Hermione groaned as she rolled over in her bed. It felt much softer than usual… Reaching up she felt the back of her head. It didn't hurt at all, and she didn't feel any wounds.
"What a strange dream," she mumbled aloud.
"It was not a dream, my dear." Hermione's eyes snapped open and she immediately sat up. Her surroundings were very unfamiliar, and she fell into a panic. Her eyes darted around, before settling on Voldemort. He sat in a chair by the fireplace which was placed to the left of her bed. This most certainly was not her Head Girl room at Hogwarts. Reality began to sink back in. "I'm glad to see you've awakened. We have a lot to get done today."
"What do you mean there's a lot to get done? I don't see what you want with," she cut herself off as she remembered the last words she heard before she entered her dream world. With her eyes wide, she turned her gaze upwards and met the icy stare of Voldemort.
"Yes, Hermione, it is true. You are not a filthy little Mudblood, as you have so often been called. You are Desdemona Hermione Riddle, daughter of Tom Marvolo Riddle," Voldemort said. "You are my daughter."
Hermione started at him for a minute, processing his words. "But... How? I don't understand," she finally replied.
"Well, it started 24 years ago, when I met your mother, Hermione. I was just beginning to gather a following. She came to one of my recruit meetings with a friend who seemed very interested in what I had to say. Hermione, your mother, thought my ambitions were laughable, but she stayed to support her friend, Narcissa."
"Narcissa Malfoy?" Hermione interrupted.
"Yes. Now don't interrupt me. As I was saying, she stayed for Narcissa. Narcissa approached me after the meeting to talk about some of my ideas. She wanted to know more about my ideals before she spoke of me to her husband. Hermione came with her, of course. She constantly challenged my opinions while I spoke with Narcissa. She said it would be impossible to rid the world of all Mudbloods, and I would never be able to have every wizard in the world under my command. She thought I was crazy. We ended up arguing for 4 hours. Narcissa left at some point without our notice. She decided it was time for her to leave when she realized it was 3a.m. and she had to be to work in 3 hours. I asked her if she would be willing to meet me at the Leaky Caldron after work, only to finish our debate. She agreed, and then Apparated home. I waited at the Caldron for 2 hours before she finally showed up. She looked beautiful. She had worn dress robes, and done her hair and makeup. We spent the evening getting to know each other. A year later, when my following was beginning to get recognition, we married. Almost 5 years later, we found out she was pregnant. We were both very excited. I was finally going to have an heir, and something that was only ours. But she..." He stared off for a moment, lost in his thoughts. "She died giving birth to you. I kept it very quiet. Not many people even knew I had married. The pregnancy was kept completely secret. Only the Malfoy family knew. Lucius being my most trusted follower, and Narcissa and your mother had remained best friends throughout the years. The Great War had begun shortly after your birth. Your nanny and I cared for you until... my defeat. Narcissa and Lucius went to find you, but you had disappeared. Now that we've found you again, we believe that your nanny had taken you to a Muggle orphanage and left them with only your middle name. I've been looking for you since the night Potter was taken, and brought me back to power. I searched every wizarding orphan record, and there wasn't a sign of you. I finally moved on to Muggle orphanages. I found the name Hermione on a recorded dated the same night I fell out of power. It said you became Hermione Granger not to long after you were sent to the orphanage. You were almost 2. I knew the name Granger from somewhere, so I called Lucius here. He said that was the Mudblood that was constantly showing up Draco. I had you taken from the school and brought here. The test was run while you were still unconscious. It confirmed that you are my daughter."
"Wow," she said when he finished. It was so much information to process. Her entire life that she had never even known about had just been told in 10 minutes.
"I know it is a lot to handle. I hate rushing you into everything, but we only have until Monday morning. I'm gathering all of my highest follower tonight, to introduce you."
"Introduce me? Why?" Hermione inquired.
"Desdemona, you are my heiress. When I pass, you will be the one they follow, whatever path you chose to take them. They gave themselves to me when they received the Dark Mark. They will be yours, yours to call upon whenever you wish, and yours to command. You are Lady Voldemort." Hermione only stared at her lap for a moment. "As I said, I know it's a lot to handle, but I'm here to help you. You may ask me anything, and I will give you an answer. But now it's time to get ready for the gathering."
"What am I supposed to call you?"
"I remember when you were so small, just a tiny little thing…" He seemed to have lost himself in his memories again. "Do you know what your first word was?" Hermione shook her head no. "It was 'da' and it evolved into 'dada' after a few days. I know that will not be comfortable enough to call me 'Daddy,'if you ever are. But when/if you are, you are very welcome to, as long as it's not in front of anyone other than the Malfoy family. I think 'Father' will do fine. Is that alright with you?"
"It sounds nice to me." Hermione answered. "Is that what I'm allowed to call you in front of everyone?"
"Yes. Now I'm going to prepare for our guest. You can take a shower, I'm sure you saw where your bathroom is already. I'll be back up in about 20 minutes to take you to the dinning hall for breakfast."
"Alright," Hermione slid out of her bed and entered the bathroom as Voldemort exited her bedroom. The candles were already lit and the bathtub was full of water and bubbles. A beautiful shimmering black, form fitting, floor-length dress was hung on the wall, along with matching undergarments. At least she didn't have to worry about wearing the right clothes. She quickly undressed, bathed, and slipped on the dress. It magically adjusted itself to her body shape and height. Of course it would, this is Voldemort after all. How silly of her to worry about it not fitting.
She just didn't understand it. Voldemort was her Father. The man who murdered innocent people, the man who kill her best friend's parents, the she had been trying to destroy for years; she had his blood running through her veins. No doubt it explained a lot of things, especially her powerful magically ablilities, but it didn't make anything less confusing.
Shaking her head, she stepped out of the bathroom the same moment Voldemort entered her bedroom.
"Perfect timing!" His face contorted itself into what Hermione was guessing was some sort of smile. In all honesty, it was a bit frightening. His face was not meant to express any sort of positive emotion.
She stepped up to his right side and he held his arm out for her. She slipped her arm through his and he lead her out of the room and down the hall.
"What are we having for breakfast?" She asked.
"Whatever you wish. The house elves can cook anything at all." He replied.
"Sounds wonderful." They entered the dining room, and she was placed to the right of Voldemort, who sat at the head of an insanely large dining table. As soon as they sat, hundreds of plate appeared full of every breakfast food you could think of. It was exactly like breakfast at Hogwarts, only 95% of this food was going to be thrown away, instead of being eaten. Her glass filled its self with a delicate white wine.
"Help yourself, darling," he said. Hermione used her fork to move a few pancakes onto her plate, along side a few strips of bacon. Lord, was she hungry. What seemed like only a few moments later, Voldemort announced it was time to attend the meeting. They stood and linked arms again, and he lead her further down the hall and told her to wait outside the door. He entered and she heard everyone rise from their seats. She leaned against the wall until the doors opened again. She heard him speak. "And now I introduce my only daughter, and my heiress, Lady Desdemona Hermione Riddle Voldemort." Once again she heard everyone rise, and she stepped through the door. Gasps came from all around and she heard hushed whispers of "Potter" and "Mudblood."
Suddenly lightening cracked through the air, and Hermione stopped. "SILENCE YOU INSOLENT FOOLS! I DID NOT PERMIT YOU TO SPEAK! YOU WILL NOT DISRESPECT MY DAUGHTER IN SUCH A MANNER." It was so silent, she didn't think anyone was even breathing. "Now, step forward, darling." Hermione resumed her walk and stepped up to his right side once again. "You will obey her the same way in which you obey me. She is my heiress, and my blood. When I pass away she will be your leader, so learn to treat her as you treat me. If any of you so much as forget to address her as "My Lady" without her permission, she will come to me and I will deal with you. Not, let's congregate in the ballroom. I expect all of you to formally introduce yourselves to Lady Voldemort."
Voldemort took her arm once again, and lead her down the hall, and into an enormous ballroom. He released her arm and told her she may do as she pleased as long as she remained in the ballroom, or was escorted by someone of which he approved. She wandered off and found herself comfortable in one of the corners of the room. There were trays of wine and other 'classy' drinks and snacks floating around the room. She reached out and took a glass off the nearest tray. Normally, she wouldn't have, but under these circumstances, a bit of alcohol might do some good.
She only remained hidden in her corner for a few minutes before the first person discovered her. There seemed to be a line of men and woman who bowed and curtsied while telling their names. She was never going to remember a single one of them.
"I guess I wont be calling you Mudblood anymore." Hermione looked up to find herself staring into the eyes of none other than Draco Malfoy.
"What a strange dream," she mumbled aloud.
"It was not a dream, my dear." Hermione's eyes snapped open and she immediately sat up. Her surroundings were very unfamiliar, and she fell into a panic. Her eyes darted around, before settling on Voldemort. He sat in a chair by the fireplace which was placed to the left of her bed. This most certainly was not her Head Girl room at Hogwarts. Reality began to sink back in. "I'm glad to see you've awakened. We have a lot to get done today."
"What do you mean there's a lot to get done? I don't see what you want with," she cut herself off as she remembered the last words she heard before she entered her dream world. With her eyes wide, she turned her gaze upwards and met the icy stare of Voldemort.
"Yes, Hermione, it is true. You are not a filthy little Mudblood, as you have so often been called. You are Desdemona Hermione Riddle, daughter of Tom Marvolo Riddle," Voldemort said. "You are my daughter."
Hermione started at him for a minute, processing his words. "But... How? I don't understand," she finally replied.
"Well, it started 24 years ago, when I met your mother, Hermione. I was just beginning to gather a following. She came to one of my recruit meetings with a friend who seemed very interested in what I had to say. Hermione, your mother, thought my ambitions were laughable, but she stayed to support her friend, Narcissa."
"Narcissa Malfoy?" Hermione interrupted.
"Yes. Now don't interrupt me. As I was saying, she stayed for Narcissa. Narcissa approached me after the meeting to talk about some of my ideas. She wanted to know more about my ideals before she spoke of me to her husband. Hermione came with her, of course. She constantly challenged my opinions while I spoke with Narcissa. She said it would be impossible to rid the world of all Mudbloods, and I would never be able to have every wizard in the world under my command. She thought I was crazy. We ended up arguing for 4 hours. Narcissa left at some point without our notice. She decided it was time for her to leave when she realized it was 3a.m. and she had to be to work in 3 hours. I asked her if she would be willing to meet me at the Leaky Caldron after work, only to finish our debate. She agreed, and then Apparated home. I waited at the Caldron for 2 hours before she finally showed up. She looked beautiful. She had worn dress robes, and done her hair and makeup. We spent the evening getting to know each other. A year later, when my following was beginning to get recognition, we married. Almost 5 years later, we found out she was pregnant. We were both very excited. I was finally going to have an heir, and something that was only ours. But she..." He stared off for a moment, lost in his thoughts. "She died giving birth to you. I kept it very quiet. Not many people even knew I had married. The pregnancy was kept completely secret. Only the Malfoy family knew. Lucius being my most trusted follower, and Narcissa and your mother had remained best friends throughout the years. The Great War had begun shortly after your birth. Your nanny and I cared for you until... my defeat. Narcissa and Lucius went to find you, but you had disappeared. Now that we've found you again, we believe that your nanny had taken you to a Muggle orphanage and left them with only your middle name. I've been looking for you since the night Potter was taken, and brought me back to power. I searched every wizarding orphan record, and there wasn't a sign of you. I finally moved on to Muggle orphanages. I found the name Hermione on a recorded dated the same night I fell out of power. It said you became Hermione Granger not to long after you were sent to the orphanage. You were almost 2. I knew the name Granger from somewhere, so I called Lucius here. He said that was the Mudblood that was constantly showing up Draco. I had you taken from the school and brought here. The test was run while you were still unconscious. It confirmed that you are my daughter."
"Wow," she said when he finished. It was so much information to process. Her entire life that she had never even known about had just been told in 10 minutes.
"I know it is a lot to handle. I hate rushing you into everything, but we only have until Monday morning. I'm gathering all of my highest follower tonight, to introduce you."
"Introduce me? Why?" Hermione inquired.
"Desdemona, you are my heiress. When I pass, you will be the one they follow, whatever path you chose to take them. They gave themselves to me when they received the Dark Mark. They will be yours, yours to call upon whenever you wish, and yours to command. You are Lady Voldemort." Hermione only stared at her lap for a moment. "As I said, I know it's a lot to handle, but I'm here to help you. You may ask me anything, and I will give you an answer. But now it's time to get ready for the gathering."
"What am I supposed to call you?"
"I remember when you were so small, just a tiny little thing…" He seemed to have lost himself in his memories again. "Do you know what your first word was?" Hermione shook her head no. "It was 'da' and it evolved into 'dada' after a few days. I know that will not be comfortable enough to call me 'Daddy,'if you ever are. But when/if you are, you are very welcome to, as long as it's not in front of anyone other than the Malfoy family. I think 'Father' will do fine. Is that alright with you?"
"It sounds nice to me." Hermione answered. "Is that what I'm allowed to call you in front of everyone?"
"Yes. Now I'm going to prepare for our guest. You can take a shower, I'm sure you saw where your bathroom is already. I'll be back up in about 20 minutes to take you to the dinning hall for breakfast."
"Alright," Hermione slid out of her bed and entered the bathroom as Voldemort exited her bedroom. The candles were already lit and the bathtub was full of water and bubbles. A beautiful shimmering black, form fitting, floor-length dress was hung on the wall, along with matching undergarments. At least she didn't have to worry about wearing the right clothes. She quickly undressed, bathed, and slipped on the dress. It magically adjusted itself to her body shape and height. Of course it would, this is Voldemort after all. How silly of her to worry about it not fitting.
She just didn't understand it. Voldemort was her Father. The man who murdered innocent people, the man who kill her best friend's parents, the she had been trying to destroy for years; she had his blood running through her veins. No doubt it explained a lot of things, especially her powerful magically ablilities, but it didn't make anything less confusing.
Shaking her head, she stepped out of the bathroom the same moment Voldemort entered her bedroom.
"Perfect timing!" His face contorted itself into what Hermione was guessing was some sort of smile. In all honesty, it was a bit frightening. His face was not meant to express any sort of positive emotion.
She stepped up to his right side and he held his arm out for her. She slipped her arm through his and he lead her out of the room and down the hall.
"What are we having for breakfast?" She asked.
"Whatever you wish. The house elves can cook anything at all." He replied.
"Sounds wonderful." They entered the dining room, and she was placed to the right of Voldemort, who sat at the head of an insanely large dining table. As soon as they sat, hundreds of plate appeared full of every breakfast food you could think of. It was exactly like breakfast at Hogwarts, only 95% of this food was going to be thrown away, instead of being eaten. Her glass filled its self with a delicate white wine.
"Help yourself, darling," he said. Hermione used her fork to move a few pancakes onto her plate, along side a few strips of bacon. Lord, was she hungry. What seemed like only a few moments later, Voldemort announced it was time to attend the meeting. They stood and linked arms again, and he lead her further down the hall and told her to wait outside the door. He entered and she heard everyone rise from their seats. She leaned against the wall until the doors opened again. She heard him speak. "And now I introduce my only daughter, and my heiress, Lady Desdemona Hermione Riddle Voldemort." Once again she heard everyone rise, and she stepped through the door. Gasps came from all around and she heard hushed whispers of "Potter" and "Mudblood."
Suddenly lightening cracked through the air, and Hermione stopped. "SILENCE YOU INSOLENT FOOLS! I DID NOT PERMIT YOU TO SPEAK! YOU WILL NOT DISRESPECT MY DAUGHTER IN SUCH A MANNER." It was so silent, she didn't think anyone was even breathing. "Now, step forward, darling." Hermione resumed her walk and stepped up to his right side once again. "You will obey her the same way in which you obey me. She is my heiress, and my blood. When I pass away she will be your leader, so learn to treat her as you treat me. If any of you so much as forget to address her as "My Lady" without her permission, she will come to me and I will deal with you. Not, let's congregate in the ballroom. I expect all of you to formally introduce yourselves to Lady Voldemort."
Voldemort took her arm once again, and lead her down the hall, and into an enormous ballroom. He released her arm and told her she may do as she pleased as long as she remained in the ballroom, or was escorted by someone of which he approved. She wandered off and found herself comfortable in one of the corners of the room. There were trays of wine and other 'classy' drinks and snacks floating around the room. She reached out and took a glass off the nearest tray. Normally, she wouldn't have, but under these circumstances, a bit of alcohol might do some good.
She only remained hidden in her corner for a few minutes before the first person discovered her. There seemed to be a line of men and woman who bowed and curtsied while telling their names. She was never going to remember a single one of them.
"I guess I wont be calling you Mudblood anymore." Hermione looked up to find herself staring into the eyes of none other than Draco Malfoy.