CHAPTER 11
Voldemort stopped and looked around at everyone. Their mouths were open and they were all staring at Hermione. Voldemort looked over at her. Her mouth was also open and she was staring at him like he had more heads than Fluffy.
"Excuse me?" she choked out.
"Hermione, your last name is not Granger, it's Riddle. Contrary to popular belief, you are not a Mudblood. Your mother was a witch and she died while giving birth to you. I put you in a muggle adoption center. The Grangers adopted you when you were four months old. They raised you and made you believe that you were a muggle. You were put into Gryffindor for this reason, but you do not belong there, you belong in Slytherin. Tomorrow I expect you to go to that fool of a headmaster and demand to be switched. Tell him that he must have the Sorting Hat re-sort you," Voldemort said.
"Yes.Father," she whispered.
"Draco Malfoy," he called.
"Yes My Lord."
"Now do you understand why it must be this girl?"
"Yes, My Lord. But how come you told me to kill her after she had the child?" he asked cautiously so not to offend Voldemort.
"Because I knew you had a soft spot for her. I knew you wouldn't bring yourself to do it, and I knew that she would be drawn to me."
Draco nodded and went back to stand next to Hermione. Voldemort addressed the Death Eaters once again. "Today we are here to discuss the fate of the Mudbloods and Mudblood lovers at Hogwarts. I want them all dead. It is obvious that I cannot have the students take on this task. They cannot be expelled. At Christmas break, I want you to block the carriages from going through and you will kill all Mudblood and Mudblood lovers."
One daring Death Eater spoke up. "How do you expect our kind to live on if all the muggles are dead? We need them to survive."
"Crucio!" Draco, Hermione, and Cephius watched as the man cringed in pain. "Do not question the authority of Lord Voldemort. You will do as I say. None of them deserve to live. They don't deserve to breathe the same air as we do. They are below us."
The man cried out in pain. "I was just about to let you go, but since you cry like a little baby, you can enjoy this wonderful activity for a while longer," Voldemort drawled out slowly.
Draco watched as the man's hands began to bleed because they were clenched together so tightly. He hated when he had to bare this pain. It was the worst feeling in the world.
After another minute, Voldemort released the man from the terrible pain. "Never speak out against me again. Do you understand?" he hissed.
"Yes My Lord," he mumbled. He was still on the floor and was staring down at his bloody hands.
"Stand up you insolent fool! I expected better of you, Nott. But no, after all these years, you still haven't learned and you probably never will."
There was another brief period of silence. It was as if Voldemort was daring somebody else to speak. When he figured no one would say anything, he spoke up again. "If no one has anything to say, you are free to go. I expect you to be at Hogwarts when they let out for Christmas. Cephius Blacktree, Draco Malfoy, and Hermione Riddle, I need a word with you."
"Draco, do I need to show you the way back to the school?" Lucius asked.
"No, Father, I know the way. We'll be fine," Draco answered.
Lucius nodded, grabbed his broom and was gone with a POP.
"Blacktree, I'm sure you have made arrangements to be transferred to Hogwarts."
"Yes My Lord. I have made arrangements for myself and my girlfriend to be transferred. She will also be at the next meeting. We will be transferring next weekend," he replied.
"Very good. You may go."
He stepped off to the side but didn't disapparate; he wanted to talk to Draco and Hermione before he headed back.
"As for you two," he said turning to Draco and Hermione. "You are to be the parents of my heir. I expect to have the child within three years. That will give you enough time to graduate and get settled. Do not disappoint me."
"Yes My Lord/Father," they answered together.
"It has been very nice seeing you again Hermione. I know that you will not fail me, it's not in your blood to fail." A twisted smile was planted on his face. Before anyone could say anything else, he disapparated and the three teenagers were left to talk.
"You're his daughter!" Draco almost yelled. "Did you know?"
"No. I had no idea. Oh my God, how come they never told me I was adopted? I was living in their house for seventeen years! God damn it I hate them!" she screamed. "I'm glad they're dead!"
Draco pulled her to him and whispered, "Hermione, it's okay. I'm sure they had a good reason not to tell you. There must have been a reason, I'm sure they would've if they could've."
"You're probably right, but I still feel so betrayed."
There was an awkward silence. Cephius broke it by saying, "So you guys are gunna have his heir?"
"Yeah," they both said.
"It's not so bad you know," Hermione said. Her voice was steady and calm even though she wasn't.
"What's not so bad?" asked Draco and Cephius together.
"None of this. None of it is really so bad. I'm a Death Eater, I'm Voldemort's daughter, Draco and I are gunna have his heir. It's not so bad."
"Wow," was all Cephius could say.
"You're sure taking this better than I would've," Draco laughed dryly.
"You have a lot of courage, you know that Hermione," Cephius said. "You are braver than I could ever be. I hardly even know you and already I admire you."
"Well thank you, Cephius. That's very sweet."
"So I guess I'll be going now before someone realizes I'm gone. Besides, Elana said she has a surprise for me."
"Okay. Then we'll see you next weekend," Draco said.
"See ya then," Cephius answered. He hugged Draco and then Hermione and disappeared with a POP.
Draco mounted his broom and made sure Hermione was holding on tight to him before kicking off.
"Draco, I'm so scared," she cried into his back.
"'Mione, you just said you were fine with all of this."
"I can't show weakness. I can't let anyone see me cry. That would be a disgrace to my name. I have to be strong!"
"Now 'Mione, who do you sound like?"
"Ummm."
"You sound exactly like me last year, and all the years before that, hell I'm still like that."
She smiled a little. "But that's how you were brought up," she reminded him. "You learned that pain was weakness. I learned that pain makes you stronger. But now I realize that whoever said that is totally fucked up! Pain is weakness!"
"I never thought I'd hear that come out of your mouth." He smirked into the cold air that was blowing against his face and making his hair blow in every different direction. "You sound more like a Slytherin everyday."
"That's 'cause I am a Slytherin, silly. Tomorrow I will officially be switched to the Slytherin House. You are coming to Dumbeldore's office with me tomorrow morning, right?" she asked nervously.
"Of course I am. I wouldn't make you go up there by yourself for something like this," he reassured her.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
The school was in sight now. Draco figured it would be another half hour before they reached the school. He could feel Hermione trying to keep her head in the center of his back so the wind wouldn't beat against it. She was also pulling his cloak around her hands so that they would stay a little warm.
Finally Draco landed in the Astronomy Tower. "I'm so cold," Hermione mumbled.
"Here." He took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders. He took her hands in his, they felt like ice.
On the way down to the common room, he had his left arm around her waist and was holding her left hand. He was also holding her right hand with his in attempts to warm them up some.
Surprisingly, they reached the common room without running into anybody. Draco lit a fire and sat with Hermione in front of it. He was sitting on the floor with his back against a chair and Hermione sitting between his legs with her back against her chest. Their fingers were interlocked and neither spoke. They were just happy to be there in each other's company. Thoughts about the day were racing through their minds, but they did their best to block them out.
They fell asleep just like that, in front of the fire, Hermione leaning on Draco, Draco leaning on the chair, and their fingers interlocked. ~ Draco awoke first the next morning and looked down at the sleeping beauty in his arms. It appeared that neither of them had moved, they were in the same position.
Draco looked down at his watch. "Oh shit!"
Hermione awoke with a start. "What is it?"
"We're missing Care of Magical Creatures."
"Don't worry about it. I don't much feel like taking care of some stupid animal that is probably gunna rip my head off. Plus after we change we gotta go visit Dumbledore," she mumbled groggily.
"Oh yeah. You hafta get re-sorted. I forgot about that."
They headed up to their rooms and changed into their school uniforms. When they came back down to the common room, they grabbed their bags and headed toward Dumbledore's office.
"Lemon Meringue Pie," Draco mumbled as they reached the gargoyle. It jumped aside and allowed them access to the staircase.
Hermione knocked lightly on the door and Dumbledore said brightly, "Come in! Come in!" He saw Draco and Hermione and said, "Mr. Malfoy, Ms Granger, how come you aren't in class?"
"I-I need to be re-re-sorted. I found out my t-true identity last night a- and I must b-be re-sorted now," Hermione stuttered.
"How did you find out?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"It came in a letter from her real father last night. It burned after we finished reading it," Draco lied quickly. "It said that we were to come up here and have her re-sorted first thing today."
"Very well then," Dumbledore muttered gloomily. "I had a feeling that this day would come, yet I did not want to believe it."
Dumbledore picked up the Sorting Hat and place it on Hermione's head. She heard it talking in her head like she had in her first year.
"Hmm, it seems I have made a mistake. I like everybody else assumed you to be muggle-born. It seems I was wrong. You are not muggle-born and are in fact a pureblood, and should have never been put into Gryffindor. You have all the qualities of a true Slytherin, ambition and a thirst for power. You are definitely-SLYTHERIN!" it shouted at last.
Hermione sighed in relief and Draco smiled at her.
"Very well Ms Granger-er-Riddle. It seems that the Sorting Hat does have a flaw. I will send a house elf to re-decorate your living quarters. You two do not need to go to your first class since there is only ten minutes left. Enjoy the rest of your day." Dumbledore felt extremely let down. The best student in the school was in fact a Slytherin. He was very disappointed that the girl who had brought so much glory to Gryffindor should have never been there in the first place.
"Oh, Professor?" Hermione smiled sweetly at him. "Would you mind telling the Slytherins and Gryffindors before lunch? That would be a disaster if you didn't. And would you please not tell anybody my real last name? I'm not embarrassed, I just don't feel like being killed."
"Of course dear." He smiled weakly as he watched her leave with Draco.
The two were very pleased with the outcome of their little meeting.
Voldemort stopped and looked around at everyone. Their mouths were open and they were all staring at Hermione. Voldemort looked over at her. Her mouth was also open and she was staring at him like he had more heads than Fluffy.
"Excuse me?" she choked out.
"Hermione, your last name is not Granger, it's Riddle. Contrary to popular belief, you are not a Mudblood. Your mother was a witch and she died while giving birth to you. I put you in a muggle adoption center. The Grangers adopted you when you were four months old. They raised you and made you believe that you were a muggle. You were put into Gryffindor for this reason, but you do not belong there, you belong in Slytherin. Tomorrow I expect you to go to that fool of a headmaster and demand to be switched. Tell him that he must have the Sorting Hat re-sort you," Voldemort said.
"Yes.Father," she whispered.
"Draco Malfoy," he called.
"Yes My Lord."
"Now do you understand why it must be this girl?"
"Yes, My Lord. But how come you told me to kill her after she had the child?" he asked cautiously so not to offend Voldemort.
"Because I knew you had a soft spot for her. I knew you wouldn't bring yourself to do it, and I knew that she would be drawn to me."
Draco nodded and went back to stand next to Hermione. Voldemort addressed the Death Eaters once again. "Today we are here to discuss the fate of the Mudbloods and Mudblood lovers at Hogwarts. I want them all dead. It is obvious that I cannot have the students take on this task. They cannot be expelled. At Christmas break, I want you to block the carriages from going through and you will kill all Mudblood and Mudblood lovers."
One daring Death Eater spoke up. "How do you expect our kind to live on if all the muggles are dead? We need them to survive."
"Crucio!" Draco, Hermione, and Cephius watched as the man cringed in pain. "Do not question the authority of Lord Voldemort. You will do as I say. None of them deserve to live. They don't deserve to breathe the same air as we do. They are below us."
The man cried out in pain. "I was just about to let you go, but since you cry like a little baby, you can enjoy this wonderful activity for a while longer," Voldemort drawled out slowly.
Draco watched as the man's hands began to bleed because they were clenched together so tightly. He hated when he had to bare this pain. It was the worst feeling in the world.
After another minute, Voldemort released the man from the terrible pain. "Never speak out against me again. Do you understand?" he hissed.
"Yes My Lord," he mumbled. He was still on the floor and was staring down at his bloody hands.
"Stand up you insolent fool! I expected better of you, Nott. But no, after all these years, you still haven't learned and you probably never will."
There was another brief period of silence. It was as if Voldemort was daring somebody else to speak. When he figured no one would say anything, he spoke up again. "If no one has anything to say, you are free to go. I expect you to be at Hogwarts when they let out for Christmas. Cephius Blacktree, Draco Malfoy, and Hermione Riddle, I need a word with you."
"Draco, do I need to show you the way back to the school?" Lucius asked.
"No, Father, I know the way. We'll be fine," Draco answered.
Lucius nodded, grabbed his broom and was gone with a POP.
"Blacktree, I'm sure you have made arrangements to be transferred to Hogwarts."
"Yes My Lord. I have made arrangements for myself and my girlfriend to be transferred. She will also be at the next meeting. We will be transferring next weekend," he replied.
"Very good. You may go."
He stepped off to the side but didn't disapparate; he wanted to talk to Draco and Hermione before he headed back.
"As for you two," he said turning to Draco and Hermione. "You are to be the parents of my heir. I expect to have the child within three years. That will give you enough time to graduate and get settled. Do not disappoint me."
"Yes My Lord/Father," they answered together.
"It has been very nice seeing you again Hermione. I know that you will not fail me, it's not in your blood to fail." A twisted smile was planted on his face. Before anyone could say anything else, he disapparated and the three teenagers were left to talk.
"You're his daughter!" Draco almost yelled. "Did you know?"
"No. I had no idea. Oh my God, how come they never told me I was adopted? I was living in their house for seventeen years! God damn it I hate them!" she screamed. "I'm glad they're dead!"
Draco pulled her to him and whispered, "Hermione, it's okay. I'm sure they had a good reason not to tell you. There must have been a reason, I'm sure they would've if they could've."
"You're probably right, but I still feel so betrayed."
There was an awkward silence. Cephius broke it by saying, "So you guys are gunna have his heir?"
"Yeah," they both said.
"It's not so bad you know," Hermione said. Her voice was steady and calm even though she wasn't.
"What's not so bad?" asked Draco and Cephius together.
"None of this. None of it is really so bad. I'm a Death Eater, I'm Voldemort's daughter, Draco and I are gunna have his heir. It's not so bad."
"Wow," was all Cephius could say.
"You're sure taking this better than I would've," Draco laughed dryly.
"You have a lot of courage, you know that Hermione," Cephius said. "You are braver than I could ever be. I hardly even know you and already I admire you."
"Well thank you, Cephius. That's very sweet."
"So I guess I'll be going now before someone realizes I'm gone. Besides, Elana said she has a surprise for me."
"Okay. Then we'll see you next weekend," Draco said.
"See ya then," Cephius answered. He hugged Draco and then Hermione and disappeared with a POP.
Draco mounted his broom and made sure Hermione was holding on tight to him before kicking off.
"Draco, I'm so scared," she cried into his back.
"'Mione, you just said you were fine with all of this."
"I can't show weakness. I can't let anyone see me cry. That would be a disgrace to my name. I have to be strong!"
"Now 'Mione, who do you sound like?"
"Ummm."
"You sound exactly like me last year, and all the years before that, hell I'm still like that."
She smiled a little. "But that's how you were brought up," she reminded him. "You learned that pain was weakness. I learned that pain makes you stronger. But now I realize that whoever said that is totally fucked up! Pain is weakness!"
"I never thought I'd hear that come out of your mouth." He smirked into the cold air that was blowing against his face and making his hair blow in every different direction. "You sound more like a Slytherin everyday."
"That's 'cause I am a Slytherin, silly. Tomorrow I will officially be switched to the Slytherin House. You are coming to Dumbeldore's office with me tomorrow morning, right?" she asked nervously.
"Of course I am. I wouldn't make you go up there by yourself for something like this," he reassured her.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
The school was in sight now. Draco figured it would be another half hour before they reached the school. He could feel Hermione trying to keep her head in the center of his back so the wind wouldn't beat against it. She was also pulling his cloak around her hands so that they would stay a little warm.
Finally Draco landed in the Astronomy Tower. "I'm so cold," Hermione mumbled.
"Here." He took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders. He took her hands in his, they felt like ice.
On the way down to the common room, he had his left arm around her waist and was holding her left hand. He was also holding her right hand with his in attempts to warm them up some.
Surprisingly, they reached the common room without running into anybody. Draco lit a fire and sat with Hermione in front of it. He was sitting on the floor with his back against a chair and Hermione sitting between his legs with her back against her chest. Their fingers were interlocked and neither spoke. They were just happy to be there in each other's company. Thoughts about the day were racing through their minds, but they did their best to block them out.
They fell asleep just like that, in front of the fire, Hermione leaning on Draco, Draco leaning on the chair, and their fingers interlocked. ~ Draco awoke first the next morning and looked down at the sleeping beauty in his arms. It appeared that neither of them had moved, they were in the same position.
Draco looked down at his watch. "Oh shit!"
Hermione awoke with a start. "What is it?"
"We're missing Care of Magical Creatures."
"Don't worry about it. I don't much feel like taking care of some stupid animal that is probably gunna rip my head off. Plus after we change we gotta go visit Dumbledore," she mumbled groggily.
"Oh yeah. You hafta get re-sorted. I forgot about that."
They headed up to their rooms and changed into their school uniforms. When they came back down to the common room, they grabbed their bags and headed toward Dumbledore's office.
"Lemon Meringue Pie," Draco mumbled as they reached the gargoyle. It jumped aside and allowed them access to the staircase.
Hermione knocked lightly on the door and Dumbledore said brightly, "Come in! Come in!" He saw Draco and Hermione and said, "Mr. Malfoy, Ms Granger, how come you aren't in class?"
"I-I need to be re-re-sorted. I found out my t-true identity last night a- and I must b-be re-sorted now," Hermione stuttered.
"How did you find out?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"It came in a letter from her real father last night. It burned after we finished reading it," Draco lied quickly. "It said that we were to come up here and have her re-sorted first thing today."
"Very well then," Dumbledore muttered gloomily. "I had a feeling that this day would come, yet I did not want to believe it."
Dumbledore picked up the Sorting Hat and place it on Hermione's head. She heard it talking in her head like she had in her first year.
"Hmm, it seems I have made a mistake. I like everybody else assumed you to be muggle-born. It seems I was wrong. You are not muggle-born and are in fact a pureblood, and should have never been put into Gryffindor. You have all the qualities of a true Slytherin, ambition and a thirst for power. You are definitely-SLYTHERIN!" it shouted at last.
Hermione sighed in relief and Draco smiled at her.
"Very well Ms Granger-er-Riddle. It seems that the Sorting Hat does have a flaw. I will send a house elf to re-decorate your living quarters. You two do not need to go to your first class since there is only ten minutes left. Enjoy the rest of your day." Dumbledore felt extremely let down. The best student in the school was in fact a Slytherin. He was very disappointed that the girl who had brought so much glory to Gryffindor should have never been there in the first place.
"Oh, Professor?" Hermione smiled sweetly at him. "Would you mind telling the Slytherins and Gryffindors before lunch? That would be a disaster if you didn't. And would you please not tell anybody my real last name? I'm not embarrassed, I just don't feel like being killed."
"Of course dear." He smiled weakly as he watched her leave with Draco.
The two were very pleased with the outcome of their little meeting.