Chapter 25
"Tom and Hermione"
Hermione landed safely on the snow-covered ground. She looked up at a two- storied stone building with dim windows. Snow fluttered through the air and landed in her hair. Hermione glared at a sign that creaked above on an old iron fence.
"Pandsake's Orphanage"
Hermione wrapped her robes around her and took out her wand. She noticed a large group of twenty or more Aurors walking up to the orphanage. She ran up to them.
"Ah, Miss Granger, just in time for the latest raid." said Kyle Muddling, a black Auror. "We have just cleared out all the children and will see if any Death Eaters show up."
Hermione nodded and took out her wand. The building was cold inside. The walls were a dirty gray and the floors of ancient oak squeaked gray. The place was littered with toys and such. Little handprints were painted on the walls in one room. Hermione was motioned to split from the group and search the place. She crept upstairs to look around.
Hermione came across a room full of bunk beds and such. She was looking at all the names and ages over the beds, and saw that many of the children were quite young, like five or three. There was a nursery with several cradles in it. Hermione played with the little mobiles above the cradles, hearing only the soft creak of floorboards and the howl of the wind. A soft, little chiming tune play from one of the mobiles. Hermione sat there and watched the little clouds and sun spin around slowly, smiling as the soft music played with her ears.
"They're here!" shouted a voice.
Bangs and screams could be heard from below. Hermione heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. She flung the door shut, but dived as a jet of green light flew toward her.
"Stupefy!" she yelled as it hit a Death Eater.
The Death Eater fell to the floor. Hermione kicked his wand under a cradle and ran into the hall. She ran into the hall and hit another Death Eater with stupefy. She saw an Auror go down, his face etched with horror. Hermione was hit in the face as she ran into another room. She could feel blood slide down her cheek.
"Avada Kedavra!" shouted a Death Eater.
Hermione dodged the jet of green light and hit a wall doing so. The Death Eater laughed as Hermione struggled to get up, backing into a closet as she did so.
"Avada Kedavra!" the Death Eater shouted again.
Hermione fell backwards into a closet as the green light went under her right arm. She fell through the closet wall into a darker room. The Death Eater, thinking Hermione was dead, laughed and ran out of the room. Hermione laid there on the floor, feeling the cold surface against her face. She felt the blood on her cheek and her body ached all over. She forced herself up and tried to focus her eyes in the dark room.
The windows were boarded up. Cobwebs, covered in dust, were like thick, ghostly curtains covering all the small, old metal beds and dresser.
"Lumos." said Hermione, using the light on the tip of her wand to get a better look at the room.
She noticed there were old, termite eaten wooden toys in a corner. The mattresses were covered in mildew. The bed frames were thick with rust. Hermione walked around, feeling the cold wind rush in through the broke, boarded up window. Snow drifted in through the windows and holes in the ceiling. A smell of rotting wood filled the air. Hermione felt she was not alone in the room. She spun around and saw a shadowy figure standing in a corner.
"It was my home for ten years." said the figure. "This was the very room I stayed in."
The figure stepped out of the corner, stepping into the light of Hermione's wand. Hermione saw the young man from her dreams walk up to her. His emerald green eyes sparkled in the dim light. His ebony dark hair had a few snowflakes in it. He was wearing dark robes, his wand twiddling in his right hand. His face, a bit pale, was handsome as exactly as Hermione had seen in her dreams, in her memories. Hermione knew him, she knew him all he life, he was Tom Riddle.
Tom walked up to her and starred into her soft, warm cinnamon eyes. He observed her beautiful face before turning to a bed in the corner.
"That was the very bed I slept in. I hid under it many times, trying to escape the pain, the humiliation, the torture I faced. I was not popular among the children here. They said I was a freak, a menace. Strange things I did not now how they happened caused my unpopularity, but I knew that I was different from those filthy children for a reason. It was that letter from Hogwarts that changed my life. My caretaker here said I would never amount to anything, well, look at who I am, look at what I have become." he said.
He was facing the bed, his head down, twiddling his wand in both hands now. Hermione walked up to him and instinctively put a hand on his shoulder. Tom turned his had to look at her.
"I thought I lost you." he said to her.
Hermione's eyes began to fog up.
"I thought I would never see you again." he said, turning around and taking her hand in his.
He placed her warm hand against his pale, cool cheek. He closed his eyes as he felt the smoothness and warmth of her hand on his skin. Hermione stood there, taking in his scent, his touch, his voice. He was real.
'No, he is Voldemort.' A voice in her head said.
'He is my Tom' she said back.
The door flung open. Several Death Eaters flew in. Tom let go of Hermione's hand and glared at the Death Eaters.
"What is it?" he hissed.
Lucius Malfoy removed his mask. He glared at Hermione.
"That filthy mudblood is an Auror." He hissed.
Tom looked at Hermione, then back at Lucius. His eyes were on fire, showing a glowing scarlet color.
"Haven't I told you not to speak of her in this way?" he said with venom in his voice.
He raised his and at Lucius.
"This will teach you." he said. "Crucio!"
Lucius twitched in pain on the floor. The Dark Lord laughed a high, cold laugh. He stopped after what seemed forever.
"Get up." he hissed to Lucius.
Lucius obeyed. He joined the rest of the Death Eaters.
"Bellatrix, how many of ours are dead?" Tom asked.
A tall, lean woman with long black hair and a sunken face that was once beautiful but changed from years in Azkaban stepped forward.
"None." she replied.
"And theirs?" Tom asked.
"All except.her." said Bellatrix, catching a better glimpse of Hermione.
Bellatrix walked up to Hermione. Here dark eyes were wide in shock. She touched Hermione's hair.
"Katrina?" she asked.
"No, Hermione." said Hermione. "I know who you are, Bellatrix."
Bellatrix stepped back. Hermione as in Hermione Granger, Potter's friend?
"Don't worry, Bellatrix. I know what you are thinking, but all questions will be answered later." said Tom.
Bellatrix stepped back and flashed Hermione a smile. Hermione returned one, not sure if she should be happy to have been best friends with the very person who tortured Neville's parents into insanity.
"Come, let us go back to our hideout." said Tom.
"Yes, my Lord." said all the Death Eaters in unison.
Tom turned toward Hermione and put his hand out. Hermione took it and was brought close toward Tom. She could feel his heart beat against hers.
'He does have one after all' she thought.
She felt his strong arms wrap around her. He nodded at his Death Eaters, and soon, the room swam as they all disapparated.
"Tom and Hermione"
Hermione landed safely on the snow-covered ground. She looked up at a two- storied stone building with dim windows. Snow fluttered through the air and landed in her hair. Hermione glared at a sign that creaked above on an old iron fence.
"Pandsake's Orphanage"
Hermione wrapped her robes around her and took out her wand. She noticed a large group of twenty or more Aurors walking up to the orphanage. She ran up to them.
"Ah, Miss Granger, just in time for the latest raid." said Kyle Muddling, a black Auror. "We have just cleared out all the children and will see if any Death Eaters show up."
Hermione nodded and took out her wand. The building was cold inside. The walls were a dirty gray and the floors of ancient oak squeaked gray. The place was littered with toys and such. Little handprints were painted on the walls in one room. Hermione was motioned to split from the group and search the place. She crept upstairs to look around.
Hermione came across a room full of bunk beds and such. She was looking at all the names and ages over the beds, and saw that many of the children were quite young, like five or three. There was a nursery with several cradles in it. Hermione played with the little mobiles above the cradles, hearing only the soft creak of floorboards and the howl of the wind. A soft, little chiming tune play from one of the mobiles. Hermione sat there and watched the little clouds and sun spin around slowly, smiling as the soft music played with her ears.
"They're here!" shouted a voice.
Bangs and screams could be heard from below. Hermione heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. She flung the door shut, but dived as a jet of green light flew toward her.
"Stupefy!" she yelled as it hit a Death Eater.
The Death Eater fell to the floor. Hermione kicked his wand under a cradle and ran into the hall. She ran into the hall and hit another Death Eater with stupefy. She saw an Auror go down, his face etched with horror. Hermione was hit in the face as she ran into another room. She could feel blood slide down her cheek.
"Avada Kedavra!" shouted a Death Eater.
Hermione dodged the jet of green light and hit a wall doing so. The Death Eater laughed as Hermione struggled to get up, backing into a closet as she did so.
"Avada Kedavra!" the Death Eater shouted again.
Hermione fell backwards into a closet as the green light went under her right arm. She fell through the closet wall into a darker room. The Death Eater, thinking Hermione was dead, laughed and ran out of the room. Hermione laid there on the floor, feeling the cold surface against her face. She felt the blood on her cheek and her body ached all over. She forced herself up and tried to focus her eyes in the dark room.
The windows were boarded up. Cobwebs, covered in dust, were like thick, ghostly curtains covering all the small, old metal beds and dresser.
"Lumos." said Hermione, using the light on the tip of her wand to get a better look at the room.
She noticed there were old, termite eaten wooden toys in a corner. The mattresses were covered in mildew. The bed frames were thick with rust. Hermione walked around, feeling the cold wind rush in through the broke, boarded up window. Snow drifted in through the windows and holes in the ceiling. A smell of rotting wood filled the air. Hermione felt she was not alone in the room. She spun around and saw a shadowy figure standing in a corner.
"It was my home for ten years." said the figure. "This was the very room I stayed in."
The figure stepped out of the corner, stepping into the light of Hermione's wand. Hermione saw the young man from her dreams walk up to her. His emerald green eyes sparkled in the dim light. His ebony dark hair had a few snowflakes in it. He was wearing dark robes, his wand twiddling in his right hand. His face, a bit pale, was handsome as exactly as Hermione had seen in her dreams, in her memories. Hermione knew him, she knew him all he life, he was Tom Riddle.
Tom walked up to her and starred into her soft, warm cinnamon eyes. He observed her beautiful face before turning to a bed in the corner.
"That was the very bed I slept in. I hid under it many times, trying to escape the pain, the humiliation, the torture I faced. I was not popular among the children here. They said I was a freak, a menace. Strange things I did not now how they happened caused my unpopularity, but I knew that I was different from those filthy children for a reason. It was that letter from Hogwarts that changed my life. My caretaker here said I would never amount to anything, well, look at who I am, look at what I have become." he said.
He was facing the bed, his head down, twiddling his wand in both hands now. Hermione walked up to him and instinctively put a hand on his shoulder. Tom turned his had to look at her.
"I thought I lost you." he said to her.
Hermione's eyes began to fog up.
"I thought I would never see you again." he said, turning around and taking her hand in his.
He placed her warm hand against his pale, cool cheek. He closed his eyes as he felt the smoothness and warmth of her hand on his skin. Hermione stood there, taking in his scent, his touch, his voice. He was real.
'No, he is Voldemort.' A voice in her head said.
'He is my Tom' she said back.
The door flung open. Several Death Eaters flew in. Tom let go of Hermione's hand and glared at the Death Eaters.
"What is it?" he hissed.
Lucius Malfoy removed his mask. He glared at Hermione.
"That filthy mudblood is an Auror." He hissed.
Tom looked at Hermione, then back at Lucius. His eyes were on fire, showing a glowing scarlet color.
"Haven't I told you not to speak of her in this way?" he said with venom in his voice.
He raised his and at Lucius.
"This will teach you." he said. "Crucio!"
Lucius twitched in pain on the floor. The Dark Lord laughed a high, cold laugh. He stopped after what seemed forever.
"Get up." he hissed to Lucius.
Lucius obeyed. He joined the rest of the Death Eaters.
"Bellatrix, how many of ours are dead?" Tom asked.
A tall, lean woman with long black hair and a sunken face that was once beautiful but changed from years in Azkaban stepped forward.
"None." she replied.
"And theirs?" Tom asked.
"All except.her." said Bellatrix, catching a better glimpse of Hermione.
Bellatrix walked up to Hermione. Here dark eyes were wide in shock. She touched Hermione's hair.
"Katrina?" she asked.
"No, Hermione." said Hermione. "I know who you are, Bellatrix."
Bellatrix stepped back. Hermione as in Hermione Granger, Potter's friend?
"Don't worry, Bellatrix. I know what you are thinking, but all questions will be answered later." said Tom.
Bellatrix stepped back and flashed Hermione a smile. Hermione returned one, not sure if she should be happy to have been best friends with the very person who tortured Neville's parents into insanity.
"Come, let us go back to our hideout." said Tom.
"Yes, my Lord." said all the Death Eaters in unison.
Tom turned toward Hermione and put his hand out. Hermione took it and was brought close toward Tom. She could feel his heart beat against hers.
'He does have one after all' she thought.
She felt his strong arms wrap around her. He nodded at his Death Eaters, and soon, the room swam as they all disapparated.