Fallen
by Yih

Disclaimer: This is slash. If that squeaks you, avoid it and don't read it! It will contain possibly all the following pairings: HP/LV, HP/LM, HP/SS, LV/LM, LV/SS, LM/SS.

Unbeta'd version. Read the mistakes at your own risk.


11: Persuasion (February 17, 2004 to February 20, 2004)

My Dear Hermione,

Her eyes filled with tears with the simple endearment. She missed him terribly. Oh god, how had she survived the year without him? And… how had she begun this year without him? It had been too long. It had been nearly a year since she had seen him. That was far too long. But at least he was writing to her now. It could be worse. It could be far worse. For months she had heard nothing from him, nothing at all.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm not at Hogwarts. I know how lonely you must be. Even though I enjoy being at home (and being absolutely smothered by my loved ones), I wish I could be back at Hogwarts. I don't need to say this (but I'm sure that you would want me to write this), I miss you.

He was right, she did want him to put it down in ink. She knew that he missed her, in his own way, though she didn't know if it was to the extent that she missed him. Harry was her only friend, the only one that didn't use her for external purposes. He didn't need to. He was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most brilliant wizard she had ever seen.

My guardian doesn't want me to return to Hogwarts.

But he had to return! He had to! She knew she was being selfish, but she couldn't imagine Hogwarts without Harry. While it was true that a good portion of her time at Hogwarts was now without Harry, she had always taken it for granted that Harry would be back and that they would be together in the later formative years. For Harry not to come back--- unthinkable! She couldn't bear the thought. It was depressing.

He is quite upset at Hogwarts, which is understandable to a degree--- but if there is anyone to blame, it is me. I am trying to convince him; however, it's hard to make a strong argument when I'm still magically weak. You would best understand my frustration, Hermy. It's like the times you get frustrated over concepts you theorize perfectly but you can't spell cast it right at the first go. When I can't do the magic, I want to cry. I don't understand, magic has never been difficult for me. And now--- it won't work the way it did before.

Poor Harry! She understood! God, it was so frustrating when she could see the magical concept--- she even comprehended it down to its core, but she couldn't cast it because she didn't have the innate magical energy yet. She wished she could be next to him to give him a hug and comfort him. And for him to be so strong--- for it not to work like it did… it must be crushing.

I hope to be back next year. Professor Snape has been working on several potions that together should help me regain my magical proficiency. According to the mediwizards at St. Mungo, my case was one of the worst of magical exhaustion they had ever seen. Despite that, I'm still here and you'll see me again. The main point of this letter is to reassure you and to ask you if you'd like to visit me at Riddle Mansion? I've already asked my guardian and he'll allow it. Come, won't you please? Letters are so mundane compared to actually seeing you again.

Come? Try and stop her, Harry Marvolo!

It had taken all his powers of persuasion to plead with Voldemort to let Hermione come to the mansion. Voldemort didn't see a reason that he should allow a muggleborn onto his private sanctuary, but Harry missed Hermione. Draco had been over a few times, but it wasn't the same. The way Draco looked at him when he thought that Harry wasn't paying attention unnerved him. Draco looked at him the way that Lucius looked at Voldemort.

True, he hadn't realized the type of relationship Lucius and Voldemort had been in--- not until now. Voldemort had gotten a bit more lax about when Harry could spend time with him, and he was now often in the presence of not only Voldemort but Lucius too. And when Voldemort was with Lucius, it was hard to miss the look of lust that Lucius aimed at Voldemort--- and if he only looked a bit closer and harder, he could see the vague interest that also glimmered in Voldemort's crimson eyes.

He also recognized in himself that he wanted that interest, that kind of interest directed at him--- not by Draco but by Voldemort. In a way, he knew it should be wrong. Voldemort, to everyone else, would be considered like a father figure to him--- his feelings would be incestuous. But he didn't consider Voldemort a father figure, much less a brother figure--- more like a kindred spirit and a best friend. And now he was starting to develop a crush on Voldemort, but he knew it had to be more than a crush--- his feelings were far more intense.

{She is coming, today?} Nagini inquired, wrapping her body around Harry's waist.

{Yes, Hermy is coming today,} Harry responded, stroking the soft scales underneath Nagini's jaw. {I've missed her so much. I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I've seen her.}

{Well, it's taken you a long time to recover,} she chided. {And you know that Tom and Severus thinks you are pushing yourself to do too much to soon.}

{If I left it up to them,} he began furiously, {I wouldn't even be able to cast a spell now! I'm getting better! I can do most of the spells that I could do before. Even the mediwizards said I was recovering at an extraordinary rate!}

{Yes, that is true,} she agreed, {but you are also more worn out when you cast those spells. You are still not where you had been, and there is no shame in taking a few backward steps, Harry. You have far exceeded Tom at your age. You are more than extraordinary.}

{Still…}

{Regardless,} Nagini stated firmly, {you are not to push yourself. A relapse would be too easy, and it will remain easy for you to succumb to for a long time. You pushed your body far too hard.} And she still thought it was a mistake for Voldemort not to have risked it and let Harry get a magical transfusion. He could have just obliviated the mediwizards afterwards, but it was too late now and Harry was already making huge strides to getting better and a transfusion wouldn't do him much good anymore.

{I know, I know,} he said this tiredly but with affection. He smiled and kissed her head. {What would you like for lunch?}

She was here. She was at Riddle Mansion. She had read about it when she had known she'd be coming. Not much was known about the Mansion, not much at all. And she was going to be inside! Think of the exploration she could do. How fascinating! There must be so many magical devices and wards on the mansion… and she'd be able to see and experience them all! Most of all though--- she'd get to see Harry again.

It was strange though, being escorted by Professor Snape to Riddle Mansion. She knew that there were going to be a lot of students that resented her outside of Ravenclaw. It was because students weren't normally suppose to be allowed off the grounds, but she was because of Harry. Thank Merlin, Ravenclaws--- even if they weren't friends with her--- they still stuck by her side.

Each step took her closer and she was close to running to keep up with Snape's long strides. She would have liked another escort, but she knew how close Snape was to Harry. Often in his letters, Harry had confessed to him that he didn't know how he was going to be able to treat Snape like his professor again when he came back to Hogwarts. Over the time he'd been recovering under Snape's care, they had grown to be companions.

And there Harry was, standing by the immense gate that surrounded the grounds. He didn't look as sickly as she had last seen him without his glamour charm on, but he didn't look as well as she remembered him being. He was still very pale, if possible even paler than before. His eyes were slightly shadowed and his posture while straight was not strong. He looked so fragile, she could understand the hesitation about sending him back.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, running over to her and engulfing her into a tight hug. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you more," she whispered softly into his ear. "You don't know how lonely I am at Hogwarts without you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," she retorted. "Just get better, okay?"

From where Nagini was watching over them, careful to keep hidden because she didn't think that Hermione would take too kindly to having a gigantic python in her presence. Besides, she wanted Harry to enjoy his time with his friend. And more than that, she wanted to observe his behavior with Hermione without having him know that she was watching. In better terms, she was spying.

She didn't think that Voldemort would like how affectionate Harry was to Hermione, not with how increasingly possessive Voldemort was getting. It was amusing, but Voldemort should realize that this mere witch was no threat. While Harry was very caring toward her, he showed no outward signs except that of a brother to a sister. She had yet to tell if there was anything that the girl had for Harry though. That was still to be determined. But she had seen enough already, she withdrew herself back and decided it'd be nice to take a nap in the shade.

Meanwhile, Snape coughed and Hermione blushed as she drew away from Harry. "It would do you well," Snape murmured with a deep inflection in his voice, "Harry, to listen to what Granger has said. Concentrate on getting better."

"I know, Severus," Harry responded with an easy smile, something Hermione wouldn't have expected any student ever to share with Snape. "I know."

The Potions Master inclined his head and started to move aside. "I have already sent the new potions to Nagini by floo. I have left the instructions with her. I will be back to check on you tonight, as well as to pick Granger up to escort her back to Hogwarts. Enjoy the day, you two."

"Thank you, Severus." With that, Severus stepped out of the strong wards that separated them and apparated back to the edge of Hogwarts. While they had to come by foot and they would have to leave by foot, Severus wasn't bound to that in leaving or coming when not with an underage witch. Harry's hand reached out to grasp Hermione's. "Let go inside, shall we?"

It was wonderful to have Hermione around again, Harry thought as he watched the delighted expression on her face when he showed her the library. It was too easy for him to make her happy. He just wished that it was easy to make Voldemort happy. And even more than that, he wished that he could always bring a smile of radiant job to Voldemort's face as he could with Hermione.

"I would die happy if I had the chance to read all these wonderful books!" Hermione exclaimed enthusiastically. "Some of these titles," her thumb ran over the spine, "I would guess are in the Restricted Section and some I doubt are even available at Hogwarts."

"They aren't," Harry confirmed. "Some of these texts are very rare." If Hermione was anyone but who she was, he wouldn't have dared to show her the library. Some of the contents, actually most of the contents were of a dark nature. But Hermione being the scholar that she was, saw the academic value before putting down a severe judgment that a Gryffindor would. Damn those narrow minded gits.

"I know," she whispered reverently. "Do you think your guardian would let me borrow them?"

"There are some that he won't miss," he remarked, "but there are some that I wouldn't dare remove from the library. I'm sure that they have tracing spells on them, and well… they are invaluable considering how rare they are."

"But I could take some?"

She sounded so hopeful, how was he to deny her? "Yes, you can take some back with you."

The grin that split Hermione's face was breathtaking. She was rather pretty when she was happy, Harry thought. He wondered if any of the boys at Hogwarts noticed what a pretty girl she was turning out to be. It would a real pity if no one saw beyond her intellect when Hermione was so much more. And when those boys got interested, he reflected with wry amusement, he would be there to be her brother protector.

"Thank you so much Harry!" she exclaimed, leaping onto him and hugging him fiercely. "You are the best!" She kissed him exuberantly on both cheeks. "You are the only one that truly understands me in the wizarding world."

He nodded. He wish he could say the same thing to her, but he couldn't. There were several others that understood him better than she did, and it only made sense since they had known him longer. Like Voldemort, Nagini, Severus, and even Lucius. But Hermione was the only girl that he was close to--- like a sibling that he'd never had. And he cherished that.

"I'm glad," hugging her back, "I'm very glad."

When that girl--- that bushy hair girl had leapt onto Harry and hugged him so fiercely--- he had felt his eye twitch. His eyes only twitched when he was extremely aggravated, but he didn't understand why he was irritated. The girl had done nothing too abnormal, she had only hugged him. His eye only twitched more when she proceeded to kiss both of his Harry's cheeks. What a shamefully affectionate girl! How dreadfully annoying!

And what made him burn in his being was that he was jealous. Jealous that this girl could hug and kiss Harry with a carelessness that only youth had--- something he had never had. How could he? Even from that tender age, he was already working on his master plan of taking over the wizarding world. His plans had come to fruition, and it had definitely been worth it. He had few regrets, and what regrets he had had been erased with the presence of Harry in his life. He finally had someone he truly cared about.

He bristled watching them. He didn't care that Harry was lending out his precious books; after all, he had told Harry that the library was entirely free to his use. It had been one of the only things that had brought a smile to Harry's face when he realized that there was a dreadful possibility that his magic would never be the same again. However, even if Harry only returned to half of his full magical strength--- he'd still make a more than decent wizard.

But if Harry was anything like him, and he knew that Harry was, Harry wouldn't be satisfied with that. So that was why he wasn't too surprised to see Harry moping around the mansion taking potion after potion that was suppose to help him recover. Severus really had worked miracles with his mastery, but it still wasn't progressing as fast as either of them would like. There was a slow and continuous improvement, and there was a huge hope that Harry would be able to return to what he had been. And what he had been was truly extraordinary.

He was a very extraordinary boy, Voldemort thought with languid fondness. There was something still so innocent about him, about the way that he didn't seem to recognize that Hermione liked him as more than a best friend or brother. He had heard enough from Harry about Hermione to know that Harry only considered Hermione like a sister to him, nothing more. However, there was this yearning he saw in Hermione's eyes. It was similar to the gleam in Lucius's eyes. The girl liked Harry. And what was there not to like?

Harry was beautiful. He was strong, intelligent, and an exceeding kind and gentle soul. But Harry wasn't for her. If there was anyone who would take Harry's love away from him, he would stop them. Not that Hermione could--- he knew that she couldn't--- yet that still didn't still the envy in the way she would affectionately touch Harry. He wanted his hands not hers on Harry. But it was too early, far too early.

And it was all Nagini's fault. She was the one that had told him… because she knew them both so well--- that Harry wouldn't be opposed to his interest. It was wrong. He had raised Harry! Well, not according to Nagini, if she had her say she'd declare that she had mothered Harry and not him. She was right, he had been there when Harry was little--- but it wasn't a continuous presence that he was now. Now, Harry was impossible to ignore or be without.

No one was going to take Harry away from him. And there was one person that he was worried about that could… and that person was at Hogwarts. No matter what it took, he'd keep Harry away from Hogwarts even if it meant allowing a mudblood witch onto his property. Hermione was of no concern even if she was an irritant. No, she was nothing compared to Severus. It was unfortunate that he needed Severus's skill to heal Harry--- if not, he would have separated the two. They were getting too close--- far too close.

Harry was his, and no one else's.


Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that patiently waited for this.  I realize there was a lot of Hermione, but she was there to prove a point.  If she wasn't there, some of the stuff wouldn't make sense.  And as you can see Voldemort is developing an interest in Harry as Harry is in Voldemort.  That was basically Year 3.  For those of you that are wondering if Harry goes back to Hogwarts, you'll have to keep reading to find out.  Also about updates, when I update it'll be on Friday.  If I miss Friday--- I'll update next Friday.  That way you always know the day to look.  I probably won't update next Friday because I have an exam.  But next week is Spring Break so maybe I can prepare more than 1 chapter so you can get a few updates in a row  like before ^_^.  For other stories, LA #2 is done and will be posted sometime when LA #3 is halfway done (so you won't have an excessively long wait).  Tourniquet #2 is in progress.  EOE I'm pretty sure I'm discontinuing. 

Thanks to serenity chair (definitely not DM or HG), crissy, yue, jules, Merit Somnia, redrose2310 (Sev isn't working Dumdoor), Anilia Hawkeye (I happen to like Sev), Mikaiyawa, amber-eyez, emeralddragonofslytherin, Eaiva le Fay, Deritine (good question about transfusion, I hope I've explained it enough--- that Voldemort doesn't want ppl to discover who Harry is and magical transfusions are very people specific, only family members can give them usually), Achelois, Lindiel Eryn (if you look at a basilisk, it kills), Mrs Tom Riddle, The angelic vampire, Alicorn (LA is Love Atrocious), Sabrina, Serpent of Light (nope was doing bio lab, the bit about grammys), pussbb (yes it was unbeta'd like this one was unbeta'd), Gia, Shuki – aka Quickjewel, Malakai (cuteness is good in the right dosage.  hopefully this chapter met up with your high expectations?), HoshiHikari4ever, Calimora, Xyverz (Harry is of the bloodline, but it's not close enough and it's rare if not amongst relatives and Harry doesn't really have any relatives left which is why Voldemort doesn't want to risk it w/o any chance of possible gain), Eternal Cosmos (I enjoy tormenting Harry), Jessi Malfoy, Resggal (Your other story isn't as well written as your LV story), Iced Flame, deliolith, Solo D. Maxwell-Yuy, MarsMoonStar, Shezan, Fallen Dragon, shelleykids, futagoakuma-tenshi01, Kater1, Redrum.