best they could from afar. The lessons that were enforced during our formative years became lessons we questioned as rebellious third years.

Taking a breath she scanned the back of the room and made eye contact with a few people who were nodding along with her assessment.

"Whether the verdict was in favor of what our families taught us or against it, we've become our own person. Each of you standing here today has done more than sit in a classroom and take notes on the Goblin War of 1512.

Here a round of gentle laughter broke out as anyone who'd been through Hogwarts recently knew that Professor Binn's class was dreary at best.

"Even if you didn't notice it, Hogwarts has helped to shape each of us into young adults. We are fully capable of being either a proper and respectable member of society or a menace. It is our responsibility now to go forth from here and forge new possibilities. Each of us much take up the mantle to enrich and broaden the horizon for the future generations of the wizarding world. I would like to congratulate each of my fellow peers on coming through the fire better for it and I would implore each of you to use the gift Hogwarts has bestowed upon you for the better of society.

Here she gazed upon each of her fellow classmates lined up in front of her before she cast her gaze to the guests gathered around the tables in the Great Hall. She knew her speech and did not need to look at it any longer.

"To the families who have raised us and molded us, on behalf of my fellow classmates I would like to express a heartfelt thank you for your love, support and devotion through this daunting time we call childhood and youth. You've stuck by us steadfast and we wouldn't be here without you.

It was a bit jarring to see a few mothers wiping tears so she mustered up another breath to complete her speech. She looked over her shoulder at the Head Table.

"To our esteemed and respected professors, on behalf of my peers I am honored to express our admiration for your ability to deal with us on a nearly daily basis for 7 years. We know we haven't always appreciated what you had to teach us or to say to us. We know that it wasn't easy to watch us make bad decisions and to have to punish us for it but we thank you for it. You've made us better witches and wizards and we will do our best now to go into the world and make you proud.

"And now, Hogwarts class of 1998, let us now choose the path less traveled by for I hear it will make all the difference."

She collected her speech and rolled it up and she could feel the tears in her eyes as she turned from the podium to retake her seat. The crowd was still clapping when Minister Tom Riddle pulled out his own parchment with a speech presumably written on it.

He began with a soft chuckle. "Remind me not to follow Miss Granger with any speeches we may make at future functions: she's a hard act to follow."

There was a catcall from what Hermione thought was Harry's godfather, Sirius Black because she knew no other person in the crowd brave enough to make that noise at such a function while the Minister himself was speaking. Tom folded his hands flat on the podium in front of him and Hermione again cursed that she couldn't see his face.

"During my first year as Minister of Magic I have been blessed to have many accomplishments take place underneath my time serving. I see great potential from this group of adults. When I look among you tonight, I don't see children at the Leaving Feast; I see adults. I see healers, researchers, herbolists, legal advisers, charms masters, inventors, quidditch stars and so much more. You are the generation who will soon take over as the majority of the workforce. You are the generation who has the potential to make the changes that our world needs to strengthen and better itself.

"I hope that each of you use the gifts you've discovered here at Hogwarts for a positive gain and I am glad to confer your diplomas tonight. Thank you."

There was a round of polite applause and Hermione tried to catch his eye as he turned to retake his seat at the Head Table but Tom had to go around the other side of the table.

Professor McGonagall and Headmaster also gave speeches but there was nothing particularly interesting in them for Hermione to do more than listen politely.

She was still in a daze from the stares and claps she'd received earlier when the diplomas were being handed out. The entire staff and faculty were lined up along with the Minister to create a final gauntlet for them to walk down and shake hands before returning to their seat. Names were alphabetically called and Hermione was called right after Justin Finch-Fletchley. She stood from her seat and walked around the Head Table. She glanced into the crowd despite knowing her father wasn't there to smile proudly at her.

She shook the Headmaster's hand as he handed her the diploma she'd been working towards for seven years.

Professor McGonagall hugged her gently rather than shake her hand. As her head of House and her transfiguration professor, they'd spent a lot of time together as student and professor. Hermione had learned her animagus form as her seventh year project with Professor McGonagall's help.

"I am so very proud of you, Hermione," her Head of House said.

A lump formed in her throat at hearing her professor use her given name rather than her formal name.

"Thank you for everything," Hermione whispered to her.

Snape was next and he simply raised an eyebrow as he shook her hand. She knew he was saying he was proud of her as well. The words he didn't say said more to her. She smiled back in return and said thank you.

Tom, as the Minister for Magic, shook her hand and she bit her lip at the electric zing that went through her when their skin touched. He smiled ironically as he congratulated her like he had all the other students. Before he released her hand, he leaned closer to her but not unprofessionally close and whispered, "Save me a dance."

Following that was more of the same from Professors Flitwick, Sprout, Vector, Sinistra, Lupin, Trelawney, Binns (though no handshake was offered), Hagrid, Babbling, and Burbage. The end of the line was Mr. Filch and Madam Pince who pressed her lips together firmly and shook her hand but said nothing. Hermione wasn't sure what to say either. They had spent a lot of time together over the years in the library but not together. She knew nothing of Madam Pince other than her rules for the library which Hermione respected more than any other student.

The seventh year students walked across the platform in front of the Head Table, diplomas clutched tightly in their hands, and received a final round of applause. The lights in the room dimmed a bit and with a soft pop! The table and bench for the seventh year students turned into several round tables with chairs. One by one, the newly graduated students found a place to eat. Some found their families and sat with them and some gathered with fellow graduates at the round tables. Hermione had no family here so when she saw Harry and Ginny and Ron had joined their families, Hermione turned to take her seat between Remus Lupin and Pomona Sprout.

Magically shrinking her plaques and diploma, Hermione awkwardly took them in hand and stuck her hand into her pocket where she blindly found and slipped the items into her satchel. She felt a little relieved and a little bereft as she sat at the Head Table eating her dinner quietly. All her possessions were in her pocket and she had nothing to tie her down aside from an empty flat with her friends and a vow to the Minister of Magic.

Dinner passed quietly for Hermione. Professor Lupin invited her to call him Remus (he was a friend of Harry's family so it was less difficult to call him informally than she'd thought it would be) and spoke to her about what type of job she might try for. He, like all the professors she spoke to that evening, offered her references if she needed them when job shopping. Hermione felt tongue tied when asked what her plans were because now she felt her future depended on her evening with Tom.

There was no way she was going to allow Tom to be her boss if they were dating. Instead, she'd follow her plan B and work for St. Mungos as a potions research and developer. She considered asking Professor Snape for advice on this but decided to wait it out. She had enough money set aside that she could take a few weeks of idleness while she searched for a job. She had no qualms finding a part time muggle job to earn money if it came to it.

A small band set up behind the Head Table so that as soon as those dining on the platform finished eating, they went to mingle. As soon as the last person left the table, it disappeared allowing the band to begin playing music. Those at the round tables followed their lead and stepped back so that they too could be banished. The entire Great Hall was now a dance floor and a few tables of refreshments appeared at the sides of the Hall.

Hermione was astonished to see that several males were approaching her to ask her to dance the first dance. She accepted the hand of Terry Boot because he was the Head Boy and she claimed that it was their duty but honestly she was terribly unsure of how to determine from the three that stood around her.

When her dance with Terry was complete, he had scarcely dropped her hand before Neville asked for a dance which she granted. She felt a creep of worry about what Tom had said about Neville holding affection for her but he didn't bring the subject up so the dance, while awkward, was bearable.

After Neville relinquished her, she turned to get a drink from the refreshment table to find the Headmaster requesting a dance. That was something she could not turn down simply because of the honor of it. Professor Dumbledore congratulated her and wished her the best but he didn't ask what she planned for the future and she was grateful. He seemed to know she was aching for a break as he tucked her hand into his elbow and escorted her to the refreshment table where he procured a flute of champagne for them. They toasted to a bright future and he wandered off.

She sipped her champagne and found a group of her yearmates and slipped into the conversation for a few songs but after the third song she'd sat out, she was getting antsy. How was she to approach Tom for the dance he asked for? Was she to be the brazen graduate who boldly approached the Minister to request a dance, or was she to play cat and mouse and wait for him to find her?

She walked around the edge of the dance floor and found herself in the midst of the Potter family so she spoke to them for a moment. Mrs. Potter complimented her dress and hair and asked her to come visit for dinner sometime that summer. Harry's little sister was a 4th year and Hermione had been tutoring her in potions so she agreed to accept an invitation. Sirius, Harry's godfather, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and laughed about how she's stolen the show, making her blush. She endured his ribbing for a moment before excusing herself to visit with the Weasley family.

Mrs. Weasley had hugged her tightly and, as always, commented on how thin she felt. Thankfully, none of Ron or Ginny's older brothers had come for the graduation so she was able to speak politely with Mr. Weasley about his offer to show her around the Ministry if she came to apply for a job. She saw Tom standing behind Mr. Weasley and faltered in her response. Arthur Weasley, turned to see what she was looking at and smiled.

"Minister Riddle, good to see you!"

The men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before Tom turned his smouldering gaze on Hermione. The tension in the air between them was so thick she heard Mrs. Weasley suck in her breath and go a bit still.

"Arthur, we'll have to catch up some other time. The brightest witch of her age has promised me a dance and I need to collect on it before it's too late," Tom said, his eyes never leaving hers.

Heat flushed through her body as she watched him offer a hand, thin and slender fingers palm up, awaiting her hand.

She placed her hand in his and whispered a goodnight to the Weasleys as Tom walked backwards, leading her onto the dance floor.

Her skin was singing for him. There was no other way to describe the sensation. Her stomach felt so tingly that she wasn't sure if it would float away with excitement or sag to her knees with nerves.

Tom was by far the best dance partner she'd ever had. As a girl she'd been taught the basics of dances in classes that she hated. As a youth, she'd only needed to know how to sway side to side since the boys her age didn't know how to do any more. Occasionally at one of Hogwarts' balls she'd been able to waltz or do a bit more other than sway side to side in a tiny circle. Terry had been able to shuffle her around in a slightly clumsy two step due his pureblood upbringing.

But Tom, Tom knew how to dance. She was stunned and could only follow his lead. His left hand held hers, curling around her fingers softly yet firmly. With his fingers barely hooked in hers, he guided her to walk around him in a circle as he stood properly. She had to stretch up a bit to allow her arm to reach high enough over his head for her to complete her circuit but he smiled at her when she returned to her place in front of him.

With a sudden swiftness, his right hand was on the middle of her back. He held her with a rigid arm, hand spread wide. She could feel his fingertips where they pressed in against her through her gown and the midi corset bra she was wearing underneath. Even though her back was a decidedly non-erogonant zone, his touch there felt more intimate than Neville's hand on her waist had.

There was enough space between their bodies to maintain proper dance decorum and yet it was overflowing with sexual tension. She knew Tom felt it too because his face held a stoic but intense gaze, his eyes dark and never leaving hers as he began to lead her in a waltz.

The music, a song that was popular among the younger generations of witches and wizards, was being played in 12/8 time so waltzing to it was a little odd but Tom was making it work. The first verse of the song was spent getting used to each other with nothing more than proper waltz steps being observed. Hermione wasn't the best dancer but she knew the truth of ballroom dancing was that only the male dancer had to be good. As long as Tom was a strong lead, she would look good to anyone watching by just following.

What made her feel like stumbling over her own feet was the concentration of Tom's focus. His dark green eyes never left hers. He didn't look about to see if people were gaping at the Minister of Magic dancing with a young graduate. He didn't let his eyes flicker to see if a reporter was writing up an article about his taking a muggleborn barely-of-age- witch to the dance floor when he had so far not been publicized doing something like this.

She was feeling settled into their steps when the phrasing of the song caught her attention. The singer sang, "And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear/ Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?" Hermione could identify with that concept quite well. Tom had an allure that he had to know about and use purposefully to lure in witches behind the public's back.

When the chorus hit, he pushed Hermione's back, guiding her to turn underneath his arm, their other hands still connected in the air. She caught on to what he was doing and spun out wide until they were connected by their hands only with their arms stretched tight and straight between them. Then he pulled her back into him. Rather than resuming their previous dance position, Tom waited until she was close to his body and spun her around again before dipping her, his hand on her waist this time.

Her breathing hitched and she was sure he felt the spike in her heart rate because she could see his mouth twitch like he was pleased with himself. He guided her back up and they resumed their usual waltz position and Hermione studied his eyes, trying to figure out what type of a game he was playing with her.

"Can I go where you go? / Can we always be this close forever and ever?"

Trying to not pay attention to the lyrics and only focus on the beat of the song so she didn't slip up and disgrace herself, Hermione felt his fingertips dig in a bit giving her a warning that he was about to vary their dance steps a little.

"And ah, take me out, and take me home (forever and ever) / You're my, my, my, my/ Lover."

Tom's hand slid from her mid back and grabbed her hand off his shoulder. At the same time he lifted his other hand holding her right one up in the air. He used his right hand that was holding her left to push her into a spin underneath their raised arms. She spun until the gasp on her other hand would let her spin no more. Then, Tom used that grasp to pull her out of the spin the same way she came. He continued to spin her in the opposite way, moving his body a little so that she ended up facing his front but to the side of him. From there they took a few more steps of the regular waltz with their hands grasped, one pair behind her back resting on her waist and the other pair lifted high.

Perspiration began to dot her hair line from the sight of almost everyone in the Great Hall giving them room and watching them dance. Without facing Tom she had lost his gaze to distract her. She took a breath and then Tom was spinning her around to face him again. He brought her closer to him this time, their dance space smaller but his gaze was on her again, dark and consuming. She flushed all the way down to her knickers.

He spun her one more time and Hermione heard the singer say something about taking a magnetic force of man to be her lover and when she was spun back into a deeper dip, she breathed hard at the lust that she could feel coming off him in waves. His right hand had released her left and he supported her torso on his bent left thigh and she could feel his hand tightly gripping her left thigh almost indecently high up. And then, she was pulled back up into him, the smaller dance space between them continued as he led her around using the regular waltz steps to finish out the song.

When the song's last note came, he didn't dip her but instead stopped their steps and jerked her body into his firmly. She looked at him as she registered the clapping from the crowd that had gathered and she knew in the back of her mind, the part that was still functioning behind the haze of hormones coursing through her body, that there would be talk of this dance from anyone and everyone who witnessed it.

His breath was warm on her ear as he tilted his mouth down to it and he murmured, "Find someone else to dance with. Dance a couple more and then I expect you to find your way to my home as soon as this evening is over."

She had no chance to respond before he was pulling back and bowing to her. Dusting off her manners, Hermione pulled an ankle back behind the other and she bent at the knees in a small curtsey. A hot kiss was pressed to the back of her hand and then he disappeared into the crowd.

The best course of action had to be to continue on with her evening as if she had just shared a tantalizing dance with the young Minister for Magic in front of all her friends and their families, and the faculty and staff.

Before anyone could see her pause on the dance floor, watching the Minister retreat, Hermione turned and headed to the place where she last saw some of her friends. She found Luna and Ginny standing with Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean. The boys were all staring at her with looks of either surprise, confusion or hunger. Ginny had a smirk behind her flute of champagne and a raised eyebrow that told her more of her opinion than Hermione would like to know.

Instead of allowing anyone to open up her last dance as a topic of conversation, Hermione grabbed Ginny's flute, downed it and waved at them all.

Over the shoulder of Seamus Hermione saw Professor Snape speaking to Remus Lupin and looking bored.

"I'm sorry, Remus, but I was hoping to interrupt for a moment to beg a dance from Professor Snape before it's too late," Hermione smiled up at them both.

Remus laughed. "Of course but I'm not sure that you'll be able to convince him. He might be a bit intimidated after seeing how well you danced with your last dance partner."

Refusing to allow Professor Snape to be the butt of what was surely to turn into a joke, Hermione turned her smile to Remus. "Well, if I can't convince him, then I guess you'll have to dance with me. I have a few I've been meaning to ask you, too."

A groan came from Professor Snape but she noticed he banished his glass. "You've graduated, Granger. There's nothing more I can do for your scores. You've got the record. What more do you want from me?"

She smiled as he held his hand out for her even as he was complaining good naturedly. Hermione waggled her fingers at Remus as she was led back to the dance floor.

This dance was also much more sophisticated than what the boys her age we able to do and Hermione began wondering if the problem had never been her this whole time but the boys that she was forced to keep company with. The men she'd been in contact with this past week had proven to have better manners, better smells, and better conversation. She could smell some sort of a spicy, earthy scent wafting from her professor when he shifted an arm or made a movement. She could not tell what it was but it was masculine. Did grown men smell better than boys as a rule or was there a certain type? She'd never been this close to a man before this week to notice before.

"We've been dancing for a full minute and you've yet to ask me anything, Granger. I'm starting to think you just wanted to humiliate me by forcing me to dance," Snape said to her as he stared over her head.

Shaking her head a bit as she stared at his cravat, Hermione replied, "If you couldn't dance, you would have found a Slytherin way to refuse me without losing face so I felt secure asking."

Snorting, Snape spun her in a slow circle that lacked a bit of the force that Tom had put into his own spins but it was technically sound.

"Then what is the reason to drag me out here?"

"No reason other than that I had hoped to avoid the boys my own age," she spoke quietly, hoping he didn't feel used by her.

"Why Granger, are you attempting to use me as a beard? After that display, there won't be any amount of dancing with any partner in the UK that could deter the gossip now."

Her stomach dropped. She hated attention but she was more anxious over what gossip about her and Tom would mean for whatever it was she and Tom were becoming to each other. She knew that his name not appearing in the papers or being in the mouths of society's gossips was not a coincidence and now she had ruined it all by a dance.

A deep sigh from Snape was felt rather than heard and his breath was strong enough that she felt it on her shoulder on the gap of bare skin by her gown strap.

"He danced with you so calm down. He never does anything without being ten steps ahead of everyone else. It was a calculated move so don't think about it anymore."

She smiled weakly at him as she allowed him to guide her through the last steps.

Trying to channel her inner Slytherin, Hermione found the first group of married men she knew and slyly convinced one of them to ask her to dance. It turned out to be very easy to manipulate Gryffindor men. James Potter, Sirius Black and Arthur Weasley were all standing around drinking and laughing when Hermione had walked by. Harry's godfather had made a flippant comment on her breaking records tonight so she laughed along and mentioned how much of a relief it was to be able to dance without having her toes stepped on. The men laughed good naturedly as they had once been those boys she was speaking of.

"Well, I'm off to see if I can find another decent partner before the band stops playing. If you'll excuse me, gentlemen," Hermione waved them off as she walked away.

She got two steps away before James Potter caught up to her and asked her to dance. She smiled and accepted.

Harry's father was decent enough that her toes were safe. He led her well enough without any spins or extras which was fine. She only wanted a dance with an older man who was happily married to help quell the whispers. Tom had said to dance a few more and she hoped that this would fulfill her dance card quota for the evening. She considered it a success to have avoided Ron.

Rather than focusing on fancy dance steps, Mr. Potter congratulated her and thanked her for all the extra tutoring she'd given Harry over the years. He reiterated his wife's earlier request for her to have dinner one evening this summer for their daughter's Ivy's sake. She smiled genuinely and agreed. Harry was a good friend and she loved his family. It was a blessing to have them in her life, particularly because she was a muggleborn and her own parents were not only divorced but also muggles. There were some magical issues that she needed an adult's help with that she hadn't felt comfortable speaking to her head of house about. Magical feminine products had been embarrassing to navigate and Hermione was grateful to this day that she'd had that issue while visiting the Potters. Lily Potter was her angel.

At the conclusion of the song, Hermione excused herself to the Entrance Hall as the Great Hall had slowly been emptying of guests for the last 10 minutes.

Almost all of her class had gathered together already as most were eager to celebrate their accomplishments privately.

Twenty minutes later Hermione was standing shoulder to shoulder with Ginny, Luna, Harry, Neville and Ron. They watched Hagrid standing by the shore of the Black Lake next to the boats they had arrived in as first years.

"Blimey, is it me or did they shrink these boats since we last used them?" Ron blurted out.

Anyone in earshot laughed at this as they all approached the tiny boats. Hermione looked around and saw that none of the boys were helping the girls into the boats, despite them all wearing finery and she sighed. One thing she was certain of now was that Tom Riddle had ruined boys her own age for her. She couldn't unsee it now that she knew how attractive chivalry was.

Hermione looked around for Neville and they laughed as he had been looking for her, too.

"Wanna ride back together the way we came?" Neville asked.

"Of course, though I'm sad Trevor isn't here to go with us," she quipped.

Trevor, Neville's toad that had brought them together as friends on the train, had run off sometime during their 5th year and Neville had never found him. Hermione had given up an entire study day to help look for him during OWL season but Trevor had disappeared. Neville shrugged and said he was probably happier wherever he'd gone and given up the search.

Hermione stepped into the boat and settled down first, before Neville climbed in. She looked around to see Ginny and Harry in a boat snuggling up together. Luna had paired with Ron and she noticed that next to them was Draco Malfoy in a boat to himself. He felt her gaze and matched it. They shared a look of understanding between them. She knew he was Tom's godson and he knew his godfather had interrupted their evening to save her from her own drunkenness and Ron's brash behavior.

The ride back to the boat house was a little sad and she heard more than a few classmates sniffling. Each of her classmates shook hands with Hagrid on their way out of the boat house and to the train station. Hagrid cried more than any of the girls as he received 'thank yous' from most of them. Harry, who was closer to him than any of them, had stalled the line as Hagrid hugged him and couldn't stop crying in between telling Harry how he had just been a tiny baby in his arms yesterday.

When she made it to the train station, it seemed like no one was leaving yet. It was an understood rule that they should wait for everyone to get to the station before apparating.

The final classmate arrived and they all looked around at each other for a silent moment before Ernie MacMillian stated, "I guess that's it then. Bye mates!"

There was a crack! and he was gone. She listened to a few more murmurs of the same and the air was filled with the sounds of apparition. When it was quiet again, Hermione looked around to see Harry. They were the last two standing.

"Guess we go now," Harry said, kicking the ground.

"The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again," Hermione quoted.

Never having read Charles Dickens, Harry shrugged and hugged her. They stepped back and each apparated to their next step.

The minute she reappeared on the doorstep of her new flat, she was pushed back as Harry had apparated to the same place that she had. Their elbows clanged together painfully but they both laughed at the irony of meeting again so soon.

Inside the flat, Hermione left Harry to his own devices (finding which room was his girlfriend's) as Hermione located her own. She closed the door behind her and looked around the barren room. There was nothing in here at all as Hermione had yet to acquire any furniture. She pulled out her satchel and from it withdrew her trunk.

With her trunk resized, she opened it up and placed her plaques and certificates in it. Her satchel was enchanted to have plenty of room in it so Hermione summoned from her trunk a set of fresh underwear, a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top, a set of everyday robes, and a muggle outfit. She found her toiletry kit and it soon was settled in her satchel. She tried to think of anything else that she might need for the night but she didn't have any clue what was in store for her. She knew what she wanted and she knew what was implied but she'd never experienced it so she felt off kilter.

A quick visit to the bathroom at the end of the hall that all three girls were to share, and Hermione had relieved herself, freshened up with magic and then with muggle products. She checked her hair and makeup and couldn't see much of a difference to how she started the night so she decided she looked fine.

Ginny's door was closed and there was no sound coming from it so Hermione felt it was safe enough to assume her redheaded friend was too preoccupied to grill her again before she left and Luna's door was open with no sign of her.

Walking to the apparition point, Hermione took a deep breath and patted her pocket to be sure that she still had her satchel. Then, with a solid resolve and a shaky air of excitement, she apparated to Tom's home, Hangleton Manor.