Dying is a Delicate Moment
A fanfic by Agara
"Kill me. Kill me if you ever loved me."
And he kills her
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE : KILL OF THE NIGHT
Song : Kill of the Night by Gin Wingmore
14.02.1944 :
I hope your day is as nice as your butt, it read, followed by a small drawing Hermione imagined to be her own bottoms. She laughed, really laughed. Not far, further down the Slytherin table, Pollux was watching her, waiting for a reaction. As soon as he heard the laugh escape her lips, his face shifted. His eyes glowed and a proud grin bloomed on his face. When their gaze met, he blew her a kiss, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh harder. She kept looking at him, the laughter slowly fading away.
Sometimes, it just hurt to look at him. She couldn't help but wonder what could have happened if she hadn't done that. What if, instead of playfully looking at her, Pollux was to not even look at her ? What if, instead of trying to make her laugh, Pollux was the one to make her cry ? But also, what if Pollux had understood and held her as she would have spilled everything ? What if Pollux had been the one to make all of this weight lighter on her shoulders ?
Yes, sometimes it hurt just to look at him, and at this moment it did.
"Should I be jealous ?"
Hermione snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head. Tom was drinking his tea, obviously hiding a smirk. She was about to snark back when the lads finally joined them and sat down.
"What were you talking about ?" Edgard asked as he sat next to Tom.
"Nothing." Hermione said as she folded Pollux' letter. At the sight, Isodor tried to steal it but the witch was quick enough to put it in her pocket before Avery could reach it. She went back to eating her eggs and didn't even notice Tom pouring her another glass of pumpkin juice.
"Has anyone received a letter from a secret admirer ?" She then asked the lads. Her eyes first landed on Isodor shoveling food down his throat, then on Thorus, just sitting next to him, a faint blush on his cheeks. Hermione tried not to smile.
"No, but I've sent four." Edmund said. "One in each house."
"Classy, Rosier." Tom snorted. The boy winked at the prefect then went back to eating his breakfast.
There had been a good atmosphere lately. Everything they had planned was perfectly working. Even Dolohov's return from St Mungo's hadn't disturbed the peace they were all feeling.
Hermione felt something moving in her pocket, she lowered her gaze and saw Abraxas' hand grabbing the letter Pollux had sent her. Hermione didn't get the time to snatch it back that Abraxas had already opened it and showed the lads. They all laughed.
"Did he really send you that ?" Abraxas chuckled.
"Of course I did." Pollux was standing behind her, his hands on her shoulders. He then threw the letter she had sent him next to Malfoy's plate. "She also sent me one." The blond took it and read it out loud : you suck less than most people.
"Coming from Grace, this is a lot." Egdard snickered.
Pollux gently settled next to her on the bench, making one of the lads scooch over. "Well, I guess I'm not spending Valentine's night alone." Parkinson told her while wiggling his eyebrows.
"I thought you were spending it with Cole at Abe's." Hermione said.
"Woodcroft appears to have a busy schedule tonight." Tom snickered, not even tearing his gaze away from the newspaper he was reading. Hermione was about to ask him how he knew that but then caught sight of the HeadBoy his tongue down a girl's throat.
"Good for him." She said. Hermione hadn't meant to sound resentful, but from the frown between Tom's eyebrows, she realised she had.
"So while Cole does that," Pollux pointed to the girl, 'I'm going to do…" he looked around the room until his eyes landed on a tall ravenclaw, "that".
Hermione slapped his hand.
OoOoOo
14.02.1944 :
Hermione found herself sitting with Belone, Isodor, and Thorus in the library. Abraxas, Edgard Tom, and Edmund only a few feet away. They were all sharing the same table. Most of the sixth-years taking DADA were currently studying. Atticus Aldritch had given them a complicated assignment, three rolls of parchment on wordless spells.
Hermione was almost done with the first roll when she heard someone getting up. She didn't pay attention to who it was. However, she smelt Belone's perfume as the girl leaned towards her.
"I really need to know what is happening between you and Riddle, Grace." She said. Hermione rolled her eyes and understood Tom must have been the one who had just left.
"Once again Belone, nothing's happening." She sighed as she started writing the second roll.
"Yeah sure." Isodor snorted.
"Shut up Avery."
On the other side of the table, Abraxas loudly dropped his quill for the three of them to look at him. He shushed them. "No one cares about that."
"I do." Edgard chipped in, peeking out behind Abraxas. "Please resume the conversation." Belone laughed at that.
"I'm going to say it one last time," Hermione was slowly becoming exasperated by her friends' incessant questions, "nothing's happening between Tom and I."
"Someone saw the two of you." McNair said.
"Yeah, sure. This someone being Rosalie Whisterlock, also known for hating Olive Hornby who has a huge crush on Tom. Of course, she had said that."
"Well that doesn't me-" Edgard started but Hermione abruptly stood and left, not wanting to be bothered anymore.
She briefly wandered through the bookshelves. This side of the library was darker than the rest of the room, there only was a small window, meters off the ground, that barely lit the way. She let her fingers linger on the leather book covers, many with a thin layer of dust. The sound of her heels on the stoned floor added to the eerie atmosphere surrounding her.
She felt his presence before she could even see him. She briefly hesitated but finally slowly turned her head to the side to witness him already staring, leaning against one of the bookshelves, a book under his left armpit and legs crossed at the ankles. He was not wearing his uniform vest anymore, only the white shirt with his tie slightly undone around his neck. They looked at each other, for only a moment. They didn't talk, they didn't move.
Hermione finally tore her gaze away and went back to skimming through the books and Tom left.
OoOoOo
14.02.1944 :
Hermione just got out of her last lesson of the day, transfiguration, when she bumped into Pollux.
"Hermione !" He smiled down at her. He had used the exact same tone that night. She froze.
"What ?" She was taken aback. "What did you say ?"
"Your name. I said Grace." Pollux frowned then laughed it out. "Are you alright ?"
"Yes, yes, I thought I heard something else."
Yes, it hurt just thinking about it, about that night, about his face.
Without asking for her permission, Pollux took her bag and slouched it on his right shoulder. They began walking towards the common room. A few meters ahead, Hermione recognized Cole's hair.
"You need to talk to him." Pollux said.
"We fought a month ago. I have tried since then. He's been avoiding me, he's been glaring at me. What else do you want me to do ?" Hermione snapped. "Plus, it's not like he's in distress. He seemed quite fine this morning kissing this girl."
Pollux simply rolled his eyes and they both entered the common room. Hermione took back her bag and fled to her dorm to put some cold water on her face. She quickly looked at the time, she had ten minutes before she met with the lads. When she walked back down into the common room, Edmund took her by the arm. "Ready ?" He asked her, she nodded and they both made their way towards their room on the fifth floor.
Most of the lads were already in the room. As it was still winter, passing five pm, it was already dark outside. One of them must have cast a spell because there was a fiery fire in the chimney. It brought both warmth and light to the room. When the last one, Milton, arrived, they all sat around the table and it began.
They started with Dolohov concisely briefing everyone with the new information he had got from his father. Milton, at the far end of the table, wasn't even paying attention to what was being said. He was writing on some blank parchment. What called out to Hermione was the fact none of the lads seemed to care about it.
Then, they talked about Lestrange Senior, how he was handling the situation at the Wizengamot. It seemed that he had not been the one taking the largest blow, but still. Tuft had entirely cut ties with the Montagues and in doing so found herself short financially.
"Another sex scandal and Grace wasn't even involved." Dolohov snickered. The other lads shared an embarrassed laugh. Antonin, apparently pleased with his little joke added "no hard feelings, right ?"
Hermione smirked and lounged back on her chair. "No hard feelings, Antonin."
She had only used his first name once, back in the infirmary when he was defenselessly lying on the bed.
He had been under so much medication at the time, he had thought the scene in the infirmary to be a hallucination or even a nightmare. He hadn't talked to anyone about it. But hearing her say his name in the exact same way she had that night made him shudder. Hermione watched, slightly amused, as Antonin slowly understood. It began with a small frown, between his eyebrows, at the use of his first name. It then slowly turned into fear and panic as his eyes widened. He looked at her and visibly gulped. Hermione was waiting for him to either yell or stay entirely frozen. Dolohov opted for both. He gaped for a good twenty seconds before his dumbfoundedness turned into pure anger. He abruptly stood up, his chair falling behind in a loud thud.
"It was you !" He took out his wand and Hermione just cocked an eyebrow, clearly not impressed by him. "You've messed with my head, you cunt !"
"Who else would it be ?" She smirked. If she were only slightly amused a few moments before, Hermione was entirely delighted by Dolohov's reaction.
"Sit down Dolohov." Tom growled from his chair at the end of the table.
"She almost killed me !" He kept yelling.
"Well, you are not dead, are you ?" Tom rolled his eyes. The other lads were all gobsmacked.
Hermione snickered at Tom's comment. The latter turned his head towards her and glared. "Don't even start." Riddle put his hands flat on the table. "Your childish quarrels are seriously getting on my nerves, you have both screwed with the other. You are even."
Dolohov looked at Tom, he had been waiting for the prefect to take his side but found himself astounded by his words. He slowly lowered his wand, picked up his chair, and sat back down in complete silence.
The meeting went on without any further altercation between the two. Hermione sometimes felt Dolohov's glare directed right at her. To infuriate him even more, every time she knew he was looking at her, she made sure to wryly smile.
About an hour and half after they had started, the meeting ended. Hermione exhaled and went to stand up but Tom put his hand on hers to make her stay. She frowned but sat back down and watched Tom getting up to briefly talk with Abraxas.
After he had closed the door behind Malfoy, he casually leaned against it and looked at her. He had his usual smirk on.
"I will need your help tonight." He said.
Hermione looked at him for three seconds before slowly getting up and taking a step closer. "And I'll provide." She nodded. Hermione was expecting him to tell her a bit more about why he needed her help, but he didn't. He only kept staring at her.
"Aren't you going to tell me what the plan is ?" She asked him.
"Not yet." His eyes were filled with malice, something Hermione knew could be dangerous.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Is that it ?" Tom slowly chuckled and moved away from the door. She put her hand on the handle when he spoke again. "Meet me in the common room in an hour." Hermione nodded and went to leave once more. "And do me a favour, wear something fancy." He added. She wanted to ask why but knew he wouldn't tell her anyway. She opened the door and took one step before he added something else. "I meant what I said with Dolohov." Hermione turned around and looked at him. "You are even. Stop messing with him."
She didn't feel the need to say anything else so she just walked away.
OoOoOo
14.02.1944 :
She had just finished applying a dark red lipstick. She took one last look at herself in the mirror. She had put her hair in a half ponytail, softly curling at the bottom. She was wearing a relatively short dress showing off her legs, in a peacock blue colour with golden ornaments on it. Her heels in matching gold.
When she walked back into her dorm, she saw Galatis and Belone sitting on the latter's bed. The Carrow girl politely smiled whereas Belone snorted. "Right. Nothing's happening."
Hermione only took her purse and put on a long black cloak before descending the stairs towards the common room. She checked her bag for her wand when she collided with someone. She felt two hands on her shoulders and rose her head to look at who she had crashed into. Cole was already looking at her. The expression he bore reminded Hermione of the Christmas Party when he had first seen her. He was all dressed up and she recalled he had a date tonight. After a few seconds of latency, he pulled his hands off of her and took a step back, obviously flustered
"Sorry." He said.
"No, I am. I wasn't looking where I was going." She laughed embarrassed.
Cole was about to leave when Hermione decided to try one last time. "Cole," she called out to him, "I don't want us to be this way. I miss you."
His eyes softened at the last words and Hermione felt hope bloom in her chest.
"Doesn't she look beautiful, Woodcroft ?" Tom appeared behind the HeadBoy. Hermione saw Cole tensing at the voice. "Yes, she always does." Cole exhaled. He looked at her one last time, with a sad smile. "Excuse-me." He said before reaching for the stairs that led to his dorm.
Hermione followed with her eyes Cole leaving before she slightly shoving Tom. She felt the soft fabric of his dark suit underneath her fingertips and the soft silk of his burgundy tie.
"Why did you fucking do that ?" Hermione snapped. Tom didn't seem to mind that she was upset with him. On the contrary, he seemed to like it. He stepped closer and went to put a strand of her hair behind her left ear but she slapped his hand away. His smirk only grew larger.
"Well, I was not lying. You do look beautiful."
He was cheekily looking at her. He perfectly knew he had just said one of the only things that would leave her speechless. She held his gaze, trying to make sure he wouldn't see how flustered she actually was.
"I'm not dressed up like that for nothing, Riddle. Show me the way."
He put his hand on her lower back and led her out of the common room. He still hadn't told her where they were going. They were simply walking down the corridors until Hermione finally understood what was happening. They were reaching the one-eyed witch.
She knew he would use the passageway sooner or later. It made her mad just to think about how she had messed up that night. He had taken his hand off her back and approached the statue. He quickly glanced above his shoulder to make sure she was watching as he cast a dissendium. He showed the way with his hand and she only scoffed. He obviously had sneaked out before tonight.
They didn't talk in the tunnel. She opened the door to Honeydukes and tightened her cape as she felt the cold hitting her. She didn't want to admit it but her heart was racing from excitement. Hermione still didn't know what they were about to do and even though she wouldn't ever confess it out loud, she liked not knowing. Tom joined her outside a few seconds later and took a white thimble out of his inside pocket. "I believe you are accustomed to traveling by portkey." He said.
Hermione temporarily pondered if he had said that because she had supposedly arrived at Hogwarts two years ago by it. She frowned as she looked at the small object.
"Where are we going ?" She asked.
"I do not want to ruin the surprise." He smirked. "Ready ?" He put the thimble just before her eyes and waited for her to take it.
What kind of plan does he have that requires you to use a portkey ?
She took a step forward and touched it. She felt something pulling her by her navel. Everything was spiraling around her, spinning full force. It lasted about twenty seconds before her feet hit the ground. In front of her, she saw Tom slightly stumbling forward, obviously not at ease with portkey transportation. Tom secured his wand in his holster and shot her a glance. Hermione was well aware they wouldn't be able to use any magic tonight. Tom, as he was still underage, had the trace and Hermione couldn't risk using it in front of Tom.
Hermione finally looked around her and understood where they had just arrived. They were both standing in front of Gringotts which was covered with a small layer of snow. As she took her cape off, she marveled at the sight. Everything looked so good, from the small cobblestone streets illuminated by thousands of candles to the tens of restaurants where couples were disgustingly goggling at each other. Her eyes then landed on each shop in the street, all bearing the same banner : Yaxley Ltd. When her eyes went back to Tom, she saw the appreciated smile he had on his lips as he seized her up. She quickly looked down at her outfit then shot him a wryly smile. "Is it fancy enough for you ?" She asked, cocking her left eyebrow. He only nodded.
Tom put his arm around hers and they walked down the street. The atmosphere was festive, dozens of couples were strolling next to them. They fitted.
"I think now is time for you to tell me what we are doing here." She told him.
"I need a book." It made Hermione laugh but when she looked at him, she understood he was more than serious.
"You're kidding me, right ?" She said as she stopped in her tracks. "If you wanted to buy a book, why have you brought us all the way here ?"
He was about to answer when all of a sudden, his face shifted. He put on the mask. The one she knew he slipped into when he was about to talk with someone he could use. The one he hadn't put on with her for a while now.
"Riddle !" She heard coming from behind. Hermione turned around and saw someone she never thought she would see again.
"Zabini !" Tom smiled. The tall dark boy, arm in arm with a gorgeous blond, approached them. What shocked Hermione the most was that Pax kissed both of her cheeks, as they do in France, before warmly shaking Tom's hand.
"What are you doing here ?" Pax smiled. "Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts ?" Hermione's heart rapidly sped up. "Actually, don't tell me." He laughed. He seemed to be doing so well. He was genuinely happy, living a privileged life.
Hermione felt more than uncomfortable. Pax had been her first casualty. One she never really forgave herself because, in the end, nothing had worked. What reassured her though, was that he seemed to be more than fine.
"Having fun, Zabini ?" Tom asked as he lit a cigarette with a lighter and handed Zanbini his pack for him to take one. He did.
"What a funny way to lit up a fag." Pax laughed as he used his wand to light it. Hermione saw Tom tense at the comment. Pax, without even knowing, had brought up Tom's heritage. One, Hermione knew he despised. Hermione put her hand on Tom's forearm and gently pressed. Tom understood the message and laughed it out.
Pax told them about what he had done since he had been expelled. He traveled quite a lot and even lived for six months in Paris. He talked about what the french capital was like, how the muggles were struggling with the German occupation. He even explained the barbary he witnessed, always in a light way. Hermione didn't fully understand how Pax could be so airy about such a dark subject. She had never spent much time with Zabini and she just remembered why. She felt something off with him, it had been one of the reasons she had chosen him during the felix felicis accident.
Tom and Pax kept talking and Hermione looked around her. She saw the shops beginning to close one after the other. She tried to catch Tom's eyes, but he was too invested in the conversation. The grip she still had on his forearm slightly tightened, but Tom didn't react.
As usual with Tom, the discussion slowly drifted towards politics. The girl by Pax's arm didn't seem interested in the subject and kept looking at her nails. Hermione, on the other hand, got suddenly way more invested in what was being said. Apparently, Pax's father had found him a job at the ministry in his own division, in Law Enforcement. Hermione knew that Balthazar Zabini was working just under Salomon Burnstein, directly answering to the Head of Law Enforcement Justus Pilliwickle.
Pax was talking about how Pilliwickle had stolen Dolohov Senior's job, something Tom couldn't agree more on, about how Tuft had put him at the Head of the department because they were close friends and how Pax's entire family was only waiting for him to die of old age as Justus was ninety-one. They couldn't wait because, with Pilliwickle's death, the Zabini's would go up the ladder of the hierarchy, becoming second in command, just after the Burnsteins. However, just as Pax was explaining to Tom, Pilliwickle was in really good health, actually he was meeting with healers at St Mungo's every two weeks to check if everything was fine.
"I'm starving !" The blond complained. She was slightly pulling at Pax's sleeve which made him laugh.
"I guess we have to go." Zabini said. "I'll be waiting for your next letter, Tom." He then looked at Hermione and slightly bowed, "Grace." The couple left.
Hermione finally let go of Tom's arm and spun on her heels so they would face each other. "Anything I need to know ?" She asked him.
"Only boys things." He answered. She didn't believe him.
She took one last look at the shops and sighed as she saw they were all closed. "Well, Flourish and Blotts is closed, now." She stated, "if we hurry we may reach Books among other things. It might still be open to buying your book." Hermione was ready to hurry but Tom didn't move. She shot him an interrogating glance and he smirked.
"Who said anything about buying ?" He cocked his head to the left.
"Please tell me we're going to buy this book."
"Come on Grace, where is the fun in that ?"
Tom took out a small watch from his inside pocket to check the time. "We have twenty minutes to spare."
Tom put his hand on her lower back, a simple gesture Hermione had gotten used to in the last months, and they began slowly walking through the streets. Hermione's eyes were jumping from one couple to the other, smiling and laughing.
"Why are we dressed like that if we're only going to steal a book ?" She wondered out loud. Tom slightly leaned towards her and she almost shivered at the feeling on his lips ghosting over her left ear. "For the act, love." He whispered.
Hermione looked at how they were dressed, and Tom was right, they were alarmingly fitting the atmosphere.
The walk, through Diagon Alley, was nice, it was not that cold for a fourteenth of February, the sky above their heads was clear, the rain - or even snow - wouldn't ruin the night. The streets were getting busier by the minutes. Tom and Hermione had to avoid bumping into some other couples as the street slightly narrowed. Tom's hand on her back brought her closer to his body to let a gentleman walk past them. Hermione suddenly felt Tom's grip tightening. She looked up to him and noticed he was staring at something ahead of them. She followed with her eyes to where he was looking and saw Mister Wink, their charm professor, a few meters away. She briefly looked around them and understood that there was no way out, the street was too narrow and packed for them to avoid the teacher.
Tom, with some difficulty, guided them to the nearest wall, where he gently pushed her against. He first looked upon his shoulder, then Hermione felt his hand slowly climbing its way to reach the nape of her neck. Tom cradled her face, his thumb on her jaw, and tilted her head backward. He just leaned down and they waited in this position.
As Tom towered over her, his body pressed against hers, no one could recognize them. They would simply think they were a couple kissing. If Hermione were completely honest, the situation lingered a bit more than necessary. When Tom finally let go of her, Professor Wink was out of sight.
"Time to steal a book." He murmured, his lips almost touching hers. Tom took her by the hand and they zigzagged through the crowd. Hermione could feel the heat in her cheeks and hoped she'd have the time to get rid of her blush before Tom could see. They took a sharp turn to the right and found themselves in the middle of Knockturn Alley.
"Why doesn't it surprise me ?" She said, deadpanned.
"Because you are starting to get to know me." He smugly replied.
The shift in the atmosphere was almost palpable. There were not as many people as there were in Diagon Alley. As they kept walking, the lights became dimmer and rapidly Hermione missed the warm atmosphere she had enjoyed so much ten minutes ago. The only people they met coming the other way, were almost running not to be seen by anyone. They stood out. She stood out with her fancy dress. She quickly looked at Tom and saw that he was entirely serene, which oddly comforted her.
"That's here." Tom said as he pointed towards the small wooden banner at the end of the street. Hermione could read B&B.
"I guess this isn't a bed and breakfast." She tried to joke to hide her discomfort. She felt him lightly laughing as they kept strolling towards Borgin and Burkes. The only thing that wouldn't change in the next fifty years was this shop. It looked exactly the same as she remembered from the time she came with Ron and Harry before their sixth-year.
They stopped in front of the door.
"What is the plan, then ?" She asked.
"Get inside, find the book, get out." Tom simply explained. "We have until midnight before the portkey activates, so we have three and a half hours."
"More than three hours to find a simple book ?" She looked at him but he was simply looking at the door, surely thinking about how they would break-in.
"Haven't I mentioned it ?" Tom smirked. "It is not a simple book. It is not even for sale."
Tom finally let go of her hand and approached the door. He took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and secured it around his left fist. Without any warning, he punched through one of the glass panes on the door. Hermione expected an alarm to resound but nothing happened. Tom had already put the handkerchief back in his coat and had opened the door for her.
"That's your plan ?" She harshly whispered as she arrived at his level. "Breaking and entering ?"
"Well, I have never said my plan would be as intricate as yours."
She rolled her eyes and entered the gloomy shop. Strangely, it reminded her of the room of requirement. Everything was messy, piles of objects in every corner. She recognized, at the far end, the vanishing cabinet, the one she saw the only other time she had stepped foot inside this place. They had to look carefully at what they were stepping on. One of the largest windows allowed the moonlight to illuminate a significant part of the shop, without which they would see even less than what they already did. Hermione approached a large bookshelf and looked at each book individually before turning towards Tom. "What is the name of the book ?"
"Deus Occulta Mortis."
It took a minute for Hermione to translate the title. But when she did, she widened her eyes, The Secrets of Death. She bit her lip as she remembered what Harry had told her about the cave, about the inferi. Tom was watching her.
"Something to say, Hortense ?" He slowly walked to where she was standing.
"The dead should stay dead." She retorted.
"It only is reading material." He easily lied.
She turned her heels around and kept meandering through the alleys. The next fifteen minutes were spent in silence, the two of them looking for the said book through the mountains the shop had. From the exterior, the shop seemed smaller than what it actually was. There were magical artifacts more improbable than the last at every corner.
At one point, Hermione couldn't hear Tom's footsteps anymore. She walked some more and finally found him looking at a strangely looking hand, at the back of the shop. He was slightly crouching to be at eye-level with the object on the mantlepiece of a large chimney. A small tag was dangling from the artifact with the name Hand of Glory written on it. She stood right behind Tom. "Catchy name." She said.
"I am curious about what it does." He wondered out loud. Hermione knew exactly what the hand did. She took one of the candles laying on a large wooden table with one hand and nicked Tom's lighter from his pocket with the other one. Tom was looking at her as she lit up the candle and took the Hand of Glory by the base.
The hand tightly closed around the candle and Hermione could finally see the shop under a flashing light. It seemed so different, less frightening. Tom was frowning in front of her. Of course, he couldn't see the light emanating from the hand as it was for the holder only. Hermione took one of his hands, opened his palm, and placed the hand in his. From the moment she let go of the artifact, darkness came crashing back.
"A thief's best friend." Hermione commented while Tom was looking all around him, brandishing the hand like a torch.
"Clever." He said.
They went back to sauntering around the shop. Hermione found it quite interesting, it was filled with objects she had only heard or read about. She then made her way to a display unit made entirely of glass. She recognized one of the objects presented, one she knew not to touch as it was cursed. She put a hand above, on the thin glass and looked directly at the opal necklace. She could take it so Draco Malfoy would not buy it in sixth-year and Katie Bell would have never touched it.
"Woodcroft has been there." She heard Tom. She tore her eyes away from the necklace and saw him, perched over a large leather book behind the counter. From where she was standing she assumed the book to be the shop's register.
"Pardon ?" She approached.
"He bought a brooch on the 29th of December." Tom softly whistled at the indecent price. "170 galleons."
Hermione froze. She knew the brooch he was talking about. Cole had offered it to her for Christmas on the first day of the term. It represented a snake biting its tail, made entirely of silver except for two small emerald eyes. Tom finally rose his eyes away from the register to look at her. "Why the long face ?"
"Nothing." She cut short and averted her gaze.
"He offered you the brooch, didn't he ?" Tom snorted and she heard him loudly shutting close the register. "170 galleons and he did not even get the girl."
Hermione spun on her heels and took two steps toward him. "Don't even start, Tom." She snapped. "You've been making those little comments for two weeks, I've had my fair share. Enough now."
Tom only rose his hand in surrender and lowered his head to hide his laughter. He had always known which string to pull to rile her up. He enjoyed it. She huffed and walked away. She was deeply breathing to calm herself down when she heard him talk, again. "No way." He was standing a few feet away with a sword in hand. He was already marveling at the weapon. As Hermione got closer, she could get a better look at the sword. Her steps slowed as she identified it. "It's not possible." She whispered to herself.
"The heir of Slytherin flaunting the sword of Gryffindor." Tom said.
Hermione was slowly turning around Tom, her eyes riveted on the weapon. "It's not the real one."
"How would you know ?"
"Look," she showed him a small diamond at the top of the handle with her pinky finger, "there only are rubies on the real sword of Gryffindor."
Tom took one last good look at the sword before putting it on the floor, simply letting it set down against a dark piece of furniture. "You seem to know everything." Hermione didn't even bother replying to his little comment.
"Find the book Tom, so we can get out of here."
Tom, still holding the hand of glory, disappeared in an instant. Hermione was determined to find this book, the more time she spent in this shop, the more uncomfortable she became.
Deus Occulta Mortis
Deus Occulta Mortis
Deus Occulta Mortis
She repeated on loop the name of the book she was looking for in her head as her eyes were skimming through a large bookcase. Her eyes had gotten accustomed to the darkness now, and she realised it was not in there. Hermione opened one of the glass doors of a small cupboard and found herself in front of a dozen of old books.
One of them got her attention. It was a journal, written by no other than Octavius Basilton. Nicolas Flamel had sent her at least two books on time travel written by this wizard. She gently took the book in her hand and opened it. It was handwritten.
It must be the only copy
Hermione quickly made sure Tom was nowhere around before discreetly sliding the book into her purse. Her attention went back to the open cupboard and more specifically to a small wooden box on the middle shelf. She flicked the catch bolt open and a dark smog escaped the small container.
Out of surprise, Hermione fell on the floor, breaking a vase in the process. The smoke slowly turned into the frame of someone she knew better than anyone. Herself. But this Hermione was wearing the old clothes she wore during the Battle of Hogwarts. She was frozen on the ground, looking up at who she used to be.
"Look at yourself," the other Hermione spat, "look at what you've become."
She couldn't move, she was petrified. Her heart was almost beating out of her chest.
"All dolled up for him." The boggart continued. "How can you even look at yourself in the mirror ? You're just like him." It kept walking towards where Hermione was frozen on the ground. "No, you're worse, because you know what he will do."
Hermione put all the force she had into crawling back but the boggart in the shape of herself kept advancing, like a beast towards its prey. This Hermione's wand fell from its holster right into her palm, it got Hermione's attention. She then noticed the blood on its left forearm. The blood in which was written the word mudblood. Panic finally washed over her. She knew the spell to make the boggart disappear, she knew the wand movement, yet she couldn't grab her wand, she couldn't talk. She just kept crawling back and back until her back hit a hard surface. She quickly rose her eyes and saw the display stand against which Tom had laid the fake sword of Gryffindor ten minutes ago.
"They're all dead." The boggart said in a low voice. "They're all dead because of you." Out of the corner of her right eye, Hermione saw Tom's shadow. She briefly wondered how long he had been standing there. She knew he couldn't help her, he couldn't use magic. "They're all dead because you've abandoned them." She couldn't hold the tears back. Entirely defenseless, Hermione began crying.
Then, out of nowhere, the boggart turned back into a black mist before being hoovered by the wooden box in the cupboard. Hermione saw Tom, looking above her, as if scared. Hermione was too shaken up to question how the boggart disappeared. Her gaze dropped back to the floor and she focused on her heartbeat, still frantic.
"Grace…" Tom said in a low voice. She looked up to him and noticed his eyes were still stuck on something behind her. Tom slowly reached her and grabbed her by the wrist to pull her up to her feet.
She finally turned around and understood why Tom had looked this scared.
"You filthy thieves !" Caractarus Burkes was standing in front of them, wand at the ready. The wizard was as much imposing by his height as by his shoulder breadth. His greasy grey hair was reaching his collarbone. The moonlight was casting a frightening shadow on his face. Tom and Hermione took one step back as the shop owner took one further.
For the second time tonight, her heart nearly stopped. She felt the sharpness of the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. Tom's eyes were going back and forth between the shop owner and the door behind the latter.
"Don't you even think about it, you worthless scum. I've already called the aurors." Burkes growled as he took another step closer. Tom slowly pushed Hermione to the side to remain the only one standing in front of Caractarus Burkes.
"This book isn't for sale, boy." He eyed at the book Tom had in his hand. Tom's free hand slowly left hers to disappear behind his back. Hermione's eyes followed his movement.
"What-" She whispered to him.
"Don't move." Tom cut her off whispering his eyes not leaving Caractarus for a second.
She felt something splashing her face. Instinctively she closed her eyes to shield them from what was being spurted out. When she reopened them, the first thing she saw was the blood on her hands. She began to shake at the sight. Then, she noticed the blood on her dress, on her shoes. Her entire body shuddered as she couldn't understand what was happening. Her gaze slowly moved away from her bloodied hands to fall on Caractarus Burkes, still standing in front of Tom. He had his throat slit open and a river of blood was pouring out of the gash. The old wizard was loudly choking on it. His eyes were terrified as they were slowly losing all life. He coughed a few times and more blood splashed on her face. If she weren't under shock, Hermione would have probably cried at the sight, it was terrifying, so sudden.
She felt as if everything around her was in slow motion. She first saw the lifeless body of Caractarus hitting the floor, she then turned her head to the left and saw Tom, his right leg forward and both of his hands tightly gripping at the fake sword of Gryffindor. He was entirely covered in blood. He, too, turned his head towards her and they just stared for a second until realisation was drawn upon her. Time stilled, Tom and Hermione unable to take their eyes away from each other, both coated with blood. The only noise at this moment was their ragged breath. Hermione's eyes landed back on Caractarus and let out a whimper.
In a matter of seconds, Tom had dropped the sword to the floor and crossed the few feet separating them.
"Grace-" He tried to touch her but she stumbled back.
"What have you done ?" She whispered, her eyes open wide, frantically going back and forth between the corpse and Tom's bloodied face.
"Grace you ne-"
"What have you done ?" She repeated louder this time. Tom pressed his forefinger against her lips to shut her up. Hermione took a good look at his face and noticed he was as panicked as she was.
Her entire body was shaking. "Shhh, it is alright." He tried to soothe her as much as he could. He cradled her face with his hands. "Get yourself together." He kept repeating.
"What have you done ?" She couldn't say anything else. They both turned their heads toward the door as they heard noises coming closer. Tom forced her to look back into his eyes.
"Grace, I need you to calm down." He lightly shook her. "I need your brain. I need you to get us out of here."
Everything was spinning around her, her eyes roamed around the room until she found the only way out. With a trembling hand, she took his. The aurors were getting closer and closer to the shop. She opened the door, pushed Tom inside, and jumped right after him. The moment she closed the vanishing cabinet's door, the aurors had entered the crime scene.
It was her turn to put her forefinger on his mouth, silently asking him not to make any sound. They were so close inside the cabinet that almost every part of their bodies was touching. Her heart was so frantically beating she was sure Tom could hear it. Her other hand was slowly reaching for the handle.
"Somewhere safe, somewhere safe, somewhere safe." She pleaded in a small voice. She gripped the handle and turned it.
The door creaked open and she entered the Weasley's living room. Tom was the first one to step out of the cabinet, he was looking around him, taking in the sight of the place. Hermione, on the other hand, couldn't get out. She was frozen, her eyes glimmering with tears. Her legs began to shake as she set foot inside the living room. Everything was still the same, yet it was so different. First, it was silent. The Burrow was never silent. Then, the furniture, they were all a little off, like a pale copy of what they really were.
"Where are we ?" Tom asked.
Hermione's eyes were stuck on the sofa, on which she had sat hundreds of times with Harry and Ron.
"I have no idea." She lied.
Of course, she knew. She had asked the room for something safe and of course, it had given her this. The moment she saw the vanishing cabinet at Borgin and Burkes, she directly thought about Draco Malfoy and his plan to get Death Eaters inside Hogwarts. She realised then that the vanishing cabinet twin was at Hogwarts, in the room of requirement. More importantly, it was still working. It would only be broken by Peeves in 1992 when dropped to save Harry from Filch.
So of course she knew where they were because she had brought them here on purpose.
"How did we get here ?" Tom asked her as he dropped the book he had stolen on the coffee table.
"Vanishing cabinet." She explained, her voice still shaken up. "You enter one, you exit where the twin is." On top of feeling ghastly by what had just happened, she couldn't look around herself. She had made sure to never ask the room of requirement for this place. She knew she couldn't handle it. But in the heat of the moment and the panic crushing her brain, it was the only safe place she could think of.
"You're a genius." He whispered to himself but Hermione heard.
Tom was slowly walking around the room. "It seems to be uninhabited."
Hermione hated seeing him there, strolling all bloodied around the house, not understanding what all of this meant.
"Why did you do that ?" She barked, anger finally replacing panic. Tom spun around.
"What else could I have done ?" Tom also rose his voice. "We were stuck ! The aurors were coming, we could not use any magic. What else could I have done ?"
"Murder isn't always the solution !"
He pressed the heels of his hands on his eyes and stayed that way for a good minute before he burst out laughing, like a mad man. He was standing straight in the middle of the living room, just in front of the door leading to the kitchen. The white of his shirt had turned red from the blood and his suit was entirely wrinkled. Hermione didn't know how to react in front of the scene, everything seemed so unreal.
"You're insane." She said in disbelief.
"We fucking made it out." He laughed even harder and finally dropped his hands to look at her. The huge grin on his face was contrasting with the blood he was covered in. The blood they were both covered in.
"You're crazy." She took a step back. "You've just killed someone."
"Well, it is not the first time. Neither for you nor me."
Hermione shook her head no. Tom didn't understand that what she had done in the past had nothing to do with what he had just done.
"Come on Grace, killing is killing." He added as he saw the disgusted look she had on her face.
He kept laughing and laughing. He left the room and Hermione ran to follow him. He had reached the kitchen and was opening the cupboards, apparently in the search of something. He had no care for the blood he was leaving everywhere.
"What are you doing ?" She asked him in frustration.
"I want to make myself some tea." He said like it was the most evident thing, like they hadn't just killed someone five minutes before.
She began to struggle with the amount of anger in her system at this moment. Seeing him inside the Weasley's kitchen, laughing hysterically, tainting this sacred place with the blood of their murder. It was all too much.
"Stop it !" She yelled. Tom stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "Stop it !" She repeated. In two large steps, he had his hands cradling her face.
"Don't you see ?" She had never seen him smile this much. "Don't you see, Grace ?" He was as overwrought as she was, except he was expressing it differently. "We're unstoppable. You and I, we can do anything we want." He didn't wait for an answer from her that he crashed his lips with hers. Hermione only waited for her brain to realise what was happening before she violently pushed him away.
"What is wrong with you ?" She shouted.
"Well, isn't it what we do ?" He yelled back, obviously angry by the rejection. Hermione frowned not fully understanding so he explained. "Isn't it what we have been doing for the past two weeks ? Fighting then kissing ?"
Hermione hid behind her hands. She didn't want to hear that because as long as they never talked about it, it was never real.
"When will you stop lying to yourself ? You are as much involved in whatever this is as I am." Tom finished.
He was not simply referencing their "relationship", Tom was talking about everything, the lads, the meeting, the politics, the plans, the scheming, the killing apparently. She took a few steps backward and Tom matched her steps as he strutted forward.
"Stay where you are." She growled. He didn't, he kept slowly approaching.
"Come on Grace, he was of no interest."
"So because he was of no interest, he was worth killing ?" She yelled.
"Since when is killing a problem for you ?" He yelled back.
A silence followed Tom's loud shout. Hermione didn't know what to say, she was slowly losing herself, becoming someone she wasn't. She wasn't Grace, she was only acting like Grace. But now that she was thinking about it she was slowly turning into her.
"So destroying a man's life, helping me cover for Warren's murder, almost fucking up Dolohov's mind is alright with you ? But killing a man we do not know, do not care about out of necessity, is where you draw the line ?" Tom darkly laughed. "How far would you be willing to go then, Grace ?"
"W-well that's not the point." She barked. "Where is the limit, Tom, if killing an innocent man isn't it ?"
"That is what you do not understand yet, Grace. Nothing is off-limits." He replied, still taking a step forward.
"Stay where you are, Tom." She said, no longer yelling. Surprisingly, he obeyed. She took one look at him before running up the stairs and stumbling into the bathroom.
She saw herself for the first time since it happened in the mirror. She saw the imprints of Tom's hands on her cheeks, where the blood had not yet dried. She was in front of a nightmarish sight. Hermione suddenly felt her legs giving away, she grabbed hold of the sink and used all the strength left in her body to remain standing. She closed her eyes and focused on calming down, stabilizing her breathing. She stayed in this position for god knows how long before she felt like she could open her eyes again.
The first thing she saw was her hands covered in blood, contrasting with the white of the sink. She then looked right at the mirror, she didn't only see herself. She also saw Tom in the background, leaning against the doorframe. The blood on his face had almost disappeared. He must have washed it away, down in the kitchen. He was looking into her eyes through the mirror. They kept staring at each other for a few seconds before Hermione opened the tab and put her hands underneath the water. She was focusing on getting rid of all of the red. The silence was almost complete if it wasn't for the water hitting the porcelain.
"I am sorry about your dress." He said. His voice was incredibly soft and it made Hermione shiver. She didn't answer, she didn't even look at him. She began trying to get rid of the blood on her face. She was getting frustrated by the minute, it was almost impossible to wash it away with only her hands. Hermione let her hands fall back to the edge of the sink and loudly exhaled. Her gaze was stuck on the sink slowly draining the reddish water away.
"Let me do it."
She rose her head and saw him taking out the same handkerchief he had used to break into the store. He didn't move forward, he waited for her permission. She silently gave it to him as she turned around, leaned against the sink, and tilted her head upward to look into his eyes. With his right hand, he gently cupped her cheek and with his left, he wet the cloth before tenderly pressing it to her skin.
He began with her cheeks, slowly and carefully washing the blood away. Once done, he brushed his lips against the apple of both of her cheeks. Then, he moved up to her forehead, kissed it too, and let his lips follow the line of her nose. He then delicately wiped the red from her eyes before grazing his mouth against her eye-lids. Then, she felt his hesitation. He was looking at her lips. He lightly caressed her lower lip with his thumb underneath the handkerchief, his eyes captivated by the movement. She was feeling his finger dragging against the plumb there. She couldn't not look at him at this moment.
He was beautiful. She had felt softness in the past, but never like this and what surprised her most was that it was coming from Tom. Hermione wasn't sure she understood what was happening at this moment. How, in the last twenty minutes, had they been able to go through this much different emotions ? How could they stand, inches away from each other, sharing one of the most delicate moments she had ever experienced when they were still covered in the blood of the man they had just killed ? How could Hermione not feel sick at the thought ?
Slowly and deliberately, Hermione pushed herself on the tip of her toes and leaned. She brushed her lips with his.
"There was no other way." He whispered against her. They were both slightly moving their head to feel the caress of their lips against each other. "I only did it for us." He kept murmuring. "For you."
She knew he was lying but it didn't stop her from kissing him.
She only needed to feel the warmth of another body. She only needed the reassurance she wasn't alone in this situation. Tom was there so she clutched at him. All the softness she had previously experienced slowly faded away and let the room to intense desire. Tom let the cloth fall onto the ground and put both of his hands in her hair. She settled hers on the back of his neck and slightly pressed her nails on the skin there. He growled in her mouth, tightened the grip on her hair and tilted her head even more backward.
Hermione couldn't put herself more on her tiptoes as she currently was and Tom must have sensed her need to be even closer. Hermione felt two large hands grabbing the back of her thighs, lifting her until she sat on the sink. Tom settled between them and Hermione arched her back. His lips gradually drifted to her jaw then her neck. He kept intensely pressing his mouth to the sensitive skin. Hermione tilted her head to the side, giving him better access. His kisses slowly began to feel more and more foreign until she couldn't feel them anymore. She lowered her head and saw him staring at her, a smirk on his face.
"Shut up." She dryly said.
"I did not say anything." He smugly answered.
Hermione pulled him by his tie and crashed their lips together once more.
OoOoOo
15.02.1944 :
She took a sip of her tea. It was getting cold but she really didn't mind. She had hesitated with getting a cup of coffee, she was quite tired. They had come back to Hogwarts around 1:30AM. They hadn't talked after they had kissed. They had gone back inside the vanishing cabinet at 11:55PM, waited five minutes in there, before using the portkey to go back to Hogsmeade.
Hermione couldn't have told him they currently were inside Hogwarts, Tom couldn't know about the Room of Requirement. She had convinced him to go back inside the vanishing cabinet before using the portkey.
When they had arrived in the common room, they had stared at each other before Tom had spoken up. "I will see you in the morning." He had simply said before climbing up the stairs to reach his dorm. She had simply watched him leave.
Across from her, casually sipping his morning coffee, was Tom. He was reading the Daily Prophet. Hermione's eyes lingered on its headline : MANSLAUGHTER : BREAKING & ENTERING TURNED WRONG IN KNOCKTURN ALLEY.
There was chatter around them, however, it felt as if they were in a small bubble and everything around them was a blur. This broke when Abraxas cleared his throat. "By the way, what did the two of you do last night ? You just disappeared on us."
Hermione's eyes met Tom's.
"Nothing much." The prefect replied nonchalantly.
They both took their beverage and drank as they looked at each other, no emotion showing on their faces.
Authors' Note : This chapter was so fun to write. We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we've enjoyed writing it.
We have finished chp 22 first draft - we're gonna keep working on it in around 15days in the hope of uploading it soon
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