Message in a Bottle
Chapter 12
Waking up the next morning, Hermione allowed all of the events from the previous night to flood her thoughts. Knowing that she had let too much out, she sat up in bed feeling a massive headache. "Ugh..." she moaned as she sat up. "I don't feel so good."
She then noticed Draco's half naked form lying right next to her. He was in nothing but a towel and for a second, she questioned if they had done anything last night but then she remembered that he had just gotten out of the shower when he came to wake her from one of her nightmares. Nothing had happened and she wasn't sure if she was happy about that. She thought about him as more than a friend. She wouldn't mind if he ever wanted to go further. Of course, she would never admit that to him. It was too much to deal with.
Draco awoke with much of the same reaction. As soon as he noticed that he was only wearing a towel, he questioned whether or not he had taken advantage of his new friend. Replaying the nights events, he came upon the conclusion that he in fact did NOT do anything other than comfort her.
"Morning, sleepy," she yawned. "Time to face the rest of the world." Today was their first real day back at Hogwarts but they didn't have classes. Classes would begin the following day.
They both sat up and Draco left the room, going back to his own in order to get changed. When he was gone, Hermione got up and went to the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and stripped down out of her pajamas.
Gazing into the mirror, she examined her scars. There was one that began at her navel, running all the way up to her left breast. "Oh dear," she heard a voice say. She glanced around the room, looking for the culprit and found nothing there. "Who did that to you?" the voice spoke again. She looked up and saw the mirror had formed a face.
"OH!" Hermione exclaimed. "I didn't know who was speaking!"
"Sorry to give you a fright," the mirror said. "My name is Tilly. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Same here," she resonded. "My name is Hermione."
"Well hello, Hermione. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your stomach?"
Hermione's face turned a crimson color, not prepared for such questions. "Um...well...I fell and scraped myself with a kitchen knife," she lied. "I'd love to stay and talk but I have to shower now. Got things to do before school begins tomorrow." She stepped into the shower and began washing her hair.
Draco sat in his room, after changing out of his towel and into some school robes, letting his thoughts run wild. He remembered the last words she had said to him before she fell asleep. Tom Riddle. Her father was Tom Riddle.
Waiting a little while after he heard her exiting the bathroom, he sat down and wrote another letter, not wanting to barge in on her while she was changing. "Damion, take this to her and come back." He gave his pet an owl snack and then watched him fly away.
Hermione wrapped the towel tightly around herself. As Damion flew in, she let a smile dawn upon her face. 'So we'll still be penpals?" she thought to herself, taking the note from Damion's claws.
Dear Hermione,
I want to talk to you. We have a lot to discuss. Would you like to spend the day with me? We could walk in to Hogsmeade, one of the many privileges of being Head Boy and Girl. We can go any time we want. So would you like to go today so we can talk and maybe get a drink at the Three Broomsticks?
Draco
She put the letter aside and began to comb her hair. In about a half hour, she was ready for the day. She wore a pair of denim jeans and a black long sleeved turtle neck, covering up everything. It was chilly for some reason and she wanted to be warm.
She found him sitting on the couch. Apparently he had been waiting for her. "When you didn't respond," he said, "I figured it was a yes. So shall we be going then?"
She nodded and they began to walk to the magical town that still never ceased to amaze her. Growing up as a muggle, she had always dreamt of magical worlds and fairy tale heroes and now that she was all grown up, it turned out that her dreams had come true. Magic WAS real. It existed and it lived in her. She had magic.
Of course she would never use magic outside of school. It was the magical world policy. No child was allowed to use magic outside of school until they graduated. She had thought about it many a times during that summer, wanting nothing more than to hex him and run away, but she didn't like the sound of losing her mother and the privilege of using magic all at once.
Draco and Hermione entered the Three Broomsticks and ordered two butterbeers, searching for a table far away from everyone. Finding it in the corner, they walked over and Draco held out a chair for her.
She was shocked but didn't show it. She sat down and he pushed the chair in. 'Chivalry's not dead,' she thought with a small smile. As she took a sip of her warm and fizzy drink, she watched Draco watching her. It was as if they were both sizing the other one up.
He was examining every little move she made, the way she pushed her hair out of her face before she took a sip and the way she held the cup with two hands and allowed the liquid, as it slid down her throat, to warm her through and through. She examined him as well.
She watched as his eyes scanned the room, making sure no one was there that could hurt her. She saw him checking to make sure he had his wand in case there was any trouble. She thought these acts were protective measures, measures that she would expect from Harry and Ron, measures that she would expect only from those who truly loved her.
"Tom Riddle," he finally got out. "How much do you know about his history?"
Her eyes widened at the subject. She had been praying that they wouldn't have to discuss this but apparently she was wrong. "Only what I told you in my letters. He loved my mum and so did my stepfather. But it was Riddle who impregnated my mother and it was my stepdad who wound up marrying her."
"Want to know the rest of the story?" Taking another sip of his butterbeer, he watched the effects of his two questions. It was as if he wasn't just questioning her heritage but questioning her entire existence. After a few moments of mulling it over, she shook her head fiercely, wanting to know the whole story.
"Ok, well it starts when they were in school. It all revolves around three people: Tom Riddle, some kid Riley and a girl, Helen Andrews, who happened to be many years younger than the other two. Tom Riddle, as we all know, was a Slytherin, a bright promising young wizard destined to go places. Helen Andrews was actually a Gryffindor, beautiful young woman, well sought after by the entire male population of Hogwarts, and incredibly intelligent. Her favorite pastime was reading. From what my father told me, she was a lot like you. Riley was a shy Ravenclaw, a quiet scholar, didn't have many friends and secretly he was a huge mischief maker. That's how he became friends with Tom. They were two devils but it was their secret. No one ever knew about their pranks.
Anyway, one day, years after graduation, Tom was walking down the streets of Hogsmeade heading towards the Hogs Head where he was to meet up with Riley. He wasn't looking where he was going and then he ran into her. Helen Andrews. They started talking and so he brought her with him to meet with Riley.
Soon, they were spending time together every day and became the best of friends. But the problem with all friendships containing members of the opposite sex is that eventually one, if not all, of them develop feelings for someone. And so it is that Riley fell for their female counterpart. Tom also fell, but his feelings were actually returned. Helen was head over heals for the bloke and poor Riley was left out the moment the two started dating after two years of friendship. Helen and Tom became inseparable. They fell in love. They kept their difference of opinions to themselves. He hated muggles, she believed in equal rights. Since their opinions were so different, they just never discussed it.
Riley learned to push aside his feelings for Helen a few months later and so they were able to still be great friends. But there were many obstacles for Helen and Tom to overcome. Tom was stubborn and very jealous. He never liked it when she spent time with just Riley. He didn't like it when she spent any time with any other man. But he really despised her seeing Riley so much. He thought that they were too close for his comfort and so he constantly bickered with her over it.
It was after five years of dating that things got even worse. One day, Riley and Helen were doing their Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley. They were in the pet shop when Riley couldn't take it any longer and so he leaned in and kissed her. Of course it wasn't a kiss that she returned but from where Tom was standing, behind one of the larger cages, it appeared as much more than it was. He automatically flipped out. A few weeks later, she announced that she was pregnant and Tom jumped to conclusions. He asked her to abort, thinking it was Riley's. When she said no, he became violent.
Riley convinced her that he was a threat to all of their lives and persuaded her into running away with him and getting married so that the child was not a bastard child. She took his last name and they went in to hiding. Tom searched high and low for the two but couldn't find them and so he gave up. Months later, he received a letter from her saying that she had taken his advice on getting the abortion, not wanting to have a lasting reminder of him for the rest of her life. He never thought about her again, believing the relationship was over and finding no reason to torture himself with dreams of her. He loved her so much and the thought of her being with someone else would have destroyed him. He figured that she was gone and gave up all hope on ever being with her again.
That's the extent of what I heard. My father never told me Riley's last name because it was unbeknownst even to him. You see, Riley was such a shy guy that no one even knew he existed. He kept to himself.
After all was said and done, Tom became Voldemort and one day entrusted my father with the details of the story, which is why I know the story. But Lucius didn't know the minor details, the small things, like Riley's last name so that's why I didn't make the connection all these years. I believe your stepfather may have been lying to you about certain things that I heard you mention in your letters, but that's basically the story I heard. Hermione, what happened to your mother?"
She looked up at him with a puzzled sort of worried look. "Huh?"
"In all your letters, you always said she was...gone. You never said if she had passed on or if she had left. I was wondering what happened."
Hermione stared straight past him, seeing a sight that made her shirk. There he stood, gazing right at her. His black robes billowing behind him as he approached her. His hood covered his face but she knew it was him. He had finally come for her just as she knew he would. "I think we'll have to finish this discussion later," she said with a gulp, trying to put on a face of bravery though it seemed quite impossible for her to do. Nervousness crept through her as he came closer and closer.
Draco turned in his seat to see who she was talking about and saw a man drawing near. Behind him, a woman followed. She was tall with short brown hair. It was covered by the hood of her robes which she seemed content in wearing. Hermione just kept that face of bravery on but under the table, Draco could see her hands shaking.
"Hermione," the man said in a deep hissing voice. Draco stood up and walked behind his new friend, placing his hands on her shoulders to let her know that he was right behind her, whatever happened. "Your mother and I have come for you. Let's go to the Hog's Head and have a little family discussion."
Hermione's eyes widened as she saw the woman step out from behind him. She took off her hood and Hermione could see the bags that had begun to form beneath her mothers hazel eyes. Her smile seemed fake. Helen had always had a big smile, one that made everyone else around her feel warm and fuzzy all over. But not now. Now, she looked cold, worn out, tired...deathly.
"Hermione, listen to your father," Helen reprimanded, noticing her daughters lack of movement. "Say goodbye to this kind gentlemen," referring to Draco, "And let's go!"
Hermione unconsciously brought herself to her feet and rose, turning around to face Draco. "I...I...I have to g...go...now. I'll...I'll see you back at...at school." He could have sworn he heard her mumble, "I hope," under her breath as her parents led her away.
Feeling stupid and useless, he jumped up and ran after the cute little family. "WAIT!" he screamed, chasing them down the road. "I'm not letting her go anywhere," he said while trying to catch his breath after finally catching up to them. "We have Head Student duties to attend to."
Hermione's lips curled up into a smile. "It's okay, Draco. We can work them out later. This is my DAD...not...not who you're thinking about."
Helen turned to the platinum blonde haired boy and smiled. "You must be a very good friend of my daughters, running after her and trying to protect her from wizards with triple the amount of power you have. Tell me, boy. If we had been...dare I say abusing my daughter, what would you have done?"
He let out a chuckle. "I was planning on using the Petrificus Totalus on you both and rushing her back to Hogwarts."
The three laughed but he seemed to find no amusement in Draco's response. "You are a very foolish boy, thinking you could take me on," he hissed. "Judging by your silver hair and your cold gray eyes I can tell your Lucius' son so I won't hold it against you... but DON'T make that mistake again! I could crush you, boy!"
Hermione looked up at him with water in her eyes. "I can't believe you're threatening the one friend I thought you would approve of!" she screamed while running off in the opposite direction. Helen chased after her, leaving Draco alone with his fathers boss.
"So..." Draco said while rocking back and forth in order to entertain himself. "It's really great to meet you, sir. I've heard a lot about you."
"Stop trying to suck up," the old man shrieked. "You like my daughter, I can tell. Heed my warning, son. If you ever hurt her, I swear to the Gods that I will make sure that you suffer until your very last breath!"
IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE: I am leaving on vacation now until August 17th and then I go to band camp so please don't hate me! There are no computers when I go on vacation. I should be updating during band camp though. Just please don't kill me. BTW...it's my birthday July 28th...woo hoo for me!
anyway...about the story...VOLDEMORT MAKES HIS FIRST APPEARANCE! Tell me what you thought! Thanks for all the great reviews for the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated.
Chapter 12
Waking up the next morning, Hermione allowed all of the events from the previous night to flood her thoughts. Knowing that she had let too much out, she sat up in bed feeling a massive headache. "Ugh..." she moaned as she sat up. "I don't feel so good."
She then noticed Draco's half naked form lying right next to her. He was in nothing but a towel and for a second, she questioned if they had done anything last night but then she remembered that he had just gotten out of the shower when he came to wake her from one of her nightmares. Nothing had happened and she wasn't sure if she was happy about that. She thought about him as more than a friend. She wouldn't mind if he ever wanted to go further. Of course, she would never admit that to him. It was too much to deal with.
Draco awoke with much of the same reaction. As soon as he noticed that he was only wearing a towel, he questioned whether or not he had taken advantage of his new friend. Replaying the nights events, he came upon the conclusion that he in fact did NOT do anything other than comfort her.
"Morning, sleepy," she yawned. "Time to face the rest of the world." Today was their first real day back at Hogwarts but they didn't have classes. Classes would begin the following day.
They both sat up and Draco left the room, going back to his own in order to get changed. When he was gone, Hermione got up and went to the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and stripped down out of her pajamas.
Gazing into the mirror, she examined her scars. There was one that began at her navel, running all the way up to her left breast. "Oh dear," she heard a voice say. She glanced around the room, looking for the culprit and found nothing there. "Who did that to you?" the voice spoke again. She looked up and saw the mirror had formed a face.
"OH!" Hermione exclaimed. "I didn't know who was speaking!"
"Sorry to give you a fright," the mirror said. "My name is Tilly. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Same here," she resonded. "My name is Hermione."
"Well hello, Hermione. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your stomach?"
Hermione's face turned a crimson color, not prepared for such questions. "Um...well...I fell and scraped myself with a kitchen knife," she lied. "I'd love to stay and talk but I have to shower now. Got things to do before school begins tomorrow." She stepped into the shower and began washing her hair.
Draco sat in his room, after changing out of his towel and into some school robes, letting his thoughts run wild. He remembered the last words she had said to him before she fell asleep. Tom Riddle. Her father was Tom Riddle.
Waiting a little while after he heard her exiting the bathroom, he sat down and wrote another letter, not wanting to barge in on her while she was changing. "Damion, take this to her and come back." He gave his pet an owl snack and then watched him fly away.
Hermione wrapped the towel tightly around herself. As Damion flew in, she let a smile dawn upon her face. 'So we'll still be penpals?" she thought to herself, taking the note from Damion's claws.
Dear Hermione,
I want to talk to you. We have a lot to discuss. Would you like to spend the day with me? We could walk in to Hogsmeade, one of the many privileges of being Head Boy and Girl. We can go any time we want. So would you like to go today so we can talk and maybe get a drink at the Three Broomsticks?
Draco
She put the letter aside and began to comb her hair. In about a half hour, she was ready for the day. She wore a pair of denim jeans and a black long sleeved turtle neck, covering up everything. It was chilly for some reason and she wanted to be warm.
She found him sitting on the couch. Apparently he had been waiting for her. "When you didn't respond," he said, "I figured it was a yes. So shall we be going then?"
She nodded and they began to walk to the magical town that still never ceased to amaze her. Growing up as a muggle, she had always dreamt of magical worlds and fairy tale heroes and now that she was all grown up, it turned out that her dreams had come true. Magic WAS real. It existed and it lived in her. She had magic.
Of course she would never use magic outside of school. It was the magical world policy. No child was allowed to use magic outside of school until they graduated. She had thought about it many a times during that summer, wanting nothing more than to hex him and run away, but she didn't like the sound of losing her mother and the privilege of using magic all at once.
Draco and Hermione entered the Three Broomsticks and ordered two butterbeers, searching for a table far away from everyone. Finding it in the corner, they walked over and Draco held out a chair for her.
She was shocked but didn't show it. She sat down and he pushed the chair in. 'Chivalry's not dead,' she thought with a small smile. As she took a sip of her warm and fizzy drink, she watched Draco watching her. It was as if they were both sizing the other one up.
He was examining every little move she made, the way she pushed her hair out of her face before she took a sip and the way she held the cup with two hands and allowed the liquid, as it slid down her throat, to warm her through and through. She examined him as well.
She watched as his eyes scanned the room, making sure no one was there that could hurt her. She saw him checking to make sure he had his wand in case there was any trouble. She thought these acts were protective measures, measures that she would expect from Harry and Ron, measures that she would expect only from those who truly loved her.
"Tom Riddle," he finally got out. "How much do you know about his history?"
Her eyes widened at the subject. She had been praying that they wouldn't have to discuss this but apparently she was wrong. "Only what I told you in my letters. He loved my mum and so did my stepfather. But it was Riddle who impregnated my mother and it was my stepdad who wound up marrying her."
"Want to know the rest of the story?" Taking another sip of his butterbeer, he watched the effects of his two questions. It was as if he wasn't just questioning her heritage but questioning her entire existence. After a few moments of mulling it over, she shook her head fiercely, wanting to know the whole story.
"Ok, well it starts when they were in school. It all revolves around three people: Tom Riddle, some kid Riley and a girl, Helen Andrews, who happened to be many years younger than the other two. Tom Riddle, as we all know, was a Slytherin, a bright promising young wizard destined to go places. Helen Andrews was actually a Gryffindor, beautiful young woman, well sought after by the entire male population of Hogwarts, and incredibly intelligent. Her favorite pastime was reading. From what my father told me, she was a lot like you. Riley was a shy Ravenclaw, a quiet scholar, didn't have many friends and secretly he was a huge mischief maker. That's how he became friends with Tom. They were two devils but it was their secret. No one ever knew about their pranks.
Anyway, one day, years after graduation, Tom was walking down the streets of Hogsmeade heading towards the Hogs Head where he was to meet up with Riley. He wasn't looking where he was going and then he ran into her. Helen Andrews. They started talking and so he brought her with him to meet with Riley.
Soon, they were spending time together every day and became the best of friends. But the problem with all friendships containing members of the opposite sex is that eventually one, if not all, of them develop feelings for someone. And so it is that Riley fell for their female counterpart. Tom also fell, but his feelings were actually returned. Helen was head over heals for the bloke and poor Riley was left out the moment the two started dating after two years of friendship. Helen and Tom became inseparable. They fell in love. They kept their difference of opinions to themselves. He hated muggles, she believed in equal rights. Since their opinions were so different, they just never discussed it.
Riley learned to push aside his feelings for Helen a few months later and so they were able to still be great friends. But there were many obstacles for Helen and Tom to overcome. Tom was stubborn and very jealous. He never liked it when she spent time with just Riley. He didn't like it when she spent any time with any other man. But he really despised her seeing Riley so much. He thought that they were too close for his comfort and so he constantly bickered with her over it.
It was after five years of dating that things got even worse. One day, Riley and Helen were doing their Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley. They were in the pet shop when Riley couldn't take it any longer and so he leaned in and kissed her. Of course it wasn't a kiss that she returned but from where Tom was standing, behind one of the larger cages, it appeared as much more than it was. He automatically flipped out. A few weeks later, she announced that she was pregnant and Tom jumped to conclusions. He asked her to abort, thinking it was Riley's. When she said no, he became violent.
Riley convinced her that he was a threat to all of their lives and persuaded her into running away with him and getting married so that the child was not a bastard child. She took his last name and they went in to hiding. Tom searched high and low for the two but couldn't find them and so he gave up. Months later, he received a letter from her saying that she had taken his advice on getting the abortion, not wanting to have a lasting reminder of him for the rest of her life. He never thought about her again, believing the relationship was over and finding no reason to torture himself with dreams of her. He loved her so much and the thought of her being with someone else would have destroyed him. He figured that she was gone and gave up all hope on ever being with her again.
That's the extent of what I heard. My father never told me Riley's last name because it was unbeknownst even to him. You see, Riley was such a shy guy that no one even knew he existed. He kept to himself.
After all was said and done, Tom became Voldemort and one day entrusted my father with the details of the story, which is why I know the story. But Lucius didn't know the minor details, the small things, like Riley's last name so that's why I didn't make the connection all these years. I believe your stepfather may have been lying to you about certain things that I heard you mention in your letters, but that's basically the story I heard. Hermione, what happened to your mother?"
She looked up at him with a puzzled sort of worried look. "Huh?"
"In all your letters, you always said she was...gone. You never said if she had passed on or if she had left. I was wondering what happened."
Hermione stared straight past him, seeing a sight that made her shirk. There he stood, gazing right at her. His black robes billowing behind him as he approached her. His hood covered his face but she knew it was him. He had finally come for her just as she knew he would. "I think we'll have to finish this discussion later," she said with a gulp, trying to put on a face of bravery though it seemed quite impossible for her to do. Nervousness crept through her as he came closer and closer.
Draco turned in his seat to see who she was talking about and saw a man drawing near. Behind him, a woman followed. She was tall with short brown hair. It was covered by the hood of her robes which she seemed content in wearing. Hermione just kept that face of bravery on but under the table, Draco could see her hands shaking.
"Hermione," the man said in a deep hissing voice. Draco stood up and walked behind his new friend, placing his hands on her shoulders to let her know that he was right behind her, whatever happened. "Your mother and I have come for you. Let's go to the Hog's Head and have a little family discussion."
Hermione's eyes widened as she saw the woman step out from behind him. She took off her hood and Hermione could see the bags that had begun to form beneath her mothers hazel eyes. Her smile seemed fake. Helen had always had a big smile, one that made everyone else around her feel warm and fuzzy all over. But not now. Now, she looked cold, worn out, tired...deathly.
"Hermione, listen to your father," Helen reprimanded, noticing her daughters lack of movement. "Say goodbye to this kind gentlemen," referring to Draco, "And let's go!"
Hermione unconsciously brought herself to her feet and rose, turning around to face Draco. "I...I...I have to g...go...now. I'll...I'll see you back at...at school." He could have sworn he heard her mumble, "I hope," under her breath as her parents led her away.
Feeling stupid and useless, he jumped up and ran after the cute little family. "WAIT!" he screamed, chasing them down the road. "I'm not letting her go anywhere," he said while trying to catch his breath after finally catching up to them. "We have Head Student duties to attend to."
Hermione's lips curled up into a smile. "It's okay, Draco. We can work them out later. This is my DAD...not...not who you're thinking about."
Helen turned to the platinum blonde haired boy and smiled. "You must be a very good friend of my daughters, running after her and trying to protect her from wizards with triple the amount of power you have. Tell me, boy. If we had been...dare I say abusing my daughter, what would you have done?"
He let out a chuckle. "I was planning on using the Petrificus Totalus on you both and rushing her back to Hogwarts."
The three laughed but he seemed to find no amusement in Draco's response. "You are a very foolish boy, thinking you could take me on," he hissed. "Judging by your silver hair and your cold gray eyes I can tell your Lucius' son so I won't hold it against you... but DON'T make that mistake again! I could crush you, boy!"
Hermione looked up at him with water in her eyes. "I can't believe you're threatening the one friend I thought you would approve of!" she screamed while running off in the opposite direction. Helen chased after her, leaving Draco alone with his fathers boss.
"So..." Draco said while rocking back and forth in order to entertain himself. "It's really great to meet you, sir. I've heard a lot about you."
"Stop trying to suck up," the old man shrieked. "You like my daughter, I can tell. Heed my warning, son. If you ever hurt her, I swear to the Gods that I will make sure that you suffer until your very last breath!"
IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE: I am leaving on vacation now until August 17th and then I go to band camp so please don't hate me! There are no computers when I go on vacation. I should be updating during band camp though. Just please don't kill me. BTW...it's my birthday July 28th...woo hoo for me!
anyway...about the story...VOLDEMORT MAKES HIS FIRST APPEARANCE! Tell me what you thought! Thanks for all the great reviews for the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated.
